A husband who allegedly told his wife that he is "not obligated to pay" for her "own medical issues" has received a storm of criticism on Reddit.

The incident was brought up in a Reddit post shared by the wife under the username LeatherRequirement59. The post has received 20,000 upvotes since it was first posted on August 9.

According to the poster, the husband told her "since I'm the cause of infertility," she "should handle the cost of IVF [in vitro fertilizations] sessions by myself."

The wife explained "I felt so hurt, I exploded on him and he acted like I was being unreasonable, and then said he was not obligated to pay for 'my own medical issues.' I lost it and decided to pack my stuff and go stay with my mother."

The poster noted "Yes, I do take responsibility for my infertility but this was too much. Did I overreact? Was I wrong for taking a stance against what he said and leaving?"

Rachel Marmor, a licensed mental health counselor based in South Florida, told Newsweek: "This situation is deeply emotional, as it involves the sensitive issue of infertility and the dynamics of shared responsibility in a marriage," adding that "the wife's reaction of leaving home reflects a need to protect herself from emotional harm."

Lea Nicole Trujillo, a licensed therapist and fertility emotional wellness coach, agreed, telling Newsweek that "leaving home may have been her way of setting a boundary and expressing the depth of her hurt."

She added that the husband's actions "were not just unreasonable; they were deeply hurtful, sending a message that she was alone in this at a time when she needed him the most."

IVF is a type of infertility treatment that involves "extracting a woman's eggs, fertilizing the eggs in the laboratory, and then transferring the resulting embryos into the woman's uterus through the cervix," explains the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

IVF represents greater than 99 percent of assisted reproductive technology procedures performed in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, based in New York, says "limited information, restrictive laws and policies, stigma, high cost, and other barriers" make infertility care, such as IVF, "out of reach for many, especially people from marginalized communities."

'I'm the One Struggling With Infertility'

According to the poster of the viral Reddit post, the couple, who have been married for 13 years, have enough combined savings to afford IVF treatment. However, her husband "wasn't sure we should take this route," as he pointed out that "one session isn't guaranteed [to be enough] and that we'd have to pay for more."

He later allegedly said "that 'logically,' since I'm the cause of infertility...he thought that I should handle the cost of IVF sessions by myself," which left the poster "shocked."

The wife said she's had no response from him since she left the home, apart from a text that allegedly read the "truth hurts," which he'd sent when she rejected his phone call.

The poster noted "I got blamed by family saying I'm overriding his feelings and that he had the right to open up about how he felt when I kept pushing him about the IVFs, especially considering his mental health state from being able to become a father, which is a human right that he has."

'Betrayal' and 'Painful Rejection'

Marmor noted that when the husband suggested that his wife "should bear the financial burden of IVF because of her infertility, it likely felt like a painful rejection of their partnership. Such a statement can trigger deep feelings of isolation, hurt, and abandonment."

Trujillo added: "When a husband refuses to contribute financially, especially knowing the emotional and physical toll on his wife, it can feel like a betrayal of the partnership and commitment that marriage stands for. His refusal to support the IVF round not only dismisses the importance of their shared dream of parenthood, but also undermines his devotion to her."

New York-based psychotherapist Kelly Scott told Newsweek: "This is a situation where it's easy to label the husband an uncaring jerk," noting that "his response was absolutely nasty."

However, she also wonders whether the wife has been ignoring signs that her husband doesn't want this, as "it seems like he hasn't been hiding his ambivalence about IVF."

Be 'On the Same Team'

Scott advised "rather than pushing forward, it seems like a better idea to slow down and have some tough conversations about whether they're on the same team in this."

Marmor said that "such conversations should be approached with empathy, where both partners acknowledge each other's pain and work together toward a solution."

Trujillo also noted that although the wife may have the diagnosis of infertility, "it's a shared venture that should be approached as a team."

'Horrible'

Redditors were quick to defend the poster of the viral post, criticizing the husband for his behavior.

SweetyChickkk said "No, you didn't overreact. Your husband's comments were incredibly hurtful and insensitive. It's a shared journey, not just your 'medical issue.' You deserve support and understanding, not blame.

OnlyOnTuesdays289 said the poster is "NTA [not the a******]. Your husband is a massive selfish a******. What he said to you was horrible. It is full of blame and shame."

SecretaryPresent16 agreed that the poster is "NTA. He's being incredibly insensitive and overall just cruel. Even if the infertility is coming from your side, it is still an issue that you have to face together. It becomes BOTH of your issue to fix, or not fix, depending on what you both want. It is unfair of him to put this all in you."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.

A stock image of a couple arguing while sitting on a sofa. A viral post about a man suggesting that his wife should cover IVF treatment costs as she is "the cause of the infertility"... A stock image of a couple arguing while sitting on a sofa. A viral post about a man suggesting that his wife should cover IVF treatment costs as she is "the cause of the infertility" in their marriage has sparked fury among users on Reddit. iStock / Getty Images Plus

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