There are a lot of things I love about Dr. Peterson. He is direct, he gives us information and the scientific studies to back it up, he gives me a copy of everything we talk about, and he suggests certain things by saying, “If you were my kids, I’d have you do . . .”
He thinks we’re great candidates for in vitro, and he explained the entire process. I get to take several drugs by injection to force my body to produce many mature follicles at once - hopefully up to twenty. They will be removed from me, and then will be fertilized with Mike’s sperm. The fertilized eggs will be allowed to grow and divide into blastocysts. Once they become embryos and look healthy, one will be placed back in me, where it will hopefully implant in my uterus and continue to grow into a baby. The other embryos will be specially frozen to be used later.
Of course, nothing ever works exactly according to plan. With each step of the process, some cells die. If we’re lucky enough to retrieve twenty follicles, we’ll likely end up with only about six embryos. And there’s no guarantee that a developing embryo will take hold and grow inside me.
Dr. Peterson also suggested that we use a procedure called ICSI, which stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Not every couple undergoing IVF needs this, but based on some of Mike’s sperm analysis, it’s a good choice for us. Rather than just letting my eggs and Mike’s sperm naturally interact and fertilize, a scientist monitors the sperm using a microscope and finds the ones that are strong and healthy. These sperm are then injected directly into an egg, essentially forcing them to fertilize.
We briefly talked about the expected costs. We were told the IVF with ICSI is $10,100, while the drugs are $3500 to $4000. Additionally, it costs $1000 to freeze any remaining embryos we may have, with a $435 fee each year. I intend to keep a running total of costs to see just how close the estimate is to reality.
At one point during the appointment, Dr. Peterson stepped outside the exam room to give us some time to talk about what we wanted to do. I swear the entire conversation went like this:
Katie: “So, what do you think? Do we go for it?”
Mike: “Yup. I feel good about this.”
Katie: “Good. So do I.”
Mike and Katie, over-planners extraordinaire, made a decision that quickly! And a big decision, at that!
Right now we’re just trying to decide when. I’d like to have the entire procedure finished before school starts in August. I don’t want to juggle school and medical appointments, and conceiving in August give us a due date in May. Mike wants to wait until September because the stress of starting school would be behind us, and a due date in June is still good.
He thinks we’re great candidates for in vitro, and he explained the entire process. I get to take several drugs by injection to force my body to produce many mature follicles at once - hopefully up to twenty. They will be removed from me, and then will be fertilized with Mike’s sperm. The fertilized eggs will be allowed to grow and divide into blastocysts. Once they become embryos and look healthy, one will be placed back in me, where it will hopefully implant in my uterus and continue to grow into a baby. The other embryos will be specially frozen to be used later.
Of course, nothing ever works exactly according to plan. With each step of the process, some cells die. If we’re lucky enough to retrieve twenty follicles, we’ll likely end up with only about six embryos. And there’s no guarantee that a developing embryo will take hold and grow inside me.
Dr. Peterson also suggested that we use a procedure called ICSI, which stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Not every couple undergoing IVF needs this, but based on some of Mike’s sperm analysis, it’s a good choice for us. Rather than just letting my eggs and Mike’s sperm naturally interact and fertilize, a scientist monitors the sperm using a microscope and finds the ones that are strong and healthy. These sperm are then injected directly into an egg, essentially forcing them to fertilize.
We briefly talked about the expected costs. We were told the IVF with ICSI is $10,100, while the drugs are $3500 to $4000. Additionally, it costs $1000 to freeze any remaining embryos we may have, with a $435 fee each year. I intend to keep a running total of costs to see just how close the estimate is to reality.
At one point during the appointment, Dr. Peterson stepped outside the exam room to give us some time to talk about what we wanted to do. I swear the entire conversation went like this:
Katie: “So, what do you think? Do we go for it?”
Mike: “Yup. I feel good about this.”
Katie: “Good. So do I.”
Mike and Katie, over-planners extraordinaire, made a decision that quickly! And a big decision, at that!
Right now we’re just trying to decide when. I’d like to have the entire procedure finished before school starts in August. I don’t want to juggle school and medical appointments, and conceiving in August give us a due date in May. Mike wants to wait until September because the stress of starting school would be behind us, and a due date in June is still good.
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