Fertility Costs

Many people find all too late that the financial burden associated with fertility treatments is more than slightly prohibitive. In fact, far too many find that the cost is simply too high for them to pay, especially when insurance companies do not cover the treatment plan that is in your best interest. This can be one of the most heart breaking experiences for prospective parents but one that must be addressed and the sooner the better in most cases as you are at least prepared for the financial possibilities and fall out that could result from your fertility treatment in addition to the high costs involved in actually raising a child.

While I firmly believe there is nothing in this world more rewarding than investing in your children, the problem is that there are no guarantees when it comes to fertility treatments, even in vitro fertilization. If it comes to IVF this is one of the most expensive types of fertility treatments and while there is an encouraging success rate the fact remains that your procedure may not take. This can be devastating for many couples both emotionally and financially. You need to be sure before you make it to this point that you are prepared to handle both the emotional and financial repercussions either way.

Even a successful in vitro fertilization treatment could result in a serious financial hit on your part, and then you have the worries of labor, delivery, and a child to provide for when all is said and done. At least that is always the hope when entering into this type of fertility treatment.

I am by no mean trying to discourage you from following your dreams or taking every possible opportunity to conceive a child and bring it into this world. I can think of no greater gift we can give ourselves as human beings than the smile of a child. I do encourage you to seriously discuss with your partner the possibilities both emotionally and financially and decide where to draw the line in order to secure your future and that of any children that may come along.

It has been known that people conceive almost immediately after they quit attempting to do so. For this reason it is very important that you make sure you are able to offer a relatively secure future to the child you hope to bring into this world despite the high cost of doing so.

For those new to infertility and looking into various treatments, below you can see a guideline of costs involved. It's a rather expensive process, but if you achieve in the end what you plan out to, then it's all worth it.

All prices quoted are in USD.

IVF Procedure

A. Hormonal and sonographic monitoring
B. Ultrasonographic egg retrieval
C. Sperm preparation
D. Embryo culture
E. Embryo transfer
F. Pregnancy test

$ 7000 (no medications are included)

Donor Oocyte Cycle

A. Donor compensation ($8000)
B. Donor screening costs
C. Donor medication
D. Recipient synchronization
E. IVF procedure
F. Recipient transfer
G. Pregnancy test. information needed

$25000

Frozen Embryo Cycle

A. Blood tests
B. Sonograms
C. Embryo thawing and preparation
D. Embryo transfer
E. Pregnancy test formation needed

$3500

Ancillary Procedures

  • ICSI: $1000
  • Hatching: $1000
  • Blastocyst Culture: $1000
  • Embryo Cryopreservation: $1000 (includes first year of embryo storage)
  • Testicular Sperm Extraction: $3500
  • Donor Sperm: $400 per specimen
  • Embryo Storage: $500 / year

I also highly encourage you to sit down with your doctor and frankly discuss the finances. Some doctors offer unique financing arrangements in order to help patients enjoy the wonder of parenthood without being crippled by the debt this can bring about. If your doctor doesn't offer some sort of financing option you might seriously consider finding one that does.

The financial limitations of your fertility treatment will only be the first of many difficult decisions that you will need to make along the road to parenthood. The good news is the rewards of a successful in vitro fertilization far outweigh the risks.