I'm Very Fortunate

Last year, I had another teary well-woman exam.  During that visit, my doctor suggested a hysterectomy because of my asymptomatic fibroids, and that made me angry.  I told her that I was in the process of adopting a child, so she thought that meant I had given up on carrying a baby and I would be interested in removing my uterus completely to get rid of the fibroids.  Hearing that I would lose the opportunity to have a biological child made me so angry and sad.  I wanted to preserve my fertility.  I told her I wasn't ready to give up, so she ordered lab tests for my hormone levels and a view of my ovaries to determine if my reproductive system looked healthy.  The results were much better than expected, especially for a woman of "advanced maternal age".  At 42, I decided to pursue egg freezing to preserve my chances of having a baby in the future.  However, my health insurance denied authorization for the procedure AGAIN.  I'm not a quitter.  I looked at my insurance benefits again and confirmed that IVF (in vitro fertilization) was covered by my policy under certain circumstances.  I told my doctor to request IVF authorization, and it was approved.  

What is IVF?

"During in vitro fertilization, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop. One full cycle of IVF takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.

In vitro fertilization is the most effective type of fertility treatment that involves the handling of eggs or embryos and sperm. Together, this group of treatments is called assisted reproductive technology." - Mayo Clinic