Yes it has been awhile since my last post…and yes I was
supposed to update you more often but what can I say life happened. IVF is a very time consuming, exciting,
stressful, emotional, and possibly life-changing journey. It is not for those who aren’t 100%
dedicated and that is as a couple….it takes two! Not only for the emotional
sidekick that you must lean on when you become slightly overwhelmed with what
is going on…but your partner will be the to assist you with some of the
medications you will need to take.
(taking all the medications is where part of the dedication comes into
play!!!)
Since I mentioned medication lets just talk about it for a
second. At the IVF Q&A they
spoke about or shipment and what will be in it. I was not prepared for the size and sheer amount of
medication I would receive…I thought I was but when the COOLER arrived at my
door it was shocked to find that it was packed with filler ice…it was packed
with medication. (I used a mini
fridge because it would have taken up a lot of space our regular fridge). The cooler they sent was the old school
Styrofoam coolers…so yes, that’s a lot of medication!!
The question most people ask about the medication (whether
they are thinking about attempting IVF or just want to know for the hell of it)
is how much does a cooler full of IVF medication cost?!? Well, like I explained earlier Elise
and I are very lucky (and it was one of the reasons I went first) because my
job (as much as I hated where I worked) covered fertility treatments…including
medication. (if you are from SC
and work for the state you’re in luck…they cover fertility costs and most
medications).
It is important to note that I did not take the normal IVF
hormones…I over-responded to the medication so was allowed to use IUI
medication for IVF so our costs were significantly lower than most…yet still
not cheap. You will have to get a
variety of medications; my prescription included 8 different medications (and I
had to get refills). So our
medication WITH insurance coverage for our initial order totaled $1500 (without
insurance the medication can go anywhere from $5,000-8,000).
The medications were a combination of injections, pills, and
suppositories (by far my least fav but the one I took the least). To begin with I had to take 3
medications a day: 1 shot and two pills twice a day (the shot once again went
in my belly). By the stimulation
process (up until the retrieval date) I was taking 3 shots in my belly at
night, an antibiotic twice a day, and two other pill forms of medication (yes I
had to set times because they had to be taken at the exact same time everyday)!
36 hours before my egg retrieval I had to take my first IM
injection (the big needle that goes into the muscle). This was my trigger shot
and by far the most painful: I bruised immediately. It may have been the shot or it may have been the fact that I
Elise had to give me this shot in my thigh…there is not much room in my little
chicken legs.
The medications were not that bad and you actually get used
to the daily injections….and don’t forget it’s about the bigger picture…starting
a family! I took the stimulation drugs for 2 weeks so it wasn’t that bad and
prior to that had a few days of injections that prevent you from ovulating….all
in all it wasn’t that bad. The days
she could Elise gave me the hormone injections in my belly and she got really
good at them and they didn’t hurt that bad anymore. She was an amazing nurse (and continued to be cause I will
have to take an injection in my butt for 72 days…she has to give those because I
can’t physically give them to myself).
The side effects of the medications were not that bad but that’s a
different entry….
