The Egg Dilemma

When someone is diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, the chemo that is given can affect a woman's eggs and fertility. This could result in a problem with a future pregnancy or with the resulting child. Because of this, we looked into a clinic that could harvest my daughter’s eggs and then store them. This was very expensive, costing around ten thousand dollars. We had to figure out how to pay for it if my insurance didn’t cover it. Luckily, it did, but my thought was, what about all the people who don’t have the wonderful insurance I have? It really is a problem and I wish I had information to offer. I do know the clinic had some type of program that would help, but it didn’t pay for the whole amount. Be sure if you need to do this to ask if the clinic you go to has any programs that help to defray the cost.

Protecting your fertility can be expensive

In addition to the cost of harvesting my daughter's egg, then there was the expense of freezing the eggs and storing them. This cost my daughter around sixty dollars a month. That’s almost a thousand every year. And, who knows how long she will have to pay it? She was only 25 at the time and wasn’t even in a serious relationship. Crystal wasn’t thinking about or planning on children just yet, but what about in the future? She might want children then so she knew this was something she had to do. But with that choice comes the monthly bill.

It’s a Scary Thing

Cancer is a scary thing, and who knows how it will affect your life. Having her eggs harvested could send my daughter into early menopause and who knows what other effects it could have. Luckily my daughter, Crystal, is ok, and the $60 a month is the least of her worries. However, having cancer, or any disease for that matter, is extremely expensive. It doesn’t seem fair to be burdened with all of the costs that come with trying to get yourself healthy. There is already enough on your mind without having to worry about expenses or what insurances will and will not cover. I wish I had the magic answer. The best I can offer is to do everything you can to get better and worry about the money later. Your health is the most important thing. Without it, it won’t matter how much you owe, so put it into perspective and make getting healthy your first priority.

Do your research about the impact of treatment on fertility

The next thing you need to do is your research. The doctor didn’t tell Crystal about protecting her eggs. She found out about this by doing research on her own about the type of cancer she had. No matter how good your doctor is, you have to be your own best advocate. Nobody is going to care about you the way that you do. Make sure you always have a family member with you or a trusted friend. This way, if something happens or there is a question, they will be there to help if you’re not up to it. Two ears are always better than one. Everyone makes mistakes. Doctors and nurses are no exception. Take care of yourself first and have a backup caregiver. Moms are the best - just sayin’!