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Infertility is a condition where couples can’t get pregnant despite trying for a long time. With the advancement of medical science, there are many options including assisted reproductive technology (ART) that can help overcome infertility.
One of them is In vitro Fertilisation (IVF), It’s one of the most common fertility treatments for couples. One of the biggest challenges is dealing with financial issues that comes with IVF treatment. The IVF cost is overwhelming.
This article will give you the complete breakdown of the costs. The affordability and accessibility of IVF treatment can be a major factor in deciding who will undergo IVF.
Factors Affecting Overall IVF Treatment Cost
There are many factors that can affect the cost of the treatment. Let’s look at the factors that can impact the IVF price:
- Type of IVF procedure
- Age and medical history of the patient
- Reputation and location of the fertility clinic
- Expertise of the fertility specialist
- Cost of medications and other consumables included
- Sometimes additional procedures are needed including frozen embryo transfer or testicular sperm aspiration
- If IVF is not successful in the first cycle, the couple might opt for multiple IVF cycles
What’s included in a Standard IVF Cycle?
In India, although the IVF price is lower compared to western countries, it’s important to know what a standard IVF cycle includes. The components that make up the overall IVF cost are:
1. Consultation Charges: The first meeting with the fertility specialist is the start of an IVF cycle. During the initial consultation, the couple needs to bring all their medical documents including medical history or any previous fertility issue. The fee for the initial consultation is part of the total IVF treatment cost.
2. Diagnostic Tests: Many diagnostic tests are done to determine the cause of infertility. They can be simple blood tests and ultrasound for women and complex tests like semen analysis for men. The cost of initial diagnostic and procedures is a big part of the overall IVF cost.
3. Ovarian Stimulation: Medications to stimulate egg production come in different protocols and dosages. The cost of oral medicines and injectables affects the overall IVF price as well.
4. Egg Retrieval: This is the surgical procedure of retrieving eggs from the ovaries. The cost of anaesthesia, surgeon’s fee, operating room and lab charges are included as well.
5. Sperm Preparation and Freezing: If needed, sperm preparation and freezing can be done before the IVF procedure. The cost of sperm preparation and freezing can vary depending on the method used.
6. Fertilisation Process: Fertilise the eggs via conventional IVF or Intracytoplasmic Injection (ICSI). Depending on the method used, the cost will differ.
7. Embryo Culture: After fertilisation, the embryos are incubated in the laboratory for a few days until ready for transfer. These costs are factored into the IVF cost.
8. Embryo Transfer: The embryo transfer is a big part of your IVF treatment. It is also a big part of what you are spending in the overall cost of IVF. In some cases, the embryo transfer might be ultrasound guided to accurately place the embryos. Ultrasound guidance might have an additional cost.
9. Pregnancy Test: After the embryo transfer, it takes about two weeks to get pregnant. So, during the wait time, you will need to go through a blood test to check your pregnancy.
What are the extra fees for IVF, that I need to watch out for?
Embryo Freezing: After the embryo transfer, there could be extra embryos which you do not use. These may well be frozen and stored for your next attempt at a cost included in your package or separately appointed cost.
Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT): Some patients choose to do PGT on those embryos to screen the embryos for certain genetic descriptors. The cost of this testing is an extra charge within the IVF treatment package.
Assisted Hatching: In some instances, your doctor may recommend using assisted hatching to help the embryos implant inside the uterus. This service will have an added cost to the cost of IVF.
How to cut cost on your treatment?
As we know, IVF treatment can be very expensive, but we can still save minor costs. Here’s how:
1. You can start by comparing prices, infertility specialists in a few different cities, will offer similar price ranges, but if you look around, you will find a few good ones in moderate charges – with good success rates.
2. You should look for infertility centre fertility hospitals that have discount packages. Some IVF centres may run periodic discounts that include some services for free or reduced costs on services to reduce the baseline cost.
3. Travelling back and forth to clinic and home can be expensive, it would be beneficial to look for a fertility clinic located close to you to reduce travel expenses.
Conclusion
An IVF price breakdown can help prospective parents better prepare for their IVF treatment process. Once you ascertain what is most typically included in a standard IVF package and what services may come at an extra cost, you will be able to plan and prepare for what is a daunting journey through IVF. You need to converse with the fertility specialist so that you have a better overview of what to expect both medically and financially.