Ultrasounds = $$$

Since I'm a complete novice when it comes to the new treatment & monitoring that I'll be doing next cycle, I decided to check on the prices of ultrasounds for follicular checks. I'd much prefer to know upfront exactly how much my pocket is going to suffer; when it comes to fertility treatment, surprises over your bill are NOT a good thing!

I was shocked at the disparity between the three places I checked. You wouldn't think that there would be much of a price difference, in the same city, for the same procedure, but man! At all of them, I asked for the cost based on the assumption that I would be paying 100%, without any insurance coverage.

First I called Dr. McHottie's office (my RE). They charge $250 for the first u/s. If you have to have additional u/s in the same cycle, the charge goes down to $150 per u/s. The prices reset with the next cycle.

Then I checked with my ob-gyn's office. Everyone I spoke to there seemed completely confused; I finally got to someone who knew what the hell I was talking about. I was told that yes, they do follicular u/s; but, they were unable to give me a firm price. I was quoted the range of $150-$300 dollars.

I decided to check with a radiology group here in town. They're a free-standing facility with an excellent reputation, and I've been there before for other u/s. They told me that the u/s would normally be priced at $300, but if I were going to pay it out of pocket-- and at the time of service instead of being billed and/or going through insurance, it's only half that, at $150 a pop.

So, a range of $150-$300 for the same u/s. That's just insane to me. I swear, I think that the medical profession is a subset of a Mafia syndicate. They're all a part of the same family, they send business to one another, and it's like there's a silent agreement that they don't step on each other's toes. I chose the wrong profession. I should have either gone into medicine, or into a skilled labor profession. Either way, I'd make a hell of a lot more money than I do now!

The biggest shocker of the whole thing was my mom. I keep her informed about my treatment and everything. Out of the blue, she offered to cover the costs of my next "stepped up" cycle. I was completely thrown for a loop! I always get the impression that she's not entirely in approval of what I'm doing, despite her soul-deep hunger for a grandchild. And since I'm an only child, I'm the only chance she has of getting any! But she never judges me or makes any negative remarks, and I appreciate that. So for her to volunteer to foot the bill really meant a lot to me. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, being pre-menstrual and all, but I couldn't help but feel like it meant that she was showing her support of me. That, although she might have her reservations about my actions, she respects my choices and is backing me in a way that is comfortable for her.

See, my mom is the most non-female female I know. She isn't physically demonstrative, and she doesn't like talking about feelings. I'm honestly not sure she's ever actually said she was proud of me, even though I know it without a doubt. Repression and stoicism are her friends. So I didn't/don't expect her to come right out and say, "You go for it! You try to get knocked up!" But by offering to pay for my cycle, I think she said it in the only way she knew how. Go mom!