Rolling Right Along

In keeping with my new outlook and my new (continued) desperation on expanding our family, I thought I'd tell you all what I did yesterday.

I called my clinic.  I asked about their Shared Risk IVF program, their Shared Risk Donor Egg program and their normal Donor Egg Program.  I even went as far as leaving a message for my RE's nurse.  The nurse I had been assigned to is no longer there.  Here's what I found out.

The shared risk IVF  is around $20,000.  This includes 6 fresh IVF cycles and any subsequent FETs.  If I do not take a baby home I get my money back.  We have already given them about $13,000 and that was for 2 IUI's and an IVF.  If I were not so sure that the treatments would have worked I would have scraped together another $7,000.  Hind sight and blind hope gets me nothing but a much smaller wallet.

The shared risk donor egg program varies in price.  They have this new program that lets people share their donor with as many as 2 other recipients.  I've never heard of that but thought it was a good idea.  The price scale for this is as follows:

1:1 (one donor, one recipient) $52,500
1:2 $37,000
1:3 $29,000

If there is no "take home" baby, they refund the money.  This also includes 6 fresh cycles and if you are lucky enough to have any embies left over (after sharing), FETs are included as well.

The regular donor program lets you share your donor as well.  Those prices are listed below:

1:1 $27,000
1:2 $16,000
1:3 $14,600

Any FETs would cost around $4,000.

Pretty steep on any level.  When talking to the receptionist I asked her if we would have to go through all the initial testing again or if we could jump right in.  She said that since it's been over 12 months that we would have to repeat all of our blood work and such as if we were new patients.  That stinks but I understand why they do it that way.  Things can change very suddenly sometimes.

I didn't tell BJ any of this yet.  I'm trying to get a clearer picture of my own feelings before I approach him with this.  He's going to want to know where the money is going to come from.  I was thinking that if we go for the shared risk IVF that we would charge half and take the other half out of my 401k.  Not exactly the wisest financial decision but what part of TTC with ART is?  The money has to come from somewhere and since I don't have a money tree in my backyard I have to get creative.  Also, we can't take out a home equity loan because the market is still not that great in our area and I doubt we have gained that much equity (if any at all) in the short amount of time we have lived in our house.  I will probably let my dad know of our plans (if any plans get made) and maybe he will offer to help.  I won't ask him to help because I just can't do that.

I'm not sure what direction we are going to go but I think BJ is starting to realize that me "just hoping for the best" (his words) isn't working for me.  I feel like I need a clear direction to go in.  I'm sort of wandering right now.  I can feel myself being tugged into action.  Not sure which action just yet, but action nonetheless.

Let's get this ball rolling...I want to be a mom.