IVF Cost for Lesbians: Planning Guide
The cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for lesbian couples can be the same as the cost for heterosexual couples, ranging from $15,000 to $30,000, including medications. And the final cost for all IVF patients will vary based on factors such as the specific clinic, your individualized treatment plan, the medications required, and the use of common additional services like Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT), embryo freezing, or Frozen Embryo Transfers (FET).
For lesbian couples, the total cost of IVF can increase substantially ($500-30,000 per cycle) when including the price of donor sperm and elective reciprocal IVF.
This guide will explore the factors contributing to IVF costs in for lesbian couples and offer resources to help make the process more affordable.
What Contributes to the Cost of IVF for Lesbian Couples
For lesbian couples, a single IVF cycle typically starts at around $16,000, including medications and donor sperm, but can easily exceed $50,000 per cycle. This wide price range is due in large part to the differences in clinic fees for similar services, but can be amplified by the cost of donor sperm and elective reciprocal IVF.
Additionally, the total cost will vary based on your unique needs and treatment plan. The medications required and specific services can differ broadly from one patient to another independently of sexual orientation.
Therefore, it is crucial to compare clinic prices carefully to understand what is included and ensure you are comparing equivalent services.
There are core IVF services that all patients, including lesbian couples, will need to complete an IVF cycle. Let’s look at these next.
Essential Services Required for IVF
The essential services that must be included in the base cost of an IVF cycle are:
- Monitoring Appointments: These appointments track egg development and the uterine lining. Your fertility specialists schedule the egg retrieval procedure.
- Egg Retrieval: The process of collecting mature eggs from the ovaries.
- Anesthesia: Used during egg retrieval to ensure comfort.
- Fertilization: Eggs are fertilized in a lab, either via conventional IVF (mixing sperm with eggs in a petri dish) or ICSI (injecting sperm directly into the egg).
- Embryo Culture and Development: Embryos develop in the lab for 3-7 days before transfer.
- Embryo Transfer: While many clinics offer fresh transfers as part of their standard IVF packages, frozen transfers often come with additional fees due to the costs of freezing, storing, and preparing the embryo for implantation. The choice between fresh and frozen transfers depends on factors like the patient’s health and treatment strategy. Some patients will end up requiring a FET even when planning and accounting for a fresh transfer.
A note on medication costs: Essentially all fertility patients will require medications, yet clinics typically don’t advertise the cost of medications. This is because medications are generally billed separately through a pharmacy. From a marketing perspective, omitting medication costs allows clinics to present a lower overall price.
Medication expenses will add between $2,000 and $10,000 per cycle to the final cost. The add-on costs and services section will provide more details about these medications.
IVF Services Specific to Lesbian Clients
In addition to the standard IVF services, there are two additional services that contribute to the cost of IVF for lesbians: Donor sperm, and reciprocal IVF.
Donor Sperm
Female couples will need to obtain donor sperm, either from a “known” sperm donor, or from a reputable sperm bank.
Cost of Using a “Known” Sperm Donor
A “known” sperm donor is a friend or family member. Most “known” sperm donors provide their specimens free of charge, but this does not mean that the client will not incur other significant costs. Let’s turn to these now.
Legal Fees
However, it is a good idea to work with a reproductive lawyer to work out agreements between the intended parents and the sperm donor that will protect against any future legal complications. [11]
The cost of using a reproductive lawyer to draft and finalize agreements between intended parents and a sperm donor typically ranges from $500 to $2,000. This fee encompasses the attorney’s experience in preparing the sperm donation contract and ensuring all legal aspects are appropriately addressed.
Genetic Screening
Many lesbian couples may choose to have sperm from a known donor screened for genetic issues and compatibility with known genetic issues of the woman whose egg will be fertilized.
The expenses for genetic screening can range from $300 to $1,000, depending on the comprehensiveness of the genetic panel. We advise that couples considering using sperm from a known donor consult with a genetic counselor or fertility specialist to determine the appropriate tests and associated costs for your specific situation.
Sperm Bank Costs
The cost of using donor sperm with IVF for lesbian couples depends on the sperm bank, the type of sperm, your fertility clinic, and your treatment protocol.
Depending on the bank and vial type, donor sperm generally costs between $400 and $2,000 a vial.
Keep in mind that you may need more than one vial of sperm and more than one IVF cycle if your first attempt at pregnancy isn’t successful.
Cost of Reciprocal IVF for Lesbian Couples
Reciprocal IVF is a variation of the standard in vitro fertilization procedure where the embryos are made using Partner A’s eggs but are put inside of Partner B’s uterus to carry the pregnancy.
The rationale behind reciprocal IVF is that Partner A (the egg donor or genetic mother) is genetically related to the child, and Partner B (the carrier or birth mother) is biologically bonded to the child through pregnancy.
Reciprocal IVF costs anywhere from $5,500 to over $30,000, with an average cost of over $20,000 in the United States.
The cost variable cost of reciprocal IVF depends on:
- The clinic
- Medication protocols
- Add-on services like genetic testing or sex/gender selection
Additional Service Costs
Beyond the standard essential and lesbian-specific services included above, additional services may be necessary for many patients and can add $5,000 to $15,000 per cycle. These add-on services include:
IVF Medications: Though not strictly required for IVF, medications are used in over 99% of IVF cycles and represent one of the largest expenses associated with IVF treatment. Larger clinics, such as CNY, negotiate special rates with pharmacies and pass these savings on to their patients through bundled IVF packages.
Cryopreservation and storage: Freezing eggs or embryos and the first year of storage usually add around $600, with an annual storage fee after that. This is common for patients who have extra embryos, or who need to delay a fresh transfer due to issues like endometriosis or uterine lining that is not ready for a transfer.
Frozen Embryo Transfers (FET): FET is necessary for patients who plan to transfer extra embryos, opt for genetic testing of embryos, or whose uterine lining isn’t ready for a fresh transfer. FET costs range from $995 at CNY to $4,000 at other clinics.
Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT): PGT screens embryos for genetic conditions and chromosomal abnormalities before transfer. At CNY PGT costs between $2,000-$3,000 while the national average is around $4,500. These costs cover both biopsy and lab testing. PGT often requires embryo freezing, which may lead to additional FET costs. The total cost of IVF with PGT at CNY Fertility is estimated to be around $12,000 per cycle, which is comparable to the national average of $27,500.
Donor eggs: Using donor eggs can significantly raise the overall cost of IVF treatment, with expenses ranging from $30,000 to $60,000 or more. IVF with donor eggs at CNY can be done for as low as $10,448.
Gestational surrogacy: Surrogacy adds substantial costs to fertility treatments. In Iowa, surrogacy expenses can range from $60,000 to $150,000.
The cost of multiple IVF cycles: Achieving a successful pregnancy through IVF often requires more than one cycle. According to data from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), only about 26% of patients are successful on their first attempt. For most—about 74%—it typically takes two to three cycles to achieve a successful pregnancy and live birth. Age plays a critical role in success rates, with women over 35 experiencing lower success rates during their first cycle. This decline in success is due to reduced egg quality and quantity with age.
These additional costs underscore the importance of thorough planning and careful comparison when selecting fertility services.
More Affordable IVF for Lesbian Couples
Traveling out of state to lower-cost clinics, such as CNY Fertility’s nine national locations is one way to make IVF significantly more affordable.
For example, CNY Fertility’s IVF package, including medications, costs $5,769. This package includes:
- Egg retrieval
- Anesthesia
- intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) fertilization
- Embryo culture and development in a laboratory
- Assisted hatching (AH) to help embryos implant in the uterus.
- Fresh embryo transfer
- Cryopreservation of embryos that have not been transferred.
- Medications (our most common
Patients who travel will need to budget for local monitoring ($800-$1,500) and additional travel expenses, including flights or driving and lodging for 2-7 nights.
You can learn more about traveling to one of our nine national locations here.
As with our IVF packages, common add-on services such as PGT genetic testing, frozen embryo transfers (FET), and medication enhancement protocols at CNY are all remarkably affordable compared to the average at other Iowa clinics and the national average.
Use our cost calculator to get a personalized estimate for your specific needs. Then schedule a consultation to begin your family-building journey.
{{ treatments[treatment_selected]['data']['footnote'] }} The above calculation is for simulation purposes only. It is reflective of self-pay pricing, includes highly variable estimates paid to CNY and third parties, and national averages obtained through internal research, FertilityIQ, ASRM, and Resolve. Billing through insurance will likely result in substantially different fees. CNY Fertility does not warrant or guarantee any price for services conducted or rendered by a third party and recommends everyone obtain written estimates from any medical facility involved in your treatment as well as verification of coverage from your insurance company prior to beginning treatment. Insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF) for lesbian couples varies significantly based on the insurance provider, the specific policy, and state regulations. In many cases, you may need to provide insurers with a diagnosis of “medical infertility.” Infertility is most often defined as the inability to conceive after 12 months of unprotected heterosexual intercourse. This definition can inadvertently exclude lesbian couples from coverage, as they may not meet this criterion. However, recent legal victories have helped address this disparity. For example, the Associated Press reported that in May 2024, Aetna settled a lawsuit alleging discrimination against LGBTQ+ customers seeking fertility treatments. As part of the settlement, Aetna agreed to make coverage of artificial insemination standard for all customers and ensure equal access to more expensive in-vitro fertilization procedures. To navigate these complexities, we recommend: Many fertility clinics provide financing options to help patients manage the expenses of IVF treatments. Additionally, independent lenders focus on fertility treatment loans, and personal loans from credit unions can be another option. IVF grants are also available to help lower costs, with some grants even covering the full expense of a single IVF cycle. Several national grants, such as the CNY IVF Grant, are accessible to applicants across the country and are awarded monthly. In addition to standard grants, there are many organizations that provide fertility grants and scholarships specifically for LGBTQ+ people or that are LGBTQ+ friendly. Here’s a brief list with links for further details: IVF costs for lesbian couples can be substantial, ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 per cycle when accounting for medications, donor sperm, and elective reciprocal IVF. Core services like monitoring, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer contribute to this base cost, but additional expenses, such as legal fees, genetic screening, and donor sperm, can significantly raise the overall price. Navigating the financial landscape of IVF involves understanding each clinic’s specific offerings, comparing costs, and exploring financial assistance options. Many clinics and organizations provide financing and LGBTQ+ specific grants that can make IVF a more accessible and manageable path for building a family. For IVF Grant Announcements, Fertility News and More!Automatically Included
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The Cost of IVF for Lesbians: The Takeaway
