Why IVF is Expensive? All You Need to Know before Starting Treatment
Are you considering having a baby via IVF, or someone close to you is, and the finances are bothering you? If yes, then you should know that you’re not alone in this. So many childless couples have been wanting to get the best infertility treatment for having a child but cannot move ahead because of the money it would take. Sure, there are several other reasons why couples might be hesitating to undergo IVF or any other infertility treatment but finances are definitely one of the most significant and primary ones. Medical sciences have made huge leaps in all areas including that of fertility care but in-vitro fertilization still remains quite an expensive affair. Why is it so? There are several reasons that contribute to it and we’ll look at all of them. But first, we ought to know how complex IVF is and what all goes into making an IVF treatment successful.
Steps in IVF Treatment and how much they cost
IVF is a complex treatment as it involves a series of medical (and minor surgical) procedures that are required to be done with precision to give a positive result. This means you need highly qualified and experienced professionals to conduct the procedures. For this, one has to search well and find an IVF center with a good track record, preferably, the best fertility center in Gurgaon because the city’s hospitals offer a higher success rate than the rest of India’s. This also means that you’ll have to pay for the premium services to ensure better chances of success.
Here are the steps involved in IVF treatment and how much they cost on average-
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First, you’ll consult the fertility doctor for getting an idea about what might have caused the infertility issue. The consultancy fee may be between Rs.500 and Rs.1500.
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Your doctor may ask you to undergo some tests like blood tests, semen analysis, laparoscopy, sonogram, etc., to determine the cause of infertility and thus, decide the best treatment route for you. Each of these tests is expensive, like a semen test in Gurgaon will cost you about Rs.500-1000. So, you may end up shelling out some 5,000 to 15,000 rupees on them.
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The medications and injections given for inducing ovulation are costly but they ensure that a good egg reserve is present to draw from when needed. Add at least another few thousand rupees to the bill for these.
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Next comes the lab procedures which involve: egg retrieval (from the prospective mother), obtaining semen sample (from the prospective father), the fusion of the two gametes in an incubator, caring for the embryos till they are ready to be implanted, and lastly, implanting the embryo in the woman’s womb. The lab charges vary from center to center but on average, expect to pay Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000.
This is just the cost of a basic IVF treatment cycle. Many couples need other advanced processes to help them conceive. For example, the male partner might be suffering from a low sperm count or low sperm motility which will require the use of ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). ICSI is an expensive procedure as it involves extreme precision in impregnating the egg with a single best quality sperm cell. An ICSI treatment will cost you a whopping Rs. 1,00,000 or even more! Similarly, someone might need an egg or sperm donor or a surrogate to carry the baby. All these services will add to the bill- Rs. 30,000 to 1 lakh. Lastly, if you wish to cryopreserve eggs and/or embryos for the future IVF cycles (as most couples need about 3-5 IVF cycles to conceive), there’s an additional charge of Rs.30,000-50,000 to be paid.
Consequently, one can safely assume that getting a basic IVF done will cost them Rs. 70,000 to 1 lakh. And the more complex procedures and extra services you avail, the more you’ll pay, so an advanced IVF can even cost 2-3 lakh rupees. However, now that you know how complex the process is, you can somewhat appreciate the reason for the high cost of treatment. Though a lingering question still remains, why does IVF have to be so costly despite the fact that the technology has been in use for quite some years now?
Additional reasons for the high IVF treatment cost
Probably the biggest reason is a lack of insurance coverage. Whereas most other serious diseases are covered by popular insurance plans, infertility treatment options are rarely covered by any of them. Even those who do, cover only parts of the treatment like diagnosis and so, you still have to pay for the medication, etc.
Secondly, most couples require more than 1 IVF cycle to get a baby. Each cycle will add about Rs.50,000 more to the bill, making the treatment cost skyrocket.
Thirdly, many couples have to travel far to avail the best treatment (for example, people from across the country come in search of the best IVF center in Gurgaon or Delhi) which translates into traveling and hotel charges.
How to manage the finances?
Thankfully, most IVF clinics (and some banks and insurance companies) now offer a zero-EMI facility for people who cannot afford to pay the heft amount at once. Some other possible ways to get financial help are- using credit cards, family borrowing, and crowd-sourcing. But make sure your clinic and doctor are transparent about all the costs before you enter the treatment period, this will help you plan your finances well and help you avoid last-minute hassles.
How Grace Fertility can Help you
Grace Fertility Center is one of the renowned IVF hospitals in Gurgaon and Delhi NCR. They have world-class fertility experts like Dr. Reubina Singh, who is founder and IVF specialist with more than 10+ years experience in infertility treatment. This Fertility centre is equipped with world-class lab instruments and highly experienced and skilled doctors. They have been working as a fertility centre for the last 10+ years and treated more than 10000 couples.
