What IVF really costs

What the headline price covers

Most headline figures cover the core IVF cycle: monitoring, egg collection, fertilisation and embryo transfer. Drugs, donor sperm or eggs, pre-treatment tests, ICSI, freezing and storage are usually separate lines. Under consumer law, a clinic's advertised price should not leave out costs it knows you will have to pay, and you are entitled to a written, costed treatment plan before you agree to treatment (CMA, 'Fertility treatment: a guide to your consumer rights').

Ask each clinic for an itemised written quote. Verbal estimates are not reliable, and costs vary between clinics.

The full cost breakdown

These are the cost categories for one IVF cycle using donor sperm at a UK clinic. Ranges are from published price lists checked in September 2026:

The cycle
Cost	Price
IVF cycle (headline price)Depending on clinic and location.	£3,500–£6,500
Stimulation drugsVaries with protocol.	£1,000–£2,500 per cycle
Monitoring scansIf not included.	£200–£600
Initial consultation	£150–£300
Baseline blood tests and scans	£200–£500

Donor sperm
Cost	Price
Donor spermRoughly, at UK-facing banks, plus VAT on imports, a family-slot or reservation fee and shipping (bank price lists, September 2026).	£1,000–£1,800 a vial
Sperm import and handling fee	£300–£600
CMV testing and additional screening	£100–£300

Sometimes charged
Cost	Price
ICSIIf not included. Not routinely needed with good-quality donor sperm; some clinics recommend it depending on the vial. Ask why if it is on your quote.	£800–£1,500
CounsellingClinics must offer it. Some include it in the price; others charge.	Ask

Freezing and later transfers
Cost	Price
Embryo freezingCharged once.	£300–£500
Embryo storage	£300–£500 per year
Frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle	£1,200–£2,500 per transfer

Optional
Cost	Price
Add-onsThe HFEA rates most, including PGT-A, embryo glue and assisted hatching, as not shown to improve your chance of a baby, and says that for most patients routine cycles of proven treatment are effective without any add-ons. Check its traffic-light ratings before paying.	£500–£3,000

A worked example

Adding the lines above for one IVF cycle with one vial of donor sperm, and no ICSI, freezing or add-ons: consultation £150–£300, baseline tests £200–£500, IVF cycle £3,500–£6,500, drugs £1,000–£2,500, monitoring £200–£600, one vial £1,000–£1,800, import and handling £300–£600. Total: roughly £6,350–£12,800. ICSI adds £800–£1,500; freezing plus a year's storage adds £600–£1,000; each frozen transfer adds £1,200–£2,500.

For scale, headline IVF prices on published lists checked in September 2026 were from £3,795 at CREATE Fertility (excludes drugs, monitoring bloods, sedation and the HFEA fee), £3,995 at London Women's Clinic and £4,495 at Bourn Hall (includes monitoring, scans, sedation, counselling and the HFEA fee; drugs extra). London Women's Clinic's own estimate of a typical total is £9,140–£10,640. The HFEA says one cycle of IVF costs about £5,000 on average.

Many people need more than one cycle, and chances depend a lot on age. If you can, find out in advance what a second attempt would cost, so that money is not the only thing deciding what happens next. Ask the clinic what happens to the fee if a cycle is cancelled part way through.

Costs you can reduce

Not all of these costs are fixed. Where there is room to reduce spend:

Sperm banks: compare banks' total costs, including slot and shipping fees, not just the vial price. Donors are usually listed by one bank, so the same donor is rarely cheaper elsewhere.
Drug prices vary between pharmacies. Ask your clinic whether you can get quotes from more than one.
Multi-cycle packages: some clinics offer them. They save money only if you go on to need more than one cycle; ask for the terms in writing, including what happens to the balance if you conceive on the first.
Monitoring scans: some clinics allow you to do mid-cycle monitoring scans at a local clinic or hospital rather than travelling back to the treating clinic for every appointment.
Consultations: ask which follow-ups are charged and whether some questions can be handled by your nurse coordinator.

If this doesn't match your family

The list above is for one patient using donor sperm. Adjust it like this:

Partner sperm (a woman and a man, or anyone using a partner's sperm): drop the donor sperm, import and handling, and CMV lines. A semen analysis is usually part of the baseline tests.
Reciprocal IVF (one partner provides the eggs, the other carries): add a second patient's baseline tests, consultations and monitoring, and ask for one itemised quote that covers both of you.
Donor eggs: replace the donor sperm lines with the clinic's egg donation programme price. It usually includes the donor's screening and drugs; ask what it excludes.
Two dads and solo dads: add an egg donation programme, priced separately by each clinic; the surrogate's expenses, which the HFEA says are typically £10,000 to £15,000; and legal fees for the parental order. The surrogacy family guides cover the process.

Sources

Last reviewed 13 September 2026. General information, not medical or financial advice. Your clinic and a regulated adviser can advise on your situation.