Tips to Prepare for Fertility Treatment

Most Important Tips to Prepare for Fertility Treatment

Over 80% of the time, fertility drugs can stimulate ovulation—fertility treatments are being done now more than ever. Current technology offers fertility treatments to make pregnancy a reality for many couples who would otherwise struggle. Fertility treatments are a highly involved process and can be both emotionally and physically taxing. However, certain things can help you prepare for fertility treatments to alleviate stress and increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy.

7 Tips to prepare for fertility treatments

• Quit unhealthy habits - When starting fertility treatments, quit smoking, drinking, and staying up late to help prepare your body for a pregnancy while increasing the chances of getting pregnant.
• Maintain a healthy weight - Being overweight can affect pregnancy. Excess weight increases the risk of a miscarriage and can affect outcome with in vitro fertilization procedure (IVF). A high BMI also affects the safety of undergoing anesthesia or sedation, which is necessary with IVF.
• Eat a balanced diet - Eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats can help you maintain a good weight while building up nutrition for better overall health.
• Get quality sleep - Sleep is crucial for cellular repair, maintaining stress levels, and essential for fertility. Set a goal of getting between 7/ 9 hours of quality sleep each night.
• Maintain stress levels- Stress can hurt the chances of successful fertility. Seek ways to maintain stress during this process. Try things like acupuncture, walking, journaling, and meditating to decrease anxiety.
• Change workout routines - Exercise is great for increasing fertility. Replacing running and extreme exercising like bodybuilding to a gentler routine. Yoga, walking, swimming, hiking, and biking are wonderful ways to get gentle exercise during fertility treatments and pregnancy.
• Begin taking a prenatal vitamin - It is recommended to increase nutrients during fertility treatments. Prenatal vitamins are an excellent choice to ensure the body has enough folic acid, which aids in developing the brain and spinal cord during pregnancy. Please discuss with your doctor what prenatal vitamins they recommend.

Prepare for Fertility Treatment

The Cost of IVF

How Much Does IVF Cost?

You know in vitro fertilization is an expensive procedure, but how much does IVF actually cost? Here are projected prices based on several different scenarios.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) allows couples suffering from infertility to have children of their own. The procedure is relatively common; about 5% of children in America today were conceived through IVF, according to Amy Schutt, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at the Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. But despite its widespread availability, IVF is a pricey prospect, and proper financial planning is key. Here’s everything you need to know about the total cost of undergoing IVF.

 

 

The Cost of IVF

The cost of IVF depends on several different factors, like geographic location and egg type (fresh, frozen, or donor). But Dr. Schutt says the typical IVF cost in the United States is $12,000. This includes the procedure (retrieving eggs, inseminating them with sperm, and inserting them into the uterus), as well as ultrasounds, blood tests, embryo storage,  anesthesia, and more. Patients also can expect to pay an additional $3,000 - $5,000 for medications that stimulate egg production.

The cost of IVF in some other countries is lower. for example the cost of IVF in Iran is about 2500 $- 3500$ ( Doctor visits, analyses, ultrasounds, medicines, ICSI, embryo transfer and freezing the remaining embryos).

What’s more, couples must decide whether they want genetic testing, which screens for chromosomal defects. With this testing, doctors can choose the healthiest embryos of the batch to insert into your uterus. Genetic testing also allows you to see the sex of your baby; some clinics even let you choose the gender. If you opt for genetic testing, know that it can add several thousand dollars to the overall IVF cost.

Here are some other factors that may affect your total bill:

Using Frozen Embryos: If using frozen embryos, whether from yourself or a donor, you skip one part of the IVF process: retrieving eggs from the ovary with ultrasound imaging and a needle. Because of this, IVF with frozen embryos costs less – usually around $3,000 to $5,000 total. (Keep in mind, however, that you may have already paid for freezing and storing your eggs).

Using Donor Eggs: Usually the procedural cost is lower when using donor eggs, because you won’t need to retrieve eggs from the ovaries. However, you’ll spend anywhere from $25,000 - $30,000 on the eggs.

The cost of IVF in some other countries is lower. for example the cost of egg donation in Iran is about 4000$ ( Doctor visits, analyses, ultrasounds, medicines,donated eggs ICSI, embryo transfer and freezing the remaining embryos).

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): If a man’s sperm has low mobility, the doctor can insert it directly into the egg with a process called ICSI. This will cost about $1,000 to $2,500.

Surrogacy: With surrogacy, a couple will need to shell out for legal fees and surrogate payment, in addition to the IVF procedure cost. This ranges from $50,000 to $100,000.

It’s important to note that the costs outlined above are for one IVF cycle. The success rate of IVF for those under 35 years old is around 54%, according to a 2015 study by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). The success rate depends on age and types of egg used (fresh, frozen, or donor); for more, check out the complete study here. Given these odds, many patients end up undergoing more than one IVF attempt, thus doubling or tripling the projected price.

Does Insurance Cover IVF?

The high cost of IVF may leave many wondering if the procedure is covered by insurance. The answer isn’t clear-cut. While most insurance companies won’t offer assistance, others may partially or fully cover IVF procedure, infertility diagnosis, or medication. Fifteen states mandate some kind of insurance coverage for fertility treatments: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia. Check with your insurance provider and workplace for more information about coverage.

You may also consider researching your fertility clinic’s financial plans. Some clinics offer refund plans that let you pay for multiple IVF cycles upfront. If none of the cycles are successful, some amount of refund will be rewarded.

 

The Cost of IVF

A Guide to the IVF Process

what is IVF?

Thinking about overcoming infertility with in vitro fertilization (IVF)? Here’s how it works, plus everything you need to know about the IFV timeline, injections, side effects and more.

 

About one in eight American couples struggle with infertility, or the inability to conceive despite having regular unprotected sex. As a solution, increasing numbers of people are turning to in vitro fertilization (IVF), a procedure in which surgically-removed eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, then inserted directly into the uterus.

About 5% of all children born in the United States were conceived through IVF, says Amy Schutt, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at the Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. That equates to more than one million total babies. If you’re seeking to get pregnant through IVF, it’s important to understand the success rates, method, and possible side effects. Here’s all you need to know about IVF before signing up for the procedure.

 

• Who Gets IVF Procedure?

Infertility has a wide range of causes in both women and men. Treatment usually involves correcting the underlying problem with medication or surgery. But sometimes conventional treatment proves difficult, and couples turn to assisted contraception methods like IVF instead. For example, women with fallopian tube blockage often opt for IVF; since the fertilized egg is inserted directly into the uterus during the procedure, the tubes aren’t necessary for conception. Similarly, IVF procedure is common if the man has low sperm count (oligospermia) or a lack of sperm in ejaculate (azoospermia).

• Not every woman suffering from infertility is a candidate for IVF. According to Dr. Schutt, patients should think twice about IVF if they have premature ovarian failure or a serious medical problem that precludes pregnancy. Religious beliefs and financial constraints may also deter women from undergoing the procedure (the average cost of IVF is $12,000, plus an additional $3,000-5,000 for necessary medications). What’s more, women who don’t produce eggs – whether because of menopause or another condition – can’t undergo IVF unless they use a donor or frozen eggs, according to Dr. Timothy Hickman, the medical director of CCRM Houston and director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Houston Methodist Hospital.

IVF Process: How is IVF Done?

“IVF involves handling of both eggs and sperm within the laboratory to allow for the fertilization of eggs and early development of embryos,” says Dr. Schutt. To prepare for IVF, a woman takes injectable fertility medications for approximately 10 days, during which the growth of her eggs is closely monitored. “When the eggs are ready to be collected (about 14 days later), the woman takes one final HCG injection that assists in maturation of the eggs – and 36 hours afterwards, the eggs are collected from the ovary,” says Dr. Schutt. Doctors use a narrow needle, suction device, and ultrasound imaging to retrieve the eggs. This IVF process usually involves anesthesia or sedation to relieve pain.

Next, the embryologist places the collected eggs on a Petri dish. She combines the eggs with sperm taken from the male in a process called insemination. If the sperm has low motility (impaired movement) the embryologist may insert sperm directly into the eggs (ICSI).The fertilized eggs, or embryos, are stored for three to seven days. "If genetic testing (chromosomal defect screening that lets you see the sex of the embryo) is to be performed, then the embryo is biopsied between the fifth and seventh day of development," adds Dr. Schutt. Note that some clinics allow you to choose the sex during genetic testing, while others do not. 

Finally, doctors transplant one or more embryos into the uterus with a catheter. Implantation – and subsequent pregnancy – usually takes place one or two weeks later.

 

IVF Success Rate

According to Dr. Schutt, the success rate of IVF depends largely on egg quality and quantity. “Egg quality is primarily a reflection of the age of the woman from which the eggs are obtained. The younger a woman is when she goes through IVF, the greater chance her eggs will potentially result in a healthy pregnancy,” she says. “Egg quantity is more variable, and it’s measured via ultrasound (to count the number of antral follicles) and lab work,” including blood tests. Other factors that affect IVF success include weight, alcohol intake, and tobacco use. 

 

IVF Side Effcts

Most women who undergo IVF don’t have any symptoms, but possible IVF side effects include:

• Cramping
• Bloating
• Breast tenderness
• Clear or bloody fluid, which comes from the vagina in small amounts
• Mood swings
• Constipation

Some women also experience side effects from the hormonal injections they take before IVF. These include headaches, abdominal pain, mood swings, bloating, hot flashes, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) – a rare condition that occurs from excess egg production. Symptoms are weight gain, abdominal pain and swelling, nausea, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Consult your doctor if you think you developed OHSS – or if you experience other worrisome side effects of IVF like heavy vaginal bleeding or excessive pain.

 

A Guide to the IVF Process