Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Bummed

I just found out that my RE's office has a really shitty IVF success rate, and there is another clinic in my area whose success rate is twice that of mine, and I am really pissed I didn't go there. I should have researched more before I started. My insurance coverage for ART is about to run out, and I am positive I won't be one of the 28% (yeah, that low) that actually gets to be pregnant. This blows.

14 comments:

  1. If it makes you feel better, the Military Treatment Facility I did my IVF with didn't even HAVE their success rates posted so I was taking a huge chance with my IVF

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  2. It does make me feel better, but did you have a choice at all? I feel like because I had a choice and just went with the clinic my gyn suggested, I missed the boat.

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  3. Try not to stress to much over this, those succes rates may be based on previous studies and not quite accurate. I know with my clinic the success rates were only based on 2008 and were a lot better in the years after, they just don't always keep it up to date. I'm confident that you have a wonderful chance of being pregnant so just try to relaxt and do some of those things on baby bumps list to keep you occupied ;)

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  4. That is rough. One thing you could do to help you feel a bit better is to inform your Gyn doctor. You could write a letter (not blaming her necessarily), but pleading with her to refer all her patients to the other clinic in the future- and give the reasons. You just might help someone else. I also just went with the clinic that my ob-gyn suggested. Some of the other top clinics in my area don't take my insurance. I do think that it is advisable to switch clinics after 2 failed IVFs. I didn't, and I really regret that.

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  5. We should all write a book. We could call it "What to expect when youre NOT expecting". give guidelines, like "Do NOT just take your ob/gyns word for whatever advice they give". Or "statistically, youre first ivf probably WONT work" -- You know...some real life news for girls starting on this journey without a clue. We have all been there in that decision we made without knowing any better and regretting it and beating ourself up over it!

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  6. Warrior -- I just googled fertility clinics in my area and went with the one closest to me. Figured they're all the same. Didn't know anything about success rates, SART, etc. etc. B/c going to an RE and shooting Clomid down my trap was gonna be the answer to all my problems, right? Luckily, my clinic has one of the highest success rates in my state. Unluckily for me, I've continually been on the wrong side of the statistics.

    So don't be so hard on yourself -- how the hell should you have known you'd be on the ride for so long?

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  7. I fell for the success rates once. I went to a clinic that on paper seemed to have the best #'s (keep in mind the SART #'s are behind a couple of years so they can collect the data) and had the worst cycle ever. Sometimes clinics success rates look better because they have "easier" patients (younger, refusing patients w/DOR, etc.). Who knows though. Sometimes, despite all the research we do, it seems to be a crapshoot.

    I also think we need to get working on a book. I envision each of us telling our IF story. We could have advice chapters too.

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  8. warrior - you are not alone. My gyn had given me 3 references. I had googled their names, but didn't find any reviews, so went to one just based on distance. I had no idea about forums or SART. Hadn't even heard the word IUI... can you imagine... now it feels like A, B, C.
    For 2 years went to the same clinic for numerous tests and IUIs. Only after I quit my job and got some time did I find out about the forums and SART ratings.
    I too regret not changing clinics when it was not working.
    After reading your post, I too looked up ratings... my clinic is not the best, but they hv max number of patients every year, 200+. Others treat half the patients, so can't really just compare the percentages.
    It only matters on which side of statistics we are!

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  9. You are PUPO right now... try not to get worked up!

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  10. I definitely think a book is in order. I had been tossing around an idea myself.

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  11. Curious- What is PUPO? Pumped up on Progesterone in Oil? lol
    I'm bad at acronyms.

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  12. PUPO= pregnant until proven otherwise... but I always thought it sounded like a pooping hippo.

    on another note, I heard thru the grapevine that the "What to Expect when you're NOT Expecting" book has already been written. I DO think bbchi's idea of us writing a book collectively is a FABULOUS one!

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  13. pregnant until proven otherwise

    ob's usually refer patients to rei's based on who they "know". who they "like as a person". they have no clue re: success rates. and to be honest, unless you're going to ccrm or one of the big ones, i think they're all similar anyway. except i wouldn't go to a little tiny one that's not known and doesn't do a lot of ivf. to be an expert in anything, you have to do a lot of it.

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  14. I feel better now. : )
    But, for your own perusal, this is the RE's office in my area that has awesome stats:
    https://www.sartcorsonline.com/rptCSR_PublicMultYear.aspx?ClinicPKID=2236
    I just wonder how the other RE's office managed to get a 56 % success rate in 2008 and a 64% rate in 2007 for the >35 age group.

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