Financial Options - Main Page
The high cost of infertility treatment can be daunting and prohibitive to many seeking such treatment. Cost and financial considerations usually play a major role in decision-making about fertility treatments.
Below are options for financial assistance:
- Loans for infertility treatment,
including IVF - Secured and unsecured loans are available for coverage of infertility treatment
(including IVF) and pharmaceutical care.
- Treatment packages - Many IVF clinics offer cost saving treatment packages.
For example, a two-cycle IVF payment plan
can significantly reduce the overall cost of repeat treatments by
comparison with a traditional pay-as-you-go plan. The two-cycle plan is of
particular benefit to patients likely to have multiple extra embryos to
freeze.
- Payment plans - Many clinics offer an array of payment plans in
which costs vary depending on the terms of payment (i.e., upfront deposit,
upfront payment in full, payments spread over varying time horizons, etc.)
- IVF refund programs - This
is a way to reduce risk. Some IVF clinics offer an IVF refund program
for which the patient prepays for a certain number maximum number of IVF
cycles. If the patient does not take home a baby after that number of cycles,
then the patient receives most, or all, of her money back.
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- advertisement - IVF clinics that specifically offer low-cost treatment - It may be worth it to look for such a clinic. Sometimes clinics will offer seasonal or occasional specials/discounts as well. You may want to review our directories of:
- Shared donor egg cycles - For those using donor egg, some IVFclinics
allow for the sharing of the eggs and donor costs by two recipients, each of
whom receives half of the eggs retrieved.
- Sliding-scale reduced fee programs - some fertility clinics offer IVF on a
sliding scale for those in the lower income brackets who meet specified
qualifications.It doesn't hurt to ask.
- Health insurance -The extent of health insurance coverage
varies widely and and figuring it out can be quite challenging.
- Take part in a clinical trial - Some research programs are clinical trials that provide fertility treatment.
- Grants and Scholarships for IVF - Look for, and apply to, foundations and organizations that offer grants
and scholarships for fertility treatment
- IVF abroad - This is sometimes
advertised as "IVF vacation." IVF in some countries outside of the
United States is sometimes offered at very low cost.However, it is very
important to research thoroughly and proceed with caution.
- Mini IVF, also known as micro IVF or minimal stimulation IVF, is a
lower-cost alternative to traditional IVF treatment, but with higher success
rates than Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). It involves little or no hormonal
stimulation and therefore less costs than full IVF for monitoring and
medications.While cost is generally lower for mini IVF, if the cycle is
not successful, then the costs can actually be greater in the long run.
Success rates are not yet clear.
- Ask for contributions from friends and/or relatives
- Launch a fundraiser - spread the word using social media.