Another Update on Anti-Coagulant Treatment

The title of today’s post should be something like “IVF#1/FET#2 CD1” because AF showed up today. However, the clinic is calling Monday day one for this cycle. I’m not sure why it is different than last transfer…last transfer the first day of AF WAS cycle day one for me. But, I won’t worry about it. I think the most important thing is just the timing of the progesterone with transfer. Right?

So, I go in on Monday to get my baseline blood work completed to make sure I am sufficiently suppressed, if so…then I start the estrogen support. On Monday I’ll also have my CBC checked, along with my fasting homocysteine level (which checks to see if I am at risk for thrombosis (because of the MTHFR mutation I could be at risk for thrombosis, but I’m not too worried about it,) AND another anti-cardiolipin antibody test!!

Yes, you read the right...we are re-testing the anti-cardiolipin test just to double check that I do indeed need the anti-coagulant. We've had a rough go the past few weeks trying to get the treatment for me....partly my fault. It's not that I was trying to push back, because I do agree with Dr. B...that the anti-coagulant treatment is a good idea. But, I was trying to push back on the high price tag and try and get Kaiser to cover it. So far, that's been a dead end, I haven't met with the perinatologist yet, but we are already trying to swallow the "lovenox pill,"......$25 a day. Because I pushed back on the cost so much with Dr. B (I even tried to get him to prescribe heparin, which is a lot cheaper, but he is adamant about lovenox,) that he decided he wanted to run the test again. I guess it's a good idea because I don't want to do the anti-coagulant if there's not an issue, but if the result is the same...then I know we'll just need to empty out our bank account and purchase the lovenox.

DH and I pretty much decided it was just too much of a pain in the ass to try and get Kaiser on-board with the treatment. I did talk to my old RE at Kaiser earlier this week and he said he wasn’t opposed to giving me the treatment but that he’d need data from Dr. B showing the benefits of taking the anti-coagulants during the 2WW before a pregnancy was confirmed, so I sorta ran into another brick wall there. I'm not even sure if I'll keep my appointment with the perinatolgist on Wednesday...I think I'll run up against the same brick wall…they’ll want data showing why it is important to give me the treatment during the 2WW before my pregnancy is confirmed. Dr. B wasn't much into playing games with the Kaiser docs and sending them anymore info, which I understand.  I’m sure the Kaiser docs are all fine doctors, but they don’t have experience in working with IVF patients. Though, I MAY keep my appointment on Wednesday with the perinatolgist just to get his opinion, touch base with him (since he'll eventually be taking over my pregnancy care,) and see if he'd be willing to treat me with the lovenox once a pregnancy is confirmed. That would mean we'd only have to cover the cost for a few weeks. So, it's worth a try to still meet with him, but I am not thinking he is going to be okay treating me during the 2WW....and may not start treating me for it until I am under his care, and I don't think that happens until like week 8 of pregnancy.

So, it looks like once we stop lupron…we’ll be picking up the “ass shot” of the progesterone, plus the gold price tag lovenox shot.  Not too excited about that….but as you all know…I am a fighter. To have my dream of a baby and a family…I would walk to ends of the earth to make it happen.