Hi—I like this post and I’m glad you were able to put 60% of the value of a book into a table! One question I had—you say that IVF costs $12k and surrogacy costs $100k, but also that surrogacy is only $20k more than IVF? That doesn’t add up to me.
Also, sperm/egg donation are usually you getting paid to give those things, which help you have children technically. But those children are probably not being raised by you, so a lot of the benefits you cite, like playing with grandchildren, might be smaller for children created with donated gametes than children you bear and raise yourself.
I agree. I think the IVF number is just plain wrong. I’m getting ready to have IVF myself and the total bill will be well over $25k even if we succeed in the first round, which is only 65% likely.
Maybe he researched the cost of “IVF” itself, but didn’t think to add on the cost of implantation, injectable drugs, etc. which is a huge percentage of the cost.
Ooh, you raise a good point, Caplan gives $12k as the per-cycle cost of IVF, which I failed to factor in. I will edit that in. Thank you for your data!
And you’re right that medical expenses are part of the gap: the book says the “$100k” figure for surrogacy includes medical expenses (which you’d have to pay anyway) and “miscellaneous” (which… ???).
So, if we stick with the book’s “$12k per cycle” figure, times an average of maybe 2 cycles, that gives $24k, which still leaves a $56k gap to be explained. Conceivably, medical expenses and “miscellaneous” could fill that gap? I’m sure you know better than I!
I’m saying it’s $25k PER CYCLE. (granted, this is Bay Area prices, but still)
IVF requires multiple other expenses that aren’t the fertilization itself. These other expenses include about $5-6k of injectable drugs that stimulate egg production, and about $6000 for the implantation.
you say that IVF costs $12k and surrogacy costs $100k, but also that surrogacy is only $20k more than IVF? That doesn’t add up to me.
Ah, yes, this threw me too! I think @weft is right that (a) I wasn’t accounting for multiple cycles of IVF being necessary, and (b) medical expenses etc. are part of the $100k surrogacy figure.
sperm/egg donation are usually you getting paid to give those things
Thanks for revealing that I wrote this ambiguously! The figures in the book are for receiving donated eggs/sperm. (Get inseminated for $355, get an egg implanted in you for $10k.)
Hi—I like this post and I’m glad you were able to put 60% of the value of a book into a table! One question I had—you say that IVF costs $12k and surrogacy costs $100k, but also that surrogacy is only $20k more than IVF? That doesn’t add up to me.
Also, sperm/egg donation are usually you getting paid to give those things, which help you have children technically. But those children are probably not being raised by you, so a lot of the benefits you cite, like playing with grandchildren, might be smaller for children created with donated gametes than children you bear and raise yourself.
I agree. I think the IVF number is just plain wrong. I’m getting ready to have IVF myself and the total bill will be well over $25k even if we succeed in the first round, which is only 65% likely.
Maybe he researched the cost of “IVF” itself, but didn’t think to add on the cost of implantation, injectable drugs, etc. which is a huge percentage of the cost.
Ooh, you raise a good point, Caplan gives $12k as the per-cycle cost of IVF, which I failed to factor in. I will edit that in. Thank you for your data!
And you’re right that medical expenses are part of the gap: the book says the “$100k” figure for surrogacy includes medical expenses (which you’d have to pay anyway) and “miscellaneous” (which… ???).
So, if we stick with the book’s “$12k per cycle” figure, times an average of maybe 2 cycles, that gives $24k, which still leaves a $56k gap to be explained. Conceivably, medical expenses and “miscellaneous” could fill that gap? I’m sure you know better than I!
I’m saying it’s $25k PER CYCLE. (granted, this is Bay Area prices, but still)
IVF requires multiple other expenses that aren’t the fertilization itself. These other expenses include about $5-6k of injectable drugs that stimulate egg production, and about $6000 for the implantation.
Ah, yes, this threw me too! I think @weft is right that (a) I wasn’t accounting for multiple cycles of IVF being necessary, and (b) medical expenses etc. are part of the $100k surrogacy figure.
Thanks for revealing that I wrote this ambiguously! The figures in the book are for receiving donated eggs/sperm. (Get inseminated for $355, get an egg implanted in you for $10k.)