Infertility is an unwelcomed condition for a lot of couples in Houston, Texas and other parts of the country. It usually comes with depression, anxiety, and lots of stress as couples or individuals seek answers to their questions and worry about what can be done to get around it. Fortunately, many have overcome the condition through fertility procedures such as in vitro fertilization, or IVF. This is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) that involves the combination of sperm and eggs to create embryos in a laboratory. The embryos are later transferred to the uterus where they may implant in the lining and develop.
IVF is one of the most well-known fertility procedure on the market. Many equate IVF as being synonymous with infertility treatment. Yet despite its fame and popularity, IVF remains a rather hit or miss procedure, as does any infertility treatment. Chances of success vary depending on a number of factors including the age of the woman at the time of treatment. Women who are over 35 usually have a lower chance of success than women who are under the age of 35. Success rates tend to hang around 40 to 50%, although this varies.
The procedure works by extracting eggs from the female partner, and collecting a sperm sample from the male partner. The sperm and eggs are mixed along with a nutrient medium in a glass dish inside of a laboratory. In Latin, 'in vitro' means 'in glass'. The embryos that result are later transferred to the woman's uterus a few days later. But not all embryos are transferred. The number is limited to help reduce the risk of multiple pregnancies, although more than one embryo is usually transferred. Couples should talk with a Houston fertility specialist to determine a good number to transfer to improve the odds of success while keeping the chances of multiple births as low as possible.
Success of the procedure is determined a couple of weeks later through the use of a home pregnancy test. A positive result will be confirmed by the doctor in his or her office. Those who are unsuccessful may opt to try again in another cycle of IVF. Some choose to freeze eggs or embryos during their initial session of IVF so they may be used on future cycles. This may reduce the cost of subsequent treatments, but success rates may decline when frozen eggs or embryos are used. This is another important issue to discuss with a Houston infertility specialist.
The cost of the procedure varies depending on one's geographic location, as well as the clinic at which treatment is sought. Most procedures tend to cost around $12,000 to $15,000, although some can be performed for around $10,000. Costs may surpass the $15,000, but rarely dip below $10,000. If they do dip below that level, inquire as to the reason for the low price. Insurance may not cover the cost of treatment, although this is something worth discussing with one's insurance company and the physician.
Learn more about in vitro fertilization in Houston, Texas.
