Thursday, October 16, 2008

My Cost of Infertility

Monetarily speaking. I wouldn't even begin to know how to put a price on the emotional toll, the days missing from my life when I was heartbroken, the issues I had in my marriage, all from infertility. All I can do is look through my checkbook.

My friend Julie spoke to her cost, which made me figure out how much I spent on my journey to conceive this baby.

IUI #1: $650
IUI #2: $500
Monitored cycle: $350
Meds for IUI/Monitored: $120
Co-pays for all of 2007 RE visits: ~$960
OPKs/HPTs/Ferning Microscope/pre~seed: $250
Ovulation Monitor: $100
Monitor test strips: $90
Vitamins/Supplements: $75
2 years of FF membership: $90
Co-pays for 2008 RE visits: ~$720
IUI #3: $500
IVF/FET out of pocket (not incl copays): $3,000
IVF meds: $250
FET meds: $350 (due to viagra)
acupuncture IVF package: $650
acupuncture FET package: $400
Out of pocket for HSGs, HSSs, and 4 surgeries: $1000 approx.
2 frozen sperm cycles: $450

Total out of pocket cost ~I spent~ to conceive this baby: $10,340.00

Quite a bundle if I may say so myself.

Now. On the other hand, so far you all have read what's been going on with this pregnancy: Ectopic scares in the beginning resulting in u/s and tons of blood tests. The Nuchal Translucency test. The blood screen. The Down's Syndrome scare. The CVS. The cord issue. The weekly BPP which consists of 30 minutes of heart beat monitor plus an ultrasound (that's 26 ultrasounds). A growth u/s every 4 weeks. OB appointments: every 4 weeks from 8-30 weeks, every 2 weeks from 30-36 weeks, every week from 36-40 weeks.

Total out of pocket cost ~I will spend~ to grow this baby: $20.

The insurance people sure are screwed up, aren't they?


update: Ack. I meant to talk about how the amount I spent is literally a drop in the bucket to ~so~ many other people. Denise's comment reminded me I did not say that. Just wanted to get that out there.

14 comments:

Michelle said...

I hear ya... yesterday I picked up some birth control pills for my next IUI cycle... no copay, just walked out with them. Health insurance sure is strange in what they choose to cover.

Charlotte said...

That's crazy, but not surprising. The state of health care/insurance costs in this country is in shambles. I hope whomever makes it into office next makes healthcare a top priotity.

Amanda said...

Insurance companies just plain suck.

Mine pays 100% for almost everything to do with prenatal care and delivery (small charge I'll have to pay, about $10/day, for the hosital I'll deliver at). On the flip side, I had co-pays for all of my visits once my last pregnancy was determined to be non-viable. That was nice.

Nikki said...

I'm even scared to total up my costs. I don't think I'll ever summon up the courage to calculate and "know" the number.

Insurance sure is screwed up - in so many ways! But I am so so grateful that my plan covers IF treatment. There's no way I could have reached where I am, or known what I do without our insurance coverage!

Jamie said...

Insurance is DUMB. Plain and simple.

This whole TTC thing is ass-backwards. In the beginning, I was all "Save money! Save money!" I have since spent saved money plus so much more.

Ugh.

Denise said...

That just puts into perspective how clearly fucked up health insurance is in our country.

I don't even want to count how much we spent to conceive. The shared risk program alone (which didn't cover meds, assisted hatching, anesthesia, embryo freezing, or any of the IUI's prior) was almost 3 times your number. Vomit. That being said, we would have spent more if we didn't do shared risk.

Anonymous said...

This is like a mastercard commercial..hehe but you forgot to add this...
Having little Karl to hold in my arms, Priceless
For everything else there mastercard hehe.

Its def worth the $$ in the end!

Geohde said...

Oh my. I'm very impressed that you keep records in that kind of detail.

But thought provoking,

J

Geohde said...

Adding, I think I'm well over ten grand myself, and IVF is cheap here....

Io said...

Ain't that a bitch? People say babies are expensive, but they usually mean after they are born, not before they are conceived.
I like the growing part though :) It gives me visions of a little cabbage patch...

Hollie said...

Insurance companies are messed up. I really think ivf should be covered. If it was, then most people would only transfer 1 or 2 embryos at a time. They would save money big time on less multiples! I've been fortunate with ivf to be in a study where I only paid $1100. But I will have to pay quite a bit for having the baby (at least $2000).

docgrumbles said...

yep, now that I am knocked up, I have only paid $35... they only want to cover care for living tissue. No coverage for fertility treatment or the anaesthesia for my D&C - hypothetical and dead babies aren't worth the investment, apparently.

Anonymous said...

i pay $350 deductible at the beginning of calendar year, up front.... 20% each dr visit there after every visit... and if i get PG... it's $200 for each U/S 3-d 4-d not included, must pay in full... 20% each check-up or exam and depending on when it is born, will depend on the delivery costs... 12 weeks unpaid by law... and if i take longer i'm not guaranteed my job back, but i would save more money by staying home after that... gas prices, daycare... but then i would lose my ins... it's a catch 22, i'd have to spend $775 to keep $800... i think i'd rather be a SAHM for $25... this system sucks.....

Minxy Mimi said...

The costs are astronomical! Its amazing what we are charged for things. My husband is a type 1 diabetic... when out of work he had to pay full price for all his supplies, supplies that allow him to live. Just live. So sad.

I know my sister during her adoption process payed more than 40K