Infertility Education

*Disclaimer* Skip this post if reading about reproduction makes you BLUSH.

Receiving a BS degree in Health Education and Promotion I gained perspective on the benefit of understanding our bodies and how they work. I took Anatomy and Physiology. I was fascinated by (most of) the material I learned in my Communicable Disease class. I loved the idea that I could better understand pain or illness because I understood how the body worked and what was happening under our skin.

Going through this journey of infertility I have learned so much and yet so little about the reproductive system. Because I work at a Women's Health Clinic and Because I have had my fair share of Dr. appointments, I find myself surrounded by familiar concepts and terms regarding reproductive health daily. However, I understand that not everybody is well versed with these terms. 

I love to teach others what I know especially if they are in the beginning stages of what we've already gone through. 

So, if you are curious let me take you back to High School Biology and here's the scoop:

Follicle: The state of an egg cell (in the ovary) before it is released during ovulation. 

Clomid/Letrozole/Femara: Oral medication used to stimulate follicle growth. In my opinion this seems to be the first line of practice most doctors use if you are struggling to conceive. It requires a prescription and has never cost me more then $20 (you get 5 pills at a time) Many women complain of feeling moody or "crazy" on this pill but not all.    

IUI: Intrauterine Insemination- I call this the "turkey baster method" (sorry for my lack of tact). This is a procedure done in office. In our experience, they prescribe some type of ovulation stimulator and follow you through ultrasound to check the growth of your follicles. Once the follicles are the right size, they give you a "trigger shot" this allows you to ovulate within 24 hrs. They use the male deposit and perform a "sperm wash" which allows for it to be in ideal condition and they insert it with by catheter. (then you lay on the table for about 15-20 min and your done.) Science is super sexy. There are a lot of factors that contribute to cost (like insurance, state, facility, your situation) but you are paying for medications, ultrasounds and blood work/labs. In our experience this procedure ranges from $1000 (ish)-$1700 (ish) each time.

IVF: In Vitro Fertilization-  I explain this as the "petri dish method". This is the fertility treatment most people seem to aware of. With IVF, they give you the meds and monitor follicle growth, then they do a special procedure to extract eggs from your ovaries. From there, they use the male deposit to create embryos (the beginning stage of a fetus). Once they can see which ones are viable, they take a number of them (number could vary) and implant them directly in the uterus. In our research this could cost anywhere from $15000 (ish) -$20000 (ish)

All of these treatments increase the risk of multiples. None of these treatments are a guarantee. 

*Disclaimer* This is based of our experience and it is meant to be a reference point for anyone that is interested. These are not the hard cold facts. If you have anything to add or questions feel free to comment below!