PGD/IVF with Boston IVF or Fertility Centers of New England?

[myangel2014]

Anyone have any experiences with either of these centers for GS? I am going crazy researching them..I have 3 beautiful boys but am missing having a girl. How many cycles does it usually on average take if you are a fertile?

[nuthinbutpink]

We've had people cycle at both. FCNE has a recent BFP on here. The info is in the Cycle Diaries forum
But it's a member forum.

[alreadyneedivf]

heard good things about both--definitely consult with both and see--good luck!

[ohboy]

I haven't cycled anywhere yet but have had quite a few emails/conversations back and forth to FCNE. They give me a sense of warmth and understanding rather than someone just doing a job. I know it doesn't help you much but just thought I'd add it in :)

My top 3 clinics are so different you just can't compare! One for experience, One for convenience/financial reasons & One for the "feeling". It's really hard for me to narrow it down.

Good Luck to you no matter where you go and I hope you can find a combination of the above :)

[wishfulthinkingforaug]

Hi! I'm actually cycling at Fertility Centers of New England. I started my Gonal F injections this past Sunday. I just went in for blood work today (day 2) to check my estradiol levels. It has been easy so far (only one shot each night into my stomach - two shots total - many more to go!!!). I'm in a constant state of disbelief that I've embarked on this journey. I feel excited and crazy at the same time. :) As for the center, they've been great. I've been working with Tammy who manages the PGD portion and she gave me her personal cell phone to call if I have any questions with the various medications (pretty daunting). They also make it really easy to come in for bloodwork and ultrasounds (of which there are many!). I went in this morning for blood work. Went in at 7:30 (though I think you can go in as early as 6 or 6:30am) and walked out by 7:40. Minimal disruption to my day. I also know of another lady who just cycled there with PGD and is pregnant. She cycled last month. She too has had a good experience.

[Tickled Pink!]

I just finished all of my pre-testing at FCNE and so far, so good! I am seeing Dr. Weiss and I really like him, my HT journey has been much easier to get started than I thought it was going to be. I have been seen so quickly for every apt. that I have had there so far and something else that I love is that the nurses call me back right away when I leave a message with a question - love that! I haven't really heard anything about Boston IVF but just wanted you to know that FCNE has been a great experience for me so far.

Wishfulthinking - I too am still in a total state of disbelief that I am actually going through with this! I hope to get things rolling next month! It's fun to read about other people going to FCNE, good luck with your cycle!!

[tinksmagic]

I have my call in with FCNE, and RSC appointment is already booked. Please, please, PLEASE do yourself the favor and avoid Boston IVF like the plague! I know people will give them good kudos, but if you've read any of my posts, you'll understand why I will never give them another thought. We went through Hell with them.
I've interviewed a few other clinics and none are willing to do PDG for gender. RSC is now, whereas 4 years ago they wouldn't, not sure why the change? Might've been different doctors. FCNE comes very highly recommended so I am hoping the call me back tomorrow so I can set up my consult.
Thanks to my company changing insurance, we're hoping for our next cycle to be in Dec.

Good luck!!!

[tinksmagic]

It's official we're using FCNE. Dr. Weiss, too. TickledPink are you still here? I'm so much in denial that it's begun, feels just like more testing at this point. <sighs>

[Tickled Pink!]

Hey Tinks!! I am still here!! I am so glad that you decided to use FCNE - what office are you using? I go to the Dedham office until ER and ET where I will go to Reading. When do you think you will do your cycle? I will start early next month - still so crazy that I am really going through with this. Don't think it will feel real until I start that first injection!

[tinksmagic]

TP, yep, we're in Dedham too! But of course AF decided to show 2 days late and I'm back and forth to Reading on Sundays now for bloodwork. Figures, huh? It's OK, despite getting up super early on a Sunday, it's my alone time to think... :) (then I can go back to sleep when I get home, and do!)
I just got my FSH back from day 3, it's 6.9! Lowest its been since we starting testing in '09. No word yet on my AMH or our karyotyping, but I'm calling tomorrow to see if it's back. Wish they posted it in the "portal".

Are you doing a FET and did he mention using menopur for you? We discussed it, that's his plan. He wants to give the boys every chance to die naturally before we transfer them. I guess I'm ok with that, it does make sense.

LOL, wait til the injections, I dread them, but hubby and I joke around during them so it makes it fun. Are they giving you BCPs too?

Just noticed you're in RI, we're right on the border of RI :)

[Tickled Pink!]

OMGosh, I hear you on the drive - lots and lots of alone time to think! I am driving to Dedham from East Greenwich, RI - I will have even EXTRA alone time to think when I have to drive to Reading for ER and T - that drive will be a bitch!! Wish our stuff all happened on the same day and we could drive together, lol!!!

Ok, so today is cycle day 1 for me - I called Tammy and got the low down on how my cycle should look. I am doing a fresh cycle - I will start the BCP tomorrow and take it until Nov. 11th and then she thinks ER will be a few days after Thanksgiving and then ET should be that first week of December. I was really hoping I could get this all done before Thanksgiving but they had to extend my BCP for a bit just to make sure nothing would land on Thanksgiving day because they are closed that day.

Awesome on your FSH - wish mine was that low!! I was at a 7.9 when we did day 3 bloodwork for my pretesting in August, would be awesome if it would somehow get lower by next month but I doubt it, lol! I'm 38 so I gues 7.9 is kind of the norm for my age range. I need to go back to an old thread of yours to get caught up on your story. I take it you are doing a FET and putting back 2 boys!!???? I believe that Dr. Weiss is going to use Menopur with me. I am pretty new to all of the IVF and PGD lingo so I'm not too sure what the Menopur does. I am looking at my sheet right now and he has me on the Antagonist Cyle with Birth Control. Do you know why he would have me take BCP instead of Lupron? Just heard of others using Lupron and didn't know if one was better than the other when it comes to supressing.

Keep me posted on what your next step is!!! Hope you have a great weekend Tinks!

[GT77]

Hey girls, why are the prices so low here? Can u tell me your success stories with PGD? Did you do FET and what day did Dr. Weiss and what day did they test for PGD, anyone test for 24 chromosomomes?

[Tickled Pink!]

Hey GT77 - not sure why the prices are so low at FCNE, glad to know that they are though since I really didn't look anywhere else - FCNE happens to be close to me so it just seemed to be the best option. I really don't have much info for you yet since I haven't cycled yet but I will be more than happy to answer more of your questions once I get things rolling next month. Good luck to you!!

[tinksmagic]

TP, your FSH isn't so bad! Mine oddly enough has come down since I was 38 (it was 12 when I was 38), but I've been doing everything to be healthy. My TSH on the other hand, it going up and up and up! I am now on Levoxyl for the month. It went from 1.2 in May to 2.9 (which is still technically OK, but it is rising rapidly). I am supposed to approximately start BCPs on Nov 1, but I want to be 100% sure things are A-OK before I drop another dime into this. I did talk to Jamie yesterday in great detail and Dr. Weiss as well. I'm on an aggressive stim too. I have 8 follies on my own, which is decent for 41 as well. He's doing what's called "microflash". He was initially going to do menopur, but then changed it to this new format. I'll be on 20u lupron (10 x 2 daily), gonal, and 2 other things. Totally different protocol from BIVF.
I did get to talk to Tammy today as well, we're going to do a day 5 24 panel SNIP with Natera. Overall I'm very happy with the way they're treating me and that's most important right now. We're also doing ICSI which we've not done before, but Jamie and Tammy both said it's better to do with IVF.
Since we're going to have to freeze then transfer the next month, I'm debating on waiting a couple more months before we start. I really want to meet with my endo first and run a full panel of tests on my autoimmune.

Are you going for gender? We are, boys, but I think EVERYONE on this forum knows that, lol. I'm praying for 2 normal to come from this....

How are you eating? I went and did a complete change. Nothing processed, only organic. I gave up sugar, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, and gluten. I have to believe that contributed to the good numbers. My day 10 bloodwork my FSH went to 11, which is understandable since I took Clomid.

Hubby's and my karyotyping both came back normal. No word on AMH yet... My Sono looked awesome as well. Oddly enough, I *shouldn't* have trouble getting pregnant, but yet I still do! Took years to get our girls :(

Are they giving you PIO? I'm getting it, apparently it's better... I'm not thrilled for more shots.

[Tickled Pink!]

Hey Tinks! Ok, how funny - I am on Levoxyl too, can't recall my numbers of my THS but it was borderline high. I am just loving that you are having a baby at 41. I would seriously love 4 kids but I always find myself saying I can't because I'm 38 and running out of time but I could fit a fourth one in there if I really wanted to, lol!!

I want to know about microflash? And do you think I should ask Tammy about Nateral - I'm not too sure if I understand what it is but I have been seeing it pop up here and there on this forum, it seems like it might be the new way to go with PGD. I need to send my papers and money out in the next couple of weeks so I better check this stuff out soon! We will be doing ICSI as well. Tammy is great isn't she - I love her accent! I moved here from California so I get a kick out of strong New England accents, love it!

And yes, we are going for a girl. We have 2 awesome little dudes but REALLY want the opportunity to raise a daughter too so here we are! OMG, you are so good with your diet - I haven't changed a darn thing. I'm thinking I should for this next month leading up to my cycle. I guess I need to read up on what to eat before IVF - I guess just do what you are doing . . . organic, gluten free, no sugar, no alcohol or caffeine - not sure I will live long enough to make it to my cycle if I give all that up, lol!!

What is PIO?? Not sure if I will have that or not. Is that the Progesterone Injections?? If it is, then yes I will have those too. Whatever Dr. Weiss is doing seems to be working because the last 2 girls from here that cycled there are preggers now with their baby girls!!! Love that we are both cycling at the same place, I can't wait to cheer you on when your cycle comes!!

[wantingatutu]

Hi tinksmagic and tickledpink! Sorry to just jump right into your post, but I am very eager to try IVF/PGD in the future (I am actually 5 months pregnant with baby boy #3 and experiencing really bad GD :( so it's the hope of going through what you both are going through in the future that is keeping me from feeling terribly sad all day). My husband actually has always wanted four kids, so I'm glad that we both agree to have more kids, but after doing a pretty hard core girl sway for this baby, and then having it fail, we both agree that we'd like to go HT next time around. We are in NH so your thread was especially interesting for me, as I think the clinic you both are going to would be best for me. So I am anxious to read all of your posts to see how things are going and get familiar with the lingo, etc. I hope you both don't mind me joining in to ask questions! Thanks in advance for your kindness and support :o)

[Tickled Pink!]

Hi wantingatutu (cute name by the way!) - of course you can jump on to our thread! That is pretty much what I did when I saw a few girls who lived in the same area as me and were cycling at the same clinic. To be honest with you, I had tons of GD when I was pregnant with DS #2 and I can't believe how much I can't stop kissing the little booger now, he is the best thing ever. I know that's how you will be with DS #3 - and now that you know that you can go HT to get your girl and your husband is on board, you can totally relax and get excited about your perfect family of 3 boys and a girl!! I didn't even know about going HT when I was pregnant with DS #2 - I was so excited to find out that there were people as crazy as me who wanted a daughter as bad as I did and there was actually a FOR SURE way to get her!! Lol!

I have heard great things about FCNE and am having a great experience there so far so I'm glad that you think you would use them as well. I am so happy to have you join in on our journeys as I will be very excited to join in on yours. I still can't believe that my hubby and I are actually going through with this, it just seems so surreal and I am soooooo praying that it works the first time but need to know that it might take a couple of tries. And you are welcome to ask tons of questions - I am still learning so I'm not that much help now but should be tons of help in a month or so!! :wink:

[wantingatutu]

Hi again! Thank you SO much for letting me join in on the conversation and for answering any questions I may have! I think when the time comes it will also feel SO surreal. I am just starting to get excited about a new baby in the house - although at times it's tough when you see all of your friends having baby girls :( But I love my two boys dearly and they will be thrilled to have a baby brother (they don't know what is in mommy's tummy - not telling them till the birth!). I am also looking forward to a family of four, when that happens :o)

So I do have a few questions for you already - hope you don't mind! First is, was insurance able to help you at all with the cost of IVF? I am trying to research that now with our insurance but haven't quite figured it out yet (just reading through paperwork - I really don't want to have to make that phone call just yet). Also, do you know if your meds are covered by insurance - or are you paying all out of pocket? We have a lot saved up already for this venture, just wanting to know JUST how much we will need. How much, roughly, do you think your first cycle (or each cycle, for that matter) will cost? Are they able to give you a bundle - like three cycles for a certain price? Again, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and I REALLY look forward to seeing how things go for you at FCNE! Wishing you success on your FIRST cycle!!!!!!!!

[tinksmagic]

HI Ladies! TP, hope things are going great in your cycle. I'm "technically" supposed to start tomorrow, but the insurance company is holding things up. They refused to cover ICSI and PGD. Their reasoning, unless one of us has a translocation or disease (which thankfully we don't) they won't cover. Nor will they cover despite RPL due to chromosomal abnormalities which make NO SENSE to me; they'd rather pay for a failed cycle (about 15K) or possibly a child with defect for the rest of it's life than weed out that possibility and only create healthy embryos. I'm appealing their decision this week.

Wantingatutu, I fully understand your GD. I went through is horribly with DD #3 and didn't have the wonderful support from this group 7 years ago. We have 4. It's great!!! Loud, expensive, but great!!! We will have 6 by the time we're done. Then WE'RE DONE!!! lol.

Where in NH are you? Reading is real close to the NH border for FCNE so that's awesome!!! Enjoy #3, I met a woman the other night preggers and asked and got the "another boy" grumble. I had to remind her to be thankful he's healthy and there are women (me) who would kill to be pregnant with a boy. I know her feeling, but we also need to be reminded that it's a good thing too!!! My DD #3 gives me the run around but at the end of the day, she's right there for snuggles. I'm going to miss the nail polish all over my furniture and floor, tons of shoes all over the house, my make up bag raids, hair bows and elastics... sighs... bring on the Tonka trucks and biker baby boy clothes!!! I'M READY!!!

[needalittlepink]

I am VERY new to forums. (This is my first attempt!) I just had my ER yesterday at FCNE. I have to say that everything about them has been wonderful. We are hoping to have PGD. My last cycles were at Baystate Medical Center. Even though I have to drive 2 hrs, I am glad we decided to go with FCNE

[wantingatutu]

Hi tinksmagic :o) I live in Keene, NH, so pretty far from Reading, MA - although we will surely make the drive if we find that that clinic yields the best results. Yes, I'm dealing a bit with GD, but am slowly getting excited for DS3 - getting all the baby clothes ready and buying new bedding has definitely helped :o) I think it's more the comments that I get that are really starting to bother me but I just have to grin and bear it. After all, they are MY kids and I will love them know matter what their gender! I hope to add a daughter to the bunch after this one and then we would be done :o) I'm just worried about the toll it will take on me emotionally (how are you holding up?) and on our wallets?! If you wouldn't mind sharing, would you let me know how much money is involved per cycle? I would love to wrap my head around the idea of spending so much money way in advance! Many thanks for your post - and I look forward to chatting more! Hugs to you!

[Tickled Pink!]

Hello Ladies!

First of all, welcome needalittlepink! Wow, you have most likely already had your ET - how did it go?? I want to hear all about it! Hoping everything went as smooth as can be!

Wantingatutu - I am pretty lucky because insurance is covering the IVF portion of things. And I believe that my meds are covered too - I will find out soon because Tammy is ordereing them in the next couple of days. I think paying for an IVF bundle is a smart thing if your insurance DOES NOT cover IVF. They say it could take a couple of cycles for it to work and it would be nice knowing that if the first one fails you get another try. That's a great question to ask in the private forum - these girls who have been through it already have tons and tons of knowledge on all this stuff!!! I will tell you that for the PGD portion of things, I had to send FCNE a check for $2,250 and another check to Reprogenetics (the PGD lab) for $1700. Hope that helps a little honey!


Tinksmagic, did you work things out with your insurance company?? When do you think you will be able to start your cycle?? I take my last BCP on the 11th and then get AF and then it's go time. . . . getting very excited and scared all at the same time!!!

[wantingatutu]

Hi Tickled - Thanks for your message :o) Glad to hear things are going well so far! And thanks for the information about insurance, cost, etc. Just wondering how you figured out that your insurance would pay for IVF? Wondering if it will be a problem to get it covered because it isn't for medical reasons. And do you have to send the $2,250 + $1,700 for each cycle? I'm thinking that's how it works, correct? I'm so excited for you! Hoping the first time around works out great! And regarding the "private forum" - I'm so new to this, I'm not sure what you are talking about - could you let me know how to get to the private forum? Thanks!

[tinksmagic]

Welcome Needa!
I'm still appealing my insurance company. I have to call Tammy later today to get things going. I got my initial amounts (approx) ICSI $1500, PGD $3100 (full 24 panel), IVF and meds are 100% covered by my insurance. I don't know yet what Ericsson will cost, need to call Lewiston.

I'm getting my blood checked again after being on Levoxyl for a month. My TSH needs to come down a bit. I am in the process of seeing an Endo to get a full panel done before I commit to another cycle. My daughters are both having issues, my oldest upped her Levoxyl and my middle despite a normal TSH is high free T4, so I want to get a clean bill across the board. Other than that, I'm still keeping on my path. That and I wanted to make sure the Clomid is fully out of my system.

I will admit part of me is kinda pushing it out because I'm scared to try again and lose them. This will be our most expensive option, but the best one. The good news is, microflare is getting fantastic results and that's awesome news!!!

heading out, will post more later today after talking with Tammy. Good luck TP, 2 more days!!! WHoo hoo!

[Tickled Pink!]

Wanting - I looked at my insurance plan online and then called. I was nervous to call because I didn't necessarily have an infertility problem but I just asked what was covered when it came to infertlity and they were really nice and didn't ask any questions. You will get the most information if you just call, you don't have to give them any personal information so don't worry! And if you have embies that are frozen from your first cycle then you won't have to pay the PGD fee each cycle but if you have to do PGD a second time then yes, you will have to pay those fees again.

Tinks - what is microflare?? I am getting nervous that I might not be doing the right PGD protocol. Dr. Weiss signed me up for FISH 3 probe (X,Y and 21). I just kind of went along with it since I don't really know bout all of this stuff. I am wondering if I should be doing the full 24 chromosome panel - but then does that mean that I will have to do a FET? Maybe I will call Tammy next week and get her advice. It looks like you are on the right path Tinks and it's a good idea to not rush into anything.

Ok, my last BCP is tonight and then we just wait for AF to come!!

[Tickled Pink!]

Wanting - just click the link at the top of the page "Become A Dream Member" - it's a $12 fee, then you can have access to the private forum where there is tons more info!!

[tinksmagic]

TP ~ how's things progressing?
We're doing the full 24 panel only because we've done the 5 panel twice now and both ended in m/c. I requested the full 24. I wanted to do the full 24 last time, but BIVF was unwilling to use Natera (again, they did everything to piss me off...). I'm doing the microflare as we did a normal lupron the first cycle, and an aggressive the second and there was no difference in the amount of eggs I got. From what I'm reading on other forums, microflare has been working for a ton of women and almost all are pregnant now.\

I did just have a full blood work panel done, I'll have results tomorrow (Tues). I've been on the lovoxyl for a month now, but FCNE couldn't retest my TSH, so I had to go to my PCP who is testing it all!!! I'm not going to cycle until I'm 100% confident I'm OK. I did add a few more supplements to my mix as well, to start boosting. Added to hubby's too (again to start boosting!)

[Tickled Pink!]

Hey Tinks, I have been meaning to catch up with you to let you know how things went with me and see how you are doing! As you probably saw in my signature, I only ended up with 7 eggs, 4 mature and 3 fertilitzed. Such a bummer! My AFC was pretty low and I'm thinking I wasn't on the right protocol. I am wondering if microflare would work better for me, need to have a sit down with Dr. Weiss to discuss everything. He seems pretty set on me doing the FISH 3 probe for PGD, don't you think that with my previous losses and my age that I would benefit from 5 day aCGH? I didn't know that he offered Natera, how did you get him to to that?? Fill me in, fill me in!!!!

Sorry about your insurance being a big pain in the ars - that sucks! You are being so good and patient by waiting to make sure that you are 100% ready to cycle. How did your last full bw panel come out?? Maybe we will end up cycling around the same time now that I have to move on to cycle #2. Good luck to us both!!

[tinksmagic]

Full panel came back awesome!!! No other autoimmunes, just borderline hypothryoid. The levoxyl dropped me from 2.97 to .963!!! WOW!!! Bummer though I will be on it the rest of my life now :( My ANA is fine as is my other levels, TPO went from 29.4 to 18.3 so that's dropping too despite the antibodies present. Neither dr. thinks it will be an issue, so I'm good to go!!

I just found out today my employer is changing insurance offerings. It's Dec 4, we're supposed to have open enrollment done by the 5th!! Grrr, they're so not on top to things, going to call today. If I have to change (for the better!!!) I'm stuck waiting til Feb now. If not, next month is our go.

I basically laid out to Dr. Weiss what we had been through and how I want/insist on using Natera and he was ok with it. We are doing the microdose flare lupron protocol without menopur (still need to double check that!). We've already twice now done 3 day 5 panel and I again am insisting on 24 full b/c of the last 2 miscarriages. Trisomy 10 got one of my sons, we never tested that, who would?? It's so rare, but we need to know all of them now since we've had random chromosomal abnormalities all over the place.

Keep in touch, I'm being kicked out of work for the day, lol, going home to sleep!!!

I'm sorry you only got 3, I'm fearing that myself. When do you start again?

[wantingatutu]

Hi Tinks and Tickled, I've been checking in on this page to see how things are going with you both but see that you haven't posted in a while. Hope everything is okay! Would love to see how you both have made out with your transfers, etc. Happy New Year to both of you and hope to hear from you both soon!

[Tickled Pink!]

Well hey there wantingatutu!! So sweet of you to check in! I had my ER back in November and got 7 eggs but only 4 matured and 3 fertilized, such a bummer. It just wasn't enough for me to go through with PGD so I batched those 3 embies to add to my next cycle which I will be doing in the beginning of Feb. My dr. is putting me on a different protocol - he said he started me out on a pretty non-aggressive protocol for the first cycle since I am on the smaller side (5 feet, 100 pounds - my parents are tiny, lol) - kind of wish he would have looked at my age and pretesting scores instead but at least we now know that I need MORE meds to stimulate those follicles!

It was nice having time off during the holidays not to think about all of this stuff. I feel like I have a long road ahead of me, wish it wasn't so tough to get my little girl. Just trying my best to stay positive that this next protocol will work better for me and I will get that happy ending that we all want so badly!!

How are you doing? How is the GD going with DS#3?? Hope it's getting better. When is he due?? Pretty exciting that there will be another baby in your home pretty soon.

Hey Tinks, how are you - what's going on in your IVF/PGD world??!!!

[needalittlepink]

Well, I thought I would check in here to see if anyone was was in the same boat as me.... Looks like it. My retrieval was disappointing. 7 retrieved, 6 mature, but only 2 made it to day 3... Decided to freeze and try for some more. Had a good break over the holidays, and now...my retrieval is tomorrow! So nervous ( only 9 total follicles seen on us)

[Tickled Pink!]

Hi needalittlepink! Oh wow, your ER is tomorrow - I wish you the best of luck!!! You can still get a good amount of eggs from 9 follicles, crossing my fingers that you will be pleasantly surprised tomorrow. Are you seeing Dr. Weiss? Did they do anything different with your protocol this cycle? You will definitely have to keep me updated in the next few days on how things are going for you!!

Good luck tomorrow, can't wait to hear back from you!!

[needalittlepink]

Dr Weiss did my retrieval. Dr Vitiello is "my" dr though. Well, I got disappointing news this morning. 8 eggs retrieved, 5 mature, and 4 fertilized.... Now the long wait till Friday to see what they look like. I have 2 that made it to day 3 last time(grade2+3). And I drove from Reading to Springfield and back to reading and brought one embryo I had in storage there from 2006, to add to pgd.
I am so nervous. Have you started a new cycle?

[Tickled Pink!]

You got almost exactly what I got my last cycle in regards to eggs and how many fertilized, ugh. Just hoping and praying that your 4 embryos make it to day 3 and then when you add the other 3, you can still have a nice chance of getting your little girl. You will have to keep me updated, I will definitely be thinking of you.

Yes, I am starting a new cycle here soon. I take my last BCP this Saturday and then wait for AF and then start stims. I have 3 embies on ice but have no clue of what their grade is and if they will even make the thaw to go to PGD. I am so nervous too - just nervous that I won't get enough to at least give me a chance.

What protocol were you on this cycle? I am hoping that my change in protocol will give me a few more eggs this cycle but we shall see. I will sure keep my fingers crossed for you that you get good news on Friday. It just takes one . . . your healthy girl could very well be in there!!!:fx:

[needalittlepink]

We used the micro flare protocol this time. Results were the same though.... I hope you have better luck! I am thinking about the possibility of trying another stim cycle before having the embryios tested. I was hoping to have better quality embryios to test and more of them :)
I am waiting for a the call to see what the lab has to say ...

[Tickled Pink!]

Yep, that's the protocol they are going to try with me this time. Oh lord, not sure what I am getting myself into. I am trying so hard to stay positive but I just feel like I am going to get the same results as last time - I am so hesitant to get started again.

Let me know what the lab says tomorrow, I will be thinking of you - hoping they have some kind of good news for you!! Please please keep me posted!!

[needalittlepink]

Well, disappointing news, only 2 embryos.....will freeze and try, try again.....

[vickyaust]

Well, disappointing news, only 2 embryos.....will freeze and try, try again.....

So sorry about your result. What a disappointment. Best of luck with your next cycle. Are you on DHEA?

[Tickled Pink!]

So sorry needalittlepink. I know how disappointing it is to get the "not so good" news. I'm so glad that you are going to keep on trying though. I was going to ask you the same thing as vicky - are you on DHEA? I know FCNE doesn't necessarily prescribe it to their patients but when I asked Dr. Weiss about me taking it, he was all for it. Something to think about - I have seen some great results in many girls on this forum when they take DHEA for a few months before cycling again - more follicles, better egg quality, etc. I don't know, doesn't always work for everyone but I guess it's always worth a try. Sorry again about your ER outcome, keep in touch!!!

[needalittlepink]

No, not on dhea, but I am up for anything that might help! Thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into it. What is the standard dose?

[Tickled Pink!]

The standard dose is 25mg 3 x's a day so 75 mg's a day. It's important to have your DHEA levels checked before taking it though - have FCNE check your levels now or you can even have your regular primary care physician write you a scrip to take to a lab near you to get your levels checked. If your DHEA levels are high enough and then you take more DHEA on top of it, it could put too much testosterone in your body and have adverse side effects. If you are are like me though, over 35 and a poor responder then your levles are most likely a little low and you will totally be fine on 75mg's a day but it's still good to check just to make sure. Here is a link to the DHEA that I ordered from Amazon. Amazon.com: DHEA Micronized 25mg 180 VegiCaps: Health & Personal Care (http://www.amazon.com/DHEA-Micronized-25mg-180-VegiCaps/dp/B0016QTR10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1359146005&sr=8-2&keywords=dhea+25mg)
This is a pure micronized form of DHEA which is what you want to take!!! I researched the heck out of this stuff before I started taking it and am really happy with this brand that I found. I am just praying that by me taking DHEA and other fertility supplements, I will see some sort of difference in this next cycle. Fingers crossed.

[wantingatutu]

Hi Tickled,
A quick question for you - did you opt for the 3-cycle plan? I see that they chard $6,800 per cycle and with the 3-cycle plan you get the third free if the first two didn't work. Is that what you did? I'm starting to plan out how much this could cost us - and it's super overwhelming! I want to start saving NOW so we can be prepared in a year and half or so. Any info is greatly appreciated! And how did you become familiar with all of the terminology? Did that just come with going through the process? I have been reading through so many posts and I just have no clue what some of the terms mean - such as, what does ICSI stand for? And lastly, how did you go about starting this process? Did you contact them via email when you were ready to start? Again, any info would be such a big help! I'm SUPER nervous/anxious about all of this - and baby #3 coming in about 4 week and GD has once again entered my brain and it makes me sad that I am already thinking about going through IVF for a girl :(

[Tickled Pink!]

Hi wanting!! No, I didn't opt for the 3 cycle plan because luckily for me my insurance covers 90% of fertility treatments (I pay all PGD out of pocket though). When you make your first apt. and consult with the dr. that is when you guys can chat about if that plan will be the best choice for you which I think is a very good deal so you should definitely talk to them about it.

I became familiar with all of the terminology just from research - I read and read tons online on my iphone when I am laying in bed at night, lol. I learned most of this stuff from reading through old posts on this forum. ICSI means Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Basically it means that they will take the healthiest sperm and literally inject it into the egg instead of just letting the sperm go and swim to meet the egg. Most doctors want to use ICSI when a patient is doint PGD because it give a better fertilization rate. If you are reading old posts and don't understand something, you are totally welcomet to "private message" me - I am happy to help you out with whatever you need!

I started the process by calling FCNE's main number that you get from their website. Tell them that you want to make a consult apt. with one of the doctor's at the office that you choose (Reading Dedham, Bedford, etc.) and that you want to consult about IVF and would also like to get information on PGD for family balancing. You will go to your apt, meet the dr., set up apt's for all of your pretesting, do pretesting and then plan from there on when to get started! You will want to wait to do your pretesting stuff (bloodwork/ultrasounds) until after you are done breastfeeding baby #3.

It's great that you are learning all of this stuff now, you will have so much IVF/PGD knowledge by the time you get started. In the meantime, you should just hang out in the forums - it's fun cheering others on who are going through this - I've learned so much from everyone. Have you become a dream member in the HT private forum? That's where most of the questions are posted and it's where you can follow other member's cycles.

You will be so excited when you see your sweet baby boy's little face in a few weeks. Just enjoy every little second of his birth and you can keep in the back of your head with a little smile that a baby girl WILL be in your future. How cute will a family of 3 boys and a little girl be . . . . . so cute!!!!

[wantingatutu]

Thanks for the info, tickled! I will definitely be doing some research over the next year or so. Can't wait to hear how your journey turns out! Hugs!

[nuthinbutpink]

No, not on dhea, but I am up for anything that might help! Thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into it. What is the standard dose?

Why did you need IVF to conceive? We have a few other infertility gals that post in the Member section.

DHEA can help poor responders or those with egg quality issues. Not all doctors like it. If you have PCOS or high testosterone, you should not take it. CHR NY has an ongoing study with DHEA in DOR patients. Did wonders for me!

[4devochki]

This brings back memories--our first daughter was born in 2003 after treatment at this center due to tubal infertility (no GS). Time flies! Back then I was a spring chicken of 36 (!) but still a low responder--only 8 eggs. You only need one, though...

Anyway, good luck!

[nuthinbutpink]

I would look into FCNE.

[needalittlepink]

We first were diagnosed with "unexplained" infertility...ugh, hated that term! Obviously there WAS a reason! After our 3 rd ivf trying for our first son, they used Icsi and got much better results. All of my testing has come back normal, although they never checked dhea....so my "poor responder" status was surprising. With husbands sperm count around 1 mil.... , this time has been much more difficult. Our second son was conceived with ICSI on the first attempt.

[nuthinbutpink]

Well, if ICSI helped, is it your DH's sperm that is the issue? Is the motility okay?

[needalittlepink]

Well, sperm count is low as well as decreased motility. I guess it would not seem so bad if we were to get a higher amount of good quality eggs :(. Funny how you would never imagine having a baby would such a challenge... I work in LDRP and I see just how easy it is for some people... Sometimes things just don't make sense!

[nuthinbutpink]

need- how many eggs do you get? ICSI sounds like a must have. FCNE has a money back option-

They offer sex selection cycles at a fee of $9,000 per cycle. This includes the IVF cycle, with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and PGD/PGS (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis/screening) and anesthesia. Please note that additional charges such as lab fees and shipping will be billed separately.

If a patient was looking to do IVF assist with PGD the cost per cycle would be $9,000 (IVF $6,800 + PGD $2,200). Should pregnancy not occur after two paid IVF+PGD cycles ($9,000 each) the third IVF cycle (value of $6,800) will be provided free of charge, the remanding portion $2,200 (PGD cost) would still be the responsibility of the patient for it is not included in the IVF assist program.

[needalittlepink]

Tickled pink....just wondering how you were doing.... I should be starting another cycle next week.

[needalittlepink]

Anyone know anything about green tea and fertility? I have become addicted to green tea with blueberry and acai.... Not sure how this will affect ivf. I could drink 5 cups a day:)

[Tickled Pink!]

Not doing too well - I never got AF after stopping the pill on Jan. 26th. I went in 9 days later and had 10 follicles which excited me even though we couldn't start my cycle because I never got a period. My last cycle I had 8 follicles so I really thought the DHEA was helping when I knew I had more. I went on to ovulate and then FINALLY got my period 2 days ago. I went in yesterday for my day 2 b/w and u/s and only had an AFC of 4. 2 follicles on each side - I am devastated. Tammy called me to tell me that everything looked great and levels were perfect so I could start my cycle. I told her that everything was NOT great and that if I had 8 follicles last cycle and got 7 eggs then that means with 4 follicles this cycle, I should only get 3 eggs. I told her that I really didn't want to cycle this time because I already know how it ends. She talked me into starting the stims just to see what happens. She said that insurance already approved this cycle so it doesn't matter if we cancel now or cancel in 10 days so we might as well try. So I did an injection of Lupron last night around 10:00pm - I was pretty much laughing while I was shooting myself up thinking "what a joke this is - I can't believe that I am even trying with such a small amount of follicles". Can you tell that I'm not in the most positive place right now, haha!!

All I can do is go with the flow, do the injections with no expectations. If more follicles come up that would be great but I have to stay realistic and keep my expectations very low.

Hope you start off a heck of a lot better than me. Let me know when you start and how things are looking. Good luck needalittle!!!

[needalittlepink]

I am so sorry for you..... All I can say is that you can think of this as a "bonus" cycle.... If you get even one, you can freeze and continue with an extra embryio. I know how devastating it is :( after my last one, it was so much easier to make the decision to freeze knowing that my insurance would be likely to cover another attempt. Each time I am hoping for the "good" cycle, but the past ones are more like "extras". I am not sure if this makes sense at all, but hope is the only thing we have.....
I will be thinking about you.

[Tickled Pink!]

Yeah, that's a good way to look at it. Just not sure if my insurance company will let me continue to batch. I will see how this cycle plays out - not sure I will go through with ER if I only have a couple of good follicles. But maybe I will be pleasantly surprised, we shall see. Thanks for the sweet message - I will keep you updated on how things progress.

[wantingatutu]

Hi ladies! My DS3 arrived yesterday! He's just the sweetest and is doing so well. We are very blessed to have him here with us safe and sound. It was a rough delivery, ending in an emergency c-section, but all is okay now. Just thought I'd share our happy news :o) I thought I would feel sad when I saw him - thinking, "I wish he were a girl" - but I am just so thrilled here is 100% healthy and here in my arms now. I will definitely continue to check in on this forum to see how you ladies are doing because I'm still wanting a little girl so badly - but for now, I'm going to enjoy my newest snuggly little guy! Hugs to all of you!

[needalittlepink]

Well, bad news for me today too.... Only 2 follicles 13 &14.5 on day 9. So discouraging. I guess all I can do is wait it out till my next scan :(

[needalittlepink]

Well, today is a big day.... Expecting a call from the embryologist to tell me if the three embryos from my retrieval look good enough to biopsy.....

[wantingatutu]

Thinking of you, needalittlepink! Keep us posted!

[needalittlepink]

Well, we actually got 4 embryos that were good enough to biopsy! So we went for it this cycle.... We had 9 total biopsied. 7 were normal. But...5 were male! And all of the ones from this cycle were male, the 2 female were from oct and jan! Soo, we had both put back yesterday:) now the LONG wait to find out if it worked!

[vickyaust]

Congratulations on being PUPO needalittlepink. Your normal count was awesome. Fx for you.

[needalittlepink]

Okay, I couldn't wait any longer....POAS this morning. BFP!!! Now to wait until Sunday for beta..... :)

[glory]

Congratulations on your BFP!!! I am sure Beta will be fabulous :)

[myangel2014]

Congrats!!!

[wantingatutu]

Congratulations! So excited for you! Keep us posted!

[tinksmagic]

Congrats!!! That's fantastic news!!!

[lisvna]

Great news!

[needalittlepink]

Well, first level is 90! Waiting 3 days to retest! Ugh this waiting is torture.....

[nuthinbutpink]

That's good! How many dpt are you? Congrats!

[needalittlepink]

I was 10dpd5t. I am hopeful I will feel better and less anxious after my repeat tomorrow.... I just want to see that number go up :)

Thanks for all the well wishes.....

[needalittlepink]

Yay! HCG was 397 today :)

[wantingatutu]

That's super! Congrats!

[wantingatutu]

needalittlepink, how are things going?????

[needalittlepink]

I have been having some bleeding... So scared! I had an ultrasound on tues and saw ONE tiny heartbeat. :) I am still bleeding with increased activity, and have another ultrasound in 1 week. Hoping everything is okay....

Thanks for thinking of me!

[wantingatutu]

Hang in there! Sorry that you're bleeding some, but that's awesome that you saw a heartbeat - yay! Thinking of you as you head into another week and another ultrasound! Keep us posted!

[vickyaust]

Hang in there! Sorry that you're bleeding some, but that's awesome that you saw a heartbeat - yay! Thinking of you as you head into another week and another ultrasound! Keep us posted!

Congratulations on your HB. Fabulous news.
Have they looked for a SCH?

[wantingatutu]

needalittlepink, how are you doing? did you stop bleeding? have another ultrasound yet? Hope you're doing well!

[Orchidia]

Hi all,

I am looking into cycling at FCNE and read thru this thread! I am so glad the reviews are good. Any advice you ladies may have for me is more than welcome. I am learning the lingo.

Needalittlepink: are you still pregnant with a girl? How is it going?

[wantingatutu]

Hi Orchidia... I'm also looking into cycling with FCNE next summer. When are planning on it? I've been doing a little research here and there trying to learn everything - there's sooo much info out there! I think this thread is getting old so they aren't responding as often. I do know that needalittle pink IS still pregnant with her little girl - I sent her a message about a month ago and so far, so good! I will keep checking this thread and hope you will too!

[nuthinbutpink]

wanting- there is much more HT info in the private/member forums!