Modern medicine has done wonders for infertile couples around the world. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has resulted in thousands of happy parents who might otherwise not have children of their own.
One of the oldest and most successful of those technologies is in vitro fertilization, or IVF for short.
How Does In Vitro Fertilization Work?
IVF consists of stimulating a woman’s ovaries with hormones to produce multiple eggs in one cycle, harvesting those eggs, and then combining them with the man’s sperm to achieve fertilization.
After that, the fertilized egg or eggs have to be put back into the woman’s uterus so the embryo can grow and develop into a baby.
What Does IVF Cost?
As might be expected, the IVF cost is quite high, with $12,400 being the average amount paid for each cycle of IVF treatment. That means if your first treatment cycle doesn’t result in a pregnancy, you may have to pay another $12,400 to try a second time, depending on your clinic.
Many clinics will offer you the option of freezing extra embryos to use if the first round of IVF doesn’t take. This can save you money later on because you won’t have to pay for egg harvesting and retrieval again. If you end up not needing the embryos they can be destroyed or donated to another couple.
Paying for In Vitro Fertilization
Sometimes the IVF cost can be covered by insurance, but more often it isn’t covered and you may be asked to pay the entire amount up front. A few states have required insurers to cover fertility treatment, but coverage varies from plan to plan and state to state.
You may find that your policy covers fertility drugs, but not IVF. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine has extensive information about the individual state laws. You might also be able to find a financial institution that provides loans for IVF cost or other fertility treatments.
Other Considerations
Before you jump to conclusions and worry about the IVF cost, understand that in vitro fertilization is often a last resort after other attempts at pregnancy have failed; only 5% of infertile couples in the US attempt IVF. There are many other less expensive options open to you such as artificial insemination, fertility drugs or even surgery.
You also need to make sure you are eligible for IVF treatment. You must qualify as infertile before you can receive treatment. This generally means having one year of unprotected sex that does not result in a pregnancy. You may also have to undergo testing to make sure you don’t have any physical abnormalities that may prevent a pregnancy from succeeding.
Choosing a Clinic
If you have access to multiple clinics, shop around and compare costs. Get detailed information about what is included in the cost and what is not.
The low-ball quote may not provide as many tests and services as a more comprehensive quote and you could end up paying the same or more for these services a la carte. When choosing a clinic, remember that you’ll need to go there regularly, so make it convenient to your home or work location if possible.
Ask questions about the clinic’s success rate as well as the success rate for couples in your particular situation. Make sure you understand what the clinic offers, how much you will be expected to pay, and how and when you’ll be expected to pay it. The last thing you need going into an already stressful situation is unexpected costs related to treatment.
