IVF Medication Cost (Complete Breakdown)

Average “All-In” Costs for Treatment Based on IVF Medications

Based on the average patient cycle requirement, here is the average “all-in” costs for IVF medications based on their average price:

1. Production Process

The production process of IVF medications often requires the use of living cells, regulatory compliance, and high production failure rates that influence the overall cost of the medication.

• Cell line development: Producing biologics like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) these pharmaceutical scientists have to create a cell line capable of producing the desired protein. The process often involves a healthy amount of engineering, where these genes are encoded to target the protein inserted into the cells. Developing these cell lines can usually take anywhere from a few months to a few years.

• Bioreactor cultivation: Once the stable cell line is produced, the cells are then grown into bioreactors, which are large and sterile vessels that are used to maintain precise environmental conditions like temperature, pH, and varying nutrient levels. Maintaining the bioreactors is extremely costly, requiring stringent sterility and quality controls.

• Purification process: Once these proteins are produced, they have to be extracted and purified from the cell culture medium. This procedure requires a number of steps: filtration, chromatography, and other techniques used to isolate the protein while removing impurities.

• Regulatory compliance: Heavy regulatory compliance of these medications can also result in more required costs of production. The FDA and EMA often oversee these medications regulatory environments for testing of purity, potency, and stability.

• Production failure rates: These biologic manufacturing processes lead to higher production failures, like contaminations, unstable cell lines, and generally insufficient yields.

• Cold chain storage: Biologics are sensitive to temperature fluctuations and require refrigeration through the supply chain. This process is called cold chain logistics, which includes temperature-controlled packaging, storage, and transportation.

• R&D costs: The overall research and development process for biologics is lengthy and expensive for manufacturers. Often requiring (in the billions) of dollars being invested before a drug reaches the market. These costs are often recouped on the demand level of the medication.

Related: Menopur Average Cost (Guide)

2. High Demand

From 2014 to 2024, IVF medication costs have risen by more than 84%. The high demand of IVF medications along with the lower fertility rates in the United States and the high production costs have led to higher pricing on the demand-level (for the customer or consumer) than normal.

This price increase, when compared to the list prices of all prescription medications is quite drastic. Other prescription medications have only risen by 37% in that same time period, while IVF medications have outpaced that by around 47%.

3. Limited Insurance Coverage

Insurance coverage of IVF medications is complex. And can vary based on a number of factors, including the state that you live in. The reason comes down to the cost of treatment and how each state considers infertility classified and defined. As well as regulation on a state-by-state basis.

This heavy regulation has led patients to either have to endure large out-of-pocket expenses for any type of IVF treatment or move states, choose other insurers, or seek other employment that assists in infertility treatments.

For more information about coverage in your state visit the National Infertility Associations website right here that lists each state's eligibility as well as their individual statutes to better understand what’s covered (and not covered) in your area.

4. Cost of Procedures

High costs of procedures can have a large influence on the overall price of a successful fertilization journey. Included in your treatment may be anesthesia, ultrasounds, lab work, and the cost of paying embryologists that are associated with monitoring, growing, and preserving embryos.

Related: Gonal-F RFF Pen Price (Guide)

However, to get a general calculation of your overall fees, consider the following factors:

• Base clinic fee: The baseline clinic fee covers the core IVF procedures like monitoring, egg retrieval, embryo culture, and embryo transfer.

• Medications: The cost of fertility drugs required to stimulate successful ovulation, which can vary based on your treatment plan.

• Anesthesia fees: Costs associated with sedation during egg retrieval. To get a total cost of this contact the local clinic or hospital that you plan to work with to get an estimate.

• Laboratory fees: The costs associated with handling eggs and sperm in the lab, which includes fertilization and embryo development.

• ICSCI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection): An optional technique that may be suggested to you where a single sperm is injected directly into the egg.

• PGT (preimplantation genetic testing): An optional technique where the genetic screening of embryos is used to identify potential chromosomal abnormalities.

• Assisted hatching: An optional procedure that’s used to help the embryo implant in the uterine lining.

• Donor sperm/egg: If required, the cost associated with acquiring a donor sperm or eggs.

• Embryo cryopreservation: The cost of freezing extra embryos for future use.

• Number of IVF cycles needed: Many patients require multiple IVF cycles to achieve pregnancy. Ensure that you’re calculating the total average cycle requirement price (listed in the chart above).

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Rough Calculations of “All-In” Price

To get a general cost estimate based on historical baselines in the United States, we can assume that each average IVF cycle price is roughly $3,000 to $7,000. And the average patient in the United States requires six cycles to have a successful life birth. Making the “napkin math” estimate of achieving a successful pregnancy anywhere from $18,000 to $42,000. With much of this cost coming from out-of-pocket expenses.