Private treatment - medication cost?

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Hi all,

I have just had 2 failed cycles. 1 x IVF and 1 x ICSI. We are looking into private treatment for a further few cycles. Most fertility clinics do not specify the average cost of medication, only that it is not included in the main pricing and is separate. Does anyone have any experience with this who can give me an approximate figure for medication?

Many thanks!

Hey, sorry about your previous cycles, it's such a difficult process!

It depends on the protocol, as then type of meds, quantity and then length of time taking them makes a big difference across cycles. For me it was approx £2000 give or take a few hundred, for short protocol ICSI. Id imagine it's gone up a little since, this was in 2022. I had menopur, fyremadel and progesterone pessaries, then for frozen transfer (fresh didnt take) I had lubion additionally which was about £100 a week for 12 weeks, but not everyone needs that, I just didn't absorb the progesterone well in pessary form.

It seems to be very variable. I'm private and am shocked at how much cheaper my meds are on a long protocol compared to most people. It's £500 for everything until official test day.

Do you clinic give you a guide? Mine said that most peoples medication are between £xx and £xx (sorry I can’t remember the exact figure but I can find out!). Mine was just over £1700 for Norethisterone, Gonal F, Ganirelix, Zivafert trigger and Utrogestan pessaries (I think I got given 6 weeks worth of pessaries) and that also included the prescription fee and delivery. We had ICSI and mine was the short protocol.
Sorry to hear of your struggles so far x

I think they don’t tell you because they genuinely can’t know, but as Nic says a between x and y figure would help.

I had quite a few cycles. I’m sure medication was usually between £1,500 and £2,000. But then sometimes I had extra days of stims if response wasn’t as hoped and there was another few hundred to add on.

Also sometimes different medication with the same aim can have a cost difference e.g Cyclogest and Utrogestan are both progesterone but one might be cheaper. Crinone gel progesterone might be cheaper but I would never choose it as it was so sticky and gloopy, much preferred the pessaries.