Infertility costs
I know you were dreading that visit to the doctor, but at least now you know what the problem is! So now you can get some idea of what treatment you’ll need and, as much as I hate to bring up finance, what it’s going to cost. I’ve heard that treating infertility costs quite a packet. First, there’s the testing, then the drugs or other treatments, and then maybe IVF and other technologies. And usually you have to go for a few cycles of treatment before it works so the costs add up pretty quickly.
Of course, there are some ways to increase your fertility naturally that will cost very little, and they may even end up saving you money so it makes sense to try some of those. Things like losing weight, exercising and eating healthily will boost your fertility, make any treatments work better and save some money on medical bills in the long run too!
Testing
You’ll probably need to go for some testing to find out exactly what the problem is. They could want to test blood samples or semen samples or do some scans or internal checks – can you see the dollar signs already? The tests can be quite scary – having medical personnel poking and prodding about around your nether regions is never fun at the best of times, and neither are needles, but just keep in mind that it will all be worth it! Don’t quote me on this, but I read somewhere that one in every five couples gets pregnant before treatment even starts, probably because of psychological effect of going to the doctor- I don’t know!
Treatment
Once they’ve figured out what’s wrong they’ll normally start off with the light artillery – lifestyle or diet changes, and then after that, the drugs or hormone treatments to sort out any infections or hormonal imbalances. You might need some more scans after that to check if the drugs are working. Again, all of this adds up as the drugs cost between $50 and $150 per cycle, not including medical visits. You could also need minor surgery to fix any structural problems. I must admit, I think ‘minor surgery’ is a bit of an oxymoron; all surgery seems major to me! Again, all of this costs money, money you probably don’t have.
If that doesn’t work
If the drugs aren’t helping then you might need to go for something a little heavier – like IUI (Intrauterine Insemination), or possibly even bring out the big guns, the ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies). These procedures often require drugs and other testing procedures in order to work and again, this all adds up. One cycle of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) (think test-tube baby) costs over $12 000 and you may need a few cycles for it to work.
Financing infertility treatment
Treating infertility costs quite a bit as you can see. Not being able to afford the treatment up front doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your dreams of having children. Some states require insurance plans to cover infertility treatment – although you’ll need to check with your local insurance commissioner if you live in one of those states, and exactly what your insurance plan covers. If that doesn’t work, there are also some companies that offer financing for infertility treatment, and some companies and clinics only require payment if the treatment actually works. If you find that you have to make use of ART it makes a lot of sense to phone around and find out the costs of the various treatments and exactly what is included in the prices you get. Check with the clinics if they have any financing options as well. Also, the earlier you get help the lower your costs are, so if you do need medical help to get pregnant, don’t delay!
