What is IVF and how much does it cost?
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is used when a woman has blocked or absent fallopian tubes, or when a man has a low sperm count. In IVF, eggs are removed from the ovary and mixed with sperm outside the body in a Petri dish. After about 18 hours, the eggs are examined to see if they’ve been fertilized and are dividing into cells. Some of these fertilized eggs (embryos) are then placed in the woman’s uterus. The cost of an IVF treatment ranges from about $5,000 to $15,000, with the average cost about $12,400. • When is a donor egg used? Donor eggs are an option for women who cannot produce eggs or who have problems with the quality of their eggs. A woman using a donor egg becomes the biological mother to the baby, but she doesn’t share the child’s genetic make-up. However, if the male partner’s sperm was used in the fertilization process, the child shares his genetic background. Approximately 50 percent of women have a successful pregnancy using donor eggs. This procedure is recommended mos
