IVF Cost Calculator
Example: Cost per cycle: 15000 $ · Medications per cycle: 5000 $ · Success rate per cycle: 35 % · Maximum cycles you would attempt: 3
| Expected total cost | $41,450 |
| Expected cycles | 2.07 |
| Cumulative success chance | 72.54% |
Worked example
Suppose each IVF cycle costs $15,000 plus $5,000 in medications, for $20,000 per attempt, with a 35% success rate per cycle and a willingness to try up to three cycles. Because you stop as soon as a cycle succeeds, you expect to run about 2.07 cycles on average, for an expected total cost of roughly $41,450. Across three attempts your cumulative chance of at least one success is about 72.5%. Raising the per-cycle success rate or negotiating a multi-cycle package price both pull the expected total down, while a lower success rate pushes it up toward the full three-cycle cost.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the expected cost not just three cycles' worth?
Because you stop paying once a cycle works. If your first cycle succeeds, you never pay for the second or third. The calculator weights each additional cycle by the probability you still need it, so the expected total sits below the full worst-case cost of running every cycle.
Where do I find my per-cycle success rate?
Clinics report success rates by age and diagnosis, and national data is published by the CDC and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Ask your clinic for its live-birth rate per cycle for your age group, since success falls sharply with maternal age. Use that figure rather than a general average.
Does this include medications and add-ons?
Medications are a separate input because they often cost thousands per cycle on top of the base fee. Genetic testing, freezing and storage, and donor eggs or sperm are extra and vary widely, so add those to your per-cycle cost if they apply to your plan of care.
What if my insurance covers part of IVF?
Enter your net out-of-pocket cost per cycle after any insurance contribution. Coverage varies enormously by state and employer, and some states mandate infertility benefits. If your plan covers a fixed number of cycles, model only the cycles you would pay for yourself.
Should I set the maximum cycles high or low?
The maximum reflects how many attempts you are financially and emotionally prepared to make. A higher cap raises both your cumulative success chance and your worst-case cost. Running the tool at two, three, and four cycles shows how each additional attempt trades money for a better chance of success.