AHHH!!! All the uncertainty about the return of the MS trial is killing me!

HRC and GIVF are part of the same clinical trial for MS. Any FDA regulations apply to both facilities, so there is no way one would have to stop while the other continued doing sorts. Dr. Potter even confirmed that another extension is needed to continue past April. I think the fact that HRC is still scheduling for summer just shows that they are very confident that the additional extension will come through.

Mom2RJ.....geez I feel like an idoit for asking that question....I re-read it after you replied thinking "I didnt ask about IUI did I"....I think my pregnant brain has "eggs/fertilize" stamped all over it.  The real part of my question was about the sort percentage....I have been worried about having enough eggs in the end for them to do MY procedure that I have that follicle retrieval on the brain....sorry bout that.  I am also worried that I will end up with all girl embies when they DO fertilize them...that is one of the big reasons Im reading up on MS. I still have a niggling feeling that I could forego the MS and still get boy embies, but Im so terrified that if I skip it, they will walk up and say "sorry, you had tons of eggs but when we fertilized we could only get girls, you now have 10 embryos to decide what to do with"....THAT would be a nightmare.  I would feel like crap for the embies and be devastated that I had no boys.  I'm sure you can relate to all the thoughts running through my head.  I still cannot decide if I'm going to pay for a mulit-cycle or try "one" to begin with.  Do you save that much?  That would be my only reason for doing so up front, I would STILL try a second round either way.  I wonder if they refund part of your pre-payment if the first cycle is a success and you paid for 2 or 3?

CJMcQueen:

I just wanted to add that HRC just called me this morning and said that yes, they're still scheduling MS/IUIs for summer. I spoke to a nurse-practitioner who said they're not concerned about the FDA process and things are moving as planned. Hopefully the same goes for GIVF, so that could be good news for you, Fairytale, too!

That is great news!  Hopefully as Mom2RJ said they must be confident about their extension.  I guess the time has come to just submit the paperwork and wait for the phone call.  It seems like such a big step.  I've had it completed on my nightstand for a week.  I'll update when I hear anything.  Keep us posted on your progress too

I keep hearing all of you talk of "paperwork" and "lists" for the microsort....is that something you have to apply for?  I want to do it next late summer early fall.  Do you have to pay up front or just get your paper work started?  Should I do this now?  I do not want to submit the paperwork and THEN have to wait 10 months to get an approval (if that is how it works)...would one of you mind explaining?  Im going to do IVF/PGD with MS.  I can get the IVF/PGD scheduled fairly quickly.....but can they add on the MS to that without paperwork?  Im so confused.

I emailed Cynthia at HRC several times and my understanding is that if you want MS/IUI then you have to apply, be accepted and be added to a waiting list.  If you are doing MS/PGD/IVF then you can be expedited through the process.  I'm not sure exactly why that is, but that is the way I understand it to be.  Hope that helps.

MS is still in the FDA trial, so everyone has to apply to use it and fit their selection criteria (married parents, more children of the opposite gender from what you are sorting for, mom under age 40, and they exclude certain health conditions). It doesn't cost anything to apply, so I would encourage you to go ahead and apply soon. Better to get approved early than to have this application hold up your whole procedure. You do have to have a consultation before you do MS, and than costs $300, but you can do that closer to when you cycle even if you turn in the application now. You also have to have bloodwork done (for infectious diseases) and you might want to wait a while on that, since the results are only valid for one year. I think the wait time is shorter for MS/IVF than for MS/IUI, but you still have to go through the application process.

Using MS should give you a higher percentage of the desired gender embryos. It's not as high for boys as for girls, but it's around 70-80%, which is still a lot better than 50%. If you only end up with a few embryos, this could make a big difference. You just have to take the gamble on whether that difference is worth $3400. If you end up with a lot of embryos it might not matter, but if you only have a few it could be the difference between having something to transfer or cancelling your cycle, which would be money well spent. But of course you won't know that until after you have to make the decision. These high tech decisions are all so hard!

I can get the IVF/PGD scheduled fairly quickly.....but can they add on the MS to that without paperwork? Im so confused.

I posted this is its own thread, but thought I should add it here too. This is from an email I received from GIVF today:

MICROSORT® TO OFFER IUIs IN FAIRFAX BEGINNING JANUARY 1 GIVF will resume offering IUIs for MicroSort® in Fairfax, Virginia as of January 1.  MicroSort® just recently received approval from the FDA to enroll new patients for at least another six months and is now accepting new patient enrollments. Couples interested in enrolling in the trial may now begin the enrollment process. Couples who are already enrolled may proceed with scheduling treatment. For more information, visit the MicroSort® website at www.microsort.com. 

This should resolve some of the uncertainty for many of you!

About IVF vs IUI scheduling: I think it is easier to schedule IVF because your timing is completely controlled. They can schedule a lot of IVF sorts and know what day each one will come in. With IUI you have to work around when each woman's ovulation happens. You can't schedule too many IUIs around the same time because they could all end up ovulating the same day, and the sorting machine can only do a few sorts each day.

I am absolutely thrilled!  I have my paperwork ready to fax!  Yeah!

Mom2RJ - was it you that posted about the Microsort birth defects (or lack there of?).  I am so curious.  That is the one hold up my husband has about the MS journey.  He is concerned about extra "unwanted" embryos and what to do with them if we did PGD/IVF.  Can you please ellaborate a little for me on the birth defect stats you've heard/read/been told.  Thanks! 

 You ladies are the best.

When I went over the consent forms for MS before my first IUI, my nurse and I had a talk about birth defects (as my husband drove us to VA!) She told me that the number of birth defects seen with MS are comparable or lower than the rates seen in the general population. So this seems to indicate that MS does not in any way cause any birth defect, but of course it doesn't prevent them either. So your chance of any particular birth defect would be the same with or without MS.

The extra embryo issue is a big part of why we did MS/IUI and not IVF. That's a really hard personal decision. You can't get a 100% gender guarantee with MS/IUI, but you may well have extra embryos to consider with IVF.

If they are doing he MS for 6 months past January.....that leaves the end of June as the cut off for a new extension?  I will deliver this baby in April....LATE April.  I "usually" begin my AF the following month.  I bleed for about 2 weeks after a birth, then quit, then have AF arrive like clockwork.  I KNOW that I could go opposite with this baby and likely not get AF back for months.  I did not want to get pregnant until this baby was six month....I want SOME time with her before another baby arrives.  I need to talk to moms who have babies close together.  My closest were 4 years apart!!  I regreat having them so spaced now though.  But to "try" when the baby is only 2-3 months old?  It would be different if it were accident, but I dont know about on purpose...   I suppose I should put in paperwork in Jan. then?  I wont be able to do any bloodwork until after baby is born...you gals are right...SO much to do. 

I have a question....I just got a CD in the mail from "The fertility Institute"....they claim 100% gender selection and "claim" to be the best in the world at the procedure and their doctors and such.  I would trust HRC more since Ive read about and MET women who used this place....do any of you know about the fertility institute?  The video starts out with the big Hollywood sign and then shows stars from Angelina Jolie to Kate Hudson being pregnant.  It felt to me like a "designer" IVF site than really a "better" site.  I have not looked them up on the CDC site yet for their stats, but am curious to know if anyone has dealt with them. 

I just read on another post that it is the end of April.  Apparently it was a misprint about the six month cutoff.  They also said that they are submitting the final paperwork in February so maybe we'll have some more information around that time.  The guessing game continues

 Hmmm...never heard of the Fertility Institute.  I may have to google that one.  Is it in California?  Very interesting. 

I am no help to you on having kids close together.  My two are three years apart.  I am freaking out about the prospect of 20 or so months apart.  I just can't imagine.  I'm sure there are lots of ladies on here with some insight.

Here is what is on the disk. 

www.fertility-docs.com

www.sexselection.net

www.lasvegasfertility.net

1-800-222-2802 (us and canada)-----1-818-728-4600 (locally)

The CD has a row of babies across the top and the beginning is set to that song "do everything, turn....turn....turn....there is a season....blah, blah blah"?  I dont know the name of it....lol.  I checked the site and they are EXPENSIVE!!!  One single cycle with PGD already added in is $20,000....WITHOUT MS.  They say they can use MS, but very boldly think its "not necessary" with their expertise.  That price may not be so bad though, they say it is all inclusive....meds, everything.....all but a few blood tests and small things done at your local doc....still "sounds" like a designer clinic to me....they may have impressive doctors, but I will have to see their stats.

EDIT::::They have also added an article on December 12th that they will be able to "choose not only the sex, but eye color, hair color complexion cancer tendencies etc".....designer clinic.....I can totally see the models in his CD being his REAL patients.  They most probably have great stats too, but darn if they do not sound like a "baby maker" advertisement.

That is all very interesting.  The MD looks very familiar to me.  Maybe I've seen him on tv before.  That does seem terribly expensive although "all inclusive" is somewhat comforting.  One of my big fears with all this is not knowing where the costs will end.  It always seems like included in the fine print are all the things that aren't included in the base prices. 

 I may give them a call just to better know what options are out there.  Has anyone on our boards used them before?  Just curious. 

 What are you thinking?