Infertility and Finances

Infertility sucks.

It can be draining on your health. It can be draining on your marriage. It can be draining on your social life. It can be draining on your finances.

It's crazy to me just how much it costs to do fertility treatments. Attempts and trials to create life. Some successes and some failures.

I feel like for every failure there should be some kind of refund (even a partial one). Right?

I commend all the couples who have plunked down tens of thousands of dollars on failed attempts. I don't know if I could be that strong. Who knows, maybe we will be.

Recently, I went in for a baseline ultrasound and bloodwork following another failed IUI cycle. When I went to check out with the receptionist, she told me that we had a balance of $XXXX. While I was expecting a balance of some kind based on our previous IUI cycle, I had no idea that it would be five times the amount of the previous time!

I did a double take and asked her to say that again.

I couldn't understand how or why there was such a disparity in the pricing for the EXACT. SAME. PROCEDURE.

Sure, there was a little more monitoring in the way of ultrasounds and bloodwork for this most recent cycle. But in the end, the IUI method was the exact same method.

I talked to the insurance/billing coordinator at the doctor's office to find out what I could about the billing. I was really praying that it was a mistake.

Unfortunately, to my dismay, because the IUI cycle was considered a "Combo Cycle" because we started with straight injectables (Follistim) rather than pills (Femara or Clomid), it was considered an "S-Code" that doesn't get billed until AFTER the IUI procedure and all in one lump some. Some kind of "contractual obligation" to bill that way.

It's a load of insurance mumbo jumbo bull if you ask me. It's how the insurance company gets out of paying for anything and just having this "applied to the deductible".

When I went in for my baseline ultrasound, the ultrasound tech said she saw a cyst, so I figured that meant that we'd have to wait until that cleared. The nurse called me later that day letting me know that I'd be able to start on injections that evening.

Enter the financial conundrum.

Considering that the most recent cycle cost $XXXX, we had to talk about if we could even do another cycle based on the amount that it cost. Yes, we'd get closer to our deductible, making IVF more within reach (if we decided to go down that path)...but seriously, the financial side of this stuff is no joke!

Given our current circumstances, including looking into buying a house, we just can't swing another unexpected lump sum of money...on something that might not work.

I know, I should be thinking "but what if it does work?" and knowing full well that if it were to work, it would have be totally worth whatever we had to shell out.

However, coming from a place of pure pragmatism...it just doesn't seem wise at this time.

It's disappointing.

It feels oftentimes like I have to choose between a house or a baby. We'd like to move to another house for the sake of our future baby. And we'd like a baby.

Too much to ask for!?