If you’re considering surrogacy for your family planning, you’ve probably done some research on how much the whole process will cost. In general, a typical surrogacy journey will cost anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000. That includes the surrogate cost if you’re using a gestational surrogate. However, IVF costs – egg retrievals, embryo creation, and embryo transfers – are fees that fall outside of your surrogacy agency costs and are usually paid directly to your clinic and can range from $25,000-$50,000+.
You need to plan for IVF costs, but that can be hard to do as the fees depend on your specific needs and your chosen clinic. Below, we’ll talk through the different types of IVF costs you can expect during your surrogacy journey and whether or not the costs are covered by insurance.
What are IVF and Fertility Expenses?
IVF expenses are usually paid directly to your fertility clinic (not to your surrogacy agency). While IVF costs will vary depending on the type of treatment you require to grow your family, a typical IVF cycle can cost between $15,000-$30,000. If you need an egg donor, you can expect an additional $25,000-$50,000+.
IVF costs during a surrogacy journey could include:
Medical assessment (for intended mother if she’s using her eggs and includes: monitoring appointments and a fertility assessment; also includes intended father/donor semen analysis)
Medications for the intended mother if she’s using her eggs, or for gestational surrogate and egg donor (if needed)
Egg retrieval process (for the intended mother or a fresh egg donor)
Embryo creation
Embryo transfer
Intended parents should prepare for the above costs in addition to the surrogacy costs associated with their surrogacy agency.
Are IVF and Fertility Treatments Covered by Insurance?
The answer is: possibly. Determining whether or not fertility treatments are covered by insurance can fall on you as intended parents. More and more companies are expanding their benefit offerings to employees that include third party reproduction and family building. Some companies are leading the charge in providing fertility benefits for employees, and hopefully, others will follow suit.
The first step in determining if your insurance will cover IVF and fertility treatments is to contact your HR department. They should be able to provide you with a detailed list of what’s covered by your insurance or direct you to the insurance company to determine covered benefits.
Financial Planning for Surrogacy and IVF
When it comes to planning your family, we want to ensure you are never caught off guard by costs. This is one reason that Circle offers its Journey Protection Guarantee Program for intended parents. This all-inclusive, fixed-cost program provides ONE cost to intended parents for their surrogacy journey, so they can financially prepare for the surrogacy portion of their family building. You can also discuss the option of financing your surrogacy journey.
Circle is transparent with you about the fees that fall outside of your surrogacy costs for IVF and embryo creation. Because your IVF costs are paid directly to the clinic, and could potentially be covered by your insurance plan, talking through your options as you begin your journey will help you to financially plan for what’s ahead.