LolaInLove's Infertility Journey

[mydream]

Lola- I am praying for you that all your dreams come true!

[LolaInLove]

Lola, are your inlaws able to help with travel costs and the cost of the IVF? DId you say they would help out if you needed it?

Well, we will need to save up about $2K for plane tickets, and then our lodging is free except for hotel rooms while touring around in between appointments. Otherwise, the clinic I've decided on- Prague Fertility Clinic- would cost us $5,000 for the IVF and PICSI (special ICSI where they monitor the sperm around some egg-like substance to detect which ones are actually mature). Meds will also cost something, but I have an ivf traveling concierge service who will help me with finding the best prices and possibly using a free-meds-for-the-poor program to get them. So, all in all, I'm thinking we'll need to save up $10,000 this next year, and they will likely help out, but I'm thinking we can save up and be fine. Tax returns will be saved, etc. I have to plan financially for time off after the baby is born also, so I've got a plan this year to live CHEAP!

Here is the website of the clinic, friends, just for your reading pleasure: Home | Prague Fertility Centre

[LolaInLove]

Lola- I am praying for you that all your dreams come true!

Thank you, and to everyone, thank you for your support and prayers!!!

[Hobbermittens]

Well, we will need to save up about $2K for plane tickets, and then our lodging is free except for hotel rooms while touring around in between appointments. Otherwise, the clinic I've decided on- Prague Fertility Clinic- would cost us $5,000 for the IVF and PICSI (special ICSI where they monitor the sperm around some egg-like substance to detect which ones are actually mature). Meds will also cost something, but I have an ivf traveling concierge service who will help me with finding the best prices and possibly using a free-meds-for-the-poor program to get them. So, all in all, I'm thinking we'll need to save up $10,000 this next year, and they will likely help out, but I'm thinking we can save up and be fine. Tax returns will be saved, etc. I have to plan financially for time off after the baby is born also, so I've got a plan this year to live CHEAP!

Here is the website of the clinic, friends, just for your reading pleasure: Home | Prague Fertility Centre

That sounds pretty doable! I hope it works out. Have you decided when you will go?

[Foxy]

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, Lola xx

[Zivic-Bubac]

Lola, this is so cool! I second what Foxy said!

You''ll enjoy golden Prague, I've never been, but we're planning to go in the future, by car, it's not that far away.
So you're of Slavic origin? Cool, so am I

Any chance for PGD since you're already doing IVF?

I'm sure it will work for you, I'm cheering you all the way!

[LolaInLove]

That sounds pretty doable! I hope it works out. Have you decided when you will go?

Yea, we are going to keep trying naturally until the end of next March, and then we will put the plan into motion and go during the summer of 2013. Not exactly sure when, it does depend a good bit on when I'd want to have a baby (or babies!). I would really like to have them in May, which would mean we'd need to go in August. Oh, and I am assuming it will be twins because that will help me get used to that idea, which is very likely if we do this. I've got to ask when the best time to be there is! Not that it matters as much.....I'd just rather not have a December baby, that is for sure. I loved having my DD2 in late March, was the perfect weather over my pregnancy where I live.

[LolaInLove]

Lola, this is so cool! I second what Foxy said!

You''ll enjoy golden Prague, I've never been, but we're planning to go in the future, by car, it's not that far away.
So you're of Slavic origin? Cool, so am I

Any chance for PGD since you're already doing IVF?

I'm sure it will work for you, I'm cheering you all the way!

Thanks, ZB! Oh yea, you are in Serbia, right? Not to far away at all!!! Maybe you can meet us in Prague for a beer since you will be post-baby! Yes, my father's side is from Prague, actually, so I am half Czech. My mom is half Swiss and half British. One of my best friends here is from CR, though, and her mom lives an hour north of Prague and we can stay with her if we want, which will be nice. She and her DH (and two kids) might even come with us! It would be a few weeks for us but they usually go every other summer for 2 months.

No, you can't do gender selection there, it's illegal. You can get PGD on your embryos to just check their genetic health, though. The clinic in Prague actually has pioneered a new non-invasive system for making sure the embryos are likely very healthy by very carefully studying their cell division. It's pretty interesting. They have come to find out that abnormal embryos do not multiply normally, and the healthy ones do, so just by watching their division (which they record under a microscope video camera....which you can monitor on your computer at home, actually), they can tell without poking with a needle and possibly damaging the embryo. Of course, it's not the same as PGD, so you would need to do that if you are worried about a specific genetic abnormality.

That's not to say that I won't be the NICEST patient on the entire planet and mention ten thousand times that I'd really love boys, so maybe they will be cool and just "randomly" give me some. LOL I'm kidding, I doubt it works that way. Can't hurt to try, though, right???? I'm getting a CZ language learning book soon and getting my friend to help me learn it this year just in case, then I can really plead my case in their native tongue.

It's really crazy, though, how much cheaper it is than the US. For example, I already got my pricing from PFC (Prague Fertility Clinic), which is as state of the art as they come- $2,875 for the IVF, $1,568 for the PICSI (special procedure where the put the mature sperm right into the egg), and probably about $800 for the meds. Considering that would cost me like $20-25K in the US, I would not be as devastated if it didn't work.

[LolaInLove]

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, Lola xx

Thank you!!!!

[Zivic-Bubac]

I'm seriously thinking to give it one more try for a boy, BUT....the option of gender selection is soooo tempting, I'm more then willing to go through IVF if that would guarantee I get my

Do you believe it is available in Serbia? I've found 2 private clinics in Belgrade, they do IVF/PGD WITH gender selection, PICSI is also available and ICSI ( I'm not sure what's the diff) and we *could* afford it in a year or two if we develop a serious saving plan lol

I just took a glance, it would cost us somewhere between 4000-5000 euros ( approx. 5200$-6500$) we COULD afford that! Now I mentioned to DH I'm willing to try for #4, he just laughed and said we'll see after this bubba is born.

I hesitate to tell him about gender selection and costs, at this point he would probably chop my head off I will have to prepare him step-by-step for my brilliant plan

It is really silly it's so much cheaper in Europe than in States, when I was reading threads about costs, I was convinced it couldn't be cheaper then 20.000 euros or so, which is science fiction for us, but 5000 euros could be done.

Keep us posted, I'm so excited for you!!!!!

Oh, if there's any possibility, take the girls with you, I believe it is ultimately important for children to travel and get to know diff cultures as much as possible, it will make their horizons wider. They are both big now, esp your older, I'm sure she'll appreciate it! Our DD1 was truly happy and grateful when we took her in Budapest ( well we took DD2 as well, but she doesn't remember much our journey lol!)

Hugs and kisiz!!!!