Cost of IVF vs. Surrogacy

Introduction

Infertility affects about 17.5% of the adult population globally (2023), leading many to explore family-building options like IVF, surrogacy, and egg donation. Deciding between these pathways involves considering success rates, timelines, emotional and physical impacts, and costs.

IVF combines an egg cell and a sperm cell in a lab to create embryos for transfer. Surrogacy involves a woman carrying and delivering a baby for intended parents. Both routes require thoughtful consideration, free from preconceptions, to align expectations with reality.

Let’s dive a bit deeper into a couple of factors that might be useful when deciding between IVF vs. Surrogacy particularly.

IVF vs. Surrogacy – Success Rates

IVF Success Rates

Everyone seeking fertility treatment has one goal in mind: achieving success in having a child. It is therefore natural that the question of “success rates” is prominent in discussions of efficiency between IVF vs. Surrogacy.

Success rates can be difficult to understand and can be influenced by many different factors, such as how success is determined, how the reporting is done, etc. It can be especially tricky as current success rates can can be based on cycles completed years in the past, for both traditional IVF cycles and IVF with cycles with surrogacy alike.

While there are many factors impacting IVF success rates beyond what is mentioned above, such as the specific medical history of the patient, studies have shown that age remains an important factor.

In one study women who started treatment aged 34-35 had a 40% chance of having a baby after one cycle, which increased to 54% after two cycles and 61% after three cycles. The numbers significantly decreased as the start age increased; for women aged 40-41 when they started, there was just a 13 percent chance of having a baby after one cycle, a 21 percent chance after two cycles and a 25 percent chance after three cycles. 

Other studies show that modest increases in success rates can be achieved for those with advanced maternal age but typically requires between 4-6 cycles, leading to a significant investment of effort, time, and funds to reach the desired result.

At the same time, new research shows that more than half of women who undergo IVF overestimate their chance of having a baby after one treatment cycle and wish that they had been given more realistic information about IVF and the likelihood of success, making it pivotal to explore all options for fertility treatment to find the best fit.

Surrogacy Success Rates

The surrogacy success rate of a qualified surrogate candidate undergoing IVF is as high as 75% and increases to about 95% once the surrogate is pregnant. There are further important considerations though, such as finding the right surrogate and agency, the age and quality of eggs and sperm, the choice of fertility clinic, and the technology available. All of these are important when exploring surrogacy as the path to parenthood.

Some agencies, such as Hatch, present high success rates in IVF with surrogacy (99%), ensuring that intended parents and patients go home with a baby when pursuing family via surrogacy. 

For those considering IVF as their main treatment, there are other options such as egg donation to explore when ovarian factors are the primary impediment to pregnancy or 2 male partners are considering starting a family. This is also a widely offered and accessible fertility treatment in the United States and well worth considering.

Whichever path seems right, costs are important to consider carefully, as neither option is low-cost. IVF is often seen as cheaper than surrogacy, but costs can rise with multiple cycles. Surrogacy, meanwhile, is known for hidden and unpredictable fees, making it crucial to understand the detailed costs of both options.

IVF vs. Surrogacy – Costs

IVF Costs

IVF costs can vary between geographical locations as well as medical providers. Based on the cost sheets of a top IVF clinic in California an IVF Embryo Freezing Cycle costs roughly $23,500 to $27,000, including testing prior to treatment, medications, ICSI and PGT-A testing, depending on the exact testing needed and amount of medications purchased.

A Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle at the same clinic, including testing prior to treatment and medications, lands roughly at $6,800 to $8,000.

The total cost for an IVF Embryo Freezing Cycle including a Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle is between $30,000 to $35,000. By adding on fees for a second, or even third, Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle (depending on age and other factors described earlier) the costs will increase.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that additional IVF Embryo Freezing Cycles are required to reach the desired number of embryos, which will further add on to the costs.

The table below illustrates how the cost of an IVF Embryo Freezing Cycle including Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle varies as more cycles are added.

In summary, IVF cycles are quite expensive and costs are highly variable depending on the number of retrievals and transfers necessary to achieve a successful pregnancy. Beyond costs it also requires significant investment of time and emotional and physical tolls from repeated cycles without guaranteed success—factors as important financial considerations.

Surrogacy Costs

For those considering surrogacy as their path to parenthood surrogacy costs and expenses are pivotal to grasp. The cost for surrogacy in the United States can range anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000. There are many unexpected and variable costs to pay attention to that create this wide range of expected costs.

Most agencies offer variable, “pay as you go” plans which make accurate predictions challenging (just like with the uncertainty of the number of IVF cycles). A few larger agencies offer “fixed fee” programs, generally minimizing the variability in the journey and offering more peace of mind.

The time and emotional effort of surrogacy shouldn’t be underestimated, but its timeline is generally more predictable than repeated IVF cycles. While emotionally challenging—especially for women not carrying the child—surrogacy may bring fewer disappointments due to higher success rates.

Egg Donation with Surrogacy is another option that presents with even higher success rates than IVF or surrogacy alone, but of course adds on to the total treatment cost – typically an additional $25,000-$30,000.

IVF vs. Surrogacy - Financing

As challenging as it might seem to overcome some of the high costs associated with IVF and Surrogacy there are financing options.

Agencies and clinics might have partnerships with companies like Sunfish to help finance the fertility journey. They can typically connect the patient to a financial advocate to present them with different options, get the patient pre-qualified, and work with the patient to apply directly with banks. They can also bundle different treatment costs into one simple monthly payment. 

Leveraging home equity, drawing from savings or even borrowing from friends and family are other ways to finance fertility treatments.

Summary

Multiple failed IVF cycles quickly add up in cost—covering repeated egg retrievals, medications, embryo freezing, and transfer procedures—while also increasing emotional and physical burdens. These cumulative costs and stresses can outweigh the initial perception that IVF is less expensive than surrogacy.

In contrast, surrogacy through experienced providers like Hatch—with their near 99% success rate—often requires fewer attempts, lowering overall costs and reducing emotional strain. Hatch’s transparent, fixed-fee program also provides clearer financial planning compared to the variable and unpredictable costs of repeated IVF cycles.

Ultimately, while IVF may suit some depending on age and medical history, surrogacy offers a more predictable, often more efficient path to parenthood for many, balancing higher upfront costs against fewer cycles, less uncertainty, and improved emotional wellbeing. Understanding these factors helps patients make informed, realistic choices on their family-building journey.