Are you Considering Infertility Treatment? Cost & Subsidies

Menstruation

In today’s world, where people are marrying later in life and giving birth when they get old, there are many couples who are considering infertility treatment.

Infertility, according to the World Health Organization, is a “disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.”

Women ages 37 and 38 are already at a critical stage when it comes to their ability to bear children. When they reach 45, there is an 87% likelihood of infertility.

However, there are many people who have an image of the high costs involved in infertility treatment but do not know the specifics. So, in this article, we will introduce the costs of infertility treatment.

Infertility Rates Increase with Age

In the “Statistics on Marriage” conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there is data on the “age of first marriage” for couples. According to this data, the age at first marriage (for women) was 25.2 years in 1975, 29.4 years in 2005, and 31.3 years in 2015, indicating that the trend toward later marriage is continuing.

This means that as people marry later in life, the number of women who give birth at an older age is also increasing, but the older the woman is, the more the infertility rate also increases. In fact, even though the number of births in 2008 has decreased by about half compared to 1975, the number of people undergoing infertility treatment and the number of births resulting from IVF are increasing every year.

The increase in the number of women who give birth at an older age due to later marriages means that everyone has the possibility of undergoing fertility treatment.

However, the topic of infertility treatment is not an easy one to discuss, and many people do not know much about the costs involved in infertility treatment. In this day and age, anyone can choose infertility treatment as a part of their infertility activities, and it is necessary to have proper knowledge of the costs of infertility treatment.

The Cost of Infertility Treatment

At this time, IVF treatment is not covered by health insurance in the Philippines. Each step of the process, from the egg retrieval, IVF, fertilized egg culture to the initial embryo, and embryo transfer, is costly, and the average cost is between Php 250,000 to Php 300,000.

Keep in mind that there are additional costs for medications, injections, and tests, if necessary.

In general, when infertility treatment begins, the first step is to start with a timing method, where the doctor guides you on the days when you are most likely to conceive. The timing method costs several thousand yen per session and is covered by insurance.

If the timing method does not result in a pregnancy, the next step is artificial insemination, in which healthy sperm are placed directly into the uterus on a day that is conducive to conception, to facilitate fertilization. Artificial insemination costs around P250,000 to P300,000 per session but is not covered by insurance.

If the timing method or artificial insemination does not result in a pregnancy, the next step is in vitro fertilization or ICSI. These infertility treatments are called “specific infertility treatments” and are expensive.

For this reason, there is a subsidy system for couples who undergo specific fertility treatments, which can help ease the burden of the cost of infertility treatments.

Infertility Treatment Stories

Here are some stories from people who have actually gone through infertility treatment, along with the costs involved.

[Ms. A, a 35-year-old woman]

There are many people who are undergoing infertility treatment who do not know the cause of their infertility, and Ms. A and her husband also had an unknown cause for their infertility treatment. After about a year and a half of infertility treatment, she was able to get pregnant and give birth after her fifth attempt at artificial insemination, which costs 250,000 per attempt.

[Ms. B, a 29-year-old woman]

Ms. B, who said that the cause of her infertility was found not only in herself but also in her husband, spent about 1.3 million for about three years of treatment. She said that the time she and her husband spent undergoing surgery was a refreshing break from infertility treatment.

Conclusion

In this day and age, when the number of older women having babies is on the rise, there is a possibility that everyone will have to undergo infertility treatment. Infertility treatment is not only physically and mentally demanding, but it can also be financially burdensome, so it is important to have proper knowledge of fertility treatment.

The cost of infertility treatment varies from person to person, but it is a good idea to have a rough idea of the cost based on testimonials. Also, since the subsidies you can receive vary depending on the area you live in, it is important to check the local government’s system beforehand.

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