Prix Fixe

Holding steady at Day 5 of the sniffing. Nary a storm cloud on the horizon- there was one small squall last night with a mild headache, but I get headaches all the time, and so cannot necessarily put it down to the Synarel.

It occured to me that perhaps you are all wondering about my pick from the delicious Stim Menu (and thank you for all your helpful comments- much appreciated). Well, the short answer is that when I sat down at the table, the waitress announced that most of the daily specials were, in fact not, available- and I could choose between pickled herring or beef. Basically, Menogen (old lady wee, IM injections) or Gonal F in the jaunty pen.

I think La Nurse was probably talking out of her ass, since when she opened the drug cabinet, I could see a big box labeled MENOPUR and a pack of auto-injectors. But luckily, I had basically decided on the pen beforehand anyway, and decided not to worry about it.

"So, I'll go ahead and get the form ready for you, and we'll order that up for you later," she said.

Now, the thing is, the Stim Menu makes clear that ordering direct from the drug company is an option, but gives absolutely no information as to how to go about this. However, I had heard via other message boards that the savings from ordering from the drug manufacturer could be substanital. So like any good little frugal Googler, I had already ferreted out the number to call for a quote, but hadn't gotten round to doing it. My question for La Nurse was whether it was cheaper to order direct.

"Oh no," she assured me, "the prices are the same from us as you would get from them, and you don't have to pay the home delivery charge. We're actually very reasonably priced."

That may indeed be true. But what a little more investigative googlage revealed was this article, which confirms what I had heard elsewhere. Even if you order direct from the drug company, the price of the medication for IVF treatment can vary hugely, since the price they quote you will depend on which clinic you go to. But even more confusingly, there is a huge variation even if you opt for a big chain pharmacy to supply the drugs- in some cases, a difference of nearly £1000.

The only way to be sure that you are getting the best deal is to phone around. For me, doing that entails a weighing up of what my mother would call "the hassle factor". Making numerous phone calls to pharmacies during the day in my open-plan office is pretty much out of the question. Delivery of the stuff is an additional complication. Not to mention that in the absence of my missing file, the O.C. has been unable to confirm exactly the dosage I will be on..

None of this is insurmountable, of course. But I do have a rough idea from the Stim Menu price list as to how much I will be paying, and it does not seem such an unreasonable sum as to make me go "eeeeeee" and spend hours and hours shopping around. So all things combined, I am filled with foolish inertia, which no doubt is exactly what the drug companies, clinics, and pharmacies hope will happen.

I'm trying not to think about how, if there's a next time, I'll be incentivised to haggle for the best deals- older, wiser and poorer.

Comments

[Suz]

Congratulations on your decision and pick from the stim menu!

[Amanda]

Ah, yes. My insurance covers exactly one drug needed for IVF, Lupron. For my first cycle, it was just easier to fork out the actual $200 to get it through the pharmacy I was getting everything else from. They didn't take my insurance, but it was going to be a total pain to order it from a pharmacy that did. Of course I learned my lesson on that one. On all of my subsequent cycles, I've gone through the rigamarole to get it paid for by my insurance. Here's hoping you won't have to worry about haggling in the future.

[InSpring]

I can see paying more purchasing from the doctor, but when they don't even make recommendations and give you way too many choices, I don't know. But, it is stressful enough without bargain hunting.

Happy injecting!

[Mellie]

Sometimes paying for the peace of mind of not having to deal with such a hassle makes perfect sense. Don't look back!

[Erin]

It is so frustrating that the drug prices vary so widely. I had the same experience.

[Amyesq]

Let's hoping there IS no next time. Glad you are moving right along!

[Amyesq]

Sorry for the appalling grammar in my previous post. And to think, I haven't had a drink since going on WW three days ago.