Am I a Candidate for IVF?
While many forms of infertility can be treated with medications, intrauterine insemination or surgery, the process of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), offers the ability to effectively treat complex causes of infertility or those due to multiple factors. In some cases, couples proceed directly to IVF—for instance, if the fallopian tubes are blocked and cannot be repaired, or if there is a significant male factor reducing the odds of successful fertilization in the natural setting.
IVF is a process by which a woman’s eggs are stimulated to develop using hormone therapy, then the eggs are harvested by an office surgical procedure. The process of fertilizing the eggs occurs in the laboratory, or in-vitro. The fertilized eggs or embryos can then be transferred back to a woman’s uterus in order to implant for pregnancy. Unlike other fertility treatments, the process of IVF allows for control of the number of embryos to be transferred back to the uterus and the possibility to test for other conditions that might be indicated by the medical history.
Read a detailed description of IVF—what is involved and what happens in the laboratory.
Affording IVF
IVF is a procedure that may be covered by some insurance companies, but in many instances these treatments are excluded from insurance coverage. At Strong Fertility Center, we can work with you to assess your coverage and help you find the best financial option for your situation. Several financing options exist and can make this process more affordable for you.
Learn about some of the financing options available for IVF.
Success
The rate of successful pregnancy after IVF can vary for many reasons and the data can be a little confusing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) gather pregnancy rates from IVF centers registered throughout the country and report them annually. Typically, the national data are several years old when they are published. It is important to remember that the success rates at any clinic will vary for many reasons such as patient mix, age, and whether it is a first or repeat cycle. There are multiple factors that influence a treatment’s success. Data can be confusing and hard to compare. We encourage you to discuss your questions about your chances for success with our team. Success rates are usually reported as the chance for delivering a baby after a single cycle of IVF. They are separated by age of the women and the type of procedure such as using fresh eggs, frozen embryos, or if a donor egg was used. Each of these carries a different rate of success and each is listed separately. Sometimes, success rates are reported as an ongoing clinical pregnancy for cycles that have been recently completed within the last year and not enough time has passed to calculate the birth rate. Pregnancies should not be counted on the basis of a positive pregnancy test only, and our data are reported as live birth or ongoing pregnancies.