Women who undergo in vitro fertilization are selling their leftover drugs on the Internet in order to regroup some costs, according to a news report. 

Due to the high costs of the fertility drugs, women selling their leftover drugs are easily able to find buyers to purchase the drugs. 

From the Washington DC news station NBC 4:

Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Frank Chang says IVF is a complex process that demands women take up to five different drugs daily for six to eight weeks. 

And when there’s leftover drugs, people have three options: throw them out, donate them or, like Cheri, sell them on the Internet. 

“The cost of the treatment is so high that many patients can’t afford to do the treatment, or if they can, they can barely save enough to do the treatment because insurance may not cover a lot of this,” said Chang. “Then they are forced to save the money somewhere else.” 

Usually, the drugs sold over the Internet are sold at discounted prices. For example, some drugs can cost up to $700 at the pharmacy. On the Internet, it can be less than $300. 

“It is a little bit frightening because what these patients don’t understand is that these drugs, for instance, may be counterfeit,” said Chang.