The fertility journey can be insanely expensive. At any point there can be unexpected financial sacrifices in order to have a chance at fulfilling the greater purpose of expanding our family. But we don’t talk enough about how many people struggle with the finances. Many, many people do. Let’s get into that and what you could do about it. It’s not all doom and gloom! As a solution focused coach, that’s never the approach.
Your potential fertility costs
What a lot of people don’t realize is that fertility costs can start before you take steps to actively try to get pregnant, including taking supplements (they aren’t cheap!), ovulation kits, other fertility gadgets, eating more healthy and potentially more organic foods, doing what you can to stay active (e.g. yoga classes), perhaps regular acupuncture or paying to see a Naturopath, a reflexologist or Chinese Medicine practitioner. It adds up. And then there’s the potential need for testing and treatment and even donor options or surrogacy for some. It can snowball and for some people it’s an enormous financial hit that is life changing.
The truth is that fertility costs are more of a burden for some of us than others and it depends on your personal finances and particular fertility situation. Infertility isn’t fair. It strikes anyone no matter what their bank statement says. Let’s acknowledge that reality. But what I will say is part of the process is both facing the feelings that emerge from that and then focussing on the opportunities.
A way to explore financial options
An optional approach to figuring out your financial plan for financing fertility costs is to first clarify what you and your family actually value and what’s most important. They can be competing needs and values and that can be very nuanced. But when it comes to finances, that clarity will translate into a financial plan that aligns with your unique set of values and give you more confidence in your choice. Meanwhile as part of that process, consider what you need to do to uncover any beliefs that might be holding you back, so that you can pinpoint your needs that align with your core self.
This might be sounding a bit abstract, so to help try these next steps. Find a quiet space to answer these questions for yourself or to share with your partner and/or coach. Remember, there are no wrong answers. This is an exploration.
Questionnaire
A. What do you see as your vision for your life 5 or 10 years from now? Start to explore that, even if it’s a very vague outline, if you haven’t lately (or ever!).
B. What are the top 5 areas of your life that are most important to you? Consider what you value for a fulfilling and purpose-driven life.
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Look at your answers to this list and reflect on any surprises or insights. Is it the same as your partners? Is this what you really want or are any of these what you think the answers should be?
C. What is one word you think of when you think of money? What is your main mindset around money? Is that mindset serving you?
D. What is less important to you that you’re putting your actions around money toward that could be put toward paying for your fertility plans? What other opportunities do you have to consider that you haven’t thought of yet in order to pay for fertility costs?
E. What do you know about your finances and your skills at managing your money? Is it something you need more support with or are you confident in your abilities?
F. What are you grateful for right now?
I hope you found value in this exercise! It’s much more effective to explore these questions in a coaching session than reading off a website, but I’m all about empowering you to do what you can on your own if there’s a way it can serve you. This exercise can also set the stage to either dive into part 2 or reveal whether you need professional support to define your next steps. But regardless, I wish you so much wellness and success on your fertility journey and beyond! You deserve to have what you desire and not have finances be a barrier.
You really do deserve that.
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