152. IVF, Infertility, and the Emotional and Financial Cost of Women's Health Care with Ali Prato
Apr 23, 2024
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Ali Prato, host of 'Infertile AF,' discusses the personal, emotional, and financial burdens of infertility, including IVF costs, relationship strains, and societal stigmas.
Infertility treatments like IVF bring emotional, physical, and financial burdens affecting individuals and relationships.
Secondary infertility stories reveal struggles with declining egg quality, recurrent miscarriages, and strains on mental health and finances.
High costs of fertility treatments like IVF lead to financial strain, tough decisions, and limited access to essential services.
Deep dives
Challenges of Fertility Treatments
The podcast delves into the emotional, physical, and financial challenges associated with infertility and fertility treatments like IVF. It highlights the complexities of achieving success, even with the best medical care, due to the various factors influencing pregnancy and healthy outcomes. The episode talks about the high emotional toll, financial burden, and unpredictability of IVF treatments, emphasizing the impact on individuals and relationships.
Secondary Infertility Experience
The episode shares a personal story of secondary infertility, where the host discusses her struggles with conceiving a second child after a successful natural birth. It explores the lack of awareness about issues like declining egg quality with age and the emotional turmoil of recurrent miscarriages. The speaker highlights the devastation, relationship strain, and financial strain experienced, shedding light on the difficulties faced during the journey.
Financial Implications of Fertility Treatments
The conversation touches on the exorbitant costs of fertility treatments, such as IVF, and the lack of insurance coverage for many individuals. It mentions the expenses involved in medications, procedures, and additional services like genetic testing, acupuncture, and therapy. The podcast reveals the significant financial strain on families, leading to difficult decisions, such as borrowing money or setting limits on treatment rounds due to affordability concerns.
The Emotional Struggle of Infertility and Societal Pressure
The podcast discusses the emotional toll of infertility, highlighting the feelings of shame, brokenness, and lack of control experienced by individuals trying to conceive. It delves into the societal expectations and insensitive comments faced by those struggling with infertility, emphasizing the deep emotional impact of the journey. Furthermore, it explores the strain infertility puts on relationships, with statistics showing that fertility treatments not working can lead to a higher risk of divorce or partnership dissolution.
Exploring the Process and Benefits of Egg Freezing
The podcast covers the process of egg freezing, explaining how individuals can preserve their eggs for future use. It touches on the financial aspect, mentioning the costs involved in egg freezing and the potential benefits of having this option. Additionally, it discusses the emotional aspect of fertility treatments, highlighting the empowerment and control that egg freezing can provide individuals over their family planning decisions, offering a glimpse of hope amidst the challenges of infertility.
If you’re joining us today — it's National Infertility Awareness Week. For one in five people, building a family can be a challenging journey. In this episode of Financial Feminist, Tori tackles the deeply personal yet widely experienced topic of infertility, alongside Ali Prato, host of the top-ranked podcast "Infertile AF," co-founder of Fertility Rally and author of the children's book "Work of ART."
Ali bravely shares her own experience with secondary infertility, IUIs, IVF, and the emotional, physical, and financial burdens it brought. Together they discuss not only the science and stats, but also the real impact infertility has on relationships, mental health, and (of course) wallets. Join us as Ali sheds light on a topic that deserves open discussion.
