The Meds

As I mentioned last week, I received all the prescriptions for the next round of IVF. I had them sent to the same pharmacy I got my meds through during the first cycle. Seeing the total was going to be around $6,000 just made me nervous. 

Read more: The Meds

At first, I thought it was the idea of doing all those injections again. I later realized, it was the price. If it really is going to cost $8,000/cycle ($2,000 for the procedure + $6,000 for meds), I wasn’t sure we’d be able to do the 2-3 cycles necessary to build up a bank of viable embryos. 

And then I had a thought. 

Maybe I should call the Kaiser pharmacy with my meds list and see what their prices would be if I went through them. 

There was a little confusion with who I should talk to at first, but I eventually spoke with a pharmacy tech who was very kind and patient as I provided her with the laundry list of meds.

Below is the price comparison:

Pregnyl 10000 UNIT
Kaiser Cost: $69.55
Alto Cost: $210

*Omnitrope 5.8 MG
Kaiser Cost: $1,018.49
Alto Cost: $1,107.00
*If I get a prior authorization, this one could be covered at a better price. I’m still waiting to hear on that. 

Menopur 75 UNIT
Kaiser Cost: $250
Alto Cost: $1,560

Leuprolide Pf Trigger Single Dose Vial (2 Vials) 5 mg/1ml
Kaiser Cost: $583
Alto Cost: $210

Gonal F Rff Redi Ject 900/1.5 ML
Kaiser Cost: $250
Alto Cost: $2,520

Fyremadel 250 MCG/0.5
Kaiser Cost: $638.60
Alto Cost: $94

In addition to the above meds, there are other prescriptions for the cycle. Those, however, are all negligible in price (grand total of <$50), when compared with the above list. 

By using the most economical pharmacy for each medicine, the new total is just under $2,000. That is HUGE! Based on that price, we might actually be able to do two or three cycles, if they’re needed. 

This news makes it feel as if a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. And, for the first time in a while, I’m allowing myself to be incredibly optimistic and hopeful that this try with IVF will work. 

I will continue to leave up our GoFundMe campaign, though, as we could certainly have some unforeseen costs that come up along the way, and there will be additional costs during a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) and/or early pregnancy (hopefully). Many friends and family members have reached out about how they can help, and the GFM page gives them an easy place to do that. 

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If you’d like to help us on this journey–whether through monetary donations; sharing our fundraising efforts; or sending prayers, thoughts, or good vibes–please visit our GoFundMe page or reach out to ivfthat@gmail.com.