Parents-to-be feel the cost of infertility treatments.

Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein

Aug. 6--Kelly Reed and her husband, Hoyt, have good-paying jobs. They own their home, plus a rental property. Even so, Kelly feels financially strapped.

Over the past three years, the Reeds have spent $40,000 to $50,000 on infertility treatments not covered by their health insurance plan. To come up with the cash, they've dipped into savings and given up vacations. Kelly, a nurse, has worked extra shifts. The couple also tapped a home equity loan that's now maxed out.

"I just never wanted to give up," said Kelly Reed, 30, of Des Peres. "You go into each cycle thinking, 'This isn't going to work,' and you think, 'Why am I spending all this money?' But there's just this glimmer of hope."

On April 27, after five attempts at in vitro fertilization, Reed gave birth to a son.

"When I look at Jack, I don't even think about the money," Reed said.

The steep price of infertility has prompted wishful couples to drain savings, take out high-interest loans, go overseas for less expensive care and even move to one of the few states -- including Illinois -- that require some employers to provide coverage.

At the same time, many physicians have skirted traditional medical conventions and begun offering everything from creative financing programs to arrangements that resemble infertility insurance.

Physicians describe infertility as an epidemic, growing as more women choose to delay childbirth.

More than 7.3 million Americans, or 1 in 8 women of childbearing age, had trouble getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002, the most recent data available…