First of all - check me out at report card ten! I feel I should say something auspicious to mark the occasion. In the absence of inspiration, I'll leave you to imagine I just did.
My, but Thursday has come around quickly this week. Luckily, the recent booking of my plane ticket home for FET#5 gave me the perfect idea. Carbon offsets - purchased, in this particular case, from climate care who seem to have some dinky projects.
Now, as The Guardian points out, there are pros and cons to carbon offsetting. They should not, for example, be used as an excuse to burn more stuff. And I must admit, this business of flying backwards and forwards for IVF troubles my conscience. But. Firstly, it is difficult and, I can't help but think, risky to transport the embryos all that way, and secondly, oh my goodness the cost.
It would cost us an extra AUD$6000/10 000 (per frozen/fresh cycle) to do IVF in Singapore as compared to Australia. That's a lot of plane flights. From our individual perspective of people who aren't actually made of money, the choice seems clear. Kind of sucks for the planet, though. Somehow, it doesn't seem right that people should have to choose between healthcare and the environment.
There is, of course, the school of "gosh but the world is overpopulated and the environment under strain and you're sucking up resources to have a child through IVF!" to whom I say, please graduate from the year nine debating team into the real world any time now. Why should I care about the planet if I have nobody to inherit it from me*? And what's with letting all these "I'm gunna teach my kids to bludgeon baby seals everwhere they go!" people breed? Even with the international flights and IVF, I know my family won't be contributing as much towards the heat-death of the universe as some fertile souls I could name. And yeah, read a book on the issues surrounding adoption (all the paperwork there's gotta equal a return flight or two) and maybe consider that the glorious days where tribespeople roamed the earth living in harmony with nature weren't, you know, all you've romanticised them to be. And anyway, you've just returned from a shopping holiday in Spain who are you to talk? Mote, eye, speck, etc?
So my solution is this: I'm limiting my use of air-con, walking, taking reusable bags to the supermarket, pledging to teach my children to be environmentally responsible and oh - buying carbon offsets.
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*Because I'm basically a good person? Oh, ha, that's cute. No you're right. People are basically good.
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14 Comments
I am new to your blog site. Not sure exactly where you are in your fertility treatment. We have a wonerful clinic here in South Africa that does IVF with ICSI amongst other things. Not sur of the exchange rate, but I know that a lot of Europeans come out here as our docs are brilliant and it works out a lot cheaper for them.
I have friends who went to Singapore for their first IVF treatment. Unfortunately it didn't work. A few months after they got back, they found an abdominal mass on her and they had to remove it including one of her ovaries. They were devastated. So with just one ovary, they decided to try again, this time, here in the Philippines. Now they have twin boys! If you're interested in doing it here, I think it's nearer to Singapore than Australia, just a three hour plane ride. And it's a lot cheaper too.
Mands - I think Singapore and SA are comparable in price (I admit I haven't looked very closely, but that's the impression I have.) And Babyblues - thanks for the thought also, but...
Nothing's going to beat full insurance coverage.
The FET all-up is costing about AUD$800-900 out of pocket. (That's $600-700 US.) It gets cheaper once we reach the medicare "safety net" and our annual insurance excess limit. I'm thinking you can't beat that.
Also, transporting the embryos.
Bea
Also, not sure SA is better flight-wise than Oz (although the Philipines is obviously much closer).
Bea
Also, I spent ten days in hospital after my last stim - I think I'd rather stim somewhere I have full coverage and a host of willing helpers to cook me meals/help with my housework/drop in and visit me during the day/take me to emergency if necessary.
Bea
But thanks! I am sticking to Oz, though.
Bea
I understand. When I inquired about Singapore, my friend recommended I stay here instead. Aside from being cheaper, you're not stressed out being in a different country and you'll be surrounded by family and friends. The treatments are stressful enough. So it would be better to be around comfortable and familiar surroundings.
So go were you know would be less stressful and more familiar. And yes, nothings beats full coverage! I'm excited for you already.
Hi Bea, I understand fully. I am a business owner and January was a real crash and burn for me financially. I am lining up two more IUI's and then In Vitro with ICSI if all esle fails. And I have no clue as to how I am paying for all of it! Have you been onto So Close blog? It's a South African woman who had 9 IVF's. I think you're very brave and wish you success!
Good luck with your FET, sorry that you have to travel so far! I am with you thought I wouldn't feel comfortable transporting precious embryos!
Good luck
OMG, I have to laugh at your jokes. I am glad that you have some coverage for your treatment...certainly helps. And I wouldn't worry about the plane emissions. This is definitely a lot more necessary as plane trips go than your average business trip.
:)
I love your commitment, Bea, I think you're doing great. Now gotta get me some of those offsets.
I think you should be commended--not criticized!
Congratulations on report card 10 :-)
LOL, that's exactly what I was planning to say the next time one of those pesky environmentalists harrassed me over a subscription. No offspring, no worries.
So why did I buy those expensive energy saving lamps? Oops.
Hi Bea, I just found your blog thanks to Serenity. She posted over on mine and told me about your 50 Good Deeds thing (because of a similar post I made yesterday). I think its awesome. Its something that really gets my goat as well, and I'd love to do it as well. I think I just might. Theres so little we can do in the grand scheme of things, but so much little, if you know what I mean. Well Done on sticking to it, the world need more like you.
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