So you’ve read about possible fertility problems and tests for diagnosing infertility, and now you’re ready to explore treatment options. Below, you’ll find some of the favored treatment options for couples to help with infertility.
Remember, you’re not alone. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Marian Carey both sought fertility treatments. If you actually want to talk to others going through this (maybe Kim K won’t answer your calls?), Baby Center has a community of people going through the same thing you can talk to!
Fertility Medications
A lot of infertility causes can be traced back to hormone imbalances. A common solution for this is clomiphene pills and gondatropins injections. Careful, though, because these can increase your odds for twins!
Some drawbacks include mood swings and breast tenderness. Talk to your doctor about the in-depth list of side effects. Clomiphene led to about 80% ovulation in the first three months, and of those, 30-40% conceive within three treatment cycles. Gondotropins led to 15% conception rate when timed properly with intercourse.
Clomiphene pills cost $10-100 a month depending on dosage and brand.
Gonadotropin injections cost $1,000-5,000 depending on dosage and length.
Surgery
Surgery can help treat endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome; it can also help with genetic deficiencies and block fallopian tubes. While there are always surgical risks and side-effects, there are increased success rates for conception and, if the infertility was also causing pain (like with endometriosis), it can help in other ways.
Surgery can cost between $2,000-10,000 depending on type, anesthesia, inpatient vs. outpatient, and insurance.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
This procedure uses a catheter to inject the sperm directly into your uterus. It may lead to some cramping, but it typically lasts a day, and this procedure is often paired with fertility drugs. The success rate in couples with unexplained infertility was 7-15% higher after IUI.
Average cost is about $865.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
With in vitro fertilization, the sperm and eggs are both extracted from the parents, combined in a laboratory, and transferred back into your uterus after fertilization. Women often take fertility drugs in preparation for this procedure. Many celebrities have done this, including Courtney Cox and Celine Dion.
According to Baby Center, IVF had the following success rates:
- 40% success in women 34 and younger
- 31% success in women 35-37
- 21% success in women 38-40
- 11% success in women 41-42
- 5% success in women 43 and older
The average cost is about $12,400 per cycle when using your own eggs (BYOE) and partner’s sperm (BYOS).
Donor Eggs and Embryos
There are many reputable egg donation agencies to connect families with fertile women willing to give such a gift. The Donor Source is one such company. A donor egg is mixed with your partner’s sperm and then inserted so you can carry your baby. A donor embryo is ready to go and is injected. There is usually an option for fresh or frozen eggs. Fresh eggs have a higher success rate.
A fresh donor egg with in vitro fertilization will cost between $20,000-30,000.
A frozen donor egg with in vitro fertilization will cost about $16,000.
A frozen donor embryo with in vitro fertilization will cost between $5,000-9,000.
Gestational Surrogacy
Surrogacy is when a woman agrees to carry your embryo (or a donor’s embryo) for the nine months and then claims no parental rights. It can be a long process (legally and emotionally), but many women found success this way. Giuliana Rancic, Elizabeth Banks, and Sarah Jessica Parker all used surrogates, and let’s not forget Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) in Baby Mama (2008).
A surrogacy is typically arranged through an agency and can cost about $150,000, but only $25,000-35,000 of that goes to the carrier herself. It mostly goes to medical expenses, insurance costs, and legal/administrative fees.
Written by: Joanna Hynes