Cost of fertility treatment with donor sperm: A complete guide
The cost of starting a family with donor sperm involves a lot more than the price of the sperm itself. In this blog post, we give you an overview of what you will be spending your money on when trying to conceive your dream child.
Lotte Sørensen
Starting a family can be quite an emotional journey. But when that journey involves fertility treatment and donor sperm, it also comes with financial implications.
This blog post aims to give you a better idea of what to expect financially with price examples from The UK, Germany, The Netherlands and Denmark.
We will cover:
- The cost of donor sperm for fertility treatment
- The cost of having a child with either IUI, IVF or ICSI in The UK.
- The cost of having a child with either IUI, IVF or ICSI in Germany.
- The cost of having a child with either IUI, IVF or ICSI in The Netherlands.
- The cost of having a child with either IUI, IVF or ICSI in Denmark.
- What if my treatment isn’t covered by the public health care system or insurance?
- Other factors that may impact you financially when trying to conceive.
Please note that the following price examples e.g. the cost of donor sperm, are if you were to pay for everything yourself. Under each country, we list the funding possibilities which can lower the cost of donor sperm and treatment.
Cost of donor sperm for fertility treatment
The cost of fertility treatment with donor sperm depends on whether you need an ID Release donor or a No ID Release donor, and what type of treatment you will be having.
The cost of a donor sperm straw for fertility treatment is between €685-€1295. Be aware that you may need more than one sperm straw to have enough for your full course of treatment.
In some countries you also need to buy a pregnancy slot, which is one way for a country to govern how many families a donor contributes to. A pregnancy slot is €350 in Denmark and €550 for the rest of the world.
The UK: The cost of fertility treatment with IUI, IVF or ICSI
The cost of fertility treatment with donor sperm varies, depending on the treatment type:
IUI: £700 to £1600 (€813-€1860)
IVF: £3000 to £10,000 (€3400-€11700)
ICSI: £4000 to 13650 (€4600-€16000)
Sources: NHS and Total Fertility.
Funding
A lot of women and couples will be eligible to have fertility treatments with funding from the NHS. Whether you are eligible depends on your age, lifestyle factors and where you live, which is sometimes referred to as the postcode lottery.
The website Fertility Mapper has a tool, that we find useful. You input your information and it estimates whether you can be treated within the NHS.
It might also be a good idea to check your health insurance as some companies cover fertility treatment with donor sperm (such as BUPA).
Germany: The cost of fertility treatment with IUI, IVF or ICSI
The cost of fertility treatment with donor sperm varies, depending on the treatment type:
IUI: €250-€1000
IVF: €2500-€8000
ICSI: We haven’t been able to find specific prices for ICSI treatment for Germany, as most clinics consider it as an add-on to IVF.
Sources: MVZ Fertility Center Hamburg
Funding
The availability of treatment and funding varies a bit from state to state. Generally, the statutory health insurance will cover 50% of the costs of three rounds of treatment for married couples who live up to a list of criteria. Private health insurers may cover more and cover unmarried couples or single women as well, but this also varies quite a bit from insurer to insurer – so check with your specific health insurance company.
The Netherlands: The cost of fertility treatment with IUI, IVF or ICSI
The cost of fertility treatment with donor sperm varies, depending on the treatment type:
IUI: €300-€1000
IVF: €2000
ICSI: €2300
Sources: Nij Geertgen
Funding
Basic health insurance in The Netherlands will cover three rounds of IVF treatment.
Denmark: The cost of fertility treatment with IUI, IVF or ICSI
The cost of fertility treatment with donor sperm varies, depending on the treatment type:
IUI: 1400-4310 DKK (€190-€580)
IVF: 24000-70.000 DKK (€3200-€9400)
ICSI: 27000-40000 DKK (€3600-€5400)
Sources: Trianglen Fertility Clinic.
Funding
In Denmark, you get 3 free rounds of fertility treatment in the public system. The government plans to extend this to 6 free rounds of treatment by October 2024.
You will however still need to pay for any medication or hormone treatment. If you have private health insurance, it may cover all or some of the costs for this.
Other costs related to fertility treatment with donor sperm
Apart from the treatment itself, you may also need to set aside money for the following:
Cost of hormone treatment during your treatment course
Depending on your unique situation, the carrying parent will most likely need some form of hormone treatment.
If you are attempting to get pregnant through insemination and have no fertility issues you may skip the hormones. But often fertility specialists will still recommend boosting your natural cycle with hormones to increase the chances of pregnancy.
Consultations, scans and tests
Apart from the fertility treatment itself, you will need to go to consultations and perhaps undergo some tests and scans. Often, the clinics offer packages where both the treatment and other services are included, but this varies. We recommend that you ask your clinic what is included in their prices and, just as importantly, what other expenses you can expect.
What are my options, if the cost of my fertility treatment isn’t covered by the public health care system or insurance?
Access to have your treatment funded varies quite a lot in different countries and regions, and can depend on your marital status, age and lifestyle factors. But fear not, if you find yourself without funding. A lot of clinics and sperm banks such as European Sperm Bank offers flexible payment solutions.
Other factors that you need to consider
You may not get pregnant on your first attempt
Even if you have no fertility issues, it often takes more than one attempt to get pregnant. This means you need more consultations and treatments with your clinic, as well as more sperm straws from your donor. We recommend buying 3 - 5 straws. We offer to store the sperm at our facilities and only ship them when you need. Read more about sperm storage here.
You might earn less
When going through fertility treatment you may need to take time off work to go to your treatments or just to look after your mental health. Now is a good time to check up on your contract and, if you are comfortable with it, talk to your manager to see whether this impacts your earnings.
The emotional costs
For some people, the cost of going through fertility treatment goes beyond that of donor sperm and medication - it can take its toll on their mental health. Make a plan for how you want to take care of yourself and consider setting aside money for therapy or the like.
What do I do now?
If you want to start a family and are interested in fertility treatment with donor sperm, but aren’t sure what your possibilities are, we offer free consultations in 12 different languages with our friendly customer care specialists. Book a consultation here.