The Cost of Treatment

Receiving fertility treatment can potentially be expensive.  But there are also some misconceptions about the real cost of treatment, as fees differ between clinics and the number of treatment cycles each patient receives can vary according to the individual requirements and treatment outcome for each patient.

Compared to the cost of treatment 20 years ago, fertility treatment is now considerably more affordable compared to the average annual income.  Giving it another perspective, the average cost today of IVF at MFS is:

• a quality holiday for two
• the cost of a dental implant and crown for one tooth
• the cost of a modest used-car
• 1,200 glasses of wine or pints of beer in a pub
• 65 meals in an average restaurant for two
• 200 takeaway meals for two

While the costs are not ’small-change’ for most people, they are possibly more affordable than many may have been led to believe through the media and hearsay from friends and family.

It takes 15 people to make a baby

That’s a rough calculation of the number of clinic staff involved in every IVF treatment cycle: including:

• the receptionist who greets the patients on arrival and answers their phone calls over the coming weeks
• the finance assistant who handles the invoice and payment or the NHS contracts manager who confirms the NHS funding is available
• the doctor and/or fertility nurse specialists seen at each of the eight or nine appointments
• the bio-medical scientist who analyses the bloods for hormones and routine infection control
• the secretaries who type the letters to the patients and their GP or consultant to ensure they know how the treatment cycle is progressing
• the doctor or nurse who performs the egg recovery
• the fertility nurse assistant and additional fertility nurse specialist who are part of the egg recovery and embryo transfer teams
• the embryologist who receives, checks and counts the eggs during the egg recovery
• the embryologist and semenologist who prepare the eggs and sperm for fertilisation
• the embryologist who freezes the remaining good quality embryos for possible future use
• the information analyst who informs the HFEA of the treatment cycle and its outcome

Add to that, the people responsible for the housekeeping, the quality management system, maintenance and business development of the clinic and suddenly there are many, many people involved in trying to make a baby for each and every patient, in addition to the equipment, supplies and drugs required.  Maybe the cost of an IVF treatment cycle at some clinics doesn’t seem so unreal after all?