Today was our appointment with the RE. I had never met him before because my previous RE retired and this doctor is his replacement. When we checked in at reception, we both had to fill out questionnaires. I glanced over at Chris when he was done and his form was pretty much blank...mine on the other hand was full of stuff. When we got called back I was weighed and my height and blood pressure were checked. Then the nurse asked a few questions and then an OB resident came in to do a bit more "research" on us before the RE came in.
When the RE came in, he seemed pleasant and had a game plan ready. He agrees that IVF is our only option and wants to move forward with that. Chris and I both need to have bloodwork done, the usual to screen for infectious disease and test for blood type, a second blood test for me on Cycle Day 3 to test FSH, LH, Estradiol, TSH, and Prolaction. The doctor also wants me to get a Hysteroscopy, which is when they insert a device into the uterus to take a look at it from the inside and make sure it will be a nice and cozy place for a baby to snuggle up in. Chris will need to have a test done as well to test the quality of his swimmers. Our plan is to get that done at the same time as I get the Hysteroscopy done since they both have to be done at the fertility clinic.
Once all of that is complete, the RE can refer us into the program, we will do our orientation, and then we will have to sit and wait. One of the questions we asked the RE was whether or not we would be approved for the government funding, and luckily, we qualify. The downside to this is that there is no guarantee of when you get to do your cycle. The hospital only gets paid every 3 months for this funding and they balance the funds over those 3 months by doing roughly 7 cycles a week. So if you are lucky enough to call in and be one of the first 7 that week, you get to go ahead with that cycle. If you are not, then you have to wait. This new funding has only been going on now for 3 months so the doctor's best guess at the wait time is 3-6 months, but really, this is like playing the lottery, you just never know. It is a big added stress and part of me wishes the government never changed the funding and I still had my 2 free cycles that I could use on my timeline, but the other part of me is happy for all of those families who couldn't afford IVF because now they get a shot at it. If we had a money tree in our backyard, we would be able to do a pay out of pocket cycle anytime, but unfortunately, that isn't realistic right now. And as I'm writing all of this, I hope I don't sound ungrateful, because I am truly very grateful for this funding.
One of our big questions for the RE was about freezing the embryos. The only way we would be able to do a cycle and freeze all of the embryos would be if it were medically necessary (if I am overstimulated again). The RE doesn't see that happening because he said last time I was on a high dosage for my age and he will start me with a lower dose and only increase the dosage if need be. He said my dosage last time was half the dosage of a woman who would be at the max dosage at the age of 42. I was only 24 when I did my first cycle. So if we do an IVF cycle, we will be doing a fresh transfer at the same time.
We weren't planning on doing a fresh transfer right away. Our original plan was to do an IVF cycle when we were married, but with there being no guarantee of funding still being available, we thought maybe we could do an IVF cycle now and freeze our embryos. Now that we know that is not an option, that leaves a big question for Chris and I. Where do we go from here?
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