Honestly, JK

Sharing our experience as an American couple pursuing IVF in Greece

Let’s Start in the Middle

We don’t want to start at the beginning. It’s long and painful, and right now we want to focus on the good. I have lots of saved journal entries from the beginning that I may share here at some point- but for now, let’s start at the start of 2024. Kyle and I started seriously discussing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in January. We knew that it would be a huge commitment, but I don’t think we were quite prepared for what the it would mean for us financially. Sitting in our doctor’s office, we felt defeated breaking down the cost. When we told family about our hesitations, all we ever heard was: “We’ll make it work”. Suddenly, we felt less lonely. We had a team behind us, and we were going to make it work.

We started a GoFundMe. That was hard, but we were assured by people around us that people WANTED to help. We will forever be grateful to those who sent donations, well wishes, and prayers. Everything else happened so fast that I’m still processing it. One of my parents fell ill in March. Very ill. That’s a story for another time- but know that for now, I think we’re on the right track. Simultaneously, my “other set” of parents asked us if they could set us up on a Zoom call with friends of friends who had gone to Greece for IVF. “Yeah, sure. Like we could ever afford to go to Greece for this. We’re scraping by trying to figure out how to pay for it here, in the states.” Famous last words, I guess.

At the end of March, we sat down at our dining room table and introduced ourselves to a couple that lives in New Hampshire. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought they had been sent to us as salespeople for EmbryoLab in Thessaloniki, Greece. They explained how their procedures were a fraction of the cost that they had previously paid in The States, and how even with that aside, the medical experience was so much more positive than the care that they received stateside. This is something that Kyle and I had spoken about before- we felt like just a number at our clinic. I mean, we loved our doctor, and I felt so comfortable with her, but for something that is so deeply personal, it often felt “farmed”. When we called the next day to have our records faxed to us, we were never asked why, and we certainly never got a phone call asking why I never scheduled our IVF cycle.

Armed with all of the information that we got on that Zoom, we felt empowered. We researched quite a few fertility clinics in Greece before ultimately choosing EmbryoLab. It was comforting knowing people (even distantly) who had been there and had a positive experience. We met with our IVF coordinator, Marietta, and Dr. Michael virtually to discuss a plan of action. We were floored when we heard them say that the IVF procedure in their clinic was less than $4,000. We were looking at $20,000 here in Florida! So, we got to work on preliminary planning. Would this really make financial sense? In the end, we decided that yes, it would. Even with the cost of plane tickets, an AirBnb, and other costs associated with travel, we’d still be spending much, much less than we would at home.

We are very fortunate to have the support of so many people. Financially, we still wouldn’t be able to do this without the help from our families and friends, but even more importantly, emotionally we couldn’t even have made it through the planning process.

It all felt like a whirlwind. Here I am, June 25th with our packed suitcases by the door and I’m still in disbelief. Tomorrow we are starting our most exciting adventure yet, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

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