This is part of a three part series co-written by me and Mrs. Jump Rope. Part 2 is Infertility: Emotions and Part 3 is Infertility: Physical.

J U M P  R O P E :

The cost of infertility adds up very quickly, even when the treatments are spread out over months or years.  I didn’t realize how much money we’d spend on trying to have a baby until Mrs. Polish and I decided to write about the cost of infertility, and it amazed me how much money my husband and I spent in such a short amount of time.  I almost wish I hadn’t done the math!

P O L I S H :

When we decided to write this post about the cost of infertility I didn’t know how hard it would be to open that folder back up. It’s been firmly shut and put behind me for months, and now that I’ve pulled it out, I’m afraid to look inside.

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J U M P  R O P E :

My husband has a great job, and we have many options when it comes to insurance coverage.  In 2009, however, there was only one plan available to us that carried an infertility rider so we were very limited in our choices.  It was the most expensive plan option and came with a high deductible, but at this point in our marriage we already knew we were facing infertility issues.  We purposefully chose this insurance plan, knowing that it would cost us a little over $400 a month in premiums. My husband’s employer would pay the other 50%, so in total our insurance premium cost approximately $9600 per calendar year.  Additionally, we had a $500 deductible and $1,000 in co-insurance.  It remained the same for 2010, but changed to a $1,800 deductible and $3,600 co-insurance for 2011. Our premium significantly increased, as well.  We began fertility treatments in 2010, and became pregnant in February of 2011.

P O L I S H :

Mr. Polish and I have had many different health insurance providers in the time we’ve been married due to changing jobs. Not one of them has offered infertility coverage. Some states are mandated to offer infertility insurance coverage, but we don’t live in any of those. We were relatively healthy people without children, so we went with the cheapest plan they offered since infertility coverage wasn’t an option at any of our jobs. Ever. I actually assumed that was just how it was everywhere, until I learned that some people have coverage.

J U M P  R O P E :

Our 2009 coverage specifically stated that in order for us to be covered by the infertility rider, it had to be documented that we had unprotected sex for 12 consecutive months and I was unable to conceive.  Then, I was able to see our Reproductive Endocrinologist during office visits for a $20 co-pay, but not all testing, like a sonohysterogram, would be covered. Ultrasounds and blood work fell under our deductible, and fertility drugs were not covered at all. This meant I had to pay out of pocket for my testing and my prescriptions like Provera and Clomid.  We do not have coverage for IUI or IVF as of 2013.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we paid during my fertility treatments:

– $20 co-pay for my initial intake at the RE’s office (the visit without insurance would have been $180)
– $252 for my initial blood workup (they had me do a 3-hour glucose tolerance test)
– $20 office visit co-pay
– $568 sonohysterogram out of pocket (not covered by insurance)
– $20 office visit co-pay
– $20 for Clomid
– $34 for a progesterone blood draw
– $20 for Provera
– $86 for pelvic ultrasound/follicle scan
– $34 for a progesterone blood draw
– $93 first beta test
– $93 second beta test
– $14 5 week ultrasound
– $8 8 week ultrasound
– $334 for blood work (HIV, a complete blood count, antibody, and syphilis, along with several other tests)

Excluding our insurance premiums, the total cost for fertility treatments was $1619
If you are including our insurance premium for the calendar year, the total cost of our fertility treatments goes up to $6419

After my 8 week ultrasound, I was released to an OB.  My insurance covered prenatal care in full, but if you’re curious, my EOB states that each pre-natal visit is $394. At this point, our deductible was met and most services were being covered under our 10% coinsurance.

P O L I S H :

I was astonished at the out of pocket costs of medical treatment when we started treatment for infertility. I also experienced chest tightening panic when I found out that payment was due at the time of the appointment since they wouldn’t be billing it through insurance.

I’m combining costs for duplicate prescriptions and procedures.

-$108 for Clomid
-$24 for Provera
-$48 for Metformin
-$120 for Letrozole
-$100 Urologist
-$190 Initial RE visit
-$760 for two ultrasounds
-$285 for three progesterone blood draws ($95 each)

Total: $1,635.

This doesn’t include what I spent on OPKs, pregnancy tests, or prenatal vitamins.

We decided to take a break when the RE wanted me to move onto injectibles that they estimated at $600/cycle, and I could pay $1,200 for an IUI that included the baseline ultrasound and blood draws. So it would have cost us $2,000/IUI. Due to personal financial limitations, and our own personal choices, we decided to take a break in treatment. We haven’t been back, and I’ve decided that if I do get pregnant in the future it will be without the services of the RE.

J U M P  R O P E :

We were very lucky to have infertility coverage and to have paid so little to get pregnant, considering how much it could have cost, and how quickly we did conceive (we got pregnant on our second round of Clomid).  Treatments like IUI were covered through our insurance when we were initially pursuing fertility treatments, but they no longer are.

P O L I S H :

We would have pursued more avenues than we did if we had been covered. I think we would have tried IUIs as long as they let us and then considered IVF. I was always against IVF, but I think mostly for the cost. I didn’t really care for the idea of it, but if it were covered, I’m sure I would have been more open to it.

J U M P  R O P E :

It breaks my heart knowing how much we pay for insurance versus how much is actually covered.  In 2012, our insurance premiums nearly doubled, and our deductible and coinsurance increased again.  In 2013, we found ourselves stuck in an insurance plan we literally couldn’t afford.  We have less coverage, higher co-pays for prescriptions, and less fertility coverage than we did when we initially chose this plan in 2009.  I wish coverage was more widely available, more affordable, and built into all insurance plans.

P O L I S H :

Of course I wish it were available to us, but even without it we paid less than most people with coverage. I think it’s probably a financial blessing that we don’t have the coverage because we would have ended up spending much more in premiums and potentially not have been able to afford our adoption.

For a better idea of what other IF bees are paying for infertility interventions, check out this thread.

Mrs. Polish & Mrs. Jump Rope’s Infertility Series part 1 of 3

1. Infertility: Finances by Mrs. Polish
2. Infertility: Emotions by Mrs. Polish
3. Infertility: Physical by Mrs. Polish