Are private fertility clinics taking advantage of couples who are desperate to have children, and is this morally acceptable to the South African public? Are private fertility clinics taking advantage of couples who are desperate to have children, and is this morally acceptable to the South African public? Picture: Pixels
As our society changes, with more women choosing to have children later in life, and with the increase of same-sex marriages, there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
The IVF success rate for patients under 35 is around 60 - 70%, however, many women, myself included, only embark on this journey in their forties, and that’s when it not only becomes far more difficult, but the costs go up exponentially, as it will most likely take multiple attempts.
When I started my IVF journey in 2011 at age 44, I was told by a private fertility clinic that my chances of conceiving using my own eggs at the age of 44 is 9%, which decreases annually, and at my age, it was less than 5%, with a single treatment costing around R60,000.
Those figures hit me like a ton of bricks. I had heard that fertility declines after the age of 35, but had no idea how rapid that decline is. I believed that I would be able to make an appointment with a fertility specialist, have a few injections and wham - there we go, I would be pregnant.
As most couples undergo two to three IVF cycles before conceiving, and considering that only five medical aids in South Africa cover any costs for IVF, it is beyond most peoples’ financial ability.
That’s when I started to calculate the cost of private IVF clinics versus state hospitals - and was shocked by the differences.
The cost of IVF treatments private fertility clinics in the Western Cape:
Approximately R50,000 per cycle
Approximately R70,000 per cycle
Cost of IVF treatments at public hospitals in the Western Cape with Endocrinology and Infertility Units
Depending on the couple's income and other factors, the cost is around R6,700 per cycle.
My journey began by seeing a fertility specialist at UCT Private Hospital as a private patient.
Many of the specialists who work at UCT Private Hospital charge medical aid rates for their consultations and have access to Groote Schuur’s laboratories and facilities.
I was told at the time (2013) that a few of the private fertility clinics in the Western Cape make use of Groote Schuur’s Endocrinology facilities.
This begs the question: Why are fertility clinics taking advantage of couples who are desperate to have children, and is this morally acceptable to the South African public?
Today, 10 years later, at a cost of around R6,000, thanks to the amazing team at Groote Schuur Endocrinology unit, I have twin daughters.
sarene.kloren@iol.co.za
IOL Lifestyle