IVF Myths: You'll Never Be Able to Afford It

My take on another IVF myth, written about by Dr. Kathy D. in a blogpost on Pure Natural Mom:

Myth #3. "IVF is expensive and not covered by insurance"

Money is of tremendous concern to everyone today. One of the first questions I'm asked in a patient's initial consultation is, "Dr. Kristiansen, how much will this cost?"

IVF can certainly be one of the costliest services most people will ever pay for, but when you look at where your household spends its money -- often without much second-guessing -- you can start seeing the expense of fertility treatment as one of the greatest investments of your whole life.

And the truth is that not only will many insurance plans cover some, if not all, parts of the IVF process, many employees have better coverage than they think. There are two different decision-makers in the insurance benefits arena: the insurance company itself and the employer who chooses from among available plans for their workers. Besides contacting the insurance company to inquire about your coverage specifics, talk to the staff responsible for managing your employer's insurance plans. I have specialized staff at Houston Fertility Center who can help you work with whatever insurance plan your employer has chosen.

When you consider how much you'll pay for a car, real estate, travel -- none of which can be compared to getting pregnant and having a baby -- the typical price of a single IVF cycle doesn't seem quite as significant. Some clinics like Houston Fertility Center are able to offer price variations throughout the year. For example, right now, we're offering IVF cycles for $9,250, a considerable discount off our usual rate, through November 30th, 2011. As a way of thanking public servants, I also offer discounted services to teachers, police officers, and fire fighters during different times of the year (like summers, so teachers can benefit during their vacation season.)

The important thing -- which Dr. Kathy D. alludes to in her blogpost -- is to not stop short of getting all the facts. You wouldn't base all of your hopes and dreams for your home and lifestyle on a few personal stories heard on the Internet. Find out for yourself if IVF is out of reach. And if it is, we'll help you find options to make it affordable.

~ Dr. Sonja Kristiansen M.D.