The percentage of couples in the US that cope with fertility issues is 7.1. To put this in perspective, it is more than the entire populations of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston combined. Even though treatments can be highly successful (20-60%), for many couples they are way too expensive.
There are a lot of reasons that couples can’t conceive and finding the reasons for that inability takes time and money. One word of advice is that the earlier you can begin the process, the higher the chances are for success. The first step in diagnosing the issues that prevent couples from having children is to go to the doctors and take the tests to eliminate causes. Those costs can range anywhere from $400 to $1,500 per test. And depending on the tests, drug treatments and personnel involved, those costs can increase exponentially. If the first tests and treatments are unsuccessful, those costs are small compared to what comes next. Determining which treatment to try next can get very expensive. While none are going to give a 100% chance of success, there are some that do provide better chances than others. The treatments that can offer the highest chance of success under the worst circumstances are unfortunately the most expensive.
As a last resort before giving up completely, in vitro fertilization treatments can be tried. First, Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) mixes eggs and sperm together in a lab, and that is then surgically implanted into the womb. This fertility treatment cost can be anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000. Next, implanting a verified fertilized egg into the womb in a process called zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) can be tried. This process has the highest chance of success, but can also cost $10,000 to $20,000 at a minimum to do. And that doesn’t include the pregnancy itself.
Unfortunately, there are many factors and no amount of money can guarantee that treatments will be successful. It is not impossible to spend more than $50,000 on an attempt to have a child and not conceive. That’s one reason that finding assistance for funding is such a difficult prospect. There are some states that require insurance companies to pay part of the bill. Only 13 states so far require the companies to pay for any of the diagnosis and treatments so far. And in some of those states, there are enough loopholes that insurance companies don’t have to cover any of those costs, even with the requirements.
There are programs out there that can help, however. Many fertility treatment centers do have financial counselors that will help with attaining a low interest loan, connections to public and privately funded assistance, and some insurance companies are sensitive enough to help with drug costs and other funding issues. As long as there is hope, there is almost always a way to find funds for it. Remember, even though fertility treatment cost may run into the tens of thousands of dollars, the life of that baby is priceless.