Eco-IVF
An affordable IVF program for you and your family
Introduction
Each year thousands of couples are referred to in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures due to struggles with infertility. However, high costs along with lack of insurance coverage and financial resources make this IVF treatment less accessible.
Eco-IVF was created to help such patients. Our low-intensity IVF program offers everyone one of the most affordable IVF Programs at an IVF cycle cost of $4,950.
ECO-IVF operates with distinctly different practice patterns and clinical protocols. The reason for this is a specific attempt to establish a low cost IVF program that makes IVF treatment affordable to individuals and couples who cannot afford such treatment at standard fees, currently charged by CHR and other IVF programs.
By modifying practice patterns, cost savings can be achieved in staffing, medication costs (which can represent up to one third of total cycle costs) and supply costs, which can, in turn, be passed on to patients in the form of lower IVF cycle costs.
Eco-IVF Procedure Overview
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a procedure that involves the fertilization of a woman’s egg outside of her body with sperm in laboratory setting. Once this fertilization is complete, the resulting embryos are transferred back into her uterus for pregnancy.
Each IVF cycle involves four distinct phases:
- Ovarian Stimulation
- Retrieval
- Fertilization
- Transfer
Ovarian Stimulation
In a standard IVF treatment protocol, women are given high doses of injectable gonadotropins which help stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. These high doses of medications can cause uncomfortable side effects and increase a woman’s risk for a rare but severe side effect called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
In our low cost IVF treatment protocol, these gonadotropins are replaced with an oral medication called clomiphene citrate (Clomid) which produces fewer eggs, but are associated with lower incidence of side effects and risks. In the last part of the IVF cycle very low doses of the injectable gonadotropins will be added to the oral medications every other day.
Retrieval
Once the eggs are mature, egg retrieval is performed through a ultrasound-guided needle inserted into the ovaries.
Fertilization
The retrieved eggs from the ovaries are fertilized in a laboratory with a partner’s or donor’s sperm. If there are any concerns with the male partner’s sperm such as low sperm count or abnormal sperm, a micromanipulation procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) will be used to inject a single sperm into each egg. All ICSI procedures are included with our Eco-IVF program. For more information about this procedure visit Eco-IVF with ICSI.
Transfer
When the embryos (fertilized eggs) are mature enough, embryo transfer is performed. The embryos are guided by ultrasound through the cervix and into the uterus where they are released. The procedure is quick, painless, and only requires that a woman remain lying down 20 minutes or so after it is complete.
Advantages
The principal advantage of Eco-IVF over standard IVF is the use of low intensity medications at lower dosages. Lower dosages of low intensity medications usually result in fewer embryos available for transfer per cycle, and lower cumulative pregnancy rates per cycle as a result, but this protocol does offer the following advantages:
- Patients do not have to visit our center for cycle monitoring as often as they would in a standard IVF cycle
- Patients are exposed to a lower chance of severe side effects of standard ovarian stimulation medications, such as OHSS
- Overall, patients in Eco-IVF program may experience less stress during treatment cycle
Although the most obvious advantage of Eco-IVF may be the low per-cycle cost, this cost benefit may not hold true if you look at the time and cost required to have a “take-home” baby, as explained below.
Disadvantages
Eco-IVF is an example of a so-called low intensity IVF program. Such programs have over the last few years become increasingly popular, though have not been investigated in their efficacy and cost in comparison to standard IVF programs. Therefore, it is currently not known how these different low intensity programs compare to standard IVF programs in terms of pregnancy rates and cost.
When CHR first established Eco-IVF, we advised patients that outcomes would be closely monitored as part of CHR’s Continuous Quality Improvement Program. We also decided to offer the program only to younger women (up to age 38 years) who demonstrate normal ovarian function for their respective ages. Once we had a sufficient sample size, we conducted a comparison of outcomes and patient costs, which revealed the following in comparison to regular IVF:
- Eco-IVF produces fewer eggs and embryos, and therefore only rarely enough embryos for cryopreservation of extra embryos.
- Eco-IVF also produces lower fresh cycle and cumulative pregnancy rates.
- Because of lower pregnancy rates, the costs of establishing a pregnancy via Eco-IVF is similar to the cost of establishing a pregnancy with regular IVF.
In summary, when using Eco-IVF rather than regular IVF, it may take longer to get pregnant and no cost benefits may be obtained. The only obvious benefits from Eco-IVF over regular IVF lie in the lower effort required and lower medication dosages patients are exposed to. Since even in young women with normal ovarian reserve Eco-IVF does not offer outcome and cost advantages, it seems likely that such an approach to IVF in older women or women with premature ovarian aging may actually result in significantly lower pregnancy chances and higher costs. For these patients who require a more individualized approach or a higher dose of medications, CHR’s regular IVF program may be a more suitable option.
Cost
The cost of one Eco-IVF cycle is $4,950 and includes all medications, blood tests, ultrasounds, egg retrieval, fertilization, ICSI (if indicated), and embryo transfer. For more information about our affordable IVF program fees please visit Eco-IVF Costs.
If you have more questions about whether or not Eco-IVF is right for you, please send us a FREE Email Consultation form.
Last Updated: November 21, 2011
Tags: affordable IVF, mini IVF, low cost IVF, cheap IVF
