new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

hello..we've been trying for about 3 years to get pg, and no luck. DH has a lower sperm count and i may have scar tissue in one of my fallopian tubes..
Went to see the RE today and he gave us 3 different options. 1 is out of the question- it is to have surgery to see about the scar tissue, but since i'm over 35 he didn't recommend this.
2nd is where i have to give myself injections and, and then i think they have to remove the egg & they put the sperm into me, and the 3rd option is IVF>
I'm not 100% sure now what the option 2 was-i'm thinking IUI? He said that if we do the 2nd option that if I don't get pg after 2-3 months then we should do the IVF>
I'm really confused about what to do. Do we skip the option 2 alltogether and go for the IVf?
I'm absolutely terrified about the injections...and i have no idea what this is going to cost us..
Sorry for all the questions and all..I'm just scared, stressed, unclear about the whole process of everything...
Any info that any of you have would be so greatly appreciated!! TIA

Message edited 1/17/2013 8:41:05 PM.

new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

I think option 2 is an IUI but they do not remove an egg but they do inseminate you with your DH's sperm...how low is his sperm count? it may be feasible to try a couple of IUI's with injectables...are you paying OOP for everything? With IVF there are injections so you have to be prepared for that as well as the costs...IVF is more expensive than IUI's

new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

thank you so much for your quick reply ;) they said his sperm count is low, but not low enough to put him on any medication. So, with the IUI, they do the injectibles to produce more eggs and then they inseminate? I think that is what he was explaining.
I don't know yet if I have to pay OOP, I will find out Monday. The RE said if I have to pay OOP then I should just go for the IVF.
Have you had either the IUI or IVF?

Re: new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

I think you should definitely look into the costs before making any definite decisions. I was lucky enough to have amazing insurance that covered both, but I have heard the costs of IUI are much less than IVF.
I personally didn't bother with the IUI and went straight to IVF. To be honest not sure what the protocol is for IUI but with IVF the injections are not just pre-transfer. I am 9 weeks pregnant through IVF and still on injections.

Re: new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

i'm a big baby when it comes to needles so i'm going to have to get over this fear. It will all be worth it in the end, I know..
The RE just didn't seem as strong on the IUI since it is not as high of an increased success rate as the IVF...
You are right though, I have to find out what my insurance covers and I guess that will help us decide!

new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

Take a deep breath, relax, and read many of our journals and experiences. Do a forum search for journal in the topic title, and you'll see how different many experiences were. They helped us to express hope, fear, hatred, anguish and often relief! This board is an amazing resource, and I think you'll love it here. I also hope your stay is short.

Since you asked for opinions, I'll gladly give you mine After age 35, I was in a rush to have a baby. I am so sorry that I even tried IUI (artificial insemination), even though the doctors all promised me that whatever they tried would surely work because we had no diagnosis for infertility.
The emotional anguish and pain of having the year tick away while 4 IUI's failed was almost too much to bear while it seemed everyone around me was pregnant.
The IVF process was neat, organized, structured, and a LOT less intimidating than I ever thought, even though it involved needles (yes, more than one per day). IDK why, but you just do it on autopilot after awhile. We conceived on our first IVF, and now have twin DD!

I regret the time wasted on my IUI's because of my age and the simple fact that the success rates are extremely low. My opinion only.....

I wish you the best of luck and hope that you find this board to be as amazing as I did.....

new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

thank you girls. We already have a 5 yr old son and I was pg on my 3rd month of trying- didn't have any issues back then...I feel that since we've waited this long, we'll just give it another 2 months and try out the IUI, and if it doesn't work we'll go for the IVF.
I really do wish we looked into this earlier then now. We've been ttc #2 for 3 years, and now we are like-where did 3 years go..

Message edited 1/18/2013 9:24:54 PM.

new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

I have done multiple IUI'S with injectables and the needles are nothing to be afraid of! They are very small and do not hurt! I myself am also moving onto IVF, bc I am running out of insurance. I am trying for my second, my first was conceived on clomid and one IUI so they do work!!! Good luck!!

Message edited 1/19/2013 9:32:39 PM.

Re: new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

Re: new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions

You need to do what you're comfortable with, but I would at very least start out with a couple of IUIs. They're much less stressful and fewer drugs (not to mention the financial burden is much less) than an IVF cycle.

It's all fine and dandy for someone to say "skip IUIs, I wasted all my time and IVF is the magic ticket" BUT......... IVF does not always work on the first try. I would give your body some time to experiment with IUIs... see how your body responds to the drugs... it's a couple of months you're talking about and you have a plan to move on if it does come to that.

I just get nervous for people when they are told all the benefits of IVF .. the higher success rates.... the fact that it's WAY more manageable than you think it will be ... without also stressing that it's NEVER a guarantee and IVF not working is just so much more emotionally draining than IUI cycles (in my experience anyway... )

You've waited this long .. what's two or three more months? Who knows, maybe an IUI will work for you and then you'll be very lucky.

Re: new to this board-have IUI & IVF questions