I travel -- A LOT! For work. volunteer. fun. It sometimes consumes my life and always consumes planning. I went in with a travel calendar, mapped to my cycle, to try to understand which windows of opportunity might be available.
To add one more tiny complication... the lab periodically closes for cleaning, so we also need to factor in that schedule. The ivf nurse is amazing. Like a wizard with her wand, she somehow magically pinpoints the best window. She gives a grin and says that we'll be busy, but we can start this month if we want to!
Our baseline ultrasound is scheduled for Feb 24. We immediately put things into action. To do list:
- Travel to Mexico for work and volunteer duties
- Coordinate finances to be prepared for Feb 24 baseline
- Schedule saline sonogram / additional STD testing / injection training
- Research pricing for meds and choose pharmacy
- Review consent packet (no small feat!)
- Consult attorney on reproductive rights
- Finalize sperm donor selection and order sperm
The nurse is right ... the following three weeks are intense. We hit a few bumps, but, with the help of our village, we sail through them. Here's how we fared on the to do list and a few tips to share from our journey for those who might be trying ivf themselves:
Mexico: CHECK!
Pro Tip: If you are traveling to a Zika zone, women should wait at least two weeks before getting pregnant. For men bringing their part to the party, it is much, much longer.... something like 6 months. You can ask your sperm bank their process for screening and testing sperm for Zika.
Finances: CHECK!
Pro Tip: We are financing half, paying for half out of savings. Our doctor gave us a list of financing companies and some feedback on each, along with a pricing sheet. They discount for couples who are doing genetic testing. In the end, ARC Fertility is footing our bill as the lender. Double-check that the financing company's package and your doctor's package match. If we hadn't paid attention to detail, we would have overspent by $1,000+
Saline Sonogram: POSTPONED:/
Pro Tip: Attempted saline sonogram and practice transfer revealed that I have a bit of stenosis in my cervix and need a procedure to correct it before we can go forward. My tip? Do the practice transfer!! You never know what you'll find. This was never mentioned by my previous doctor and was unexpected. Since we are doing genetic testing and previous tests have not raised any concerns, we decided to postpone the test. When I am under anesthesia for egg retrieval, my doc will go for it again.
Additional STD cultures: Check!
Pro Tip: Easy breezy.
Injection training: Check!
Pro Tip: This is a little overwhelming. As the nurse starts to speak, her words blur in and out, like in a movie. Once I do it a few times, I think it will be pretty simple. Going through all of the steps, it's a lot to remember. I am leaning on my wife who has given herself and many animals injections. Maybe not the same thing... but I'll take it!
Choose a Pharmacy: Check!
Pro Tip: You'll need a special fertility pharmacy. Each one offers different discount programs on different brands. Some ship meds; others have pick-up hours. We choose the fertility Walgreens (yes - it's a special one... not just any Walgreens!). We were told to prepare for $4,500 - $6,000 in meds. In the end, we will likely be around $5K (update: new meds added - heading towards $6K).
Review consent packet: Check!
Pro Tip: This takes a while and requires a conversation between both partners. We completed 3 - 5 pages per day over a period of about a week, asked questions about the content during our injection training, and then finished the final signature at the baseline. It took about 2 weeks to complete.
Consult Attorney: Check!
Pro Tip: We looked for an attorney who not only specializes in reproductive law, but also advocates for LGBTQ families: Barbara Katz. Once we are actually pregnant, we'll schedule an appointment to create a host of documents that outline what should happen in case something happens ... to me, the baby, or H.
Order sperm: Check!
Pro Tip: Go with your gut! But get your paperwork in order and start early. Before they will ship, they might need a physician's authorization on file with the bank. It's different for each state. We requested the form at our injection training, so we had it in place for the order. As soon as it's processed, they will ship the little vials all the way to Atlanta where they will hang out in the freezer until it's time. You can rush shipping, but we preferred to save money and go with standard shipping. At the advice of our doctor, we ordered two vials. We really only need one, but just in case something is wrong with one when they defrost it, we decided to have a second one on hand. It's a bit more expensive, but in the grand scheme of things - worth it!
All of this led up to today's baseline!:)
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