What you need to know
- IVF is a multistep medical procedure that helps people get pregnant.
- It might be right for people experiencing infertility, LGBTQ+ families, and people using donor eggs.
- IVF can be expensive, but some patients may be eligible for loans and grants.
Infertility impacts about one in six people worldwide. If you’re unable to conceive without medical intervention, you might be a candidate for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, a multistep medical procedure that helps people get pregnant.
Since 1978, more than 8 million babies have been born from IVF. Read on to learn who it’s right for, how it works, and more.
Who is IVF right for?
IVF might be right for individuals and families experiencing infertility due to blocked fallopian tubes, reproductive health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome, or low sperm count. It may also be right for LGBTQ+ families who need assistance to conceive and for people using donor eggs.
What should I expect before starting IVF?
Before starting IVF treatment, your health care provider will give you a pelvic exam and blood tests. Primary care providers, OB-GYNs, and other health care providers can do the initial testing before referring you to a fertility clinic, or a fertility specialist can do all of the testing. If you’re planning to fertilize eggs with semen from a partner or known donor, they’ll need to have their semen tested to detect any fertility issues.
If your health care provider confirms that IVF is right for you, they’ll likely prescribe a folic acid supplement, which reduces the risk of certain fetal anomalies. They may also prescribe birth control pills to help regulate your menstrual cycle before starting an IVF cycle.
How does IVF work?
IVF requires multiple steps:
Ovarian stimulation
Typically, just one egg matures inside an ovary during each menstrual cycle. People undergoing IVF take injectable hormone medications that cause more eggs to mature. During this process, a health care provider will monitor your egg growth by looking at your uterus and ovaries with an ultrasound.
Some people experience side effects from the medications used during this phase, such as nausea, hot flashes, and headaches.
Egg retrieval
Once a group of eggs has matured, a doctor will insert a thin needle through the vagina and into each of your ovaries. The needle connects to a suction device that can safely pull the eggs out.
Since this procedure requires mild sedation, you should not drive for 24 hours afterward, but you can resume other normal activities right away.
Fertilization
After the eggs are extracted, a doctor will inject sperm into the mature eggs to fertilize them outside the uterus in a lab. The eggs that are successfully fertilized will become embryos. Any embryos that continue maturing for five to six days will be ready to implant in your uterus.
If you don’t want to fertilize your eggs right away, you can freeze some or all of them for future use.
Embryo transfer
If you’re using fresh embryos, your health care provider will schedule an embryo transfer three to seven days after your egg retrieval. If you’re using frozen embryos, your health care provider will prescribe hormonal medication that you’ll take for about a month before the transfer.
Unlike an egg retrieval, an embryo transfer does not require anesthesia. During the procedure, which takes about 10 minutes, a health care provider will insert an instrument to see into your vagina and insert a very thin tube through the cervix and into the uterus. Then, they will connect a syringe containing the embryos to the tube and inject them into the uterus.
Afterwards, you might experience temporary symptoms like mild cramping, spotting, breast tenderness, and constipation.
Pregnancy
If one or more embryos successfully implant in the uterus, you’ll be pregnant. Nine to 14 days after the transfer, your health care provider will use a blood test to determine if the procedure was successful.
How successful is IVF?
IVF success rates vary depending on the patient’s age, how many eggs they have, and the reason for infertility.
“Overall, most patients can expect around 50 percent to 75 percent success with a single round of IVF,” said Dr. Jenna Rehmer, an infertility specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, in a 2022 article. “When individual success rates are lower, patients may require two or three rounds of IVF before they have a successful pregnancy.”
What are the risks of IVF?
Having a baby through IVF may slightly increase the risk of premature labor. It also increases the odds of multiple births (such as twins), which make some pregnancy complications more likely.
Like any medical procedure, the egg retrieval process comes with some risks, including bleeding and infection.
“Luckily these severe complications are all very rare because the procedure is guided by an ultrasound,” said Dr. Lauren Roth, an OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, in a 2023 Parents article.
Rarely, some people develop a potentially dangerous condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome during the ovarian stimulation phase. This can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, rapid weight gain, bloating, and inability to urinate. If you experience these symptoms, see a health care provider right away.
People undergoing IVF may also experience anxiety and depression due to hormonal changes or emotional distress if IVF is not resulting in pregnancy.
“Know that it is a journey that can take many months, even years, to result in a successful pregnancy,” Rehmer from the Cleveland Clinic said.
What is the difference between IVF and IUI?
During intrauterine insemination, or IUI, a health care provider uses a thin tube to inject sperm into the uterus through the vagina. Many patients opt for this in-office procedure before trying IVF, since IUI is simpler and less expensive. However, it has a lower success rate than IVF.
“In the general population, the average pregnancy rate per month [without medical intervention] is only 1 in 5 couples, or 20 percent per month,” Rehmer said. “With IUI, we do our best to get the same success rates, but many still need to proceed to IVF.”
How much does IVF cost?
Without insurance, the average cost of one round of IVF is $15,000, plus about $5,000 for medication. IVF may be covered by insurance plans, and some states have laws mandating IVF coverage. If you’re struggling to pay for IVF, you may be eligible for loans and grants.
In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order asking for policy recommendations to lower the cost of IVF, but the White House has not released its findings.
Is IVF legal?
IVF is legal in every state, despite a 2024 Alabama court ruling that embryos created through IVF should be considered children. The ruling led some Alabama fertility clinics to temporarily pause IVF treatments. However, state lawmakers quickly passed a bill protecting IVF providers from wrongful death lawsuits and criminal prosecution, and IVF treatments in Alabama resumed.
How can I start IVF?
If you’re curious about IVF or other fertility treatments, talk to your health care provider about your options.