Raleigh clinic helps treat infertility, including the use of gestational carriers
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- According to the CDC, about 11 percent of women of childbearing age have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. And it's not just a woman's problem; men can be the source of infertility too. But, regardless of the cause, the outcome can be devastating for couples trying to conceive. However, advances in science are helping make those dreams a reality.
That was certainly the case for Trinity and Steve Martin, who are now the proud parents of twins Gwen and Evvy. But, their births were a long time coming. After getting married years ago, trying unsuccessfully to conceive, and going through some infertility treatments for a few years, the couple then made a startling discovery.
"They discovered about a year and a half after that that I had a pituitary brain tumor. So, we had to deal with that first, and that's why we couldn't conceive. My body just wasn't working," Trinity recalled.
That was back in 2009. It took time to beat the cancer and recover physically. And from there, the couple who had always wanted children started looking into adoption. But when it was discovered that Trinity still had viable eggs, the couple was then steered to Carolina Conceptions in Raleigh to check out the possibility of using a gestational carrier.
"So you take the egg and the sperm from the couple, and they go through in vitro fertilization where we take the eggs out of the body, out of the ovaries, we take the sperm from the male, and fertilize the eggs in the laboratory, " explained Dr. John Parks with Carolina Conceptions. "After those fertilized eggs develop into embryos, we then select the best one or two of those embryos to transfer into the gestational carrier. In many cases the couple going through the gestational carrier has already found someone, either a close friend or a family member who knows what they're going through and is interested in helping them out. Otherwise, we have gestational carriers contact us or we sometimes go out and put advertisements out there or talk to people who may know people who are interested in being gestational carriers."
For the Martin's, they were matched up with their carrier through Carolina Conceptions, although through their experience she became so much more than just their surrogate.
"She had been a carrier twice before for a couple overseas and she wanted to be a surrogate here with a local couple," said Steve. "She and her husband have two kids of their own, and so we've gotten to know them pretty well over this process. But yeah, we were here every step of the way. We were in the room when the embryos were transferred, we got to be at all the doctor's appointments, and we were in the room right off the operating room when they were born."
And Trinity echoed those sentiments, "Our carrier is amazing, and completely open and just really allowed me to live through the experience as much as I possibly could."
As a result, the couple has stayed in contact with their carrier who has gotten to see the girls in the weeks since their birth.
"A lot of people expected us to cut ties with her completely thinking there would be some territorial issues of bonding, but I never felt that way with her at all," Trinity clarified.
Of course, the entire procedure can be costly. Dr. Park says there are many pieces to the treatment which makes it difficult to quote a single price. But, on average, the cost of the medical treatment using a gestational carrier with an IVF cycle is $19,600. Then, there is the cost of the carrier if it's not someone you know. Most carriers charge approximately $30,000 to carry a pregnancy to term.
While the Martin's insurance company didn't cover the cost of this, for them it was unquestionably worth the cost.
"It's wonderful, we have our family now," said a beaming Steve as he held one of the twins while his wife sat next to him holding the other with an equally big smile on her face.
As for other infertility options offered at Carolina Conceptions, almost all insurance plans will cover infertility consultations and evaluation. The clinic says usually patients only have a co-pay for their consultation appointments and testing appointments. Some of the most common insurance plans cover basic fertility treatment, such as ovulation induction and super-ovulation. Many even cover IUI (artificial insemination), but only for a few tries. As of right now, very few insurance plans cover IVF.
IUI procedures cost around $500. But IUI is almost always performed in conjunction with ovulation induction or super-ovulation. So the total cost of an IUI treatment cycle can range from $1,000-$2,500.
For more information on Carolina Conceptions:
facebook.com/CarolinaConception
