IVF Round #2

Fellow skeptics, below is an excerpt from my book concerning my feelings about whether
my second attempt at IVF would work (following five miscarriages, one failed IUI, and failure
at IVF cycle #1 - with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis - PGD - where the embryos were checked
for chromosomal abnormalities before they were implanted into the uterus). Take note of my doubts of it working:

My reproductive endocrinologist believed a donor egg IVF cycle would be our best option at this point. She informed us the clinical pregnancy rates are 60-70% per attempt with this type of IVF. However, my gung-ho plans for doing donor egg IVF were shot down when I discovered my health insurance didn’t cover donor costs, which are close to $13,000 for one cycle. The outlay of funds couldn’t be justified for the odds of success. So, I figured since I had two remaining “regular” IVF attempts covered by insurance in their entirety, I might as well take advantage of them. Based on my past fruitless attempts at childbearing, it would most likely be a waste of time, but not money.

I figured the odds of this second IVF working were as likely as:

1. Finding the Holy Grail.
2. Solving a Rubic Cube in ten minutes or less.
3. At the arcade, grasping a stuffed animal prize hovering below with the mechanical claw on the first try.
4. Hitting a home run at Wrigley Field.
5. Getting a marriage proposal from Matthew McConaghey.

This is the IVF cycle that was, in fact, successful. I guess the message here is:

Never give up hope.

What does infertility mean to you?

In one sentence, answer the following question (as a comment to this post):

What does infertility mean to you?

Here's my answer ... Infertility is like reflecting on why you're the only one on your block not invited to the neighborhood Labor Day cookout while walking up your front porch stairs clutching your umbrella in the driving wind, pelting-down rain, and Whoosh! - your umbrella blows inside out.

If you can relate to this feeling and you'd like to read more, just click on "follow" to join my blog.

I'm a newbie to blogging, but am learning as I go and will try to keep you entertained, informed,
and offer you a shoulder to lean on as you go through the difficult journey of infertilty.

Suzy

Life

Where to begin? All I can say is, "Life is a minefield". I'd like to share some of the ups and downs of my life to help others and share some tidbits of advice I've acquired along the way. I've been around for 45 years and the older I've gotten, I've learned that it doesn't really matter what people think of you and that a good sense of humor will carry you through a ton of bad luck! And trust me, I've had my share. My motto is that if you want something so bad you can taste it, hunt it down and devour it like a juicy steak.

One of the biggest obstacles of my life was my four-year bout with secondary infertility. It started with a pregnancy that ended at 17 weeks due to severe chromosomal issues in the fetus, followed by multiple miscarriages, infertility work-up, failed infertility treatment attempts (IUI and IVF), and a ton of bad luck to add to the mix.

I've written a book about my journey and am seeking publication. My story had a good ending (my son). I'm hoping that my experience can encourage and lift up other women (and their other halves) going through similar situations.

More to come soon!