Fertile Futures: Revolutionising Infertility Coverage in Insurance Policies
Infertility is becoming one of the major health issues for couples, especially now that it is more talked about. In India, nearly 14% of couples face fertility issues. Infertility treatments are available, but they are expensive and cannot guarantee a 100% success rate.
To be able to hold your own baby is what most parents dream about and which they experience. However, for some couples who face infertility, it seems to be just a dream which will not see reality, due to the high cost of treatments which may/may not be successful.
Couples are labelled infertile when, after 12+ months of unprotected sex, they do not conceive.
There are 2 types of infertility:
Primary – where no conception has taken place till date
Secondary – where there has been a previous conception which has resulted in a miscarriage or live birth.
The causes for this can lie with the man, or the woman, or both. Male infertility has recently been gaining prominence. There are many likely causes due to medical or lifestyle issues. Some of them are:
Problems with the sperm – quantity, morphology, motility, DNA quality.
Lifestyle issues such as obesity, sedentary life, smoking, drinking alcohol, eating junk or unhealthy food, lack of sleep, use of regular contraceptives, excessive or lack of exercise etc.
Medical issues such as diabetes, hypertension, reproductive conditions, infections, generic problems.
Infertility treatments across the world are usually expensive. Many health policies do not cover them. However, as infertility is becoming an important health issue, more insurance companies and many corporate companies are slowly introducing infertility treatments in their health policies.
There are various procedures for treating infertility. Some of them are:
IVF or In Vitro Fertilisation – the eggs and sperm are collected and allowed to fertilize on their own, outside the body, in a laboratory, and then the embryo is placed in the female uterus.
ICSI – Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection – where a single male sperm is injected into a single female egg in a laboratory and the embryo then implanted in the uterus.
IUI – Intrauterine Insemination – the male sperm suspension is inserted directly in the uterus at the optimal time in a female’s menstrual cycle to coincide with egg release from the ovaries.
It is important to study and compare all the details of various health insurance policies. Some may cover infertility in the base policy, while others offer it as an add-on coverage. Some companies include infertility with maternity coverage. Every plan will not provide all-inclusive coverage. Some infertility coverages will have an extended waiting and capping period. Hence, it is vital to understand the expenses covered by different plans before choosing the ideal one.
Before making a final decision, there are some factors to be checked out for infertility coverage:
- whether you are eligible
- cost of infertility diagnosis under the policy
- process of the treatment, as per the policy
- if there is any waiting period before undergoing treatment
- costs of medicines covered by the policy
- the number of times that claims can be made
- any add-on coverages.
The number of couples looking for medical insurance which includes infertility expenses is enormous. This high demand has led to many companies offering such insurance coverage. However, as mentioned above, all doubts should be clarified and plans inspected before you decide on a policy.
One of the most important tests for diagnosing male infertility is a semen analysis. At Andrology Center, we not only carry out this basic test, but offer the DFI (sperm DNA fragmentation index) test as well, which gives more details. It is with pride we state that we are the only authorised laboratory in India to carry out the genuine SCSA (Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay) test. Accurate results are guaranteed with the high quality equipment and top-level technology we use. These, in turn, help the fertility specialists to recommend the best infertility treatment to the couple.
