IUI #1 Failed. Very stressed out.

CowgirlK39 · August 2017

Our first IUI was unsuccessful. I have come to just expect BFNs, so I was not surprised but DH took it very hard. We talked about it and he said we should try to do another IUI right away and see how that goes. However.... I just received some insurance statements and a bill that are just absolutely ridiculous. I have to call my RE to verify these bills are correct but it has me very stressed out about doing another cycle. We have started looking around to see what we can sell to come up with the money to pay for another cycle if these are the types of costs we are looking at. DH mentioned waiting if we have to, but after 4 years of TTC I am sick and tired of waiting and wasting time.

Has anybody else run into unexpected expenses during their journey? I'm open to any suggestions you girls have.

Labluver2 · August 2017

@CowgirlK39 This whole process is stressful so your Def not alone. Maybe call around if you have different RES it Def comes down to how they code. We went to another RE before this one. They said insurance paid only dianostic testing and once we did iui it would be 1300 per cycle plus the cost of meds which of we did injectables was another 1200. We called around and found another RE close to us. We have our monitoring covered just our Co pay meds are partially covered 70 for both the gonal F and ovidril we just pay the 350 for the iui which isn't covered. I'm on my 4th IUI sometimes it just takes time. I won't be moving on to IVF bc insurance doesn't cover any of that and I was quoted 25,000 per cycle that's including meds. I wish you luck.

adirat · August 2017

I'm sorry to hear your IUI was unsuccessful and now you're dealing with a bunch of financial stress on top of it. I hope you're able to get some answers soon!

When you are facing the decision to take a cycle off, it really depends on how you feel and what your dx is. Can you try naturally or does your dx preclude that? I know some people find it stressful to go back to OPKs/TI but for others it can be a reprieve that lets you regroup emotionally. I know I've struggled with delays that were out of my control but was able to try to feel a little better by focusing on things like eating healthy and doing fun couple things so that when we are back into treatment I can feel like I made the most of the time. It isn't easy but it's a little better I guess!

Good luck!

steph8986 · August 2017

Infertility treatments are unfortunately very expensive. (as if adding $$$ on top of the stress of already not being able to get pregnant is fair) I am fortunate in Montana where some coverage is mandatory, so My IUI's, HSG, and Laproscopy/Hysteroscopy were covered this year after deductible and max out of pocket were met. I did pay for some IUI's and an HSG some 5 or 6 years ago out of pocket though, and was not able to pursue anything further at the time because it exhausted funds. We are currently saving and planning our IVF cycle this November. My insurance has no coverage for that, unfortunately, so DH and I sat down a couple of months ago and worked through a plan. We set a very strict budget so we could save every dollar we can. We are planning to go through our garage and storage and sell what we can also, and DH might be selling his sport car to help. I also discovered a Citi credit card that has deferred interest for 21 months on both balance transfers, and new purchases. Not my recommendation to use a credit card as a first choice, but if you know you can make the minimum payments and have it paid off before interest accrues, it could be an option to consider. IUI's are stressful enough, I'm sorry you have financial strain on top of that. Best of luck to you!

CowgirlK39 · August 2017

So after making a ton of phone calls, my insurance company told me "we cover diagnostic testing but NOT for infertility." So the IUI which we thought we had money for is now going to be about 4x the amount we had saved because my insurance company lied to my doctors office twice. I'm so glad insurance companies get to decide whether or not I can have kids.

mockingjay1 · August 2017

I would talk to someone in the financial part of your RE's office and see what can be worked out. A lot of healthcare facilities charge more when they know/think insurance is involved vs a self pay patient. I'm sorry your first IUI was not successful.

suchaglencoco · August 2017

What @dmo1371 said. Please speak to a financial advisor there and see if they can help. I'm sorry, it's like a double kick in the teeth after the iui not working. Try as hard as you can to not get too down about this setback.

CowgirlK39 · August 2017

I had a chat with financial services and they said that they could try to rebill it, but in the end it does not matter because I have such a high deductible, nothing is covered at all till I reach that. Even then, none of the fertility stuff is covered.

I don't know what to do. We could sell everything we own and that won't mean a thing if I can't get pregnant. So what's the point of even trying anymore?

DecemberDoll27 · August 2017

@CowgirlK39 try to look for another fertility clinic. Look into IVF, some RE's have warranty programs which means that you pay for 3 cycles upfront ( they suggest a loan with low APR) but then if you are not successful at the end they give you all or part of your money back. It takes that edge off from wasting all that money and not having a baby at the end. I hope it helps. I know I've been where you are financially and it takes a toll on you when you do not know how to pay your next medical bill.... Stay strong and do not give up on your dream of becoming a mother

mac627 · August 2017

@CowgirlK39 so sorry about the IUI and the financial burden is so unfair! I don't have insurance coverage either- it sucks! Don't lose hope though- if you really want to have children you will find a way. Can you take a break and try naturally while you save up? I know it's hard to wait, but you never know what may happen! Sending positive vibes your way!

adirat · August 2017

@cowgirlk39 So sorry to hear this

What state are you in? Some states have programs you can join to help offset the costs. I am in New York which has such a program. https://www.health.ny.gov/community/reproductive_health/infertility/

CowgirlK39 · August 2017

I'm in NY! Thank you for that information!!!

cashewchicken · August 2017

I'm so sorry that you're running into unexpected expenses with your infertility journey. We've all been there at some point in this journey.

Couple of things:

Perhaps you can bring this up with your RE and they can help with coding the treatment differently so that it is covered under insurance. My clinic did that when I was doing IUI. My insurance only covers diagnostics, not fertility. I did two u/s per IUI cycle and they always coded one of the u/s differently (ovarian cyst, polyps, etc etc). That helped offset the cost a bit. This must have been a routine practice at the clinic as I never really asked for this.

Ask if your clinic has a discount program for patients paying out of pocket. My clinic offered 30% off for services not covered by insurance.

J1006 · August 2017

So sorry this is happening. It's so frustrating when this is what we have to stress about. Our insurance covers all diagnostic testing then once there is a diagnosis we are on our own. I did four unsuccessful IUIs. We paid OOP which was around $4000 total. Actually, they have yet to bill me for my last IUI which was over a month ago. DH thinks they feel bad for me haha.

I would suggest talking to a financial advisor at your clinic. I know my healthcare system offers payment plans if necessary. I would also check with your RE and seriously talk about how good of a candidate she or he thinks you are for successful IUI so you aren't wasting your money. Looking back I wish we would have just started with IVF and skipped the IUIs, however my doctor thought I was a prime candidate for IUI success.

puppyluv13 · August 2017

Sorry to see your IUI was unsuccessful... Hopefully you can get the billing on track and continue on without missing any cycles. Hang in there!

7Kaby · August 2017

Sorry about the IUI. We went through IUI and it was so expensive we decided to try at home after that and really up the vitamins and especially CoQ10 and selenium. So we had one unsuccessful cycle at home and then the third overall (second at home) worked out. We stuck with the CoQ10, selenium, prenatal and folic acid and in spite of a history of miscarriages, the pregnancy stuck. We both continued with CoQ10 after that pregnancy and then the first menstrual cycle after delivery we were all of a sudden pregnant again and now we have two beautiful babies.
We used the information we learned from fertility clinic on ovulation to pinpoint the exact ovulation. Since then I have actually read that you need to start before ovulation because that is prime time to do so. I thought it was prime time at ovulation, but I was obviously wrong.
Also, DH should try to take zinc, CoQ10 and selenium - those are invaluable for male fertility.

jenrn1216 · August 2017

I work for a large health care facility and employees receive 60% off all fertility treatments. IUI is $250 and IVF is $5,700. I don't know if it's an option for you to look into a job that offers these kinds of benefits, but it may be worth a try if finances are an issue. Just a thought. And I'm so sorry about the IUI, not a good combo to have financial stress on top of what you're already dealing with. Hugs!!!

desertrose0318 · September 2017

I just wanted to give you ladies some hope and encouragement. My DH and I have been TTC for over 5 and half years. We went to fertility specialists, I changed our diets, I lost weight (over 55 pounds), and I went to a chiropractor. We completed several rounds of fertility treatments. One round of clomid in 2013, three rounds of clomid in 2015, three IUIs with FSH in 2016, but in the end, I got so discouraged and stopped everything to just focus on my career.

However, when it did happen for us, my husband did take clomid (50mg every other day) to up his testosterone and sperm count and I took femara (a chemotherapy drug that suppresses estrogen). I think giving up and focusing on other things (stop stressing) are really what makes fertility successful.

cxsimo08 · September 2017

@CowgirlK39 I believe NY state is under a mandate where insurance providers have to cover some infertility treatments. I've lived in NYC for the past 6 years and just moved to southern CT where we're covered by the CT mandate, but there is a NY mandate as well. There are 15 states that have this type of requirement so do some due diligence there for sure!

What happened with me was that CT has a mandate but my company's insurance is out of Cincinnati and my husbands is a private insurance so basically neither covered under the mandate. HOWEVER, all was not lost. I found out if I purchased insurance on the open market (Blue Cross/Conneticare) I was eligible for the mandate coverage in CT. Yes, I have to pay a much higher premium than I would with my company ($600/month vs. $90) but I get 3 IUI's, 2 IVF's and 4 cycles of drugs so it's worth it for me this year.

I'm not sure if NY is exactly the same as CT so I just put my personal situation above, but definitely look into it, if your insurance doesn't cover it currently, you may be able to purchase on the market like I did!

My first doctor was out of NYC and I had extremely frustrating situations like the one you are describing above "diagnosis and treatment" etc. so I totally feel you but hopefully you can find a financial solution like the one I did above that will work for you! It's so hard and frustrating! GOOD LUCK, let me know how it goes!

https://www.fertilityauthority.com/costs/insurance-coverage/new-york-infertility-insurance-mandate

sarcasticowl · September 2017

New York's mandate is here:
https://www.fertilityauthority.com/costs/insurance-coverage/new-york-infertility-insurance-mandate

Each insurance provider usually covers a certain fixed dollar amount no matter what you have done. For instance, my insurance (Aetna) covers $20,000 lifetime. I'm sure not every insurance provider in the state covers as much but our IVF is counted toward that total. We just don't have the diagnostic tests (HSG, etc.) counted towards it. Make sense?

marioana99 · September 2017

It depends a lot on the state and the company that offers the insurance. I live in IL which has a mandate for IVF. I heard of other insurances in IL that cover max one retrieval per year, and not all transfers are covered and so on...Mine is Blue cross and covers 4 retrieval and transfers per year, all covered under by deductible/out of pocket $600/2000. I don't know who negotiated the health insurance contract in our company but I wish him/her lots of health, money and love! And the company is fairly small, only 400 employees...

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IUI #1 Failed. Very stressed out.

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