Facts about assisted fertility

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method of assisted reproduction in which the man’s sperm and the woman’s eggs are combined in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. Usually two to three embryos are transferred to the uterus to develop naturally, either three or five days after the eggs were retrieved. IVF was successfully used for the first time in the United States in 1981.
• Assisted Fertility Services of Community Health Network began in March of 1998.
• A study published in the July 6, 2000 issue of New England Journal of Medicine recommends that treatments with fertility drugs alone should be abandoned in favor of in vitro fertilization (IVF), which allows physicians to better control the risk of multiple pregnancy. Although IVF may be more costly in the short term—at least $8,000 per attempt and often not covered by insurance—researchers say it can be less expensive than the often exorbitant costs associated with a premature multiple delivery. IVF—in which a limited number of fertilized embryos are implanted in the womb—results in a lower risk of higher order (triplets and greater) multiple pregnancy and has a single cycle success rate that is as much as three times higher than treatment with fertility drugs and insemination.
• Couples who experience infertility use the Internet for research. A recent study by Canadian researchers shows that 55.8% of patients in treatment for infertility who use the Internet also used the technology to access infertility information from health care organizations, scientific journals, fertility clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and patient self-help groups.
• According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine:
  • Infertility affects about 6.1 million people in the U.S.—about 10% of the reproductive age population.
  • Infertility affects men and women equally. Most infertility cases—85% to 90%—are treated with medication and/or surgery.
  • IVF and similar treatments account for less than 5% of infertility services, and only three hundredths of one percent (.003%) of U.S. health care costs.
• A number of states mandate insurance coverage for infertility treatments, including Illinois. Indiana law does not require such coverage.