Willingness of Infertile Couples to Pay for In Vitro Fertilization Treatment in the Integrated Human Reproduction Section of the Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo Federal University.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the willingness to pay (WTP) of infertile couples for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.

METHOD

This was a prospective study with an anonymous questionnaire for infertile couples in an academic setting. Clinical characteristics were analyzed by a Student's t test or Mann-Whitney test, categorical variables were compared by a chi-square or Fisher exact test, and correlations were assessed using a Spearman's test. An alpha of 5% was adopted.

RESULTS

Mean female and male ages were 31.5 and 35.9 years, respectively; 80.2% were married; 19.8% were in consensual union; 48.1% of women had college degrees; and 49.4% of men had a high school education. Most women (77.8%) and men (75.3%) were white, with a household income of class C. Average duration of union was 8.5 years, and average infertility was 4.7 years. Using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) evaluation and the technique of "direct questioning," the average value was determined to be R$18 720.18 (by payment scale R$22 831.17). WTP positively correlated with household income and each woman's education level. Previous parenthood or use of public health system negatively correlated with WTP.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the higher the couple's monthly income and the woman's educational level, the higher the WTP for an IVF treatment; previous parenthood determined a lower WTP for an IVF treatment, and previous use of the Brazilian Unified Health System, determined a lower WTP for an IVF treatment.