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Hey So, moving to injectibles, that's great! Good success rate. How exciting!! I didn't take Gonal F, but I took Repronex for 2 cycles & it was about $1 K the first month, fortunately I had some left over for the 2nd cycle & my nurse donated a few vials so I only had to pay $480 for the 2nd cycle. It was like $48 a vial, it came in a 5 vial pack. I don't know the cost of Gonal F, but it's probably similar. Best advice I can give ya is to call around (or have your RE's office do that), there are lots of cheap-ish mail order companies out there. Bargain shop! I'm hoping Gonal F/Follistim is cheaper than Repronex but who knows. I'm going to use Follistim myself for IVF & plan on calling around. I used Apocothary.com, I've heard IVPcare and Freedom drug are very good too. Schrafts is also suppose to have some good prices. Are you going to use the Gonal F pen? I think Gonal also comes in a pen. I'd prefer to get the Follistim pen, much easier than the long butt needles for Repronex! Anyway, happy shopping! And GOOD LUCK with this cycle, keep us posted.

Oh Mega!!! Those are some scary numbers!! I have coverage of 80% of prescription drugs but I don't have any coverage for procedures....IUI, IVF etc. I'm really getting scared about the cost. This really sucks. I can't believe that I'm actually suffering with infertility! I guess I was in denial for a while. Wait, what I can't believe is that clomid didn't work!!! It just doesn't seem fair...but I'm sure that you can relate. What is the pen??? I don't really know anything about injectibles. Can you give me any info??? My obgyn referred me to an RE and he said that I have to start Gonal F...but that's all he said...can you flow your fountain of knowledge my way:) THANKS AGAIN MEGA!!

Oh, and Mega, what's new with you?

My fountain of knowledge huh? Well how can I resist when you say it like that! :) First, yay on the RE! I'm a big believer in those dr types, they get much more agressive than OBs, and Gonal F is much more aggressive. Well the 80% coverage of the meds is a big help actually. So you're probably looking at 200 or so on drugs then, which sounds like a lot I know but my ins. doesn't cover drugs or treatment so it adds up I know. I've been lucky though b/c it does cover unlimited u/s & b/w and office visits for a small copay, that's a help. IUI's are about 150-300 + a pop, & that's a lot but it's LOTS less than IVF, so hopefully that's all it'll take. IUIs are pretty painless, very simple, just take about 10 mins. Do you have any male issues? They're good for that, assuming they're minor sperm issues. Do you have a dx yet? Or are you "unexplained?" Have you had a HSG yet? RE's usually order that test in the begining. Follistim & I think Gonal F are the only injectibles that come in pen form. It's just a short needle that you inject in your tummy (I have a little extra padding so it's not that bad for me :) ) and you don't mix the meds & you just dial the dose you want. Simple! So if you can get the pen, go for it! You start on CD 1 to CD 3 (varies RE to RE) with the injectibles. Your RE's nurse will give you a shot 101 class. You'll get more u/s monitoring than with Clomid, + they'll draw your e2 levels from time to time too, the higher # of follies you have, the bigger the e2 gets. I won't lie, it IS expensive, but hopefully 1 or 2 IUIs will be all it'll take. It sucks that you have to face this, oh yes I can relate. I too was soooo sure all it would take was Clomid. But you know, I think we're lucky to have these options available to us. Plus just think when we have our babies & they become teens (perish the thought) we can toss up in their faces all we went thru to get them born! :) Anyway, hang in there, & know you're taking positive steps to acheive your dream of mommyhood. Me, I'm going to start Lupron next Thurs. & start Follistim around 8/19 for IVF, and I should have my ER (egg retrival) around the 31st. I'm so excited, it's a scary, EXPENSIVE step I'm taking but I think it's worth it and so does DH. Hang in there! I hope you found a little bit in this "novel" helpful/hopefull. Have a great night!

I have a price list from Freedom Fertility Pharmacy in front of me and depending on the dose, Gonal-F starts at 190.00 for 300IU, 285.00 for 450IU, 570.00 for 900IU, and 285.00 for Multi-dose 450IU. I guess you just need to hear from the doc where he wants to start you and go from there.

All I can say is WOW, you are so lucky insurance covers something. Mine covers absolutely nothing.

Mega, thanks for sharing! I feel like I know a little bit more now. My DH does not have any issues with his semen so I think that I might try to pass on the IUI for the first try with injectibles. So far, the only problem that we have is that I don't O. I guess I'll just have to wait patiently for the RE's office to call me back so that I can get an appointment. I hope that the wait list isn't too long. Thanks again Mega & Tracy!

Hi Girls!! My two cents could help too-- Ladies- if you go on the website www.cnyfertility.com, there is a link to watch step-by-step how to use either Gonal-F or Follistim (both in pen form). MEGA: I see you are still in the race for ttc. Me too- I am starting injections tonight- Follistim and Lupron. I could be doing my 4th IUI by next Saturday. Hoping it will take this time- otherwise we go to IVF (which insurance does not cover). I think my ins. might be similar to yours though because they cover all the blood and sonos- not the procedure. I feel VERY lucky to have at least that much covered. My meds are covered too as long as I mail order them from a co. in Texas. (CareMark). I just have a $70 deductable and they are here the next morning. But- hey- that sounds a lot better that $3000! SOIMPATIENT: I would also recommend that you have the HSG because if your tubes are blocked it doesn't matter how many eggs you produce- they won't be able to get through. MEGA: I agree with you about being lucky to have options- I thank God everyday that I live in a time where science can help give me an edge. TRACY88: About your ins. When I called-- I got a VERY different answer than when my RE called. Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden my meds were covered. Hmmm. LADIES: One thing I have learned- stay agressive and go with your gut. Hope some of this helps. ~~DUST~~

You're welcome, Soimpatient. (Can I call you So?), I'm glad your DH has good swimmers that's a big +, so hopefully the injectibles will work there magic.SOON! The one nice thing about IUI though is the timing, you'll know exactly when you O. Might be something to consider. Good luck, keep us posted. Tracy--Thanks for sharing the pricing info. Is Follistim on it too? Could you please let me know what it says for that? I'll be ordering my meds next week, & I'd like to print this out & take it with me to the IVF class. Thanks!!! Dea--Good luck with your IUI & the injections. I'll be eager to hear how this cycle goes for you. Yes, I'm so thankful to that my ins. covered the u/s & b/w when I did my 6 IUIs. That was a huge help. I don't have any coverage for IVF either nor for the drugs, & now that we're doing self pay it'll cover the u/s & b/w. We're doing Shared Risk which is even more expensive but I think it's worth checking into for anyone like us without decent ins. coverage for IVF. I hope this last IUI is a charm & you don't have to end up doing IVF though. "Stay aggressive & go with your gut"--Excellent advice dea, I couldn't agree more!!!

MEGA: You have a lot of patience. The 31st seems so far away! I was happy when my RE put right back on the roller coaster. But, only because my blood and u/s showed my body was ready. I had Clomid and a trigger shot last month- thankfully everything went well and I didn't have any cysts or problems with my uterine lining. I have been very blessed that my body has been "behaving". She has gone through all of this like a champ! Did you use injectables with an IUI cycle? It sounds like you did two cycles with injectables. Now on to the big $$. I wish you all the best. Is the RE going to use ICSI?? Mine does and that can help with the success rate for IVF. Let us know what happens! SO: You might find that the RE has other options and might not go straight to injectables. There are multiple dosages to try with Clomid. I have found that my ob/gyn (whom I adore) really was out of her league when it came to this infertility stuff. I wasted many months. She recommended an RE right away and I sat on it (in denial-- thought it would happen). Which is why I now say to be aggressive. And- there is a truck load of other tests that can be done. Good luck to you ~~DUST to ALL~~

Hi Dea! I'm actually pretty impatient but there's so much to do b/twn now & the 31st I figure this month will fly by! We'll see. Yes, we're doing ICSI with the IVF. Which I'm glad about, seems like it gives you a big edge for not much more $$$. Well speaking of $, we took care of that today & start the supression med next Thurs., so we're well underway FINALLY. So how'd your first injectible shot go? Did you start the stim with the Lupron? Yes, you're right, I did 2 injectible IUIs but since we discovered DH's morphology was getting worse we decided our best bet, probably only bet was to jump to IVF-ICSIs. Tell me how you do with the Lupron, I start that on Thursday. Anyway, good luck to you on your first injectible cycle. I hope it does the trick for you. Keep us posted & I'll keep you guys posted. Have a great weekend ladies!

Hi ladies, thanks for all of your insight on injectibles! I checked out the link for the instructions on the Gonal F pen and it totally freaked me out! I can't believe that I am actually going to have to do that! Well, there is a 2 month waiting list to get in to see the RE so for the time being I will continue with my clomid. I absolutely HATE clomid!! It has made me gain 10 pounds in 2 months...and I'm being more careful with my caloric intake and making sure that I up my workouts...it really sucks. Well, I'm on provera right now to induce af so I'm hoping that by the end of the month I will get to start clomid again and who knows, maybe it will work this time. When you guys tried clomid, did you O? I am very surprised that I have never O'd on clomid. Oh well, maybe third times a charm.

Oh and Mega, my real name is Angela...you can call me that if you want...or you can call me so...whatever you like;)

HI MEGA and ANGELA. MEGA: Right now I am on Lupron and Follistim. I haven't had any side effects- just a bit bloated. Toady I had blood and u/s done. My u/s showed at least 4 follicles on the R and 2 on the L. I will probably do an IUI on Thursday or Friday. I can't believe how fast this cycle is going. And- that is just fine with me. ANGELA: I O'ed on Clomid- One follicle on each side...but, I don't have trouble O-ing. My DH and I have sperm issues. My dh is on Clomid and last month his count was up to 12.9M. Way higher than the last time. I bank on the clomid. I never thought of it as a drug that they would give to men. But, is seems to be doing the trick!! The injections are not that bad-- just keep thinking..this will help me conceive a baby- this will help me conceive a baby. Plus, I have some "extra padding" like MEGA- so they aren't bad at all. Well worth it for the results they give me! ~~DUST GIRLIES~~

Hey Angela (so)! Pretty name! Since you told me your real name, mine is Meredith. But I answer to Mega or Meredith or even hey you, whatever. :) Well okay, maybe not hey you. Anyway, what dosage of Clomid have you been taking? I'm curious as to why the dr's just kept prescribing Clomid if you haven't been responding to it. Maybe you just need a higher dose? Some women just need a slightly biger push on Clomid. Hopefully as you said 3rd time will be a charm. Have you asked your dr to go higher yet? I believe you can go up to 200 mgs, though the highest I went was 150. Which was plenty! How are you tracking your O? BBT or OPKs, or both? I hope the 2 mos. waiting period goes quickly for you. Have you called around to other REs in your area? Maybe there wait is a little less than that? Dea--That's wonderful that Clomid is working so well for your DH. I've heard that Clomid works well for men. Who knew?! I'm always curious as to how some dr thought to do that for the first time though. I chat with someone who's DH takes Clomid, she said when he first started he got hot flashes. Does your DH have any s/e from the Clomid? We have male issues too, morphology though not count. I'm glad the Lupron & Follistim is going well for you this cycle. And you're not experiencing any s/e except for the bloating, which is just par for the course. Excellent follie count! That's wonderful, you're responding well. Your cycle is moving so fast! Yay! Dust to you. Good luck! I'm counting down the days til I can start jabbing my tummy with needles. Just 3 more days! Does that sound weird?!

hey you all i just wanted to say that on fertility lifelines.com they have a thing that helps out with injectibles. you can sign up as a member for free and they will send you soe information in the mail. it is worth checking out. i am not on any injectibles yet but this was a good site in case i have to go to that.