In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a viable infertility treatment option, but it is often financially out of reach for many patients due to the lack of coverage in some American states and other countries. This leads some individuals to terminate treatment prematurely.
However, there are various approaches to reduce the costs of IVF while maintaining comparable outcomes. One such approach involves using minimal stimulation IVF, alternative drug administration, and alternative medication preparations. Personalized approaches to medication dosing and procedure selection based on specific infertility diagnoses may also result in more efficient IVF cycles with lower costs. In some cases, surgical intervention may be a less costly option or could optimize IVF success. Alterations in the individual components of the IVF process, such as stimulation protocols, medication regimens, and the use of adjuncts, may cumulatively decrease overall costs while maintaining similar pregnancy rates. Monitoring of the patient’s response to stimulation medications and genetic testing of embryos can be applied more judiciously in certain patient populations. Automation in established practices, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, may also reduce costs if broadly implemented. Lastly, a patient-specific approach using demographic and clinical factors to stratify patients based on the likelihood of success may help providers counsel patients to better financially plan for an IVF cycle.
