Has anyone used the SG shared risk IVF option?

[Anonymous]

You can back out at any point and have your money returned, I was sure to ask this because I didn't know if I can handle doing all 6 cycles. So it definitely ISN'T all about the money, otherwise this wouldn't even be an option.

[Anonymous]

It's important to note that at SG, the $20K for shared risk DOES NOT cover medications, PGD, ICSI or any other "add-ons" which can run you $5,000+ per cycle. (Which won't be refunded.) So with 3 IVF cycles, you could still be talking about investing a non-returnable $15K or more...

[Anonymous]

We used it because we figured we'd spend less money overall if we had to do repeat cycles. We ended up conceiving from the first cycle...so we "lost" money, but we gained two beautiful boys and we were very happy with our doctors at SG.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty sure they have added shared risk programs for people needing assisted hatching, ICSI, PGD, etc. They were all under $30,000 if I remember correctly (this doesn't seem to on their website). Unlike before when you had to pay for each of these "add-ons" on a per cycle basis.
We spent about $1500 on medication because our nurse worked very hard to get us donor meds. If you are in a difficult financial situation, tell your nurse, they will do everything possible to help you out.

[Anonymous]

They do have shared risk for PGD and ICSI, I have done it. It costs more than the regular IVF, but they have it.

[Anonymous]

I did the SR program at SGF. We paid $22K for the IVF + ICSI program so we did ICSI with every cycle without an additional charge. Meds are not included and PGD and AH are additional. PGD was $2000 a cycle, not sure about AH. However, it is a full refund program and the patient can drop out at any time but you can get kicked out of the program at any time too.

I did 3 fresh cycles and 1 frozen cycle with the SR program, all unsuccessful. Then the following calendar year, I was given infertility benefits through my work so I dropped out of SR and got my full $22K refund and then did an additional cycle using my insurance coverage.

It seemed a bit shady to me that I could just drop out like that since I essentially got 3 fresh cycles and 1 frozen cycle at no cost to me (other than meds), but I was reassured by the SR coordinator that it was legit and that's why the program is called "shared risk". The clinic took a risk on me and it didn't work out for them money-wise, but I'm sure there are many patients who join and get pregnant on their first cycle so I guess it all evens out at the end. It's a great program and if you qualify and can afford to do it, I'd highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

I have Blue Cross, Blue Shield Federal Health Insurance and they covered the cost of all the meds, with a $65 co-pay per medicine. So the cost was a few hundred bucks for the medication, plus the $20K for the IVF. We decided to do the shared risk program after a failed cycle of IVF with another doctor. I cannot being to explain how hard it was to swallow losing that money - it felt like we had literally just flushed $12K down the toilet. We knew we couldn't afford another failed IVF if we ever wanted to consider alternatives, such as adoption, so we decided to go with shared risk. All this IVF stuff was new to us and financially overwhelming because the first time we got pregnant it worked on our first IUI. In any event, we did one cycle at SG and...got pregnant on the first try. I can assure you that neither my husband or I felt any regret for paying the $20K. Of course, you joke about the fact that you totally overpaid for one cycle, but you'll be so happy it worked that you really won't mind. We feel like the peace of mind - knowing that we would get that money back if we were unsuccessful - was worth every penny. Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Anonymous]

How do you get kicked out of the program?

[Anonymous]

If you don't respond to the medications at all, you won't be able to participate. I think it is a fairly rare occurance, due to the pre-testing they do.

[Anonymous]

Not to be debbie downer on this topic, but one reason we did shared risk with SG was due to the fact that I had a miscarriage in the past. I was doing injectables + IUI with a different clinic, got pg, but lost the baby at 15.5 weeks. Although we had success with an IUI it seemed crazy that it took us 5 tries before it worked so I didn't want to go that route any more - I was ready for IVF. But I couldn't imagine spending $12k plus meds and THEN having another loss. The SG program counts success as a live birth so if you miscarry you get to try again. I know it is a terrible thing to think about but it is another consideration that weighed heavily in my decision.

[Anonymous]

I did the $22K Shady Grove Shared Risk program w/ICSI as well. My first cycle was successful, but ended in miscarriage at 10 weeks. My second cycle (a FET) was successful, and I'm now 21 weeks pregnant. Had I paid independently for each cycle, I would have paid about $16K total, so I "overpaid" $6,000.

And the shared risk program was still worth it to me. Knowing that I wouldn't have to pay for another cycle (except meds) and that I could back out at any time took an enormous amount of stress off of both cycles and the miscarriage. (And I don't really have $6,000 to spare, as I had to borrow the whole amount. It was still worth it.)

Good luck deciding. I had a tough time making that decision, too, but don't regret it.