My New Year's resolution for 2014 is either to loose 10 pounds or gain 30.
With the one caveat that the "gain 30" has to come along with a baby in my belly.
Yep. My 2014 resolution is definitely get pregnant. ;-)
John and I had another consult with Dr. Colbert this morning. Since I had not seen him since before my surgery it was great to hear first hand how well it went. He gave us three options moving forward. Can I just say how great it is to have options? I love our doctor. He truly understands that every couple (or individual) has not only unique diagnoses but unique circumstances in terms of lifestyle, finances, moral convictions, and other considerations that come into play when making a fertility game plan. Infertility makes you feel so powerless and I love having a doctor who wants to empower us again.
Here are our basic options moving forward:
1. Try on our own, unmedicated, and see if the laparscopy was what we needed to "do the trick."
2. Take a low cost drug called Femara to improve ovulation. We could combine this drug with more IUIs or try on our own.
3. Take more expensive drugs commonly referred to as "injectables" (he called them FSH injections). Again, we could combine this drug with more IUIs or try on our own.
4. IVF
IVF gives us the greatest chance of success. He said if money was no issue and we wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible, he would say to do IVF. However, since cost is an issue John and I definitely want to explore other options.
I do believe the laparscopy is going to greatly increase our chances, but I still have that diminished ovarian reserve diagnosis so I wanted something to help me ovulate. That left us with options #2 or #3. Dr. Colbert's cost estimate for the drugs on #2 was $60/month while #3 was more like $700-$1,000. Yikes.
We went with option #2! Femara. We were also able to talk a little more about John's "low end of normal" sperm count and essentially what Dr. Colbert said was that the issue seemed to be that they don't "wash" well. "Washing" is what they do to prepare the sperm for insemination. We did three IUIs and they only washed well once. So while the IUI would increase our chances of success, it doesn't seem like they would be increased enough to make the cost of IUI (and the monitoring ultrasounds that go along with it) worth it.
All this to say: for the next 2-4 months all I have to do is take one little oral medication! No driving 45 minutes to the office for monthly ultrasounds, no early morning winter IUI trips, no clomid (thank goodness!), no cringe inducing medical bills... nothing.
What a relief.
A few months ago I felt like we were rocketing toward IVF faster than I could come to terms with. Today we have a way to move forward with treatment that will allow us to take a break both financially and emotionally from all the appointments. Thanking God for this much needed grace.
I think I am also going to make an appointment with a chiropractor nearby who recently helped a friend of mine in her fertility journey. Now that I don't have any other fertility appointments on the calendar, I thought it might be worth a try!
All for now! Thankful for your continued stories, advice, and support.
xo
With the one caveat that the "gain 30" has to come along with a baby in my belly.
Yep. My 2014 resolution is definitely get pregnant. ;-)
John and I had another consult with Dr. Colbert this morning. Since I had not seen him since before my surgery it was great to hear first hand how well it went. He gave us three options moving forward. Can I just say how great it is to have options? I love our doctor. He truly understands that every couple (or individual) has not only unique diagnoses but unique circumstances in terms of lifestyle, finances, moral convictions, and other considerations that come into play when making a fertility game plan. Infertility makes you feel so powerless and I love having a doctor who wants to empower us again.
Here are our basic options moving forward:
1. Try on our own, unmedicated, and see if the laparscopy was what we needed to "do the trick."
2. Take a low cost drug called Femara to improve ovulation. We could combine this drug with more IUIs or try on our own.
3. Take more expensive drugs commonly referred to as "injectables" (he called them FSH injections). Again, we could combine this drug with more IUIs or try on our own.
4. IVF
IVF gives us the greatest chance of success. He said if money was no issue and we wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible, he would say to do IVF. However, since cost is an issue John and I definitely want to explore other options.
I do believe the laparscopy is going to greatly increase our chances, but I still have that diminished ovarian reserve diagnosis so I wanted something to help me ovulate. That left us with options #2 or #3. Dr. Colbert's cost estimate for the drugs on #2 was $60/month while #3 was more like $700-$1,000. Yikes.
We went with option #2! Femara. We were also able to talk a little more about John's "low end of normal" sperm count and essentially what Dr. Colbert said was that the issue seemed to be that they don't "wash" well. "Washing" is what they do to prepare the sperm for insemination. We did three IUIs and they only washed well once. So while the IUI would increase our chances of success, it doesn't seem like they would be increased enough to make the cost of IUI (and the monitoring ultrasounds that go along with it) worth it.
All this to say: for the next 2-4 months all I have to do is take one little oral medication! No driving 45 minutes to the office for monthly ultrasounds, no early morning winter IUI trips, no clomid (thank goodness!), no cringe inducing medical bills... nothing.
What a relief.
A few months ago I felt like we were rocketing toward IVF faster than I could come to terms with. Today we have a way to move forward with treatment that will allow us to take a break both financially and emotionally from all the appointments. Thanking God for this much needed grace.
I think I am also going to make an appointment with a chiropractor nearby who recently helped a friend of mine in her fertility journey. Now that I don't have any other fertility appointments on the calendar, I thought it might be worth a try!
All for now! Thankful for your continued stories, advice, and support.
xo
Praying for success in 2014!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteMany prayers. I've had many friends have success with Femara.
ReplyDeleteLove hearing that! Thank you for your prayers!
DeleteMany prayers. I've had many friends have success with Femara.
ReplyDeleteMany prayers. I've had many friends have success with Femara.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they offered you Femara- and an option for taking a break from all those appointments! :) Thinking of you as you move forward into 2014. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too and thank you!
DeleteGo team Burden! You know what I mean ;-)
ReplyDeleteHA! Thank you!
DeleteYay for options!! Are they still going to monitor you while you're on the femara? I took letrozole(the generic) and always made sure they did a mid cycle u/s to make sure I was responding to my dosage and that cysts didnt become an issue. Just a thought :) you know I hope and pray this is what works for you.
ReplyDeleteNo monitoring. Chance of over stimulating w/ femara is very low so the RE didn't think it was necessary if I wasn't going to be triggering for IUIs. Thanks you so much for your hopes and prayers for us!
DeleteNice to have options! Chiming in to say that often times insurance will cover the cost of letrozole since it is listed as a cancer drug (not a fertility drug). Call your insurance to check and if they don't cover I have heard from several people that Target and Costco both offer huge discounts so the cost of the prescription is $10 or less.
ReplyDeleteWow Marcy thanks for this advice!! I'll look into it!
DeleteThank you for blogging about this. I'm a Quaker and, whilst I prefer silence to church, I really appreciate hearing your thoughts about faith and fertility. Holding you in the Light. (Which is how we say, 'I'm praying for you'.)
ReplyDeleteEm
Em thank you for holding me in the light! I love that picture. Thankful for that! xo
Deletegood luck in 2014!!!! I would acupuncture as well. This has helped me with many things in life. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer! We don't have a clinic nearby, although down the road I may consider traveling for it!
DeleteAwesome News!! Definitely check Costco for prescriptions, some are even less expensive buying outright, verses paying the copay. Have had lots of friends use Costco pharmacy for infertility medications!! Best Wishes Burden family, It Will Happen!!!! Never Give Up! Can't wait to see Arie as a big brother!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ann! We don't have a Costco membership, but thankfully this RX was only $7 at Walgreens! Yes!!
DeleteYes, Femara is actually pretty cheap. Definitely not $60. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYep just got it; only $7. Without insurance look like it would have been almost $100, but insurance kicked in b/c it is classified as a cancer drug. Thankful!
DeleteSo excited for you! Ready for a BFP and all the yuckies and wonders that come with it! And I gain about 50 pounds with my pregnancies. It comes on and it comes off!
ReplyDeleteI will happily gain 50 for a pregnancy :-) Thank you for sharing in our excitement!
DeleteYay for options! I got pregnant on Femara! Hope it helps you too!
ReplyDeleteI heard about your blog from a friend a week ago and have been reading it nonstop since then. I feel like you are reading my mind when I read each entry. I have also gone through three failed IUIs and am trying a final one this month. Your blog is so helpful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour resolutions are the same as mine.
Please consider acupuncture. I tried for four years to get pregnant. And I did get pregnant, just to lose it three times. Finally I tried acupuncture and well, my success is now tucked up in bed. I know many people that have had the same experience and you can combine it with the drug you are now taking.
ReplyDeleteKaren