Due to unhealthy lifestyle and rampant health disorders, fertility rates have been consistently declining among Indian men and women. According to a 2018 report, around 2.75 crore couples in India were suffering from infertility, which forced them to seek alternate options to achieve a pregnancy.
However, the substantial costs involved with in-vitro fertilisation have been a strong deterrent for many such couples. Now, with the availability of hassle-free health card, affordability is no longer an issue. Before learning more about these handy cards, one should understand the details of in-vitro fertilisation.
What is in-vitro fertilisation?
In-vitro fertilisation or IVF refers to a procedure of acquiring eggs from a woman’s ovaries for fertilisation with collected sperm samples from a man. Fertilisation occurs under laboratory conditions. After embryo formation, it is transferred into the mother’s womb or frozen, as per the preference of the parents.
The main purpose of such a form of artificial fertilisation is to develop an embryo when one or both of the parents suffer from infertility. Therefore, through such a process, couples can still become parents, even though fertilisation of eggs does not occur within the mother’s womb.
Process of in-vitro fertilisation
In-vitro fertilisation occurs through the following steps –
- Step 1: Retrieving the eggs
Egg retrieval takes place under general anaesthesia, where a doctor guides an ultrasound wand into a woman’s ovaries to extract egg follicles.
- Step 2: Inseminating the egg with the partner’s sperm
A semen sample is collected from the male partner and mixed with extracted eggs in a petri dish. This step is vital to cause fertilisation and the formation of embryos.
- Step 3: Culturing embryos
Developing embryos are cultured in laboratory conditions, where doctors periodically monitor its development. At this stage, a test can also be conducted on these embryos to screen for genetic defects.
- Step 4: Embryo transfer
After sufficient development, embryos are prepared for insertion into the mother’s womb. Using a catheter, which is a thin tube, the doctor will implant the developed embryo inside the mother’s uterus.
A woman undergoing in-vitro fertilisation can achieve pregnancy in 6-10 days after embryo transfer. A simple pregnancy test at such a time will reveal the results of the fertility treatment.
Expenses for in-vitro fertilisation
IVF treatment is not a cheap procedure to undertake. Although the exact cost tends to differ from one clinic to another, such a treatment can cost as low as Rs.50,000 to as high as Rs.4.5 lakh.
Only a handful of Indians can afford such costly fertility treatments without some form of financial help. Health cards are the ideal product to offer such help. Cardholders can avail IVF procedures with barely any strain on their financial security.
What is a health card?
Products like the Bajaj Finserv Health EMI Network Card are a specialised financial tool that allows you to pay any immediate medical bills without spending a single rupee from your own pockets. Instead, you can choose to repay this bill amount in the form of manageable EMIs.
Therefore, instead of spending a lump sum at once, you can opt for a prolonged term to handle such expenses.
Features of a health EMI card
Apart from delaying immediate financial liability from medical expenses, such a card comes bearing additional features as well. These include the following –
- Coverage for your entire family
Cardholders can avail benefits that cover their family members. One health card offers financial benefits to all members in the cardholder’s immediate family, including spouse, children, parents and siblings. Therefore, one does not need to maintain separate cards or pay separate fees for each member’s card usage.
- Wide variety of treatments supported
Apart from the IVF treatment, such cards will help deal with the costs of other medical procedures as well. For instance, maternity care, oncology treatments, cardiac consultations, bariatric surgery and dental care are just some of the supported facilities of this card. Additionally, one can use this health card at pharmacies and diagnostic centres as well.
- Easily affordable
Cardholders bear a joining fee of just Rs.589 to start receiving the benefits. Thus, this financial product ensures affordability for all.
- Fast application and approval
You can apply for such a health card online, which streamlines the process significantly. During medical emergencies, an online application process is vital.
Another crucial benefit of this card is that it is digital. Therefore, an applicant can start using it as soon as he/she meets with approval for the card. Existing customers of card providers do not need to submit any documents when opting for this health card, further accelerating this process.
If you and your spouse are planning to undergo IVF treatment, apply for a health card today to ensure that expenses never become a hurdle in your search for a successful pregnancy. You can pick up to 24 months to repay treatment costs.
