OP, I will probably get blasted for this, but why don't you just count your blessings that you have two healthy children and leave it at that? The stats are not in your favor and given that you have said yourself you can't afford the cost, why not just accept what you have and be grateful for what you have? I know that family planning is a personal and individual thing, but there is much to be said for accepting life as it is and being grateful that you have so many blessings, instead of wanting what you don't/can't have.

Anonymous wrote:8:28

How many cycles did you do before your successful one? Did you have the baby yet? Was this your first child? What clinic/RE? Thanks.

I had one child at age 37 via IVF and ICSI (no PGD available back then). I did 7 cycles between the age of 41-44. One resulted in a pg but I m/c at 10 weeks. I did not do PGD with any of those cycles. I had one six day blastocyst left. PGD was done with this one and they said it was of good quality. We did an FET with that and it took. DD is now 2 mos old and so far healthy. But we had run out of money and if this hadn't taken DH said we were done. So thank God it took.

Anonymous wrote:OP, 42 year old eggs are significantly different than 39 year old eggs. I had my first at 37 (without an RE) and went on to do a lot of intervention to try to have a second. Unfortunately, I only started at 39 and tried from 39-42. Based on what my RE said and what I saw in my own testing, the difference is just huge. After 35, every year is significant, and after 39...oiy.

Did you have #2?

Do any local clinics do PGD?

OP, 42 year old eggs are significantly different than 39 year old eggs. I had my first at 37 (without an RE) and went on to do a lot of intervention to try to have a second. Unfortunately, I only started at 39 and tried from 39-42. Based on what my RE said and what I saw in my own testing, the difference is just huge. After 35, every year is significant, and after 39...oiy.

Do realize that even if you do PGD and get a normal embryo, the chance of pregnancy is still not 100%. Not even half of that. Just know that its not a guarantee.

PGD costs about $15k because you have to do it with IVF. So you pay for the IVF and then and additional $3 to $5k for PGD depending on how many embryos you have to test and how many genes you test for.

Honestly though, the cost-benefit doesn't really work out unless you just really, really, really need to know if your eggs are bad OR you can't face the possibility of a future where you are TTC for years and it takes forever to get PG or you have a bunch of miscarriages. We did it because we'd had eight miscarriages in three years and our infertility was unexplained. Getting those results made absolutely clear that we had egg problems - not just some theory - and the advice we'd been getting to "just keep trying" was most likely going to lead to several more years of miscarriages. I didn't have it in me to do that so we're going DE. BUT, if you haven't already suffered through all that and you are willing to face the possibility that it could be years of nothing and/or repeat miscarriages, then why not save yourself a lot of money and just try to find that one last good egg yourself?

8:38

How many eggs did you retrieve? How many were good/transferred?

8:28

How many cycles did you do before your successful one? Did you have the baby yet? Was this your first child? What clinic/RE? Thanks.

8:28 here. My FSH was slightly high but not alarmingly so. Yes it was with my own eggs. That's why I am encouraging OP to do PGD if she wants to use her own eggs. With PGD she can ensure that only the best embryo's are implanted. And if she does a frozen transfer she can give her body time to rid itself of the chemicals from the IVF before transfer. And there is a very high success rate for healthy blastocysts. Mine was a six day embryo of good quality. But all that said, it won't be easy to get a healthy embie for women of advanced age. They have to do multiple cycles sometimes to find that healthy embryo.

It was tough on us financially also. We had no insurance coverage for IVF and yet we did IVF with ICSI and PGD. We withdrew from our retirement account to pay for the cycles. We barely have anything left in our retirement now but we still think it was worth it.

Like the OP, I, too, felt I could be the exception and could have a child. I took good care of my health. I changed my diet and lifestyle even more to prepare my body for IVF. I also added in all the alternative treatments such as acupuncture and following Randine Lewis' philosophy and treatment program.

So - it's going to be tough but it is possible.

To 8:28, With your own eggs? Wow! That is great! Congratulations! Have you had the baby yet? Curious what your highest FSH was, fertility history (# of procedures, clinic, etc.) ?? Thanks!=)

Not everyone has the opportunity to "TRANSFER" blastocysts. Me for one.

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. How much does PGD cost? We used to have insurance that covered 50% of infertility costs, now our insurance covers none. I know this probably sounds crazy because we want another, clearly a huge expense, but can't really afford the IVF or PGD to get there. When it comes down to it, the resources spent on IVF or PGD are resources taken away from the family we already have. The failed FET cost us over $4000 and that was about the maximum we were willing to spend considering the stats for age 42. Like a PP, it's hard to imagine when you've worked hard all your life to meet your goals and then to realize you may not be able to now because there is something no longer under your control is hard to take. I always feel like I can be the exception, my whole life I have felt that anything is possible ... and I still feel this way to a degree because I am still hopeful but the reality is reality sucks.

Why don't you try this:

http://cnyfertility.com/

I know it's out of state and doesn't have great stats, but it has very reasonable rates and everything is included. Check and see for yourself.

It's pretty pricey. I did sme quick googling and saw prices ranging from $3,500 to $6,500 -- I'm sure it's different dependng on the clinic, but I feel like you'd be "safe" in assuming it'll add *at least* $5K to the cost of IVF.

OP here again. How much does PGD cost? We used to have insurance that covered 50% of infertility costs, now our insurance covers none. I know this probably sounds crazy because we want another, clearly a huge expense, but can't really afford the IVF or PGD to get there. When it comes down to it, the resources spent on IVF or PGD are resources taken away from the family we already have. The failed FET cost us over $4000 and that was about the maximum we were willing to spend considering the stats for age 42. Like a PP, it's hard to imagine when you've worked hard all your life to meet your goals and then to realize you may not be able to now because there is something no longer under your control is hard to take. I always feel like I can be the exception, my whole life I have felt that anything is possible ... and I still feel this way to a degree because I am still hopeful but the reality is reality sucks.