[I:http://www.naturmeds.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/HopeCollins0.jpg]When a couple is ready to go through an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment, the fertility clinic normally provides the couple with an estimate for the cost of IVF. The estimate details what the patient will pay for up front and what services may be charged in addition during the course of the IVF treatment. The fertility clinic’s estimate is normally presented in the form of a financial contract, which the couple is required to sign prior to starting their IVF cycle. Most people are nervous about signing any financial contracts that obligate them to paying money, and the IVF financial contracts are no exception. People are right to be worried about signing them because the fertility clinics design these contracts so as to maximize the amount of money they may charge a patient for their services.
In a typical In Vitro Fertilization cycle, the female patient is prescribed ovum stimulation medications so she will stimulate more eggs than she normally would in that menstrual cycle. The patient purchases the medications that are prescribed for her by the Reproductive Endocrinologist before the IVF cycle starts. The medication dosage is calculated based upon the doctor’s understanding of her preliminary test results and expectation of how the patient’s body will respond to the medications. From time to time, the dosage of medications a patient is taking needs to be increased because her body is not responding adequately to the current dosage. Increasing the dosage of medications often means that the patient will need to buy even more expensive medications than she anticipated in addition to the cost of IVF.
One of the side effects the egg stimulation medication may cause is the development of cysts on the patient’s ovaries. Typically, these cysts pose no threat and the fertility doctor will allow them to resolve on their own. If the cysts get too big, however, the fertility doctor will be forced to drain them so that they do not pose a problem. This process is called a cyst aspiration. A cyst aspiration procedure is not commonly included in the standard IVF cycle fees and is therefore a separately billable charge to the patient. Medical insurance may cover the cyst aspiration procedure. In the event that it does not, the patient will be responsible to pay for the cyst aspiration, which normally cost $1,400, in addition to the cost of IVF.
Occasionally the patient’s eggs do not respond adequately to the stimulation medications. If this occurs, the Reproductive Endocrinologist may cancel the IVF cycle and start again the following month. By canceling the IVF cycle, the doctor is preventing the patient from wasting the expensive fertility medications so she can use them the next month. Typically, the signed financial contract will state that the patient will be responsible for the monitoring services she incurred prior to the cancellation in addition to the cost of IVF.
When a couple first discusses the estimated cost of IVF with the fertility clinic, they are normally told that unforeseen circumstances may result in additional fees. They are also told that, in order to proceed with the In Vitro Fertilization cycle, they must agree to and sign the financial contract that obligates them to pay for the services that happen as a result of those unforeseen circumstances. Because the fertility clinic frequently glosses over the “fine print” that is all of the potential additional fees they may charge, a smart couple will know ahead of time exactly what they may be signing up for when they sign the IVF financial contract.
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