Let’s help ease the financial burden of IVF for the Phelps!
Newlyweds Rachel and Brandon Phelps, age 29 and 30, began their IVF journey within two months of their November wedding, but not because of infertility. Rachel Phelps has Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic condition that makes her predisposed to a broad spectrum of early-onset cancers. Among people with LFS, 50 percent of cancers occur before age 40, according to the National Institutes of Health, and their lifetime risk for cancers stands at 90 percent for women and 70 percent for men.
Phelps learned in her senior year of college that she had colon cancer.
Now cancer-free for seven years, she still goes through intense screenings each year at the UNC Cancer Center.
“These screenings are mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. The challenges and stresses that I go through medically to make sure that I am the healthiest I can be is not something I want my future children to experience,”
The LFS Association states anyone with LFS has a 50 percent chance of passing the gene mutation to their children. Additionally, Phelps has been told she has a “100 percent chance” of developing breast cancer and should consider having a preventative double mastectomy by age 35.
“Brandon and I are not ready to start a family, but now we’re on a time frame to be done in five or six years, so we decided to begin this process,” she said.
Her oncologist recommended UNC Fertility, where the couple met Dr. Colleen Milroy, division director and medical director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the UNC School of Medicine.
Her recommendation was to begin the IVF process this past summer.
“Rachel only has a certain amount of low-risk embryos to be able to put back in. And each embryo doesn’t guarantee a pregnancy. Each embryo gives us a great shot at pregnancy, probably between 60 and 70 percent, but it’s not 100 percent guaranteed,” Milroy said.
There are significant issues to be considered, even beyond the decisions around timing of the next step and her LFS condition.
“Just to get to this point, we’ve spent about $25,000,” Phelps said.
Their insurance does not cover any of the IVF.
“I think the pregnancy aspect will be covered, but the transfer itself, when they implant the embryo, I don’t believe that will be covered under insurance and the estimate is that the cost will be $5,000 to $6,000,” she said.
North Carolina is not among the states that require insurance coverage of fertility care.