Fertility is a Big Business
My concerns were growing and I was beginning to doubt the plan we had been following. 6 IUIs and nothing. Plus, now they wanted to do another test, but hadn’t I already taken every test possible prior to starting this process? I googled the HSG test and the information was alarming. It was described as one of the first tests that is done with infertility to determine what parts of the female anatomy may not be working properly to properly determine the best course of treatment. It was also described as a test done to verify that IUI will work. Wait a minute... so what google was telling me was that I had just spent months and lots of money doing IUI after IUI without even taking the test to make sure that my body would allow IUI to be successful. *side note: I realize google is not always an adequate research tool; however, it can lead to blogs and medical websites that have a lot of good information. So please always be mindful when googling medical information*
I called a friend who had been through fertility treatments and asked her about the HSG test. It was one of the first tests she had done and was told it had to be done prior to treatments to determine whether your tubes are open. Great. I called another friend and she confirmed the same thing. She also mentioned that hers had to be done before she could start IUI. Awesome. I was so angry. Money had been wasted, and what was even more concerning was the time that we had lost. Every month matters when it comes to fertility and we had lost approximately 9 months, which ironically is the length of pregnancy.
I contacted the specialist and informed him that I would not be returning. I also requested that my entire file be printed and available for pick up immediately. I then started researching new fertility specialists and discovered two that people seemed to recommend. I contacted both of them and discovered that one could get me in for an appointment in 6 weeks while the other had a wait list and I could not be seen for 5 months. I made appointments with both because I had a good feeling about the one that couldn't get me in for 5 months, but I was also interested in starting the process as soon as possible so 6 weeks sounded much better. After waiting 6 weeks, I arrived at my appointment with all of my paperwork and extensive notes that I had been keeping in an app. I had also been doing my research over the last 6 weeks and I was ready to make a plan that would yield results. However, that is not what I got.
I sat down with the doctor and watched as he quickly thumbed through all of my paperwork. He kept mentioning that it was not enough information and that it didn’t tell him anything. I was dumbfounded. I had arrived with the complete file from my gynecologist, the entire file from the specialist, and all of my personal information. Anything he needed to know was right in front of him. Repeatedly I asked what information he couldn’t find in my file and then I would quickly pull out whatever information he said he needed, but he still didn’t seem to care. Then he said it didn’t really matter because I would have to redo most of the testing as they needed their own data to treat me.
I refused. I told him I would do the HSG test because it had not been done before, but our insurance didn’t cover fertility treatments so everything was out of pocket and I refused to retake tests unnecessarily. Besides, the results were right in front of him so how could he not just use the information available to determine the next steps. It was at this point that he mentioned that we would even need to redo our genetic testing. I almost exploded. I understood that some data could change over time so you may need updated information; however, genetics don't change. The genetic testing that Adam and I had taken years ago to show what diseases we were carriers for would be the same. I was done.
It was at this point that I realized something very important. Fertility treatment is a big business. It makes a lot of money. The more tests you take and the longer you are treated, the more money they make. Plus insurance often doesn’t cover fertility treatments so a lot of people are paying directly, and these are people who so desperately want a baby that they will do and pay anything. Sadly, some of these fertility companies exploit this fact to make a lot of money and they are rarely questioned because having a baby is a miracle that does not easily happen. Thus, as long as the specialists say they are trying their best to give you a baby, you return time and time again to do whatever is asked of you while opening your wallet.
Well I was officially done opening my wallet for just anyone. I wanted someone who treated me like a person and didn’t just see dollar signs. I left that fertility specialist’s office that day and never returned despite their multiple follow up calls.