Calculation Notes: this is based on where I currently am in my quest for baby. At times, I was using 20 sticks a month for my monitor given my long cycles but now I am basing on 10 since my cycle is short. However, now I will be using progesterone and will be getting multiple blood tests at the doctors, not covered by insurance. Previously I was seeing the Reflexology 2 times a week at $65 a piece, now I see her every 10 days. Also, I am using supplies I had previously bought, but have since found better prices on products (that I have shared on links throughout the site) so in the very unfortunate event that I would need to try again after this cycle, I will have some savings there.
Costs:
- Prescription Pre-natal vitamins: $10
- Prescription progesterone 20 day supply: $20
- Home Pregnancy Tests (2): $20
- Clearblue Easy Digital Ovulation Kit: $39
- Clearblue Easy Monitor Sticks (10 of 30 used monthly): $14
- B6 Vitamin: $3
- Calcium with vitamin D: $2
- Baby Aspirin: $2
- Reflexology (3 Sessions): $195
- Blood tests at Doctor (haven't seen bill for 3 tests last month so estimate): $100
- TOTAL: $405
This comes out to almost $5,000 a year. I certainly have paid more than that considering my HSGs, MRI, countless blood tests, doctor appointments, costs associated with surgery. This doesn't even take into account costs that I might one day need to pay for IUI, trigger shot drugs, and monitoring. I am so incredibly hopeful it won't come to that.
I never really sat down and thought about the actual dollars it was costing us to try to conceive. We have definitely paid an emotional toll and made concessions in our lives about things we won't do (travel) or for me eat/drink (diet coke with lots of lemons, bad carbs, and anything that could remotely give me a buzz).
Looking at my list of expenses, I am not willing to give anything up. I could forgo the OPKs since I have the monitor, but I like to make sure I know when I am ovulating. I could cut back on the reflexology, but I do feel like it is helping.
The conclusion- I should buy stock in ClearBlue Easy and shield my husband from the reality of what it is costing us to get pregnant. I could just use one HPT a month, but who are we kidding, there isn't a chance in hell I could hold out until 14dpo. I might have to make a trip to a Dollar Tree. I hope there is one within city limits. I guess TTC is good practice for having a kid- they are expensive and what a bonus when I actually am pregnant. We can sock all this money away for the Pottery Barn furniture I have been using to decorate the nursery in my mind for the last two years.
Fertility awareness is a a behavioral method of birth control. Regardless of what method you fallow it is still subject to a high degree of error. It is really hard to predict when you are going to ovulate. Seeing as how even the most advanced science can only detect ovulation after it has happened (and after it is already too late), these methods are unreliable. In addition this is self control, you will have to be abstaining or remember to use another form of birth control before, during and after ovulation. You will be most likely to want to jump in bed during the "unsafe time." It would be very easy to forget to use one a back up method in the heat of the moment. Moreover keep in mind sperm can live inside of you for a week before ovulation, so you'll have to factor that in too. I also have many suggestion about the ovulation through this: https://calculator-online.net/ovulation-calculator/
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