14 Expenses & Hidden Costs Most Fertility Patients Don't Expect

It’s absolutely normal to have a little sticker shock when you see the numbers you’ll need to budget for fertility treatment - but the easiest and least stressful way to navigate this stage of the process is planning ahead and making sure you know how much you might need to save (or borrow!).

Aside from the upfront-cycle cost your clinic gives you, there might be some hidden expenses that come up that signify the full “cost to baby,” from variations in medication and procedure fees, to travel and logistics, and more.

When we say we’re here with you every step of the way, we mean it - especially in this budgeting phase. Here’s what to expect while you’re planning:

Additional Medical Costs

• Medications: The costs of fertility medications vary so much from person to person because the hormone dosage is different for everyone based on your levels of AMH (to measure your ovarian reserve). Plus, insurance coverage of the meds and pharmacy prices can vary by state. Regardless of what medications are needed based on your unique treatment plan, our IVF and Egg Freezing Success programs can help you find the best deals possible on your medications by connecting you with our partner pharmacies who offer a lowest price-match guarantee.
• Monitoring appointments: You may have copays for monitoring appointments, aka clinic visits throughout your ovarian stimulation cycle to make sure your body is responding well to the medications and adjust dosing and protocols as needed.
• Additional bloodwork: Depending on your insurance coverage, the cost of bloodwork may not be included in the quote the clinic gives you. Bloodwork can be essential to test for any underlying medical conditions prior to starting treatment, and is also how your care team measures hormones such as AMH and FSH.
• Genetic testing: In some scenarios, like a family history of certain genetic health conditions, your fertility specialist might recommend preimplantation genetic testing (or PGT) before IVF. This will likely not be included in the IVF sticker price since it’s often optional.
• Anesthesia: For any egg retrievals you have, for either egg freezing or IVF, there will be an additional cost for anesthesia that may not be part of the initial clinic quote.
• Additional embryo transfers: It’s impossible to know upfront how many embryo transfers you will need before you begin treatment, so you may need to budget for more than one. Luckily, your Sunfish package includes as many transfers as you need to achieve pregnancy - so you don’t have to worry about paying per transfer.

Non-Medical Costs

• Travel: There’s some chance that you’ll have to go out of state to find the right clinic for your goals and timeline, based on where you live and the care accessible to you.
• Hotels: If you have to travel to your clinic, you can likely do some of the pre-testing and bloodwork nearby, but factor in a hotel for any in-person appointments, the egg retrieval, and the embryo transfer.
• Parking: Clinics or hospitals may have parking garages with fees for procedures and appointments, so it’s also something to consider. Ask your clinic if they validate parking to avoid having those charges add up.
• Childcare: Whether or not you’re traveling for fertility care, if you already have children, you’ll likely need childcare coverage for them during appointments (many clinics do not allow babies and children at appointments). This might mean budgeting for a sitter or for extended daycare hours.
• Time off work: Another consideration you may not have thought about is your time away from your job. At the very least, prepare to take time off the day of your egg retrieval and one to two days after (and make sure you save some PTO for a vacation or staycation if you can… because you deserve it!).

Long-Term Costs

• Embryo storage: The prices for frozen embryo storage are often variable based on the state, clinic, and how long you’re hoping to store. Some clinics may include the first few months to a year of storage as part of the whole IVF package, but these costs are ongoing and charged annually for as long as you keep your tissue stored for future use.
• Egg storage: Yup, the same goes for egg storage. These costs can change based on your location, and of course how long you want to keep your eggs there.
• Future transfer and treatment fees: If you’re freezing eggs or embryos, you may return to the original clinic for either fertilization of the eggs, an embryo transfer, or both. Consider those prices, which vary according to your personal family-building timeline and number of children you hope to have using your frozen tissue.

How to build a realistic fertility budget

The first thing you can do when shopping around for the right fertility clinic for you is to ask questions about what exactly is included in the IVF or egg freezing package. Then from there, you can reference the above list and add or subtract what you may be covering on an ad-hoc basis.

To get a more realistic idea of what various aspects of IVF treatment may cost in your area, we’ve got you. Use our IVF Cost Calculator to reference this. We have a guide for predicting egg freezing costs, too.

It’s possible you may decide to take out a fertility loan, too. In that case, check out our loan repayment calculator so you can do some math for the long-term.  

One of the most frustrating parts about fertility treatment in general is the unpredictability. We’re here to bring as much cost transparency to the process as possible, protect your investment, and support you with personalized guidance to navigate billing, logistics, and more along the way!