Running for Our Cause

In my last post I mentioned another doctor at Fertility Centers of Illinois that offered to help us raise money for our July Birdies for Babies Golf Outing. Her name is Dr. Eve Feinberg. She is running the North Shore Half Marathon on June 12, 2011 in Highland Park, IL. She is dedicating her run to our cause and donating all money she raises to our Birdies for Babies event. You can watch her fundraising progress through the widget on the top right side of this blog site. Greg and I are so thankful to have her help and are truly amazed by her generosity. Her actions are just one example of the many ways the doctors at FCI go "above and beyond" for their patients. It is so important to be treated by doctors like this, that are not only medically knowledgeable, but also understand the emotional side of infertility. While our fertility journey has been a challenging one, I am truly grateful to have met some amazing new friends and be surrounded by such a wonderful support system. Thanks again to Dr. Feinberg!! Good luck in your race! We will be there to cheer you on.

Busting an Infertility Myth

Myth:  Surrogacy is only for the rich or celebrities.

Busted!: When most people hear the word surrogacy, they think of Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, or one of the other celebrities that has used a surrogate to have a child. Others might just think of dollar signs. Well, Greg and I are not celebrities(at least not yet) and we are definitely not rich. It is true that surrogacy is an expensive process. The cost of surrogacy can range from $50,000-$80,000. There are many fees associated with surrogacy including, but not limited to the following: agency, surrogate compensation, legal, criminal background checks, mental health examinations, life insurance, health insurance and other policies, and escrow management. 
 

The variance in the cost of surrogacy depends on a number of factors. Do the intended parents have a friend/family member that is willing/able to carry the baby for them or will they need to find a surrogate? Will they use an agency/infertility consultant to help locate a surrogate or will they try to find one independently? Does the surrogate have health insurance or will the intended parents need to purchase a health insurance policy for her? Is the intended mother able to use her own eggs or will they need donor eggs? The cost of surrogacy can differ depending on these factors, but like everything, there is a certain amount of risk involved in any path. 

Intended parents can find the money to pay for the surrogacy process in a variety of different areas. Some may have had enough time to save a portion or all of the cost. Others are lucky enough to have family members that can loan them some or all of the money needed. Another option is borrowing against retirement plans/insurance policies or taking out a Home Equity Loan if you are able. 

Our fertility consultant, Mindy Berkson, of Lotus Blossom Consulting, has a new ebook out in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week(NIAW) called "Everything You Need To Know About Navigating the Infertility Maze". She wrote this to help couples set clear expectations and explore financial options before embarking on their journey through infertility. It is her hope to help her clients become their own best advocate through the process. 60% of the proceeds of this book go to The Jude Andrew Adams Charitable Fund, the not-for-profit arm of Lotus Blossom Consulting. This fund was established to help a financially needy couple receive a complementary treatment cycle. More information can be found on Mindy's website. 

A final option for funding surrogacy is to search for any grants/financing options on the Internet. There are financing options available for couples that do not have insurance. Assistance for couples that choose adoption as a way to build their family is also available. However, there does not appear to be much in terms of grants for surrogacy. Greg and I were lucky enough to meet Todd and Melissa Trader, the founders of Birdies for Babies, a non-profit organization that was started to help couples start their families. Their annual outing in September, which is sponsored by Fertility Centers of Illinois, raises money for families that have to pay out-of-pocket for fertility treatments. Our special July outing will help us to raise money to cover some of the cost of the surrogacy process. 

As you can see, surrogacy does not discriminate. If it is your "plan b", there are ways to make it happen by taking the time to learn about the surrogacy process and financial options before rushing into anything. I would like to close with a quote from Mindy:

 "In my experience taking the time to build the foundation for surrogacy and pull together all the necessary pieces that need to accompany a surrogacy arrangement is the best approach.  In the long run this always maximizes chances of success for my clients and minimizes financial expenditures not just for one cycle, but for the end family building goal."

To gain a basic understanding of Infertility, visit http://www.resolve.org/infertility101

To learn more about National Infertility Awareness Week, visit http://www.resolve.org/takecharge.

Pulling Down the Moon

Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) has a special relationship with a a place called Pulling Down the Moon(PDtM). PDtM offers holistic treatments for fertility that can be used in their own or in conjunction with Western Medicine. There are several locations throughout the Chicagoland area. Some of the services offered are yoga for fertility, acupuncture, nutrition and massage. The founders of PDtM also authored a book called Fully Fertile. I had been noticing fliers for PDtM when I would be at FCI and finally decided to attend one of their workshops. Today, my sister-in-law, Meghan, and I went to a Fully Fertile Book Group at the Arlington Heights location. It was led by Beth Heller one of the authors and founders of PDtM. It was such a nice experience to meet Beth and to talk with other women also experiencing infertility. The Fully Fertile book is excellent. I highly recommend it.  I knew instantly that this was a place I wanted to start visiting throughout my fertility treatments for additional physical and emotional support. You can learn more about Pulling Down the Moon at www.pullingdownthemoon.com

Discovering the problem-Fall 2005

My medical issue was discovered back in the fall of 2005. I had been experiencing extremely heavy and painful menstrual periods for the past few months. One month during a three week long menstrual period, I was commuting back to the city from my job in Gurnee, screaming and crying because of the painful cramps I was experiencing. The pain would not go away. My roommates came home that evening to find me crying and still in extreme pain. I had called my OB-GYN and the doctor on call said that I needed to go to the emergency room. My roommates brought me to the hospital, where I was given an iv. The doctor did a pelvic exam and complete blood count, which revealed that I was very anemic. He recommended that I follow-up with my regular OB-GYN the next day.

The OB-GYN visit the next day, revealed that the lining of my uterus was as if I was three months pregnant. My doctor did a Dilation and Curettage(D&C) that day to stop the bleeding. The D&C revealed uterine fibroids as the cause of the bleeding and I was referred to a reproductive endocrinologist(RE), named Dr. Angie Beltsos, at Fertility Centers of Illinois(FCI) for further evaluation and treatment. Upon meeting with Dr. Beltsos, a surgery called a myomectomy was scheduled for December 2005. A myomectomy is a surgery to remove uterine fibroids. The type of myomectomy that I had was the least invasive and an out-patient procedure. Dr. Beltsos was able to remove most of the fibroids with this first surgery. After surgery, we decided that we would schedule a second surgery in March 2006 to remove the remaining fibroids. During this second surgery, Dr. Beltsos found a new nest of growing fibroids under some scar tissue from the first surgery. I apparently have many small fibroids that grow on the uterine lining inside of my uterus. They also appear to grow quite quickly. I decided that I would treat the symptoms of my fibroids with a birth control pill and schedule regular saline ultrasounds to monitor the fibroid growth. This would be the course of treatment until I was married and ready to start a family. To learn more about Fertility Centers of Illinois and Dr. Beltsos, follow this link: http://www.fcionline.com/about-fci/meet-our-physicians.html