Mommy, where do babies come from?
Good God that simple question can really send your heart racing and your mind scrambling for a suitable answer. Let’s be honest, most of us botch it up with half truths and awkward silences. We discuss with our friends what we might say and we laugh at how our parents handled it but we never stop and think about the people who dread not being asked.
Image from Gabi Menashe
Because they will never a child to ask that question.
It’s a sad fact, but RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, states that as many as 1 in 8 couples struggle to conceive and go to term. With nearly 12% of women having undergone some form of infertility treatment in their lifetime, there is no longer only one answer to that question. So where do babies come from?
The good news is that couple’s struggling to conceive have a wealth of options available to them.
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Artificial Insemination – This is the one we have all heard of. In Vitro is a process that occurs outside of the body, in this case in a laboratory. The technique involves the implantation of fertilized eggs directly into the womb to increase a couple’s chances of conceiving.
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) IVF – OK, so maybe not one to discuss with your five year old but arguably the easiest of the bunch to get your head around. This procedure is all about helping out the sperm. It involves injecting them directly into the egg so that they don’t have to swim up the fallopian tubes and thus increasing the chance of pregnancy.
- IVF with Donor Eggs – This one’s pretty cool and great for women who have gone through chemo or waited until they were older to start their families. A very generous donor provides the egg which is fertilized with IVF and implanted into the womb.
- Surrogacy – This is often the only choice available to women whose reproductive organs have been damaged by chemotherapy or those who are past a childbearing age. This procedure involves a surrogate carrying the child throughout the pregnancy.
Of course all these treatments come with a hefty price tag. At the moment, only 15 states legally require insurance companies to offer some level of infertility treatment cover. With the costs of fertility services in the U.S amongst the highest in the world, some couples find themselves priced out of starting a family. It’s a sad state of affairs, when money is the factor preventing a man from playing catch with his child or a woman from ever celebrating mother’s day.
Image from Seth Baur
But there are a number of other options available. Medical tourism is a growing industry and many couples find that they can receive the same high medical standards at a fraction of the cost by visiting other countries. Barbados offers fertility services on average 66% cheaper than the U.S whilst India has some of the world’s leading experts in the field. Couples interested in pursuing treatment abroad as an option should visit IVF-abroad.org to find out more.
A number of charities also provide aid in the form of one-off grants to cover the costs of infertility treatments. The INCD, for example, provides a free basic IVF cycle whilst the Cage foundation can offer up to $10,000 for treatment. Of course, the important thing to remember when choosing the right fertility options for you is do to your research and take your time. After all, if you need to give the stalk a helping hand, it’s important that you choose the right one.
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