8 Fertility Treatments Explained

We've done the research so you can skip the questions & stick to supporting the trying couple.

Infertility affects about one in eight couples in the U.S. — and perhaps that stat includes your own daughter or son. The good news: Infertility is, for the most part, treatable through a variety of methods.

"The basic treatments fall into three categories — medications, surgery, or in vitro fertilization," says Dr. David Keefe, professor and chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the University of South Florida. "Hopefully, by a series of tests, and the process of elimination, we're able to find the method that will work for each individual couple to bring them their baby."

We've dug up the answers to your tip-of-the-tongue questions on the top treatment options for couples today — so you can skip the questioning and stick to what you do best: supporting.

TREATMENT ONE: Surgery

How It Works: If a woman has suffered from endometriosis, fibroids, or ovarian cysts, or has blocked fallopian tubes, laparoscopy is performed to remove or correct any problem preventing a natural pregnancy. Men may also have surgery to try to reverse a vasectomy or correct a blockage of the reproductive tract.
How Long It Takes: Recovery time varies based on the surgery and the patient; on average, a two- to three-month rest period is recommended after surgery before a patient attempts to conceive again.
Approximate Cost: $3,000 to $10,000.
Success Rate: About 40 to 60 percent of women treated for endometriosis and scar tissue conceive. Between 10 and 90 percent of women who have their tubes cleared conceive.

TREATMENT TWO: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

How It Works: Eggs are surgically removed from the ovary and mixed with sperm outside the body in a petri dish. If the eggs are fertilized and begin dividing into cells, they are then deemed embryos and placed into the woman’s uterus.
How Long It Takes: One cycle takes four to six weeks to complete. Many couples must go through several cycles before achieving success.
Approximate Cost: The average cost of an IVF cycle in the U.S. is $12,400, though the bill can run as high as $20,000 such cities as New York or Washington, D.C.
Success Rate: 30 to 50 percent.

TREATMENT THREE: Donor Egg

How It Works: If a woman’s eggs are not viable, she can seek out a donor whose egg is combined with the patient’s partner’s sperm via IVF. The embryo is then placed into the woman’s uterus.
How Long It Takes: It can take months or years to find the right donor, plus more time for IVF.
Approximate Cost: The process involves the cost of IVF, plus the fee for a donor agency ($3,000 to $4,000). Tack on another $3,000 to $4,000 for the donor herself.
Success Rate: About 43 percent of women who try IVF using donor eggs or embryos conceive.

TREATMENT FOUR: Oral Fertility Drugs (Clomiphene a.k.a. Clomid)

How It works: Women take one to three pills on days five through nine of the ovulatory cycle. Clomid tricks the body into thinking that less estrogen is present than there actually is. The body responds by releasing greater amounts of follicle-stimulating hormone, which controls the ovary's development of a mature egg.
How Long It Takes: Most women use them for three to six months before conceiving or trying a different treatment option.
Approximate Cost: $50 a month.
Success Rate: 5 to 20 percent. (Note: According to the American Fertility Assocation, the rates can be as high as 33 percent per cycle for the first three cycles.)

TREATMENT FIVE: Injectable Fertility Drugs (Gonadotropins)

How It works: Women receive injections once or twice daily that regulate reproductive hormones and trigger the release of one or more eggs per ovulation cycle.
How Long It Takes: Most women use them for three to six months before conceiving or trying a different treatment option.
Approximate Cost: $1,500 to $5,000 per month.
Success Rate: 10 to 25 percent.

TREATMENT SIX: Clomid Plus Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

How It Works: First, women take doses of medicine such as Clomid to encourage their bodies to ovulate. Then they undergo IUI, also known as artificial insemination, in which the sperm is washed, concentrated, and then placed into the uterus with a catheter.
How Long It Takes: Treatments last about eight weeks.
Approximate Cost: $550 per cycle (combo of Clomid pills and IUI).
Success Rate: 20 to 60 percent.

TREATMENT SEVEN: Gonadotropin Injections Plus IUI

How It Works: First, women receive injections of ovary-stimulating Gonadotropin. Then an insemination is done in the doctor’s office. The sperm is washed, concentrated, and then placed into the uterus with a catheter.
How Long it Takes: Treatments last about eight weeks.
Approximate Cost: $2,000 to $5,000 (combo of injections plus IUI).
Success Rate: About 9 to 16 percent.

TREATMENT EIGHT: Surrogacy

How It Works: If a woman’s uterus is not equipped to carry a child, she can choose to have another woman (called a gestational carrier) do so for her, who will sign away any parental rights. There are two types of surrogacy: traditional, which is done via artificial insemination, with the surrogate using her egg and another man's sperm; and, gestational, which is done via IVF, when fertilized eggs from the patient or another woman are implanted into the surrogate's uterus.
How Long It Takes: An average of one to two years from the time the patient first visits the fertility specialist. The waiting period varies by patient, depending on the availability of carriers, the success of the medical procedures, and of course, the nine- to ten-month pregnancy waiting period.
Approximate Cost: Surrogacy involves the cost of IUI or IVF, the donor egg (if applicable), and the fee for the surrogate, which can range from $15,000 to $40,000. (This does not include additional fees for the carrier's prenatal care and delivery if those fees aren't covered by her insurance.)
Success Rate: Similar to IVF, but an exact number isn’t available, as many patients opt to keep their carrier arrangements private.

NOTES:
* For the treatments listed, there is one cost for medications as well as additional costs for monitoring (ultrasound and blood tests), and perhaps even a third fee for the professional (M.D.) component. These factors vary considerably among clinics.

* Success is highly dependent on age and cause of infertility. Individual cases vary considerably. Success is usually achieved in the first three attempts of any therapy.