My husband and I have our first appointment tomorrow with a infertility specialist. We are leaning towards IVF since our insurance will pay for it. What are some good questions to ask the doctor? I would also like tips and advice on how to prepare to have a more successful IVF cycle.
LizB
Ask if they are willing/able to time retreivals and transfers with your natural cycle, or if they only do medicated transfers. Medicated transfers are more convenient for clinics (and sometimes for patients) because they can be planned weeks in advance, but natural cycle procedures tend to mean less meds. More appointments on short notice, but less meds.
I didn't know to ask that when we started IVF, and my clinic didn't explain the difference because they only did medicated cycles (and only did 6 cycles a year). I had numerous problems with the fully medicated cycles, but didn't really realize it until we were 3 years, 3 egg retrievals, and 2 failed transfers in already. I also think I was over-suppressed (with birth control meds) before my egg retrievals, which is why even on very high stim doses my outcomes weren't very good. If your diagnosis is DOR, suppression prior to stims may not be a good idea and you may get better results without suppression.