The Next Step

We met with Dr. B yesterday to discuss IVF and the next steps in the process.  We spent quite a bit of time discussing what kind of IVF we would pursue and what testing we would need to complete.  Since I've experienced multiple miscarriages, Dr. B recommends a full recurring pregnancy loss panel which tests several things including uterine blood flow and genetics for Paul and I. Although Dr. B doesn't anticipate any issues, the testing allows us to identify any potential issues ahead of an IVF cycle in order to avoid preventable problems. For instance, if I end up with clotting issues, I can take heparin and baby aspirin to increase blood blow to the uterus and enhance my ability to support a pregnancy.

Dr. B also recommended IVF with PGD which means a cell from each retrieved embryo is genetically tested to determine viability.  Only genetically viable embryos are transferred.  This testing helps us avoid genetic disorders like Trisomy 16 which accounts for most early term miscarriages and is fatal 100% of the time. I lost at least one pregnancy to Trisomy 16.  I want to point out that PGD can be used to test for other genetic diseases, such as down syndrome and deafness, and can be used for determining sex.  We are NOT testing embryos for other genetic diseases or sex.  That is not important to us.  We are only interested in preventing miscarriages that would otherwise be unavoidable (such as an embryo with Trisomy 16).

The downside to IVF with PGD is that we are not eligible for the Our Promise program offered by our clinic. The program allowed you to pay a flat fee for up to six IVF cycles - three fresh and three frozen cycles - and you receive a 70% refund if you don't have a baby at the end of those six cycles.  It cost about $25,000 and is financially beneficial if you require more than two IVF cycles to conceive.  You would lose money if you conceived in the first two cycles. There are very few things that prevent you from qualifying for the Our Promise program and one of those is PGD.  On the positive side, our chance of conceiving within 1 - 2 cycles is very high with PGD.

At this point we're discussing exactly how we're going to finance this process.  It's a little trickier than I anticipated, but hopefully we can work it out.  We should know soon whether we can proceed or postpone for a few months. Fingers crossed.