IVM: A Fertility Treatment that Could Mean Pregnancy for Half the Cost

A cheaper, gentler alternative to IVF may bring hope to infertile couples.

By Melissa Lafsky
Jun 9, 2009 5:00 AMNov 12, 2019 5:05 AM
IVM-web.jpg
An embryo created through IVM. | Courtesy of Batzofin Fertility Clinic

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Amy Timney knew she couldn’t make it through another round of in vitro fertilization (IVF). For the last two years, the 31-year-old New Yorker had been on a brutal and heartbreaking quest to get pregnant. Her trials included daily shots in her buttocks, constant doctor visits for ultrasounds and monitoring, medical complications that nearly required her to be hospitalized, and the agony of waiting—not to mention the financial hit, at around $15,000 for a full IVF cycle—all for zero results.

“My butt was covered in welts and bruises, and we’d killed our bank account, and I thought ‘If I ever have to go through this again, there’s no way I can do that to myself,’” she says.

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