Montana Woman Amongst First To Try New Fertility Technology

April 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Jonquil is just one of the 4 million Americans currently struggling with infertility, but unable to afford the cost of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) – the gold standard of treatment that is rarely covered by insurance and costs upwards of $15,000 per cycle.

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week, where events up and down the country are drawing attention to the plight of couples like Jonquil and Erik. An intensely private health problem for many, fertility services also suffer from a lack of reimbursement, creating a new medical class: the “financially infertile”, for whom the costs of treatment are the major barrier to starting their family.

Jonquil and her husband, Erik, have endured three years of unsuccessful attempts at conception including use of the ovulation stimulant Clomid, and three rounds of IUI (artificial insemination).  Their unexplained infertility diagnosis is frustrating and unsettling - with procedures not covered by insurance.

Earlier this year Jonquil was one of many couples applying to the Baby Quest Foundation, a recently formed charity that provides grants for procedures such as artificial insemination, egg donation, in vitro fertilization, and/or surrogacy for those who cannot afford these treatments. As may be expected, only a fraction of the applicants could be supported, and unfortunately Jonquil was unsuccessful.

However, because of a common goal to support couples who are struggling with the costs of infertility, Baby Quest and DuoFertility, a company in England who have developed an innovative monitoring and support service, arranged donation of this technology to Jonquil and several other Baby Quest applicants as the first users of this new technology in the USA.

The DuoFertility technology, which is non-invasive, drug-free, and available without prescription, has been shown to have a pregnancy rate similar to a cycle of IVF after just six months of use. DuoFertility is suitable for couples suffering from unexplained infertility or mild male- or female-factor infertility, which represents around half of those patients seeking IVF treatment in the USA.

Pamela Hirsch, who co-founded Baby Quest after watching her own daughter struggle with infertility, said “We want to offer help to as many couples facing infertility as we possibly can, but applications always far outpace donations. Although DuoFertility is only suitable for some of our applicants, the radically lower cost compared to IVF means that we are able to support many more couples than would previously have been possible.”

Jonquil had positive comments about the efficiency and effectiveness of the support staff at DuoFertility. “The ease of use of the device is amazing and if there is any correlation between the efficiency of the service and the effectiveness of the product, we will be fortunate."  She and Erik are enthusiastic, and feel fortunate to have been connected to this new chance by Baby Quest.

About Baby Quest:
Founded by Pamela Hirsch and her daughter Nicole Lawson, the Baby Quest Foundation (http://www.babyquestfoundation.org) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides grants to those in the United States facing a financial barrier to overcome their infertility.

Contact: Pamela Hirsch, Co-founder, bqfoundation@gmail.com / 310-592-3336

About DuoFertility:
Recently FDA 510(k) cleared, DuoFertility is a new fertility monitoring and advisory service that helps couples achieve natural pregnancy with a similar pregnancy rate to a cycle of IVF at a fraction of the cost. DuoFertility was developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge in England, and has helped thousands of British couples better understand their fertility and achieve a natural pregnancy.

A portion of every sale of DuoFertility, which costs $795 for the device and a year of service, is donated to fertility and pregnancy related charities such as the Baby Quest Foundation, March of Dimes, Resolve, and the American Fertility Association.

A peer-reviewed academic paper examining the pregnancy rate for DuoFertility in couples who have already been through IVF, or qualify for state-funded IVF in the UK, is available at www.duofertility.com/us/duofertility-vs-ivf?r=prl

Contact: Dr. Shamus Husheer, CEO and inventor, media@duofertility.com / +1-917-587-3996 / +44-7830-330-484