New survey reveals the ‘type’ of woman more likely to have success with IVF
It’s no secret that a lot of women are trying in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Actresses Courteney Cox, Brooke Shields and new mom Chrissy Teigen have all had success conceiving through IVF, and it’s estimated that over 8,000 IVF procedures are performed in Canada each year – not to mention the millions that take place south of the border. But with treatments costing upwards of $15,000 a cycle, many have wondered whether the procedure for everyone.
FertilityIQ, a fertility-focused tech company out of the U.S., recently did a survey of more than a thousand fertility patients to find out who is having the most success when it comes to IVF. What they found was that there were certain societal factors that strongly influenced the success of the treatments.
Wealthy women get wins
“Women with a household income of $100,000 are two times more likely to achieve success when undergoing IVF than women from households making under $100,000,” the survey revealed. Not surprising considering the cost of this pricey treatment.
In an attempt to bridge this gap, Ontario’s new Fertility program offers funding to eligible Ontarians seeking IVF assistance.
“Ontario pays for the costs of AI, including IUI, IVF and FP treatments, but does not cover the cost of fertility drugs.”
While this assistance is certainly helpful, interested women still face upwards of $5,000 in drug fees per each cycle of IVF.
Teachers ruled
“Teachers are nearly six times more likely to have success than their peers when undergoing IVF,” the survey said. When speaking with teachers, the site found that this may have something to do with the fact that they were able to openly talk about the process and had support from their colleagues – not to mention the ample time off during the summer months to undergo treatments.
In contrast, women working in traditionally male-dominated roles fared the worst with IVF.
“Often these women comment that their work environment represents a hindrance during treatment,” the survey found. “Patients in these fields comment that they felt the need to keep their treatment a secret from bosses and colleagues and found it harder to begin, and adhere to, a cycle given competing work schedules and pressures.”
No degree, no problem
“While it’s an axiom within healthcare that patients with higher levels of education derive better outcomes in nearly all treatment classes, this was not the case for respondents here.”
The success rate of IVF didn’t seem to make much of a difference for patients that had a bachelor’s degree versus a law degree or no degree.
What do you think of FertilityIQ’s findings? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
