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 Women & Infants Hospital
IVF literally means fertilization outside the body. It involves a number of procedures but begins with an evaluation of your fertility potential. Once you have been found to be an appropriate candidate for IVF, after a series of treatments your eggs will be removed from your body by a minor surgical procedure. The eggs will be placed in a dish in a special incubator. Sperm are added to the dish containing the eggs and fertilization takes place in the lab. The resulting embryos are then placed into your uterus by means of a small plastic tube (embryo transfer). If one or more of the transferred embryos implant within the woman’s uterus, the cycle then progresses to a clinical pregnancy. Finally, the pregnancy may progress to a live birth with the delivery of one or more infants.
Candidates for IVF include women who have blocked or absent tubes due to infection, endometriosis or tubal surgery. Women who have had problems with severe endometriosis even with normal tubes may be candidates. Women who do not ovulate regularly and have failed other treatments may undergo IVF. Often men with low sperm counts can be candidates for IVF treatment with their partners. Some couples may be diagnosed with infertility of unknown cause (unexplained) and may also be effectively treated by IVF. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (a procedure which tests the chromosomes of the embryo) requires the use of IVF and may be recommended. Lastly, when no other method of infertility treatment is successful, IVF may be used to achieve a successful pregnancy.
In many parts of the country there is no insurance coverage for IVF. In Rhode Island and Massachusetts there are state laws mandating insurance coverage. The copay amount will vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on the plan. Some patients are excluded, such as those who have had a prior sterilization and some companies do not provide this coverage, such as self insured companies and those who are headquartered in other parts of the country.
www.womenandinfants.org
Women & Infants Hospital
101 Dudley Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02905
Telephone: 401-274-1100
Fax: 401-453-7666IVF Clinics Providence |
