Vital support in a time of need

“Like more and more Americans today, my husband and I got married relatively late in life (he was 44, I was 39). We were eager to start a family, but after several months of trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant, we decided to get tested. We learned that my husband suffers from low sperm motility but our doctor explained that with IVF with ICSI we could still reasonably expect to get pregnant and have a healthy baby.

We are fortunate to have a medical insurance policy that explicitly covers male factor infertility. After gaining pre-authorization from the insurance company we began our treatment, confidently expecting our costs to be paid for. To our surprise, after we completed our first round of treatment – and accrued thousands of dollars worth of medical bills – the insurance company denied our claims.

We appealed this contradictory and inexplicable decision through the company’s usual channels and even prevailed upon our doctor to submit a letter on our behalf and participate in a peer-to-peer review with a medical representative of the insurance company – all to no avail. Increasingly desperate, we sought legal counsel and were directed to Fertility Within Reach.

Fighting a bureaucratic goliath like an insurance company can be a frustrating and demoralizing endeavor but Fertility Within Reach gave us the strength and guidance we needed. The organization helped us realize that we had powerful allies on our side and deftly led us through the process of getting the government to investigate our claim. Within 10 days of filing a complaint with the State, the insurance company reversed its decision and paid our medical expenses.

Managing infertility requires much more that a protocol – it requires diligence and persistence with the medical, emotional and financial elements. Fertility Within Reach proved to be an important resource in guiding us to effectively advocate for our fertility benefits, a critical part in achieving one of our most important life goals.

In March we welcomed a beautiful and healthy baby boy after three rounds of IVF with ICSI. 

Melissa, New York