In vitro fertilization (often called IVF) is a series of complex procedures that can sometimes help people with infertility become pregnant.

What is IVF?

In simple terms, IVF is the process of fertilizing a human egg outside the body until it develops into an embryo. Once this happens, the embryo is transferred into a person’s uterus.

In the United States, one in five (19%) married women ages 15 to 49 who had never had a pregnancy before have not become pregnant after one year of trying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How much does IVF cost?

And as many of you might imagine, the procedure is not cheap.

On average, IVF treatment in the United States costs about $20,000. According to a report by Nerdwalletand that determines whether it is successful or not.

Costs vary depending on where you live

Jinsol Madak Hwang of Georgia told FOX TV Stations that her state does not require health insurance to cover IVF treatment, so she ended up paying $40,000 for a treatment package.

The cost covered almost everything except the medication. The package also excluded other genetic tests that some parents have done to determine whether their child is at risk for certain diseases or genetic mutations that could be inherited.

Hana Schoenherr of Michigan looked into IVF options and found that one of the cheaper options was a clinic in New York for $13,500.

“Living in Michigan, that wasn’t an option for me,” Schoenherr told FOX.

Ultimately, Schoenherr had to pay $42,000 out of pocket for her IVF treatment, which included medications, egg retrieval and embryo transfers.

Chances of success

The chances of success of IVF depend on the woman’s age and the causes of her infertility. according to the International Fertility Group.

• Under 30 to 35 years: The chances of success are 55.6%
• Age 36–37: The chance of success is 40.8%
• Age 38–40: The chance of success is 26.8%
• Over 40: The chances of success are 7%

Freezing embryos also costs money

Although both Hwang and Schoenherr paid a high price for their IVF treatment, that does not include the annual cost of freezing additional embryos for future pregnancies.

Hwang pays about $800 a year to freeze her embryos, she told FOX.

Schoenherr pays an additional $500 per year.

Is IVF covered by health insurance?

In many cases, IVF is not covered by insurance. Some companies will cover part of the cost of family planning, but only part of it, not all of it.

Twenty states have laws requiring full or partial reimbursement of fertility treatments. The National Infertility Association. Fourteen of these states require reimbursement for IVF treatments.

For families who feel IVF is the best option but cannot afford the treatments and insurance does not cover them, there are grants and scholarships that can be used to fund IVF. according to the NFA website.

“Explore all financial options and be aware that you may have to pay more than you think. IVF is another step in finding the cause and may not always be the solution. Still, I say go for it. I have friends who have had many transfers fail and who eventually had a successful pregnancy. Ultimately, it’s worth it, no matter the cost,” Schoenherr said.