Cost literature review: Assisted reproductive techniques and In-vitro fertilization

Andreas Haugstrup P.

Order the writing of a tailor-made Medical studies Term papers

Free quote online

Thesis Format .doc

Cost literature review: Assisted reproductive techniques and In-vitro fertilization

Download

Read an extract

Reader
Abstract
Contents
Extract

Abstract

According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, fertility problems affect 7.3 million of women and their partners in the United States. That compromises about twelve percent of the population of reproductive age (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2008). The majority of patients with fertility problems (85-90%) are treated with conventional medical therapies such as medication or surgery. In-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other modern assisted reproductive techniques (ART) of infertility treatment, including frozen embryo donation and adoption, account for less than three percent of infertility services and comprise only 0.07% of the U.S healthcare cost (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2008).

Introduction.
Financing of assisted reproductive technology.
1. Should health insurance cover the cost of infertility treatment?
2. Limited or comprehensive coverage for infertility treatments and services.
3. The aims of the insurance coverage mandates.
Prognostic factors, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of frozen embryo donation and adoption.
1. Prognostic factors of frozen embryo donation and adoption.
2. Outcomes of embryo donation and adoption.
3. Success rates of frozen donation and adoption.
4. Cost-effectiveness of frozen embryo donation and adoption.
Cost of embryo adoption.
Charges of obtaining embryos for transfer.
1. Cost of retesting and screening of donors and recipient.
2. Cost of identifying, recruiting, and counseling potential donors.
3. Charges of frozen embryo per transfer cycle.
Conclusion.

Get this table of contents for free after login.

Extract

[...] It also compares the success rates of ED&A to the success rates of fresh IVF cycles using non-donor eggs or embryos and to IVF cycles with oocyte donation. We define the outcomes as the average live-birth rate per transfer cycle. The cost is defined as the cost per live birth and the average treatment costs per cycle Success Rates of Frozen Donation and Adoption In 2005, a total of 134,260 ART procedures were reported. These performed procedures produced 38,910 live births and 52,041 infants. Of those infants born through ART, forty nine percent were born in multiple-birth deliveries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). [...]

[...] The cost of ED&A is expected to be less expensive compared to the cost of conventional IVF procedures and IVF procedures with oocyte donation, where many of the most expensive parts of an IVF cycle, including the fertility medications, the egg retrieval, and the fertilization and culture of the embryos do not need to be performed. Although ART procedures that use embryos created from freshly fertilized donor eggs document high success rates of live-birth (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008), IVF procedures with oocyte donation are associated with high cost. [...]

[...] Assisted Reproduction: Defining and Evaluating the Multiple Outcomes of Technology and Advanced Interventions. Brandeis University, Waltham. Embryo Adoption Awareness Center. (2008). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved December from http://www.embryoadoption.org/faqs/index.cfm Finger, R. F., Sommerfelt, C., Freeman, M., Wilson, C. K., Wade, A., & Daly, D. (2008). Embryo donation is cost-effective compared to oocyte donation. Fertility and Sterility, 90(Supplement S418-S418. Florida Institute for Reproductive Science and Technology. (2008). Fees for Frozen Embryo Transfer. Retrieved Oct from http://www.firstivf.net/fees_for_frozen_embryo_storage_and_transfer.htm Hamilton, B. H., & McManus, B. [...]

[...] These costs are generally covered by the recipients or the Embryo Awareness grant programs from the US Department of Health and Human Services (National Embryo Donation Center, 2008; RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, 2008) Prognostic Factors, Outcomes, and Cost-effectiveness of Frozen Embryo Donation and Adoption 3.1 Prognostic Factors of Frozen Embryo Donation and Adoption Prospective parents and policy makers do not care about embryo adoption per se, but see it as a new assisted reproductive technology for an infertile couple to become parents or to complete their families. [...]

[...] The review of the ED&A cost literature and infertility agencies websites raises three issues. First, it appears that infertility agencies offer a single price for the package of services that covers the program fee and the medical costs without clear cost specifications of each item. Second, the overall estimated charges of ED&A differ significantly across agencies. According to RESOLVE, the estimated overall charges to the recipient couple for a complete embryo donation cycle can range from $2,500 - $4,000, and might not include counseling or legal fees (RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, 2008), while the Nightlight Christian Adoptions program- Snowflakes estimated over all charges ranges from $12,000 -$16,000 without including the medication expenses involved in the frozen embryo transfer, estimated (Snowflakes Frozen Embryo Adoption Program, 2008). [...]

doc