Wish to conceive but still no bun in the oven after a long period of trying? Don’t worry, there are plenty of Artificial Reproductive Treatments (ARTs) out there to help you start a fam, including In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).

But wait – how much do they cost? In a nutshell, you can expect to pay the following amounts per cycle:

• IVF: S$12,000 to $16,000 (public hospitals); S$20,000 to S$25,000 (private hospitals)
• IUI (excluding SO-IUI): S$719 to S$828 (public hospitals); ~S$1,709 (private hospitals)

In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Costs in Singapore

IVF involves retrieving eggs from a woman’s ovaries, fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory, and then transferring the embryo(s) back to the uterus.

IVF is generally the most expensive fertility treatment.

It costs roughly S$12,000 to S$16,000 for a single fresh cycle in a public hospital, according to the director of KKH’s KKIVF Centre. Meanwhile, you can expect to pay S$20,000 to S$25,000 at a private hospital, based on Thomson Fertility Centre’s prices.

Here’s a breakdown of the different IVF stages and costs:

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) Costs in Singapore

Meanwhile, IUI is generally cheaper than IVF as it’s a less invasive procedure, where sperm is directly placed into a woman’s uterus around the time of ovulation.

One round of IUI costs S$2,600 to S$3,000 in a public hospital and S$2,987 to S$4,075 at a private clinic.

Here’s a breakdown of the IUI stages and costs:

Financial Support for IVF & IUI Costs

Good news – you can get up to 75% co-funding (a maximum of S$7,700 per cycle) from the government if you seek ART treatments at public hospitals in Singapore, which are namely KKH, NUH and SGH.

Couples are eligible for co-funding for IVF and IUI costs if you meet the following criteria:

• The female spouse should be below 40 years of age at the start of the cycle;
• The couple has been assessed by a doctor at a public assisted reproduction centre to be suitable to try IUI prior to ART treatment, and
• One spouse must be a Singapore Citizen, with the amount of co-funding varying, depending on the citizenship of the couple.

Take note it only covers IVF and IUI for a maximum of three fresh and three frozen cycles.

How to Pay for IVF & IUI Costs in Singapore

You can pay for IVF and IUI cycles from your own/spouse’s Medisave account by withdrawing the following amounts:

• 1st cycle: S$6,000
• 2nd cycle: S$5,000
• 3rd & subsequent cycle: S$4,000

Do note that a cycle refers to a complete course of treatment from stimulation (hormonal medication) to egg retrieval (IVF) or insemination (IUI). Conception is not guaranteed after a single cycle which is why the government allows the coverage of multiple cycles.

Medisave also has a lifetime withdrawal limit of S$15,000 per patient for assisted reproductive treatments (including IVF) done locally.

The journey to parenthood can be filled with hope, excitement, and, unfortunately, financial considerations. But, as Martin Luther King once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase”.