Can I Travel When Going Through IVF?

IVF medications and procedures can interfere dramatically with your day-to-day life. Many couples wonder, though, if they can take vacations and travel before, after, and during treatment. In all honesty, the bottom line is better safe than sorry.

It would be quite difficult for one to [...]]]>

Can I Travel During & After IVF?

Can I Travel When Going Through IVF?

IVF medications and procedures can interfere dramatically with your day-to-day life. Many couples wonder, though, if they can take vacations and travel before, after, and during treatment. In all honesty, the bottom line is better safe than sorry.

It would be quite difficult for one to travel during the medication phase of the IVF process. Regardless of your medication schedule, which is likely to be hefty, you will be seeing your doctor on a regular basis for monitoring appointments that include blood work and ultrasounds. It is likely that you won’t be able to get away during this phase of your treatment. Keep in mind, you also don’t know how your body is going to react to the medications, you might want to be near your doctor just in case you have some bad side effects or concerns.

The next part of the IVF process includes two procedures; egg retrieval and embryo transfer. You won’t be able to find here to travel at all. Some IVF patients do travel from their home quite some distance to seek treatment in a larger town or city. This type of traveling is okay, as you will need to travel back and forth between your home and treatments. Some doctors do recommend a hotel stay for a night or two immediately following each procedure.

So you are thinking to yourself, after all that I have gone through I need a little time to get away. Dependent on your doctor, you typically will have bed rest for at least 1 day following your embryo transfer. Some doctors recommend up to 5 days, but the average is typically 2-3 days. Do to your work schedule and or planned vacations, many women wonder if it okay to proceed with life as normal. Part of the answer is yes, you need to continue with day-to-day routines, but traveling by air or even long road trips, during this time may not be the wisest decision. Many women will find that their doctor tells them that they are free to go about and do as they wish, while others are told to refrain from flying and sitting for long periods of time. Years ago a study was conducted and found that flight attendants had a slightly higher miscarriage risk than the average population. It is also a concern for many women to sit in a car, as your blood flow is restricted because you are not moving. To play it safe, wait and see indeed if you are pregnant, and even more so, get confirmation that your pregnancy is uterine. The last thing that you want is a complication 25,000 feet in the air from an ectopic pregnancy.

If you find that your doctor is more on the conservative side, relax; there will be plenty of time for traveling in the future.

One of the first hurdles after determining that IVF is your best option at becoming pregnant is figuring out how to pay for IVF. IVF is very expensive (anywhere from $8-15K without meds.) but there are various ways you can come up with the cash you need in order to pay for an [...]]]>

Different Ways To Pay For IVF

One of the first hurdles after determining that IVF is your best option at becoming pregnant is figuring out how to pay for IVF. IVF is very expensive (anywhere from $8-15K without meds.) but there are various ways you can come up with the cash you need in order to pay for an IVF cycle(s).

Does Your Insurance Cover IVF & Infertility?
Before you look into paying for IVF, you should check your insurance policy to see if it covers IVF and infertility. If so, see what your plan includes and talk with the finance person at the IVF clinic you choose. Some employer plans pay for the entire IVF process, some pay for a little and some pay none. It can’t hurt to check before you begin the entire IVF process.

Just Swipe Your Debit Card
If you have no insurance, another option would be paying for IVF with your checking account. This might be the most far fetched because not many of us have $10-$20 thousand dollars sitting in our checking account. But if you do, this might be your best option. You will pay it up front and then you can put the cost behind you and worry about the important thing at hand…becoming pregnant and having a baby.

Borrow From Family or Friends
Family and friends can be a great source of money. Set up arrangements for borrowing from them and a payment plan that is in writing. Borrowing from family and friends usually has a much lower interest rate, or no interest rate, meaning you will spend less overall.

Get a Gift From A Family Member
Family members or friends can also “gift” you money. This would be money given to you from friends or family and is not expected to be paid back hence the term “gift”.

Credit Card
Do you have a credit card with a high enough limit to pay for IVF? If so, this might be one of your options of financing IVF. Make sure your interest rate is not out of hand or you will be paying MUCH more than you should for the IVF treatment.

Savings Account
Use your hard earned savings. If you’ve been good at tucking away money for the past few years, this might be a great way to pay for your IVF and fertility treatment. Once again, you can pay up front and forget about the money part of infertility.

401K Loan
Some 401K loans allow you to borrow for medical reasons. Check with your 401K provider for more information. Borrowing from your 401K is not the best option but can help if your options are limited.

Shared Risk Programs
Shared risk plans can be a great way to finance IVF while giving you multiple attempts. For example, my wife and I did a shared risk program and it allowed 3 fresh IVF cycles and 3 frozen embryo transfers for one price. If you do not bring a baby home from the hospital, you are guaranteed a large portion of your money back. Not everyone will be approved for a shared risk program. There are age restrictions as well as fertility tests that the woman might have to go through before being approved. The cost of a shared risk program can be up to $30,000 or more but it does offer multiple tries. Our shared risk program did not include the IVF drugs which can cost upwards of $4,000 to $5,000 for a fresh IVF cycle. Ask your IVF clinic if the participate in a shared risk program.

IntegraMed Specialty Healthcare Services has a popular shared risk program you can look into.

Get Second Jobs
This obviously is not the ideal situation since you will already have added stress from infertility but getting a second job might be a good option to save up that extra money for the IVF treatments. If you have a skill, you can also use that to consult and do some side projects for extra money.

Home Equity Loan
You can use some of your home equity if you have some built up. Obviously the housing situation is not at it’s best right now so this might be a tough option but it is none the less, an option.

IVF Trials
Some IVF clinics have trials of IVF treatments. Look around to see if an IVF clinic near you is having a trial. You must still do your due diligence and research the IVF facility to make sure they have a good reputation but an IVF trial can often be free or very inexpensive if you are chosen.

Tax Return Check
See, an you never thought the IRS would help you out. You can use your tax return to pay for IVF or a portion of IVF. You can even plan accordingly have have extra money taken out of your paycheck so you know you will have a larger tax return come next March.

Decrease Your Standard of living
Lower your standard of living can help save the money you need over time. Make coffee at home. Pack your lunch. Don’t eat out so much. Skip vacation this year. Don’t buy the new car. All of these things add up over time and can help you put a nice chunk of money away to pay for your IVF treatment(s).

I’m sure there are more options to pay for IVF and fertility treatments but this list will get you started. Make sure you check with your insurance administrator to see if you have benefits that cover IVF and fertility treatments first. This will be your best option for paying for IVF if it’s available to you. Always speak with the finance specialist at the IVF clinic to weigh out all of your possibilities.