Triplets have just been born to a couple who have been taking IVF treatment, but they are no ordinary triplets (not that triplets ever are ordinary).

They have a 3 year old sister and together they are quadruplets, as they were conceived at the same time.

This is believed to be the only case of its kind ever to happen. The triplets were born from frozen embryos, not all of which were expected to survive. The parents returned to the IVF clinic, in Nottingham, England, after their attempts to have a further child naturally were unsuccessful.

The babies, two of whom weighed 4 lb at birth and the third 2 lb, were delivered by caesarean six weeks early.

Let’s all offer our best wishes to all the children and their parents.

Philip Gegan

Asda, the UK Supermarket chain, owned by WallMart, of the US, is to sell IVF drugs at cost. This means a saving of up to £820 for women who take up this offer.

More and more women are undergoing private IVF treatment as the NHS (National Health Service) is cutting back on it. These are the people Asda are targeting, as they have to pay for drugs and medications themselves.

Over 80,000 women a year in the UK seek private IVF treatment, and this move will undoubtedly help many of them. But the cost is still £1,171.41 – prohibitively expensive for most women. Nevertheless, Asda deserves credit for making this generous move.

The core problem is still that pharmaceutical companies and IVF clinics are profiting handsomely from the IVF industry. A fair degree of profit is only right, but they are in many cases taking it to excess.

Especially when you consider that alternatives to IVF and IUI treatments exist, that are statistically just as likely to succeed, and that cost next to nothing by comparison.

Check out Fertility Secrets at www.fertilitywithoutivf.com

Philip Gegan

Further to my previous item, it now emerges that there is a fourfold increase in the risk of a stillborn child for IVF parents. This includes those resorting to ICSI treatment as well.

Refering to a new study carried out in Denmark, Dr Van Steirteghem said it was unclear whether the problem was caused by the inherited traits from the parents or a defect in the technology itself.

Another speaker at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Diego, Dr Karl Nygren, associate professor at the IVF and Fertility Clinic, Sofiahammet Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, suggested that part of the findings could be put down to the fact that there was always more danger of birth defects with multiple births (a common feature of IVF treatment) than with normal, single births.

The fact remains, though, that there seems to be a far lower risk with multiple births that are natural than with those that are down to IVF or ICSI.

Read more here.

Philip Gegan

More than 260,000 children in Britain who were conceived following IVF treatment are in danger of health problems, including possible infertility themselves. Worldwide, the number of IVF babies is now over 3 million.

Dr Van Steirteghem, of the Brussels Free University Centre for Reproductive Medicine, recently addressed the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Diego.

Although arguing that IVF treatment was of overall benefit to parents unable to conceive naturally, he has had to admit that where the parents’ inability to conceive naturally is down to inherited, or genetic, causes, then the children may well have the same problem when they grow up.

Around 35 out of every 1,000 babies born naturally suffer from birth defects, but this figure rises to around 50 per 1,000 for IVF babies.

The figures are even worse for babies born through ICSI – or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. This method costs even more (twice as much, in fact) than IVF treatment, and has been on the rise since the 1980s.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1252901/Infertility-time-bomb-IVF-children-higher-risk-infertility-obesity-diabetes.html#ixzz0gRwAi3vr

Philip Gegan

The cost of IVF is usually the predominant worry for most people who enquire about IVF treatment. It’s difficult to tie clinics down to a definite figure owing to the complexity of the subject, so here are six vital checkpoints to help you through the maze.

1. Your age

As you might expect, your age has a big say on the chances of success and therefore how long the treatment may last and the cost of it.

If you’re under 35 you have a 50 to 60 per cent chance of success with each cycle, so one or two cycles of IVF treatment should be sufficient. But if you’re over 40 that percentage goes down sharply. Fewer than one in twelve cycles on average will be successful.

The bottom line is that, while the average cost of one cycle of IVF treatment in the United States is around $12,000, it can be as little as $10,000 or as high as $15,000. But the average cost of successful treatment is $35,000 for a younger woman, with this rising to over $132,000 for women over 40.

2. Your physical condition

Linked to age is the physical state of your uterus and endometrium. If you haven’t had a recent doctor’s examination then the clinic will have to do this at additional cost. Best to get this done by your regular doctor if you can, as it’s probably cheaper.

3. Where you live

Clinics in large metropolitan areas tend to charge higher fees than those in less populated areas. The country you live in is also important, with European countries tending to be more expensive, especially the UK, where, in fairness, the success rate is above the average.

4. The clinic’s quotation policy

Avoid clinics that give a low all-inclusive quotation – there will almost certainly be unspecified extras. For example, does the quote include initial consultation fees and the cost of fertility drugs?

A cheaper quote may mean that the clinic giving it has a low success rate which in turn means you’re more likely to need more than one cycle, possibly making the total cost higher.

You must insist on an itemized quotation for traditional IVF treatment. Distinguish this from mini-IVF or micro-IVF treatment, which should be given only to women who are marginally infertile and only need a little help.

5. Variations to your treatment

Bear in mind that your treatment may change as you progress through it if, for example, you respond better to one drug than to another, or change from IUI treatment to IVF. As you might expect, this does happen in many cases, with a resulting variation in the total cost.

6 Payment plans and refunds

Most clinics now offer payment plans, so you can spread the cost, and this is something else to consider before selecting your clinic. Refund programs are also common now, but be careful here. Typically a percentage of the total fees is offered as a refund if your treatment is unsuccessful, but the key question here is – what amounts to a “successful cycle”?

What if you conceive but miscarry at a later date? Most clinics will interpret that as a “successful cycle” in spite of the later miscarriage (which, in fairness, might not be their fault). In any event, it is important to clarify this with the clinic.

Be sure to check these points carefully when considering IVF infertility treatments and before committing yourself to one clinic.

Visit Fertility Secrets and download your free copy of “How The Female Body Really Works” to start your quest to have your own baby – naturally.

Philip Gegan