If you’re like me, I had no idea what my fertility options were before talking to a doctor and getting into a clinic. I had a vague idea that IVF, with all the needles and meds, was the standard option for women wanting babies but didn’t know much more than that.   

So let’s break down some of the fertility treatment categories you’re going to run into. Depending on your test results and budget, your doctor will help you decide what path is best for you.   

Artificial Insemination (AI)  

This is the most basic version of insemination without a partner going the old fashioned route. Basically this is the same as having unprotected sex. Sperm is placed from your donor in your reproductive tract timed to your ovulation cycle to help you conceive. Done and done. You don’t need more than an app to track your cycle and the medical equivalent of a turkey baster to get the sperm in place. If you’re ovulating normally, this might be all you need.   

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)  

Intrauterine Insemination is the next step up from AI but not by much. Instead of just shooting the sperm into you and hoping for the best, a catheter is used to place the sperm directly into your uterus. This option puts the sperm closer to your Fallopian tube with the hopes that nature will take over from there and the sperm will find the egg.   

Depending on your needs, some medication might be involved. The lighter side of IUI could just include a trigger shot the day before your IUI appointment to give your body the best chance of being receptive to the sperm. More intense versions of IUI could include medication during your cycle to try and time things a little more precisely and a trigger shot.   

After your IUI, you’ll likely be asked to use progesterone suppositories to help increase your odds of fertilization and to keep that embryo in place once fertilized.   

AI or IUI are both pretty easy options that don’t require much time beyond some basic cycle monitoring and potentially some medication.   

What’s the cost? Not including your sperm sample, the meds involved in this process likely won’t run you more than $1,000 max.  (Update: My process was about $400 for my first IUI try excluding my donor sample).  

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)  

IVF is the big scary option. This is the version we see in movies and TV shows. Remember Addison on Private Practice injecting herself with needles and trying not to rip the heads off her friends in the office? Yeah, she was doing IVF.   

IVF is a much more involved process that requires stimulating your eggs, collecting them, fertilizing them, and transferring them back into the uterus. It’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re facing more severe fertility issues or you’re at an age where IUI isn’t a viable option anymore, IVF Is the way to go.   

Be ready for multiple different medications, the majority of which will be injected into your abdomen, thighs, or lower back. The medication will help stimulate your natural eggs within a cycle and mature them more quickly so they can be harvested at a certain size. A round of IVF can produce anywhere from zero to 20 eggs with the average falling around 10. The more eggs the better here because once collected, some may die before they reach the viable embryo stage or some embryos might have genetic issues (good news is you can test for that).   

Once you have your eggs collected and fertilized, you’ll either proceed to a fresh transfer or freeze your embryos to use later. FYI, freezing your eggs is the same basic process, you’d just stop before you moved forward with the frozen transfer or FET.   

What’s the cost? A lot. The average cost of an IVF round in Ontario is $10,000- 15,000 though it can go as high as $20,000 especially if you opt to genetically test your embryos before using them.   

Needless to say, I’m going to IUI route to start. Fingers crossed I can save a cool $20,000! Geez.