Infertility treatments can become very costly. So make sure that you consider infertility cost before you embark on infertility. The drugs alone can cost in the thousands of dollars. There other treatments available that are more advanced, they also cost more, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in vitro fertilization or gamete intrafallopian transfer. These types of treatments cost in the tens of thousands of dollars per treatment.
Here are just a few of the treatments that could be included in infertility cost:
-Average cost of an IUI (intrauterine insemination) cycle: $865; Median Cost: $350
-Average Cost of an IVF (invitro fertilization) cycle using fresh embryos (not including medications-medications for IVF are $3,000 to $5,000 per fresh cycle): $8,158; Median Cost: $7,500
-Average additional cost of ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) procedure: $1,544; Median Cost: $1,500
-Average additional cost of PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) procedure: $3,550; Median Cost: $3,200
The costs are extremely high for infertility treatments, but sometimes coverage for these treatments may be in your regular health care policy. They only part that you need to pay for is your deductibles and co-pays. Some states have made it mandatory to have infertility insurance included in your regular healthcare packages. But be aware that you may have to have the policy in place before you learn you are having infertility problems. You may not qualify for coverage if it is considered a pre existing condition.
There are usually other methods of paying for infertility treatments. You can find out these methods by contacting a fertility clinic or specialist in infertility; they will frequently have insurance or loan programs of their own to help their clients pay for the treatments.
You want to find out if they have programs such as refund plans available. This is a plan whereby you are partially or fully reimbursed if you are not able to conceive even after you have received a number of treatments from the clinic. Another good program to check into is a financial loan from a lender; this will help you pay for some of the treatment, and again, if the treatments don't work, then you only need to pay back a part of the loan.
Infertility drugs can also be very expensive. You and your specialist can do a search for the most cost effective ways to save on your infertility drugs. Do a little research online and see if you can find mail order pharmacies through low cost online pharmacies.
In addition to finding insurance of other ways to save money on fertility treatments, you may have to reexamine your priorities as a couple. Fertility procedures are so expensive that a couple may have to forgo some of their other dreams until the process is over. Savings accounts and vacations may become a thing of the past when it comes to being able to afford the dream of having a baby. These are well worth the wait for the couples that are so desperately wanting to have a baby.
