The aftermath

Throughout this journey I have always been grateful for the NHS. There are so many accounts from American IF bloggers who, if not insured, have had to find the funding for their IF treatment. In fact I have always found it quite scary to hear just how much money people have invested in trying to have a baby. In the UK we really are very lucky, (hark at me, not a bitter bone in my body!) although I could have done with being a bit luckier (and actually got some funding!).

Our My plan (if things got to the assisted conception stage) was to have a free go on the NHS and then when if that didn't work we would fund our second (and last) attempt by hopefully going down the egg sharing route (which is cheaper). I'm not concerned about sharing my eggs, in fact I quite like the thought that my eggs may be helping another couple conceive. My only concern with egg sharing is whether I will produce enough and whether they will be of good quality.

Anyway, I'm digressing. Let's get back to the money issue. I'm crap with money. I've never saved for anything in my life. Now the husband, he is fantastic with money. He is a saver. After our hospital appointment we discussed the issue of paying for treatment and my lovely husband said that if we have to pay, we pay. Which is easy for him, as a saver. Not so easy for us as a couple. I fear that he is going to say that we are going to have to save for it. Save! Saving takes time and I want to start treatment as soon as. So now I am worried. I'm worried that we will have to stall the referral. I'm worried about how much it is all going to cost. I'm worried about how we are going to pay for it, and I'm worried that we are going to fall out over the money issue. (In case you hadn't guessed, I'm a worrier, I really do worry about everything).

This morning I worked out how much it would cost us if we were able to go down the egg sharing route and how much it would cost if we ended up having to pay for a full IVF cycle.*

It isn't an extortionate amount of money but it is more than we bargained for (before Tuesday when we were fairly smug that we would get a go on the NHS). I have a small amount of money saved up - would have had more but overspent one month! We very recently purchased a new car (which I can't part with because I absolutely adore it and, if this treatment does not work, I will need some creature comforts and joy). So that just leaves the husband's savings or, some funds from the impending house sale.

Ah! The house. Could that be the answer? I think yes. There are a couple of concerns about the house sale. The first, is that it is going to fall through (quite a biggy), the second is that we don't know exactly how much we are going to be left with (we really didn't make a killing on the sale and then there is the solicitors / estate agents fees etc.) and thirdly, we did have a plan that would have meant staying on the property ladder (sort of). Using some of the house money would change our plans on the house buying front but, at the moment, I think this is a priority. All I need to do now is convince the husband.

Blimey! Tuesday's hospital appointment has really opened up a whole new load of dilemmas which, if I am being honest with you, has left me kind of excited.

*If I don't produce enough eggs or they are not good enough we get the option to revert to a full paying cycle. We need to be prepared for this.