yet more reality

I just did it again. Tried to be helpful. *Siiiigh* When will I learn?

On an IF website, I saw a thread regarding an IF clinic that I know firsthand doesn't do a good job with its patients. I know because they bungled my treatments beyond belief: I was misdiagnosed, my DH was misdiagnosed, we were put off, refused diagnostic tests, offered the incorrect treatments, put off some more, etc. We wasted a lot of time there, and so did some of my friends in real life. So I wanted to let these posters know about my experiences, so that they could make a more informed decision (not that anyone should take just my word for it - I am, after all, just another blogger crying out in the wilderness - but a variety of opinions helps, right?).

So I quoted on the IF thread - straight from this clinic's web site - these particular doctors' poor success rate with IVF (only around 30% for women in the 30-34 age bracket, which is very low), and encouraged the posters to check around. I mean, if you're going to spend $10,000+ on IVF, might as well go to the best clinic with the best stats, right?

Then I mentioned that I was at one of the best clinics in the country, where the clinical pregnancy rate for my age bracket is 68%.

Well, two posters responded by saying that they didn't believe me regarding the 68%, since they've always heard that IVF only ever has a 30% success rate.

So I replied, trying to stifle my annoyance (it's not whether or not you believe it - go check it out for yourself! - I had even linked to a few clinics so they could see for themselves). I said that the media likes to quote an overall rate of 30% success rate for IVF - to scare people away from doing IVF, to make it look as though the success rate isn't high - but that 30% takes into account the entire age range, and that skews the numbers because IVF isn't as successful in older women. The rate should be, and is, higher among younger women.

But I feel that my effort to help was for a lost cause, and I feel like I got bitch-slapped, to boot. I would never, ever b.s. anyone going through infertility treatments.

Oh well. Maybe it will help a lurker out there who isn't sure what to do.