Even though more couples these days are using IVF to try to get pregnant, the whole process costs an average of $30,000 or more. There isn't really any such thing as cheap IVF, but there are ways to ensure that you spend less on the process. Although it seems contradictory, you may actually have to spend more money on the front end to end up paying less for IVF overall. Some added IVF procedures such as ICSI, PGD, and Blastocyst Transfer can significantly raise your chances of getting pregnant on the first or second round of IVF so that your overall costs are much lower.

IVF with ICSI

If part of your fertility problems is a low sperm quality on the part of the man, you may want to try adding ICSI to your IVF rounds. This procedure, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, uses teeny tiny tools to inject sperm into the middle of the egg, which ensures that the egg is fertilized. After the eggs are checked for normal fertilization, some of them are implanted just like with regular IVF. Couples who do not have many eggs per retrieval can also use ICSI to ensure that the eggs they do get are fertilized.

PGD and IVF

Another add-on to traditional IVF cycles is PGD, or Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. This process uses the traditional drugs and harvesting techniques of IVF along with the fertilization techniques of ICSI. Once the eggs are fertilized, they are allowed to incubate outside of the womb until they become blastomeres, which have eight cells. Then, the blastomeres are tested for genetic abnormalities. Eliminating blastomeres with genetic abnormalities increases the chances of a viable pregnancy and decreases the chances of a miscarriage. Although this technique is used for gender selection and to tissue match embryos to older siblings, it can also be used to give couples with recurring miscarriages better chances of carrying a baby to full term.

Blastocyst Transfer and IVF

Blastocyst transfer is when eggs are given a longer period of time to mature before they are transferred into the uterus. This technique lowers the risk of dangerous high-order multiple births, and it can also significantly increase a couple's chance of pregnancy from IVF. A blastocyst is an egg that is five days old and is getting ready to hatch from its shell. Labs today can develop an embryo to day five, and only embryos which make it to the blastocyst stage are transferred to the uterus.

How These Make it Cheaper

These three techniques are obviously more expensive on the front end because they require much more lab time and more skilled technicians. However, each of these techniques can significantly raise your chances of getting pregnant with a viable pregnancy on the first or second round of IVF. Since much of the average cost of IVF comes from the fact that couples have to undergo three or more cycles to achieve a pregnancy, these added techniques can cut costs for many couples.

One thing to consider, though, is how these techniques do or do not play into your particular fertility problems. For instance, couples who have frequent, unexplained miscarriages may benefit most from genetic testing, which can pick up a genetic abnormality passed down from the parents to the embryo that causes the embryo to miscarry. Any couple who is afraid of the risks of multiple pregnancies should consider blastocyst transfer, which only ends up using two or three embryos as opposed to the four or five that may be implanted in traditional IVF. Talking over these options with the doctors and financial counselors at your fertility clinic can help you choose the best option for your situation.