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By Daniella Gray
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A Florida mom who handed over several unopened boxes of IVF medication to a friend wasn't expecting anything in return.
Arsiak Vartenian, 48, who had undergone multiple rounds of fertility treatment herself, knew how costly the medications were and wanted to help someone facing the same uphill battle.
Months later, her friend sent her a photo.
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The baby in the picture had been conceived during the IVF journey that Vartenian's donated medication helped make possible.
"When she told me, I was so happy for her," Vartenian told Newsweek. "She now has two beautiful kids and the family she's always wanted."
Vartenian, who shares her 4-year-old daughter Valentina with husband 45-year-old Amir Syed, struggled with infertility for years before becoming a mother.
During treatment, she often felt isolated and overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the process.
"It just made me feel defeated," Vartenian said. "I couldn't control the things that I wanted to have or happen naturally."
For many people undergoing IVF, the cost of treatment can run into tens of thousands of dollars.
A single IVF cycle in the U.S. typically costs around $15,000 before additional expenses such as medication, which can add thousands more to the final bill, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Although Vartenian's insurance covered the majority of the cost, she said the financial burden is only part of the story.
"Hope is expensive," she said. "It's expensive on all fronts of life, not just financially, but emotionally, physically and socially. It just makes you feel like, what's left?"
As she moved through multiple IVF cycles, Vartenian occasionally ended up with unopened medication that had been prescribed but never used.
Her clinic accepted some unused supplies back, but when two friends revealed they were undergoing fertility treatment, she realized she could help directly.
One friend told her she had been quoted thousands of dollars for medications needed for her next cycle.
"I said, 'I have that in my fridge,'" Vartenian said. "I did it because I wanted to do it, not because I had to do it."
The decision felt natural. Growing up, she said, her parents regularly helped others, instilling in her the importance of giving back when possible.
Vartenian donated several unopened medications, saving her friend thousands of dollars. At the time, she thought little more about it.
Then came the updates.
First, her friend told her she had successfully created embryos. Months later came the news she was pregnant with a son.
Today, that son is four years old and has a younger sister, also conceived through IVF.
"We keep in touch on social media, and I tell her, your family's so beautiful," Vartenian said. "She's like, thank you. And I know what that means."
The experience reinforced her belief that unused IVF medication should not automatically be dismissed as leftovers.
"In the right hands, it can mean possibility," she wrote in a post on LinkedIn about her experience.
Vartenian is careful to note that donations should only occur through safe and legal channels.
Regulations governing fertility medications vary by country, state and clinic, and patients should always consult their medical providers before attempting to donate or transfer unused drugs. In Florida, the state Department of Health operates the Prescription Drug Donation Repository Program, which facilitates the donation of prescription drugs and medicine. It places strict conditions on donations, including that drugs must be unopened and properly stored.
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Vartenian hopes her story encourages people to consider how they can support others navigating fertility treatment.
Whether support comes in the form of medication, advice or simply listening, she believes even small acts can make an enormous difference.
"If you're a woman in that position, I would say just be there, whether it's giving away your meds, whether it's saying, 'Hey, I've been through this before, I know what you're going through.' Coming out there to support one another... it's the most selfless acts that we can do," Vartenian said.
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Emma Lee-Sang
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