IVF Cost in Mexico

Due to the perceived high costs for IVF treatment in the United States, many women and couples look for alternate options in different countries.  Mexico has established itself as one of the world’s top destinations for medical tourism due to its shared border with the U.S. and low advertised costs for treatments.  In this article, we will investigate the claims of medical tourism agencies and evaluate the difference in the cost of IVF treatment in Mexico with the price of IVF at our clinic (WHICH HAPPENS TO HAVE THE MOST AFFORDABLE IVF IN THE USA) and others in the United States.  

Fast Facts about In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and The Cost of IVF in Mexico

• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the process of removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries and fertilizing the eggs with sperm in a laboratory. After allowing the embryos to grow in the lab for 3-7 days, one to two embryos are then transferred back into the carrier’s uterus to develop for the remainder of gestation.
• IVF is a wonderful option for those with infertility who have failed lesser treatments or who’s diagnosis requires IVF, women who have undergone tubal ligation surgery, those who wish to choose the sex of their child, and same-sex couples who otherwise could not conceive naturally (with a pretty cool alternative called reciprocal IVF).  
• Infertility Aide, a large agency that connects doctors with infertility patients across the world, reports that the cost of IVF in Mexico starts at $4000, before medications, monitoring, and doctors/hospital fees.  The total average cost of IVF in Mexico including these required “add-ons” is roughly $8,000.
• At CNY Fertility, our base IVF package costs $4,500 (1/3 of the national average) and includes retrieval + anesthesia, ICSI + assisted hatching, fresh transfer, and cryopreservation of remaining embryos.  Including the necessary medications and monitoring, the total cost rises to about $8,000 – the same cost as IVF in Mexico.
• None of these prices factor in travel expenses, which can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on proximity, length of stay, and more.
• The average price for a fresh IVF cycle in the United States is $20,000 so traveling can certainly be worth it.
• IVF agencies and clinics are present in major cities in Mexico including, Cancun, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Mexico City, Monterrey, and Mexicali.  Many of these facilities are non-traditional clinics known as medical spas that offer plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures, or they are part of large hospitals.
• CNY Fertility has IVF centers in New York and Colorado as well as satellite hubs in Atlanta and Montreal.

The Average Cost of IVF in Mexico

When you run a search to find the average price for IVF in Mexico, you will get varying results.  Most IVF clinics and agencies in Mexico do not publish total costs for IVF treatment.  Instead, agencies highlight the cost of IVF at the most expensive clinics in the United States (usually upwards of $20,000) and advertise that their prices are 1/3 of the cost.  The clinics and agencies that do advertise their prices don’t normally specify exactly what is included.  This leaves prospective patients to discover hidden fees down the road.  

The medical tourism agency Infertility Aide reports that IVF in Mexico starts at $4000 .  Egg Donation Friends, another large agency that provides resources to patients who are looking to go abroad for IVF treatment, reports that the average cost of IVF in Mexico is $8000 .  Egg Donation Friends is a group of non-medical “fertility professionals” that guide patients through the IVF process and set them up with IVF clinics in Spain, Mexico, Russia, and more.  

U.S. News and World Report relays that according to Patients Beyond Borders, IVF costs on average $7,800 in Mexico .  Unfortunately, they do not report what this $7800 IVF estimate includes.  U.S. News, Egg Donation Friends and Infertility Aide cite reduced costs as the number one reason to travel abroad for IVF treatment.  When you consider the cost of travel and potential hidden fees, the cost comparison to U.S. clinics is not so black and white.

In the figure below, we have included some examples of clinics who publish their IVF pricing online:

In the case of our clinic, CNY Fertility, an IVF cycle costs $4,500 (1/3 the cost of the low-end U.S. average) and includes all of the following:

• retrieval + anesthesia
• ICSI + assisted hatching
• fresh transfer
• cryopreservation of remaining embryos

In the spirit of full transparency and fairness to our patients, we publish all of our fertility treatment prices directly on our website.  In the figure below, we have included the pricing at our clinic and the average costs for the same services in Mexico.  

Additional Costs for IVF in Mexico

In addition to the base price for IVF, many clinics charge additional fees.  That is why most agencies and clinics abroad do not publish what is included in their IVF package.  A vast majority of clinics do not make their pricing publicly available at all.  Additional costs may include medications, ICSI, lab fees for blood work and ultrasounds, hospital fess, and more.  Some clinics charge additional costs for patients who have endometriosis or other pre-existing conditions .  

When patients are evaluating traveling to Mexico for treatment, they must also consider the cost of travel and the length of time they are required to be away from home.  Most IVF programs in Mexico require patients to spend the entirety of their cycle (3 or more weeks) leading up to their IVF treatment at their facility.  In addition to the costs of travel, lodging, and meals, patients must think about their potentially missed wages and other inconveniences of a longer stay.  

At CNY Fertility, we work to provide our patients with affordable lodging and resources if they are traveling for treatment.  We have an entire travel team designated to the care of these patients who coordinate remote cycles and guide patients throughout the entire process.  Most patients complete the majority of their treatment at home with their local OBGYN, radiology clinic, or REI.  They are only required to travel to our clinics for their actual fertility procedures and remain in the area for a few days.  Some patients are even able to travel home the same day of their procedure.  The cost of domestic travel to our clinics is comparable and is usually less than traveling to Mexico, depending on the patient’s location.   With domestic travel, there is no need to worry about visas or other costs associated with traveling internationally. 

Click here for more information on being treated as a travel patient at CNY! 

Concerns About IVF in Mexico

When making any financial or life decision it is important to consider all of the facts, not just the attractive ones. Agencies and clinics abroad appeal to patients by advertising low prices and high success rates.  Below, we will investigate the validity of these claims and dig deeper into what makes up the actual cost of IVF.

Non-Transparent Pricing and Potential Hidden Fees

The cost of IVF in Mexico may be attractive to some prospective patients when compared to the U.S. national average.  Prospective patients must be careful to consider the various hidden fees and the cost of travel when evaluating their options.  It is important to ensure you get an accurate quote which includes the entire cost of treatment.  Very few of the clinics that we reviewed for this article publish any pricing information on-line.  The vast majority of clinics require you to request a quote and give personal information or schedule a consultation before providing pricing information.  The clinics that do make pricing information available on-line commonly advertise attractive pricing that doesn’t include essential steps in the IVF process like sperm washing, anesthesia, or even the embryo transfer.  Non-transparent pricing is a common theme for fertility centers, not only in Mexico but in the United States as well. 

Additional hidden fees may include:

• doctor fees
• clinic/hospital fees
• blastocyst culture
• ICSI
• assisted hatching
• agency fees
• travel costs

That is why we at CNY Fertility publish pricing for all of our fertility treatments and tell you exactly what is included.  We also advertise pricing for additional services, estimates for medications, optional add-ons, and information on our in-house financing programs.

Specialization 

As healthcare costs have climbed across the world, the medical tourism industry in Mexico has grown .  The booming medical tourism industry has attracted large medical tourism centers to open their doors and for previously established facilities to expand their services to treatments like IVF.  Many of these medical tourism centers also offer services like cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, dentistry, and more advanced procedures like hip or knee replacements.  The bulk majority of medical tourism to Mexico is for cosmetic or dental surgeries .  

At CNY Fertility, we offer IUI, IVF, Donor Eggs, Egg Freezing, Reproductive Immunology, and a number of other treatments.  Everything we do at our clinics is focused on fertility treatment, and fertility treatment only.  Our team of fertility specialists has over 250 years of combined fertility care expertise.  We also offer support for our fertility patients because we understand the fertility journey is a long and difficult process, not a one-stop vacation.  When you are treated at our clinics you will communicate directly with our providers and develop a relationship throughout your treatment.  At clinics abroad, you may not meet your doctor until the day of your operation.  

Reputability Concerns and Different Reporting Requirements

As of 2018, 86% of assisted reproductive treatment clinics in the United States were members of The Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART).  SART is a governing agency in the United States that establishes guidelines and reporting requirements for its member IVF clinics, like CNY Fertility.  “SART clinics maintain the highest standards for quality, safety and care. ” SART reports birth outcomes and IVF success rates for its member clinics.  

IVF clinics in Mexico are not subject to the same guidelines from SART and other governing agencies that clinics in the United States are.  As such, it is common to find clinics and agencies publishing extremely high success rates that are not backed by empirical evidence or third party review.  Some agencies claim their success rates for IVF are as high as 95% for the first IVF cycle. Sounds a little too good to be true . . . it is! If Mexico were able to actually perform IVF with 95% success rates, they would have won a noble prize and nobody would have IVF done elsewhere.

To provide a little reference on the clinics in Mexico that claim their IVF success rates are over 90%, a review of CDC data has shown that only a few top clinics in the United States report success rates over 40% .  In the United States, women have roughly a 33% chance of having a bay during their first IVF cycle.  The figure below displays reported IVF success rates for 135,673 cycles completed in 2017.  You can see the discrepancies in success rates by age and also that no age group is close to a 90% success rate.  

CDC Concerns with Medical Tourism  

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that the exact risks of medical tourism vary for the area being visited and the procedure being performed.  In general, they note that communication challenges, quality of medications, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria are risks associated with receiving treatment outside the United States . 

The Bottom Line About the Cost of IVF in Mexico

When comparing the average cost of IVF in Mexico to the average cost of IVF in the United States alone, traveling to Mexico for treatment may be attractive to some.  There are multiple variables that individuals and couples should consider, in addition to price, when evaluating treatment abroad.  In the specific case of CNY Fertility, we see no evidence that IVF treatment is cheaper in Mexico, thus eliminating the number one reason to travel to Mexico for IVF treatment.