Step 5 of 6 · IUI, IVF, egg freezing, insemination
Step 5: Treat
From at-home insemination to IVF: how each option works, who it suits, and what it really costs.
Treatment usually steps up from timed cycles with ovulation medicine to IUI (sperm placed in the uterus) to IVF (eggs fertilized in a lab). The right first step depends on age, diagnosis and both partners’ results. Single people and same-sex couples often start with donor-sperm insemination, at home or in a clinic.
Treatments
At-Home Insemination: How ICI Works, Safely and Legally
At-home insemination (ICI) explained: how it differs from IUI, choosing a kit, FDA donor sperm screening, timing with ovulation, steps and legal parentage.
IUI vs IVF: Which Fertility Treatment Is Right for You?
IUI vs IVF explained: how each works, who each suits, success rates by age from SART data, costs, risks, and how doctors decide when to move from IUI to IVF.
IVF Step by Step: What Happens From First Visit to Pregnancy Test
The IVF process step by step: testing, stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization and ICSI, embryo culture and genetic testing, transfer and the wait.
Costs
How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost, and Does It Work?
Egg freezing cost in the US: more than $15,000 per cycle in FertilityIQ data, plus storage and future IVF, with success rates per egg by age and insurance options.
How Much Does IVF Cost in the US?
IVF cost in the US: about $22,000 per cycle including medication in FertilityIQ data, $40,000–$60,000 in total for many, plus add-ons, state mandates and tax rules.
Your options, in order of intensity
- At-home insemination (ICI). Used by many single people and same-sex couples with donor sperm. Read the at-home insemination guide.
- Ovulation medicine with timed sex or IUI. IUI places washed sperm in the uterus around ovulation. See IUI vs IVF for who each suits.
- IVF. Eggs are retrieved, fertilized in a lab and an embryo is transferred. Walk through IVF step by step.
- Egg freezing. For preserving the option of a later pregnancy. Read egg freezing cost for prices and what success depends on.
Which step comes first depends on the evaluation of both partners, which is why ASRM ties the timing of evaluation and treatment to age and history.1 If you haven't been evaluated yet, start at Investigate.
What it costs
Prices vary widely by clinic, state and insurance. IVF cost in the US breaks down a cycle, medications and add-ons, and what state mandates cover.
Look after yourself through treatment
Treatment is physically and emotionally demanding. Specialist therapists and support groups help: see the Support section.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own situation, and seek urgent care for heavy bleeding, severe pain or fainting.
Sources
- 1Fertility evaluation of infertile women: a committee opinion. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Practice Committee, Fertil Steril 2021;116(5):1255–1265