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Infertility treatments are expensive. Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, we do not have infertility health insurance (not one that I know of) like other countries wherein they are given reimbursements for infertility treatments. Since we do not have this luxury, the financial burden lies solely on us.
As most prices of commodities have gone up, so does the cost of infertility treatments.
In 2006, I had my HSG done at Chinese General Hospital. For the procedure alone, it costs us Php6,000. Just recently, I asked my OB for the ongoing rate of HSG, and she said it is around Php10,000 at Cardinal Santos and Php15,000 if in St. Luke’s.
For the laparoscopy and hysteroscopy combined, we paid around Php80,000 for the two procedures. We opted to have it done at Philippine General Hospital (PGH) because of the price difference. If we are to do the surgery at Medical City or St. Luke’s, the cost will be around Php150,000 – 200,000. The same doctor, the same procedures… different hospital, different price. A very huge price difference at that!
In fairness, the doctors and nurses at PGH were very good and professional. We chose the private room, which was really big and clean. The only problem with PGH is the lobby… there were too many people of all sorts. I didn’t expect much from PGH because it was after all a public hospital. But with the price I paid for, and the service that I got, I was more than satisfied with the whole experience.
For IUI, it cost around Php6,000 in 2007. Right now, it is Php10,000 per cycle. Price differs per OB and also as to where the procedure is to be done.
For the LIT, it costs Php14,000 per donor if blood extraction and processing is done at the Manila Endocrine Laboratory. Php27,000 if it is done at St. Luke’s Hospital.
Blood tests can also entail a huge amount of money. Immunological testings can cost almost Php50,000 if you test all categories. Aside from that, you also need to have some blood tests done from time to time.
For IVF, it will cost around P500,000 if done here in the Philippines. It would be cheaper if you’ll have IVF done in Taiwan. It will cost you around Php300,000 for the whole procedure including your stay there.
No wonder, treating infertility is very stressful. Aside from the emotional stress, there is also the financial burden as to whether you can possibly afford all the treatments needed to bring you a child. You really have to think about how far or up to what extend you are willing to go.
But of course, when the infertility treatments become successful, you’ll eventually forget all the money you’ve spent and all the pains and heartaches you’ve experienced. Everything will be worth it. Seeing your child in your arms makes the infertility journey all worthwhile. It will definitely be worth the wait… with hope, dreams and faith, we can achieve the impossible. Just hang in there… Happy Infertility!
