What Is The Average Fertility Treatment Cost For Hopeful Parents?

7.1 percent. That's the percentage of the US population that has to cope with infertility. That means more people are affected by this dilemma than the entire populations of New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston combined. Even though there are treatments that can be successful 20 to 60 percent of the time, any type of fertility treatment costs more than many couples can afford.

There are so many factors to consider when trying to find the cause of infertility. These factors can amount to a lot of time and money. The earlier you begin your process, the higher chance you have for success is the best advice for hopeful parents. Diagnosing the issue that is preventing couples from conceiving is the first step. Find a doctor and get the tests needed that will start eliminating causes. The cost per test range from $400 to $1,500 per test. The cost can increase dramatically depending on the tests and treatments. 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. Unfortunately, there are no treatments that offer a 100% success rate but there are treatments with higher rates than others. The treatments that can offer the highest chance of success under the worst circumstances are unfortunately the most expensive.

In vitro fertilization treatments are often utilized as a last resort. First, Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) mixes eggs and sperm together in a lab, and that is then surgically implanted into the womb. This particular treatment can cost anywhere between $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. These numbers do not include the actual pregnancy.

Unfortunately, regardless of how much money that gets thrown at the issue, there are no guarantees for success. 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.

However, there are so many programs available to help. 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.