The clinic figures on this page are typical US ranges taken from public 2025 to 2026 clinic pricing. They are estimates, not quotes, and are marked for confirmation with PLS partner clinics. Your clinic's written estimate is the number to budget from.
Which IVF costs apply if you already have embryos?
The quickest way to see the difference is to add up the typical ranges for two starting points. With embryos already frozen, one transfer typically costs about $7,000 to $15,500: surrogate screening $2,000 to $5,000, the frozen embryo transfer $4,000 to $8,000, and her medications $1,000 to $2,500. Starting from scratch with one retrieval cycle and PGT-A testing adds $18,000 to $32,000 (retrieval and embryo creation $12,000 to $20,000, stimulation medications $3,000 to $6,000, PGT-A $3,000 to $6,000), for a typical total of about $25,000 to $47,500 before any second cycle.
If you already have frozen embryos, most of the IVF bill is behind you. What remains is the surrogate's side of the medical work:
- The surrogate's medical screening at your clinic.
- Her medications to prepare her uterus for transfer.
- Monitoring, usually at a clinic near her home.
- The frozen embryo transfer itself.
- Embryo storage until transfer, and shipping if your embryos are stored at a different clinic from the one doing the transfer.
If you are starting from the beginning, you also pay for egg retrieval and embryo creation, and possibly genetic testing of the embryos. If you need an egg donor, a donor cycle replaces your own retrieval.
All of these are paid directly to your clinic and pharmacy. They are separate from the Private Label Surrogacy program fee, third-party costs and surrogate compensation. You may use any licensed clinic; PLS works with 14 partner fertility centers, including Kindbody, Shady Grove Fertility, Fertility Centers of Illinois and Oregon Reproductive Medicine.
| Service | Typical US range | Needed if embryos already exist | Paid to | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg retrieval and embryo creation, per cycle | $12,000 to $20,000 | No | Your clinic | Before matching, ideally |
| Stimulation medications for retrieval | $3,000 to $6,000 | No | Pharmacy | With the retrieval cycle |
| PGT-A testing, per batch | $3,000 to $6,000 | Only if not already tested | Your clinic or its lab | After embryo creation |
| Surrogate medical screening | $2,000 to $5,000 | Yes | Your clinic | After match, before the agreement is finalized |
| Frozen embryo transfer, each | $4,000 to $8,000 | Yes | Your clinic | 2 to 3 months after legal and medical foundations |
| Surrogate medications per transfer | $1,000 to $2,500 | Yes | Pharmacy | Before and after transfer |
| Local monitoring | Part of PLS third-party costs | Yes | Clinic near the surrogate | Before transfer and early pregnancy |
What does egg retrieval and embryo creation cost?
Typical US ranges: $12,000 to $20,000 per retrieval cycle, which covers monitoring, the retrieval, fertilization and embryo culture in the lab, plus $3,000 to $6,000 in stimulation medications.
The number of cycles matters more than the price of one. Before you choose a clinic, look at its outcomes in the clinic data published by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), and compare within your age group or within donor-egg cycles if you are using a donor. A clinic with a slightly higher price and better outcomes for patients like you may cost less overall. How many retrievals you need depends on the age of the person providing the eggs, how many eggs are retrieved and how many embryos result. Your reproductive endocrinologist can estimate this for you before you start.
The best time to create embryos is before you match with a surrogate. Embryos that are made, tested if you choose, and frozen before the match let the surrogate's cycle start as soon as the agreement is signed, which keeps the overall journey closer to 18 months than 24.
What does PGT-A testing add, and is it worth it?
PGT-A testing typically costs $3,000 to $6,000 per batch of embryos (typical US range). PGT-A screens embryos for an abnormal number of chromosomes before transfer.
Whether it is worth it is a medical question for your reproductive endocrinologist, and the answer depends on your age, your history and how many embryos you have. In a surrogacy journey there is an added consideration: every transfer involves the surrogate's medications, monitoring, travel and milestone payments, so the cost of a transfer that does not work is higher than in IVF for yourself. Discuss that with your clinic. See PGT testing.
Ask three questions before deciding: what your clinic's results look like with and without testing for patients in your situation, how many embryos you are likely to have to test, and whether the clinic charges per embryo or per batch. The answers turn a general debate into a decision about your own embryos.
What does the surrogate's clinic screening cost?
Typical US range: $2,000 to $5,000. The clinic's medical screening covers the tests your clinic requires before it will plan a transfer. It is the clinic's decision whether she is medically cleared for transfer.
At PLS, the clinic starts with more than a questionnaire. Mark Silverberg, DDS, MD, reads every surrogate candidate's prenatal and delivery records before a match is offered and writes a physician medical summary that goes to your clinic. That gives your reproductive endocrinologist the surrogate's full obstetric history before the screening visit.
Surrogate travel to your clinic for screening is a third-party cost, not a clinic fee.
What does a frozen embryo transfer cost, including medications?
Typical US range: $4,000 to $8,000 per frozen embryo transfer, plus $1,000 to $2,500 in surrogate medications and the clinic's monitoring.
The transfer cost repeats for every transfer, so budget for the possibility of more than one. A second transfer also brings a second round of surrogate travel and monitoring, and the milestone payments in her agreement. The pregnancy test comes 9 to 11 days after transfer. Ask your clinic what it charges if a transfer cycle is cancelled before the transfer happens, for example because the surrogate's lining is not ready, and whether medications already dispensed can be used in the next attempt. Those two answers help you compare a quote with what a cycle can actually cost.
Monitoring for the transfer cycle is usually done at a clinic near the surrogate's home and billed separately, as part of PLS third-party costs ($15,300 to $29,000 in total).
What does an egg donor add?
An egg donor adds four costs: donor compensation, the agency match fee, donor screening and a retrieval cycle. At PLS the egg donor match fee is $11,000, or $8,500 when bundled with a surrogacy program. Donor compensation and clinic fees are separate, and donor funds are held in independent escrow, like surrogate funds.
Nancy Block, RN, has run egg donation matching since she founded The Center for Egg Options Illinois in 2000. See egg donation in Illinois.
Do clinics offer packages or multi-cycle pricing?
Some do, and the structures vary widely. Ask your clinic directly:
- Is there a package price for a gestational carrier cycle, and what does it include and exclude?
- Is there multi-cycle or refund pricing for retrieval, and what are the eligibility rules?
- Are medications included in any package, or billed separately by a pharmacy?
- What does a second frozen embryo transfer cost if the first does not work?
- What are the storage fees, and do they change after the first year?
Insurance can also help. Some employer plans and Illinois-mandated fertility benefits cover retrieval for the intended mother; the scope of the Illinois mandate is pending review by counsel. Transfers into a surrogate are usually excluded. Check your plan, and see employer surrogacy benefits and surrogate health insurance.
For the whole budget, add your clinic's estimate to the PLS program fee, third-party costs and the surrogate's compensation package. Intended parents typically budget $150,000 to $200,000 for the full journey. See the full cost of surrogacy and IVF and embryo transfer.
Sources
- Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), clinic outcome data: sart.org