Cost of IVF Treatment and How to Save Money

Parent Money

Jul 12

Factoring infertility into your budget

Starting a family is filled with financial worries and what-ifs . . . Do we need a bigger house? Is daycare really that expensive? How can strollers cost so much?!

But maybe the biggest gut punch is when you can’t even make it to the parenthood starting line before the huge bills begin.

Let’s talk about infertility

The common stat is one in six couples have trouble conceiving, and that’s a low estimate. Infertility is caused by a huge range of medical diagnoses – endometriosis, PCOS, DOR, varicocele, azoospermia, and even unexplained infertility, where, frustratingly, the doctors just don’t know what’s wrong. Plus, there are other reasons you might need fertility help, like if you've undergone cancer treatment or are in an LGBTQ+ relationship, or are single.

Medical intervention is the only way millions of us can become parents, yet in the United States, fertility treatments are super expensive and generally not covered by insurance. Even when they are, coverage is often inconsistent and limited. For example, an insurance company might require a couple to try on their own for 12 months, which makes no sense for same-sex couples. Or there might be a lifetime cap that’s insufficient to cover full treatment. To put it lightly, it’s a problem.

Here’s what I paid for IVF (drumroll, please)

With all that said, how much do fertility treatments in the U.S. actually cost? I looked at my bills from 2022, and here’s what my numbers added up to for one round of IVF (one egg retrieval and one embryo transfer):

I paid: $4,000 (my out-of-pocket limit)
My provider and pharmacy billed my insurance: $36,000 ($21K on treatment, $15K on medication)

I was lucky enough that my new insurance covered IVF. In 2021, I paid out of pocket for one embryo transfer and that alone cost between $4,000-$5,000.

How to pay for fertility treatments

Before you panic about the steep cost of infertility, here are a few tips to help you manage the medical bills and hopefully save some money:

Get your finances in order

Review your budget now before you undergo any treatment. Know what you can afford, and make sure you and your partner are on the same page. This can help you avoid making quick (bad) decisions later when you’re stressed out.

Bonus tip: If you spend enough of your income on medical treatment, you may get a break at tax time. Silver linings, I guess?

Avoid high-interest loans

If you do need a loan, some lenders offer personal loans, especially for fertility treatments, but the rates usually aren’t very competitive, so it’s worth shopping around and looking at other options.

Consider a new credit card with 0% intro APR, which should help you avoid interest charges for at least a year. Or, if you own your home, a home equity line of credit could be your best bet. The rates are usually lower than credit cards and you only pay interest on what you borrow.

Explore self-pay discounts

Any fertility clinic worth its salt will have a knowledgeable, helpful finance department. Talk to them about the pricing upfront and what discounts you can get. It’s often more than 50% cheaper when you pay cash.

Bonus tip: Even if your insurance doesn’t cover infertility, most early diagnostic testing should still be covered – just ask your clinic about how everything is coded.

Ask about package pricing

Some clinics offer package pricing for IVF, so you have one total amount to pay regardless of treatment. If you’re paying out of pocket, this can be the best way to budget and avoid billing surprises, although it’s not available everywhere.

Check out Shady Grove Fertility for program examples.

Apply for grants and discounts

Ask your fertility clinic and pharmacy about financial assistance programs – or start your research now. Mandell’s Pharmacy has several examples to explore, including a compassionate care discount program. Resolve is a non-profit patient advocacy group and has lots of links to various grants.

Eligibility is usually based on income requirements, but it's still worth asking for more information even if you aren’t sure you qualify.

Review your medical bills

Look over your itemized bills and talk to your clinic’s finance department about anything you don’t understand. Billing errors happen all the time – I spotted multiple errors and coding issues throughout my treatment that saved me several thousand dollars.

Bonus tip: Not all tests and procedures are required during the course of treatment. Ask and advocate for yourself every step of the way.

Find the cheapest drugs

You’ll also want to review your prescriptions. Fertility drugs are expensive, so ask about generic options, triple-check your insurance coverage, shop around to find the best price, and don’t forget to look for coupons.

Bonus tip: Check out online Canadian pharmacies when you comparison shop to see if you can get your prescriptions cheaper from across the border.

Advocate for insurance coverage

Maybe the most important step you can take is to speak up. Talk to your human resources department at work and ask them to include fertility coverage in your insurance. Resolve has an employee toolkit to help facilitate the conversation and make an effective case.

Remember – you are not alone. And together, we have the power to share our stories, eliminate the financial burden of infertility, and give us all a chance to build our families.

Molly P.

Despite writing about personal finance for nearly a decade, Molly Plester has been known to splurge on the occasional avocado toast. She lives in the Midwest and is mom to two daughters thanks to IVF and insurance.