The difficulty of having a baby is something that affects 17 percent of Spanish couples, who must resort to assisted reproduction techniques to achieve pregnancy.
The emotional wear that involves going through a process of artificial reproduction, join the high economic costs of treatments which are an important sacrifice for many couples.
The assisted reproduction treatment prices vary depending on the technique used and the clinic chosen. Since the 550 euros for a conjugal artificial insemination announced by the IVF Madrid clinic, until almost 7,000 euros from the IVI clinic for an ovodonation treatment.
Some private clinics have concert with certain medical insurances, which lowers the final costs of treatments. In others, such as the EVA or IVI clinic, offer financing and even bonuses or reduction of rates from the second cycle such as the Vita Fertility clinic.
Through the Social Security You can also access these treatments, but the Lisa's wait is about two years (in some autonomous communities even more), a factor to consider if we consider that the chances of fertilization decrease as women advance in age.
Leaving aside, in each case, the cost of diagnostic tests and medication, how much does each cycle of assisted reproduction cost in a private clinic?
Artificial insemination
Is the easier assisted reproduction technique what is there and why most couples usually start. It consists of depositing a semen sample, from the couple or from a donor, inside the woman's uterus.
It is indicated in cases in which there is low quantity or mobility of sperm or these find problems to cross the cervix. It is also an appropriate technique in cases of mild endometriosis, uterine malformation or ovulation pathologies.
The cost of a cycle of conjugal artificial insemination ranges from 550 euros of the IVF Madrid clinic, up to, for example, the almost 800 euros of the IVI clinic or more than 1,000 euros from the Eugin clinic.
The price usually includes ultrasound and hormonal controls, insemination and analysis of the beta-HCG hormone to confirm if pregnancy has occurred.
The success rate of this technique, according to the clinic Tambre is situated between 20 and 25 percent, rising as the cycles progress. If after four attempts pregnancy has not been achieved, specialists recommend changing the technique.
In vitro fertilization (IVF)
It is a complex technique that involves the removal of ovules from the patient to put them in contact with the sperm in the laboratory. Fertilization occurs naturally in the laboratory and embryos are transferred to the mother's womb.
IVF is advised as a treatment in couples with problems of both female and male origin, as well as in cases of infertility without diagnosis.
Success rates vary depending on the age of the patient. According to the Assisted Reproduction website, they would be in:
A success of 40% in women under 35
Between 27-36% in women aged 35 to 37
Between 20-26% in women aged 38 to 40
Between 10-13% in women over 40
Your approximate cost can go from 2,000 euros announced by the Minifiv clinic, until more than 4,000 euros from the Eugin clinic or the almost 3,000 euros from the IVF Madrid clinic.
The price usually includes hormonal and ultrasound controls, puncture for ovum extraction, laboratory insemination, embryo transfer and beta-HCG hormone analysis.
IVF-ICSI
In vitro fertilization with sperm microinjection or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), requires a greater degree of complexity than normal IVF since it consists of introducing the sperm into the ovule through a microneedle.
It is indicated in cases where normal in vitro fertilization is not enough due to male sterility problems. Its average price is around 5,000 euros per cycle but in return it must be added that the success rate is very high, according to the private clinic Ginefiv.
Egg Donation
This technique is recommended, especially, in women with ovarian problems whose ovules are not valid for any of the techniques described above. In this case, donor eggs would be used.
The procedure is greatly expensive costing no less than 6,000 euros per cycle. The good news is that it is a treatment with high success rates (as we see in the study conducted by Ginefiv) and that it can be used in women over 40 years of age increasing their chances of pregnancy.
Additional factors that make the techniques more expensive
These assisted reproduction techniques can see their prices increased depending on the clinic chosen, the medication recommended during the treatment or the diagnostic tests that need to be done before and during the reproduction cycles.
The cost of the medication It will depend on each specific case and the reproduction technique used. In some clinics, such as EVA, they finance the cost of medicines, and these are They range between 100 euros and 250 euros per cycle.
Pharmacological treatment depends on each particular case but usually includes medication for ovarian stimulation, follicle maturation or progesterone to facilitate implantation.
Similarly, if the reproduction technique requires resorting to donor semen or combining several techniques in the same cycle, the indicative prices we have given may be quite far. This would happen, for example, if you need:
Sperm extraction by puncture and aspiration,
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis,
Chromosomal study of the embryo,
Freezing and conservation of eggs, sperm or embryos ...
On June 4, International Infertility Day was celebrated, a pathology that according to WHO affects both physically and psychologically.
There is no doubt that the high costs of treatments are one of the main obstacles that many couples who are currently struggling to see their dream of becoming parents have to face
- Photos | iStock
- Sources consulted | Assisted Reproduction, IVI Clinic, Berbabéu Institute of Reproduction, Tambre Clinic, EVA Clinic, Vita Fertility, Eugin Clinic,
