Annual Frozen Embryo storage SIVF

[Where there's hope]

Hi
We were blessed to have our son via IVF. DH and I have just realised it is WAY over a year since we paid for 12 months embryo storage (Jan 09 to Jan 10). Panic stations. We have heard nothing from SIVF since we paid last year ... Will call them in the morning, but was just wondering if we should be worried about this lapse?? Would hate to think something has happened to our two frosties because we have not been advised to pay yet (which we most certainly intend to do).
Hope to hear from someone with their story on annual frosty payments with SIVF
Thanks
WTH

[{sarah}]

Our second annual payment was due in September last year & we hit panic stations in late December when we realised we hadn't received the bill. I was freaking out thinking they might've destroyed them or something! I called & apparently they got a new computer system in & some of the bills for storage weren't automatically being generated. I would guess that it might still be the case. Give them a call tomorrow & you'll probably have your bill by the end of the week like we did

[Where there's hope]

Thanks alot, Sarah. You understand exactly how freaked out we are feeling ATM! Hopefully they have a policy where they do not throw embryos out willy-nilly (I am sure they would not be in too much of a hurry to lose the revenue). Will definitely be calling them first thing in the morning.
WTH :-)

[{sarah}]

Yep I know the feeling exactly & I realised over Christmas & couldn't get through so was panicked for a few days. The receptionist was really apologetic about it too. I imagine if they discarded embryos whenever a bill was late they would face an awful lot of law suits, at least that's what i kept telling myself so as not to panic too much!

Good luck with your phone call & try not to stress too much in the mean time

[slyder]

Yeah they took forever to send our bill, and seem to have forgotten one as well which is good.

They won't toss them, don't worry.

[nic]

Ok, so we're not with SIVF, but with QFG, and they have a couple of steps before discarding embryo's because of non payment. We get our storage fee sent every 6 months. If they don't get a payment when they send a bill, they send out another notice after a little while. If that one doesn't get paid, i think they send another one, then if that one isn't paid, they send a letter asking if there are any problems, have you recently changed your address etc... then i think there was another step before they discard. Basically i think it worked out to be somewhere around a year of them chasing you for payment before they started sending letters asking what's going on.

Anyway, my point is, when you call, maybe ask them if there is a procedure in place? How many times will they try to contact you before they would consider discarding your embryo's? Having said that, I still freaked out late last year when they were a few weeks late with sending our storage fee. Aust post was the problem, and the bill arrived a few days later.

[{sarah}]

How'd you go?

[Where there's hope]

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone

Just thought I should write the outcome of my phone call this morning in case any one else has a full scale panic outside of business hours like I did...

Turns out SIVF will send out three invoices, before passing on to a debt collector. As for the embryos, they need BOTH parent's consent before doing anything with them.

My frosties are safe and sound