The fertility rate is an important factor when evaluating the health of the public. Despite the United States having one of the best healthcare systems in the world, approximately 13% of women between the age of 18 & 44 have trouble conceiving. Although the US has implemented the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a landmark policy, assisting millions of Americans in obtaining health insurance, unless altered, the policy could hurt the 3 out of 20 women who struggle with infertility. After evaluating the core essential benefits of the Affordable Care Act, the views of stakeholders, and the state mandates, an easy solution can be established to assist those suffering from impaired fecundity.
Introduction
Although minimum mandates
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Among females between the ages of 18 and 44, 12.7% had impaired fecundity in 2002, with the percentage slightly improving to 11% over the span of 2006-2010. CITE The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines infertility as a health problem, and has made decreasing it a goal by defining it as an objective in the Healthy People 2020.
The number one cause of infertility in women is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is an endocrine disorder, which affects 7%, or one out of fifteen, women in the population. CITE Although reducing body weight by 10% has shown to improve frequency of ovulation and chances of conception, this is one of the few nonmedical interventions a women can try in order to improve the possibility for pregnancy. All other forms of treatment require a medical or pharmaceutical
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Some states cover In Vitro Fertilization and other medically aided insemination procedures, while other states only cover pharmaceutical therapy. Some of the states who offer the use of advanced reproductive technologies, places limits on lifetime attempts, similarly states who only offer drug therapy limit the approved list of drugs. Infertility coverage varies from state to state, even in states with a mandate.
The level of coverage tends to reflect the views of the individual state, and their constituents. States who are highly influenced by the religious facets of society often put limits of the list of approved interventions. In 2009 the Catholic Church stated “The church has compassion for couples suffering from infertility and want to be of real help to them. At the same time, some ‘reproductive technologies’ are not morally legitimate ways to solve those problems.” Many other religious groups have similar opinions, and advocate for a limitation in the approved procedures.
The religion argument does not really work – I would take this out bc so far you have been discussing the economics and politics of coverage and then out of left field you throw in a paragraph on religion that has no
HCA is a healthcare provider that was established in 1968. Their main focus is on offering cliental with a number of different services to include: inpatient, intensive care, outpatient, diagnostic and emergency services. To achieve these objectives they operate a variety of facilities such as: outpatient, psychiatric, surgery centers, freestanding emergency care facilities, diagnostic / imaging centers and comprehensive rehabilitation / physical therapy centers. They are structured to create increasing earnings for its policy and shareholders. This is achieved by contracting with private doctors to deliver services to its preferred providers members. At the same time, they receive fees from these entities and they negotiate lower group rates.
Over the past decade, advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART) including such procedures as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have reduced the obstacles to conception for women with infertility issues, particularly for women of advanced maternal age. Each state is now facing the dilemma of whether or not to mandate coverage of ART for their constituents. Furthermore, the state must decide what the qualifications for coverage should be if a mandate is to be enacted. RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, a
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, also involves taking fertility medication. However, instead of allowing fertilization to occur inside your uterus, your physician will remove your eggs and fertilize them with your partner’s sperm in the IVF laboratory. IVF has a 20% success rate per cycle in women over 40.
Although we assume that fertility drugs would be the most commonly used fertility method, the artificial insemination method is to be found the most common. Artificial insemination is when “washed” sperm is inserted directly into the uterus through a thin and flexible catheter during IUI. When artificial insemination is the chosen method, a doctor may recommend the use of fertility drugs. Fertility drugs are most commonly used to induce ovulation increasing egg production and making embryo implantation more receptive. Another possible method is IVF, which is in vitro fertilization. IVF is a cycle in which eggs are extracted and fertilized with sperm in a lab. Once the embryos develop, one or two are implanted into the uterus and the rest are stored. An option like IVF, is ZIFT. ZIFT is zygote intrafallopian transfer. Instead of the embryo being inserted into the uterus, it is inserted into the fallopian
Our DFW fertility clinic offers a variety of fertility treatments, including ovarian stimulation, intrauterine insemination (IUI), and in vitro fertilization (IVF). While many patients often hear about IVF, fewer than 3% of patients will need such advanced reproductive technologies. Many times, treatments like ovarian stimulation or even lifestyle changes ae enough to help a patient
Men, and women of different race and class, are subject to infertility; however, Society tends to criticize more women who are childless than men. Furthermore, Society also associates infertility with white, higher class women; on the contrary, research has been proven that more women of color and low social, economic status have been diagnosed with the inability to have children. The reason for this problem is because STD’s, pelvic inflammatory diseases, surgical sterilization, etc. are more common among women of color and low-income family due to lack of access to contraception, and early medical treatment. “Many of these preventable causes are more common among lower-class women, yet they are ignored due to medicine’s focus on treatment
The main causes of male infertility may include health or medical issues. This includes varicocele, infections, antibodies in which attack sperm cells, drug use or weight and many more [9].
Parental fitness is not the only issue preventing alternative reproductive treatments from being a “cure-all” for couples experiencing infertility. Perhaps even more detrimental to treatment’s overall success, is the issue of cost. The costs of infertility treatments are huge, and “many couples receive little or no insurance coverage for the services and drugs they require” (Perry, 34). In today’s economic climate, money matters and many couples do not have the disposable income they require in order to receive infertility treatments. Simple fixes for known causes of infertility can range from $50-$3000, but for the 20% couples who have no known cause of infertility, treatments such as In-Vitro Fertilization have an average per cycle cost of $12,400 (Ordovensky Staniec & Webb, 974). As most couples require more than one cycle of in-vitro fertilization, the costs can reach upwards of $50,000. Many families can simply not afford these high costs. Couples with no insurance are more likely to undergo more aggressive rounds of in-vitro fertilization, choosing to have more embryos transferred in order to boost their chance of becoming pregnant. However, transferring more embryos also leads to higher rates of multiple births and high-risk pregnancies, both of which can lead to extremely high costs later in life (Feldstein, 2006). The cost of delivering twins can be
Much of the research regarding infertility has limitations both ethically and financially in the realm of fertility and pregnancy. It is difficult to treat a woman or man with an intervention technique for infertility treatment because of the unknown long-term affect that could affect a mother, father, or child. In this synthesis of interventions, peer reviewed research is analyzed to understand the recommended interventions of the authors and to better comprehend the information regarding fertility treatment so that possible interventions are seen and understood.
When it comes to fertility pills, there are many to choose from. Some, like Clomid, are available only through a prescription. Clomid is designed to help women who are struggling to become pregnant due to an issue with ovulation.
It brings heart break to them, the people who care about them, and medical professionals. Medical professionals can help them navigate other options but it is ultimately up the patient which route if any they would like to take. IVF has open door to many who could not conceive but it also causes ethical issues and questions concerning IVF also previously mentioned. With the experience firsthand watching the journey of IVF I agree with the choice parents make with the decision to do so. I believe this way because it is still the parents eggs and sperm being used. What the parents needed was extra help fertilizing in some cases the egg in order to implant in the uterus for the patients. It may have not happened from intercourse but it is still the same life that would have been created either way. Through this paper I will discuss both sides in this issue and look deeper into the ethics of
Infertility is identified after 12 months of persistent attempts to conceive if a woman is 34 years or younger or after 6 months if she is older than 35, or when there is a history of repeated miscarriage. Some factors associated with female infertility include problems with ovulation (anovulation or inadequate corpus luteum), tubal obstruction or dysfunction (endometriosis or damage from pelvic infection), and uterine or cervical factors (fibroid tumors or structural anomalies). Risk factors for infertility include tobacco and/or illegal drug use and being obese. In women, the risk for infertility begins around the age of 30 and increases after age 40. A women’s age can influence the chances of conceiving may be as high 71%; when over 36, it may only be 41% (sharma,2013). Infertility can also be affected by endocrine disorders such as having abnormal body fat distribution or rare hair growth. It is essential to obtain an assessment of hormonal and adrenal gland disorders which may contribute to a rise in
Diagnosis is the first step in the road to infertility treatment. Both parties have to be examined physically and tested to pinpoint why they are unable to conceive. Once the cause(s) of the infertility has been identified, there are 4 typical infertility treatments which include, structural treatment, hormone therapy, technologies for artificial reproduction and possibly alternative therapies.
According to a recent study done in America by Genevra Pittman, Close to one in six U.S. couples don 't get pregnant despite a year of trying - after which doctors typically recommend evaluation for infertility, according to a new study. Genevra Pittman Those data are based on a nationally-representative survey of more than 7,600 women - including 288 who were trying to become pregnant - but don 't provide an explanation for what may be causing the couples ' infertility. Researchers analysed information from in-person and computer interviews conducted across the country in 2002 with women ages 15 through 44.
The number of married women ages 15 – 44 who are infertile is 1.53 million or 6%. Causes of female infertility may be due to problems with egg production or fertilization, autoimmune disorders, defects of the cervix and uterus, ovarian cysts, clotting disorders, excessive exercising, eating disorders, or poor nutrition, and tumors (Vorvick, 2012). Some form of male infertility such as structural abnormalities, sperm production disorders, ejaculatory disturbances and immunologic disorders was found in 9.4% of men aged 15–44 and 12% of men aged 25–44 (Chandra et al.,