Its so expensive..

[whatwillbex]

Hi

sorry its a very personal question so prob wont get many replies but Im sat here thinking about the road ahead as I am not feeling to hopeful about this cycle as I feel really well and no symptoms so got me thinking to my next round of treatment.
Last treatment was successful so luckily we didn't need to think ahead.
I went into this treatment with a positive mind set but now thinking right what's the next step.

Its so expensive and its so tough not knowing how many cycles it will take. I have just bought a new house in November and just clawing back some money from that but its not enough to scratch the surface for future treatments.
Luckily at the mo I am just having IUI no meds but after 3 cycles I move onto IVF. I would just keep on trying forever but unfortunately I don't own a Mary Poppins purse.
Just wondering really how everyone manages?

 

[3chords]

We've spent about $75K already and heaven knows how much more we will have to spend in our quest for #2.

When I look at my son, I think it's all been worth it.

We are lucky in that we have good jobs, we were older professionals when we started trying so the financial aspect has been manageable but not easy.

 

[dbrbernie]

Yes its crazy expensive. We put off buying a house and are renting instead for at least 18 months. we are doing ok but just all the testing, 3iuis and I cycle IVF was tough even with some coverage from insurance(live in a mandatory coverage state). We could not continue if we had to go cycle after cycle.

 

[MMW430]

Our first baby was via IVF. Fortunately, it only took one cycle. We went straight to IVF, didn't do IUI or anything like that. Insurance didn't cover it at all. It was 16k total. We just took out a loan and then paid it back. It wasn't what we necessarily wanted to do, but we wanted that baby, so we got over it.

 

[messica]

We took it one day at a time because looking at the long haul is more than overwhelming. After finally admitting we were struggling to conceive we thought there's no way it made sense to spend all the money for testing for both of us. Sticker shock and denial turned to resolve and financial problem solving. We broke it down test by test, month by month until it was finally all done and we had our answer. Then we thought there's no way we could afford the next step (meds, IUI and monitoring) looking at it in it's entirety. Sticker shock and denial once again turned into resolve and financial problem solving. After hobbling through three failed cycles of IUI we agreed to just go in for an IVF consultation thinking that would finally seal the deal on our limits. **Mind blowing** sticker shock and denial.....and it took us a lot longer to come around....but that surprisingly still morphed into resolve and even harder financial problem solving.

Breaking it down one step at a time, one day at a time really helped us. The one question you have to ask yourself is which you will regret more:

1. Struggling through the process expending all the heartache and spending all that money trying and not having it work out in the end.
-or-
2. Not pushing the insanity to the extent you think you should have and wondering if that's why you never made it to your goal.


It IS hard no matter how you slice it. Without question. But the answer to your resolve is in the above. Search deep and that'll carry you through either way you decide

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

freegaragesale and topix are 2 places online to get leftover fertility meds people have after their cycles. Thats where i got my Trigger shots and Clomid.

Its no script. You get on there and someone posts " i have 2 Ovidrel Trigger Shot $50 each contact me at _____" and you email/call and she ships after you pay. Done. Its her prescription she had but its leftover and shes passing it on.

Thats one way to do it OOP and save some money. Also ask your clinic, they can have left over meds or free samples too.

Start by calling insurance and see how much they cover. If its 60%, then start setting aside that other portion as you can.

 

[scoobybeans]

I'm out of pocket as well so this will be our one and only try for IVF. Here's how the process went for us:

- Spoke to our RE to see if they offered any financing or special plan (some have a guarantee program or you can buy 2 or 3 tries at once for a flat rate). Ours did not, but they do offer lower pricing if you're out of pocket. They broke down all of the expenses, including options like ICSI and assisted hatching.

- There are a lot of programs like compassionate care that will reduce medication costs if you qualify. Unfortunately we didn't, but it's worth checking into. It's based on income but they will consider hardships (like it you're also caring for a sick relative, etc.)

- Got a list of medications from the RE. 1st called insurance to see if anything was covered (nothing was). 2nd I started getting quotes from a bunch of mail order places. Overseas is half the price but can take 2-3 weeks. It's a good option if you know 100% you're moving forward and exactly how many meds you need, and give yourself plenty of room for error. For me I was too worried about the time frame so I decided to go domestic. The cheapest option was WIN RX. Other good choices are Freedom and Walgreens.

- Once I knew exactly how much we needed to cover everything, I researched loans to see who had the best rates. We were approved within a couple of hours, so that part was actually a lot easier than I thought. You can do a 3, 4 or 5 year loan and have a monthly payment just like a car payment.

- If you're comfortable, reach out to family members who might be able to help. I didn't ask, but my mom took it upon herself to gift us a little bit of money that will allow us to add some of the options we wanted to add. At first I felt weird about it because it's by no means a guarantee, but now I'm just super grateful.

Hope that helps! This will be a burden for us but even if it doesn't work we'll know that we tried everything we possibly could. I think that will help me move on without regrets. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[whatwillbex]

Thank you so much everyone who replied. Just having one of those days where I dared to look ahead and got overwhelmed. Bought myself back into the moment. One day at a time.

Can I just say with out being cheesy. I think you lot are amazing, the grit and determination you all have got to achieve your dreams is admiral. Seriously.

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

Can I just say with out being cheesy. I think you lot are amazing, the grit and determination you all have got to achieve your dreams is admiral. Seriously.

and if i could have wished for someone to give me advice just starting out: It would be, its ok to say enough is enough. Enough looks like different things to different people and im not talking about giving up. I mean when youre not getting answers or something isnt working, etc. I waited too long to go medicated and had i done it sooner, things may have been different.

Thats my advice from 9yrs in for you!

 

[Rq120]

I worked a second job to help pay for our IVF.

 

[NovemberRayne]

OP - Just wanted to wish you the best of luck & send some love.❤️

 

[whatwillbex]

OP - Just wanted to wish you the best of luck & send some love.❤️

You to Hun x

 

[fairytales87]

I notice your in the UK
Please look up access fertility they may well have a clinic near you they offer reduced cost multiple cycle packages. Also if you have no nhs cycles left you can self/private pay at nhs clinics for reduced costs as they are non profit. Hopefully not but if you get to the stage you have no more nhs treatment cycles left please feel free to PM me and I will help you look into clinics which do near you etc if you like as I have just done all this myself and it's very overwhelming.
Lots of love and Luck to you xx

 

[mimi4]

Hi, what about undergoing ivf at overseas clinics? I come across a few posts, IVF cost starts from 2500 Euros (Poland Invicta/ Czech Rep Zlin Prague Reprogenesis) Clinics have high success rates and offer excellent medical care Even with flights, hotels and other expenses it would cost a fraction of the price you would pay in the country.

 

[BronteForever]

You plain and simply just make it work if it's something you need to do. We also had no insurance coverage. We are two cycles in with no luck and massive debt. I'm not sure we can continue financially and mentally. But had I not done it and gone through with IVF, I would have always wondered. Peace of mind in that situation was worth the cost. It sucks big time to be out of so much money for essentially nothing but it is what it is and you move on.

 

[Toomoms]

Hi, what about undergoing ivf at overseas clinics? I come across a few posts, IVF cost starts from 2500 Euros (Poland Invicta/ Czech Rep Zlin Prague Reprogenesis) Clinics have high success rates and offer excellent medical care Even with flights, hotels and other expenses it would cost a fraction of the price you would pay in the country.

I've actually thought of this. I'm very familiar with Prague as I have been several times in my life. My only concern as an American is the language barrier and time off of work. It's possible though. Also, those clinics in Prague must be a hell of a lot better than the walk in clinics i'd go to when I was sick. Their healthcare is universal, so they hated helping Americans who paid by cash, and they pretended not to speak English until they had payment. I always had to get a native friend to go in with me and translate. Maybe someday someone who has actually tried IVF overseas can give us some input. It possiblly could save thousands of dollars assuming you had paid time off of work to do it.

 

[mimi4]

If someone wants to save on ivf bills, you might consider undergoing at overseas clinics. Spain, Cyprus and Greece are a bit more expensive, but in Poland and Czech rep IVF price is from 2 000 Euros. Clinics get really high success rates and offer excellent service.

 

[Toomoms]

I did some research, and for any same-sex couples reading this, IVF is not legal in the Czech Republic or Poland for us. Just a heads up.

 

[mimi4]

Toomoms- here is the list of clinics that offer IVF for same sex couples- https://www.eggdonationfriends.com/treatment/ivf-for-same-sex-parents/
From what I know docs and fertility specialists at overseas clinics, that treat international patients, speak at least English fluently. So a language isn't the issue. Keep my fingers crossed and good luck