Fertility is something that has captivated humans from the beginning of time. Many ancient cultures had fertility goddesses, in addition to elaborate creation myths that involved fertility. In fact, a woman’s womb was considered sacred, and childbirth was considered one of the most important milestone’s in a woman’s life, the same way it is today.
In ancient times, as in now, both men and women struggled with infertility. The only difference is, the technology and know-how to properly diagnose the root cause of infertility was not available, which is why many people who were infertile were thought to be cursed by the gods. However, infertility was usually blamed on the woman, and in many ancient cultures, women who were unable to conceive were sometimes shunned.
Fast forward to today, and things are much different than they used to be. Not only are there a variety of different types of IVF treatments and infertility procedures, but infertility specialist also have a greater understanding of infertility, and how it can affect each individual differently.
For example, even young, healthy couples with normal functioning reproductive systems only have a slim — 20-25% — chance of conceiving in any given month. While fertility in women does decrease with age and men may also experience lower sperm counts, infertility treatments such as invitro fertilization (IVF) are widely successful.
So, what is IVf? Many people are familiar with the term, but still wonder, “What is IVF?”. IVF is the process of combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish and them implanting the embryo in a woman’s uterus. This practice is commonly used for surrogate mothers or couples who have healthy reproductive systems but are still having difficulty conceiving the traditional way.
IVF can be an expensive procedure, costing upwards of $12,000 to $25,000 or more depending on the nature of the procedure, however, IVF insurance can cover most if not all of this cost in many cases.