I have long suspected that something other then 'unexplained' infertility was preventing us from getting pregnant and carrying to term. Luckily, I know a number of wonderful, knowledgeable women at Fertility Friend who have similar issues and who have undergone immunological testing and immune infertility specific treatments with success. These women helped to educate me on the possible immune issues we might have and led me to ask more questions. There are a few clinics in the United States that study immune system problems in infertility, but few, if any, in Canada. For that reason, Derek and I decided to schedule a phone consultation with Dr. Sher at SIRM in Las Vegas, which happened this afternoon.
This is a summary of what Dr. Sher had to say:
1) My IVF protocol through the Regional Fertility Clinic was incorrect. They started me on a low dose of Gonal-F and quickly increased it (because I wasn't responding well enough), which can cause poor egg quality. Considering we harvested 17 eggs, but only four made it past day three, there was likely something wrong with the eggs. Considering my youth (that was nice to hear!) and all my normal bloodwork, the poor egg quality was due to environmental factors, which Sher thinks relate to the protocol.
2) He is recommending immunological testing for Natural Killer cells as well as antithyroglobulin and antimicrosomal (both relate to anti-thyroid antibodies) for me and DQ Alpha and HLA genetic matching tests for Derek and I to check for genetic matching issues (which essentially means we share too much similar genetic material). These tests are not available in Canada, so we have to go through a lab in Calirfornia. Once I know what this entails, I'll update.
3) He does not recommend genetic testing of the embryos prior to transfer at this time (a relief, this is very expensive).
4) We qualify for the two IVF shared risk program. I will get the cost details from 'Sharon' tomorrow afternoon, but the jist of it is that the first IVF costs about 20% to 30% more then a typical IVF package. Should that IVF fail (or we miscarry), transfer of any frozen embryos for that cycle is free. Should that fail (or we miscarry), another IVF and FET is also free (likely not including med's, but still a huge savings).
I agree with everything he had to say and am glad our thoughts are in line. I have to say, he is a talker, and I couldn't get a half a sentence in edgewise, but all in all, I'm happy with the consultation. He also kindly assured me that this consultation, as well as the follow up after we do the immunological testing, is free of charge. We do not pay anything until we start a cycle with his clinic.
Hopefully the prices aren't too outrageous and this is something that might work for us! I will update when I know more.
