Gah, one last hold up!

[Guest Orva26]

Hi,

So I went and saw the APN that I had mentioned before. I have spiro and estrodiol and instructions to get labs done between 4-6 weeks after starting. But I am delayed... I need to save genetic material. I've started contacting some clinics in my area, so far the best candidate is the one at Yale since they allow for Saturday appointments.

I know it is a good idea but my self imposed per-requisit is frustrating! Like here they are right on my kitchen table pills of spiro and trans-dermal estrogen just waiting to be ingested or stuck to my hip. I think I'm actually going to go and put them in my medicine cabinet. Maybe if I don't see 'em everyday the desire to say, "screw it!" to the idea of saving cells won't be as bad.

I want to get the ball rolling so badly!

Another option for banking that I'm considering is through a company called ReproTech. They offer a service where everything could be done by overnight male. Has anyone had any experience with them or with something similar?

Well I'm gonna go put these meds in my medicine cabinet and hopefully not too much till I can get this one last thing sorted out.

[Guest cynthash]

They offer a service where everything could be done by overnight male. Has anyone had any experience with them or with something similar?

Haha... overnight male... just had to laugh at the typo...

On a more serious note, I'm of no expertise to help you with things in the US, but I *totally* get what you're saying with the whole thing of "can't wait to get this ball rolling!"

[Guest Orva26]

That is actually 1/2 a typo. The firm refers to their mail service as the "overnite male" kit. I bet they think they're cleaver.

[Carolyn Marie]

That is actually 1/2 a typo. The firm refers to their mail service as the "overnite male" kit. I bet they think they're cleaver.

Geez, I thought i was the only punster around here. Well, there is room for two of us, I suppose.

Orva, it seems to me that this last thing is really important, so despite your impatience, do it the right way so you never have any regrets. Those pills and patches will still be there a month from now. Your little spermatozoas may not. Just make sure the bank is insured by the SDIC (Sperm Deposit Insurance Corporation).

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Sanjiyan]

I used that service a few months ago. They had a special, and I couldn't find a better price. Everyone I encountered was friendly, and answered my questions. If not they got back to me with an answer. I can't complain about anything with the service. If you have any specific questions feel free to post them here, or PM me.

Love,

-Lena

[Guest Orva26]

Yayz! It was my secret hope that I would encounter someone who has used this particular service through the wonder of the internets!

Lena, is the special you're referring to the thing they do where if you pay the storage fee upfront for a few years instead of just annually it becomes cheaper in the long run?

I don't know if you would know this but one thing I've been thinking about is the mailing would be convenient but there is always an associated risk since the samples wouldn't be frozen as quickly compared to going to a place in person. Have you looked into how this service works out in the long run? Like how many successful and what t he success rate is for pregnancies from banks that had the samples mailed vs. ones where clients just walked in?

I know in terms of money I'm probably not gonna beat ReproTech I just want to make sure I am comparing apples to apples though.

Also is SDIC real? The winky face after its mention has me confused.

[Guest Sanjiyan]

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Ask a question on the internet hoping someone can answer it, and they are in the same state as you are.

As to the special pricing, Yes I did the multi-year storage. I wanted to do that so I could concentrate on there things for a while and not have to worry about it.

For the success rate, it is about the same as when it is measured. Before they freeze anything they do an analysis to make sure its viable. The way I understood it was that if the sample measured up similarly to one done at a clinic it would behave similarly. However, I was told that for some reason they didn't understand some people's sperm just don't travel well, and you don't know until you try. If you have any technical questions I would give them a call. They were more than willing to explain the whole process to me and answered all my questions, or got someone who could.

I don't recall anything about SDIC, so you got me there.

Best of Luck,

-Lena

[Carolyn Marie]

Also is SDIC real? The winky face after its mention has me confused.

It sounds good, doesn't it? But alas, I made it up in one of my silly moments. Sorry, hon.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Orva26]

Yeah I'm thinking I'll want to utilize that multi-year special too. Yale's infertility clinic's prices are pretty steep, sure its Yale but I'd definitely save money going with ReproTech, a lot of money. Plus Yale's intake forms kind of rubbed me the wrong way since they assume you have a partner and everything ever is about a pregnancy. I'm definitely in no position to have children in the near future so 3 or 5 years of storage up front, YES PLEASE!

I might call to ask some questions, I'm not gonna be like "SO I'M TRANS CAN I STILL GET MY SPERM AFTER CHANGIN' MAI NAME????!!!" Rather ask some other stuff. A concern would be, suppose I do pay for five years would I incur extra fees if I elect to use my samples before the five years are up?

I just went an emailed the manger of the apartment building because I need to know how to send packages from where I live. Like if I need to send them through a post office or if I can send them from here.

This is the most intense I've been about any medical thing ever!

I did notice we were in the same state. I actually found out about ReproTech through my therapist.

[Guest Sanjiyan]

I hope everything works out for you.

Best of Luck,

-Lena

[Guest PhoebeJoan]

It can be incredibly frustrating! I remember I had to wait a further week after receiving my prescriptions till I could get the little guys frozen. I remember feeling distressed and had a big cry, but I quickly got myself together, one week is nothing in our journey. I actually didnt enter the pharmacy to get my HRT until straight after my IVF clinic appointment, as I felt it would have been like a recovering heroin addict locked in a room full of heroin.

Orva, just make sure you find a clinic that you trust, that is very important. It is best to begin HRT without regret.

Godspeed, I can relate to your current emotional dilemna, and the manic, desperate motivation to get those cells frozen asap.

Phoebe

[Guest Orva26]

Little [actually kind of big] update!

So I filled out and sent in all the paper work yesterday. It took a while because some of the paper work required a witness. I had my therapist be the witness. Plain and simple I felt safe doing that and well aside from me she knows the most about why I am bio-banking. Plus she gave me the DSMV jargon for GID so I could code it medically meaning that people would kind of need to look it up. Its nice to have that at least sorted out. I probably still have a ways to wait since they'd have to do initial testing on stuff and get back to me. If everything goes well I can hopefully start before or on the Thanksgiving weekend.

If I think about it doing this is kind of the final obligation I have to male life. The final parental expectation of carrying on the family name. Personally I find breeding an off putting vanity but that is probably my stage of life talking more than anything else. Its like now that I've set the wheels in motion for this I can really stop sitting on the sidelines.

Next step is going to be informing my on site nurse at work of the medications I am taking as per my conditions of employment that are explicitly stated. No need to out myself with this. If the nurse is actually worth anything she'll either know the reasons why a "boy" would be taking spiro and trans-dermal estrogen or she will get curious why and look it up.

After that the next logical step would be to actually tell human resources. But this will be tricky I am nowhere near ready to go full time at work, nor do I want to yet. I want to get a chance to enjoy growing up the right way. What I'll probably do is talk to some people in my job's chapter of PRIDE. I am on good terms with the site leader for PRIDE and have spoken with the global PRIDE executive for my company on a few occasions. He knows a lot about the policies regarding transition at my company because their inception and integration was largely a co-operative effort between the Human Rights Campaign and PRIDE. I'd like for human resources to know but not to out me. It could be a great resource for my managers and co-workers to gain an understanding of how to relate to me and the steps they can be involved in to assist me and others.