Money Money Money Money

I don't wish I necessarily had ALL the money in the world, but enough to not have to worry about it would be nice. I am a new homeowner, newly married, working a very "normal" office job, and I DO NOT have $16,000 laying around for IVF! I am not sure how many people in my situation would? It's depressing to go through the inner struggle of: Do I spend MORE than my life savings on a CHANCE to get pregnant? Or do we spend MORE than our life savings and go straight to adoption? My husband and I spent hours weighing the pros and cons. In our situation our decision was finally made when I found out I could get additional insurance that helped cover part of the expense. (we did, however find out that you still need to have the money up front and insurance reimburses you) I have heard of several ways that couples have financed IVF

• Loans (easier to get probably before the economy went down hill) I once had someone tell me that taking out a loan was like having an extra car payment for 5 years and it was well worth the price of being able to have their own children - she has twin girls through IVF
• Grants - there are IVF grants available depending on where you live and what your qualifications are
• Studies - some clinics may give a small discount if you agree to participate in any studies they have going on
• Mom and Dad - a lot of young couples may borrow money from a family member or receive a gift (this can be a tax write-off)
• Work your tail off - get a second job and put all the money away in a fund
• Fundraisers - I have even heard of couples holding fundraisers for themselves

My husband and I have decided that it is worth spending some of our hard-earned money for a CHANCE to have our own biological child. (and we do have parents who want to be grandparents bad enough to help out a bit as well!)

It's worth it to us to try at least once; if it is not meant to be, it isn't, but at least we will know that we tried.