Dr. Rakoff thinks that this is a must read, prior to an IVF Treatment Cycle, or a Fertility Preservation Cycle.
BY BRUCE JANCIN
DENVER – Infertility therapy is not
only a hefty burden physically,
emotionally, and financially, it also
carries a hidden cost: It demands an
enormous amount of a couple’s time.
lndeed. the first-ever prospective
study of the time costs entailed in
infertility care found that over the
course of 18 months, couples engaged
in infertiliry treatment devoted a mean
of tzo hours to clinic visits, attending
support groups, and other treatmentrelated
activities.
That’s the equivalent of fifteen
8-hour workdays, or three full workweeks,
Dr. John F. Smith noted at the
meeting.
That’s the hidden hardshiP of
building a family for these couples,
observed Dr. Smith of the Universiry of
California, San Francisco.
The prospective cohort study
included 361 couples seeking infertility
treatment at eight San Francisco Bay
,Area clinics.
Their ranks included 108 couPles
with both male and female infertiliry,
the researchers discovered.
Participants kept monthly time-spent
diaries, and also were interviewed in
detail at baseline andat 4, 10, and 18
months.
The biggest chunk of time devoted
to infertiliry therapy was the mean 61
hours for provider visits, according to
study findings.
Other major time costs included a
mean of 37 hours for travel, 11 hours
for phone calls, more than 6 hours devoted
to research on the Internet or
other resources. -1.8 hours spent in
support groups, and a lesser amount
for diagnostic tests and obtaining
medications, Dr. Smith reported at the
meeting.
The number of days missed from
work because of infertility therapy or
related emotional distress increased
with the complexity of treatments
utllized and the number of treatment
cycles, according to findings of this
cohort study.
Most couples missed 7-9 daYs of
work.
The study was funded by a grant
from the National Institute for Child
Health and Human DeveloPment.
Dr. Smith declared having no
relevant financial interests. I
