Special Report: Black market motherhood

Cara Birrittieri, Used Infertility Drugs
"Women are really desperate for these medications and they do what they have to do."

Desperate for these -- fertility drugs. And they'll go to any lengths to get them.

Take a look at this undercover video. It looks like a casual meeting in a coffee house. But one of these women is a 7News producer. The other is a mom illegally selling her fertility drugs for $225.

It's something experts say is all too common.

Lee Rubin Collins, Resolve of the Bay State
"They want to have a baby. They want to have a family. But if they cannot afford the treatments or they cannot afford the medication, they feel they need to find an alternative way to get the medication."

The meetings are easy to arrange if you just go online. We found this mom offering to sell her drugs - super cheap - because they'd expired.

Deals like this are dangerous - but some say the intentions are noble.

Cara Birrittieri, Used infertility drugs
"It's so expensive to do this out of pocket and women are trying to help each other."

And it's not just happening in secret and online. When Cara was trying to get pregnant with Victoria, her insurance wouldn’t pay for the fertility drugs she needed. She was facing thousands of dollars in bills.

Cara Birrittieri, used infertility drugs
"The medications were just outrageously expensive."

But Cara says someone at her fertility clinic stepped in to help: offering her drugs leftover from another woman.

Cara Birrittieri, used infertility drugs
"They literally gave them to me. So I didn't have to pay for these drugs out of pocket."

But just because they’re from a clinic, doesn’t mean they’re legal or safe.

Lee Rubin Collins, Resolve of the Bay State
"We seriously caution women not to do it because it's just rife with danger."

Leftover fertility drugs can be expired, like the ones we bought. Or they may not have been kept at the right temperature.

Joseph Calomo, Mass College of Pharmacy
"There are temperature changes that could change the structure of the drug and therefore the effects of the drug."

Some women are even importing their fertility fix. Go online, and you can find ads for pharmacies overseas that will ship you the drugs. It may seem safer than a parking lot trade - but experts say it could be even riskier. The drugs may be tampered with or even fake.

Alan Penzias, Reproductive Endocrinologist, Boston IVF
"They could do harm to themselves, they could fail the therapy and really jeapordize their treatment if they're not using legitimate medicines."

But Cara knows it’s a risk thousands of women are willing to take.

Cara Birrittieri, used infertility drugs
"It was just nice to have a little bit of hope at that point."

Gambling their own health for a dream they are so desperate to hold and love.

Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states where insurance does cover infertility medications. However, the amount of coverage varies from patient to patient. And it doesn’t cover those who are self insured, work for small companies, or get their insurance from out of state.

For more information on safer infertility drug options you can go to: Resolve of the Bay State.  

Know your Bio clock

(Copyright (c) 2006 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)