Libby Baney Discusses Online Exchange of Fertility Drugs With Insider

In the article “People are buying and selling fertility drugs on Instagram to cut costs of expensive IVF treatment,” Insider reports that potential parents have been using social media platforms such as Instagram to source fertility drugs. The publication spoke to partner Libby Baney about this phenomenon and the politicization of fertility treatment throughout the United States.

According to the article, many patients receiving fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization can find willing donors, often former patients themselves, through social media. This may be an appealing option to patients whose insurance offers little or no coverage for their prescriptions. Even so, sharing prescriptions is against the law, and comes with risks such as being counterfeit, contaminated, expired or otherwise unsafe.

The article goes on to say that in coverage negotiations, political and financial incentives can often take precedence over the needs of individual patients.

"Very progressive states are more willing to mandate coverage, and states that are more conservative aren't," said Baney.