The Grand Totals

Every infertility journey is vastly different.  Some people miraculously become pregnant naturally after they have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility, some people will experience numerous miscarriages with no clear reason and will have to seek other options, some people may get pregnant after the first or seventh fertility treatment.  In our case the journey was statistically accurate. We had a 33% shot at conceiving through assisted reproductive technology and sure enough it took three tries.  Since our very first appointment at the fertility clinic I decided to document everything -- dates, tests, my mood, medication names and amounts, results, medication side effects -- everything!  Of course, at the beginning I had no idea the journey we'd be in for, so the intended one page word document turned into eleven. Holy crap. While it is difficult to look back at some of those tougher times (heartbreak hells) I find it comforting to see how far we've come.  We've learned so much and I now I get to pass along some of the knowledge and awareness to others. Infertility is one of those taboo topics that people rarely talk about but so many people experience it.  The more it is talked about, the less shame and isolation people will feel who might be experiencing it. Who knows maybe even one day OHIP will get their heads out of their asses and realized that Infertility is in fact a pandemic and needs to be recognized as such. Our three procedures had a total price tag of over $30,000.00 (*our first 2 procedures were covered by our Doctors and donors because of the clinical study).  WTF is that?! Yes, we are so grateful to live in a country that gives people like us options, but come on - people shouldn't have to take out a second mortgage to have a 33% chance of a procedure working. OHIP will only cover 3 rounds of IVF if I had 100% blockage in my tubes. We received $0.00 support from OHIP. Ok, I'm going to cut myself off there -- before I get irate and punch my computer screen.

I went through all eleven pages of our journey and tallied everything up.  It really put things into prospective.  This isn't meant to scare anyone who is considering fertility treatment options but rather to see what you might possibility be up against.

Months Trying: 23 months
Months for a Diagnosis: 4 months
Months of Treatment: 5 months
Specialist Appointments:  54
Rounds of Blood work (1-6 vials per visit): 31
Self-Administered Injections: 56

 

I had dinner with a friend tonight and she asked me "Would you do it again?".  Without hesitation I responded with "Absolutely".  After my first procedure I didn't think I could ever do it again but I ended up jumping right back on the fertility treatment wagon.  While it was so freakin' difficult to go through three cycles, it was completely worth it. We might be faced with another IVF cycle in the future and I am ready and willing to endure it again, if my ballooned ovaries ever forgive me :)

For more information and support resources visit Infertility Awareness Association of Canada