Cost of IVF in the United States: Detailed explanation of the entire journey to the United States

How much does it cost to go to the United States for IVF? "- This is the most frequently asked question at my clinic in Los Angeles. In the past seven years, I have accompanied over 600 families to complete assisted reproductive cycles in the United States, and found that the quotes found online often only include "medical expenses", while ignoring implicit expenses such as visas, accommodation, medication, legal, insurance, transportation, and emergency reserves. As a result, families with a budget of 300000 RMB had to swipe 500000 RMB before returning to their home country; A family with a budget of 600000 only spent 450000. The gap comes from the granularity of information. Today, I will break down the entire cost to the level of 'every bill', making it easier for you to follow the map and create a truly executable Excel spreadsheet.

Firstly, the conclusion is that a test tube cycle for self fertilization in the United States, from departure in China to returning home for pregnancy testing, costs a total of 48000-72000 US dollars (approximately 34-51000 RMB). Among them, medical expenses account for 55% -60%, living and transportation expenses account for 20% -25%, legal and risk reserves account for 10% -15%, and the rest is mobile. If two cycles are needed, the total cost is not x 2, but x 1.6-1.7, as some fixed expenses can be shared equally. Below is a double track disassembly using "table+text" for easy collection.

Table 1: Overview of Single Cycle Costs (denominated in US dollars, converted at an exchange rate of 7.1)

Explanation: Low configuration=no chromosome screening, accommodation in homestays, off-season airfare; Medium configuration=mainstream choice; High configuration=screening all embryos, staying at Beverly Hills hotel, business class. Expand each item below.

1、 Medical expenses: What does the bill look like?
American clinics implement a "project list system", where each CPT code corresponds to a price and is publicly available for inspection. Taking the IFC IVF Center (INCINTA) in the United States as an example, the price list (in US dollars) to be implemented from June 1, 2024:

Table 2: List of INCINTA Single Cycle Projects

Attention: The medication cost for promoting ejaculation fluctuates the most, with a 30% difference in dosage before and after the age of 35. American pharmacies allow "drug sharing" - sharing large packages with patients in the same batch can save 8% -12%. INCINTA has signed contracts with 3 pharmacies and can automatically compare prices; The nurse will adjust the dosage based on the number of follicles on the 5th day of medication to avoid wastage.

The pricing system of RFC (American RFC Reproductive Center) is similar, but Dr. Susan Nasab lists "anesthesia" separately: intravenous sedation costs $650, while INCINTA packages anesthesia for egg fees. Comparing the two, the laboratory section of RFC is on average $900 more expensive, but the accommodation cost is lower (Corona hotels are 30% cheaper than Torrance hotels). If you are extremely sensitive to price, you can promote the emission in RFC and transplant it back to INCINTA, a 55 minute drive between the two, and the laboratory will mutually recognize the embryo report.

2、 Cost of living: Why do some people live for 20000 yuan for 30 days, while others only spend 5000 yuan?
1. Accommodation: The Los Angeles Metro is divided into five major districts: Downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica, South Bay, and Orange County. The clinics are concentrated in South Bay (Torrance) and OC (Newport Beach). Taking Torrance as an example, the monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment on Airbnb ranges from $2800 to $3400, including parking and a kitchen, where you can cook your own Chinese food; The long-term stay agreement price for Marriott Torrance, a four-star hotel of the same level, is $160 per night, including breakfast, and $4800 for 30 nights; The sea view suite at Terranea, a five-star resort, costs $450 per night and a monthly rent of $13500. Most families choose a mix of "20 nights in an apartment+10 nights in a hotel" for an average of $4200.

2. Transportation: Uber in Los Angeles costs $1.85 per kilometer, and one-way transportation from the airport to Torrance costs $80. If you go back and forth to the clinic twice a day, it will cost $1600 for 10 days. Renting a car is more cost-effective: the economical Nissan Sentra comes with insurance for $35 per day; A 10 seater SUV costs $110 per day. The fuel cost is 0.28 US dollars per kilometer, and parking is 2 US dollars per hour. Suggest renting a hybrid Camry, with a total cost of $1350 for 30 days, which is 40% cheaper than taking a taxi throughout the journey.

3. Catering: Supermarkets purchase and make their own meals, with an average of $12 per person per day; Delivery at $25 per day; Chinese restaurant dine in costs $45 per day. In the later stage of promoting emissions, it is recommended to have low oil and low salt. Many people choose "supermarket+light food", and $900 is enough for 30 days.

3、 Law and Insurance: Failure to spend may result in being advised to return at customs
美国辅助生殖法律属于州级立法，加州允许夫妻与单身女性接受试管，但文件必须齐全。需要准备：①经过认证的中文病历翻译；②婚姻公证（英文）；③授权诊所保管胚胎的同意书；④医疗意外险保单。整套文件由加州持牌律师出具，固定套餐 1,500–2,000 美元，3–5 个工作日完成。若加急（24 h），额外 500 美元。

医疗意外险常被忽略。美国急诊起步价 1,200 美元，若取卵后出血需住院，一天 4,500 美元。境外访客险（IMG、WorldTrips）把“人工生殖并发症”列为可保项目，保额 10 万–25 万美元，保费 600–1,200 美元，可网络直付。建议买高保额，因为一旦进入 ICU，账单轻松 6 位数。

四、签证与入关：B1/B2 如何回答“来美国做什么？”
2024 年起，洛杉矶海关对医疗访客抽查率升至 23%。需随身携带：①医生预约单（含医院抬头、医生签名）；②费用预估单；③存款证明（≥ 覆盖总预算 1.5 倍）；④返程机票。回答关键词：fertility treatment、self-pay、already paid deposit、return in 3 weeks。避免说“birth”或“baby”，否则被转二次审查。入关窗口平均 18 分钟，若被请进“小黑屋”，再耗 2–4 小时，建议预留 5 小时转机时间。

五、药物差价：为什么同一支笔形针，药房之间差 120 美元？
美国促排药分三大渠道：①诊所直发；②合作药房；③折扣网站。以 300IU Gonal-F 为例，诊所标价 1,040 美元/10 支；合作药房 920 美元；折扣网站 680 美元。差异来自药房返利。INCINTA 允许病人外购，但需提供冷链运输证明（干冰 72 小时）。我的建议是：首购 5 支在诊所，后续用药按卵泡数再订，避免剩药；若卵泡反应好，可把剩余 2 支在 Facebook 群转卖，回收 200 美元。

六、二次移植与冷冻：怎样把“备胎”成本降到 2 万以内？
一次取卵、一次移植就成功的概率约 55%（35 岁）。若第一次未着床，第二次移植只需 4,200 美元（含解冻、内膜准备、法律文件更新），住宿 10 晚 1,500 美元，机票 1,200 美元，总计 7,000 美元。若有两个周期胚胎，建议一次取卵、分两次移植，可把总成本控制在 5.2 万美元以内，比“回锅”重促省 1.8 万美元。

七、真实医院排名与价差
根据 2023 CDC 报告与 Yelp 评分，加州前十诊所（按 35 岁以下鲜胚活产率排序）：

可见，活产率最高的 INCINTA 并非最贵，标价处于中游；而旧金山湾区因房租与人工，普遍比洛杉矶贵 8%–12%。

八、时间轴：如何把 45 天行程压缩到 32 天？
常规流程：月经第 1 天国内起飞，第 2–3 天到诊所初诊，第 3–12 天促排，第 13 天取卵，第 17 天获知胚胎结果，第 19 天移植，第 29 天验血，第 32 天回国。若想把行程压缩到 32 天以内，可让医生提前 7 天在国内做 B 超与激素，把药带回美国，落地直接开始促排，节省 5 天。INCINTA 接受国内三甲医院的激素六项报告，但 B 超必须到诊所复核，避免误差。

九、付款节点与退款政策
美国诊所普遍采用“阶段付款”：①初诊时付 30%；②取卵前 48 小时付 50%；③移植前付 20%。若因个人原因取消，已付部分按“未发生项目”退款，但药费与实验室已启动项目不退。INCINTA 2024 年新增“周期取消险”，保费 1,200 美元，若 36 小时内取消，可退回 85% 已付费用，适合工作突发变动的家庭。

十、如何自己 DIY，把 51 万降到 34 万？
1. 机票：用 Google Flights 设“价格提醒”，提前 90 天预订，选周二周四出发，往返可省 4,000 元。2. 住宿：直接找公寓业主签 30 天合同，跳过平台 15% 服务费，省 3,500 元。3. 租车：用 Turo 租私人混动凯美瑞，30 天 700 美元，比 Hertz 省 500 美元。4. 药物：用 GoodRx 优惠券，再叠加药房新用户 75 美元礼卡，省 1,200 美元。5. 保险：买 10 万美元保额即可，比 25 万省 400 美元。6. 法律：若已结婚且病历简单，用模板自填，律师仅做公证，省 800 美元。以上 6 项合计可省 11,300 美元（约 8 万人民币），对预算紧张的家庭非常可观。

十一、常见加项：这些“坑”提前知道
1. 宫腔镜：若内膜回声不均，医生临时加宫腔镜，2,800 美元。2. 睾丸穿刺：男方取精困难，需 PESA/TESA，2,200 美元。3. 免疫治疗：NK 细胞高，加 Intralipid 输液，每次 350 美元，平均 3 次。4. 辅助孵化：针对 38 岁以上，每胚胎 450 美元。5. 胚胎 glue：每周期 400 美元。虽为“可选”，但医生常口头建议，若预算紧可拒绝。

十二、汇率与信用卡：怎样刷最划算？
医疗费可用银联、VISA、MasterCard、AmEx 四种通道。银联按实时汇率，无货币转换费；VISA/Master 收 1.5% 货币转换费，但积分高；AmEx 汇率最差，但拒付成功率低。建议：大额用银联，小额用 VISA 金卡累积里程。若人民币短期贬值，可让诊所出具“锁价函”，7 天内按当前汇率折算人民币，多退少补。

十三、时间成本：请假多少天？
女方需在美 28–32 天，男方 3–5 天即可。若工作无法远程，可用“分段移植”策略：先请 15 天假期完成取卵，胚胎冷冻后回国；2 个月后再请 10 天假期移植。这样总请假 25 天，比一次连续 32 天更灵活，且机票多 1 套，但总成本只增加 5,000 元。

十四、心理预算：失败一次，情绪值多少钱？
CDC 数据：35 岁以下单周期活产率 55%，38 岁 42%，40 岁 26%。建议家庭在 Excel 里建“情景模型”：最佳、基准、最差三种。最差情景即两次取卵、三次移植，总成本 9.8 万美元。若心理上无法接受 50 万以上的支出，建议先在国内完成一次，拿到胚胎后再赴美移植，可把风险成本压到 3.5 万美元以内。

十五、 checklist：出发前一天，对照这 20 项
1. 护照有效期＞6 个月；2. EVUS 更新；3. 预约单打印；4. 费用预估单+已付收据；5. 存款证明英文翻译；6. 婚姻公证；7. 保险保单；8. 药品冷藏包+干冰；9. 病历光盘+加密 U 盘；10. 国内医生联系方式；11. 美国电话卡；12. 信用卡 4 张（额度≥10 万）；13. 现金 5,000 美元；14. 电子病历云备份；15. 返程机票；16. 租车驾照翻译；17. 公寓入住确认；18. 律师电话；19. 24 小时急诊地图；20. 心理支持热线。打印两份，一份随身，一份托运。

结语：赴美试管不是“奢侈品”，而是一场可以用 Excel 量化的项目管理。把医疗费、生活成本、法律风险、应急储备拆成 50 个可验证的小项，每完成一项就打钩，你会发现 50 万不再是无底洞，而是一张可以掌控的预算表。祝你早日把“费用”变成“路费”，把“胚胎”带回家。

This article link:https://bken.loadskill.com/usivf/443.html