Comments on: The New York Times and Stephanie Saul: Infertility! Twins! Danger!

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:53:58 +0000

Such a good post. I hope she reads it.

By: mrs spock

mrs spock — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:34:12 +0000

I read the NYT article, and was sickened, yet again, at the crap journalism.

This is awesome, Mel.

As someone who has had a spontaneous between-treatments pregnancy, doing an IUI with a large # of follicles would be risky. My body could handle a singleton, but it was difficult with my chronic pain issues. I would love for insurance to pay for an eSET instead of charging only $55 for an IUI/injectables cycle that could lead to very high order multiples for me. As it stands, if au naturale or Clomid doesn’t work for us, we either gamble on IVF with a single embryo transfer- and it is a pricey gamble- or we front even more money for a domestic adoption. And we aren’t the kind of people that can throw $9K at a time at the craps table in Vegas- how can we to build our family, when the stakes are even higher?

By: electriclady

electriclady — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:36:58 +0000

Hear hear! And amen to Kate (#18 on the physical/mental toll of cycling. It drives me crazy when ignorant commenters talk about how women who do IVF just want an “instant” baby or are taking the “easy” way out. Clearly those people have NO IDEA what you have to go through to do an IVF cycle.

It’s really sad that there was such a gaping hole in this series re: insurance coverage and costs, because it was a real opportunity to bring an important issue into the national health care reform conversation.

By: Battynurse

Battynurse — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:11:44 +0000

I love it! Verbal Wonderbread. That’s fantastically true. I haven’t read the articles and won’t right now at least because I’m lacking in sufficient time to swear at the computer right now. Your post is great though and very well written.
A couple of interesting things that caught my eye about things in her article: The IUI with 2 follicles that split into sextuplets? Even in a world where the IUI was covered etc would they have likely quit or stopped the cycle with just two eggs? Probably not. That is just one of those bizarre things that happens. Also I will agree that as far as reducing multiples IVF does give more control over the situation and sET’s can be done but IVF is also a more invasive procedure bringing with it chances for adverse outcomes with anesthesia, larger risk of OHSS, infection or damage to other organs are a few of the risks. It is typical of the medical community to start with the least invasive procedure (IUI) and then work from there. I don’t think that totally doing away with IUI is an answer. Even if IVF was covered for everyone. There are those who get pregnant with IUI. I do think though it should be done more responsibly but monitoring and canceling cycles with too many follicles. Of course that wouldn’t stop people from having sex anyways and still trying.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:56:57 +0000

Wow. Nice job Mel!
I read your post yesterday and I wasn’t going to read any of the accompanying posts because I didn’t want to be angry & sad. I’m dumb, I read them anyway. I can’t believe how ignorant people are about IVF and adoption. I can’t believe that because I can’t have a child without assistance I am “selfish” and “vain”. My heart hurts over this.

By: a

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:43:54 +0000

The only argument I have for the other side of the fence is this: There is no way the NYT is going to address deficiencies in insurance coverage at this particular point in history. To do so would make FoxNews accuse them of being a part of the liberal media supporting the president’s plan for universal health care coverage.

Of course, it would help the NYT if they could get someone who actually researched topics to write their articles.

By: once a mother

once a mother — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:43:59 +0000

Great post. When you quoted her saying “patients are eager for children” and they want “to be successful on the first try.” it made me angry, like there is something to be ashamed of in being eager, or wanting to be successful. What woman who is TTC isn’t eager for that child, and what woman in her right mind would NOT want it to work as quickly as possible. Are we less qualified to be eager or expect good results because God/Fate/Whatever dealt us a bum uterus?
I think it is easy for those to whom children come easily or those who don’t want children, to sit on their high horses passing judgement. Why these women are not the ones being doled out the infertility card… I will never know.
Sorry, I am a little bitter this morning and the article really struck an angry chord with me. We are not all Nadya Sulemans… we don’t want to risk everything for a chance at some bullshit stardom or some dumb tv show, we are just women who want to have a family. This is not something that we have walked into by choice… “Oh, I’ll take triplets here, twins there.” We just want a family. Shame on Ms. Saul for assigning blame to that.

By: andrea buchanan

andrea buchanan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:27:29 +0000

I read the articles and didn’t get angry. I was sad. For all of us. Who have endured this arduous journey. For some with no rainbow at the end. For others a pot of gold. I think the biggest lesson we can take from this article, and from our experiences in this bizarre land of IF is the unjust act of it not being covered by insurance. We need a revolution!!!
xo

By: Esperanza

Esperanza — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:50:16 +0000

Thank you so much for writing this Mel. It really is a well written, educated response to the article and I appreciate it very much. I’m so glad we have you on “our” side.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:48:37 +0000

Mel, this is an incredible post. When I read Saul’s article I could feel her derision and had to wonder what she has to be so smug about.
When I was pregnant with my twin girls, not a day went by that I wasn’t nervous about all the complications that could occur. If I had read that article while I was carrying the babies, I would have been beside myself. She should be ashamed of herself and I really hope she reads what you so eloquently wrote.