Really, Hong Kong? Really?

SO!!! Last time on Self Made Motherhood Blog:
I tried a second ICI over 4th of July weekend...and nothing came of it. AF showed up two days before I got on a plane to France to be with my work babies (and their extended Frenchy-Frenchy family) for a month before we all moved to Hong Kong. So I didn't really give myself time to process or grieve at all. And the reason why I might need to process or grieve was because The Bank does not deliver swimmers internationally, so if I'm going to have another chance to get knocked up at all (with The Bank that I really like that has the top 2 - 3 WTBK donors of color/mixed heritage that I really like), it won't be until I'm back in the US for my Christmas/New Year's holidays in December. So it's not like the first try where my attitude was very "Oh well, got my period...Let's get ready for the next cycle in two weeks!" I won't be able to even think about trying again until December, and since I'll be in Hong Kong for at least two years, it may be my last chance to try at all. If you read the previous blog, you know that when I finally got to France and went through my entire work day with the kids, after I'd finally gotten them to sleep, I went back to my room and had a very quiet, yet very ugly private cry.

So what's next? Well, I had the little aftermath breakdown in France. I woke up the next morning looking for a solution. There could actually be advantages to TTC in HK. For one, I refused to go at all unless they fully provided for my health insurance coverage there. They acquiesced, so my first thought was that I should research fertility treatments/clinics in Hong Kong. For my prospective next try in December, I already made up my mind to give up on ICI and move on to IUI. Due to the terms/conditions surrounding delivery of swimmers from The Bank, I'd have to have the IUI done in the US for sure, BUT I figured maybe if I could start fertility testing/treatments/services in HK and coordinate with a Boston area clinic, I'd be a step ahead of the game when it was finally time for the procedure itself. I found a few clinics/hospitals with fertility centres/specialists in HK that seemed really appealing, so I sent out e-mail contact inquiries about services and the possibility of coordination between an HK medical team and a Boston one. My first reply nearly knocked me off my chair:

It is unlawful for any doctor in Hong Kong to provide fertility/conception services/treatment to any unmarried person. Any doctor suspected of doing so could be investigated, prosecuted, fined, jailed and/or lose their license to practice medicine. Really, Hong Kong? Really? This ordinance has been on the books in HK for some time, but somewhere around 2007 doctors were actually starting to be prosecuted by the government, so there's nobody out there who'll hook me up and look the other way even. SUCKSVILLE!!! What now?!?

Here's what: so we know that I've decided to go with IUI (or possibly even FSP, but probably IUI) for my December cycle in the US. I started researching Boston fertility clinics. Several are very well-known with very good statistics and reviews from current/former clients. Of these, most also accept international clients, so their programs are set up to accommodate consultations and courses of treatment via e-mail correspondence and telephone for women coming in from abroad just to get pregnant. The biggest issue (I think, so far) is that I won't be insured in the Massachusetts or anywhere else in the US, so knowing the cost of every last detail and what I'll have to do to cover those costs out of pocket is paramount. So that's pretty encouraging...

Also, I'm currently forecasting December ovulation to be somewhere between December 15th - 20th. AND, it seems I may have three weeks off for vacation this winter instead of two. So I may have just enough time to do everything that needs to be done while I'm there. I have some consulting to do, but if I decide to do the hormone/trigger thing, I may be able to start the birth control (to regulate my cycle to a statistical 28 day one and know exatly when I'll get AF) while I'm still in HK. I mean, they won't help me get pregnant. Let's see if they'll prescribe something to very specifically keep me from getting pregnant.

So far, it could all be very promising.