Our visit with the genetic counselor went really well today. She didn't really share any new information with me (thanks to my personal research), but it helped confirm what I had learned and I think it was helpful for DH.
The counselor said that we have three choices for having a biological pregnancy: continue trying on our own, do IVF, or do IVF with PGD. Our other choices for children are egg donation, embryo adoption, and traditional adoption.
She also explained more about how the chromosome insertion works and why it is so hard for us to have a healthy baby. She confirmed that couples in our situation probably conceive a baby many times without ever knowing it/getting a positive pregnancy test. We also learned that the chances of us getting a baby from IVF with PGD are about 40%. There is definitely a chance that we could do IVF and get ZERO embryos that survive. The good thing is that if we do manage to get KU, we can probably safely say that if we make it to the second trimester, we will *probably* make it to full term and have a healthy baby without any birth defects. I asked the counselor if there are ever any studies with IVF and PGD for people like me, and she said not really, but she would still check to see if there was anything out there that we would qualify for.
So, even though we didn't learn much, I am still glad that we went to this appointment. I think that it reaffirmed that we are both comfortable with our plan. Hopefully we will get a baby to adopt without too long of a wait, and if we get KU, then that would be great!
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
I'm Back!!!
I feel like I haven't been able to blog in forever! DH, our families, and I just got home from a fun-filled vacation to Charleston, SC and Nashville, TN. I think that everyone had a great time, even though at times it could be a little hectic arranging plans for 13 people. Even though it was nice to get away, I am still glad to be home.
I think that I am finally coming to grips with the fact that we are either facing IVF or adoption. Sometimes, I feel really excited about this because it means that we are no longer stalled, but we know what our problems have been and we are moving forward with a plan. Other times, it freaks me out. What if they say that they don't think they can get a quality embryo? What if this? What if that? One bright spot is that I think that my insurance will pay for the pregenetic diagnosis on the embryos if we go that route. I was reading my explanation of benefits, and there was a section about how they cover embryo genetic testing if one of the parents has a known genetic condition that could be passed on and would pose the risk of a serious problem. I am hoping that if they do pay for that, that there is also a chance that just maybe they would pay for at least part of IVF...I mean you can't do the testing without doing IVF, right?
With adoption stuff, DH and I were originally planning on going through the agency associated with our church, because the max we would pay would be around $10,000 and our insurance will cover $8000 of that. The only problem is that because they are more affordable, they tend to have a much longer placement time. I started looking into some other agencies, and now we are just trying to decide if it would be better to pay more money and hopefully get a baby faster (and hope that any tax refunds we received would help pay off the loan), or if we should just stick with the other agency. If there is anyone reading this who has gone/is going through adoption, what would you recommend?
Anyway, that is just a quick update on me. I will try and blog more later and also get caught up on everyone else's blogs.
I think that I am finally coming to grips with the fact that we are either facing IVF or adoption. Sometimes, I feel really excited about this because it means that we are no longer stalled, but we know what our problems have been and we are moving forward with a plan. Other times, it freaks me out. What if they say that they don't think they can get a quality embryo? What if this? What if that? One bright spot is that I think that my insurance will pay for the pregenetic diagnosis on the embryos if we go that route. I was reading my explanation of benefits, and there was a section about how they cover embryo genetic testing if one of the parents has a known genetic condition that could be passed on and would pose the risk of a serious problem. I am hoping that if they do pay for that, that there is also a chance that just maybe they would pay for at least part of IVF...I mean you can't do the testing without doing IVF, right?
With adoption stuff, DH and I were originally planning on going through the agency associated with our church, because the max we would pay would be around $10,000 and our insurance will cover $8000 of that. The only problem is that because they are more affordable, they tend to have a much longer placement time. I started looking into some other agencies, and now we are just trying to decide if it would be better to pay more money and hopefully get a baby faster (and hope that any tax refunds we received would help pay off the loan), or if we should just stick with the other agency. If there is anyone reading this who has gone/is going through adoption, what would you recommend?
Anyway, that is just a quick update on me. I will try and blog more later and also get caught up on everyone else's blogs.
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