Takes a Village to Have a Child

It's remarkable, the things that people will do in order to afford fertility treatment. While it is disheartening that so few people have insurance coverage for the medical techniques that could make them parents, the creativity and resourcefulness of some patients is inspiring. Raising funds through social media is becoming more mainstream, as discussed in this ABC News piece.

Using the Internet to rally your supporters is a new take on the old concept that “it takes a village to raise a child” – now, because of social media's ability to expedite getting in touch with others, fertility patients who need assistance to afford treatment are thinking it takes a village to have a child.

And their Twittering, Facebooking, and website-building are apparently paying off. If you find yourself in the majority who have little to no insurance coverage to help you pay for fertility treatment, the holidays may be the best time of year to put the word out and see what your loved ones think about helping out. And to help out further, nearly every year Houston Fertility Center offers IVF discounts – our current low price is good until the last day of 2012. Take a look at CallDrK.com for more details. We're happy to be part of your family-building village!

~ Dr. Sonja Kristiansen M.D.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Building a Family In Tough Times

The country's economy is struggling so much that women are quite possibly having fewer children as a result. A report published last month by the Centers for Disease Control likens the trend to the Great Depression's fertility rates.

My patients feel the pain. If getting pregnant the old fashioned way is harder now, imagine what it's like to need special fertility treatment in order to have a baby.

In that light, I'm currently offering a big discount on IVF: $7995 through November 30th.

Because Houston Fertility Center has its own state-of-the-art laboratory, I'm able to provide the highest quality reproductive medicine services at more affordable prices. And since this is the time of year when people living in the Houston area are caught between high electric bills (for air conditioning!) and impending holiday season expenses -- it seems like the best time of year to make family-building a reality for so many.

Hang in there!

~Dr. Sonja Kristiansen MD

Is Putting Off Pregnancy The Best Idea?

An article in the Los Angeles Times recently touted the benefits of the economic recession in terms of women delaying pregnancy.

While I believe that there are certainly advantages (as described by the author) to later-aged motherhood, I think we need to tread carefully when discussing the impact of age on fertility in general.

The majority of women (and men) have no idea what their body's fertility status is until they try to conceive. Unfortunately for some, the news is not only alarming but comes too late for them to take advantage of treatment in an optimal way.

Of the many causes for infertility, many (perhaps most) are not age-related, it's true. But that rosy perspective can work in reverse -- if a woman's not ovulating or if her tubes are blocked, it doesn't matter how old she is: she won't get pregnant without assistance.

While we're looking for silver linings to the recession's dark cloud, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Fertility Drug Company Offers IVF Miracles Education Funding

Once you've finally cleared your fertility hurdles to have that miracle baby, life's little related expenses start adding up fast. Educational costs aren't far behind those first birthday parties (and by the way, the staff of Houston Fertility Center really loves those party invitations!)

Since 2004, Ferring, manufacturer of fertility medications, has offered a chance at getting a little help to fund your child's academic needs. Houston Fertility Center patients who used Bravelle or Menopur can enter their essay in the My Little Miracle contest by December 31, 2010. This year's theme: If I Knew Then What I Know Now. The prizes: education funds of up to $10,000!

All the details can be found here, where you can also read the previous winners' entries for inspiration.

I'm honored to know my patients' miracle stories first-hand. I know some of them will make outstanding entries in the Ferring My Little Miracle contest.

Safe Versus Affordable: Are Couples Forced to Choose?

This article on Australia-based News-Medical.Net reports that increasing numbers of twins and triplets are being born as a result of the global economic crisis.

The increase (in Australia) is due to more infertility patients requesting the transfer of more than one embryo in each IVF cycle. Essentially, in an effort to save money, couples are trying to boost their odds of pregnancy per cycle.

This is an unfortunate state of affairs, since studies have for a long time pointed to several related facts, including the bottom line that multiples and their mothers are at greater risk for numerous precarious health conditions.

Because of the many complex variables at play in each IVF cycle and in each woman's own reproductive condition and functioning, some patients must undergo more than one IVF cycle before successfully achieving a healthy pregnancy. In some cases, one treatment cycle is all that's required.

Now that the combined work of embryologists and reproductive endocrinologists has arrived at a point of making single embryo transfer a viable option for many, and certainly transferring only one or two more embryos to counteract some infertility-causing conditions, my recommendation for struggling couples is to take advantage of seasonal discounts when available.

Rather than boosting your odds per pregnancy, which in turn may boost health risks for you and your hoped-for baby, I encourage patients to time their treatment around clinics' occasional specials. For example, Houston Fertility Center is currently offering IVF for $7,950 per cycle, until June 30, 2010. We've long offered summer price cuts so that patients who typically vacation during summer months can fill their off-time with baby-making. (It's especially popular with teachers, we've learned.) At the discounted rates, if getting pregnant requires more than one cycle of IVF, you'll still be receiving affordable treatment and at a much safer embryo transfer rate.

I know the anxiety that many patients feel, about time passing, about affording treatment, and about possibly never having a baby. But I also know that all of my patients, to a person, want a healthy baby over everything else. Boosting the odds of pregnancy by narrowing down to one IVF cycle with too many embryos is not the safest way to fulfill their dreams.