Winter of 2022: The Journey Begins
In the winter of 2022, I started to feel a little twinge of jealousy as my partner and I decided we were ready to become parents. We had been trying for almost a year, but getting pregnant wasn’t coming easily for us. Several of my close friends, and even my sister, were pregnant at the time. Of course, I was thrilled for them, but I couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t happening for me.
Month after month, I’d patiently wait for that elusive double line on my HCG urine test, only to be disappointed. Being 37, almost 38, didn’t help my optimism either. I began questioning if I’d ever become a mom. According to WebMD, at age 37, a woman only has around 25,000 eggs left, down from 300,000 at puberty. Great, just what I needed to hear.
Exploring Fertility Options
After a year of trying, we decided it was time to explore our fertility options. Armed with a mountain of research (and a lot of Reddit wisdom), we decided to visit Dr. Goldstein at Beverly Hills Fertility.
Before our first consultation, I made sure to do my homework on the fertility treatments available. The two most common are IUI and IVF.
- IUI is less invasive and, therefore, cheaper. It involves collecting sperm and injecting it directly into the uterus, which increases the sperm count in the right place compared to traditional intercourse. Sometimes it’s paired with medication to encourage egg development and release, increasing the chances of conception.
- IVF, on the other hand, is way more invasive and several times more expensive. It starts with medication to stimulate follicle growth, followed by a transvaginal ultrasound to check on the follicles’ number and maturity. Once they’re ready, they’re collected, combined with sperm, and then transferred into the uterus. There’s also the option (for an extra cost, of course) to genetically test the embryos through PGT, which can increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.
Naturally, before our first consultation, I was crossing my fingers that Dr. Goldstein would recommend IUI—because it’s obviously less invasive and a lot cheaper. But alas, she laid out the cold hard facts: for a woman my age and with the number of follicles I had (which were tested beforehand), IVF was our best bet. She strongly advised against wasting any time, as my biological clock was in overdrive.
Processing the News
We weren’t exactly thrilled with the recommendation. I think I grieved for a day over the fact that conceiving naturally or through a less invasive procedure wasn’t in the cards for us. And, of course, the thought of shelling out $30,000 wasn’t something to celebrate either.
Thankfully, I’d been managing my finances pretty well over the past few years with my side hustle as a nurse. Sure, it wasn’t easy to part with $30,000, but at least I had it saved. Still, I was anxious about the success rate—according to a CDC calculator, the odds of success on the first IVF retrieval were only 27%.
Being a per diem nurse, I didn’t have the luxury of employer-provided health insurance. I was self-paying, and from what I’d heard from my full-time colleagues, our employer didn’t cover IVF costs. I remember telling myself that if this didn’t work, I might have to take a part-time job as a Starbucks barista or an Amazon delivery driver since, apparently, some women had to do just that to get fertility treatments covered.
Turning the Situation Around: Amex Platinum
Though I wasn’t quite done being bitter about having to shell out $30,000 to have a baby (and how it seemed to come so easily for others), I tried to find a silver lining. Enter: the Amex Platinum Card.
I’ve always been pretty good with credit cards. My first one was a Capital One card with a $300 limit when I was 21, and I’ve never paid interest or carried a balance. I had heard about “traveling on points” but always just redeemed them for cash (ouch!) or used the credit card’s travel portal (a big no-no according to the points gurus).
So when Amex Platinum sent me a targeted offer of 150,000 bonus points for spending $15,000 in 3 months, I knew I had to jump on it. Since we were already paying for IVF out of pocket and had the cash, why not make some free travel out of it? My partner had the same offer sitting around collecting dust, so I made him apply too. We both got approved instantly.
For the next three months, we charged all of our IVF costs to both cards, ensuring we met the spending limits. By the end of it, we had 300,000 Amex MR points to our names.
Bundle of Joy
One year after starting our IVF journey, our baby boy was born. We were beyond lucky that it only took one try to conceive, and I still thank my lucky stars every day. Every penny of that $30,000 was worth it. He’s cute, stinky, and absolutely perfect.
I’m also so grateful that I’d been smart with my money in the years leading up to IVF, allowing me to afford the procedure on the first try.
Baby’s First Trip: Japan
Before I even gave birth, I was already planning a trip with the baby (yes, I booked it before he was born). I guess pregnancy had given me a major case of the travel itch. And honestly, I just like having something exciting to look forward to—usually in the form of a booked trip.
Since I wasn’t yet a points expert, I decided to use the concierge service from Point.me to book our trip. For $200 per traveler, James, our amazing concierge, did all the legwork and secured us flights to Japan in the spring of 2024!
Points Breakdown:
- 246,000 Singapore KrisFlyer Miles
- 154,500 British Airways Avios Miles
Total: 400,500 miles.
It was a little over the 300,000 points we earned from the Amex Platinum bonuses, but luckily, I had more MR points sitting in my account.
The Damage:
For transparency, here’s what we paid to secure the flights:
- Point.me concierge fees: $400
- Amex Platinum annual fee: $1,390
- Singapore Airlines booking/tax fee: $11.20
- British Airways booking/tax fees: $619.90
Total: $2,421.11
For that, we got round-trip business class flights from LAX to Japan—Singapore Airlines on the way there, Japan Airlines on the way back. Since our baby was under two, we didn’t have to buy him his own seat.
Did We Come Out Ahead?
I’d like to think we did. It’s all about how you value your points and trips, right?
A one-way Singapore Airlines business class flight is typically priced at $4,000 per person, and a one-way Japan Airlines business class flight can go for $6,000 per person. Total flight value: $20,000
So yeah, I’d say we saved a cool $20,000 and got to fly comfortably with a baby for 11 hours across the Pacific.
Summing It Up:
IVF cost: $30,000
Booking fees: $2,421.11
Total: $32,421.11
Minus flight value: $20,000
Final cost: $12,421.11 + Priceless memories in Japan!
Ha, so our miracle baby cost us roughly around $12,421.00 plus some unforgettable memories in Japan.
Would I Do It Again?
Absolutely. I don’t think I’ll ever pay cash for long-haul flights again. For anything under 6 hours, sure, I’ll pay cash. But anything more than that? Points all the way.
The only thing I’d do differently is skip the concierge next time. I’ve since learned that finding award seat availability isn’t that hard, especially with tools like Seats.aero, which costs just $9.99 a month.
Two Years Later:
Two years after starting our IVF journey, and one year of sleepless nights later, we’re still so thankful for our little boy. I look back daily and feel incredibly lucky that it only took one try to conceive him.
I also thank my younger self for being smart with money, which made this whole journey a lot less stressful. As they say, “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy experiences and memories that bring happiness.”
As I plan our next adventure, I couldn’t agree more.
