How much is it? This is one of the most popular questions we receive regarding our fertility treatment. The ranges in prices and options is quite vast for numerous reasons: insurance, location, type of fertility treatment, which cyrobank, etcetera. While we cannot tell you all the different pricing scenarios, we can share about our own.
Here are the factors that influenced our scenario. We elected to do our fertility treatments with Columbia Fertility Associates (CFA), located in Washington, D.C., so we were charged based on the costs they set there. We bought our sperm vials from Fairfax Cyrobank located in Fairfax, Virginia, so again, the costs were based on their prices. We carry federal insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield. This is as of right now in 2021. Things can change in the future. We will see about that.
What about insurance? Our medical insurance does not qualify fertility treatments and sperm vials as a medical cost to cover. Therefore, we paid for our fertility treatments and sperm vials out of pocket. What insurance did cover was what they considered a qualified medical expense such as: bloodwork, urine tests, HSG (x-ray) testing, and the doctor’s visits (consultation) other than co-pays.
We are sharing an overall summary of CFA’s Ovulation Induction, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), and Invitro Fertilization global fees. Keep in mind that these costs do not include the cost of the sperm vials. These prices may give you a good understanding of what the costs could look like for you or others. They may slightly differ now since we did our fertility treatments back in Fall 2020.
| Type of Fertility Treatment | Cost per cycle | Details |
| Natural Cycle IUI without in-office monitoring | $540 | Unmedicated |
| Natural Cycle IUI with in-office monitoring | $1,080 | Unmedicated |
| Medicated IUI Cycle (Option 1) | $1,620 | Medicated with clomiphene citrate (oral tablets) /letrozole |
| Medicated IUI Cycle (Option 2) | $2,160 | Medicated with clomiphene citrate + FSH with IUI |
| Medicated IUI Cycle (Option 3) | $2,700 | FSH with IUI (injectables) |
| In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Cycle | $18,954 | Various things are included in this fee such as the egg retrieval, preparation of embryos for transfer, and the transfer itself; however, the cost of the medications and genetic testing are not included in this cost |
| Fertility Medications for IVF | $2,000-6,500 | These medications are billed directly from the pharmacy of your choice |
Keep in mind that the summary of costs I shared above does not include all the additional costs such as sperm vials, an orientation (if applicable), anesthesia (if applicable), storage of sperm, freezing of eggs, sperm thaw, lab services, etcetera. These details are provided by your or another person’s respective fertility clinic.
The costs don’t end there; onto the sperm vials! The little “spermies” are an expensive price tag unless one has arranged for a known sperm donor who is donating for free! We purchased our sperm vials from our selected sperm donor via Fairfax Cyrobank.
Maya and I purchased multiple sperm vials for a mind-boggling $1,100 dollars each. We purchased multiple vials because we wished to take our chances on trying to conceive with the same sperm donor. We also wanted to have the possibility of having a same-donor sibling if we had sperm vials leftover.
The costs don’t end there… There are other costs to consider which we listed below with the prices we paid out of pocket. Again, this may vary depending on one’s factors.
| What | Cost |
| Prenatal Vitamins – 2 Bottles | $55.78 |
| Ovulation Predictor Kit – 1 Box | $67.20 |
| Basal Body Thermometer | $11.99 |
| At-home Pregnancy Test – 1 Box | $27.99 |
| Insurance Co-pays – Multiple | $130 (varies) |
| Sperm Thaw | $108 (for each vial used) |
| Storage of Sperm | $369 (annual fee) |
At full disclosure, we spent a total of $18,100.23 until we successfully conceived our first child. This included three fertility treatment cycles we underwent. We’ll share more about that process further along in this ASL TTC Series.
We recognize and empathize how discouraging and intimidating it can feel when one is faced with the costs (and unknown emergent costs) of doing fertility treatment whether that is ICI, IUI, or IVF. There is no other way to say it but share the reality of such costs. Nevertheless, the cost doesn’t even equate to the joy you’ll feel when you learn you’re pregnant. It will be worth it. We also acknowledge that not everyone is able to conceive or carry a child. We honor you and your journey and hold you close when it gets hard. We support you.
Have at it.
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