Affordable Fertility Treatments
Medically reviewed by Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS - Written by CHR Staff - Updated on Mar 22, 2017
IVF Shared Risk (Refund) Programs
IVF Shared Cost (Shared Risk) Programs divide potential financial risks between patients and provider. In a way, they can be considered "mini-insurance programs" for the infertile couple that does not have access to medical insurance coverage for fertility services. A number of IVF programs have offered Shared Risk Programs for IVF by offering to refund part or all of a pre-deposited payment in case a couple does not conceive. Of course, the pre-deposited amount exceeds the usual IVF costs because patients who conceive end up paying for those who don't. The provider's risk is that, with decreasing pregnancy rates, the overall fee per cycle conducted decreases. Physicians therefore have a great incentive to maximize pregnancy rates, which has led to concerns that this not be done at the expense of creating a high incidence of multiple births.
CHR offers two different Shared Cost programs, one for IVF and the other for donor egg IVF. Both programs include one egg retrieval and an unlimited number of embryo transfers, and they must be completed within one year. Participation in the IVF refund programs requires pre-certificaiton by the treating physician. All program fees must be prepaid prior to the start of your treatment cycle.
Refund Program for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Medications, anesthesia and ICSI are not included in the shared risk pricing.
Refund Program for Donor Egg IVF
The standard program includes 8 mature donor eggs. You also have an option of purchasing extra eggs for additional cost of $1,000 per egg. Donor fees, including donor compensation, consultation, workup and donor insurance, are included. Donor fees and anesthesia fees are not refundable under the refund program. Recipient medications, anesthesia and ICSI are not included in the shared risk pricing.
Other Ways to Afford Fertility Treatments
Shared cost programs are not for everyone. For patients interested in other types of affordable fertility treatments, CHR offers a few ways to minimize the cost of IVF and other fertility treatments. You can also learn more about IVF after 40.
Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS
Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.