For most couples getting pregnant is simple and easy.  They just get pregnant and don’t have to go through expensive infertility testing and years of praying and hoping for a successful pregnancy.  For others it is a difficult struggle.  While there are many reasons couples may suffer from infertility, one of the biggest hurdles that prevents them from getting pregnant is the financial aspect.  Infertility treatment is expensive and not covered by most insurances.

So, I get this question a lot from patients struggling from infertility.  If you are going to dip into your personal savings or take out a loan to start a family, what makes more financial sense IVF or adoption? 

Let’s start with IVF.  Let’s just review what IVF is first.  The infertility specialist will extract some of your eggs and then add your partners sperm in a laboratory outside of your body and then at the appropriate time place that embryo in your uterus.  Now, what does IVF cost?   On average, one IVF cycle will cost somewhere between $10,000-$15,000.  Of course, the variation in cost is also dependent on the reason for infertility and a lot of other parameters.  Now this in no way guarantees you a baby.  However, the technology is improving every day and the success rate is rather impressive at certain facilities.  A good percentage of youngish (early thirties) healthy women will likely get pregnant by three cycles.  

My patients that pursue IVF frequently get asked- why not just adopt?  Well for one it is way more expensive than the average person realizes.  The average adoption in the U.S. costs between $27,000-$30,000.  The average adoption overseas can cost as much as $58,000-$65,000.  Most patients have this perception that adoption is cheaper until they have already invested in the process.  And again, just because you spend this money, there is no guarantee that you will get a baby.  Another consideration with adoption is time.  Even under the best of circumstances, adoption can take years to bring a child home.  

Another less well-known option that is much more affordable than IVF or traditional adoption is embryo adoption/transfer.  When couples go through IVF, they usually end up creating more embryos that they can use.  So, thousands of embryos sit in a lab and go unused.  With this procedure, couples with infertility will use donated embryos and just have them placed in their uterus at the appropriate time.  The cost of this procedure is about $3,000-$5,000.  

The decision on how to expand your family if you suffer from infertility is very complex.  It is important that you educate yourself on your personal fertility.  If the cause of infertility is known, treatment will likely be a lot more successful.  Know and research different options on building your family before deciding whether it be IVF, adoption or even foster care.  If electing to try IVF or embryo transfer, be sure to research your local infertility specialists and make sure you know their pregnancy rates.  The best programs out there will have a high pregnancy rate and a lower number of embryos transferred.  We are fortunate to have two options here in town:  Idaho Fertility Center and Reproductive Care Center.  If seeking adoption (and there are definitely many children who would benefit from these services), then be sure to research and find a reputable adoption agency.  Your needs may vary depending on the area from where you are hoping to adopt a child.  Whatever you decide, good luck in finding the best option for you to bring the newest member of your family into your home :)

​Dr. Pam

Over the last couple of decades, non-dairy milk products have become all the rage: Almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, and even hemp milk (is that a real thing?).  It used to be you only had to choose from skim, low fat or whole milk.  So how did all these non- dairy alternatives become so popular?  As consumers have become more concerned about “healthier” options, the nut-based milks are growing in popularity and have easily become a billion-dollar industry.​

Are these products really an alternative to dairy milk?  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a study in June 2017 that showed children that consumed non-dairy milk were shorter than their peers who drank cow’s milk.  The study included over 5,000 children in Canada from 2 to 6 years of age and showed that a 3-year-old child that consumed 3 cups of non-dairy milk was 1.5cm shorter than a 3 year- old that consumed 3 cups of dairy milk daily.  The surprising thing here is that it is based on how much non-dairy the child is consuming.  The more cups of non-dairy milk the child consumes, the shorter they are.  One of the big questions is whether this correlates to adulthood- just because a 3 year old is 1.5cm shorter, will they be shorter as an adult?  Also, while there appears to be an association, this study doesn't necessarily prove that non-dairy causes the height discrepancy.  We don’t know- this study was only conducted in children and we don’t presently have data to support height differences in adulthood. 

What would explain this discrepancy in height?  Dairy milk products tend to have 8g of protein per cup, while most non-dairy milk products tend to have only about 1g of protein per cup (they all vary so you must look at each products’ nutritional label).  In addition, a lot of the non-dairy alternatives are sweetened or flavored and so they may have extra calories and sugar.  Also, many of the non-dairy options don’t naturally have calcium and vitamin D: They are fortified and if you do not shake the container, it will settle to the bottom.  It is very important when purchasing these alternatives, you carefully look at the nutritional information to ensure that it has protein, calcium and vitamin D, and is low in added sugar.

It is important that you scrutinize the nutrition labels on food for you and your children.  Just because a product is marketed as healthier, does not mean it has the appropriate nutritional content for your family.  For instance, many lower-fat alternatives may actually have more sugar and overall calories than their replacements.  Many times, there are so many additives that these options may end up being nutritionally poor for a growing child.   That being said, the very best resource for information about your child's health is your pediatrician.  Be sure to ask him/her if you have any nutritional questions for your growing child :)

Dr. Pam