Cost of Gonal F???
69 Replies
dea - August 13

bump- hope you ladies are enjoying the weekend!

 

soimpatient - August 13

Hey Dea...that is cool that your uncle lives in Markham! Doesn't Oprah live in Chicago, IL? Hmm...maybe I"m wrong. AF ended up showing up on Saturday morning which means that I am going to start clomid again tomorrow...another month of tourcher. I am so frustrated because the RE hasn't called me back to book an appointment! It is driving me crazy! I've already left 3 messages. Mega, thanks for the link! I was thinking (and it made me sad)...I can't believe that I have been TTC for a year and I have not ovulated once! Urgh, it makes me sick just thinking about it. Sorry, I just had to vent! How are you ladies doing?

 

dea - August 14

Hi Girls! SOIMPATIENT: Yes- you are right, Oprah lives in Illinois. For some reason I always lump that section of the country all together. Sorry about AF. Are you going to increase your dosage of Clomid?? Has your RE taken blood and u/s to comfirm that you aren't o-ing?? MEGA: What's new?? How are the needles threating you? ~~DUST to all!~~

 

Mega - August 14

Hi ladies. Dea--How were the counts on Sat's IUI? I hope it was higher for you, but then as they say all it takes is 1 good sperm. Is your DH''s sperm count usually low? Do you have him on any vitamins to improve the health of those swimmers? I have DH on a whole vitamin cocktail to improve his morphology, I usually have his vitamins in a pill case for him but last night I had them out on the counter for him and he was shocked at how many he takes. Like a man, if I didn't have them laid out for him he'd have no idea what to take. :) But I figure it's helping or at least not hurting. Anyway, good luck in the 2 WW! Fingers' crossed for you. Oh, Italy, nice! You've got some great trips coming up sounds like. The needles for the Lupron are so tiny compared to the big needle for Repronex, so this is nothing compared to that, it's a vacation. LOL! So--You're right Oprah does live in Chi town. Thanks for clearing that up, I was confused by the whole Oprah comment, I thought maybe Dea was saying that she'd bought a farm in OH or something like that. :) What dose of Clomid will you be on this month? I'm sorry AF came & thwarted your plans once again, she has a tendancy to do that. That sucks that your RE hasn't called you back. Just keep calling, eventually he/she will get the idea you want a call back. Though maybe a nurse might better be able to help you out in terms of making an appt. for you? Sometimes it's easier to go thru the nurses. Hopefully next month they'll get you in, get you started on Gonal F & you'll never again be able to say you're not Oing! Hope so! It's frustrating I know, but there is a drug or combo of drugs out there that you'll respond well to now it's just a matter of finding them. Feel free to vent us anytime, it's what we're here for.

 

soimpatient - August 14

Ladies!!! I'm so excited!! The RE FINALLY called me back and I am going in for a "consultation" on Friday and then I have my first ultrasound on Monday!!! I am happy that things are going to be moving along. I am going to continue taking clomid this month and after my RE can monitor me things might change! YAY!! Mega, here's a question for you? What is the difference between an HCG shot and OVIDREL? Today the RE said that I would probably need an HCG trigger shot. Dea, any news on DH's count? What's next for you?

 

Mega - August 15

Congrats, Angela! That's so exciting about your RE appt., things are really starting to roll for you now. I can't wait to hear how the consulation goes & what suggestions the RE has for you. And an u/s that's good too. Maybe you'll get a dx soon for maybe why you haven't been Oing. Excellent news. Okay, Ovidrel is a type of HCG trigger shot, a brand name actually. It differs from other HCG trigger shots in a couple of ways though. For one, it can be injected subcutaneously, (subq) or under the skin. IOW, you inject it in your tummy, & you can do that yourself. The reason you can inject it that way is b/c it's synthetic HCG instead of natural HCG like the other brands out there. The other brands have to be injected intermuscularly (IM), in the muscle above your butt. Someone else has to inject that type of shot. I just read something about the different types of trigger. Usually I use the Ovidrel but my RE prefers the IM type of HCG for IVF b/c it's stronger, you only need 1 vial of that as opposed to 2 Ovidrel injections. Usually the IM trigger shots are cheaper than Ovidrel too. So there are pros & cons to either & most drs have a personal preference. So does this help clarify things a bit for you? Have you used Ovidrel before?

 

soimpatient - August 15

Wow, Mega, you amaze me more and more every day! How the heck do you know so much!? No, I've never had any type of trigger shot. So far my fertility treatment has been pretty crappy. I am so upset that I wasted so much time with an OBGYN who didn't have a clue or didn't care about helping me. I have been taking clomid unmonitored (prescribed though). I asked the doctor why I wasn't being monitored and he said it wasn't necessary. Then he said I needed to go to an RE to start Gonal F. When I talked to the RE she said...whoa, whoa, whoa...you aren't going to start anything until we actually monitor you on clomid. I was really happy to hear that because I would like to exhaust clomid before I try anything else...even though I hate clomid. She suggested that I might just need a trigger shot. Whew, sorry this is so long. Mega & Dea, what's new with you girls!

 

Mega - August 15

So--I'm a HUGE fan of RE's myself personally. The quality of care is unmatched. I think your RE sounds excellent, it's important to watch how you respond to Clomid, esp.if you've never O'ed on it. Yikes! So not good. But now you're getting the help you need, so yay. Thanks! I just read that recently somewhere, I've been reading so much stuff on IVF these days & just fertility 101 in general I don't remember my sources. So when you asked me about the Ovidrel HCG thing I just happened to remember what I'd read a few days ago. But glad I can help, somewhat at least. I had my trial tranfer today, it just measures the uterous shape to prepare for the real embryo transfer. Just a little crampy, no big deal. On the actual transfer day though I'll get a Valium. Won't be feeling any pain that day! DH's jealous that I get Valium on both the ER & ET and he doesn't get any. Thinks that's unfair. LOL!

 

dea - August 16

Hi MEGA and IMPATIENT! MEGA: When you took the Ovidrel- you used two?? I have only used one shot at 250 each cycle. But it did release the egg(s) as predicted. As far as needles-- the Follistim needle is nothing compared to the Lupron one. The Follistim goes in very easily but with the Lupron needle I have to practically force it in- then it pulls my skin when coming out!! I don't like the lupron shot :o( But, we ladies do what is necessary. For dh-- he is taking Clomid 25 mg a day. This cycle the RE has prescribed a shot of HCG for him! He gets to do that twice a week. Some needles for the dh-- that's fresh! The count for Saturday was 2.25M BUT the motility was 78%. So, technically that count was better than Friday's. Still, it would have been nice to get over the 10M mark. SOIMPATIENT: I really like my ob/gyn but she too was a bit clueless about infertility. My RE is the best. I feel so blessed to have him working with us- he is intelligent and agressive , yet safety/health concience. The perfect combination. That probably explains why his wait list is 6 mos. or longer!! My deal as of today- my pelvic area is super sore and I can barely stand my nipples. I am in total discomfort. I don't like to move because that makes everything "sore". So my question to you ladies.... "Is it the drugs?? Or, have I finally fallen PG??" Now, these "signs" are also considered side effects from the drugs. MEGA: Do you happen to know how long my breasts would be sore? I haven't had a shot in a week. How did the trial transfer go?? Besides- the crampiness. Isn't it interesting that everything that we do involves"a bit of crampiness". You are getting closer to your retrieval!! Have you started your injections?? If so- any idea how many follicles are waiting to "hatch"??? ~~DUST to you Ladies!!~~

 

Mega - August 16

Good morning ladies! Dea, sorry for the confusion. I just meant if I was to use the Ovidrel for IVF my nurse said she'd have me use 2 so instead I relented and got an IM HCG trigger shot. When I used Ovidrel for my IUI cycles I just used one shot & it seemed to release the egg(s) everytime. I'm glad the Follistim needles are so easy to use. I think the Lupron needles do sting a bit, more than I thought it would, but it hurts less when my DH does it, probably cause he just pokes it in so quickly. But the Lupron needles hands down beat the Repronex needles though! I start the Follistim this Saturday if my e2 level is low enough. Fingers' crossed! So yes, the retrival will be here soon enough. I've been reading good things about men & Clomid. It's helped lots of mens' counts. Did your DH get any of the common Clomid s/es, like hot flashes or mood swings? LOL! Is he taking the Ovidrel triger shot or does he have to take one of the natural IM ones like Profasi or Novarel? About your signs, unfortunately the drugs often do mimic pg signs & you're early enough in your 2 WW that it could still be the trigger shot, at least in terms of your very sore nipples. I've read that it can take up to 10 days for the trigger to leave your system, though often times it's earlier than that. However, that said, even if what you are feeling is drug related that doesn't mean you're not pg this cycle either. I think the best sign is your pelvic pain. This just started right? It obviously wouldn't be O related since you did that last week. So either you could be feeling implantation (the timing is right), which hopefully that's what it is, or you could have a residual cycst which can happen on a pg cycle as well as a non-pg cycle. So you're very much still in the game but unfortunately there's no way of knowing yet what's causing what. Grrr! But I think you still have a great chance. Also though are you taking progesterone or anything right now? You are SO right about how all the treatments/tests we endure all involve a "bit of crampiness." I can't think of one thing I've done for this TTC thing that didn't involve at least some crampiness if only for a second.

 

dea - August 18

Hi Girls-- 8 dp IUI. Some minor twinges in my uterus last night.... implantation??? Hope you both are well- ~~DUST~~

 

soimpatient - August 18

Hey ladies! Well, I went to the fertility clinic today and monday I start my monitoring!! I'm so excited! She said that I might have a variation of PCOS or something else called hypo-hypo....i forget what it is called but it has to do with low estrogen. She said that if I don't respond to clomid this cycle then we will look at other options. How is the IVF cycle going Mega??? Dea, when are you going to start testing???

 

Mega - August 20

Dea--The twinges sound promising. Good luck! So--Sounds like your appt. went well. I'm glad you're getting closely monitored this cycle. A variation of PCOS with low estrogen huh? Interesting. PCOS seems to come in so many varities. Crazy. I have PCOS myself. Well my u/s & e2 b/w appt. today went well. I started the Follistim tonight. Yay! I have several resting follies so it seems to have potential to be a high egg producing cycle. Fingers' crossed. I have b/w on Tues., but I won't have another u/s til Fri., I believe. So hopefully my ovaries will kick into some serious follie making duties this week! Anyway, enjoy the rest of your weekend ladies!

 

soimpatient - August 20

Mega, when you do invitro do they harvest several eggs? As many eggs as you can produce? I hope that your follicles start growing and I hope that Dea brings home a BFP!!!

 

dea - August 20

Hi Mega and So-- My bbs hurt much more last week- now it's just my nipples. And- dh said that they looked darker than usual...he has a keen eye for details!! I have a blood test this Friday. I could test as early as tomorrow but I probably won't. I guess I just don't want to deal with the disappointment if it's a BFN. MEGA: Sounds like this cycle is going to go well for you-- have fun with the shots. Ya know- they didn't bother me that much because I knew they were going to get me lots of eggs!! You should know by Tuesday about how many you will get this cycle-- good luck!! SOIMPATIENT: I'm glad you are seeing an RE- they have so much more to offer than an ob/gyn. I'm sure they will find a way to help and get you the answers you deserve-. ~~Tons of DUST to you ladies~~

 

Mega - August 21

Good morning ladies! So, yes. During the egg retrival they will gather every egg I make, mature & immature. Only the mature ones will fertilize though. I'm actually having ICSI done which is where they directly inject 1 sperm into each mature egg. Thanks! I'm already feeling something esp. on my left side so I'm thinking the growth spurt has begun. How was your weekend? You have an appt. today, correct? For monitoring? Good luck. Keep us posted on how it goes. Dea--I'm glad you're not planning on testing today, I think if you have a beta scheduled for Fri., testing today/tomorrow would be a little too early. DH's are usually good at noticing any breast changes. I always put my DH on boobie watch detail, he's good at his job. LOL! Seriously though, darkening nipples can be a good sign. Promising. Look for veins developing too. Fingers' crossed for you, Dea!

 

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