MicroSort and PGD

Good Luck Tiger Ling!

threeyswantx — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:43:00 GMT

on your ET today!

To PGD or Not to PGD that is the question..

molerwntpnk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:20:45 GMT

Hi again everyone and thanks for all the great help!!!! I am still on the fence about this. I have 2 boys, really really want a girl, I'm 37 no prior infertility. I know the odds for MS and a pretty sure thing with PGD. Now I am seeing all these stats for PGD and just not sure at all anymore. Do I dare MS only?????

A small study presented as a poster (Poster # 322) at American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in October 2004 looked at whether PGD can improve IVF success. The study was done by J. Stevens, Wale, Surrey, Schoolcraft and Gardner from the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Title of the study: "Is aneuploidy screening for patients aged 35 or older beneficial?"

The study results showed that the group of patients having PGD showed:
- The same percentage rate of embryos developing to blastocysts by day 5

Lower rates for pregnancy
Lower rates for ongoing pregnancy
Lower rates of embryo implantation
Lower rates of miscarriages

However, this study was small, and therefore none of the differences between the 2 groups were statistically different.

Data from this study are shown in the table below:

	Number of patients	Average female age	Average number of eggs	Average number of embryos	Rate for embryos making blastocysts on day 5	Initial pregnancy rate per egg retrieval	Miscarriage rate	Ongoing pregnancy rate per egg retrieval	Implantation rate per embryo transferred
No PGD group (control group)	18	39	22	14	49%	89%	19%	72%	44%
PGD group	21	39	20	13	49%	57%	8%	52%	32%

This was an excellent study, and larger controlled randomized trials of PGS for aneuploidy are needed to determine whether it improves (or reduces) the chances for a healthy live birth outcome for infertile couples having IVF treatment.

It is important to consider that regardless of the outcome of a few studies, further research is needed from multiple IVF centers. What works (or doesn't) in one center might show a different result in another center

How old were you when you went HT?

starlight1600 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:11 GMT

I will be 32 when DS is born. I would like to wait a couple years before HT...but is that unwise?

How old were you when you successfully went HT?

How long...

Sassafras — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:06:04 GMT

After stopping breastfeeding can you cycle? I know you are supposed to have 2 AFs before the testing, and then you have to do the testing before you cycle...so how long does all this take? I am just trying to figure out the timeline...

This is my 3rd baby so I should know this, but I can't remember how long it takes to get your AF when you stop nursing...and then it would just be a month to get your 2nd AF right? So does it just take a month before you can do the testing?

I know these are dumb questions but I am trying to plan when we can cycle and I am wanting to continue bf through the winter "flu" months if possible and still cycle by next spring/summer.

Thanks for any guidance!

H1N1 Question

nuthinbutpink — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:56:34 GMT

I know this is not the proper forum but I only post here so here goes. Of those that got it, did you get the thimerosal free one? I have the chance to get the shot tomorrow but it DOES contain thimerosal- the actual amount of mercury is less than what is in a tuna can- should I get it? What would you guys do? What have doctors told you?

How long after failed cycle should I expect AF?

night nurse — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:28:40 GMT

Hi Girls, As some of you may know, we cycled in October but did not transfer. I am now waiting for AF so that we can start preparing for our FET and I don't think I have ever been so anxious for AF to arrive LOL!! My RE said that my period may be a week or so late due to the fact that my own hormones need to sort themselves out. For those that have experienced the same, how long did it take for AF to arrive? Trying to plan my life around something that is completely out of my control is proving to be very difficult.....particularly coming up to christmas

PGD lab - Reprogenetics? 12 Probe FISH or 24 Chromosome Microarray CGH?

threeyswantx — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:46:20 GMT

I am cycling locally and have estimated ER date in early Decemeber this year. I just consulted with the PGD lab, Reprogenetics, and debating between 24 Chromosome Microarray CGH, which has only done about 40 cases so far. It is a fairly new analysis that came out probably around the time GSN came out. I was told it is not as accurate as FISH method for gender detection due the method of evaluation. I was told, maybe a 90% accuracy and babies have been born yet, but pregnancy rates are high. The other method is the 12 probe FISH which has been around for a long time. It has about 99% accuracy of desired sex based on live birth statistics, but doesn't detect all the chromosomes. Decisions, decisions.... We are doing MS as well.

Can we discuss 24 probe or 2 probe PGD?

Lillylolly — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:13:43 GMT

I am very confused about these two options. I really don't know what is what, and what would be better for me. I would love to hear what others think and what others are planning on doing......

My brain teaser!! - Thoughts please!

trucksndolls — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:58:09 GMT

I thought I was confident that I had worked out our schedule correctly!! But last nite I was having seconds thoughts.

See, I have to work out our schedule based on HD leaving on Wed 24th Nov. Which has to put him in LA on day 9.

Where I get confused is with the time difference!! (19hrs!) See Im leaving on Sun 24th @ 1pm & arrive in LA Sun 24th @ 10am. At the start I was counting both these days as 1 cycle day, (which they are not) now Im counting them as 2 cycle days. (& not sure if im right)

Cycle day 5 Sun 21st feb dept @ 1pm (Aussie time)

Cycle day 6 Sun 21st feb arrive @10am (US time)

Cycle day 9 Wed 24th feb DH arrive @ 10am (us time)

Cycle day 14 Mon 14th Mar DH dept @ 10pm (US time)

Do you think that this is right?

Thanks ladies!!

TnD's x

intense stabbing pain...scared!

MyNana — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:13:42 GMT

Hi all. I am 14w4d pregnant with my MS/IUI baby and was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma at 6 weeks after a big bleed. I have been on modified bed rest since then, but recently told I could do 3 activities per week out of the house that didn't require much standing or walking. I was really starting to feel better and thought maybe the hematoma was gone so i started doing more activities. Well last night I had the most intense stabbing pains on the left side of my uterus-no bleeding yet though. I had dull pains throughout the night and some today with tenderness. I am scared I made the clot grow bigger or made the placenta tear away. I don't have a Dr.s appt until next Wed. DH thinks I should not get out of bed at all, even to go to the Dr., since they can't help, only diagnose. I know he is right, but the not knowing how bad it is stresses me out.

Has anyone had a hematoma or really bad sharp stabbing pains? I am so scared of losing this baby. Thanks for listening.

Tired, confused, desperate.

pinkprettyplease — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:27:50 GMT

This is nothing more than a vent, I guess. I'm just not sure where to go from here.

In Sept 2007, we went to Thailand for the first of our IVF PGD cycles. I'd had monitoring back here in Oz with a very disintersted doctor who told me the day before I left that I was being foolish and doing something very risky in travelling to Thailand for IVF. We arrived in Bangkok to find out I hadn't followed the protocol properly (thanks to disinterested doctor) and that the cycle may be cancelled. I ended up getting 24 eggs, borderline OHSS and no normal embryos to transfer. We were also robbed while we were there (really!!) and one of my children back home was taken to hospital in an ambulance with the flu. To say it was stressful was an understatement and we just were not prepared for the no transfer outcome.

Between then and now, I have done another five IVF/PGD cycles (some with and some without MS) with a variety of protocols..long and short. Some have been "okay" and some have sent me crazy. I've had another 2 no transfer cycles and every other one has had more healthy boys than girls. I've had a total of six girls transferred and nine healthy boys frozen. We have spent a ridiculous amount of money (inluding 5k on a lost deposit for accom on one cycle) and too many days away from our other children.

I've now had my tubal reversed and am trying naturally with the help of Femara, the fertility drug. This last cycle was the first I've used it and I was positively certain I was pregnant. Whatever symptom you can name, I had it. I think the BFN this time has hit me harder than some of the IVF cycles.

I just don't know where to go from here. I still want a girl so much though with trying naturally now I'm obviously somewhat willing to accept a boy. I just can't imagine doing gender selection any longer because I don't think it works for me. Does anyone know of someone who's done more than six cycles and been successful? My husband just wants me to transfer the boy embryos so we at least have something to show for the last two years. I feel like trying naturally at least gives me a chance at a girl. I just feel so tired of trying but cannot imagine stopping either. What I'm looking for here, I don't know. I guess I'm just sharing to offload some of the frustration and desperation. Do I just give up? What would you do?

Thanks for reading :)

ppp

xxx

Abnormals

Dreamingofaprincess — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:34:47 GMT

I just finished my cycle. Transfer on last Friday and I will find out on Monday. All our pre cycle tests came back great, DH and I are both 28 and they said they thought we would get many embryos. Had 16 at retrieval 12 fertilized with ICSI and out of those we had many abnormals after PGD and only one normal female, a B grade day 5 hatching blast (hope I got that right) which was transferred on Friday. I am wondering if I am not pregnant, how can I change my protocol for next time to get normals or are we doomed to get abnormals? Four of our abnormals had no X or Y chromosome at all and the others were all missing some kind of chromosome. DH's sperm analysis was great so we are wondering if the ICSI messed it up. Advice if I am not pregnant on next cyle, different place, doctor, protocol? Anyone else have experience with this. Please feel free to PM me too. Hoping I am pregnant, was told 40 percent chance with the one female so I am hoping. I would appreciate any thoughts on the cycle and abnormals. Thanks!

Third Cycle Almost Cancelled ..... Pls give me some hope !!! Or Advice xoxo

dreamdaughter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:59:53 GMT

Ladies,

As most of you know I am 1/2 through my third IVF/PGD cycle. The first two cancelled due to very low follicle count. This cycle my DH and I put all our faith and prayers in it- I have been on 750 FSH, DHEA, micro-lucrin, oestrogen priming protocol- the apparently "last ditch / resort" for poor responders.

I am sad to report that at 5:30am this morning on Day 7 of my cycle they found only 1 on my left and 4/5 on my right side. The Dr knew I had tears in my eyes (yet again- my body had let me down) and was so very compassionate and disaapointed for me. He gave us all our options including cancelling and going ahead in the HOPE that some of them are strong and make it through fertilisation, 5 days and PGD etc. He took us to a quiet room for DH and I to discuss. Through my tears and pain my darling DH insisited we GO FOR IT !!!!!!!!! We have never made it to ER before and my sweet DH thinks that perhaps we may have the strongest eggs known to man and that they could all make it and that we could have our baby girl(s). As he said- if we cancel again, its over, (as my Dr does not believe there is any other option or protocol that could change my poor response) and then the "What ifs" may start...... So we are spending the big money and going ahead praying that there may be 1 or 2 hiding (although my Dr said that there wasn't) and that the eggs he gets are very strong and robust !!!!

Since making this decision my heart beats a little less painfully as at least we are giving it a shot !!!!

I NEED to hear anyone else that has had success with low eggs/ follicle counts PLEASE I BEG YOU to share your stories or numbers with me.

Also does anyone know anything else I could do ? I am going to message the famous and beautifil Dr P and ask for his advice but you ladies are my strength and I want to hear from you on what you believe might help IF I COULD convince my Dr to allow me another go !!!

Love and Hope

Jill xoxo

p.s., My Dr also thought my eggs were very big for Day 7 (18,16 etc) which he didn't like but hay we are still going ahead. Perhaps our DD is waiting in there. xoxoxxo

Did you know?

bbbaby — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:51:27 GMT

I am doing homework with my dd and just found this in Wikipedia... If we only could be crocodiles? I think it is an interesting thing (I did not know) and wanted to share with you, as it is gender related -

Crocodile embryos do not have sex chromosomes, and unlike humans sex is not determined genetically. Sex is determined by temperature, with males produced at around 31.6 °C, and females produced at slightly lower and higher temperatures. The average incubation period is around 80 days, and also is dependent upon temperature.^[11]

Temperature-dependent sex determination

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a system in which the temperature of neighboring eggs determines the sex of the organism that hatches^[1]. It is most prevalent and common among amniote vertebrates that are classified under the reptile class^[1], but is also used among some birds, such as the Australian Brush-turkey. It differs from the chromosomal sex-determination systems common among vertebrates. It is a type of environmental sex determination (ESD); in other ESD systems, some factors such as population determine the sex of organisms (see Polyphenism).

The eggs are affected by the temperature at which they are incubated during the middle one-third of embryonic development^[2]. This critical period of incubation is known as the thermosensitive period (TSP)^[3]. The specific time of sex-commitment is known due to several authors resolving histological chronology of sex differentiation in the gonads of turtles with TSD^[2].

SART reports? Much Lower rates at GIVF

molerwntpnk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:48:37 GMT

I've been checking into SART reports for HRC and G&IVF institute as well as my area clinics. I see GIVF and HRC are much lower stats for successful PG..Hmm.. Interesting.

Check it out

https://www.sartcorsonline.com/rptCSR_PublicMultYear.aspx?ClinicPKID=2190

Oh no...

sunflowerdream — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:43:58 GMT

Is it true that GIVF will not bill your insurance for their gender selection services in regards to IVF??

How important are the Success rate scores....

sunflowerdream — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:32:33 GMT

...when looking for the right clinic??? I am trying to decide between HRC and GIVF as of now and am very confussed by the numbers??

GIVF is much closer for mebut there percentage of transfers resulting in live births is 27.3% for my age group....that seems very LOW!!!

HRC would be ALOT more expensive and difficult for our family with travel (etc).. however there success rate is 43%...which is alot HIGHER!!

How have you ladies looked at these sussess rates and made you decision on which clinic to go to. Is this the most important factor?

My embryos

kamic_77 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:58:09 GMT

I had my egg retrieval Friday. They got nine eggs. All went ok, I was very very sore from it (still am) but held up. Saturday was a rough day.. we got our fertility report. 9 eggs, 8 mature, however even with ICSI on all 8, only 2 fertilized. It was a big blow, and not what we hoped for or expected, but we are dusting our selves off and staying positive. The Dr. said there is no reason to wait until day 3,to transfer, since there is only 2, so I had my transfer yesterday. Two beautiful day 2 embryos are now where they belong… in their mama, and I am pregnant unless proven otherwise! It went Ok, he gave me valium, which was good because it took quite a while to find the right spot to transfer the girls (I am also going with girls unless proven otherwise) also my bladder was so full, afterwards he put in a catheter because there was no way I could hold it another 15-20 minutes! Now I’m home laying around. I have my laptop at bed with me, and I’m playing games and digitally scrapbooking. My wonderful sister-in-law has my kids, and will keep them till tonight. I am still having lots of cramping from the egg retrieval, but I’m assured that is normal. Here is a picture of my beautiful embryos.

2nd Beta, bleeding, good times

nuthinbutpink — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:54:32 GMT

It's been an interesting few days. My second Beta was 567 today. On Saturday night, went to the bathroom and there was blood when I wiped(sorry TMI). Of course I freaked. Well, I had to up my estrace on Friday because my estradiol level was on the low side. No one(my RE) told me that one of the side affects of estrace is break-through bleeding. It only happened for about an hour and then the next morning a little bit. But it was red.

This happened to me during my FET when they increased my estrace from 2 pills 2X day to 2 pills 3X day. It took me 24 hours to remember that though. I am still very nervous but my RE was happy with my numbers and don't want to see me back for another week. So, I guess that's good. They could have cared less about the bleeding. They said they see it in 50% of IVF pregnancies. Wish I would have known that.

Oh, and they are guessing just one. Glad I transferred 2 at this point. I just hope it holds on for the ride.

6 Week U/S Tomorrow. UPDATE

steffani — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:53:02 GMT

SO My little gal looks great!!!!

Dr. Potter did my ultrasound and we found the heartbeat immediately. She is measuring "perfectly" and her heart rate is 145.

Dr. Potter was so sweet and cute too. I gave him a huge gug. I could tell that he felt really good about this considering I had a cancelled cycle, low producing cycle and implanted a C grade embryo. I am still in the first trimester "miscarriage zone" but he said that after seeing a strong heartbeat that risk is reduced to 5% so I feel better about that.

I go back in 2 weeks for another U/S and if everything looks good I am off to my OB. I will truely miss Dr. P and Lori.

Thank you my very special IG Ladies for all of your support. Hopefully this keeps moving along well.

Steffani

I made a PROMISE...

bbbaby — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:04:42 GMT

When I was in 2005 at HRC cycling for my boy, I made a promise to his three brothers that we couln´t transfer. We will freeze them, but I will come back for them, to give them the chance to live. I was lucky to get pregnant with our long awaited son, my dream came true. Just when I was starting to do plans for my FET, I felt surprisingly pregnant. That was a shock for me, because not only it meant that I can´t do FET in following couple of years, but maybe I would never be able to do it at all. We never thought to have such a big family - and now we were on number four and doing FET could mean five or more. It took us a lot of time to make a decision, that was not easy at all and after nearly 5 long years we decided to travel to US for our little boys. You already know the rest of the story, we were so lucky to transfer both that thaw and in that way our main mission and promise was already fullfiled - we gave them all the chance. It would have been really great to give our son a brother, but it wasn´t meant, unfortunatelly. None of them could make it. Maybe they knew that our family was already complete... I feel sad for them, it has been a long time that they were present in different ways in my life and in my mind. Now it is over and it is hard to accept it. I feel also little nostalgic, because it means no more babies for us. And I really love babies. But I am happy, because I know we did our best and our family is now perfect for us. I would like to thank each of you for support and love that you gave me and I wish your dreams come true. I will miss you!

What would you do?

MommyTwingle — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:56:57 GMT

Many of you know my long, boring story, and I clearly don't know what my next step will be partially because of an unresolved issue with my RE. Let me be clear, I am not bashing. I have been a strong advertisement for my doc, but my last cycle has left me pretty disappointed. If you have the time to read this, I wrote this letter and sent it to the 2 docs at my clinic, including the owner, on October 26 and have received no response at all to date. He's on FB and I'm so tempted to just send it to him there for everyone to see, but the little angel on my shoulder tells me not to. What would you do next?

Good Morning Dr. Kiltz.

I am writing in reference to my third failed IVF cycle at CNY Fertility in Latham last month. I wanted to take some time to think about the course of events before writing to you, but I think it is important for you to know what happened and how my husband and I feel. Obviously, if there had been a successful outcome, I wouldn't be writing at this time, but as it turns out, it seems as though we never had a chance.

I came to CNY Fertility in Latham in November of 2007 for a consultation regarding IVF/PGD for gender selection. I had previously had 4 live births from 3 pregnancies, and two early miscarriages with no known reason. My husband and I were otherwise a normal fertile couple with a strong desire for a daughter. We met with Dr. Grossman and discussed the process and possible outcomes, and then met with somebody else regarding the fees. Because this is not a process to enter into lightly, we took quite a bit of time to think about our decision and save some money for the journey that was ahead of us. It wasn't until the Ferring Trial became available the following spring, thereby reducing our total costs, that we made the decision that it was time to pursue our dream.

At the time of the initial consultation, I was already 39 years old, and Dr. Grossman quoted us, in writing, a 20-30% chance of success with one IVF/PGD cycle. I know that he says he doesn't always remember exactly what he says, but in addition to having it in writing, we do remember every single thing he said. Believe me, when people meet with you regarding such an emotional journey, we hang on to every word you say. In fact, we also remember him saying that those statistics were actually based on couples with infertility problems, and although there are no IVF statistics for people without some type of infertility, we could only assume that because we were not infertile, that our chances were greater than the 20-30% quoted. Because we already had 4 children, including a set of natural identical twins, we also talked about only doing a SET. I specifically asked Dr. Grossman how he felt about doing a SET, and he responded that "he wished more people did them."

My first cycle seemed to go very well. We retrieved 18 eggs. Of those, 15 were mature, and 11 fertilized. We were very happy with those results given my advanced maternal age and thought for sure there would be normal females available for transfer. Unfortunately, the gender of our embryos was not in the usual 50/50 split, and of those 11 embryos that went to PGD, there was only one female, and even she was "abnormal." Because Latham was not doing PGD at that time, you personally did our retrieval and transfer in Syracuse, and after discussing the results, we went with your advice to transfer our only female embryo in hopes that the PGD had given us a false positive and she was actually normal. You called it a "leap of faith." I do not regret that decision at all, and would make the same one if I found myself in the same situation today, but unfortunately a positive pregnancy test led to a miscarriage at about 7 weeks. I had a D&C in July and immediately began to think about my next step.

Having almost $10,000 in credit card bills from my first cycle, we waited until it was paid off to embark on a second cycle in May of 2009. Based on my history, we were able to start this cycle at a much higher dose of stims than the first cycle, and it was shaping up to be a fantastic cycle. We had at least 15 follicles going into this retrieval and were excited about the possible number of eggs this would give us. I only had about 10-12 follicles going into my first retrieval and wound up with 18 eggs, so things were looking good. What we didn't realize at the time, is that during the period between my first and second cycles, CNY's protocol had changed from HCG to Ovidrel which reduces the dosage significantly. Although my weight was below the 190 pounds that would have indicated the need for a second Ovidrel injection, it seems that that was necessary because after waking up from anesthesia, I was very disappointed to hear that only one egg had been retrieved. I was devastated and confused, but Dr. Grossman was very kind and apologetic and suggested that I had probably already ovulated. After the fact, my labs seem to indicate otherwise, and it was Justine who realized recently during my third cycle that it was probably the reduction in the Ovidrel dosage. Dr. Grossman suggested that we freeze the one embryo, skip a month, and try another cycle in August at no additional expense to us other than medications and anesthesia. We really had no other choice, so the waiting began.

I returned to CNY in August again to begin yet another IVF/PGD cycle with the same 600 daily units of Bravelle and Menopur, but this time my follicles were much less responsive. As I was nearing the end of the stims, we still only saw about 3 or 4 follicles on each side but Justine thought we would be pleasantly surprised at retrieval because of how difficult it was to see all of the follicles, and the assumption is that there were more hiding. Unfortunately, my third retrieval gave us no pleasant surprises. We got only 8 eggs, and I believe 6 of those fertilized. The frozen embryo from the second cycle survived the thaw but did not make it to PGD, so after 3 days, we were told that only 5 embryos went to PGD. I felt like this cycle was already doomed. All I could think about was out of 11 embryos in my first cycle, we didn't get a single healthy female; what were the chances that we would get any out of just 5, but I was reminded over and over, that it only takes 1.

Retrieval day came and we made the hour and a half trip to Latham not knowing whether we had anything to transfer or not. On a side note, I think this part of the process needs to be rethought. The process is dramatic enough without it needing to be so cloak and dagger. My transfer wasn't scheduled until 2 pm that day, and it seems like a phone call could have been made to at least give the couple the opportunity to think about how to proceed or to not make the trip if there isn't anything to transfer at all. As it turned out in our case, there was one single healthy female embryo to transfer. She was only a morula, and I knew that wasn't great news, but it was all we had so went for it and hoped for the best. I was less than encouraged but tried to be positive. While I laid on the table after the transfer, my husband and I cried. So much emotion gets built up during this journey, and it is mixed emotions. We were happy to have a transfer, disappointed about the quality, but hopeful for the future. I immediately began to think about the baby girl inside me and allowed myself for just a few moments to believe that our dreams could come true.

As you know, our journey was documented for a British television program and so, while we waited in the procedure room, the film crew interviewed Dr. Grossman about the events as they unfolded and specifically, his feelings about the transfer. They have him on tape saying at that time that I had a 5-10% chance of success. Their jaws dropped when they heard this, as did mine when they revealed that statistic to me. I was so confused because up until that point, everyone had been nothing but positive. After my negative BETA, I emailed Dr. Grossman about that fact and he said that it was correct; that 5-10% of women my age would have success with a SET. He said the discrepancy in the statistics from what he originally quoted me at my consult was because of me now being one year older and doing a SET. He said that in order to achieve the 20-30% success that he quoted, I would have had to transfer 4-5 embryos. We NEVER, NEVER talked about transferring that many embryos. In fact, we ONLY talked about doing a SET which, if you remember, Dr. Grossman wished more people did. When we talked about the SET in the consult, we certainly should have talked about the how poor the results would be, but we didn't. In addition, I know that 39 isn't a great time to be starting IVF, but if turning 40 decreases the success rate that significantly, that is also a conversation that we should have had BEFORE I spent almost $20,000. Don't get me wrong; Dr. Grossman and his staff were completely supportive and empathetic during every step of the process, but right now, I feel very deceived. Had I been given a 5-10% chance of success at my consultation, I am relatively certain that the decision whether or not to spend the money on this dream would have been a different one, and I believe that you know that as well. I am not the professional; you and your staff are, and it is your responsibility to accurately relay the facts as you know them. I completely understand that there are no guarantees with IVF, but it now seems that failure was much more likely than success. If Dr. Grossman believed that I needed to transfer 4-5 embryos to achieve success, then we certainly should have talked about that before sending only 5 embryos to PGD. The chances of getting 4-5 healthy female embryos out of only 5 embryos going to PGD were slim to none, and we should have discussed the option of freezing those 5 and adding to them with another cycle rather than wasting another $3600 on the impossible.

I don't know where to go from here, but I obviously have to explore other options. It is unfortunate that those who have the money can just keep going until the dream is realized. That is not an option for our family. We are a middle class family with a big dream, but a small pocket book and lots of other financial responsibilities, and I feel like withholding the facts from us was irresponsible on the part of CNY Fertility. I cannot even tell you how many people I have referred to your clinics, but I don't know whether or not I can continue to do so. I realize that at the end of the day, it is a business, and you need to make money in order to stay in business, but as doctors, you also take a Hippocratic Oath and have a responsibility to be honest with your patients and first do no harm. While nobody lied to us, not giving us all of the facts was a sin of omission, and that will stay with us forever.

Thank you for your time.

Richard and Allyson Burns

Starting to research HT - overwhelming! Seasoned HT'ers, please help!

starlight1600 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:16:59 GMT

I have been reading and reading...old posts, blogs, etc. About IVF/MS/PGD...about MS only...about HRC, etc. I feel completely overwhelmed, honestly. How do you ever make all these decisions? Where to start?

I guess my main questions I have for seasoned HT'ers...

(1) If you did all again - what facility would you go to?

(2) What technique (IVF/PGD; MS, MS/IVF/PGD, etc) would you use?

(3) How much $$ did it cost you overall?

(4) How did you *help* DH get on board?

(5) Anything you wish you would have known.

I will be 32 when DS is born. I hope to go HT within a yr or two after for a healthy little GIRL. Too scared that swaying will result in an opposite and we really only want 2 kiddos (although 3 would be okay).

Thanks so much!!!

OMG we can afford another cycle!!...

wantingmyprincess — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:21:57 GMT

This may sound so silly and I cant believe it didnt **click** before!. Just before my first cycle we bought our first home and we COMPLETELY FORGOT to apply for the first home owners grant!!. So that means another $14,000 for us!!!!. I can not explain how excited I am. Now to work out how to apply for it....

I trigger tonight!!! Can't beleive it's finally time

MyBlueBoy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:14:24 GMT

OMG, I can't believe it's finally my turn. I discovered this board a few years ago during the height of my GD when I was pregnant with daughter #3, and I was so inspired by all the women on this board, that I just knew I would go hi-tech one day for a son. I've followed so many of you from when you were just beginning your hi-tech journey to hearing about the birth of your much wanted and loved DD or DS. Fast forward two years later, and here I am, done with all my stims about to really take the plunge tonight (no pun intended of course!)!!!

Please wish me luck and send some prayers my way. I will keep you all posted about the ER results...