After our initial consult at the Infertility clinic that my general doctor referred me to, I was told that my eggs are too old, and I only had a less than 1% chance of getting pregnant and maintaining that pregnancy on my own. This was delivered with the fact that we also had a higher risk of down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders if we were to use my eggs.
I wasn’t thrilled when we got this news. In fact, at first I thought that was it. Consult over. However, the news only got better when they gave us other options that we had never considered.
At our first consultation, we were informed about anonymous egg donation (where we would use another woman’s eggs). We didn’t think of this option. It was a completely new concept to both of us.
We were intrigued but wanted to weigh out all of our options. Either try for our own, adoption, foster or not grow our family at all.
But one thing became crystal clear after that discussion — we weren’t okay with NEVER becoming parents!
We went home filled with hope and excitement for the possibilities that lie ahead for us. We also got the pricing for using donor eggs and then doing the IVF cycles. The prices are very high and most couples have to pay for everything themselves. Most Insurance companies don’t pay for these type of treatments. We decided to call our insurance and check to see if they may cover some of the costs.
The answer we got from the insurance company was amazing! Our health insurance actually covers a lot of the expenses for our donor and myself. Don’t get me wrong, our out of pocket cost has been HUGE, more than $28,000 to date. That’s an enormous debt to take on but the option to have the family I’ve always wanted outweighs the fear this type of debt might bring up for most people. I can’t put a price tag on the fact that I’m going to be able to experience my own pregnancy and carry a baby or two to full term and then deliver them into this amazing world. I will be able to make my lifelong dream a reality. How can I not smile and feel so much hope and joy when I think of it that way? My dream is coming true and I couldn’t be happier! Remembering my why and my dream makes the exorbitant cost OK!