Cost of IVF in Nigeria: All You Need to Know

If you’ve been looking to get some accurate figures on the cost of IVF in Nigeria, you’re just on the right page. Read on to learn more.

IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is one of the most widely used assisted reproductive techniques all over the world. And the procedure is becoming more popular in Nigeria due to increasing awareness as well as the increase in the number of Nigerian medical practitioners who are experts in the procedure.

In this post, we’ll be looking at the current prices of the procedure in Nigeria as well as the various factors that affect the pricing.

Cost of IVF in Nigeria

The cost of the procedure usually ranges from as little as N600,000 to as much as N1,900,000. It could even be more or less depending on the centre and the treatment plan.

Often times, clients wonder if they can pay in instalments rather than paying at once for the treatment. Well, in some cases, you can pay 50 to 75% prior to starting the treatment. Then you can pay the balance when the treatment is completed.

Apart from the cost and payment schedule, there are some other things you should know about IVF treatment. For example, the duration of the IVF treatment can affect the overall treatment cost. Usually, a typical IVF treatment takes between 4 to 8 weeks depending on the peculiarity of the case and most of the time there’s usually no need for admission at the centre.

Cost of IVF in Nigeria: Typical Breakdown

Below is a typical breakdown of the various costs that make up the total IVF cost.

NOTE: Most of the figures quoted in this article were obtained from the website of Nordica, one of the foremost IVF centres in Nigeria. Prices vary from centre to centre. These figures are meant to give you a rough estimate.

Prices of IVF in Nigeria: Determinant Factors

Apart from the duration of treatment, other factors that affect the cost of IVF treatment include: 

Age

Generally, the younger the couple, the higher the success rate of treatment. This is due to the fact that egg and sperm often reduce in viability as couples grow older. As a result, it can be quite expensive if you’re attempting to conceive with IVF as a much older couple.

For couples below 35 years, the IVF success rate is 40-45%. For couples between 35 to 39 years, the success rates fall between 30 to 35%. But for couples older than 40 years, the IVF success rate is around 10% or even less.

If the egg or sperm isn’t as viable as it ought to be due to age, the couple will have to buy the egg or sperm from donors which tends to increase the overall IVF treatment cost. Egg donation can cost up to N500, 000 while sperm can cost up to N120, 000, but you can get a family member or close friend to donate the egg or sperm to you. This will reduce the cost dramatically.

Number of cycles

The number of cycles is another vital factor that should be considered when calculating the cost of your IVF treatment. For example, at Nordica, a reputable IVF centre in the country, the cost ranges from N870, 000 to N1, 760, 000 depending on the number of cycle. Below is an overview of the cost of the ART cycle from the Nordica website:

Involvement of egg donor or surrogate

If your eggs are assessed and found to be viable enough to be used for the IVF procedure, then you won’t have to pay all fees involving a donor, such as assessment and drugs.

Similarly, if you’re planning to carry the pregnancy yourself (that is, you won’t be engaging a surrogate), you would pay less for the IVF procedure as all fees attached to involving a surrogate are waived.

Note that it is quite possible to involve both an egg donor and a surrogate. And it’s also possible to involve only one of the two.

Known or unknown donor

If the donor is a known person to you, then your IVF costs would be slightly less than what you’d pay if an unknown donor was involved. Here’s a comparison of the costs for known and unknown donors.

Cost of drugs

Another aspect of IVF that incurs cost is the drugs and supplements being used. Drugs and supplements can cost up to N200,000 or even much more.

The drugs usually include prescription drugs and supplements which is some can cost can cost as much as N500,000.

In the case of surrogacy, the drugs for both the surrogate and the donor could cost well over N1,000,000.

Embryo freezing

This is another aspect of treatment that can increase the overall cost of IVF treatment. Usually, embryo freezing is carried out in order to provide back up for the client if the initial fresh embryo fails to result in pregnancy. If this happens, the woman can easily fall back on her stored embryo at little or no cost instead of starting all over again.

Legal fees

There is also the need to pay legal fees if the IVF treatment involves surrogacy. This fee is part of what is paid prior to commencing your IVF treatment and this fee could cost up to N150,000

It is important to note the cost of treatment is generally specific to individuals so you can’t really evaluate a fertility centre based on cost discrepancies between two different clients.

It is possible to spend less than a million naira on your treatment while another person spends much more than that. It all comes down to the diagnosis and the result of the investigations.

Also, in IVF treatment, the cost often varies because most centres tailor the treatment to fit the unique needs of their clients.

From time to time, some of the fertility centres in the country usually slash their prices in order to assist couple in need of IVF treatment. This discount could be as much as a 50% reduction.

Additionally, some centres have foundation that sponsor couples and assist them in paying for the treatment. For instance, the Bridge Clinic has a foundation called Aspire that showcase free IVF treatment packages offered by the Bridge Clinic.

Also, some centres also offer low-cost IVF treatment but you need to evaluate the reputation of these centres before you choose them. Because the truth is IVF is generally not cheap and if you begin to see fertility centres offering ridiculously low prices then you had better be cautious.

Another option for IVF treatment is using teaching hospital. Generally, the cost of IVF treatment in teaching hospitals in Nigeria is often much lower than that of private fertility centres. For example, the cost of one ART cycle in any of the teaching hospitals ranges between N400,000 and N600,000 which is about half the price of what you’ll get at any of the private IVF centres.

Government Hospitals Where IVF is Done

However, there are only 5 teaching hospitals that offer IVF treatment. These include:

• University of Benin Teaching Hospital
• Lagos University Teaching Hospital
• National Hospital, Abuja
• Lagos State University Teaching Hospital
• University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital

On the other hand, there are over 40 private IVF centres in the country.

Wrapping up

So that’s it. There are several options to explore if you’re looking for a cost-effective IVF treatment.

Overall, it is important to note that IVF isn’t cheap and the success rate of the treatment is not 100%. So you have to be cautious when you hear any IVF centre making certain promises that seem too good to be true.

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