Costs Associated With Fertility Treatment

There are many costs associated with fertility treatment. Fertility treatment is not inexpensive, and unfortunately most insurance carriers do not cover infertility, even when it is caused by a medical problem. Fertility treatments are also not guaranteed, hence many couples may expect to pay out lots of money with no guarantee they will conceive. Despite this many couples are more than willing to undergo whatever treatments necessary to improve their odds of conceiving.

Fertility Treatments Explored

If you experience trouble conceiving your first step should be finding a fertility specialist. There are many fertility or reproductive specialists that will work happily with you to decide the best fertility treatment choices. Fortunately there are many fertility treatment options ranging from moderately expensive to very expensive. Below you'll find an explanation of some of the more common fertility treatments.

• Intrauterine Insemination - This treatment involves semen analysis, prep and insemination of a donor's or your partner's sperm directly into your body. This process also involves monitoring your ovulation and ovarian function, and requires that you are actually ovulating. Most intrauterine insemination procedures start at around $300 each session.
• In Vitro Fertilization - This is a more expensive procedure generally starting at 6-$7,000 dollars each session. Some families will spend thousands of dollars on multiple IVF attempts. A typical treatment ma include consultation and assisted hatching.
• Frozen Embryo Transfer - This procedure generally costs around $2000 and up.

Most couples using fertility treatments will find they have to undergo multiple sessions before they successfully conceive. It is not uncommon for couples to spend upwards of $20,000 or more to successfully conceive, and some will not despite their best efforts.

Fertility Drugs

Many women will opt for fertility drug treatments before trying more invasive therapies. Fertility drugs can help promote ovulation in women and help extend a woman's luteal phase to help sustain a pregnancy. Some of the more commonly prescribed drugs include Humegon, Pergonal, Fertinex, Serophene and Clomid.

The first line of action for many women is taking Clomid, particularly if infertility results from annovulation. Clomid is a drug that stimulates ovulation in women. It is not without risks. In some women Clomid can cause hyper stimulation of the ovaries, hence it is important that women taking this drug are closely monitored.

Many doctors will recommend Clomid for women who are just starting infertility treatments. Many women find that this is all they need to successfully conceive. This is often the least expensive option, costing less than $100 for each month a woman takes Clomid. Typically Clomid is prescribed during a woman's cycle, and intercourse must be timed closely with use to ensure a woman's chances of conceiving are maximized. Some women, roughly 5 percent using Clomid, will experience a multiple pregnancy. The risk for multiple pregnancies however is much higher for women undergoing more invasive procedures including artificial insemination or IVF. Up to 45% of women will successfully become pregnant while using Clomid.

Other drugs including injectible medications may help promote fertility when timed with intercourse. Alternatively some women may use injectible medications in combination with IVF treatments to enhance their chances of conception. The more treatments used generally the more expensive fertility treatments become.

It is important you carefully weigh your personal situation before deciding to undergo fertility treatments. For many women undergoing fertility treatments can be emotionally draining and stressful. They can also however be very rewarding when successful. There are other choices available however, including adoption. Each family must decide for themselves what treatments are best suited to their unique situation. There are no words to describe the joy a baby or new child brings to a loving couple.