To help you understand the process of IVF (in vitro), let me first explain the medications that are involved. Once you understand the medications, you’ll begin to get a sense of how invasive, time consuming and technical this whole process really is.
Let’s start at the beginning:
First there’s the good ole trusty, dusty, tried and true birth control pill. That’s right! To try and get pregnant, you start by taking the Pill. WTH?! That’s what I said!
Birth control pill is used to suppress the pituitary and to resolve any residual ovarian cyst from previous cycles. The pill also allows flexibility in IVF scheduling. Women who start menses at different times can have their cycles synchronized by the pill in order to start IVF treatment as a group.
I took the “BCP” for three weeks. Once you get to the placebo pill, you stop and hope that you’ll start your period within the next few days.
Cost of BCP? $4.00*
The next step is to begin taking Leuprolide Acetate “Lupron” shots in the thigh once a day for about a month. You start doing the Lupron shots about 5 days before you stop taking BCP.
Lupron, an injectable medication, is started near the end of the pill cycle to further suppress the pituitary. The pill is eventually discontinued while Lupron is continued into the next phase to maintain pituitary suppression.
To be honest, the Lupron shot does not hurt, but you do have to be specific about the time you take it each day. Lucky for me, Josh is available to administer all of my shots for me because I am way too chicken to do it myself!
Cost of Lupron? $129.00*
Two weeks in to your Lupron shots to the thigh, you add in a couple more fun little shots to the mix. For me, I’ll be taking Gonal-F and Menopur. Gonal-F has a sister drug called Follitism, but my insurance only covers Gonal-F. They are one in the same.
These shots are taken in the belly. Menpur is taken in the morning, while Lupron and Gonal-F are taken in the evenings.
Ovarian stimulation is initiated once there is sufficient suppression of the pituitary, as evident by a low estradiol level and quiet ovaries on the sonogram. The injectable medications used to stimulate the ovaries (Bravelle, Follistim, Gonal-f, Repronex) are actually LH and FSH, the same hormones normally produced by the pituitary. Close monitoring of the ovaries with blood works and sonograms is essential during this period to ensure optimal egg development and avoid complications.
Once again, these shots are painless. The biggest pain is giving yourself three shots a day for what seems like eternity!
Cost of Gonal-F? $780.00*
Cost of Menopur? $79.90*
During the entire time that you are taking these shots, you are also going to the doctor on a weekly basis (sometimes one to three times a week) while they monitor the growth of your follicles and test your hormone levels.
Once your follicles are measured and are a specific size, you’ll give yourself another shot in the belly called Ovidrel (HCG).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) injection is given when the follicles reach mature sizes. HCG induces the eggs to undergo the final maturation. It also causes the eggs to be detached from the wall of the follicles to facilitate their removal.
Cost of Ovidrel? $44.25*
As you can see, there are a LOT of medications, time and energy involved during the IVF process. Those factors in addition to cost (IVF can cost up to $12,000 out-of-pocket) is why this is something that most couples can only afford to do once or twice in a lifetime.
AND I didn’t even get in to the awesome side effects! That’s a whole other blog…
If you or anyone you know is going through IVF, please try to be understanding of everything they are doing and going through to add to their family. It’s a rough ride, but a good one in the long run if it works.
*Prices listed above are from the pharmacy that I have to go through for insurance purposes.
Resources: http://www.ivfmd.net/Treatment/treatment2.htm
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