IVF isn’t cheap. For each cycle (period reset to one transfer of viable embryos), the following may be involved
- $9,800 for the main stuff provided by the office, start to finish
- $3,000-7,000 for drugs, depending on her body and needs
- $1,000 for miscellaneous costs
- $500-$2,500 optional testing, depending on couple’s susceptibility to genetic deformities
This is all before normal pregnancy costs. So you can understand why many couples choose to only do IVF once.
They offered us a few other options:
- Pay ~$20k for two cycles to guarantee a you bring home a baby or you get 50% back
- ~$35k for three cycles to guarantee a baby or 100% back
We really don’t have much interest in those two options. The incentives on the “insurance company” (for lack of better terms) don’t seem to line up with ours.
We want children. Plural. “Bring home a baby” seems to provide the option that they get paid two cycles worth of work for one cycle success. And their guarantee is based on medical criteria, which are unknown to us, but we know we’re approved.
So those criteria could be anything. Jordan is a healthy woman. She makes eggs consistently, and a “healthy egg-producing woman” could be the criteria for approval. Because a woman who can produce many eggs has a MUCH higher chance of having a baby than on who does not, thereby statistically solidifying the financial success of the insurance company.
So we’re going to go one cycle at a time. We’re going to rely on the fact the lab worker can accurately find a sperm in the sample and plant it in each of the eggs. And we’re going to assume Jordan can create 8+ in the cycle, which means we may have some behind.
If those assumptions aren’t true, we’ll have to re-think our approach.
However, if they are true and we have viable leftover eggs after the first transition, then we’ll freeze the eggs for $500/year and come back 12-20 months later for a second transfer ($2,900 + $500-1000 in drugs to prepare for transfer).
We think we’re playing the numbers.
If both transfers are successful, and we have multiple children, and there are still viable embryos left, then we’re in a bit of an unknown area, because we don’t want to leave any viable ones in the freezer.
So for now, about all we can do about that is let go of control, and let God guide the process.