Benefits of going Private for IVF?

drewmichael

Hi,

Myself and wife have been struggling for a couple of years to conceive baby number 2. My wife is 27 and I am 30 and we have a daughter who is nearly 5.

We recently went to a family planning clinic and we got referrals for different exams. Everything came back normal for her. For me everything was normal apart from sperm motility, which came back as 11% for the particular test that I gave.

The lady from the family planning clinic had marked us down for the rotunda, but due to waiting list it would be unlikely that we could be called before June if we went public. The lady was suggesting to wait until then and then decide with Rotunda if we wanted to do certain things private. But we are getting impatient and wondering is there any advice from people on whether we are better off trying to go private.
From doing some reading it sounds like IVF treatment might be what is needed.

So if anyone had any answers to the following it would be appreciated:
How long does it take and how much does it cost going pubic to get IVF?
How long does it take and how much does it cost going private?

We both have health insurance(Aviva Be-Fit 1) so I guess should help towards the cost.

Or if anyone has general information that would help us it would be very much appreciated as we are really new to this and don't know where exactly to start and what we could be doing better to quicken and improve our chances.

Many thanks

Neyite

Waiting until June is not bad at all for the HSE, there are longer waiting lists in the system!

I think its only very recently that the HSE are offering fertility treatment on the public system, so I've no idea of the demand or the waiting lists.

I think only one insurer covers the cost of IVF, the majority don't, so check your policy cover to see. You can claim 20% of your medical expenses from Revenue each year so that might help take the sting out of it.

You'll get an appointment within weeks for a private consult though. It's also worth exploring supplements to improve semen quality, and another test in 3 months time might give you much better readings and results.

stickybean

I didn't realize IVF was offered on HSE. This must have been a very very recent change. I know they do initial investigations but never heard of any full treatment.

We went public for 2 years, it was a very long process. There was 3 months between each appointment. The most we got on the public was the scans, tests and a few courses of Clomid. When they couldn't do anymore we switched to public.

You can claim 20% of your costs back at the end of the year in tax relief (if you go private). Most health insurance does not cover fertility or may give a once of payment of €1000. There is virtually no waiting list (maybe 2-3 weeks)

In relation to how much it costs, I guess each case would be different. We have had one full course of IVF (with ICSI and FET) and one FET, with extras it is just shy of 8K

I know a few of the clinics offer information evenings which we really felt quite helpful when making our choice. We are with the MFC, if you have any questions please drop me a PM and I will do my best to help

NC12

I went to my doctor April 2015 and had bloods taken to check everything as we had been ttc since July 2013, a referral was sent to Limerick for me (it's the closest) and I still haven't heard anything yet. I rang my doctor in October and because its not a serious matter according to the hospital I will be waiting a good long while