Is IVF Worth the Enormous Financial Toll?
At a Glance
The journey to parenthood is a deeply personal one, and for many families, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has become a prominent — yet incredibly expensive — option. Today, the cost of raising a child is higher than ever, so for couples considering IVF, it’s worth taking a closer look at the costs, success rates, and financial planning involved in this life-changing decision. Is IVF worth the financial investment in the current economic landscape?
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Babies born in 2019 were from ART (Assistant Reproductive Technology) cycles, meaning a little over 2% of babies born in 2019 were born through the help of ART.
The cost of IVF
A single IVF cycle — defined by The Mayo Clinic as ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer — can range anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, according to Forbes. This wide cost range depends on where the procedures are performed and the exact needs of each individual.
IVF typically begins with hormone injections over the course of 8 to 12 days to stimulate egg production. Medications (including hormone injections) alone for IVF can account for up to 35% of the total charges — and sometimes aren’t even included in the initial estimate — but that’s only part of the whole financial picture. During this time, regular bloodwork and ultrasounds are conducted to monitor things like uterine lining thickness and egg maturity.
Once the eggs are ready, there is a medical procedure done to harvest the eggs. Then, the harvested eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, which results in embryos. After about five or six days, these embryos are ready for transfer into the patient’s uterus — another medical procedure.
The process can be extended even further if preimplantation genetic testing is performed, which adds several more weeks to the timeline, and also adds to the cost.
When pricing IVF at fertility clinics in the United States, you can expect to be quoted between $10,000 to $15,000 for one cycle as described above, not including medications, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Many parts of the IVF process are treated as add-ons to the base fee — labs, testing, and even the necessary medications — which may lead to a total cost ranging from $15,000 to $30,000, again depending on where you go and what they include.
It’s for this exact reason that some couples choose to seek care outside of the U.S. where costs are considerably lower. One report from Axios breaks down the cost of IVF care in other countries including:
Mexico: $5,800 without medication
Columbia: $7,000 plus $2,000 for medication
Barbados: $6,500
These costs do not, however, take into account the cost of travel and accommodations abroad.
Clinic reputation and location also play pivotal roles in determining costs. Renowned clinics in metropolitan areas of the U.S. are likely to charge more than smaller, less prestigious ones. Additional services like pre-implantation genetic testing or egg freezing (when the embryos aren’t created and transferred right away) also increase expenses, adding to the variability of costs for prospective parents to consider.
IVF success rates and financial implications
IVF success rates are influenced by factors like age, the cause of infertility, and clinic expertise. On average, according to Forbes, IVF success rates hover around 30% per cycle. However, success rates increase for younger individuals and decrease with age. So, it’s important for couples to think ahead about whether or not they are comfortable with risking the thousands of dollars they will invest in IVF when it may not even work.
The financial implications of IVF go beyond the initial cost — time off of work, travel to and from the facility, and more can all be factored in. Unsuccessful attempts can be emotionally draining and lead to pursuing multiple cycles, compounding the expenses. It’s important to consider that the emotional toll of subsequent rounds of IVF, more time off work, increasing costs, inflation, and more can heavily weigh on couples facing these decisions.
With each unsuccessful attempt comes more money spent. Even for couples who use their savings to pay for IVF, the pressure to undergo another round after an unsuccessful attempt could lead to taking on unwanted debt to fund another try. If couples are funding every IVF with borrowed funds, this would mean more debt with each round.
If you took out multiple personal loans and experienced medical debt after multiple rounds of IVF, consider consolidating the loans to pay down the debt faster.
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