How many vials to start and method of payment.

TeiallyTeially Posts: 53
in LGBTQ+ Couples
Hello All,

I wanted to know what is the standard number of vials that you need to purchase when you start.

My doctor told me to purchase 2 vials, he also said that he does a double insemination ( I may have the wrong terminology). Basically he inseminates me back to back. But my understanding is that he using one vial for that. Is this correct.

Also how are being paying for their vials ? I know of people who have bought 10 vials so I was just wondering.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • 2moms2monkeys2moms2monkeys Posts: 99
    Our RE would only do 1 vial at a time. We purchased 6 (you get a free year of storage) we should've gotten 12 (3 years of storage free) because we bought 6 in the morning and by that evening we decided we wanted 6 more and he was sold out. It took us 2 tries to get pregnant and now we only have 4 vials left and are hoping for 2 more siblings!

    When we purchased a year ago CCB accepted Care Credit and I was able to pay it off in the first year so there was no interest. I don't know if they still accept care credit but it is something to look into.
  • TeiallyTeially Posts: 53
    Thanks Squirt,

    I don't think they accept Care credit anymore. We want to have 2 kids, MAYBE 3 so we are all confused.

    And we are renovating our home so 12 purchasing right now would be hard.
  • 2moms2monkeys2moms2monkeys Posts: 99
    Looks like they have changed a lot of things in the last year. It is now 10 vials for 3 free years of storage and 5 for 1 year free. I checked out care credit too and you are right CCB is no longer listed. There are some here that only purchased 1 or 2 and were either successful or had to go back and purchase more later. The only bad side to buying them as you need them is that if your donor is popular or becomes popular chances are they will sell out and you won't have any available for siblings. I know with our donor there were two moms who didn't have enough and wanted a sibling so they ended up having to pick another donor. It isn't that big of a deal unless of course you want the children to be full siblings. Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck in your journey.
  • mzkacmzkac Posts: 36
    Heyy! Does anybody know if you do the 3 or 5 year storage with however many specimens, and you need 6mo or 1yr etc. can u extend the vials that u have with extending time?
  • latham22latham22 Posts: 77
    Teially:
    There are a lot of things to consider when purchasing. The most important factor my gf and I considered was wanting our children to be full siblings. Because of that, we decided to go ahead and purchase 12 vials with the 3 years free storage (before it changed to 10). The average number of IUI's for successful pregancy is around 4, so we are really hoping 12 vials will give us enough for 2 children with some room for unforeseen circumstances. The donor we chose was a very popular donor, so we knew we had to purchase in advance to make sure we had enough for the future. If that is important to you, I would suggest trying to work it out financially. Of course, there are some down sides to doing it that was. First, of course, the money. And second, some people decide to change donors along the way (for many different reasons). However, if you do decide to switch donors, CCB has a vial exchange program. And, if you have vials left at the end, they also offer a vial buyback program. Of course, you have to take a loss on some of the money, but it's def better than nothing! Hope that helps!

    Oh, and about the back to back IUI's, from my experience, that would be 2 separate vials on back to back days. I'm pretty sure there is only enough in 1 vial for 1 IUI, but you could check with your doctor about that. That would definitely be a factor in how many you want to purchase. Good luck with everything!
  • kissckissc Posts: 10
    Hi Teially,
    There is no set amount to buy. It's all up to you. My partner and I bought 12 vials (back in 2008) and went through 6 IUI's with no success. The 12 vials gave us 3 years free storage. The 12 vials were gone with those six tries because they did back to back inseminations each time. Subsequently I found out that one of my tubes was blocked and the other one was probably not working well. When I started invitro, my reproductive immunologist told me to change the donor because he felt that sometimes the DNA of the donor is too similar to the recipient of the speciman. When I chose the next donor, I again bought 12 vials because i wanted my siblings to have the same donor. I charged them on my credit card both times and am now paying off the second set of 12. I am pregnant now on my 2nd invitro with the new donor (its a girl) and the rest of my vials are in storage for my next child. My donor is retired so I wanted to make sure I have enough vials for the next try. I figured I can always sell the balance back to california cryobank if I don't need them. good luck.....
  • 2moms2monkeys2moms2monkeys Posts: 99
    Teially - I am not sure if you have a Flex Spending Account through your work or not but one of the girls I talk too purchased her vials yesterday using her FSA card. Just a suggestion if you have one. Good luck!
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