IVF financing: what are your options?

If youโre not eligible for IVF on the NHS, and youโre trying to find a way to fund IVF yourself. You may find the pressure to save the money for the treatments you need daunting when you see how much IVF can cost. IVF is expensive and itโs hard to know how many treatments you might end up needing, and whether you will be able to afford it.
Many people take on second jobs, dip into life savings, or even remortgage their homes, to pay for the rounds of IVF they need to have a child. But with the true cost of IVF being so hard to pin down, itโs easy to get buried in bills.
Financing your IVF is another option. But knowing which type is right for you, and understanding the risks they carry can be tricky.
Here, we take a look at the different financing options available to help you make a more informed decision about how to fund your IVF journey.
What are your IVF financing options?ย
There are a few ways you can finance your IVF:
IVF payment plans
Payment plans are offered by some private clinics as a form of IVF financing that allows you to spread the cost of your treatment over a set period of time.
There are some third-party financing companies that also offer loans for IVF.
IVF refund packagesย
Some private fertility clinics now offer โrefund packagesโ. These will give you either some or all of your money back if you donโt have a child.
Some third-party financing companies, such as Access Fertility, also offer refund packages but with a fixed lump sum payment upfront of multiple treatment cycles.
The Gaia Plan
A combination of a payment plan and financial protection. Start your IVF cycle with a simple protection fee. Only repay your IVFย cycle costs in affordable monthly payments when you have a child. Nothing more if you donโt.
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How does IVF financing work in real life?
Paying for IVF with a clinic payment plan
If you decide to use a payment plan to fund your IVF treatment you would:
- Pay a deposit to get โcreditโ from the clinic (or provider) for a certain number of cycles.
- Once treatment has started, you start paying back the cost of the โcreditโ in monthly instalments.
- At the end of your contract, you must have paid for all the โcreditโ you were given, plus any interest, regardless of the outcome.
Paying for IVF with a refund package
If you decide to use a refund package to fund your rounds you would:
- Pay the clinic for all your covered rounds of IVF upfront.
- Start having your IVF treatment.
- If you have all your covered rounds of IVF but donโt have a child, you'll receive a refund for either all or some of what you paid.
- If you do have a child, you'd have paid for the full package, regardless of which round you got pregnant on.
Paying for IVF with a Gaia Plan
We are the most affordable way to start and protect your IVFย treatment. This is how it works:
- To start a cycle, pay a protection fee. We fix your costs upfront, including medication and unlimited embryo transfers, and pay your clinic on your behalf.
- When you have a child, you have up to 8 years to repay your cycle costs in flexible monthly instalments.ย
- If you donโt have a child after 3 cycles, you donโt pay for your IVF treatment.ย
- If you decide to stop before the end of 3 cycles, weโll discount your cycle costs.
What are the risks of using IVF financing?
IVF financing can help you afford and access IVF treatment. But as with most loans, repayment plans and refund packages do have their downsides. Itโs important that you know what youโre signing up for and are aware of any financial risks.
Here are a few things to be aware of before committing to IVF financing:
Hidden costs
Some necessary treatments and services, including essential medications, often arenโt included in payment plans and refund packages. So there will be times youโll have to pay for those yourself, on top of your package. These unexpected costs are what make it difficult to know exactly how much IVF actually costs from the outset. Itโs important to understand whatโs included and whatโs not.
Paying for more than you need
If youโve signed up for a number of rounds through a refund package and fall pregnant, youโll still have to pay for the entire package, forfeiting the cost of any remaining rounds.
Interest rates
Some clinics offer 0% interest on payment plans for the first year. But interest rates can rise steeply throughout your repayment window. Make sure you understand how the interest rate will increase if you choose to repay over a longer period of time.
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With a Gaia Plan, we do it differently. We fix all costs, including medication, upfront so you know exactly how much youโll repay via monthly instalments when you have a child. Youโll be insured for up to 3 cycles, however, if you have a child before then, youโll only repay the costs for the cycles that you had. This is IVF done better.
Complete our short questionnaire to find out how much a Gaia Plan could cost you.
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โIn the same way that you insure your house or your car, itโs security in case you need it and if you donโt need it then it hasnโt cost you the earth.โ โ Emily, Gaia Member
How can Gaia help?
A Gaia Plan is the most affordable way to start and protect your IVF.
Start your IVF with fixed costs that you only pay once you have a child.