Support Restorative Reproductive Medicine in Place of IVF
A case for PoliciesForPeople.com
President-elect Trump has stated that his administration will be “mandating that insurance companies pay” for IVF treatments. While the intentions behind this statement are well meaning – supporting couples struggling to conceive – I would like to put forth the suggestion that Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) is a more effective alternative.
IVF is a medically aggressive procedure costing $24,000 - $32,000 per cycle, and an average of $62,000 - $72,000 for a successful birth. Approximately 93% of babies conceived (fertilized embryos) will die and only 37% result in live birth. Many women seeking IVF are experiencing infertility due to underlying conditions that are never treated, simply diagnosed as “unexplained”. Once referred to IVF doctors, the women undergo multiple rounds of medications, injections, invasive procedures, and ongoing expenses.
In contrast, RRM makes use of fertility awareness based methods (FABM) to identify the root causes of infertility, then optimize and restore a woman’s reproductive health. RRM provides treatments that cooperate with the reproductive system and uses medicine to restore healthy cycles and enhance natural fertility. Unexplained infertility diagnoses drop to less than 1% when given proper review through this model. The average cost of treatment using RRM is $3,000-$5,000 and is as effective, if not more so, than IVF. In a study by Dr. Phil Boyle, of women that had years of infertility and multiple failed IVF cycles, up to 32% were able to conceive naturally through RRM and carry their baby to term. RRM has a low risk of twin or multiple births, and very good neonatal outcomes with a cost savings to the health care system.
Unfortunately, not much attention has been given to FABMs or RRM. To truly Make America Healthy Again, funding should be directed toward:
Teaching young women proper body literacy through FABM education
Educating medical professionals on FABMs and RMM and incentivizing their use of these methods. Currently, less than 4% of OBGYNs are properly instructed in these areas.
Provide funding for RRM treatments for infertility, as opposed to IVF.
Federal funding for IVF treatments is problematic in various ways – it’s expensive, does not treat root causes of infertility, often ineffective, and is potentially immoral (both financially and ethically). FABMs and RMM empower women to truly understand their fertility and provide real health care at a fraction of the cost with improved results.
Make America Healthy Again!
Resources:
https://iirrm.org/ The International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine
https://femmhealth.org/ FEMM Health
https://fertilityscienceinstitute.org/ Fertility Science Institute
https://www.factsaboutfertility.org/ Facts about Fertility
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377234832_Restorative_Reproductive_Medicine_An_Emerging_New_Treatment_Process_and_a_Prerequisite_to_Assisted_Reproductive_Technology_for_Treatment_of_Infertility