IVF/ICSI Support Group

[min81]

Hi Chrisl,

1) You only need to go thru polyclinic if you wanna be a subsidised patient, i.e., pay subsidised rates for pre-IVF comsultation.. If not, you can just choose a doc you wanna see and just call up the hospital directly to make appt, you will then be considered private patient.. When you start IVF, the cost for subsidised and private patient will be the same..

3) Rough estimate of a fresh cycle is about 10-12k.. I understand your hubby is foreigner right? You will receive 3k as subsidy and you can use 6k from your medisave.. So probably need to prepare abt 4k cash? At nuh and kkh, all claims are done by the hosp so you only need to top up excess at the end of the programme.. For sgh, you will need to pay everything upfront and keep your receipts to claim the amount after ivf..

6) I was on GA for the egg retrieval procedure.. It's an OT environment, the anaesthetic will be administered thru the drip and the gas mask.. I think it's fine.. I could feel the GA was not as strong as was used for my laparoscopy cos i did not have side effects when i woke up from it..

Hope this helps!

All the best!

 

[maomi™]

Chris, can't answer all your q bcos I'm rather new to ivf.
1) you can just make an appt with either of the hosp. Only public hosps give you co fund from govt. you don't need to see polyclinic.

2) from tampines, kk should be nearer. Nuh is not that far after all if you travel by ecp. But by train, sgh should be easier. Gals, correct me if I'm wrong cos I hardly take train.

3) my first visit to nuh with prof cost be 300+ for consultation, scan n 5 days duphaston n clamydia test. U can pay by credit card

4) no idea, I waited almost 1- 2 mths to see prof, but I will start my ivf process by may. (The new programming thing)

5) if its pte hospital, u need to pay upfront, public hosp no need, they will deduct, u just need to pay the difference

Can't answer the rest

Sunstillshines, immunocal stinks!!!!! I just got a box to try. $106 for 30 days, quite exp but try try first

 

[fantasydm]

hi min81, when will we know the final bill?? I was so happily at each visit when they told me all by medisave but hv no idea abt the full bill yet.

another qns, does anybody experience dark color on nipple tip? is it due to the hormones jab?

 

[maomi™]

Chris, use min's ans for the payment

Min *wave*

 

[fantasydm]

hi laine, I hv the same habit as u mouth itchy n keep on eating every 2 hrs. I guess coz we are too free nothing better to do so keep on munching. I think by end of 2ww will cfm put on lots of weight....

 

[fantasydm]

Hi Chris, ER is not scary u will be knock out n is painless too.

 

[dolly_gal]

Fantasydsm, looks like good news... Mine din turn darker but soaring boobs...

 

[min81]

Hi maomi!

You must be excited to start your cycle soon

Jia you and all the best gal!

Fantasydm,

I was given an estimated bill on ET day so i roughly knew whether had to top up cash.. I received the actual bill by mail about 2 wks after BT..

 

[fantasydm]

hi dolly gal, I don't think so as its too early for these symptoms it's only my 3rd day

was wondering is because we undergone too many hormones injection plus now the insert body get confused Liao ...

 

[dolly_gal]

Hehee.. Then i m not sure cos i dun experience that n i was looking for this symptom thruout all my cycles...

Just relax n dun tik too much abt the changes in ur body if not can b quite mind stress. As its still ur early stage, must kp positive n calm....

 

[maomi™]

Thanks min! Indeed, I'm really excited

 

[fantasydm]

trying to keep positive but oso try not to link any symptoms to relate coz scare mind will get crazy later.

okie will not bother it anymore juz eat, sleep and nua during these 2ww. I think when get back to work I cfm will react slow.... hope my boss won't sack me lolz

 

[dolly_gal]

Ya quite true..

After 2ww then another week mc, my reaction quite slow in work recently. Plus i m hotdesking, only go in ofc when there is meeting. Make it worse where i resting instead sloughing my life to earn milk powder $ now...

 

[piglet02]

Chrisl: u plan to come back to Singapore to do Ivf. U may also what to bring along your previous medical report from overseas for the dr to understand both your dh n your condition. Jia you.

 

[sunstillshines]

Astaris, I am still not sure when will be my ER.

Mei2, I am also going for my scan tomorrow. Will you be taking E2 blood test too?

 

[sunstillshines]

Chrisl, you are coming back for ivf?

 

[_nur]

Do you ladies maintain the high protein intake even after stim stage? Im just wondering how long I need to take the immunocal/ egg whites.
Been taking chix essence every 2 days and also longan&red date drink too.

 

[reddesk]

ChrisL: I think my bill was abt 12k. I was on 262.5/300 for abt 12days, Cetrotide abt 6days. The rest should be more or less "std" w the rest. I chose 1-bedded for retrieval and trsf. GA isn't scary, basically they will put in the meds thr the catheter on your hand, u will feel drowsy and sleep le. I am not sure they put gas or not in NUH since I already konked but they did put a tube down my throat possibility to prevent choking (they told me as they remove it whilst I was half-conscious).

Min: I got the bill on the day of ET as I needed to top up leh. No more actual bill after that.

 

[Lambi]

ThanksMin81, Maomi, fantasydm, babypiglet, Chris for the valuable info..will hv to research more about either NUH or KK or SGH..cos such a pity no other gov hospitals like TTS or CGH do ivf right? Best is if CGH does cos it's very near to my mum's place. They should hv in north south east west area for easy access. Anyway I've just sent email to kk and NUH to ask about the waiting time..i wonder what's the waiting time on ICSI

Min/Maomi
I've been reading about professor wong online here and there..how do you gals find him? I am also looking at write ups on Dr Sadhana too..dunno if she's patient or not?

Chris So your 12k is it inclusive of grants and medisave? how much did you pay in cash? huh? tube down the throat? Did they insert while you were still awake? Sounds daunting to me..on ER and ET day, must be hospitalized? Need to pay for the bed too? Can claim medisave on that or?

yeah babysmurf, sunstillshines..thinking of alternative routes already cos my FET cycle was cancelled due to my 2 embbies didn't survive the thaw on tues

It made me lose 90% confidence of this clinic liao cos dunno what they did that my poor embbies didn't survive it and during my 1st FET also, they thawed 2 yet 1 survived only. (that FET ended up bfn too) And when i asked them why they just shrugged their shoulders and said 'it happens'. In my opinion, that was NOT a good enough reason as 3 out of 4 good grades ones didn't make it is much more than a coincidence and thus i do question their method of freezing/thawing.

2nd thing which made me minus more points from this clinic is also of my previous mc --partly hv to blame them as they said stop progesterone support after my 1st scan for bb's heartbeat. So if i had not been told to do so then things would have ended up differently.

So before i decide whether to go thru 3rd fresh with them again, i wanna make a comparison on different clinic/protocols/prices/pros and cons + weigh in the financial part..must hv backup plans cos bio clock is ticking..sianz

sunstillshines
wave long time no hear

you're starting your cycle soon? fresh or? All the best ok! Shun shun li li

 

[Lambi]

Nur
Think the egg white can stop. While some ladies still continue with the immunocol, chix ess and LRD tea..you can add on folic acid now too

 

[melodyli1981]

Starting my first fresh ivf cycle on 10 May which is my Day 21 with Dr LC Foong from Glen E. May I know if there are any ladies here seeing him as well? Looking for cycle buddies too..

 

[fantasydm]

started to feel AF cramp this morning... guess no hope Liao

 

[astaris]

Fantasy: it may be due to implantation..which day are u at after ET?

 

[kmei2]

Sunstillshine, not too sure will be takin blood test onot.. update u later

waitin for my turn to scan now..

Fantasy, its too early rite? U just did ET on monday?

 

[cat_quek]

Fantasy u think too much la. Too fast for af when you just transferred 2-3 days.

Any ladies experince itchiness under the skin ? My body has been itching since i started this cycle. Itchy untill csnt slp

 

[fantasydm]

Astaris, I done my ET on Monday so d4? don't know how to count actually.

hope, in my last soiui my AF come on d7. hopefully now is different case. oso can't do much too

 

[shiying41]

lynHope, I also failed my fresh cycle in feb. my menses just came yesterday to gg to start my FET cycle injection today. Which hospital are you doing at?

Jasmine, congrats! Read the early positive is becoz of having twins coz HCG higher!!!! Grabbing your baby dust!!!

 

[maomi™]

Hope_4_bb, are you allergic to something?

 

[lainelaine]

fantasydm, cant be so early. Dun stress urself!

emily, wat did the doc say? I suspected ohss...did a blood test to chk protein lvl...

 

[maomi™]

ChrisL, so far I've only met him once for consultation and another time was the talk. He's a rathe no nonsense doc. He seems friendlier during the talk though. Can't tell you much

When do you intend to do your fresh? Cos I understand from another sister that called the clinic in april that the next appt to see Prof is in June

 

[sunstillshines]

Maomi, Immunocal is very denser than milk powder. Thus, difficult to mix it on its own. You have to add in something to help to mix it and also make the taste better. Some sistas here mixed with fruit juices, some with milo. I have been mixing with milo but due to my acid reflux I have to opt out of milo. I am now using holicks. Doesnt taste as good but very little bubbles came out after mixing.

 

[sunstillshines]

ChrisL, yes finally I have started my cycle! Today is my 6th day of stim. I am on short protocol.

 

[sunstillshines]

Chrisl, I suggest maybe you ask for apptmt from both KK and NUH concurrently.

 

[sunstillshines]

fantasydm, just remember to eat well, rest well, sleep well during this 2ww. It is tough, but must tell yourself worry also no use. You must stay zen.

 

[cat_quek]

Maomi, previously allergy to stout. But should have clear
From That already. Itch worsen at
Nite. Day time still quitr ok

 

[acadia]

Hi hope4bb, me too...only 1 egg fertilized. Am doing my et today. Let's jiayou together!

 

[fantasydm]

SSS, noted. right now hv to stay zen coz there is nothing I can do oso except every day to tell my embroys to jia you n grandpa is waiting to sponsor them milk powder n pampers Liao..

hope, if skin still itchy must go see doc. could be due to our hormones chg causing sensitive skin

 

[min81]

Chrisl,

I've been seeing Prof since 2011 and am very comfortable with him.. I understand many commented about him being stern but i find him very caring.. And i also like the way he's very methodical and organised.. He lays out all the options available to me but never pressures me into making any preferred decision.. Like what sunstillshines mentioned, you can make appt for both hosp and see which doc you're comfy with..

Chris,

I see.. I was given just a piece of paper on ET day with a brief itemised list of the cost and was told it's an estimate.. Abt 2 wks later, i received the detailed bill with like 6-7 pages stating how the grant and medisave covers the cost.. Cos i had excess, i was surprised to see that they also used the grant/medisave for the pre-IVF blood tests and psych counselling which i paid in cash last time.. They refunded to me that amt in cheque..

 

[cat_quek]

Acadia, good luck

 

[fantasydm]

min 81, which Hsp u at doing ur ivf ?
how come I nv received any bill during ET

 

[babyp_k]

Min, NUH better than KKH leh... At KKH, pre-ivf test are not refunded... total for my 1st ivf was ard $7k. After grant n medisave, I don't need to top up. So cash is for preivf consultation n tests.

Fantasy, u will receive the bill ard ur BT date.. dun think too much now... just enjoy ur rest n keep toking to ur embbies...

 

[lynhope]

Hi jackzel wave** oh u need injection for FET?? I doing medicated FET, started progynova on D3, today is D6 (having serious headache

) I'm w dr Loh at tfc. how abt u?

 

[maomi™]

sunstillshines, thanks for the tips. I'm using water to mix then add in prune juice cos' that's the only available juice i have at home. Its really quite stinky hahaha. Do you use shaker to mix or fork? I noticed by using fork or spoon, i get quite abit of the powder stuck to it. If you use shaker, where did you get the shaker?

Min, didn't know NUH allows such usage. Btw, how much is the psych counselling and what qns do they ask? I'm going for that session on 30 may.

 

[maomi™]

Hope_4_bb, maybe like what fantasydm said, its hormones. but I think you should alert your doc

 

[shiying41]

Hi LynHope!!!! Ya I am with Dr Yu from sgh. I need Lucrin injection for a mth. Painful man!!! I tried sending yiuu private msg but you dont accept.

 

[dreamirene]

Hi, i am thinking of going for FET either in Jun/ Jul...is it ok for me to do hair highlight & treatment this mth or i should totally give it a miss??

 

[lynhope]

hi jackzel, I dun noe how to on private msg

 

[jasgoh]

@lynhope - I have POAS addiction during 2ww.. lol

@Catherine - I am not sure about taking red bean soup and egg whites. For me I took 100 plus and avoid soy product after my ER to prevent OHSS. I ate pineapple (preferably with the core) and 3-4 Brazil nuts starting one day before ET for a continuous of 6 days.

@Laine - Hopefully, it is just implantation bleeding.

@ChrisL -
1) It depends. Have you done IVF before? Did the Gynea recommend you to do IVF? If yes, then you can just call and make a appt with a gynea either at KK or NUH. For me, I done it before, so I choose the earliest appt which is in early March with Dr Sadana (a senior consultant) in KK. After a sonogram was done, I started my long protocol in 9 April.

2)I was once with Dr SF Loh when everyone claimed that he had magical hand who moved to private practice in TMC. I need the government grant so I choose Dr Sadana who is a senior consultant in KKIVF centre when other more well known IVF doctor had a much longer waiting time. So it really depend who you want to trust. Anyway, they are all professional.

4) It really depend on the waiting time with your IVF doctor. Of cos those well known IVF doctor have a much longer waiting time. For my case, I see a Dr Sadana on 6March, Menses came a few days later, then I went for sonograme. After sonogram on cycle day 15, I started suppression med till the next menses which is April 9, then I started stim med + growth hormone and had my retrieval on 19 April and ET on 24 April. I am now 8dp5dt wating for beta on 8 May. So mine was fast.

6)yes. completely knocked out on ER. Not really scary cos you are simply knocked out. I did my first ET in France without GA and it was hell!

hope it helps

 

[lynhope]

jackzel, u can msg/whatsapp me. my no. 92763757

 

[lynhope]

Dream, I find it is okie to do now if you r cycling in jun/jul.