I didn't need coffee to fire me up this morning. What did it? Reading Flicka's post about the lukewarm response from politicians when she raised the issue of better insurance coverage for those combating infertility. Mel has joined her in looking to underscore the effort to help enlighten politicians with real stories about why this is such an important issue through an effort called Blogativism.  Here's my story. I'll be mailing this to my representatives:

Why Insurance Coverage for Infertility Would Have Made a Difference

I was diagnosed in my early 30s with endometriosis, a condition that can prevent otherwise healthy women from successfully conceiving. My husband had been diagnosed with varicocele, a condition that also contributes to infertility. Together they torpedoed our likelihood of ever becoming parents naturally. Doctors told us our odds of success the old fashioned way was in the teens, but that new medical techniques known as ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) combined with IVF (in vitro fertilization) had led to breakthrough results: babies.  We immediately made appointments to see reproductive endocrinologists (REs) to learn more. 

While surgery wasn't our first choice, and we were reeling from news about our biological factors, we were in for greater shock when we learned that the necessary medical procedures were not covered by our health insurance.  Two different RE clinics quoted $18,000 for one cycle. It was a monumental setback. The cost being prohibitive we opted to see if less expensive treatments might work. They didn't. In the meantime nearly four years later, desperation set in. My eggs had not improved with age but we had no choice. We paid the $18,000 for ICSI IVF and joyfully learned that we've made five viable embryos. Sadly, no pregnancy resulted. We tried again. No baby.

We know that time is not on the side of couples who want to conceive. Would our outcome have been different if we'd had health insurance available? We'll never know, will we? I hope that no other couple has to grapple with that dilemma. To walk by empty bedrooms and wonder if a son or daughter might have come if money had not been such a significant factor ... it's a horrible "what if" to live with day in and day out.

We are not alone. There are 7.2 million couples in U.S. having trouble conceiving. Let me put a human face on this. Both my husband and I have been working and paying taxes since we were 15 years old. We have voted in elections since we were eligible. My husband served in the Navy. We have been active in efforts to make our neighborhoods safer, our schools stronger and our environment cleaner. We are members of RESOLVE, the national infertility association, but we need greater political support, we need your help. Please make every effort to broaden health insurance coverage for couples fighting infertility.  Thank you, in advance, for your active efforts to do the right thing.