How advisors can help clients plan for fertility treatment costs

As more U.S. couples rely on fertility procedures, financial advisors suggest keeping separate savings for procedures, to be prepared for multiple rounds of treatments and to have a plan to get regular savings back on track for clients financially planning for the hefty price tag on IVF. 

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With the rising age of first-time mothers, the increased frequency of mothers 35 and older and a worldwide declining birth rate, fertility procedures have become more common for couples to conceive. The national fertility rate hit its lowest point in 2024, when there were fewer than 54 babies born for every 1,000 U.S. women during their childbearing years — preliminary data suggests it dipped even further in 2025, according to the Pew Research Center. 

But procedures like IVF, intrauterine insemination, a less invasive IVF alternative, egg freezing, or sperm donation are accompanied with costs that can rival a car or college tuition. 

Furthermore, it typically takes multiple rounds to work, further driving up costs. 

For women 30-31, only 48% have a baby after a first cycle of IVF. That drops to 40% for women 34 and 35, and starkly down to 13% for women who are 40. Women 40 or older only have a 25% chance of a baby after a third cycle, according to VARTA, an Australian-based statutory authority that regulates fertility clinics. With the average cost of one IVF cycle at nearly $24,000, couples easily spend $50,000 on treatments, according to Carrot Fertility, a venture capital company that offers a menu of fertility support and interventions. 

“You never know how many treatments you’ll have to go through,” Leigh Shimamoto, senior wealth advisor at Mercer Advisors, said. “It could be one. It could be endless. Nothing really prepares you for the potential cost.”

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Both personally and professionally, Shimamoto has seen financial planning for fertility treatment become more common.

“Women are waiting longer to start family planning,” Shimamoto said. “Women are now more focused on their careers before starting a family. Even more recently, younger women are becoming more informed themselves and taking proactive measures around egg freezing and other treatments.”

As a wealth advisor, the biggest challenge Shimamoto said she navigates is balancing fertility planning with clients’ retirements or other major savings goals. She advises clients to have enough dedicated funds saved for one, preferably two, rounds of treatment.

“They may have to push off the downpayment for the house for a couple of years,” Shimamoto said. “But it’s all about priorities. If fertility treatment takes priority over buying the house, then let’s fund that first. Most clients have already made up their minds about pursuing treatments.”

Fertility planning is an open-ended commitment with no definite price or timeline, Jenna Rogers, managing director of Mission Wealth’s Santa Barbara office, said. 

Understanding how to navigate insurance coverage with fertility treatments is critical, she said, because costs like taking time off work, traveling for treatment, bloodwork and trying out various treatments add up. 

Despite its growing popularity, only about a fourth of U.S. companies with 200 or more employees have health plans that cover IVF, according to KFF, a health policy organization. A proposed senate bill aiming to expand its coverage has failed twice. 

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The first step that she advises clients to take, and that she took herself when going through fertility treatment, is to source as much financial information as possible from doctors, including loan options, interest rates and insurance coverage. 

“It feels really daunting, especially if you’re not used to looking at numbers,” Rogers said. “But mapping out all that information gives you a good baseline to know what the next step is to fund the treatments.”

From her experience, clients need to be their own advocates in the doctor’s office, Rogers said. Even requesting to do blood work at labs where they have insurance coverage, or being open with fertility clinics about the financial commitment the procedure requires will help mitigate costs. 

“I’ve found it hard because [of] white coat syndrome where you get in the doctor’s office and you’re panicked,” Rogers said. “But you want to be as mindful as possible.”

In practice, fertility treatments cost around $30,000 per couple Rogers said. But plans for surrogacy can go up to $250,000. 

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If clients choose to pause 401(k) contributions or pull from retirement savings, which Rogers said she actually recommends in this case, a plan needs to be in place ahead of time so savings aren’t completely derailed and loans eventually get paid off, she said. 

“I’ve never heard someone tell me, “Can I afford this?” Rogers said. “What they say is, ‘I’m doing this, and what do I need to do to make sure it does not destroy the rest of my financial life.'”

Undergoing fertility treatments is one of the most emotional financial experiences a client will endure, Shimamoto said. As a financial planner who has also gone through fertility treatments, she said keeping clients’ emotions in mind and ensuring that both parties understand the implications of the procedure are vital to successful planning. 

“As an advisor, all you can do is come to the table with sensitivity, listening and have some compassion and empathy,” Shimamoto said. “Just hear them out, and then present them with some options.”