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IUI vs. Mini IVF

By March 8, 2015 - 9:30am
 
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My husband and I were trying to conceive naturally for five years before we found out I had uterine fibroids. After having those removed, we met with two different fertility specialist one who thinks we need to go with IVF in order to conceive and the other who still believes we can conceive naturally or with the assistance of IUI at 45 years old. I'm a little skeptical because (and since) time is of the essence at my age. I don't want to monkey around with IUI if I'm taking a gamble and simply wasting my (our) time and money. Although, our doctor thinks its a waste of money to go the Mini IVF route, shouldn't we consider IUI just as much a waste of time and money? Has anyone my age had any success going the IUI route? Has anyone my age successfully conceived going the Mini IVF route? My period is coming up in a week and we need to decide if we are going to do the IUI or Mini IVF despite what our doctor recommends.

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Thank you Faith. I really appreciate you clarifying this for me (us). I thought the Mini IVF made more sense especially due to my age and low egg reserve. This became more apparent after we tried to conceive naturally in January using Vivelle patches (estrogen), Clomid, and HCG shot. Unfortunately, I developed painful ovarian cyst (hyperstimulation sydrome) so I took off February before our next attempt. Okay! Mini IVF, it is! Thanks again!

March 10, 2015 - 9:12am
Guide

Hello and thank you for sharing your question.

To know which procedure is best for you, you must understand exactly how each procedure is done.  A IUI procedure consists of your doctor concentrating the healthiest and most mobile sperm from male's sperm sample and injecting it into the uterus at the perfect time for ovulation.  However, many clinics will not accept anyone over 40 because of the great possibility of low ovarian reserves and poor egg quality.

With that being said, I believe that a Mini IVF will be a better route for you, considering your age and difficulty becoming pregnant thus far.  This is a more complex, but also more common form of artificial insemination.  The hard part of fertilizing the eggs is done in a lab and the resulting embryos are then placed in the uterus a few days later.

I suggest the Mini IVP because it is a better choice considering your age and situation.

Faith

March 8, 2015 - 6:45pm
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