Monday, May 2, 2011

Gulp

I just paid my deposit to cycle with Dr. Sher in Las Vegas starting with the June 20 cycle.

I also just emailed my current RE, letting him know we were going to do this last-ditch effort with my eggs with Dr. Sher. I had some stress about that, since we are very grateful to him *and* if my eggs don't work out, would like to work with him for donor eggs. But he sent a nice note back hoping that don't need to do donor eggs. Phew.

I have a nurse consult on Wednesday to talk through scheduling and meds and stuff.

Today is CD 2 - my body had a perfectly normal, 32-day cycle last month, which was a relief. I haven't had a natural cycle (e.g. not recovering from a D&C) since last September, and that was the first one since January 2010.

My husband has been very supportive of my investigating Dr. Sher, and trusts my research and my instinct on what the best option for us is. The financial aspect isn't actually very different (3 cycle embryo banking with Dr. Sher costs about the same as two regular IVF cycles with my current RE), but the medications will be more expensive (estimate is $8-10k of meds per cycle - up from about $5k per cycle now), and thinking about it as one big lump sum is intimidating. (Email me privately if you're interested in the specific numbers.)

Traveling to Vegas will add to the cost - flights are about $150 roundtrip right now on Southwest, and hotel will be $100/night. For this first cycle, my husband will spend the entire time with me in Vegas (working remotely), but for future cycles we're likely to have him just fly in at the end for his contribution. :)

One interesting facet of the embryo banking plan is that I can start with a 2 cycle embryo banking plan, and up to my first egg retrieval, can upgrade it to a 3 cycle plan. I strongly suspect we'll want to do 3 retrievals, but if I happened to have tons of eggs, I might consider doing just 2. Anyway, it's nice to have some flexibility there.

Someone asked last time in the comments about why we're doing CGH and why I'll be on the estradiol. The estradiol is to prime my follicles so they're more responsive to the stimulation medications. With diminished ovarian reserve, estrogen priming is a trick they use to increase results. CGH is our choice - having had two miscarriages that would have been avoided if we'd done genetic screening, I can tell you I would pay ANYTHING to avoid going through that again. The physical and emotional cost of a miscarriage, not to mention the delay while you're pregnant find out it's not good, recover from the D&C, etc., is awful. Even if we end up doing donor eggs, I suspect I'll want to test the embryos to make sure we're only putting back good ones.

I'll post again after the nurse consult on Wednesday, but I think I"ll be starting medications in about 3 weeks.

Thanks for all your input!

12 comments:

  1. I'm so excited that you have a plan! I bet writing/sending that email to your current RE was stressful, but I'm glad that he's so understanding. I pray that this new plan is the end of this crazy road for you.

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  2. Wishing you the best of luck.

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  3. Your so organized and sure of yourself that it's contagious for hope. I'm really glad you are so determined in your coarse of action. You can't go into anything with doubt or reservations, especially something like this! :) Can't wait!!!

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  4. I met Dr Sher in person at a Seminar her spoke at here in Dallas (they have an office here too). I adore him and believe you are in great hands. I love all the flexibility your plan offers, I definately believe that helps alleviate some pressure. Wishing you nothing but
    Sh(e)er Success this cycle!! (Wow, I impressed myself there - tee hee)

    xoxoxoxox

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  5. How wonderful - this is great! I'm so happy that you now have a plan in place, and will be putting your future babies in Sher's hands. Yes, it will take awhile, but it will be so worth it!

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  6. i'm very excited for you to cycle with dr sher. you're in the best hands, and i am keeping fingers, toes, everything crossed for you that he'll work his magic on you. so awesome that your hubby is supportive of all this, that has to be a big relief. rooting for you big time :o) xoxo.

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  7. Sounds like you've got a great plan! I hope it all works out wonderfully well.

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  8. No need to explain things to me! We did CGH on our DE Embies...enough was enough and we wanted to make sure every factor was investigated before the transfer. Take care...

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  9. I am so excited for you! I am glad you found someone you like and trust. I am glad you have a plan in place and that you sound happy and confident about!!! YEA!!!!

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  10. So excited for you!!! Here to hold your hand every step of the way.

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  11. Hope your appt went well today. I'm so excited for you to start up again in June!

    Thanks for your suggestion about EPO for my lining. I will add it to my 'operation' :)

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  12. We considered Sher but decided to go with Shapiro and Daneshmand. They are also in Vegas. A friend who works for one of the large drug companies dealing in fertility did some research for us and told us that we go straight to Daneshmand and Shapiro. We are thrilled that we did since we were successful on the first attempt (well 12 weeks successful at this point). They are involved in cutting edge research and run an extremely professional clinic. We met with Sher and liked him but we were less than enthused with his staff and office atmosphere.

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