Money money MONEY

Happy May Day!!!!
I have been seriously slacking with updating our funds raised thermometer on the right. I have the number (before adding in the St Patrick's day cupcake event, the Mary Kay event, the Cherry Berry event, and the latest Scentsy payments... simply because I don't have those checks/money yet. I have estimates and numbers, but until that money is in our account, it's not going on the thermometer), I just need to update it!!!!

So, on to other fundraiser updates....
Have you placed your cookie order yet? We (meaning Mandi) have enough supplies to make 7 more orders of ribbons and 8 more orders of crabs. I want to get these sold so there are NO leftover supplies!! Come on people!!! You can order here:http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/388112987876732/
And your order will be shipped anywhere in the US!!!

There will be a 31 Gifts fundraiser this month!! I'm super excited about it, as I LOVE Thirty-One!!! I will post all those details as soon as I have them for sure!

I also heard from Janet, the massage therapist that worked so hard for us at the Cut-A-Thon. She wants to do a massage fundraiser for us, along with the person she works with. I, obviously, am super dee duper excited about this!! I will give more details on it as soon as I can.

And the last update of the evening.... Everyone loves garage sales right? Have stuff to get rid of? If  you'd like to donate some stuff for us to sell, let me know! You can get rid of it NOW if you'd like, as our amazing friends have offered up their garage as storage until the garage sale in August. :) Let us know and I can give you the details!!!

That's all I've got for today.....
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I know I said I'd get back to our story this week, and I will. But today's post will be about the cost of IVF. Going over all the fundraiser info, I figured you'd all be interested in it. And, also, you should all know where your money is going! Remember, we're not spending your precious dollars (and yes, each dollar is precious and so very important to us!) on Red Lobster and date nights! It's all sitting in savings, waiting to be used!
Each clinic that I've looked into has given price lists with a break down on each fee. And that, in conjunction with success rates, has really impacted our decision. There were other factors, too. But those two were the front runners in my mind. Last week I showed you the success rates of the clinics we are considering. Today I will show you the price break down of them both. This is part of our story. This is just the present part, instead of the past. :)

So. First I will give you the price list of the clinic that is very close to us (I wish it was local, but it's two hours away. That's close enough!).

IVF Single Cycle Package Price (without ICSI)-     $7905
IVF Single Cycle Package Price (WITH ICSI)-       $8580
(Note: From what we've been told we will need ICSI.)

In the Single Cycle Package:
-Ultrasound monitoring
-Estradiol blood tests
-Egg retrieval
-General insemination of the eggs (this would be without ICSI)
-Embryologist fee
-Embryo culture
-Embryo transfer WITH ultrasound guidance


Extended Culture Fee-                                         $1000
(Note: This will be refunded if the embryos need to be transferred before Day 5. I personally really really hope our embryos make it to the Day 5 Blastocyst stage and think that $1000 is totally worth it)
Embryo Glue (not sure if we need)-                    $75

Now, that all sounds cheap enough right? Okay, not cheap. But, definitely better than some other clinics! But, there's also add-on's that aren't included in the package price because they can vary by person. Here they are:
Pre-Cycle Evaluation (most of these SHOULD be covered by our insurance as of right now):
     -IVF sperm workup                                        $405
     -Freeze sperm sample for back up                 $130 (won't need this!)
     -Injection teaching                                         $50-100
     -ART screen, Saline sonogram and trial transfer both vary and may or may not be covered by insurance

Then there's EVERYTHING ELSE:
-Medications                                                      $1500-3000+ (3k is average)
-Infection Disease Testing                                 $150-300
-Anesthesia                                                        $500-700
-Assisted Hatching                                            $400 (hopefully wouldn't need)
-Sperm Isolation                                                $350
-Embryo Freezing (billed after transfer)            $800
-Frozen embryo storage                                    $200/year


So..... From talking to a wonderful employee at that clinic who gave me a number she said they tell patients to prepare for, we are looking at about $14000. For ONE SINGLE ROUND of IVF. Most people are probably reading that thinking "Ohmygosh that's INSANE." And yes, it is. It's obviously not an amount we have in our bank account! BUT this number is still almost $6000 cheaper than the ONE clinic we have here locally, all said and done. Yes, we'll have to travel two hours to go to this clinic, but we KIND of have the hook up in that city, with a place to stay during monitoring, and a free hotel room the day of the embryo transfer (thanks to the amazing friend we will be staying with!).



NOW.... Onto the only other clinic that is anywhere in the running......

Single Cycle Package cost-                                  $9500
Extended Culture for Day 5 Transfer-                  -no extra fee- (different from other clinic!!!)
ICSI-                                                                    $1200 (different from other clinic!!!)

Included in this package:
Ovarian Stimulation monitoring
Anesthesia for egg retrieval (different from other clinic!!!!)
Egg retrieval
Fertilization and culture of eggs
Embryo transfer
All physician, IVF lap, and facility fees

Then the add ons:
Pre-Cycle evaluation (NO PRICES LISTED)
Medications-                                                        $1500-3000+ (3k is average!)
Embryo freezing-                                                 $700
Frozen embryo storage-                                       $600/year

So, the cost for THIS clinic will be about the same. Except of course the much higher yearly storage fee for any frozen embryos we have. AND that doesn't include the pre-cycle evaluation costs which I don't have. So, all in all, a little higher. And their success rates are a little higher.... The downside to this clinic is that it is NOT two hours away. It's not even a distance we would drive. We'd fly. And that's not cheap!! Even if we stayed with someone there, the cost of flying there (multiple times) is really outrageous and considerably bumps up the cost of the whole thing... Their success rates are better, yes. That's why this clinic is still TECHNICALLY in the running....


Now... There are Money Back Guarantee options. At BOTH clinics. One offers their own, the other is in the Attain program. Essentially you pay X amount (not including medications) and you get something like 3 fresh and 3 frozen transfers. If you get pregnant, you stop trying. If you don't, you get to try again. I know that the clinic that has their own program, this also covers if you have a miscarriage. So, you get to keep trying until you bring HOME a baby. Then, after you've tried all those times that were covered, if you still don't have a baby, you get 70-80% of your money back....
We SERIOUSLY considered this option. It's what I wanted once I finally FOUND it. I had my heart set. BUT, I think we'd have to wait a REALLY long time to start if we had to come up with the MUCH higher price of the money back guarantee plan. And, then my chances go down anyway. So. I'd rather just bust my rear and figure out a way to pay for one first. And then if it doesn't work, hopefully we'll have some frozen embryos to try to transfer (about $3k). THEN if that doesn't work, we can try to save up/raise enough to try another single cycle.



So, that's where we're at. Those are the numbers that are going through my head at least once a day. Our goal is still set at $10000, even though we'll need 14000 total, because we are obviously going to have a hand in saving for this huge life changing event. Since really, we're the only ones who REALLY get the benefit. Now it's time for me to update our thermometer, and it's time for YOU to share this blog ;)
Thanks for reading!!!