Long termers TTC

nemo32

pennyloves wrote: »

I just read all the information from that link you posted. It is great to have more option. I must admit that the thought of going abroad for such a stressful treatment is quite daunting. I am definitely going to investigate further if it means that I can have more than one chance at ivf. Thanks a million Nemo x

Yes I thought the same but the more I read about it the more I hear how less stressful it is traveling aboard. I can imagine that it would be stressful getting there but once your there it's like a holiday and you don't need to be worrying about going into work after scans, egg collection etc. It's worth looking into anyway, always good to have options especially when it comes to money :eek:
I haven't read back too far so not sure of your tccing background but I was tccing for 2 years and only recently had a lap and dye which showed I had 2 blocked tubes, best thing I ever done. Had previous scans and was told there was no blockages, done some TSI(timed sexual intercourse with injections etc) and next step was IUI which all would have been pointless with 2 blocked tubes. Feel like I really am only starting now and am so hopeful now so if you haven't gone down the lap and dye route yet I would highly recommend it.

nemo32

Hollywood130 wrote: »

Nemo, would love to hear if you do decide to go, I'm thinking about it too but it won't be this year, I'm hoping it will happen this year for me and if not IVF is the next step

So it's definitely something I will be considering in the middle of this year if I don't have success before then so will keep you updated. I can only really afford one IVF here so if I would like to give myself 2 goes I will need to go abroad for sure.
Just had a lap and dye which successfully unblocked one of my tubes (didn't even know I had 2 blocked tubes and been tccing for 2 years) so going to give myself 6 mths before going down the IVF road as we have no other major issues, OH SA results were great etc.

Also meant to say, this particular clinic is for foreign customers so the coordinators you deal with are all English speaking, So language barrier in the clinic should not be a problem

petalchild

That is great Nemo32, thanks for posting! It looks like we are going to require ICSI as the OH SA is not great so it is good to see that they provide that as standard! that can cost a fortune here with some places charging more than standard IVF. We're having the OH's SA retested soon but it looks like we will be saving hard this year if it comes out the same as last time!! Great to have some info on an alternative.

nemo32

petalchild wrote: »

That is great Nemo32, thanks for posting! It looks like we are going to require ICSI as the OH SA is not great so it is good to see that they provide that as standard! that can cost a fortune here with some places charging more than standard IVF. We're having the OH's SA retested soon but it looks like we will be saving hard this year if it comes out the same as last time!! Great to have some info on an alternative.

No problem, Yes they seem to have a lot more as standard which all adds up here. From what I have read they are a lot more advanced also. This thread is very active and holds some good info also.

http://www.rollercoaster.ie/Discussions/tabid/119/ForumThread/141328451/Default.aspx

Hollywood130

nemo32 wrote: »

So it's definitely something I will be considering in the middle of this year if I don't have success before then so will keep you updated. I can only really afford one IVF here so if I would like to give myself 2 goes I will need to go abroad for sure.
Just had a lap and dye which successfully unblocked one of my tubes (didn't even know I had 2 blocked tubes and been tccing for 2 years) so going to give myself 6 mths before going down the IVF road as we have no other major issues, OH SA results were great etc.

Also meant to say, this particular clinic is for foreign customers so the coordinators you deal with are all English speaking, So language barrier in the clinic should not be a problem

I had a cystectomy in May 2012, the consultant performed a dye test then and said my tubes are fine, I'm now seeing another consultant who wants a dye test, it's being carried out by x-ray as I really don't want to have another lap, that will be carried out this month, my partner was tested in 2011, they also want that retested so doing that private as I'm told they perform a better test that the public hospitals, it only costs €100 so it's not too bad, had my egg reserve tested in November so I'll get those results during my next consultation in February, hoping these all bring answers. I've just heard a friend of a friend is going to Prague to have IVF done, way cheaper, maybe it just sounds like hard work going abroad but maybe its not

nemo32

Hollywood130 wrote: »

I had a cystectomy in May 2012, the consultant performed a dye test then and said my tubes are fine, I'm now seeing another consultant who wants a dye test, it's being carried out by x-ray as I really don't want to have another lap, that will be carried out this month, my partner was tested in 2011, they also want that retested so doing that private as I'm told they perform a better test that the public hospitals, it only costs €100 so it's not too bad, had my egg reserve tested in November so I'll get those results during my next consultation in February, hoping these all bring answers. I've just heard a friend of a friend is going to Prague to have IVF done, way cheaper, maybe it just sounds like hard work going abroad but maybe its not

Yes when I first heard about going aboard I said no straight away but the more I read into it the more confident I am about it. You get all the scans done here and are only there for egg collection and transfer so 5 days at the most. Good idea to get your partner retested as apparently the sperm can change every 3 mths. What I found great about getting the lap done was that could clear out the uterus and check the surrounding walls etc, eg, if ovary is stuck to uterus wall. But if the tubes were clear in 2012 and nothing has happened since then e.g eptoic, I can't see why they wouldn't be clear now. It's such a mind field isn't it? The more you look into sometimes the more you find out what can be wrong.

Hollywood130

Yeah that's true, I was a bit annoyed that all these tests had to be repeated but now I just want to do them so that I can either find out whats wrong or rule things out. Oh it's so frustrating and so hard to know what next step to take and when you should take it, I don't feel like any of the consultants really take me seriously, any idea what the complete cost of IVF in Prague would be?? can't seem to find a total?

nemo32

Hollywood130 wrote: »

Yeah that's true, I was a bit annoyed that all these tests had to be repeated but now I just want to do them so that I can either find out whats wrong or rule things out. Oh it's so frustrating and so hard to know what next step to take and when you should take it, I don't feel like any of the consultants really take me seriously, any idea what the complete cost of IVF in Prague would be?? can't seem to find a total?

I was at my post op consult for the lap yesterday and the Dr said I should not need this repeated for a long time, I was guessing he meant 2-3 years but you just never know these days. Depending what you pay for flights and accommodation people on the other website were quoting approx €3,500. So €1,900 for the IVF (icsi) and then flights look like there around 600 and then I think people were leaving 1000 for accom, transport and anything little extras that you might need done while your there e.g if additional scans or bloods are needed. if you post on the thread, everyone seems very willing to answer any questions you have

Hollywood130

Will definitely keep it in mind, will use that site now aswell. Heard of people going to Turkey aswell to have IVF, well at least it's another option and €3500 is much better than €6500

pennyloves

I had a hysteroscopy and the surgeon found and removed a septum in my womb. Do you think he'd have found blockages during the procedure or should I query this? Maybe another dye test wouldn't be a bad idea.

nemo32

pennyloves wrote: »

I had a hysteroscopy and the surgeon found and removed a septum in my womb. Do you think he'd have found blockages during the procedure or should I query this? Maybe another dye test wouldn't be a bad idea.

I would have thought they done a lap and dye at the same time as the hysteroscopy. But might be worth checking the surgeon. Should be easy to find out from the post op notes

Hollywood130

Penny I would check with the surgeon at lease you'll know if it was done or not, it's another thing you can then rule out

hedgehog2

The ivf may seem very expensive initially but in reality if you can knock 50 quid a week of your weekly spend you could have it paid back within 2yrs.
I imagine most of these places don't let you pay in installments(they could not ask you for the child back if you did'nt pay up ) but a credit union loan and cutting your little treats would get you there.
I figure if you really want it its only the price of a secondhand car for a child which gives a lot more joy.
If it does not work yes it would be gutting and a finacial hit but at least you tried and can go down the adoption route r it may happen of its own luck.
I agree the govt wastes so much money on crap and never thinks about the squeezed middle in these situations,there should be a tax right off on this as your bringing in a future worker.

Lucuma

hedgehog2 wrote: »

If it does not work yes it would be gutting and a finacial hit but at least you tried and can go down the adoption route r it may happen of its own luck.
.

The topic of adoption came up in the TTC chat thread. Sadly it seems this is basically a dead duck now for us irish couples. Very sad. Maybe donor sperm, donor egg and surrogacy are going to be the new adoption for irish couples? But these also = €€€

Actually my cuz texted me today there's going to be a documentary on RTE on Monday night about an irish couple who went to India for surrogacy after IVF didn't work out for them. It sounds really interesting:

Her Body, Our Babies| RTÉ One | Monday 13th January | 9.35pm

TomeeTipee

hedgehog2 wrote: »

The ivf may seem very expensive initially but in reality if you can knock 50 quid a week of your weekly spend you could have it paid back within 2yrs.
I imagine most of these places don't let you pay in installments(they could not ask you for the child back if you did'nt pay up ) but a credit union loan and cutting your little treats would get you there.
I figure if you really want it its only the price of a secondhand car for a child which gives a lot more joy.
If it does not work yes it would be gutting and a finacial hit but at least you tried and can go down the adoption route r it may happen of its own luck.
I agree the govt wastes so much money on crap and never thinks about the squeezed middle in these situations,there should be a tax right off on this as your bringing in a future worker.

While it sounds like a nice idea in theory, if time is not on your side 2 years is a long to be saving up! I know many people around my age (mid 30s) are in negative equity and have big mortgages (but not necessarily big houses!) and would struggle to take out a credit union loan of this size. €50 off your weekly spend can also be a lot when belts have already been tightened.

The sad reality is that ivf is simply too expensive for some couples. Some can stretch to one cycle, but if this doesn't work, they can't afford to try again. As already mentioned, adoption isn't the magical solution that it is sometimes made out to be.

Hollywood130

I know a couple who are adopting from Vietnam so far it has cost them about €20,000 and the expenses are rising, they are now 4 years waiting and are told they should have their baby in the next 2 years, how tough is that... IVF is expensive, many people just cannot afford it, think of the numbers our population would be at if IVF was cheaper, surely the economy would be in a better position, it's all about supply and demand, how they come up with a figure of €6000 is beyond me. If it comes to it I will do IVF, most likely I will go abroad

lollpop

As someone who has recently been through ivf (in ireland) I thought i'd just give my perspective on ireland vs abroad. I've read a lot of threads on many forums that say you can use it as your annual holiday and enjoy your time when you're away. For me this just wouldn't have been possible at all. Aside from the fact that ivf is very stressful and the last thing i would have wanted to do is go sightseeing or something, the egg collection can be very tough for some people. I had a lot of problems after it and was bound to the bed for about 4 days. I couldn't even stand up I was in so much pain. I fainted on numerous occasions from the pain and I was very sick. I can't imagine what that would have been like had I been anywhere but my own house. I'm not saying don't go abroad, clearly its the right solution for lots of people but don't underestimate the physical stress that ivf puts on your body! All the doctors had warned about emotional stress but it was actually the physical part I found toughest.

nemo32

lollpop wrote: »

As someone who has recently been through ivf (in ireland) I thought i'd just give my perspective on ireland vs abroad. I've read a lot of threads on many forums that say you can use it as your annual holiday and enjoy your time when you're away. For me this just wouldn't have been possible at all. Aside from the fact that ivf is very stressful and the last thing i would have wanted to do is go sightseeing or something, the egg collection can be very tough for some people. I had a lot of problems after it and was bound to the bed for about 4 days. I couldn't even stand up I was in so much pain. I fainted on numerous occasions from the pain and I was very sick. I can't imagine what that would have been like had I been anywhere but my own house. I'm not saying don't go abroad, clearly its the right solution for lots of people but don't underestimate the physical stress that ivf puts on your body! All the doctors had warned about emotional stress but it was actually the physical part I found toughest.

Tks for your reply lollpop, I hope you found success with ivf. I think all options need to be considered and different options will fit different couples.. I have heard how tough the ec and transfer can be for some people, god we really have to put our bodies and emotions through the mill for something that comes so easily to others

stargirl.gra

Hi girls. Just wondering if anyone can shed some light for me. Basically after having my tubes unblocked in October I was put back on clomid 50mg so nov and dec day 21s didnt really show great strides so was told to up dosage to 100mg. Anyways I got fed up seeing the same results as last year on the clomid when my tubes were blocked and my ovaries fecked soooooooo today I went to see my gyne and asked him the next step to which he said ivf. So he said he'd write a letter, did we want Dublin or Cork, we said Dublin (but now I'm wondering would Cork have shorter waiting lists???) anyway he said private or public. I said well public coz health insurance wouldnt cover it sure and he said yeah and it'd cost you a pretty penny private but public you have a waiting list of 6-9 months (Question 1: is he correct about that?). Then he said sure it'l still cost you publiclybut you'll get bloods and certain tests free so you'd be looking at around €1000. Now I have never met anyone who paid this much. I said are you sure you dont mean €5000 and he said "for public? No sure privately in the boom years it was 4-5000!" So that's my second question. Is he totally off the mark here. My friend just told me her friend says there's no such rhing as ivf publicly and I think she may be right, I've never heard someone have it done for just €1000?????

pwurple

Hollywood130 wrote: »

I know a couple who are adopting from Vietnam so far it has cost them about €20,000 and the expenses are rising, they are now 4 years waiting and are told they should have their baby in the next 2 years, how tough is that... IVF is expensive, many people just cannot afford it, think of the numbers our population would be at if IVF was cheaper, surely the economy would be in a better position, it's all about supply and demand, how they come up with a figure of €6000 is beyond me. If it comes to it I will do IVF, most likely I will go abroad

If they are waiting 4 years, they must have had their intercountry approval pre hague.... Which actually means they are extremely lucky. Anyone starting now is in a much much worse position. Afaik There are about 700 couples fully approved for foreign adoption in ireland at the moment... With about 20-40 a year getting a baby.

lollpop

stargirl.gra wrote: »

Then he said sure it'l still cost you publiclybut you'll get bloods and certain tests free so you'd be looking at around €1000. Now I have never met anyone who paid this much. I said are you sure you dont mean €5000 and he said "for public? No sure privately in the boom years it was 4-5000!" So that's my second question. Is he totally off the mark here. My friend just told me her friend says there's no such rhing as ivf publicly and I think she may be right, I've never heard someone have it done for just €1000?????

I think your GP is quite wrong!
My understanding is that IVF is only available privately in Ireland (it's different in the UK). See reference in this article http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?con=497 and this link http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/women_s_health/fertility_treatment.html
I think HARI offer free IVF to a small number of medical card patients but again there is a huge waiting list. Some of the other IVF clinics also have reduced rates for medical card holders.

Neyite

lollpop wrote: »

I think your GP is quite wrong!
My understanding is that IVF is only available privately in Ireland (it's different in the UK). See reference in this article http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?con=497 and this link http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/women_s_health/fertility_treatment.html
I think HARI offer free IVF to a small number of medical card patients but again there is a huge waiting list. Some of the other IVF clinics also have reduced rates for medical card holders.

Thats my understanding of Public IVF too. That there is a waiting list of several years, that both must have medical cards, and that you have to attend a certain specialist to assess you to get referred in the first place.

It was years of a waiting list for this in the boom. Can only imagine what kind of a wait there is now for couples who are trying the public route.

Stargirl, why not ring and speak to someone in a fertility clinic? They would be pretty up to date with costs and medical card patient entitlements.

bobskii

It's after taking me 2-2 1/2 half years comin through the public system to get where I am now .that was with a set back of 6 months included.

orchidsrpretty

bobskii wrote: »

It's after taking me 2-2 1/2 half years comin through the public system to get where I am now .that was with a set back of 6 months included.

When we started wondering why we weren't getting pregnant, my doctor reffered me as a public patient to the Rotunda. I received an appointment for 11 months later. I didn't want to wait that long so rang the Merrion and had an initial consult booked for 3 weeks later(to give me time to get the required tests done). By the time the public appointment came around I had two operations and was ready to start IVF.

If you are going to go private the best advice I ever got was "don't be afraid to tell them that you a bit financially impaired if that is the case. We did and our consultant bent over backwards to make things as affordable as possible for us and informed us of things like grants we could apply for etc..

There is also a charity called http://www.pomegranate.ie/ that can help people that have medical cards. This might be a way to circumvent the lengthy waiting lists as a public patient if you are eligible.

stargirl.gra

Neyite wrote: »

Stargirl, why not ring and speak to someone in a fertility clinic? They would be pretty up to date with costs and medical card patient entitlements.

I rang the sims and really she just told me all that was on their website like that it is 4600€ for basic ivf there. when I asked her about the simply ivf she and told her I was under 34 so how else could I be eligible she said oh you would have to come for consultation and the doctor see. So the upshot of the whole conversation was come for consultation that's the only way to get a price to go forward. So how did everyone here choose what hospital to go to never mind the fact that my gyne is referring me somewhere but he didnt say. Like I'd imagine answer is the same for every phone inquiry " oh you need to come in and discuss your history with the consultant so they can give you a price" and I totally get that but I mean I can hardly got to every clinic for a consult just for the best price.

nemo32

stargirl.gra wrote: »

I rang the sims and really she just told me all that was on their website like that it is 4600€ for basic ivf there. when I asked her about the simply ivf she and told her I was under 34 so how else could I be eligible she said oh you would have to come for consultation and the doctor see. So the upshot of the whole conversation was come for consultation that's the only way to get a price to go forward. So how did everyone here choose what hospital to go to never mind the fact that my gyne is referring me somewhere but he didnt say. Like I'd imagine answer is the same for every phone inquiry " oh you need to come in and discuss your history with the consultant so they can give you a price" and I totally get that but I mean I can hardly got to every clinic for a consult just for the best price.

For me it was a matter of researching each clinic and seeing what stats I could find. And also considering the location of the clinic since you will need to travel there quite frequently for scans etc if you are going through IVF. All the private clinics seem to have more or less the same price list.

lollpop

stargirl.gra wrote: »

I rang the sims and really she just told me all that was on their website like that it is 4600€ for basic ivf there. when I asked her about the simply ivf she and told her I was under 34 so how else could I be eligible she said oh you would have to come for consultation and the doctor see. So the upshot of the whole conversation was come for consultation that's the only way to get a price to go forward. So how did everyone here choose what hospital to go to never mind the fact that my gyne is referring me somewhere but he didnt say. Like I'd imagine answer is the same for every phone inquiry " oh you need to come in and discuss your history with the consultant so they can give you a price" and I totally get that but I mean I can hardly got to every clinic for a consult just for the best price.

I went on a recommendation from my GP and also the location of the clinic.
I also phoned 3 different clinics to see about waiting times for an appointment in case there was a big difference (there wasn't).

Hollywood130

What are the prices there abouts?? IVF is done in Galway too isn't it? I'm guessing the €4500 is ex tests etc?

Neyite

Hollywood130 wrote: »

What are the prices there abouts?? IVF is done in Galway too isn't it? I'm guessing the €4500 is ex tests etc?

I think if you do a search on this forum someone posted the costs per clinic.

nemo32

Here at the price lists for the two leading clinics in Dublin

http://hari.ie/why-choose-hari/pricelist

http://www.sims.ie/treatments-and-services/prices.883.html

I can't see anything about prices on the Galway site