I used Follistim and at a pretty high dose 450iu daily. I didn't get any major or bad side effects other than a bit sentimental. However I was not given a choice; usually the RE will pick the one they think will work best for your. My insurance covered the Follistim so I have no idea how it compares in cost to the Femara.

Follistim worked for me and it was really easy to inject (comes with a pen).

Good luck!

Month 2 of high dose Femara here with great results. No side effects and great follies. My DH's boys just have to start swimming north bs south to find them. No insurance coverage for IF. On-line coupon gets the Rx for $15/month til June, 2011.

i am currently taking both in low doses...so far it has worked...way less side effects than clomid..

Well, they are completely different meds. Femara is an oral medication. If ovulation is your issue and you have pcos it could help. I never responded to Clomid, but responded great to the Femara. Femara cost me about $22 for 15, 2.5mg tablets. Follistem is an injectible medication. I am not sure about the cost. I will tell you that injectible medications are more aggressive than oral. Also, some drs might let you use both, it's called a "hybrid" method.

I guess I should add that I have used Gonal-F which is a very similar injectible to Follistem. My insurance doesn't cover it, but the hospital associated with my clinic is offering it at an extreme discount, $13 for a 900cc vial. The same vial from Freedom Fertility would cost me $780. Injectibles are typically much more expensive.

when we did fertility treatments to get pregnant with ds, the combo that worked for me was femara cd 2-6, follistim cd 6-11, then the ovidrel injection to force ovulation. (i may have mixed the days up a little but you get the effect) I did develop a huge 8cm cyst the first time i tried femara by itself. its covered by most ins companies at a higher copay because its used and recognized as a breast cancer treatment drug. i had no ill side effects from either med other then the cyst the first month.

Follistim out of pocket is $750 for a 900 ml cartridge. It is so expensive. I'd try Femara first; it is way cheaper and people get pregnant using it all the time. Good luck!

DH & I tried on our own for a year before seeing my OB. We discovered I have PCOS w/annovulation and I tried clomid on and off (mostly on) for a year. My OB also added metformin into the mix the last few months. No luck for me. We then went to an RE, she kept me on the metformin and we went on to try Femara. I got pregnant on the 3rd and final try of Femara (5mg cd3-7) w/just bd'ing. My beautiful son is now 21months old. When he turned a year we decided to start trying again. After 100 days w/no period my OB said I need to go straight back to the RE. After redoing the diagnostic testing she put me back on metformin and Femara. The first cycle was a bust. However, I did get pregnant on the 2nd cycle (5mg cd5-10) and am not 10.5wks w/TWINS!! I didn't have all of the crazy side effects people talk about with clomid, but it also did nothing for me. With the Femara I only had night sweats for a couple of nights while actually taking the meds. Everyone's body is different, but I would definitely give Femara a shot before the injectibles. If your insurance doesn't cover them (most don't), then the Femara will be WAY cheaper than the Follistem.

Good luck!
Heidi