Resources
NHS IVF Calculator
The True Cost of Fertility Report
If you're struggling to figure out how to budget for IVF treatment, you're not the only one! Working out how much one cycle of IVF will cost is not easy. Knowing how many rounds of IVF you'll need in total to have a child is impossible.
For many of us, paying for fertility treatment is the first time we move from simply being patients, to paying customers. We're here to help you understand the ins and outs of the costs of every step of your IVF treatment process, helping you to make accurate and informed decisions about your IVF journey.
The average 'advertised IVF package cost' in the UK is £3,898. However, not every clinic will include all the necessary components required for treatment in their advertised 'IVF package' price. Our research found that when you add in all core elements of treatment (such as blood tests, HFEA-mandated viral screening and storage of surplus embryos), the average true cost of an IVF package in the UK is £5,310 - that's 36% higher than advertised on average. In addition you will need to pay for pre-treatment investigations, medication and long term embryo storage, taking the total average cost to £7,545.
Funding your Fertility Treatment - Fertility Network UK
"the cost of treatment can vary considerably from one clinic to another, and the headline figures quoted on clinic websites may not be what you'd end up paying for a cycle of IVF"
These numbers are just averages - fertility treatment, and IVF in particular, is a very personal journey - the actual amount you pay will vary from clinic to clinic and person to person. Some people will need one round of IVF, and other people will need more, so it's important to note when you are budgeting that you might need to pay for a number of IVF cycles.
Kayleigh Hartigan, Founder and CEO of Fertility Mapper
"The fertility regulator recently found that an average fertility patient will go through three embryo transfers. This is because, even for the youngest demographic of IVF patients, the chance of having a live birth from an embryo transfer is just one in three. Understanding these statistics can not only provide some level of comfort when cycles don't end in the way you'd hoped, but can also help you to financially plan for your fertility treatment."
The reality is that IVF is expensive. It can be one of the biggest investments any of us make in our lifetimes, but unfortunately there is often a lack of transparency around costs, something we aim to change.
The short answer is yes, and you should take this into account when finding the right clinic for you. Unfortunately, finding and understanding the information you need to compare the cost of IVF at each clinic at the outset is difficult - we are here to help you.
There are several stages to IVF, pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment; every stage has a cost, and most clinics have created 'packages' that account for some of the costs. For example, a pre-treatment package is called a 'Fertility MOT' and a treatment package is called an 'IVF package'. You will need to pay for both, and more.
Fertility clinics are private providers so they are free to set their prices as they see fit. That means that each fertility clinic charges a different amount for its packages. What is confusing however, is that every clinic also includes different things in said packages. If your clinic package does not cover everything you need then you will have lots of additional charges on top of the advertised price you see online - these extra costs can really add up.
What this means is that you might look at one clinic that has a low advertised package price and understandably think it's a better deal than a clinic with a high package price. But when you read the small print the reason the package price is low might be because it is not as generous - paying less for a package does not necessarily mean that you will be paying less in total.
This can be a lot to look into. So to make your initial research simpler we have collated all the package costs - and importantly the cost of individual items that might not be included in the package, such as blood tests - and broken these down for every clinic in the UK. You can compare costs, clinic by clinic, on our fertility clinics pages.
Once you have finished your online research and before you begin your treatment, your chosen clinic should provide you with a fully costed plan, so you can be aware of any potential additional charges. Our recent 'True Cost of Fertility' report showed that 32% of Fertility Mapper users were not provided with a fully costed plan at the start of their treatment - be sure to ask your clinic to provide you with this from the outset.
We mentioned that there are several phases in IVF treatment, with each phase having a cost - we go into more detail on this below. Before we do, it's important to note that once you start one phase of treatment you are not committed to pay for or continue with the next phase. For example, you might find a clinic to do your pre-treatment phase, and decide you don't want to continue with the treatment phase, or you want to move to another clinic for the treatment phase. However, currently a lot of clinics will only use the results from pre-treatment tests they have carried out, so you might need to pay for these again if you switch clinics between phases.
You can find more information on the phases of IVF treatment in our IVF essentials guide.
Everything starts with your initial consultation and pre-treatment tests (such as blood tests to check hormone levels, pelvic scans, sperm tests and STI tests). As we've mentioned, in some clinics the cost of the pre-treatment phase will be 'packaged', so you'll be charged one price for the whole experience - these are often called fertility MOTs. Other clinics will charge you individually for each scan, blood test, consultation... you name it. In these instances, the more you have, the more you pay.
Here are some typical packages, tests, and costs for the pre-treatment investigation stage:
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
Once you finish your pre-treatment tests you move into the treatment phase. Most clinics have created treatment packages called 'IVF packages' these cover various elements of the costs of your treatment, including the doctor's time, nurses, surgical instruments, and consulting rooms. However, as mentioned, these packages do not include everything, and what is and what is not included in the package is different at every clinic. If a clinic package does not include everything you need, you'll then have a lot of additional costs throughout this stage of your treatment which will be charged on top of the package price.
Some typical additional costs that are often not included in 'IVF packages' are listed below:
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
Some people choose (or are advised by their clinic) to have certain treatment add-ons when going through IVF, which incur extra costs. For example, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is used by 49% of people who have IVF, and costs an extra £1,300 on average. Initial tests and previous treatments can determine whether certain add ons are advised, clinics will recommend these after the pre-treatment stage. However, be cautious about adding add-ons to your treatment plan and make sure you do your research, as the HFEA says:
Treatment Add-ons - Human Fertility & Embryology Authority
"For some treatment add-ons there is not enough evidence to show that they are effective at improving treatment outcomes"
Some common add-ons include:
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
As we've discussed, very few clinics include medication costs in their advertised 'IVF packages'. This is because the amount and type of medication a person requires can vary significantly depending on the procedures they undergo and their individual biological needs.
While you can buy your medication from your clinic, not many people are aware that once you have a fully costed treatment plan and your doctor has provided you with a medication list, you can actually shop around. You can buy your medication from other trusted places, like high street pharmacies, which can reduce the cost significantly (you can even buy fertility medication at cost price from Asda!). It's worth noting though that your clinic will charge you a prescription fee in order to do this, as illustrated below:
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
The majority of the costs you incur will be for the investigation and treatment stages. However, there are some considerable additional costs to factor in after you have had your treatment. To start with, not every clinic will include embryo storage in their IVF package; if they do it tends to be for a limited time only - typically one year. Many people save their embryos for years before using them, so this can really add up.
The majority of people going through IVF treatment will not get pregnant or have a live birth from the first embryo transfer (read more about IVF success rates here). This means that most people will need to pay for a number of frozen embryo transfers (if they were able to produce more than one viable embryo during their first cycle). So, often they will have to pay for further Frozen Embryo Transfer packages, on top of their 'IVF package' original cost. Below are some typical examples of post-treatment costs that are not included in 'IVF packages'.
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
As you can see, there is a lot going on when it comes to working out how much you will pay. But to offer you an estimate, the true average cost of one round of IVF for a heterosexual couple may look like this:
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
It's important to remember, this is based on averages across the UK so at some clinics the price will be higher, or indeed lower. You can find a full breakdown of IVF cost by clinic on our clinics pages.
Fertility treatment is a very personal journey. There are various individual factors that also affect the cost of IVF treatment: your age, relationship status, medical history and location can all impact the final figure.
Not sure where you stand? Let's break it down.
Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. Unlike other cells in the body, such as skin cells, eggs don't regenerate. This means our eggs age like the rest of us; the quality decreases over time, as does the number.
As such, older women going through IVF are likely to have fewer eggs collected, and the quality of those eggs tends to be lower. This means that the success rates per embryo transfer also reduce with age. Unfortunately, the older you are, the more likely it is that you will need to pay for more cycles of IVF, as well as higher doses of expensive medication.
It's good to be aware that specific reproductive conditions, such as PCOS, endometriosis or tubal blockages in women, can incur extra costs - you will have to visit the clinic more regularly for additional appointments and monitoring, each of which may be charged per visit. People with such conditions may also require higher doses of costly medication, and have longer treatment durations generally (as they may need to have other medical procedures before being able to start IVF).
There is no one size fits all when it comes to family building and fertility treatments. Everyone's story is unique. Whether you are a solo woman going through IVF (2,888 of you in 2021), a heterosexual couple struggling with unknown infertility, or a same-sex female couple doing reciprocal IVF using donor sperm, the costs are shaped by your situation.
In the table below we have broken down the 'true average costs' of different treatment components, to illustrate how costs can differ depending on your situation and journey.
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
For many thinking about private medical care, the first place that comes to mind will be London's Harley Street. However, there are over 100 private clinics in the UK, and where you decide to do your IVF treatment will impact the amount you pay. If you choose a clinic that is far away from where you live, you should also factor the price of travel into your budget, as this can quickly accumulate to become a significant extra cost.
For an idea of how location can impact 'true average cost' in the UK, take a look at our table below:
Source: Fertility Mapper's Fertility Clinic True Cost Data
Some people receive financial assistance from the NHS, private health insurance providers or employee benefits schemes. If you don't fall into either of these categories, there are some other financing options you can explore, which we'll explain below. One of the questions we ask when Fertility Mappers leave a review of a clinic is how they funded their treatment, so you can see how people in our community have approached financing.
While the majority of people in the UK fund IVF treatment themselves (73% of IVF cycles per year are paid for out of people's own pockets) the NHS does pay for IVF for some fortunate people.
However, whether or not you are eligible for NHS support - and if you are, what treatment you are entitled to - differs depending on where you live and your personal circumstances. The media refers to this as the 'NHS Postcode Lottery'; we call it the 'NHS Personal Lottery.' You can find information on NHS eligibility criteria in our useful IVF and IUI eligibility guide, or use our NHS IVF Eligibility Calculator to find out if the NHS will pay for your treatment.
In addition to this, the majority of people who start their IVF journey via the NHS will very likely have to pay for private IVF treatment before they have a child. Fertility Mapper found that 72% of NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will only cover one cycle of IVF, with only 10% of ICB's covering three (the number of cycles recommended by the NICE guidelines for patients under 40).
The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) - the most reliable source for IVF success rates - states that IVF live birth rates range from 33% if the child-bearing parent is under 34, to only 4% if they are over 43. Sadly, this means the vast majority of people who need IVF will require multiple rounds of treatment before they have a child, and the NHS simply does not offer this in 90% of ICBs.
Most UK private healthcare plans don't cover fertility treatments, as they see it as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical necessity. Even if they do, they are likely to restrict who is able to get coverage by employing criteria such as age limits or other factors including BMI, sexuality, smoking habits and relationship status .That being said, some employers have started to supplement their health insurance schemes with additional benefits, which can include fertility support. These can range in comprehensiveness: some cover the costs (at least partially) of treatment, whilst others only offer fertility testing and support.
In reality, even with private healthcare insurance or employee benefits schemes, you will likely have to pay for some or all IVF treatment costs - especially if you require multiple cycles of treatment (which the majority of people do).
Some private clinics do offer IVF payment or refund plans as well as loans, via partnering with third party lenders. The options available will be different depending on the clinic, who they have associated with, and your personal financial situation.
IVF payment plans and loans allow you to pay off the cost of your treatment over a series of months or years, and mean that you can start treatment before paying the full cost upfront. IVF payment plans tend to have very low interest rates, but require you to pay back the cost over 12 months or less. Loans require you to pay back the cost over a longer period, sometimes over several years, but will usually charge you a higher interest rate because of this. For both payment plans and loans, you may be required to put down a deposit based on the total price of your treatments.
IVF refund plans typically consist of paying upfront for your treatment and are designed to offer a level of financial security in case you don't have a child after multiple rounds of IVF. However, often the price you pay for treatment with a refund plan will be more expensive than a single cycle of IVF. If your treatment is not successful you will be refunded either partially or fully, depending on the clinic's policy. Most clinics will also have eligibility criteria in place and will assess things like your fertility diagnosis and personal scenario to see if you are suitable for a refund plan.
It's important to read the fine print very carefully if you opt for any type of finance to see what precisely is covered in your plan.
There's a small number of IVF foundations and charities that offer grants to those struggling to conceive and cannot access treatment. If this sounds like the golden ticket, that's because it is; they largely rely on private donations from the public and typically are offered once a year to an eligible person or couple.
Personal loans can also be used for medical purposes, and therefore IVF treatment as well. This can be an incredibly expensive option, so make sure to explore a variety of lenders in order to find the lowest interest rates. There's likely to be some financial requirements in place in order to be eligible for a loan, such as a credit or income check.
Depending on your credit limit, you can put IVF on a credit card as you would any other large expense. Be mindful however of your interest rates on such a payment; if you can't pay it off in one go, putting IVF treatment on your credit card could be incredibly costly.
As more and more people look to IVF and fertility treatments, alternate funding has sprung up to assist. These IVF-specific lenders offer personalised finance and insurance plans, depending on your situation and needs. Some even offer to cover your treatment costs if you don't have a child (your personal situation depending). These companies are often the same providers that offer financing options in clinics.
Like other finance options though, they will run affordability and credit checks to ensure that you are eligible.
Donating your eggs, either by partaking in clinical trials for research purposes or via egg sharing schemes, is another option if you are daunted by the financial implications of IVF. In these cases, IVF cycles - and specifics vary on a case by case basis - are offered for free in exchange for a number of eggs. In order to be eligible however, there are specific health criteria to meet, the most pressing likely being that you have a good ovarian reserve, which may not be the case for those seeking IVF treatment.
Some people receive loans or gifts from friends and family. While this might be the right choice for some, it can be tricky to navigate. To try and mitigate any uncomfortable future situations, ensure that you discuss how this might affect your relationship and agree on any repayment terms upfront. Making sure they understand things like success rates can help manage expectations. Crowd-funding pages to help fund fertility costs are also an option for people who are looking for help financing their treatment.
With so much to think about and so many clinics to choose from, making a decision that's right for you and your budget can feel overwhelming. In addition to cost, it's important to think about the following factors when making your decision - we've summarised things below make it a little simpler for you:
IVF is not a quick process, you might be going through treatment for several years. It can take a toll not just on your finances, but your emotions and relationships as well, so finding a clinic that you feel completely comfortable with is of the utmost importance.
This is where people's clinic reviews, the driving force of Fertility Mapper, come in. When it comes to choosing the right clinic, nothing compares to hearing from others who have walked the same path. That's why we've created a platform that harnesses the collective wisdom of our community. It's like having hundreds of trusted friends who have been exactly where you are, ready to offer their advice and insights.
Clinic reviews reveal insights about not only potential hidden costs, but the overall experience people had at a clinic. All of our reviews are independent and anonymous, so you can get trusted insights from our community into the level of care and respect shown by the clinic, how well the staff communicated during treatment, how seamless and frictionless experiences were, and how transparent the clinic was about costs.
While different people may feel differently about a clinic depending on the doctors they saw, procedures they had and their treatment outcome, being able to read about lived experiences can fill in the gaps in information regarding overall quality of care when deciding which clinic to choose.
Once you start treatment, you'll need regular scans and blood tests at the clinic you choose - it's not uncommon to go in each day or every other day - so making sure that you opt for somewhere that is convenient for you to travel to is important.
If you are looking at a clinic's success rate, the only reliable source is the HFEA. Different clinics use different criteria to measure success, and may report a high success rate then you will find on the HFEA website. There are many reasons for this, for example some clinics will only offer IVF to people that are likely to have a child, which skews their reported success rate figures. Choosing a clinic with a reportedly high success rate doesn't mean that you have more chance of success yourself; everyone's situation is different.
Some clinics are sadly not very transparent with their pricing structures, so what may seem like good value will in fact cost you more further down the line, which is precisely why we have broken down the costs by clinic - so you can make a fact-based choice before you begin treatment. Unfortunately, however, even the 'cheapest' solutions are expensive and there is no one size fits all price for IVF; the cost is personal and priced on a case by case basis.
Firstly, find out if you are eligible for NHS funded treatment in your area using our NHS IVF Eligibility Calculator. If you need to self-fund, it pays to be proactive with financial planning before you embark on your journey. We urge you to compare costs on our cost by clinic pages, look into what your private health insurance or employer covers (if you have them), and fully explore different financing options.
Fertility Mapper is here to help you make the most informed decision possible.
We have broken down the cost of IVF per clinic on our clinic pages, so you can compare clinics in your area in order to find one that best meets your treatment needs and budget. Reading other people's lived experiences via our clinic reviews is one of the most comprehensive ways of cutting through the pricing jargon of clinics and learning what the true cost of treatment is at each clinic. By looking at the 'cost transparency' section of the reviews for each clinic, you can gauge whether or not they are upfront with their pricing - those with a lower score are more likely to charge additional, unexpected fees throughout the course of your treatment. Armed with this knowledge, you can factor in these potential additional costs when deciding which clinic to choose.
Hopefully this guide has given you a comprehensive breakdown of the finance options that are available to you and the elements that can impact the final cost of IVF. Our resources are here to help you understand every step of the IVF journey; for more information on the true cost of fertility, take a look at our report.
