IVF Success Rate vs Cost Calculator

IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) involves multiple cycles and significant cost. Per-cycle success rates vary with age and circumstances - typically 30-40% for under-35s, 20-30% for 35-40, under 20% for over-40s. This calculator projects expected cost to achieve pregnancy over multiple cycles.

At 35% success per cycle over 3 cycles: cumulative probability of success is 72.5%, expected cycles needed is 2.07, expected cost at 5,000/cycle is 10,350. The maximum cost across all 3 cycles without success is 15,000. The range helps budget planning.

The tool ignores many real factors: age-adjusted success rates that decline each cycle, embryo transfer success, miscarriage risk, and emotional cost. Use it for financial planning only. Real outcomes depend heavily on specific medical circumstances - consult fertility specialists for personalised probabilities.

Quick example

With cost per cycle of 5,000 and success rate per cycle of 35% (plus maximum cycles of 3), the result is 10,362.50. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter Cost per Cycle, Success Rate per Cycle, and Maximum Cycles. Two inputs usually tip the answer one way or the other. Identify which ones matter most by flipping each value past a round threshold and watching whether the option with the lower calculated total changes.

What's happening under the hood

Cumulative success probability = 1 - (1-p)^n. Expected cycles = cumulative / p. Expected cost = cost × expected cycles. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

Using this without guilt

The figure here isn't a verdict on whether the spending is "worth it". That judgment is yours to make. What the number does is shift the question from "can I afford this?" to "is this what I want my money doing over a decade?". Both questions matter.

What this doesn't capture

The tool prices the money; it can't weigh the enjoyment. A coffee habit, gym membership, or streaming bundle might cost what the math says but deliver value that's harder to quantify. Use the number to make the trade-off visible — the decision is yours.