For some, fulfilling the dream of parenthood is an expensive one.
Natalie Knepper is finding that out year after year as she continues her journey to become a mother.
"I don't think people understand how much it does, as much as you don't want it to, control your life," she said.
Knepper, an IVF baby herself, knew she would struggle with fertility after doctors found a mass on one of her ovaries and also diagnosed her with endometriosis in her 20s. It took her parents 18 rounds of IVF before Knepper was conceived.
Through this journey, Knepper and her husband James say faith has gotten them through the rough days.
"Whatever is meant to be will be, and so for that reason, we don't stress, we don't have anger, we're not, you know, bitter," she explained.
In the last year alone, they've done seven back-to-back IVF rounds. They're still working toward a healthy embryo for implantation, but have spent $100,000 just this year.
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Variables like the length of the cycle, medications needed, and insurance coverage change the cost for every woman. IVF patients have been burned by clinics not being transparent about costs and insurers or pharmacies demanding a high price for a medication at a crucial time. Knepper said she once spent $5,000 on a single medication.
"You can't say with certainty that this amount of money is going to yield this result. You're going on a whim of like, this amount of money is going to bring me success," Knepper said.
Knepper is far from alone in the journey to become a mother.
"We don't all come into motherhood at the same time or at the same age. I never thought that I would be a mom at 45 or 46," said Bianca Jade. "But I still want to be a mom."
Jade has spent at least $150,000 on fertility treatments. She froze her eggs at 39. A single round yielded eight eggs and cost her $30,000.
Seven years later, she's now married. In that time, she spent $1,200 each year to keep her eggs frozen. After a miscarriage last winter, Jade and her husband began the IVF process.
"I am someone who believes that, that, you know, nothing in life comes easy, but I really believe in putting in the work," Jade explained.
She's done multiple rounds, including one that was canceled by her doctor. She still spent $600 on that canceled treatment.
For her, attitude is everything, and she began investing in herself in other ways this time around. She found a fertility consultant, started doing acupuncture, getting massages and doing breath work.
"It's not just the stuff that you're getting a bill from, you know, from the clinic, it's such an investment in yourself," she said.
Jade is hoping her new state of calm and healthy lifestyle will create the best environment for success.
Roughly one in four couples have difficulty getting pregnant. Despite those numbers, just over 230,000 patients did IVF in 2021, resulting in .02% of live births.
Both women, even though they are still going through this process themselves, are giving back. Jade is hosting a retreat to give women all the tools she wished she had when she began her journey.
Knepper, along with her husband, started a Manhattan chapter of Boni Olam, an organization that helps fund these procedures. They're currently supporting single women freezing their eggs and 63 couples.
"We've had 14 babies born in the last year and a half," Knepper revealed. "And so I think every time we get an update that there's been a baby born, it kind of ignites us to continue."
They both have hope, no matter the cost, that they will have the family of their dreams.
The former president has promised to cover in vitro fertilization should he become president. It would most likely need approval from Congress, and Republicans killed a bill that would have guaranteed access to IVF on Wednesday.
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