Dr. Paul Magarelli is on a mission to reduce the cost of in vitro fertilization in New Mexico.
Magarelli, one of about 600 board-certified doctors of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, founded his clinic at UNM Hospital five years ago. Since then, more than 100 babies have been born in New Mexico to parents who used IVF.
The average cost of IVF is $13,000, Magarelli said, and only about 15 percent of insurance companies cover fertility care.
However, about 90 percent of insurance companies will cover the diagnostics portion of IVF, he said. Also, University employees who have Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance are eligible to have the procedure covered.
"The key thing at the UNM clinic is low-cost IVF, and we're working to lower that cost," Magarelli said.
Magarelli and families who used his clinic celebrated their success at the Miracle Births "Baby Boom" Party at Jerry Cline Park on Sunday.
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Delane Meredith and her husband had their first son without help from a fertility clinic, but after four years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive again, they asked Magarelli for help.
"Dr. Magarelli really grabbed the bull by the horns, and I got pregnant with twins after my first try using IVF," Meredith said.
Partners Maya Martinez and Andrea Sandoval went to see Magarelli after other clinics were hesitant to work with a same-sex couple, Martinez said.
"Dr. Magarelli told me, 'If you want a family, I'm going to make you a family,' and we are so grateful," she said.
Magarelli said he will work with anyone who has tried in vain to have a child, whatever the marital situation.
"We have no prejudices toward single parents or same-sex couples," Magarelli said.
Martinez was able to conceive after her first try using IVF. She and Sandoval now have twin girls, Lauren and Aubrey.
Magarelli said he started the clinic in New Mexico because many of his patients traveled from the state to Colorado Springs, Colo., to meet with him.
"The closest IVF lab is in Colorado Springs, but by having a clinic in New Mexico, we can make things more convenient for the parents," Magarelli said.
Patients still have to go to Colorado but can be diagnosed and begin treatment at his clinic, he said. After a woman decides to try IVF, she is prescribed medication and is monitored for 10 days. Her eggs are then removed, and the woman goes to the IVF lab in Colorado Springs. There, embryos are created from the eggs and a sperm sample, he said.
"After the embryos are created, a ceremony takes place between myself and the parents, and the embryos are implanted in the woman's uterus," Magarelli said.
The embryos are analyzed before they are placed in the woman, and only the healthiest embryos are selected. According to Magarelli, the woman or couple can also request the gender of the embryos that will be placed in the uterus.
In October, November and December, the University Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic is offering IVF for $6,000, Magarelli said.
The clinic is offering the treatment at this lower cost as a way to say thank you to New Mexico, he said.
"The price has never, in the history of IVF, been this low," Magarelli said.
A seminar, "In Search of the Stork," will be held once a month until December. The clinic is offering coupons for IVF to people who attend these seminars.
