Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Pox On Both Your Houses!

Well. Maybe bad news. Some of my labs came back. My STD testing all came back normal (not really a shocker there,) but my Varicella (chicken pox) screening came back equivocal (meaning I do not demonstrate full immunity.) "Non-Immune" status is a test result less than 0.91. Between 0.91 and 1.09 is considered equivocal, and a result greater than 1.09 is considered immune. My level was 1.07. In 2007, the last time we did IVF, my result was 1.96, but apparently immunity can wear off over time (hence Shingles later in life.)
So I can get immunized again, but that would be 2 shots, spaced a month apart, with another 30 days before they'd want to start the IVF process, since the chicken pox vaccine is a live virus.
So we can either wait another 2 months, and risk having to pay out-of-pocket because we no longer have the IVF insurance, or sign a waiver and plow ahead.
Another fucking blueberry!
The chances of me contracting chicken pox while pregnant are slim, but not non-existent, as we go to preschool and gym class and whatnot. And the chances of a fetus in the first 28 weeks getting damaged by the virus is only around 2%. But the risks include death, malformation, mental abnormalities, and lots of other fun stuff. After 28 weeks, they appear to be safe, unless they are born within 7 days of the mother contracting the chicken pox. Before then, they have enough antibodies provided in the womb.
But my results are so close to immune status. Sooooo close. What are my chances of contracting the pox while pregnant, when I might be immune? (Equivocal just means you're not necessarily immune, but you might be.) If you asked me whether I would let my child be deformed to save $15 grand, I'd say "Hells no!" But this is just a teeny tiny miniscule chance that something could happen if I don't get vaccinated versus risking having to pay around $15,000 out of pocket to get pregnant.
Now, if we choose to do the IVF now, and something does happen, I'll never ever forgive myself. Ever. But I also don't want to spend our entire savings on this either. I want a baby so bad. Sooooo bad. But bad enough to risk deformity or health issues? Because of our ages (35 and 41) we're already at higher risk for a whole host of fun things to inflict upon our child. Do we dare add another risk factor?

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