NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Brandon and Kara Edwards founded Starfish Infertility Foundation to help others pay for treatments. They are the parents of Braxton and Bexleigh, now 4 years old.
The dream seems straightforward enough. Couples work on careers, find a place to call home and have children.
But for one in eight couples, the least controllable part of that plan – having children – is a struggle.
After about eight months to a year of trying to conceive without success, many couples start testing to rule out or discover problems. Endometriosis, low sperm count, blocked fallopian tubes, antibodies to sperm, ovulation issues and more start the lengthy list of possible causes. And, in about 15 percent of couples, no cause can be identified.
Treatments at fertility clinics may start with the least expensive and least invasive, such as medicines to increase the release of eggs. A next step may be intrauterine insemination, or IUI (indelicately referred to as the “turkey baster.”) In vitro fertilization, which, including medication, can cost $10,000 to $15,000 per cycle, may follow.