This story from the Los Angeles Times, about how the economy is wreaking havoc with people's plans to start or expand their families, was in the news section of my home page at work.
My first-glance reaction was, "Oh, boo-friggin'-hoo, cry me a river… try coming up with $12,000 a try, even in a good economy (at odds that would probably make a Las Vegas bookie blanch)."
I'll admit I did feel a little sorry for the 39-year-old newlywed who is eager to start her family but feeling the tug of war between bank account & biological clock. And, after all, financial considerations were a prime reason why dh & I waited as long as we did before we began ttc. I respect people who actually give some thoughtful consideration to the responsibilities of parenthood and when & whether they're ready to tackle them, as opposed to those who go out, get knocked up and then wonder how they're going to swing it (recognizing, of course, that very few among us would ever describe themselves as truly "ready" for the challenges of parenthood).
But wait! Reading further down -- could it actually be? A reference to the cost of IVF, and a slowdown in business at infertility clinics? And couples postponing their plans to adopt?
Well, knock me over with a feather! They actually noticed!!
I wondered about the effect of the economy too.
ReplyDeletefunny, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of pregnant women near me though!
Fertility clinics giving discounts? Now, if that trend continues (and becomes widespread), that could be one positive effect of this horrible economy.
ReplyDeleteI always found it quite ironic how much the services at my fertility clinic "cost" for the few things my insurance paid for as compared to when I had to pay for those same services myself. It goes without saying that my insurance company got a much bigger "discount" than I did.
I have long had my suspicions that the fact that so many infertility patients are self-pay means that clinics feel like they can charge whatever they want, because the patients have little to no negotiating power. One of the many aspects of infertility treatment that left a bad taste in my mouth, especially when thinking about all the fertile people who get pg for free.
Thanks for the interesting read.