Before I went to my doctor last year, we found out the devastating news that David’s insurance did not cover anything dealing with infertility. That was a hard thing to hear, come to terms with, and to let sink in.

It stinks that his company chooses not to cover it within their insurance. I guess that is their choice though. It’s one of those things that you don’t look for or think to look for when reviewing benefits for a job. No on thinks that they are going to have infertility problems, therefore you don’t prepare for that sort of thing.

      

I guess it really didn’t sink in how quickly things can add up until I saw the itemized bill from my gynecologist. From October through March we had about $800 with her office, it included blood tests, office visits, the HSG and pelvic ultrasound.  This doesn’t include the lab fees that tested my blood work each month. That was around $400. Good times right?

The day after we left the specialists office with all the new medication he prescribed, I took a quick trip to our local pharmacy to fill them. When I walked up to the counter to pick them up, she gathered them then she looked at me nervously and stated, “You are aware that your insurance doesn’t cover these….” Remember how I’m trying to remain positive through this entire journey? My response was a perky, “Yes!”.

But then came the slap in the face. The total….. $216 dollars…..for …. this!

That little guy in the back, was $170 all by itself.

The pharmacy tech kept looking at me. I’m sure that the look on my face, the slight sweat on my brow and that I was white as a ghost – she was preparing herself for when I passed out.

I kept it together, paid for my items and then drove home. Upon my arrival, I discovered that the $216 was for ONE MONTH ONLY!!!! Holy crap!

Yep, I looked just like that..well…without the pearls. Sticker shock to say the least. I called David at work and told him about it. He had the same reaction. We both are hoping that it is a one month and success kind of journey!

The infertility doctor suggested we try intrauterine insemination, otherwise known as IUI as our first course of action. We were both ok with this, since it is not an invasive procedure and the costs were conservative.

David’s wash is $225, the ultrasound for me is $300 and the IUI itself is $250. With medication for one month it would be $991.

$991 big dollars and having hope. There is no guarantee, in fact the IUI success rate is around 40%.

President Uchtdorf, in a 2008 conference talk, spoke on hope. – Again, if you aren’t a member or are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, give it a read – it’s so uplifting! I focus on this part with each passing month.

Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.”
Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness.

I called David with the news about how much each round of IUI’s would be. He was surprised as much as I was. We were both happy that it was under a thousand dollars. Honestly, we were both expecting it to be a lot more.

In preparation for “a lot more”, I closed out my retirement and cashed in my stocks. I know that there are many experts who would gasp at this – but it made sense to do this and not have that angry debt cloud looming over us.

In case anyone was wondering………

I don’t have blinders on, neither one of us do.

We are well aware that “children are expensive.” ——– Yes, someone reminded me of that – if you can believe it.

The reason I bring this up is not to be snarky, or flip about what this person said. But to make a valid point for us and any couple out there who is struggling with infertility.

MOST couples don’t have to PAY to get pregnant or have children. Baby B isn’t even here yet and we are draining their would be college tuition.

And just to set the record clear, in no way am I complaining — this post is to be informative. This is to create a safe place for conversations, questions and being honest.

Until next time,

Leah