IUI Vs IVF

Did you have a Hysterosalpingogram - HSG procedure done? We were trying for about 3 yrs also and all tests showed normal. I had an HSG done and that showed normal too but then i got pregnant right after the test. Which I read is common. I now have a healthy 1 1/2 yr old son.
J.
Avon Independent Sales Rep
www.youravon.com.jfreire

WE did the clomid and IUI with my first and it was successful for us. I am surprised that the doctor had not suggested the IUI already.

We went through the same thing....then we tried 2 rounds with IUI but those failed. We could have kept trying with IUI but I wanted to just go for it with IVF since it the chances of pregnancy were better. We lucked out and got pregnant with our 2nd little boy who's now 9 months old. IVF is stressful but worth it in the end ;o)

We tried for a year to have a 2nd child and then finally went to a fertility specialist. Before starting IUI, I went to get an HSG (test to confirm that your fallopian tubes are clear) and it turns out that both tubes were blocked! I was essentially infertile and in order to get pregnant I had to do IVF. SO, I would encourage you to get that test - my first son was concieved easily and I do not know what happened to cause the blockage (some kind of untreated infection?)

Anyway, we were very fortunate that our second IVF was successful and we now have another beautiful baby boy! In some ways I was glad that we had to do IVF - as the prior poster noted, the probabilities are better with IVF. Of course, I also feel similar to the prior poster who said she would have to give every embryo a chance and therefore I'll be going back for my 3 frozen embryos and hopefully our 3rd child!

I don't really have any experiance with either. But I think that if you have been trying for this long for another baby your family might not feel complete with out baby #2. I would go for it and do whatever it takes. Good luck with everything and I hope it happens quickly. :)

We had issues conceiving our first son. We went through every test and no explanation for our issues was ever found. The next step was to try IUI, first with Clomid, which we used for 3 tries and it did not work. The next step was to try IUI with injectable fertility meds (shots my husband had to give me), that took us 4 rounds but it did work on the last try. Normally they only do that for 3 rounds at our Dr office but since we had no insurance coverage for IVF, I begged them to let us try it one last time. I was 29yrs old at the time I was doing all of this, I know age can be a factor for what a specialist will recommend. You may want to check with your Insurance company too. I had to be very careful with how the office billed my provider to make sure things were covered. You should also be aware that once you get into these types of procedures, it gets more involved with office visits, ultrasounds, bloodwork; it really invades your life. There were weeks I was in the Dr office every other morning or even every morning for either bloodwork or a sonogram and you HAVE to be there. No choice. I would suggest going for a consultation first about these procedures and you can decide your next step from there. Of course I would do it all over again if I had to but luckily we had our second son all on our own, whew! Good luck to you!!

Hi J.! My husband and I both have fertility issues (I have PCOS and his little swimmers are a little out of shape). :) We did 6 iui's and one was successful, but I had a miscarriage. We then went on to IVF (have done it twice) and have 2 beautiful babies to show for it (1 in '05 & 1 in '09). IUIs were only like $600 I think when you factor in the scans and everything...we had to pay out of pocket for these. IVFs were $10k and we were lucky to have insurance cover both of ours. The shots with IVF were not that bad...I had my husband give them to me...seems to hurt less. :) On the first one we had 3 embryos put in and 2 took, but only 1 developed (the other dissolved around week 7...I think). The second IVF we had 2 embryos put in & 1 took. With my second IVF I had a major complication of hyperstimulation....I was hospitalized and dehydrated (I dry-heaved for 3 hours straight) they ended up taking like 19 liters of fluid off my stomach (I had a tube in my stomach for 3 days)...it was miserable, but now that my little guy is 9 months old...it was so worth it & I would do it again (if my husband would ever agree to 1 more kid!). :) Has your husband been tested? Good luck to you!! Let me know if you have anymore questions. To me, IVF was the way to go because it got the job done, but a lot of things factor into that...do you have insurance coverage ($10k is a lot of money), are you ok if more than 1 takes, do you have the patience to do a few rounds of IUI (if all tests are normal I would think IUI would work like a charm...they just help the swimmers get to where they need to be). Now I'm just rambling...let us know what you decide!! :)

How old are you? Age is kind of important with what to decide. If you are "advanced maternal age" already (usually over 35), the more aggressive you need to be if that is what you really want. We did IUI's for both of my kids, because I figured I'd start with the least invasive first. However, we were VERY lucky that we actually had fertility coverage, so it wasn't our dime. When you are self paying (as most are with fertility issues), you want to get the most "bang for your buck" so to say because it can get very expensive, very fast. IVF has the greatest chances of success, but is also more invasive...I guess I would probably try a cycle or 2 of IUI, and if no success-go to IVF. For me, I also wanted to avoid IVF if I could, due to moral issues. I always said if I did IVF, I would have to give every embryo a chance-(even if that meant I had 9 kids!) because of personal beliefs. Luckily, I didn't have to cross that bridge because the IUI's worked. Good luck to you and your husband!

You've gotten a lot of good advice & insight. The one thing I would add is that you should consider the hormones you would have to take for IVF. When we were trying to get pregnant, we had decided that we wouldn't go any further than the IUI procedure, mainly because of me. I am a pharmacist, and I just had... still have... concerns about what those hormones may do to you long term. There is still much that is unknown since, relatively speaking, this is a recent (30 years or so) procedure. If you are happy with your one child, then consider how much you want to put your body through and whether it's worth the toll. My sister went through it, and I saw firsthand the ups & downs and the emotional aspect of it. I, personally, didn't want that. Fortunately, we did get pregnant, on our own, just before the first appt with the fertility doctor.

We tried for a second child, it didn't happen, and we decided that was God's way of telling us that one child was the right decision for us, for now, though we may someday adopt (biologically we are done).

Good luck with whatever your decision.