I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my clinic is in the beginning stages of doing a study on CGH. I have been talking with several people at my clinic to see if they would be able to biopsy our embryos from IVF #5 and do CGH testing on them to see if they are chromosomally normal or not.
The first requirement for this CGH study is that if you have a failed IVF cycle you are disqualified from participating in the study. The second requirement is that you need to do an eSET (elective single embryo transfer vs. transferring two or three embryos). So, you would think that I am out of luck, right? I am happy to say that I am in luck!
After talking to my nurse and RE they are going to allow me to do the CGH testing on the three embryos we are transferring on this next cycle! I will not technically be under the study itself, but rather they are making an exception outside of their study and allowing me to include my embryos for testing. The CGH testing is free for those that are actually study participants (and thus meet the study requirements). In my initial conversation with my nurse I told her that if they let me have my embryos tested I would pay them since I knew I would not be allowed to be included in the actual study. I found out today that they are going to charge me somewhere around $1,000 to do the CGH testing. CCRM charges $5,000/cycle to do CGH testing.
Although DH and I are really excited to even have this available to us here in MN without traveling to CCRM (at this point anyways...we may still cycle there depending on what happens), there is a down side or two. Our RE will ONLY biopsy the 3 embryos we are transferring on day 5. I think that because they are including me on this testing, even though they technically shouldn't be, they still have to follow the study guidelines that have been set up where they are only going to biopsy the embryos they are transferring.
The other down side is that we will not receive our results for 6-9 months (it takes 6-8 weeks at CCRM and then they schedule a FET to transfer only the chromosomally normal embryos). Since this is a study, they are going to collect biopsies from 45 patients, batch all of the biopsies together and send them to the lab for testing at the same time. They just did their first biopsy last week so they are anticipating that it will take 6-9 months to get collect all of the biopsies, send them to the lab and then get the results.
So, why would we do this?
Because, because, because (think Wizard of Oz here). Because we want answers as to why we have four failed IVF cycles. If we do this fresh cycle and we get another BFN, well we may just wait for the results to come back and then decide what to do...DE, GS or go to CCRM. At this point I don't want to keep wasting what appears to be good quality embryos...I feel like I am killing my babies by putting them in a place they clearly don't want to be. If it is confirmed that we are indeed producing chromosomally normal embryos and they are not implanting, then it may be time to move on to GS. Or if we are producing chromosomally abnormal embryos then it may be time to move on to DE. Or if we are still uncertain of what is going on, then it may be time to go to CCRM.
DH and I have talked about DE as option and we are both comfortable with it. We are both comfortable with traveling to CCRM to cycle. We are both comfortable with having someone else carry our baby as a GS. We just want to have something work so that we can complete our family...because it just isn't complete yet.
Logan's Age
7 comments:
Wow! That was quite a choice to make. I hope you get the information you want, that the wait is closer to 6 months, and lastly that you have 3 normals. Good luck!
I'm with Mamasoon- wow! So, they will transfer them and then you will get your results? Is that how the study is going for all of the participants? or are they vitrifying them and then waiting for the results? (b/c 5w3d was a long enough wait for me!). Its a cool idea though.
Sue- Yes all of the participants in the study will not receive the results before transfer. In fact, none of them will receive their results at all since it is a study. They will only biopsy the embryos that they are transferring. So, they will do ER, do AH on day 3, biopsy on day 5 and transfer on day 5. Then they will freeze the biopsy and wait until they collect all 45 specimens to batch them and send them to the lab all together.
We just figured for $1,000 we might as well do it and see what results we have. If we can save $30,000 by not having to go to CCRM, well...that's even better!:)
Hi Kris - thanks for the comment on my blog. A third "Wow" - and $1,000 for CGH testing is fantastic.
It is also great that you and your husband have a lot of options that you are comfortable with. Best of luck whatever decision you make!
That is so awesome you can get CGH without having to go to CCRM! I know that CCRM is the mecca for all IF clinics but it is so much more convenient not to have to travel way out there and coordinate fickle AF schedules. And $1000 is a real bar-goon vs. $30K for CCRM! It sounds like things are falling into place for you and I hope that it all works out as you want. GL!
Hey Kris! This is great news. I wish clinics in Massachusetts would get on the CGH band wagon already. I had to re-read your blog because I got confused...but now I understand. You will have your ER and ET but not know the results until 6-9 months. I hope and pray that you get your BFP and the results only confirm it...9 months.
Thank you again for all your support!!
That's a great deal on the price! I'm sorry the wait is so long, but hopefully it will give you some answers! Wishing you nothing but good luck!
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