One in six Irish couples will struggle with infertility – what are the options?
raising a child
from birth to the age of 21 was put at almost €170,000 in an eye-watering report in May, a 60 per cent increase since 2015.
The figure, gleaned from a survey of 1,000 presumably financially-scarred parents in Laya Life's Cradle to College Cost Index, covered everything from essentials such as nappies and baby formula through to pocket money, family holidays, Communion and Confirmation gifts, third-level fees and rent supports.
But for one cohort of people, the financial challenges around raising a child begin years in advance of shopping for cots or even maternity wear because of infertility issues.
Fertility treatments are not cheap. One round of
in vitro fertilisation
(IVF) in a private clinic costs as much as €6,500.
READ MORE
With an average of three rounds considered standard per couple and tests and other medical exams heaped on top, IVF can cost about €20,000, with no guarantee of success.
Sarah Magner (46), a pharmacist, and her husband, Darren O'Brien (43), a teacher, self-funded their four-year IVF journey at a cost somewhere between €40,000 and €50,000. The couple used up savings and worked extra jobs; Magner as an assessor in the Irish Pharmaceutical Union and O'Brien worked as a photographer, while the couple lived as frugally as they could. Even so, the costs and disappointments continued to mount.
'I only met my husband when I was 35, so I was over the hill fertility-wise and when nothing was happening for us, I went to my GP when I was 37, who referred me to a fertility clinic,' says Magner.
'We did one round of IVF and got one free embryo transfer and it didn't work. And we kept trying – again, the first attempt didn't work but the second embryo did and we had our daughter who is now six.
'The third transfer didn't work, the fourth resulted in a miscarriage and then it was in the middle of Covid and we found ourselves out of embryos, and the IVF clinics were closed. So we contacted a clinic in Ukraine to try again and after our second round, we found out we were pregnant with my son, who has just turned three.'
Sarah Magner and Darren O'Brien's two children, Meadhbh and Iarlaith. Photograph: Darren O'Brien
The costs racked up, with the first round of IVF in a private clinic, which produced one embryo, at €6,000. The second round cost €12,000, in which eight embryos were produced and the first transfer was included in the cost, with each subsequent transfer costing €1,500.
The couple also paid another clinic €10,000 and a further €1,000 for transfers along with extra costs for any tests carried out along the way.
[
'Injecting yourself daily is difficult to navigate at work': Managing fertility treatment while working
Opens in new window
]
'It sounds stupid, but if they ask you to have a test for €300 or €400 for something, there is a part of you thinking of the thousands you've already spent and how €400 on top of that wasn't actually that bad,' says Magner.
'It all becomes relative to that huge amount of money you've already invested into IVF. All those tests add up, and if you go down the supplements route, which I didn't because of my professional background, you are looking at even more costs.
'Ukraine was slightly cheaper overall; we spent €8,000, plus flights and accommodation.'
Magner and O'Brien's journey through IVF spanned from 2017 until 2021 and the huge financial squeeze on the household reflects that of thousands of others in Ireland.
'It's a big financial outlay no matter how you look at it,' says Caítriona Fitzpatrick, chairwoman of the National Infertility Charity, which provides support to and advocates for people seeking fertility treatment.
One round of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in a private clinic costs as much as €6,500. Photograph: iStock
She said the charity sees many people at their support meetings who 'get a credit union loan, sell a car, borrow from family members, or take on a second job' to fund fertility treatment. 'This financial burden tends to come at times when people have lots of other financial demands such as marriage or buying a house.'
'If IVF is unsuccessful, it's absolutely devastating for a person because they've put a huge amount of emotional and mental time into this, as well as the huge costs, and they can come out with nothing at the end of it.'
But is there any financial relief on such fertility costs? Well, like most medical expenses, you can claim tax back on the cost of fertility treatments at the standard rate of 20 per cent.
So, if you paid €5,000, you can claim €1,000, once you have not claimed these expenses elsewhere, such as from a private health insurance provider or through compensation.
Any drugs required as part of the fertility treatment can be acquired under the Drugs Payment Scheme, where you will pay a maximum of €80 per month for all approved prescribed medicines.
[
Employee who took time off work for IVF treatment wins €10,000 for unfair dismissal
Opens in new window
]
If you have to travel abroad for fertility treatment, such as Magner and O'Brien, there is also an allowance to claim 20 per cent back on treatment expenses in a hospital or clinic. And if that treatment isn't available in Ireland, travel expenses can also be claimed.
The
Health Service Executive
(HSE) estimates that about one in six heterosexual couples in Ireland may experience infertility – an issue the World Health Organisation labels as 'a disease of the male or woman reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse'. However, progress to make assisted human reproduction treatments more affordable and transparent remains slow.
Unlike all other EU countries, Ireland still has no specific legislation governing the area of assisted human reproduction treatment, though that is expected to change in the coming months, with a board and staff currently in formation.
'Fertility treatment through the public system is only available since September 2023, along with the announcement of six regional hubs and the first partnerships with private clinics, but this is being rolled out very slowly,' adds Ms Fitzpatrick.
'There are a lot of restrictions around that too and we have been told that when the regulatory authority is in place, they'll be able to expand that into donor conception and other areas to allow more people to avail of the public system.'
Time off work is another contentious issue in the fertility treatment debate. There is currently no legislation requiring employers to allocate paid leave or time off for important appointments or indeed, disappointments, during an IVF journey.
Qualifying couples, and primarily women, must first meet strict requirements to avail of the state-run Model of Care for Fertility service. Photograph: iStock
But, in the absence of statutory duties, more and more employers are taking the lead in offering supports when it comes to compassionate leave. Bank of Ireland, and Lidl are among those offering additional leave days for those seeking IVF treatment.
Others are even more progressive. University College Cork offers employees five additional paid leave days per cycle, up to a maximum of three cycles, while PwC provide eight days of paid leave for fertility consultations and appointments.
Ms Fitzpatrick also says the charity sees more employers 'seeking our advice or looking to create an internal policy' around supporting staff undergoing fertility treatment. Although, she says this 'varies widely' from proactive employers to those dealing with a staff requests on the matter.
'It would be very beneficial to see some guidance given to employers around this and certainly when the new regulatory authority is in a position to draw from the data around the whole area of fertility treatment in Ireland.'
Since the introduction of the State-run Model of Care for Fertility, run in conjunction with the HSE's National Women & Infants Health Programme, which also includes intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, 2,300 couples have been referred for assisted human reproduction treatment as of last month, with hubs receiving an average of about 550 referrals a month.
But qualifying couples, and primarily women, must first meet strict requirements to avail of the service. Aspiring mothers must be under 41 at the time of GP referral to a regional hub, while men must be under 60, and the aspiring mother must have a body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 30.
'We have asked for the criteria to be medically reviewed... [Here's] one example, we had one person contact us and there was male infertility in the relationship, but because her BMI is over the criteria, the couple are not allowed to apply for the scheme even though she has no fertility issues,' says Ms Fitzpatrick.
[
Even with funding, infertility is a hard and lonely road
Opens in new window
]
'This seems incredibly unfair that she was penalised for a male infertility issue. If it's male fertility issue in the need for IVF treatment, do we still need to be looking at woman BMI in terms of criteria?'
Ms Fitzpatrick says educating people on fertility journeys and the limitations in the State's offering should be a priority because often assisted human reproduction is only on a person's radar when conception becomes a problem. Also, individuals going down the treatment route alone, using sperm donors, can incur costs of more than €5,000 depending on the number of sperm straws required. And that journey is not catalogued by any State scheme.
'There's a bit of a historical hangover in this country around contraception and having children, but when somebody decides they do want to be a parent and struggle to conceive, the HSE scheme will only fund couples not individuals,' adds Ms Fitzpatrick.
'From a really practical perspective, we will always advise people on this journey to start with their GP, who will refer them into the public health system. That is covered and funded so it's worth being in the public system even if they can't take you the full length of the journey.
'Even reaching out to someone such as ourselves – can help as everybody involved in the charity has been part of the process at some level.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
All patients in Listeriosis outbreak are older people, says regulator
All cases connected to an 'extensive' outbreak of potentially fatal bacterial infection listeriosis are among older people, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has said. Last week, the authority recalled 141 lines of ready-made meals produced by Ballymaguire Foods in connection with an outbreak of the rare infection. The affected meals included chicken curries, lasagnes, bolognaises, pasta bakes, cottage pies and chow meins. Affected side dishes include ready-made mashed potatoes, carrots and peas, green cabbage and pilau rice. In an update on Thursday, the FSAI said there remains nine cases and one death associated with the outbreak. READ MORE 'The patients affected in this outbreak are all older adults aged over 60 years old,' it said. 'No cases in pregnant women have been notified to date. To ensure medical confidentiality, no further information on these patients can be disclosed.' According to the FSAI, listeriosis is typically acquired by eating contaminated food. However, the bacteria that cause illness – Listeria monocytogenes – are killed by cooking thoroughly. On average, there are between 14 and 22 cases of listeriosis reported in Ireland each year, the FSAI said. Symptoms of listeriosis can range from mild flu-like effects to gastrointestinal indicators such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Pregnant women, babies, older people and those who are immunocompromised are more vulnerable to severe infections. In pregnancy, listeriosis increases the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. A national control outbreak team is investigating the outbreak, the FSAI added. On Sunday, the FSAI issued a second recall, this time relating to spinach and mixed leaves products produced by McCormack Family Farms , due to the detection of Listeria monocytogenes. However, the food safety authority said there is 'no evidence' this recall is linked with the outbreak connected to ready meals.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Alcohol-abuse treatment figures highest in over a decade, study finds
There were more than 8,000 treatment cases for alcohol abuse in Ireland last year, the highest figures in more than a decade, a new report shows. According to the Health Research Board (HRB), 8,745 cases were recorded in 2024, where a case refers to a treatment episode and not one person. This means the same person could be counted more than once in a calendar year. Nearly one in three cases had a problem with other drugs as well as alcohol. Forty-four per cent of those treated were new cases. Cocaine was the most common additional drug used alongside alcohol at 71 per cent, a marked increase from 42 per cent in 2017. On the increase of alcohol and cocaine being used together, HRB senior researcher Dr Suzi Lyons said this is 'a real concern'. 'Mixing substances complicates treatment, can hinder recovery and can also be dangerous,' Dr Lyons said. The mixture 'increases toxicity to big organs', putting users at greater risk of stroke, heart attack, liver damage, violent behaviour, suicidal thoughts and sudden death, she added. In 2024, polydrug use was reported by almost one-third of alcohol treatment cases. Polydrug use is the use of more than one drug or type of drug by an individual either at the same time or sequentially. After cocaine (71 per cent), the most common drugs used alongside alcohol were cannabis at 49 per cent, benzodiazepines at 18 per cent and opioids at 10 per cent. The proportion of alcohol-dependent treatment cases, decreased from 72 per cent in 2017 to 56 per cent last year. Dependent drinking involves a cluster of behavioural, cognitive and physiological symptoms. Typically, it includes a strong desire to consume alcohol, impaired control over its use and a higher priority given to drinking than to other activities and obligations. Since 2017, one in two of those who consumed alcohol in the 30 days before treatment drank daily according to the HRB. The median age of alcohol treatment cases is 43 years old, and the majority are male, at 60 per cent. The median age at which individuals began drinking was 16 years old. The study found both men and women drink more in a typical day than is recommended in a week. Almost half are unemployed, and 8 per cent are homeless. Since 2017, among those who consumed alcohol in the 30 days before treatment, one in two drank daily during this time. Coinciding with the report's findings, Minister of State for the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor announced a €1.8 million investment in alcohol-treatment services for 2026. The investment, which sees a rise from the €1 million allocated in 2025, will create 22 new posts for community alcohol services nationwide. Two new community services will be established in the Health Service Executive (HSE) Dublin and midlands and HSE Dublin and southeast regions. The funding will also facilitate the expansion of services in the HSE Dublin and northeast and HSE west and northwest regions. The HRB is the lead funding body for health research in Ireland.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
When too many conductors result in cellular discord and cancer
What is your PhD about? I'm looking for new treatment strategies for lung cancer. The issue with lung cancer , and really all cancers, is that what drives the disease in one patient may not be the same in the next patient and this can result in different responses to therapy. For example, some people will respond better to chemotherapy than others. How is your project tackling this issue? My project at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science looks at a subset of lung cancer that typically doesn't respond well to current treatments. READ MORE We want to find factors that are driving the cancer to grow in these subtypes so that we can create a treatment to go in and stop these drivers' activities and hopefully stop the disease in its tracks. In my project, the 'drivers' we are looking at are called long non-coding RNAs. What are long non-coding RNAs? Each cell in our body is a tiny, complex system made up of many components that have specific roles. Long non-coding RNAs can control this system by interacting directly with these cell components and guiding their activity. Unfortunately, sometimes these controllers go awry and can guide the cell components incorrectly, which leads to the cell becoming unhealthy, and potentially cancerous. It is only in the last two decades that scientists have uncovered the true importance of long non-coding RNAs, so it is a very new and exciting field of research. You recently won a speaking competition with a metaphor – tell us more. I was lucky enough to take part in the UCD Engage competition, where PhD researchers come up with metaphorical way of explaining their projects in an engaging and accessible manner. My project funders, Breakthrough Cancer Research, introduced me to patient advocates Marian O'Mahony, Mary Neville and Siobh Siobhánes, and together we curated the metaphor of an orchestra. How does it apply to your project? In essence, a healthy cell is like a perfect symphony orchestra producing beautiful music. Imagine there are too many conductors, they are all shouting over each other and causing havoc, ultimately losing control, and what was once a harmony is now a screeching tragedy. It's the same in the cell, if there are too many long non-coding RNAs, they can start to act a bit crazy and lose control of the cell components, and what was once a healthy cell can be driven to become an unhealthy, out-of-control, cancerous cell. So the question is, if we can fire the excess conductors in the orchestra, or get rid of the extra long non-coding RNAs in the cell, can we bring back our perfect symphony or our healthy cell? What do you hope the impact of your research will be? If we find the long non-coding RNAs that are responsible for driving the cancer progression in our subset of lung cancer, we can create a treatment to target it. This means personalised treatments for many patients that currently don't have many options. However, the process of drug discovery, testing and approval is extremely lengthy, meaning it will likely be some years before such a drug will be available clinically. My project is in essence a cog in the wheel of getting these treatments to patients, but each cog is important. What do you like to do outside of research? Sometimes the lab work can be quite stressful, so you need to have things outside the lab that you enjoy. For me, that's often spending time with family, heading to a pilates class or even doing a crossword – my grandad's love for The Irish Times crossword has been successfully passed down!
