Costs to Conceive?

amg1987

Hey all! I'd like to make a move from the "thinking" phase to the "trying" phase within the next year or two but I need to start saving now since I know taking this route to conceive isn't cheap. I'm planning on purchasing sperm through Fairfax and having the procedure done in my doctor's office and will opt to start with IUI. Anybody able to provide a guesstimate on how much you probably spent per month until you were able to conceive? Were you able to get your health insurance to cover any of it? Ugh, this is the part that annoys me the most. So many people get pregnant for free/on accident and I have to fork over thousands to roll the dice and see if something sticks

Reven

I suppose it depends on where you're from. I'm in New Brunswick, Canada. I work for the government so while my health insurance didn't cover any of the procedures (I did IVF), I was very lucky that it covered most of my meds - this is unfortunately not the case for most in my area (my cousin had to pay full price for her meds.) Also, my province has a grant for people who have fertility problems. So in total, what should have cost me about $18,000, cost me a little more than a quarter of that out of pocket. I spent more initially but got reimbursed by that grant. I know I'm incredibly lucky, especially since my first round of IVF was successful and I gave birth to my son.

My advice is to do as much research as you can and take advantage of every resource that you can. My clinic gave me a list of approximate prices for the meds that they sometimes used, and I brought the list to my medical insurance and asked them to check each drug for coverage. Then when I went back to the clinic and they gave me my protocol, I knew what was covered. Call around and see if you qualify for any grants. I know that some places offer tax credits for fertility treatments.

I agree that it's annoying to pay so much to have a baby, especially when there are so many people out there that get pregnant by accident or free, but let me tell you: as I look at my three month old son, and he laughs and smiles at me, it's worth it. Every penny. Every needle that I had to give myself. Every tear that I cried because it wasn't happening fast enough. He was worth it all. Even at 3 am when I'm frustrated and tired, and he's crying. So worth it.

Masha

I'm not pregnant but my costs are roughly $1000/vial, $50-100 in handling fees/cycle, and roughly $500/IUI. That doesn't include shipping fees and assorted random costs like $100 for the trigger shot and $300 to get the info I needed to choose a donor.

Sally63Baker

My insurance doesn't cover any of this. I just started by second IUI cycle. $1,000 for the sperm, $1,800 for the IUI and about $300 for the meds. I'm really hoping this time works because it's getting really expensive!

hopefulmom

amg1987 wrote: »

Hey all! I'd like to make a move from the "thinking" phase to the "trying" phase within the next year or two but I need to start saving now since I know taking this route to conceive isn't cheap. I'm planning on purchasing sperm through Fairfax and having the procedure done in my doctor's office and will opt to start with IUI. Anybody able to provide a guesstimate on how much you probably spent per month until you were able to conceive? Were you able to get your health insurance to cover any of it? Ugh, this is the part that annoys me the most. So many people get pregnant for free/on accident and I have to fork over thousands to roll the dice and see if something sticks

I am fortunate enough that my health insurance plan pays for unlimited cycles. I just have to pay for the vials. HOPEFULLY I WONT HAVE TO PURCHASE TOO MANY OF THEM.

BandAMoms2B

My health insurance covers some stuff, like the office visits and the medicine, but not the IUI itself or the sperm. They also didn't cover all the bloodwork we had to get (doctor said was standard), which came out to be about $500 between the both of us.

We just bought 4 vials through the special they were having (buy 3, get 1 free), which came out to be about $3,000 to have them shipped to the doctors. I think they said the IUI itself would be about $400. We're doing our first IUI in a couple of weeks.

Joshua020

my health insurance plan pays for unlimited cycles

mrccjf

IUI $700
Vial $900
Meds $100
Shipping Sperm $200

Each IUI: $1900

After 8 failed IUIs, we moved to IVF (decided it was the better gamble, despite being exponentially more expensive).

amg1987 wrote: »

Hey all! I'd like to make a move from the "thinking" phase to the "trying" phase within the next year or two but I need to start saving now since I know taking this route to conceive isn't cheap. I'm planning on purchasing sperm through Fairfax and having the procedure done in my doctor's office and will opt to start with IUI. Anybody able to provide a guesstimate on how much you probably spent per month until you were able to conceive? Were you able to get your health insurance to cover any of it? Ugh, this is the part that annoys me the most. So many people get pregnant for free/on accident and I have to fork over thousands to roll the dice and see if something sticks

Sheryl

You have to remember that everyone's experience is different. You make the decision to be "all in" and accept the expenses as they come with it. Many have been lucky enough to get it on their first IUI whereas others not so much. The more repeat procedures you have of course it doubles. No matter what, don't let the cost discourage you. You can't really anticipate what it's going to cost, because you don't know when you're going to get your "positive."

That being said, I've done two IUIs, both unsuccessful. I switch to IVF which is extremely expensive as mrccjf points out. My insurance covered very little, only ultrasound appointments and some pills. Most everything I've paid for. If you are considering IVF, well, it continues for me but at this point I could have bought a brand new car just for the expenses related to IVF.

-Sperm + shipping = $1200 x3
-IUI = $1200 X2
-Meds for IUI= can't recall but minimal

lizzieloo3

The cost is going to vary by your insurance and where you live. I live in Ontario and everything was free for all except the actual sperm and meds. My personal insurance paid some of the meds and so I had to pay $105 per month for meds and trigger shot. The sperm I purchased 6 vials since it's cheaper and I picked a donor that was on sale.


I saved the $4000 I needed so I didn't go into debt. I am saving another $4000 in case my last three vials are a bust as well.

Sorina

Hello, I agree with the above. The cost will vary depending on the procedure type and also on the protocol. A substantial amount of money will be allocated to medication.

I tried 4 IUI prior to IVF. My insurance paid for the IUIs, labs, and procedures. I had to pay out-of-pocket for meds and sperm...and office co-pays.
Meds: $100 - $1,000
Sperm: $1,100 (each time - different bank)
Office CoPays: $300-350 each attempt.

Then I switched to IVF in New York (I live in CA) and Fairfax:
IVF: $3,900
Meds: $2500
Monitoring Fees/Labs: $2000 (during IVF and post IVF to monitor pregnancy)
Sperm $900-ish (great specimen from Fairfax)
Embryo storage: $350 (at IVF clinic)
Airfare CA to NY: $750
Hotel: $600-ish

RESULT: 1 healthy happy baby boy! 1st IVF

** IVF in San Diego was quoted at $45,000, then I had to purchase sperm.

Jacki

I have just started this process, and while I was prepared to spend a good deal of money, I am concerned about whether or not some of the things my doctor has suggested are necessary or what they consist of. Nothing is covered by my insurance, which I knew going into this. I am 33 with no prior fertility issues and have already had all my genetic/blood tests completed.

The clinic I am planning to use wants me to get a saline infusion ultrasound ($650), but I have a friend who is a midwife and she thought it was sketchy that they'd require that if I haven't had any fertility issues. And then I have to "transfer the sperm into [clinic's] custody" for $1000. Has anyone ever heard of transferring custody? What does that even mean? Is that a normal price for such a thing, especially after I have already paid for the purchase and shipping of sperm? The IUI procedure itself would be $1600-2000 and medications would be $5000.

I understand that price depends on location. However, I am hesitant to agree to some of these without knowing exactly what will be done with the money, especially when my friend gets a feeling they're just trying to up-sell me and line their pockets. Any previous experience or advice you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!