The Cost of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
September 8, 2008 – 6:02 am
We’ve all heard the this one: “Raising kids is expensive!!!”. I wouldn’t know. Yet. But I’ll soon find out. I found out this week that my wife is pregnant. Thank you Lord! My learning over the past few months is quite a bit different than the previous quote: “HAVING kids is expensive!”.
We had quite a bit of trouble getting pregnant, and the cost of help in this area is a lot! There are quite a few options when it comes to getting pregnant, and they range from only drug treatments to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Although I am not a doctor, it seems like IVF is the last stop on the “help us get pregnant” spectrum, and it can be quite expensive.
I guess “quite expensive” doesn’t cover it. IVF procedures cost a bundle, and this is the option we chose. The early estimates we were given (by our hospital) were between $8,000 and $25,000 per procedure. Based on what I’ve read, however, I think the number is probably some where in the middle, say around $15,000. Of course as a finance geek I’m already hyperventilating by this point.
I am grateful that my insurance covers some of these costs. We’ve had to pay $1,000-$2,000 so far, and I’m sure there are still some bills on the way.
There are several steps in the IVF process, and each can cause stress and worry:
- egg extraction. Doctors prescribe drugs to obtain more eggs than usual. If you don’t get enough you may have to go through this process more than once, which is expensive and less than fun for the wife (translation: 1-3 shots per day for 1-2 weeks followed by a medical procedure that will leave her in pain for at least a few day. And she’ll have to miss some work for this too).
- fertilization and implantation. The doctor’s have several ways they can fertilize the eggs. Dumbing it down a bit, they can either just mix the eggs and sperm, or they can pick individual sperm and place one separate sperm in each egg. This second alternative is more expensive, because it requires a embryologist to do more work. Depending on the issue, they may need to process (wash) the sperm as well.
Then it gets better. We were blessed with several high quality embryos on the first try, which allowed us to implant two. Implanting 2 embryos means the probability of pregnancy is increased 10%. More eggs is a blessing, but the next though it: Oh my gosh, it’s very possible we’ll have twins! Somebody get me a bag to breath into. 
And there’s a 3 percent chance that one of the eggs to split as well (yielding at most 3 babies, 2 identical twins and a fraternal twin). Did I mention that my wife is an identical twin? That increases the chances that a single embryo could split as well….
20% of couples end up with more high quality embryos than they can use in a single procedure. This gives you (and your spouse) the choice to freeze the other embryos for later use. This is beneficial because it means your wife won’t have to go through another round of shots and egg extraction procedures to try again. It also is much less expensive because of the cost of doing those things. Once again God blessed us, and we were able to freeze four. It’s weird thinking that we could have 6 or more children who were all conceived on the same day but here delivered years apart.
Since this is a PF blog, I guess I also need to point out that freezing embryos does have a cost, about $600 for a couple years. It will save money in the long run if we try again, but it’s still a cost.
The success rate (which can be measured a ton of different ways) can range anywhere from 30-70% depending on the source of the statistics. This means that someone going through these procedures could easily require two or more IVF procedures and still not necessarily become pregnant. We prayed and were blessed with a good healthy pregnancy on the first try, with extra embryos to spare.
I am so grateful to God for blessing us with a healthy pregnancy on the first try, and with so many high quality embryos. Although I tend to worry a lot, I recognize and freely admit that God is in control, and He always has been. My wife and I didn’t really “do” anything. God gave us the children he wanted us to have. We at most just moved the process along a bit.
In summary: if you find yourself complaining about how expensive it is to feed and cloth your kids, just remember that there are some of us that wish we had that to complain about!
Image Credit: Raphael Goetter
If You Liked This Post Then Please Check These Out...
|
2 Responses to “The Cost of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)”
Very true. A friend of mine who already has 2 kids once said when asked if they are planning to have another, ‘Kids are expensive’. While my husband and I are trying to have our 2nd for years now, I can really say the ‘trying’ part is already expensive. For now, after years of seeking professional help, we decided to just loosen up for a while. Meaning no doctors, no meds, etc. He said if God is going to give it to us, we will have it – with or without meds.
Good luck to you and your wife. Happy blogging! ;o)
By abelle | Only in Silence on Sep 8, 2008