I'm excited, sort of

Tomorrow is THE big day. Up until two days ago the only emotion I experienced was excitement.  You can now add nervousness and apprehension to that list. I can’t imagine that the RE will tell me that I’m not a candidate and that they can’t help me.  Well, they could, but it’s highly unlikely.  So what has me worried?  Cost – plain and simple.  Can I afford the treatment(s)? I have been reading blog after blog by women who have gone through this process already and they are having a ton of tests done and in most cases they had four or more IUIs performed before they became prego.  I will continue to scout for costing information, but thus far no one talks about how expensive it is. I know it varies by location and whether or not insurance covers costs, but I am still interested in knowing more.  I want to know how they can afford it so that I can take comfort in knowing that I can afford it too.  I make a very good salary, but I also own my own home and all the expenses that go along with it.  I checked with my insurance and they won’t cover anything unless I’m infertile, which I’m not. (Though I was just diagnosed with PCOS last January, which can cause infertility).  The receptionist at the RE’s office was awesome about giving me some out of pocket expense information. Initial consultation is $300.  The base cost for a typical IUI procedure is roughly $1,200 - $2,200 not including prescreening and medication.  Prescreening is paid once and can range anywhere from $1,500 to $1,800. Medication ($300 - $3,000 for more intensive stages) is paid per cycle as is the IUI procedure cost.  Using that as my basis I think I can afford three IUIs, assuming that I take drugs that are on the cheap side. This of course also assumes that my flexible spending account covers some of the costs (which I still need to check on).  What if, however, there are other costs the receptionist didn't know about?  So I admit I'm nervous and even a bit apprehensive that I won't be able to afford to do artificial insemination (AI).

For today at least, instead of worrying myself to death, I am going to bask in the anticipation of tomorrow.  If I decide to go through with this it’s going to be a long hard road, filled with many ups and downs.  There may not be that many days where I can simply revel in the sheer excitement of it all.  Tomorrow will come soon enough, but for today I am going to enjoy the thrill of knowing that tomorrow I could be embarking on a life altering experience.