The cost of medication makes up a large percentage of the total cost of infertility treatment. It can be up to 30% of the overall costs, depending on your treatment protocol and how much you expect to pay out of pocket. As a leading fertility clinic in San Diego, CA, we believe that the costs of infertility treatments such as IUI, IVF, and ICSI should be affordable to all Hopeful Parents. In this article, we will discuss the average cost of medications used for egg freezing, embryo freezing, and the IVF process. We will also discuss your options for cutting down medication costs while opting for these fertility treatments.
Average Costs of Infertility Treatment Medication
Cost of medications used for IVF process (In vitro fertilization) and egg/embryo freezing
The drugs used for egg/embryo freezing and IVF include injectable hormone medications. To name a few: menotropin (brand name Menopur), follicle-stimulating hormone (brand names: Follistim and Gonal-F), and a trigger “shot,” which is administered prior to egg retrieval (Ovidrel or Lupron).
The average costs of medication for fertility preservation (egg/embryo freezing) and IVF cycles using a reliable fertility clinic in San Diego are between $2000-$5000. That is a very wide range since the correct dosage is dependent on your own biology. For instance, women who are in their late reproductive years usually require higher doses of medication. It implies that they will be spending more on fertility medication.
Cost of oral medications, such as those used during intrauterine insemination (IUI)
The medications used in conjunction with IUI or timed sexual intercourse include letrozole or clomiphene. The costs of these drugs are usually lower than that of the injectable hormone medications used for IVF and egg or embryo freezing. Both medications cost less than $100 per cycle.
Estimating the Costs of Your Infertility Treatment Medication
At RSMC fertility clinic in San Diego, we strive to be as transparent as possible with our patients during the course of their fertility treatment which includes reducing “unexpected” costs of IVF process or egg/embryo freezing. After the initial consultation, your physician will give you an estimated cost of buying the required medications from your own pocket at a local pharmacy.
Note that each cycle is personalized based on your body’s response to the fertility medication. Hence, your medication protocol may be altered as you go through the cycle. However, your fertility advisors will let you know the costs that come with each of these changes. Here’s how you can lower the costs of your fertility medication:
1. Understand Your Insurance Coverage
Most of the patients who have infertility coverage are also covered for some of the medications used for IVF or egg/embryo freezing. For those who are undergoing elective egg/embryo freezing, insurance can sometimes cover the costs of their fertility medications. That is, even if it does not provide coverage for the procedure itself.
You may reach out to your insurance provider for more information regarding coverage for fertility medications. They will let you know whether or not “prior authorization” would be required. Prior authorization is a process in which a healthcare provider seeks approval in advance. This is to make sure that the costs of expensive medications are covered. It is possible that your insurance plan requires prior authorization but does not cover your infertility treatment. In that case, it’s very unlikely that your medications will be covered. However, if the plan does not require prior authorization, there’s a high chance that it will cover, at least, some of your fertility medication costs.
We know that insurance can be a bit difficult to navigate. At RSMC fertility clinic located in San Diego, CA, we have an experienced financial advisor to help you find out how insurance coverage can reduce the costs incurred in IVF or IUI. Our financial advisor will contact your insurance provider on your behalf and give you the details of your fertility coverage.
2. Compare Pharmacies
The medications used for IVF process or egg/embryo freezing are usually purchased through a local specialty pharmacy. Although our team may provide some recommendations, you can buy from whichever online or retail pharmacy you want.
Patients who have coverage for infertility treatment may have to buy their medications from a particular pharmacy. This is a simple requirement to make sure they’re covered. However, if you are a self-paying fertility patient, you may want to do some online research. You can also call pharmacies and compare prices to make sure you get the best price.
The costs of these medications frequently change. Hence, we advise that you contact your local pharmacy from time to time to know the latest costs of these drugs. This will enable you to take advantage of price-matching deals or mail-in rebates if they are available. If you would be ordering your medications online, don’t forget to consider the shipping cost.
3. Buy From Different Pharmacies can minimize the infertility treatment costs
This is not an easy thing to do. However, you may be able to save money on medications if you purchase different drugs from different pharmacies. Our fertility team can also help you lower your medication cost by letting you know if there any special discounts or coupons you can use at certain pharmacies.
Note: If you are purchasing your medication online, you need to be sure that you’re getting quality medication manufactured by a legal pharmaceutical company. We also advised that you only buy fertility medications produced in the United States.
4. Order Your Medications “As You Go”
Fertility drugs are expensive. Hence, buying too much of a particular drug can increase your costs of medication by a few hundred dollars. To make sure you don’t purchase any drug you won’t need, you may buy refills of your medication as you proceed with your cycle, rather than buying all of them at once. This means that you’ll have to be in charge of your medication supply. You need to maintain close contact with your pharmacy during the cycle. It may also mean that you need to choose a local retail pharmacy (not an online one) so that you can easily get your drugs.
For patients who are paying from their own pockets, our team usually orders a week-worth of medication for the first pick-up. This way, you can just contact your pharmacy for a medication refill as your cycle progresses. The whole process reduces the odds of purchasing a drug you don’t need.
5. Explore Pharmacy & Medication Discount Programs Available for Infertility Treatments
Medication producers and pharmacies offer discount programs to help lower the costs of medications for some fertility patients. These include cancer patients, veterans, low- income earners, patients without insurance coverage, and many more. Below are a few examples of discount programs available for patients dealing with infertility.
- ReUnite Assist: offers up to a 75% discount off select fertility drugs self-pay fertility patients
- LIVESTRONG Fertility Program: free medications for oncofertility patients who meet the requirements
- Compassionate Care: provides discounts of up to 75% for patients undergoing fertility treatment
- Heart for Heroes: free fertility drugs for uninsured veterans or their partners struggling with infertility due to illness or injuries sustained in the course of service.
- ReUnite Assist for Veterans: an automatic 25% discount off specific fertility drugs for active or veteran members of the US Army
- ReUniteOncofertility: a 100% discount on fertility medication for qualified cancer patients
- HeartBeat Program: free medications for oncofertility patients who meet the requirements
Conclusion
Do you want to know more about how you can reduce the costs of infertility treatments? Interested to see how our San Diego fertility clinic can help you with parenthood options such as IVF, IUI process, and egg/embryo freezing? Simply schedule a consultation or visit our website to have a chat with us.
