Fertility treatment costs in the US: Breaking down price ranges for IVF, IUI and more

Infertility is a common issue, with about 17.5% of the adult population experiencing difficulty conceiving at some stage in their life, according to a recent WHO report. For other couples in the LGBTQ+ community or single people, conceiving naturally is impossible.

In the United States, where comprehensive fertility insurance coverage is scarce, affording treatment can be difficult.

Twenty-one states have passed fertility insurance coverage laws, according to Resolve, The National Infertility Association. But even when state laws are in place, they don’t apply to self-insured or self-funded insurance plans, which cover more than three-fifths of workers with employer-sponsored health insurance.

So if most expenses are out of pocket, just how expensive are infertility treatments?

Costs will vary greatly depending on location and can rack up quickly from medications, travel costs and other expenses. For couples looking into just how expensive fertility treatment could be, here’s what we know.

What types of fertility treatments are there?

Some common fertility treatments include:

• Fertility drugs: These are medications that regulate or stimulate ovulation. This is the main treatment for people who are infertile due to ovulation disorders.

• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): Also known as artificial insemination, this is a procedure in which prepared sperm is inserted into the woman’s uterus. This is often used to treat couples with unexplained infertility or mild male factor infertility.

• In vitro fertilization (IVF): When eggs and sperm are combined in a laboratory to create embryos, then transferred into a uterus. This treatment is often used for people with a variety of infertility causes, including blocked, damaged or missing fallopian tubes or severe sperm abnormalities.

• Surrogacy: A type of pregnancy in which an embryo is implanted in the uterus of a surrogate, who carries and gives birth to a baby for a person who is not able to have children. A surrogate pregnancy may be an option for people who have had certain anticancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or LGBTQ+ couples.

• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT): A procedure in which eggs are removed from an ovary and then placed into a fallopian tube along with sperm through small incisions.

• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT): When an egg is fertilized in a lab and then transferred to the fallopian tube through an incision.

How many employers provide fertility benefits?

About one-third of small employers with 50 to 499 employees cover some type of infertility service, compared with 61% of large employers with 500 or more employees.

But that coverage is often limited, according to a 2021 report from consulting firm Mercer based on a survey of 459 employers. Less than 30% of employers with 500 or more employees and 38% of employers with 20,000 or more employees offer IVF coverage.

'Still a lot of hurdles": For LGBTQ+ couples, the path to in vitro fertilization is harder

How much does IUI cost?

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is less expensive than IVF but can also be less effective.

The treatment can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000 without insurance, according to Planned Parenthood. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, an organization made up of IVF clinics, says costs can run closer to $2,000 per cycle. Other clinics estimate that final costs can exceed $3,000 or even $4,000 per cycle, including medication.

How much does IVF cost?

The cost of IVF can vary greatly, depending on location, insurance coverage, the patient’s medication needs and whether they need an egg or sperm donor. Some studies estimate the cost per cycle falls between $20,000 and $25,000, although estimates from clinic websites show that costs can exceed that.

It may take multiple cycles to successfully deliver a baby, which means costs can quickly pile up.

How much does a surrogate cost?

Estimates tend to say surrogacy costs start around $100,000 and can run upwards of $200,000.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cost of IVF, IUI and other fertility treatments in the US