Desktop File
Pencil Cup
Letter Sorter
After realizing that one file box was not going to meet our needs, I decided another stop at The Container Store was in order, but I couldn't wait for our next trip to DC! B said to go ahead and order whatever I wanted, so I did, but I was able to get free shipping and used a coupon to make my order total more palatable (of course, all of this was bought before the big spending freeze). So, I perused the site, and decided to add a little fun with a new print from the Bigso collection, that went well with the pattern of the curtains we bought from Target and the muted colors of our rug. So I few more desktop files and a set of paper drawers were soon on their way!
Desktop File
Paper Drawers
Living Room with our Bigso collection
(Excuse the crooked rug- my cats love moving it!)
Anywho, back to my reason behind the post tonight. With the first file box, I sat down one night and diligently labeled all my hanging folders and organized all my paperwork. Then I shoved anything that didn't have a folder and all the paperwork that arrived at our house after that night into the new desktop files. I took part of Sunday to reorganize everything and get our files in order. It was a long task, but I was so happy with the results! Throughout my organizing, I kept coming across paperwork from various treatments over the years, as well as all the receipts from our 2 rounds of IVF. We've had several people ask us about the cost of IVF recently. Since B and I are really focused on saving for our next round, as well as paying down debt from previous rounds, I figured it would be nice to do a post about our actual costs with IVF.
Thus, this post (with a completely uncompensated plug for The Container Store- I just love my stuff!).
We have been very lucky with our choice of fertility clinics. The Jones Institute is world renowned, and the pioneers of IVF. Although we haven't been lucky enough to be successful yet, I know they are doing everything they can to help us achieve our goal.
One of the best things they offer is a payment plan for the IVF. We have had to put half down prior to the process beginning, then once the transfer and all have been completed, we make a payment every month for 6 months. The initial cost for IVF is $6830. Since B has major issues with his "boys," we also have to pay $2420 for ICSI- IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection (something to help give our chances a major boost by getting rid of the weakest sperm and utilizing the best). This brings the initial total to $9246. Jones then divides that total in half and we pay $4623 up front, and have the other half broken into 6 payments of $770.
But we aren't done yet! Then you have to add in the medications for each cycle. Those can range from $3000 to $5000, with very little price breaks or help from insurance. Oh, all that stuff up there ^^? Yeah, none of that is covered by insurance. Nothing, Nada, Zip. That is all out of pocket. The medications? I am thankfully able to pay for part of them using my Flexible Spending Account (FSA) which just means it is divided up over the year from my paychecks from a non taxed account. I am very grateful for that. Since we didn't do IVF last year, I was able to pay for half the meds out of last year's FSA, and plan to pay for a good chunk of the rest of the meds from this year's FSA.
So, now we are at $12,246 (if we had the low end of meds- which hasn't happened yet!) to $14,246 (using the high end of meds). We fall somewhere in the middle of the two estimates, but I don't have the exact med total in front of me. Then we add in a check for $400 to pay for the anesthesiologist that puts me under for the retrieval portion of the IVF. You have to pay that the day of retrieval, or the price doubles to $810. We always have our check ready!
Since we have never had more than 3 eggs removed from me that lasted, we have not had to get into Cryopreservation or monthly storage fees, but those are also added costs that may or may not be in our future. The Cryopreservation is $1000 and the monthly storage fee for the frosties is $60. Pretty much a drop in the bucket compared to everything else! We have always said we will cross that bridge when we come to it, but we are confident that push come to shove, we can meet those payments easily.
So, in the last 3 years (just with IVF, I am not even counting the money we utilized before then), we have put $26,000 into starting our family. And we are hoping to toss another $13,000 into that mix before the end of the year. Yep, we have basically paid for a college education just to HAVE a child. (and after looking at college rates for my Alma Mater- I recognize we only paid for a year and a half of education there- WHOA! It did not cost that much when I was there!).
Our biggest hope and prayer is that this next round of IVF works. I'm not sure what our steps would be if it fails again, but I know we have choices, and we will give all of those choices the thought and research they deserve. We would also love for some embryos to be preserved so we could try again at a quarter of the cost of full IVF to add another child to our family, but I promise, I would be over the moon with just one!
Anywho, I hope I broke down the costs of our IVF a bit better for those who were wondering. It's not an easy road, emotionally or financially, but I am confident I am traveling this road with the right person. We may not have a child to share our love with (YET!), but we do have each other, and that's pretty damn good :)
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