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Low Tech vs. High Tech - How to Choose

April 8, 2008 - Tuesday
8:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
Guest Speakers: Steven R. Lindheim, M.D., Fertility Specialists Medical Group

Categories


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[Tue Apr 08 16:51:11 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanHi Rachel, welcome to tonight's chat with Dr. Steven Lindheim. We will be starting officially in around ten minutes.
[Tue Apr 08 16:55:25 PDT 2008] rachel2122hi- ok
[Tue Apr 08 16:55:37 PDT 2008] rachel2122what is is about
[Tue Apr 08 16:58:18 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanWelcome everyone to tonight's chat, with Dr. Steven Lindheim. Tonight's topic is Low Tech vrs. High Tech - How To Choose. I'm Corey Whelan, The American Fertility Association's Director of Development, and your chat moderator this evening. I am really happy to be here - in a few minutes we will be joined by Dr. Lindheim - you can ask him questions about your treatment and what should be the most effective modalities for you.
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[Tue Apr 08 17:04:31 PDT 2008] rachel2122low tech of what?
[Tue Apr 08 17:04:45 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanGuys, please sit tight, I am trying to reach Dr. Lindheim
[Tue Apr 08 17:05:23 PDT 2008] rachel2122I dont know what this talk is all about- I dont know what you mean by low tech vx high tech.
[Tue Apr 08 17:05:55 PDT 2008] rachel2122Please take your time
[Tue Apr 08 17:06:25 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanRachel, low tech meaning IUI's and natural cycles, that type of thing. High tech meaning IVF, ICSI.
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[Tue Apr 08 17:06:55 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanHi Red, we are trying to reach Dr. Lindheim and will be starting shortly
[Tue Apr 08 17:07:04 PDT 2008] redhi corey thanks
[Tue Apr 08 17:07:10 PDT 2008] rachel2122thank you
[Tue Apr 08 17:07:29 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanIn the meantime, please feel free to post your questions, concerns, about your current treatment - we can chat while we are waiting.
[Tue Apr 08 17:08:04 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanIs anyone currently in treatment?
[Tue Apr 08 17:09:02 PDT 2008] redi'm not.. i started with an re but dh had a low sperm count (1 million) and they refused to try any treatment besides ivf or donor sperm
[Tue Apr 08 17:09:07 PDT 2008] redthat was last fall
[Tue Apr 08 17:09:37 PDT 2008] uofmkappaHi everyone, I have been seeing an RE and am trying to decide if to proceed with IVF (RE's recommendation) or if to try a more low tech alternative first. I have been TTC for 2 years.
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[Tue Apr 08 17:12:21 PDT 2008] uofmkappaMy issues are one iffy tube (closed on 2 HSG's and then opened with a cathetar during last HSG. And "possible" problems with egg quality.
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[Tue Apr 08 17:13:05 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanHey guys, Dr. Lindheim is in emergency surgery, doesn't look like he'll be joining us! He may be able to be here at the end, but for now, let's just hang out
[Tue Apr 08 17:13:28 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanSo uofmkappa, what are "possible" problemsn with egg quality?
[Tue Apr 08 17:14:06 PDT 2008] Corey_Whelanred, sorry, passed over you. It sounds like you and your dh are perfect candidates for ICSI. Didn't anyone mention that to you?
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[Tue Apr 08 17:15:03 PDT 2008] redyes, but we can't afford it and i don't think i want to go the ivf route.. we really are in limbo right now.. my husband had surgery for varicoceles and during the surgery they found that he was missing one of his vas deferens
[Tue Apr 08 17:15:06 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanHi Moiacha, our doc isn't able to join us tonight, so we're hanging loose. Welcome!
[Tue Apr 08 17:15:25 PDT 2008] redhe goes for a repeat s/a this month
[Tue Apr 08 17:15:37 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanRed, I'm sorry. I know that this stuff is expensive. Have you considered a shared risk program?
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[Tue Apr 08 17:16:10 PDT 2008] uofmkappaWell, my FSH is very good as were most of my other tests. In fact my only negative was that my Inhibin B test was just below normal. This was enough to raise a giant red flag to my RE about my egg quality.
[Tue Apr 08 17:16:12 PDT 2008] redi've considered it but those are very costly as well and i can't wrap my mind around ivf right now
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[Tue Apr 08 17:16:31 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanOK, got it.
[Tue Apr 08 17:17:23 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanWhat state do you guys live in?
[Tue Apr 08 17:17:39 PDT 2008] redmichigan
[Tue Apr 08 17:17:53 PDT 2008] uofmkappaI'm in Florida and have insurance for only the "diagnosis of infertility"
[Tue Apr 08 17:17:57 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanSo you get some infertility coverage
[Tue Apr 08 17:18:04 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanI know, Fla isn't great
[Tue Apr 08 17:18:18 PDT 2008] uofmkappaNo it's not ::angry
[Tue Apr 08 17:18:21 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanIt's such a shame that this is an issue - where you live
[Tue Apr 08 17:18:43 PDT 2008] kathy1213I live in Pennsylvania, and since my egg quality and quantity are low we will be using a donor.
[Tue Apr 08 17:18:45 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanI really thought that by this point in my life, cancer would be cured, and IVF would be covered by insurance!
[Tue Apr 08 17:19:02 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanKathy, that's much more common today than you realize.
[Tue Apr 08 17:20:22 PDT 2008] kathy1213I am grateful that the two cycles of ivf were covered under the insurance that we have.
[Tue Apr 08 17:20:54 PDT 2008] Corey_Whelanthat's more than a lot of people have. Did your insurance cap at two?
[Tue Apr 08 17:21:22 PDT 2008] uofmkappaCorey - Do you have any advice as to what to look for in an IVF clnic? I have been calling around and pricing them (since it will all be out of pocket) and they are all so different. For example the definition of success varies so much clinic to clinic.
[Tue Apr 08 17:22:14 PDT 2008] kathy1213no it capped at three, but since we will be using donor eggs, that is entirely self pay. $500. 00 for the recruitment and $15,000 for everything else.
[Tue Apr 08 17:23:22 PDT 2008] Corey_Whelanuofm, first off, you need to feel comfortable with the doctor, not just find him/her charismatic, but trust that they know what they are doing. The CDC report is a very good tool as well, you can look up success rates based on age, diagnosis, etc. The quality of the lab and reputation of the embryologist should not be overlooked either. And the support staff will be your main contacts quite a bit, so you should get to know the nurses.
[Tue Apr 08 17:23:24 PDT 2008] uofmkappaKathy- what did they use to determine that you had poor egg quality? Did they figure this out after the first IVF or was it the result of testing (FSH,etc.)
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[Tue Apr 08 17:26:01 PDT 2008] uofmkappaSome of the clinics in my area seem to be very selective in who they will take on for IVF and that makes it difficult to compare apples to apples. I have looked at the CDC reports. Do you happen to know if 2005 the most current year available? It seems to be all that I can find.
[Tue Apr 08 17:26:28 PDT 2008] kathy1213No, they figured this out after, the first cycle they only retrieved one egg, (frozen) and they even after they upped and changed meds, they only retrieved one more egg. They transferred both and neither took. My levels were slow to go up too.
[Tue Apr 08 17:27:43 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanActually, 2004 is the most current as far as I know. The CDC report is based on live birth rates, so it always seems to be out of date, but it isn't. It takes a year to two years to compile the date.
[Tue Apr 08 17:28:02 PDT 2008] uofmkappaKathy- I see. Hopefully a donor egg will do the trick.
[Tue Apr 08 17:28:24 PDT 2008] uofmkappaCorey - That would make sense. grin
[Tue Apr 08 17:29:38 PDT 2008] kathy1213I really hope donor eggs will result in a live pregnancy. I have a son who is 7 years old. I always wanted another child.
[Tue Apr 08 17:29:56 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanKathy, I hope so too.
[Tue Apr 08 17:30:16 PDT 2008] uofmkappaIs there any place to find average prices for infertility testing and procedures? I know that's probably asking for too much. I've even tried to find info on insurance companies that offer IVF or IUI coverage but I haven't had much luck.
[Tue Apr 08 17:30:26 PDT 2008] uofmkappaKathy- I hope it works out for you.
[Tue Apr 08 17:31:58 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanThere are a few insurance companies that you can work with, and financing companies. If you call our helpline we may be able to give you some referrals. I know that CapitalOne is one of them. Guys, I'm sorry that it didn't work out tonight with our speaker.
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[Tue Apr 08 17:32:45 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanHi Teacher, how are you? Our speaker had emergency surgery and isn't here tonight, sorry
[Tue Apr 08 17:33:05 PDT 2008] uofmkappaNo problem, it's nice to know he is there for his patients in an emergency ::up
[Tue Apr 08 17:33:15 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanI hope so!!!
[Tue Apr 08 17:33:57 PDT 2008] teacher422okay!! Thanks...I was wondering why so few participants were here!
[Tue Apr 08 17:34:36 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanSo it goes. Next week is pcos and I promise that our speaker will be on board!
[Tue Apr 08 17:34:54 PDT 2008] teacher422no problem...take care!
[Tue Apr 08 17:35:11 PDT 2008] Corey_Whelanbtw, for anyone in the NY area, the next patient conference has been set for next fall - Oct 5 - NY Family Matters so hold the date
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[Tue Apr 08 17:35:36 PDT 2008] kathy1213Where can you find the other topics that were dicussed before?
[Tue Apr 08 17:36:02 PDT 2008] kathy1213 ::unsure
[Tue Apr 08 17:36:24 PDT 2008] Corey_Whelanthe transcripts all hang on line, you can find them right through the chat room page. The website is being updated next week so that they will come up when you type the subject you are interested in in the search button as well, but not yet
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[Tue Apr 08 17:37:44 PDT 2008] uofmkappaSorry it didn't work out with the doctor but it was nice to chat with you both. Corey- thanks for the tip about the helpline. Have a great night. Best of luck Kathy.
[Tue Apr 08 17:37:47 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanHi auntheatty, our speaker had emergency surgery and couldn't be here, sorry.
[Tue Apr 08 17:38:03 PDT 2008] auntheatty oh, ok thanks
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[Tue Apr 08 17:38:25 PDT 2008] kathy1213Good luck to all of you too!
[Tue Apr 08 17:38:49 PDT 2008] Corey_WhelanGuys, I'm sorry it didn't work out tonight. You can stay as long as you like and you know I wish you the best of luck. Goodnight guys. see you next week!!!!
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[Tue Apr 08 17:43:57 PDT 2008] eggis anyone there?
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