Your goal is to become a parent. Period. Preferably in the fastest, cheapest, and safest way possible. The goal is straight forward, unfortunately the implementation is not. The fastest way to get pregnant with unexplained infertility may surprise you.
We talked about How Long to Try With Fertility Pills and IUI Before Moving to IVF on a Creating a Family Radio Show.
Not “One Size Fits All” for Unexplained Infertility
Of course, the answer to how to get pregnant with fertility treatment depends on your diagnosis and your age. A lot of people continue to think that infertility treatment is like a conveyor belt: enter the door; 3 months of fertility pills (Clomid, Letrozole), 3 months of fertility pills with artificial insemination (IUI), 3 months of IUI with injectable gonadotropins, and then IVF. It’s just not that simple with any diagnosis and it certainly is not that simple with unexplained infertility.
The Fastest Way to Get Pregnant with Unexplained Infertility May Surprise You
The FASTT (Fast-track and Standard Treatment Trail), showed that infertility patients diagnosed with unexplained infertility were able to get pregnant faster and saved an average of $2,600 by bypassing intrauterine insemination (IUI) with injectable ovulatory stimulating drugs (gonadotropins) and going straight to in vitro fertilization (IVF). In theory this approach would also be safer because of fewer multiple births. This study was led by Dr. Richard Reindollar with patients from Boston IVF. Dr. Alison Zimon, a reproductive endocrinologist at Boston IVF, talked about the findings of this study on the Creating a Family Radio Show.
Who Benefits from Clomid (and other Fertility Pills)
We also talked with Dr. Zimon and Dr. Samantha Pfeifer, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Pennsylvania Medical School, about who should use Clomid, Letrozole, and other infertility pills. When should they be used, by whom, and for how long? This should be must listening for those just beginning on the infertility treatment journey.
How many rounds of Clomid or IUI did you do before moving to IVF?
Hi Dawn,
I liked the Video, really helpful. Do you have a Youtube Channel? If so could you share the url?I would love to subscribe.
Nicole
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGgs0h_84Cl7Qw2C-5uhIEQ
Allison Zimon is actually my doctor! Love her!
We had to do 3 iui’s fist due to insurance. We knew the chances of it working were very very slim. Our 1st ivf worked.
(Wasn’t able to listen to the broadcast. Will have to in the morning)
Nova, you’ll have to listen. She’s great!
A couple I know couldn’t afford IVF.
Did 11 IUIs and got pregnant on the 11th. I have a lot of respect for her endurance.
I did 6 rounds of IUI before IVF. My fertility doctor was honest and straight up told me he didn’t expect them to work but that insurance required it in order for me to get covered for IVF. I thought it was ridiculous that they wouldn’t take the doctor’s opinion into account and thus wasted a year of my life on medications and stress and procedures and a ton of money on their end!
Aine, I’m glad you raised the issue of insurance requiring so many rounds of IUI before covering IVF. I hope that the insurance companies will adjust their policies in light of best medical practices.
The problem is that for us at least, with unexplained secondary infertility, that insurance covers in a progression but the caveat is that they also cover all medications and monitoring but none of the actual procedures. When IVF runs thousands of dollars we couldn’t afford it even if we had a desire to try it. Furthermore, many people do not want to try IVF to begin with, whether for religious reasons or they just aren’t comfortable with the concept.
Jill, good point. The doctors on the show weren’t saying that everyone should automatically try IVF first, just that repeated IUIs were not always the best way.
I’d agree with this. I feel like we wasted time with IUI’s. Unfortunately, insurance companies require you to try try the least invasive methods first, so now you HAVE to do IUI first. Who decided that the insurance company should decide?
Tracy, I guess insurance gets to decide when we pay them for insurance.