Americans trying to conceive fly to Greece, Spain as US IVF costs top $29,000 each cycle

With the high price tag of IVF in the U.S., some Americans hoping to start a family are going international.

Here's what to know

Emilie and Justin Solomon did just that, heading to Greece in the summer of 2024 — a cost-driven pattern that The Philadelphia Inquirer said is drawing more Americans overseas for fertility care.

An analysis from Axene Health Partners and the Women's Reproductive Health Foundation estimated that insured Americans pay more than $29,000 for a single IVF cycle in the U.S. — an amount equal to about 35% of the nation's median household income.

The same study found that once genetic testing, embryo storage, prenatal care, and delivery are included, the cost can top $54,000 for each IVF-conceived birth. Since many patients require two or three cycles before having a child, the financial burden is often much greater.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that President Donald Trump has made fertility treatment — especially IVF — part of his administration's agenda. The White House said medications offered at discounted prices through TrumpRx could lower patient costs by as much as $2,200 per cycle.

But prescription savings are colliding with a long-term increase in drug prices. GoodRx reported that IVF medications cost 90% more than they did in 2014.

For some families, even with discounts, the math still points overseas.

More background

Several factors have pushed U.S. IVF prices upward, including inflation, post-pandemic demand, a lack of embryologists, and private equity ownership within the fertility business.

William Kiltz, CNY Fertility's vice president of marketing and business development, said, "IVF is almost a treatment that only the top 1% can afford reasonably."

At CNY's 18 locations nationwide, IVF is priced at about $8,000 before embryo storage, Kiltz said. He added that even at that level, more than half of the company's patients travel from other states in search of less expensive care.

Going overseas for treatment can bring hurdles of its own, on top of the stress fertility patients already face.

Tarita Pakrashi, who oversees fertility care at CNY's Norfolk, Virginia, clinic, said patients can struggle to vet overseas providers, navigate local rules, move medications, and get medical records transferred back to the U.S. Some ultimately come home needing to repeat testing, she said.

For the Solomons, however, the overseas option paid off. Emilie Solomon said, "You consider that you have a good possibility of success, plus you don't pay that high amount of money, and you also have combined the treatment with holidays — so it's a 'Why not?'"

What's being done?

To bring down IVF costs, one proposal from the Trump administration would make it easier for employers to provide fertility benefits, though the rule has not been finalized. State insurance mandates differ sharply, so access often hinges on both geography and the kind of coverage someone has.

Some clinics in the U.S. are pursuing cheaper care models as well. Kiltz said, "We're trying to deliver this care at the absolute bare-minimum cost."

Where can I learn more?

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