At what point do you begin IVF?

[Tracie]

Hi ladies,

I would really like to find out a little more about IVF...can someone help?

With respect to TTC, when do you decide enough is enough and decide to follow the IVF path?

Do you go through other treatments first? If so, what are they, and for how long do you try these before moving on to try IVF?

Does your OB decide if you are eligible for IVF or can anyone access IVF at any time?

Any other info you could share would be great!

[Sodor]

i know that i wasted years going through the publice health system having test after test when i always knew that falling pregnant naturally was never going to happen for me and then after 4 years i was told that all i needed was a referral by my gp to a fertlity specialist. so my advice is if you really have problems and dont think it will happen natural dont beat around the bush and get a referral i would highly reccomend Dr warren de ambrosis at queensland fertility he is exellent and he has the highest success rate. goodluck.

[Holly_Golightly]

It depends on why you are not getting pregnant. If you know you have a particular disorder that needs IVF then they probably refer you straight to that through a specialist.

In my case after 6 months of trying and no period went to my GP, had some tests, diagnosed with Polycystic ovaries and referred to a fertility clinic.

Takes a while to actually see the specialist, so the sooner the better. They do a few mandatory tests. You won't get any medicare coverage if you don't get them.

In my case they started me on ovulation induction which is typical first line of treatment. I had 4 cycles (they actually were going to start me on another treatment after 3 but I decided to go one more. Then onto artificial insemination for 3 cycles, then to IVF and its variations.

It depends also if it is you or your husband who is affected and how severe it is. Happy to tell you more about each of the treatments if you like. Don't wait. Getting an actual appointment takes awhile so you may as well get started. Go see a GP.

By the way I actually concieved naturally after all that. I was just about to start artificial insemination (IUI) when we got a BFP even though we thought it was never going to happen.

[Cian's Mum]

HI Tracie .

My DH and I tried " naturally " for several years , hoping that one day" it was going to work " ... we tried all the methods , ovulation kit etc ...

After a while I decided that I had enough : we got both tested by my OB and ... surprise ... I had a problem . We had to go through IVF because of that .
My OB did blood test on me , tried to find out if I was ovulating properly , had a pap smear ( again !! ) and a laparoscopy ( endometriose ) .
Usually Man go through 2 sperm tests and blood test to know if there is any genetic disease .

Basically , we 've been told that we had a very low chance to conceive naturally .... I felt like saying :" we should have known that earlier ... what a waste of time ... ".
My OB referred us straight away to IVF and started the treatment within a month ... and got pregnant ...

My OB told us that within a year of trying and not falling PG , they start to test and think about IVF .
It really depends on your age as well .The "older " you are , the earlier they push you to start the treatment .

Hope that helps ...
Take care .

[Hels*Bels]

We tried for 4 years to fall pregnant naturally. My doctor kept saying "give it another 6 months". Looking back, I wish I had been more insistant on being tested sooner. At the end of 2004 I got a referral to Reproductive Services at Melbourne IVF and we were both tested, only to find out my hubby is infertile. I tested ok so we started monthly insemination using donor sperm. We were lucky to conceive after the 3rd try.
However, if we had been unsuccessful after 6 tries we would have moved over to full IVF. I think this is the normal path to follow but of course it depends on each couple's situation. If you get offered the change to do artificial insemination then definitely give it a go. It is alot less stressful than full IVF and cheaper too (approx $400 per cycle). Hope this helps and good luck.

[JuliaL]

Hi Tracie,
My husband of only 7 months was diagnosed as severely infertile (ie no sperm) 7 months ago. In that time I went from knowing nothing about IVF (and thinking to myself, i would never go through it anyway) to having quite a bit of knowledge!
We got a lot of info online (googling mainly) and most advice I've found is that if you are TTC for 6 months (under 35) or 12 months (over 35) you should seek further advice - with your partner getting tested first. (I reckon it should be the other way round, as the older you get, the more you worry about time!)
Theres also a good book out there called 'Getting Pregnant' by Dr Silber (I think). Our IVF doc recommended it to us.
You might also look at making some lifestyle changes - monitoring how much alcohol, coffee, cigs,other drugs etc you take, how much exercise you do and how healthy your diet is. I am not sure how old you are, but fertility generally drops a lot after 36 so keep that in mind too.
I start my one and only cycle of IVF/ICSI on Saturday. :fingerscrossed: Best wishes to you too, hopefully you don't have to go down this path as it takes over your life and is very stressful emotionally and financially (ours will cost us over $8000). Good luck!!
Julia

[Tonysgirl]

Hi Tracie:wave: ,

As Julia said if you are over 35 then you should see your GP if you are not pregnant after TTC naturally for 6 months.

The GP may do some tests and may then refer you to a fertility specialist - you do need a referral.

The fertility specialist will do some futher tests on you and your hubbie and that will determine whether you need to go down the IVF path. If you are not ovulating, then that may mean treatment that doesnt involve IVF.
If it is a problem with your hubbies little swimmers, then that may mean artificial insemination. So it will all depend on what they find through the tests they do.Other problems such as blocked tubes will probably lead to IVF.

If they find nothing - "unexplained infertility" - then IVF may be the way. This has happened to my hubbie and I and it is the road we have chosen to take.

If you are asking this question for youself, I wish you all the luck in whatever decisions you choose to make.

Take care
Donna
xx