100,000 IVF Babies in One Year: What This Milestone Means

How We Got Here

Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby, was born in 1978. Her parents faced enormous public scrutiny and moral hand-wringing. Nearly five decades later, IVF has gone from a scientific experiment to a routine medical procedure performed in over 500 clinics across the United States.

The growth has been exponential. In 2010, about 60,000 IVF babies were born in the US. By 2020, that number had climbed to roughly 80,000. Now it's exceeded 100,000 — and the trend is still accelerating. Several factors are driving the increase:

• People are having children later. The average age of first-time mothers in the US is now 30. As maternal age increases, so does the likelihood of needing fertility assistance.
• Employer benefits have expanded. Companies like Google ($75K), Microsoft ($50K), and Starbucks ($25K) now cover fertility treatment. See our employer benefits guide for a full list.
• Technology has improved. Vitrification (flash-freezing), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A), and AI-assisted embryo selection have all increased success rates per cycle.
• Egg freezing normalized the conversation. As more women freeze their eggs, more become familiar with the IVF process — because using frozen eggs requires IVF.
• LGBTQ+ family building. Same-sex couples and single parents by choice increasingly use IVF with donor gametes or surrogacy.

What the 100,000 Number Means — and Doesn't

The milestone is genuinely good news: IVF works better than ever, and more families have access to it. But it comes with important caveats.

The Access Gap Is Still Enormous

Only 21 states have any fertility insurance mandate, and those mandates vary wildly. Some require coverage for diagnosis only. Some exclude IVF entirely. Some cap lifetime benefits at amounts that cover less than one cycle. The result: your zip code still largely determines whether IVF is affordable.

The average IVF cycle costs $15,000-$25,000 (with medications). Most couples need 2-3 cycles. That's $30,000-$75,000 — a figure that prices out the majority of Americans without employer benefits or state mandates.

Success Rates Are Better — But Not Equal

Live birth rates per transfer have improved significantly, particularly with frozen embryo transfers and PGT-A testing. But success still correlates strongly with age at egg retrieval:

These rates improve with elective single embryo transfer (eSET) of PGT-A tested embryos. For a detailed guide to understanding clinic success rates, see our SART data guide on ConceiveGuide.

What's Next for IVF?

Several emerging technologies are poised to make IVF more effective, less invasive, and potentially more affordable:

• AI embryo selection: Machine learning algorithms now analyze embryo images with accuracy rivaling experienced embryologists. Less subjectivity, more consistency. See our AI in IVF explainer.
• Non-invasive PGT (niPGT): Genetic testing from spent culture media instead of embryo biopsy. Less risk, same information. Read more on ConceiveGuide.
• Oral-based protocols: The MPA protocol replaces some injections with oral medications, reducing cost and discomfort.
• Cost disruption: Costco's fertility program is cutting medication costs by 60-80%. More programs like this are likely to follow.

Frequently Asked Questions