This is why:
The “Refund Programs,” also known as “Shared Risk,” is based on ideas that are more related to gambling than a program aimed at assisting suffering patients in realizing their desire of starting a family. These programs place a greater emphasis on probability than on what is best for you, the patient. The proverbial “deck” is stacked in favor of the house, which in this case is the egg bank. Would a doctor agree to participate in a program that resulted in a loss of income? The following are some of the statistics that aren’t stated explicitly:
- With the first cohort of eggs, 75% of ACCEPTED people get pregnant (your clinic’s risk is 25%, and you’ve paid the nonrefundable upfront fees for the treatment).
- Patients who use donor eggs had a success rate of 58 percent on the first transfer after the first retrieval.
The prices of the Refund Program can be misleading because they do not cover the costs of your medical treatment, including drugs (25- 50 percent above the refund program base cost).
· They do not include ‘agency’ costs for egg donors (which range from $5,000 to $8,000).
· If your local doctor does not participate in the return program, the costs of travel (hotel, vehicle rental, petrol, meals) and any non-local care may not be covered. You will be accruing non-refundable travel charges for a minimum of 6 journeys if you pre-purchase 6 cycles.
· Consider your finance charges as additional costs if you need to finance the up-front fees.
· Patients may feel obligated to complete all cycles purchased with that facility.
In order for the recovery program to be accepted, you must be eligible, i.e. you must be a very low-risk patient. Some of the qualifying factors may be:
- The patient must be less than 40 years old.
- If the patient is 40 years of age or older, they may be asked to use donor eggs.
- The patient should have a ‘normal’ uterus (good lining, etc.), no previous miscarriages or failed IVF cycles, and have a normal BMI and acceptable hormone levels.
- The sperm must be healthy (non-aspirated, normal motility, morphology count).
It’s tempting to believe that if you don’t become pregnant, you’ll receive your money back. However, the money from a returned program will be significantly less than the entire expenditures you incur, especially when travel is factored in. Egg Donor Europe feels that this is an emotional draw for most intending parents. We prefer fair, open, and transparent interactions over so-called “refund guarantees,” which are better accurately described as “refund gambling” schemes. In gaming, the old adage is true: the house always wins.
If you have questions please contact us.