Financial Costs of Infertility Treatment

Outlined below are our costs that we have paid so far for infertility treatment.

• 3 rounds of IUI at $500/ea = $1500
• Infectious disease testing $75 per person = $150
• IVF via the Attain Program (4 rounds - 2 fresh/2 frozen) = $16,500
• IVF sperm workup = $300
• Cryopreservation of sperm (done prior to my husband deploying) = $100
• Daily injectables for 1st round = $3500
• Anesthesia for egg retrieval = $500

Grand total for thus far: $22,550, and for 1st round of IVF:  $21,050.

NB:  Our insurance, Tricare, did not pay for any of the treatment.  The only meds they paid for were Clomid, Lupron and progesterone - all the inexpensive ones.  So much for supporting the troops, especially since it is male infertility factor for us!

We drained our savings of all we had - $9,000 - and the other $7,500 came from a Springstone Fertility Loan.  We had no idea the injectables would be $3500 and so when we received that call from the pharmacy, I almost fainted.  We had to take out another loan for the $3500 as it had to be paid immediately to start the round.  So in total, we took out $11,000 in loans.  The rest of the charges we paid in cash.  In cash total, it was $9,000 from savings and $2550 over time from our checking for a total of $11,550.  It looks like it works out to 1/2 in cash and 1/2 in loans.

I wish we did not have to take out any loans, but I also wish we did not have to drain our savings.  This kind of expense puts a lot of pressure on the process of having a baby.  No longer is a just a nice dinner and a bottle of wine.  Now, it is tens of thousands of dollars.  

Needless to say, even though my RE has said it is fine to go back to regular daily activities, I am still taking it easy.  I have not returned to my daily exercise régime or Ashtanga yoga practise.  I do still walk my dogs daily and go to work, but I am still careful in both of those.  I am holding out for the 6.5 week US on 12 December to see a heartbeat, so I can know for sure I am actually pregnant.  I know many people do many things during the first four weeks, including jumping on trampolines, and still remain pregnant, but with this much money at stake, I'm playing it safe and hoping not to be sorry.