'Couples who are considering fertility treatments need the best information possible,' said study chief Dr James H. Segars of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. 'Our paper provides estimates of the potential costs of infertility treatments.'

These estimates 'provide important information that couples and their physicians can use in deciding whether to consider using the woman's own eggs versus other options, such as donor eggs or adoption', Dr Segars concluded.

Dr Segars and colleagues calculated the probability of a live birth following assisted reproduction technologies based on the age of the women and levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), a surrogate measure of ovarian reserve, and calculated the cost of a live birth.

The formula was derived from 1,238 first assisted reproductive cycles among women attending the researchers' IVF clinics.

The cost of a live birth 'rose exponentially at lower probabilities of live birth', Dr Segars said. As a woman's predicted delivery rate falls below 10 per cent, the cost per live birth 'greatly exceeds the cost of a live birth following the use of donor oocytes (eggs)', he added.

The cost of IVF using donor eggs ranges from US$15,000 to US$25,000. The delivery rate per donor egg is approximately 51 per cent at Dr Segars' clinic, making the cost approximately US$30,000 to US$49,000 per live birth.

'This information is vital for patient counselling,' Dr Segars said. -- REUTERS