IVF: the timeline and what it costs

Work it out for your family: IVF due date calculator. Due date, implantation window and beta day from your transfer date and embryo age.

The short answer

• Time: add up the typical steps and a fresh cycle runs roughly 3½ to 5 weeks from the first stimulation injection to the pregnancy blood test. Stimulation runs 8 to 14 days, retrieval comes about a day and a half after the trigger shot, transfer 3 to 5 days after that, and the test about 9 to 14 days after transfer [1][2][14]. That total is our sum, not a published figure, and your protocol may differ. Testing and any prep your clinic plans come first. If embryos are frozen, the transfer happens in a later cycle.
• Cost: roughly $12,000 to $17,000 a cycle, and it can run past $25,000 [2][3]. Medicines, embryo testing and freezing can add more.
• Insurance: 15 states require some insurers to cover IVF, by RESOLVE’s count (ASRM counts 14), but those laws don’t reach self-insured employer plans, which cover most people with job-based insurance [4][3].
• Success: in 2022, a first egg retrieval led to a birth for about half of new patients under 35 and fewer than 1 in 10 over 40, using their own eggs [5].

If you’re here after a cycle that didn’t work, or a loss, we’re sorry. Skip to whatever part you need. The numbers below are averages, not a verdict on you.

The steps

Cramping after retrieval usually eases by the next day. Fullness or pressure can last several weeks while the ovaries settle [1].

Frozen transfers are now the norm. In 2022, 87% of US transfers used frozen embryos [5]. A frozen transfer skips stimulation and retrieval, so it’s simpler, less invasive and less expensive than a full cycle [1]. The transfer then happens in a later cycle.

Not every cycle reaches transfer. In 2022, about 8.5% of planned retrievals got no eggs, and about 12% of cycles stopped after retrieval and before transfer or freezing. Both rise with age [5]. A cancelled cycle can be crushing. It isn’t rare, and after a poor response, a different medicine plan may help next time [1].

For patients under 38, or with embryos that have been genetically tested, the recommendation is to transfer one embryo at a time [6].

What it costs

Published figures for one cycle:

• About $12,000 to $17,000, according to MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine’s patient site (reviewed March 2026) [2].
• Upwards of $25,000, according to KFF (October 2026) [3].

Some people need more than one cycle [3]. ASRM, the fertility doctors’ professional society, suggests asking each clinic about these costs before you start [1]:

• pre-cycle tests
• the procedure, including medicines, per cycle
• ICSI and assisted hatching, if used
• embryo freezing, storage and frozen transfers

There’s no federal requirement for insurance to cover fertility care. A federal program offers discounts on some IVF medicines for people without coverage through the TrumpRx website [3]. In 2024, about a quarter (27%) of large employers that offer health benefits covered IVF [3].

Insurance and state laws

RESOLVE, the national infertility association, counts (page undated; checked November 2026) [4]:

• 25 states with laws requiring some insurance coverage of infertility
• 15 states with laws requiring IVF coverage
• 22 states requiring coverage of fertility preservation

ASRM’s count is 14 states for IVF [7]. Counts differ by how a law is classed, and states keep adding them. Two recent examples:

• New York: large-group plans must cover up to 3 IVF cycles, under a 2020 law [4][8].
• California: large-group plans (100 or more employees) must cover IVF for contracts issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 [13].

The catch: state laws apply to state-regulated insurers. They don’t apply to self-insured employer plans, and most people with job-based coverage are in one [3]. Medicaid rarely covers fertility services [3].

To check your own coverage:

1. Ask HR whether your plan is fully insured or self-funded. Only fully insured plans follow state mandates.
2. Read your state’s entry on RESOLVE’s coverage page [4].
3. Ask your insurer what’s covered: how many cycles, which medicines, and whether frozen transfers and embryo testing count.

Success rates by age

These are CDC figures for 2022, the latest year it has published. They cover new patients using their own eggs, counting births from transfers within a year of retrieval [5].

Donor-egg results are reported per transfer, for all ages together. In 2022, 45.1% of frozen-embryo transfers using donor eggs led to a birth [5].

The CDC says these rates don’t reflect any one patient’s chance of success [9]. Your own odds depend on your history, your diagnosis and your clinic. The CDC publishes each clinic’s results, so you can compare [10].

You don’t have to do this alone

ASRM is plain about it: IVF is physically, financially and emotionally demanding. Stress is common, and failure is common in any single cycle [1]. Many clinics have a mental health professional on staff, and ASRM encourages counseling as extra support [1].

RESOLVE runs peer-led support groups, in person and online [11]. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 [12].

When you have a transfer date, our IVF due date calculator shows your likely test day and due date.

Sources

1. American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), “Assisted Reproductive Technologies: A Guide for Patients” (revised 2018). reproductivefacts.org
2. MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), “In vitro fertilization (IVF)” (reviewed March 17, 2026). medlineplus.gov
3. KFF, “Women’s Access to Fertility Care” (October 8, 2026). kff.org
4. RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, “Insurance Coverage by State” (checked November 2026). resolve.org
5. CDC, “2022 Final Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Summary,” national figures. data.cdc.gov, art.cdc.gov
6. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and ASRM, “SART FAQ About IVF.” reproductivefacts.org
7. ASRM, “What Support for IVF Looks Like.” asrm.org
8. KFF, “Mandated Coverage of Infertility Treatment” (as of November 2025). kff.org
9. CDC, “2022 Final Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Summary,” dataset notes. catalog.data.gov
10. CDC, “ART Success Rates.” cdc.gov
11. RESOLVE, “Find a Support Group.” resolve.org
12. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
13. California State Senate, District 20 office, “Millions of Californians Now Have Health Plan Coverage for Infertility and Fertility Services” (January 5, 2026). senate.ca.gov
14. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), “Oocyte Retrieval and Embryo Transfer,” from A Patient’s Guide to Assisted Reproductive Technology: “An initial pregnancy test is obtained 9-13 days after the embryo transfer.” sart.org

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