Unexplained Infertility

Ousia78

Having been through an extensive series of tests, the results of which returned completely normal, we have been told that our fertility problems have no obvious cause. Given that my (female) partner is approaching 41, we realize that we will almost certainly be required to contact a fertility clinic in the near future.

We are particularly concerned about the scale of the financial commitment that we might be about to face, but we also accept that we must act as soon as possible.

I am currently trying to explore ways for us to finance any necessary treatment. I would be very appreciative of any advice that other members can offer regarding their own experiences of being in a similar situation to the one we find ourselves in now.

LCD

Sorry to read your story, unexplained infertility is probably the hardest to deal with as no reason why it isn't happening.

My advice would be to go to the fertility clinic as soon as possible as the whole thing moves so slowly. I believe some clinics are now covered by health insurance.

In terms of cost, its expensive! More expensive than you think it will be. Bit like going on holidays you think the flight & hotel are the big things, then you spend a fortune on buses, food, drink, taxis, activities etc. There is the cost of the treatment itself, then multiple tests, drugs, also probably time of work

The final cost is dependent on the treatment you need & on whether it is successful or not.

squigglyd

Hi OP. We're in a similar situation but a little further down the road. We also have unexplained infertility, I'm 40 (female).

If your partner has VHI cover, they will partly cover the costs if you go to a Repromed clinic but not any others. The prices are available on their site as far as I remember. It's best to get the ball rolling as soon as you can with a referral from your GP to a fertility clinic. These things move slowly!
We are attending Rotunda IVF. Initially we had to pay a consultation fee of €160 the first time we went. The consultant discussed our situation, our options and his recommendations in depth, then we were shown to another office where someone gave us a price list and the total price we'd have to pay for whichever treatment we were having. We were told to think about it and decide before our next visit (No cost for subsequent consultations after the first one).

Once you've decided on a treatment plan you've to pay in full before treatment begin (we were given options, maybe not everyone is). In our case we'd paid for some services in the initial IVF cycle that were not required so that money/refund counted as credit towards our next (current) treatment. We're literally doing our second IVF treatment at the moment. We received a receipt in the post today to tell us that our account is €12,265 in credit, I.e. between treatments and tests that's what we've paid to date. It's a bit sickening but it'll be worth it if it works!

Just to note we'd done almost all fertility tests possible before going to the fertility clinic but they recommended doing an AMH test and also wanted to do a more detailed SA for my partner so if there's something you haven't done yet, you'll have to do it one way or the other.

Last thing - get your partner to apply for the Drugs Payments Scheme card. Everyone is entitled to it but you have to have it when getting the IVF medication. It caps your drugs spend at €134 which is a help, I can only imagine what they would cost otherwise.

Best of luck

Ousia78

squigglyd wrote: »

Hi OP. We're in a similar situation but a little further down the road. We also have unexplained infertility, I'm 40 (female).

If your partner has VHI cover, they will partly cover the costs if you go to a Repromed clinic but not any others. The prices are available on their site as far as I remember. It's best to get the ball rolling as soon as you can with a referral from your GP to a fertility clinic. These things move slowly!
We are attending Rotunda IVF. Initially we had to pay a consultation fee of €160 the first time we went. The consultant discussed our situation, our options and his recommendations in depth, then we were shown to another office where someone gave us a price list and the total price we'd have to pay for whichever treatment we were having. We were told to think about it and decide before our next visit (No cost for subsequent consultations after the first one).

Once you've decided on a treatment plan you've to pay in full before treatment begin (we were given options, maybe not everyone is). In our case we'd paid for some services in the initial IVF cycle that were not required so that money/refund counted as credit towards our next (current) treatment. We're literally doing our second IVF treatment at the moment. We received a receipt in the post today to tell us that our account is €12,265 in credit, I.e. between treatments and tests that's what we've paid to date. It's a bit sickening but it'll be worth it if it works!

Just to note we'd done almost all fertility tests possible before going to the fertility clinic but they recommended doing an AMH test and also wanted to do a more detailed SA for my partner so if there's something you haven't done yet, you'll have to do it one way or the other.

Last thing - get your partner to apply for the Drugs Payments Scheme card. Everyone is entitled to it but you have to have it when getting the IVF medication. It caps your drugs spend at €134 which is a help, I can only imagine what they would cost otherwise.

Best of luck

I would like to apologize for not expressing my gratitude for your helpful reply earlier than this. Your feedback is deeply appreciated.

Having endured additional months of disappointment and frustration, we are now contacting clinics.

For those who were in a similar position to us, is there any additional general advice that you could offer as we embark on what is likely to be a very challenging process?

Is it a good idea to go through the initial consultations with at least two clinics? We are considering Waterstone and Merrion at the moment.

kastasia

OK, looked back at my receipts for 2017 and cost came to about 8000 at Merrion fertility. This includes tests at the start of the year,consultation, 144 for drugs, then icsi treatment in may. This was cancelled before collection stage (which was upsetting at first, but would have cost a lot more if we'd gone forward, with little chance of success. 144 again for drugs and went ahead with treatment in August. After collection it includes the 700 extra to take blastocyst from day 3 to day 5. It also includes the 600 storage fee for the two additional blastocysts not yet used. So yes, there are extra costs, but my little boy is asleep on my chest at the moment and worth every cent.
I just chose Merrion because my friend was successful there but was also handy for my work. I think I would just choose one and only go somewhere else if not happy.

Ousia78

kastasia wrote: »

OK, looked back at my receipts for 2017 and cost came to about 8000 at Merrion fertility. This includes tests at the start of the year,consultation, 144 for drugs, then icsi treatment in may. This was cancelled before collection stage (which was upsetting at first, but would have cost a lot more if we'd gone forward, with little chance of success. 144 again for drugs and went ahead with treatment in August. After collection it includes the 700 extra to take blastocyst from day 3 to day 5. It also includes the 600 storage fee for the two additional blastocysts not yet used. So yes, there are extra costs, but my little boy is asleep on my chest at the moment and worth every cent.
I just chose Merrion because my friend was successful there but was also handy for my work. I think I would just choose one and only go somewhere else if not happy.

Thanks ever so much for your feedback and congratulations on your success! However daunting the road ahead might seem, it is very inspiring to hear such stories of success.

squigglyd

You are very welcome Ousia78, best of luck on your journey. I didn't put much thought or research into choosing a clinic, I just chose what was convenient for me (which is a help when doing treatment) however I do regret not looking at all of the options before making a choice. We are potentially going to change clinic for our next treatment.

Ousia78

squigglyd wrote: »

You are very welcome Ousia78, best of luck on your journey. I didn't put much thought or research into choosing a clinic, I just chose what was convenient for me (which is a help when doing treatment) however I do regret not looking at all of the options before making a choice. We are potentially going to change clinic for our next treatment.

Thanks again. We are now booked in for our initial consultation with a local clinic. If we want a second opinion, we have another clinic in mind.