IVF costs explained

A paid appointment with the fertility specialist.

Often a one-off up front; ask whether follow-up visits are included.

The repeat scans and blood tests during stimulation that track your follicles.

Sometimes inside the package, sometimes charged per visit — ask which.

The procedure to collect the eggs.

Usually the core of the package; the OT/anaesthesia lines may or may not be separate — check.

Placing an embryo into the uterus.

Usually inside the package; a separate FET is a different, later cycle.

A separate later cycle to transfer a frozen embryo — its own charge, with its own meds and scans.

Ask what the FET fee covers (thaw? meds? scans?).

Blood tests that check your baseline hormones before treatment.

Commonly billed separately from the cycle; ask what's included.

A blood test estimating your egg reserve.

Usually a one-off separate test.

A lab test of sperm count, motility and shape.

Usually separate; a repeat may be charged again.

An X-ray/scan checking whether the fallopian tubes are open.

A separate diagnostic; may be done before deciding on IVF vs IUI.

A camera check (sometimes minor surgery) of the uterine cavity.

A separate procedure with its own OT/anaesthesia — ask if those are extra.

Mandatory blood tests (HIV/hepatitis etc.) required before lab procedures.

A standard, usually-separate pre-treatment panel.

The daily injections that grow multiple eggs.

The single biggest and most variable cost — imported brands cost far more than Indian ones. Ask for your expected dose and brand in writing.

Injections that stop you ovulating too early.

Usually part of the medication bill; brand and number of days vary.

The final injection that matures the eggs before retrieval.

A small but essential line; brand varies.

Hormones that support the uterine lining after transfer (and build it for an FET).

Ongoing for weeks; more of it is used in a medicated FET.

Injecting a single sperm directly into each egg.

Established for male-factor infertility, but sometimes applied routinely — see the evidence, and ask whether you need it.

Selecting sperm under very high magnification.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

Selecting sperm by how they bind to a dish.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

Thinning the embryo's outer shell before transfer.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

A transfer medium said to help the embryo stick.

See the evidence (bodies disagree on this one).

A special incubator that films the embryos.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

Screening embryos for the right number of chromosomes before transfer.

Usually billed separately, often per embryo plus a lab fee — see the evidence, especially by age.

A test timing the window for transfer.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

Extra sperm-selection techniques.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

A test of sperm DNA damage.

A test with limited routine value — see the evidence.

Lightly scratching the uterine lining before a cycle.

A limited-evidence add-on — see the evidence.

The lab work of fertilising eggs and growing embryos.

Often inside the package — check it isn't also charged separately.

Growing the embryos to day 5 before transfer.

An established step (not a limited-evidence add-on), but often already inside the package — check you're not paying twice.

Freezing spare embryos for future use.

Usually a separate one-time charge, often per batch; ask whether it's per embryo or per session.

Thawing a frozen embryo for an FET.

Usually charged as part of the FET cycle — check it isn't double-counted.

A yearly fee to keep frozen embryos or sperm.

This repeats every year — ask how many years (if any) are included before it starts.

The operating-theatre fee for the retrieval.

Often bundled into the retrieval charge — ask whether this is on top of it.

Sedation for the egg retrieval.

Commonly part of the retrieval/OT charge — ask if it's separate.

Short-stay/room and nursing charges around the procedure.

Ask whether a stay is actually needed and what it includes.

Single-use materials used during procedures.

If there's no breakdown, ask what this covers — it can overlap with the lab/OT charges.

A one-time administrative fee to open your record.

Small and usually one-off.

A bundled price meant to cover the core cycle.

The key question is what's inside it vs. added below — compare itemised, not headline.

Government tax added to some charges.

Ask whether quoted prices already include GST or add it on top.

Using eggs from a donor.

A separate, significant cost — and it falls under the ART Act's donor consent, eligibility and record rules. See our rights/eligibility guide.

Using sperm from a donor/bank.

Separate cost, and covered by the ART Act's donor rules. See our rights/eligibility guide.

Charges tied to a surrogacy arrangement.

Governed by the Surrogacy Act (altruistic-only) with strict eligibility and consent rules — this is a legal process, not just a line item. See our rights/eligibility guide.

Placing prepared sperm directly into the uterus — a simpler, cheaper treatment than IVF.

Priced per cycle; monitoring/trigger/meds may be extra.

Preparing and concentrating sperm for IUI or IVF.

Usually a separate small charge on an IUI quote.

An unlabelled catch-all with no breakdown.

Ask your clinic to itemise exactly what this covers before paying it.