I found out today that my insurance will cover IVF once a lifetime and unlimited AI (artificial insemination) attempts. My concern is I had an ectopic and I only have 1 tube. I was thinking if I went with IVF @ least the embryo will only have to be implanted into the uterus and if I go with artificial insemination it will have to travel thru the entire process risking another ectopic. I think I will be okay, but you know when the Dr. speaks of it he tries to not talk about the AI option only the IVF. I don’t really want to risk my only shot @ the IVF @ least thru insurance. So what I’m asking is what do you guys think? I really want to go see my Dr. with my mind made up.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks and baby dust to all!
If you STILL have the AI option after a failed IVF, I would start off with both guns blazing and do the IVF. If it’s not successful, then you can always do a few cycles of IUI before considering other options.
If you lose the AI option after doing IVF, then do a few rounds of injectable meds + IUI first and see what happens. You can move on to IVF after that if no luck.
That’s my two cents.
Good luck!
You could ask for an HSG prior to a round of AI, to try and clear out any residue that could trap the egg and make travelling through the tube easier. Did you ask him what the chances of having another ectopic are, given that it wasn’t in your remaining tube? With only one tube, IVF might have a greater chance of working for you since your eggs likely only reach your uterus from one side, which is probably why he recommends it more than AI. That doesn’t mean you have to go that way straight off, though. Good luck!
Talk to your doctor, of course. He knows way more then any of us. In addition to years of medical training, he knows much more about your medical condition.
My thought is, it depends how old you are. If you are still young, give artificial insemination a try. If it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t work, try IVF. Even if you lose another fallopian tube, that shouldn’t interfere with your ability to use IVF. If AI does work, you can save the IVF for when you are older and having even more trouble conceiving.
Am I correct in assuming another lost fallopean tube wouldn’t interfer with IVF?
On the other hand, if you are an older women, you want to try to use IVF when you are still fairly young,and a pregnancy is less likely to lead to complications.
I have heard their is now a “middle ground” procedure where they inject semen directly into your uterus. I’m not sure if that helps you.
I cannot answer this since I have no experience,but I just wish you success in the method that you will choose.kip us posted.Baby dust to you
I would see if he would do an AI cycle with the injectible fertility meds that you would use for IVF. This will give them a chance to see how your body responds to the meds and maybe adjust things if IVF is necessary hopefully increasing your chances for success. Sure there are always risks with AI . . . but if they are monitoring you carefully, they should catch an ectopic pregnancy before there is serious damage and . . . if it becomes necessary, IVF bypasses the tubes completely.
Unless there was severe tubal damage / loss or extreme low sperm count, our insurance required that we go through IUI before approving an IVF cycle. For our last IUI with injectibles, we used all the fertility meds that my RE was going to use for IVF (just skipped egg retrieval and transfer) . . . it was good to see how I would react and I have to imagine that it helped with the success of our IVF cycle.
Good luck and best wishes!