IVF Treatment Costs

Here we explain the three main types of cost related to fertility treatment, and give you an indication of the actual costs you could expect after rebates from Medicare and private health insurance.

We are proud to offer the lowest out-of-pocket costs in Victoria, and a range of payment options to help you manage the cost of your fertility treatment.

The three main types of cost:

1. Pre-treatment expenses

Fertility specialist consultation and initial tests

The first step in any treatment plan is to consult a Melbourne IVF fertility specialist, who will assess your medical history and determine what’s most appropriate for your individual circumstances. You will be required to make a standard specialist consultation payment to your specialist at the time of this appointment and it does attract a Medicare rebate. Before you begin treatment, your specialist may request some further investigations, such as blood tests, semen analysis or ultrasound tests. There may also be some costs associated with these initial tests and in most cases, you will be able to claim these costs back through Medicare or your private health insurance.

New patient appointments

If your fertility specialist recommends fertility treatment, before this starts we’ll arrange for you to attend a series of new patient information appointments. At these, we tell you what you need to know about your upcoming treatment. An administration fee of $265 (not covered by Medicare) covers your new patient counselling, nursing, and patient liaison administrator appointments.

New patient appointments include:

• a mandatory counselling session with both partners, to help you consider any issues that may arise in your upcoming treatment, and to sign mandatory consent forms
• a new patient information session with a nurse who explains the IVF cycle (with any specific medications your doctor has ordered for you), teaches you injections techniques and discusses your medications.
• a patient liaison administration session to explain the costs associated with your treatment, payment plan options, estimated Medicare rebates, and the role of private health care insurance.

2. IVF treatment cycle costs

These figures are an example of the Medicare rebate and out-of-pocket costs for a couple who have already reached the Medicare Safety Net threshold in the calendar year in which they are undertaking fertility treatment, and who have private health insurance.

Figures quoted correct as at 1st January 2012

The quoted treatment cycle costs cover all aspects of treatment, including specialist/nursing consultations, ultrasound scans, blood tests, standard laboratory scientific techniques, on-going supportive counselling (while on treatment), egg collection procedure, embryo transfer procedure, the first pregnancy blood test and early pregnancy care support.

Additional costs not included in the above cycle fees are:

Medication

While most IVF medications are covered by Medicare, some are not. You should allow up to $450 for medication for each treatment cycle. However, this may be significantly less, depending on your treatment: the Australian government has recently added Synarel® (Nafarelin) to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This is a key drug in some IVF treatment cycles.

Our East Melbourne clinic hosts a pharmacy on-site, offering a personalised, quick and convenient service, offering greater privacy when collecting your medication.

Day surgery fees

Hospital bed fees and anaesthetist costs associated with the egg collection and embryo transfer procedures for IVF/ICSI treatments (including frozen embryo transfer cycles) are not included in the costs table above. Private hospital insurance may cover some or all of these, and we advise you to check with your private health fund.

When you have IVF treatment at our East Melbourne clinic, you are admitted to East Melbourne Specialist Day Hospital (EMSDH) as a patient. Some patients may be admitted to the Women’s Hospital for their IVF treatment procedures. When contacting your private health fund provider, please quote item numbers 13212 and 13215 – these apply to both day hospital locations.

If you don’t have private insurance, your day surgery fees will vary depending on the day hospital where the procedure is performed, and the anaesthetist. As a guide, patients can expect to pay up to $805 for the day hospital egg collection procedure and $380 for the embryo transfer procedure.  The anaesthetist fee is approximately $250 and a Medicare rebate will apply.

3. Advanced science costs

Your treatment could involve advanced diagnostics or analysis, which we carry out in our state-of-the-art facilities. The costs are as follows:

Donor Program: For a breakdown of the fees related to our donor program Contact Us or phone 1800 111 483.

Read More

> About IVF & Medicare
> About Payment Options
> About IVF Success Rates
> About IVF Treatments