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My Story

Hi there, welcome to my blog. Yes I am a drama queen and yes I have been deemed “infertile” by a few of the medical experts in the great State of Colorado but that hasn’t made me give up my quest to have children quite yet. My husband and I have been on the emotional roller coaster of infertility since March of 2009 when I stopped taking birth control after being on it for ten straight years. I have been keeping a journal since the start of this process and thought I would share it with all of the other incredible women out there who may be going through the same thing or similar thing that I am. At age 28, I have been diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Failure (POF). With no history of fertility problems on either side of my family and normal periods before going on the pill, I was left to accept that I have this condition and that there is no medical explanation for it. Since receiving this diagnosis from a fertility specialist in May 2009, I decided I simply wasn’t going to accept that I wasn’t going to have children with my own eggs. I jumped into the world of Eastern Medicine, worked with an Endocrinologist and even went on a fertility diet trying to get my ovaries to start functioning normally. The conclusion I have come to is this…..having Celiac Disease (Gluten/Flour intolerance) and continuing to eat flour throughout most of my childhood and part of adulthood caused my body to produce anti-bodies that have now started attacking the organs/glands in my body. After a visit to an endocrinologist in December 2009, it was determined that I have ovarian antibodies which are essentially antibodies produced by my body that only attack the endocrine system. No doctor has actually confirmed my self diagnosis that the Gluten Intolerance caused this but Celiac Disease is an auto immune disorder and any auto immune disorder can cause your body to attack itself. I am currently waiting to see a Reproductive Endocrinologist to see what the next steps for me will be. I have read that doctors can try and stimulate the Pituitary Gland to get your Endocrine System running again or that you can be given steroids to help restore ovary function. I am hoping to receive one of these treatments in the near future but only time will tell. In the past 10 months, I have watched many of my close friends become pregnant while I remain a sad statistic. This blog contains my thoughts as I struggle through the process of figuring out what in the world is going on with my body and how I continue to try to stay upbeat and positive about my fertility and enjoy my life. I hope that my blog can help others would love to hear from other women going through the same thing, inspiring stories or anyone who just needs encouragement. I know and understand how difficult every day can be once you have received the POF or infertile diagnosis and want you all to know that I am here for you. Please note that some of you may feel I am sharing to much information (TMI) and for that I am sorry. If you want to read my blog…you get all the details. You never know what will be helpful to someone else right? God bless everyone and I wish you luck on your fertility adventures:0) Remember mind over matter!

My intent is to raise awareness of the issues. Please do not rely on this or any other article when making decisions that will affect you and your health. These are things I have decided to try after much research.
I am sorry I have to even ask, but this research stuff is starting to get expensive. I am just asking for $1.00 donation for posts you feel have helped you. I will use all donations to help fund my research and doctors appointments and of course report back to you. Baby dust to all of you and dont worry we will all find a way to have children.

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Infertile – a horrible word used to make women who are already feeling bad about themselves want to jump into a pool of chocolate fudge and eat their sorrows away only to realize that not only can they not get pregnant but now they don’t fit in their clothes. A word so easily tossed around by doctors that they don’t even realize they are saying it and a word that you never under any circumstances should google unless you want your brain to explode.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Insurance Information

Happy Monday to everyone! I am going to start this blog off complaining..weird right? I never complain. When my infertility journey started last May, I called both my primary and secondary insurance companies to see if either would cover my acupuncture treatments. My primary said they didn’t cover it and my secondary said that they did cover it. All I had to do was pay out of pocket and then submit the receipts. It is now 10 months later and I have yet to see any of that money. For months, I would log on to view my account and see that the processing had been stalled because they needed a diagnosis code, or a letter from my primary insurance or my primary insurance information. I provided everything I could to them and after not receiving a check in January, I called them last Friday afternoon. What they neglected to tell me in May when I called is that acupuncture is covered, but only after my $3,000 a year deductible. So not only am I not going to get any of the $1,500 I spent in 2009 on acupuncture back, it will not be able to count towards my total in 2010 because it is a different calendar year which means….I am out that money. Moral of this story, when you are calling your insurance companies to see what they cover and don’t cover, please be sure to ask if the coverage is before of after you meet some kind of deductible. I don’t even care that I’m not getting the money back because my acupuncture has been my saving grace through this whole process. Carol, my acupuncturist, is incredible and she is very encouraging. In my experience, you rarely find doctors in the fertility field that are positive so you if you find one…keep them around you are going to need them. Right now, I am sort of getting my financial ducks in a row. I am trying to get insurance coverage for fertility treatments. My secondary insurance will cover up to $15,000 for life which is great but may not be enough. I have been doing some research and below is what I found on the Shared Journey website. Link is http://www.sharedjourney.com/costs/insurance.html.


There are three types of fertility insurance:

1. Standard Health Insurance: Standard health insurance requires that you pay a monthly premium in exchange for specific fertility coverage.

2. Refund Programs: With these types of programs, you pay up front for your fertility treatments. If you do not have a baby, between 70% and 100% of the money is paid back to you.

3. Financing: Loans can be taken out to cover infertility procedures. If you do not have a baby, these loans do not have to be repaid in full.

You need to ask what the insurance will cover. Medications, IVF, IUI, etc.

Who Can Get Fertility Insurance?

Unfortunately, not everyone can get fertility insurance. Though it varies from insurer to insurer, there are normally certain qualifications that you have to meet before being approved for fertility insurance. To qualify for infertility insurance, couples who already hold an insurance policy usually need to be: under the age of 40,struggling with fertility for a specific period of time (ranging from one to five years) and policy holders for at least one year.

Laws Governing Fertility Insurance

Depending upon where you live, there are different laws regarding fertility insurance. Some states have a mandate that requires all employers with more than 50 employees offer health care coverage that includes some type of fertility insurance. These states include: New York,New Jersey, Ohio, Montana, Massachusetts , Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Connecticut, Hawaii , Illinois. Other states have no mandate requiring employers to offer fertility insurance.

Are You Covered?

Before undergoing fertility treatments, it is important to check your insurance policy to see if any fertility treatments are included with your plan. Be sure to ask your employer for a copy of your full insurance policy, listing all inclusions and exclusions. If fertility treatment or testing is not specifically excluded in the policy, your provider is required to pay for the treatments. Write a letter to your insurance provider asking for detailed information regarding your infertility insurance or speak with your insurance broker. If you are not covered, you may be interested in investing in an infertility insurance policy. Call your local providers and ask for an insurance quote.

It is important to also remember that if you will have to get more coverage, not to come out and say you need fertility treatments. Insurance companies will be reluctant to cover anyone who already knows will need expensive treatments which can be costly to an insurance provided. I’m not telling you to commit insurance fraud, I am just saying to only give the necessary details. Hope this information helps! I am off to find out what my coverage on my primary is.
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Reading Materials/Other Items That Have Helped Me

  • Inconceivable
  • Making Babies by Sami S. David, MD & Jill Blakeway, LAc
  • pre-seed Fertility-friendly Intimate Moisturizer
  • restoring fertility - yoga for optimal fertility dvd - you can feel it working!
  • Taking Charge for Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH
  • The Infertility Cure by Randin Lewis, Ph. D.