What's the Deal: Crowdfunding for medical costs

For families who are struggling to not only get pregnant but to cover the costs, there's now new hope.

With fertility bills skyrocketing and many insurance companies picking up less of the tab, some are turning to crowdfunding - and seeing HUGE success.

After 4 years of disappointment, Ben and Kate Lundquist's best chance of growing their family was in-vitro fertilization

"We were looking at about $17,000 total - that is all out of pocket," said Kate.

Required to pay the full amount upfront, Ben, a full time student, and Kate, an executive assistant, were going to be stretched thin.

So they turned to a growing option for many looking for help paying medical costs - crowd funding.

From their fundraising video, they posted a fundraising campaign on YouCaring.com to spread the word to friends and family who may want to contribute.

"I really felt that if we didn't ask others for help, that we would not have the opportunity to have kids," said Ben.

YouCaring.com says 50% of its fundraising campaigns are dedicated to medical needs and has seen the number of fertility-related campaigns grow steadily.

GoFundMe.com says at least 1,700 IVF campaigns have raised over $3 million dollars so far.

But no matter how you're planning to pay, experts say advancements in science have helped the bottom line.

"Far less spending is done today in certain cases than years ago becasue we can achieve pregnancies with fewer cycles," said Daniel E. Stein, MD, Director, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York.

In just 3 months, Kate and Ben raised $4,100 from 33 people - mostly friends and family.

At 38, Kate says it allowed them to put "operation baby" into action quickly and keep them from maxing out their credit cards.

In March, Ben and Kate found out they are having twins - a boy and a girl.

And they say they are thrilled that their friends and family had a hand in helping them start their own.