Step 1: find out what you would pay at home
The U.S. half of the comparison is your situation, not an average from a news story. Before collecting quotes abroad, find out:
- whether your health plan or employer fertility benefit covers any IVF, diagnostics or medication, and whether a diagnosis is required first;
- whether coverage has lifetime or per-cycle limits;
- which parts you would pay even with coverage, such as storage, genetic testing or certain drugs;
- whether the plan pays anything toward care outside the U.S. Do not assume it does until the insurer confirms it in writing.
If a meaningful part of a U.S. cycle would be covered, the price gap that makes travel attractive can shrink or disappear. If nothing is covered, the comparison is between two self-pay options.
Step 2: get two quotes for the same clinical plan
The most useful document you can have is a written U.S. treatment plan. It shows the protocol, fertilisation method, embryo culture, any genetic testing and the transfer strategy you are being offered. Send it to the Medellín clinic, ask it to quote the equivalent, and ask it to explain anywhere its own recommendation differs. A low price for a plan with fewer services is not a saving; it is a different product.
Then line the two plans up. The rows matter more than the totals. Our IVF quote checklist goes deeper on what each row should contain.
| Line | What to confirm on both quotes |
|---|---|
| Consultations and diagnostics | Which tests are included, and which the clinic will accept from elsewhere |
| Monitoring | Number of scans and blood tests included; whether any are done at home |
| Stimulation medication | Included or estimated separately, and on what assumed dose |
| Retrieval and anaesthesia | Whether sedation is a separate fee |
| Fertilisation and culture | Conventional IVF or ICSI; how long embryos are cultured |
| Freezing and storage | How long storage is included, and the yearly fee after that |
| Genetic testing | Whether recommended for you, and priced per embryo or per cycle |
| Transfer | Fresh, frozen or both; cost of a later frozen transfer |
| Follow-up | Who does pregnancy testing and early scans, and who pays |
Step 3: add the costs only travel creates
These appear only on the Medellín side:
- flights for you and anyone travelling with you, booked on changeable fares;
- lodging for the full stay plus buffer days, food and local transport;
- unpaid time off work for you and a companion;
- travel insurance and, CDC suggests, consideration of supplemental cover including medical evacuation for medical travel (CDC Yellow Book, 2026);
- monitoring done at home before you fly, which you pay for separately;
- follow-up at home after you return. CDC notes that some overseas providers charge substantial fees for follow-up on top of the base price, so confirm where follow-up happens and what it costs (CDC Yellow Book, 2026).
Count trips, not cycles. A plan with a fresh transfer may need one trip; a freeze-all plan with a later frozen transfer needs two. Whether you choose one long stay or a split trip changes the arithmetic considerably; see two-week stay or split trip. Doing early monitoring at home can shorten the stay, as explained in whether IVF monitoring can start before you fly.
An illustrative way to price your time: multiply the number of working days the trip needs by your daily pay, add the same for any companion, and then add two buffer days for each, in case the retrieval date moves or the clinic asks you to stay. It is a real cost of travel even though no clinic will put it on a quote.
Step 4: check the U.S. tax treatment
For U.S. taxpayers who itemise deductions, IRS Publication 502 lists in vitro fertilisation, including temporary storage of eggs or sperm, as a medical expense when it is to overcome an inability to have children. Medical expenses are deductible only to the extent they exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income (IRS Publication 502, 2025).
The travel rules are narrower than many patients assume (IRS, 2025):
- Transportation counts if it is primarily for, and essential to, medical care.
- Lodging counts only up to $50 (USD) per night per person, and only if the care is provided by a doctor in a licensed hospital or a facility related to or equivalent to one, and the trip has no significant element of pleasure, recreation or vacation.
- Meals outside inpatient care are not included.
- A prescription drug bought and used in another country counts only if it is legal both there and in the U.S. Drugs brought back or shipped in from abroad generally do not count.
Whether a particular Medellín clinic meets the lodging condition, and how this interacts with an HSA or FSA, are questions for a tax professional. Keep itemised receipts in a form you can translate if asked.
Step 5: compare value, not just price
A lower price abroad does not by itself mean lower quality, and it does not guarantee equal quality either. CDC notes that accreditation and clinician certification standards vary between countries, that accreditation does not guarantee a good outcome, and that medical tourists may have less legal recourse if complications arise (CDC Yellow Book, 2026). Factor in what you would do, and spend, if something went wrong in Medellín.
Success data need the same care. U.S. clinics report outcomes to CDC, which publishes clinic-level results by age group, with own-egg outcomes counted cumulatively per retrieval (CDC, 2025). Colombian clinics are not in that system, so ask the Medellín clinic for its own outcome data in your age band, on the same basis, with the number of patients stated.
Step 6: price the harder case too
The comparison that matters is often not one cycle but the full path to a live birth. If you might need a second retrieval or more transfers, price those on both sides, including the extra trips. A Medellín plan that is cheaper for one cycle but needs two more flights for frozen transfers may close much of the gap.
An illustrative layout: make three columns for each country. Best case: one retrieval and one transfer. Expected case: the clinic's own estimate for someone with your age and history. Harder case: a second retrieval and further transfers. Fill in all six columns before deciding.
When staying in the U.S. may be the better deal
Staying home may make more sense if you have meaningful coverage, if you already have embryos frozen at a U.S. clinic, if a medical condition calls for close monitoring by your own doctors, if your job or family cannot accommodate dates that move, or if managing a complication far from home would be especially hard for you. None of those appear in a sticker price, and all of them affect the real cost.
Before you decide, confirm
- My U.S. insurance and employer coverage, in writing
- A written U.S. treatment plan, sent to the Medellín clinic for an equivalent quote
- The reasons for any differences between the two clinical plans
- Travel-only costs for every trip the plan needs, including a companion
- Where follow-up happens after I return, and who charges for it
- How IRS rules apply to my case, from a tax professional
- Outcome data from the Medellín clinic in my age band, on a per-retrieval basis
Already have a fertility treatment quote?
Compare the scope before comparing the sticker price. If you are gathering written estimates, keep the medication, laboratory, freezing, transfer and follow-up lines separate.
Compare a medical quoteExplore Colombia medical careConsidering fertility care in Medellín?
Use the private planning request to describe what you are comparing, your approximate timing and travel readiness. Do not upload medical records; a provider can move clinical information into its secure intake.
Request a fertility introductionCompare written quotesFrequently asked questions
Can I deduct IVF done in Colombia on my U.S. taxes?
IRS Publication 502 treats IVF, including temporary storage of eggs or sperm, as a medical expense, deductible by those who itemise only to the extent medical costs exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income. Travel, lodging and drug rules are narrower, so check your case with a tax professional.
Can I claim my lodging in Medellín?
Possibly, within limits. Publication 502 caps lodging at $50 per night per person and requires that the care be provided by a doctor in a licensed hospital or an equivalent facility, with no significant vacation element. Meals are generally excluded.
Will U.S. insurance pay for any part of IVF in Medellín?
Plans differ. Ask your insurer or benefits administrator in writing whether any diagnostics, medication or care abroad is covered, and whether monitoring at home before or after the trip is covered.
Is it fair to compare a U.S. clinic's CDC-reported rate with a Medellín clinic's figure?
Only if both use the same measure for the same patient group. CDC reports own-egg outcomes cumulatively per retrieval by age group, so ask the Medellín clinic to report on the same basis for your age band.
Should I buy IVF medication in the U.S. and bring it?
That depends on price, storage temperature and customs rules. For U.S. tax purposes, drugs bought and used abroad count only if legal in both countries, while imported drugs generally do not. Ask the clinic which medications it expects you to use and where to buy them.
Research sources
Sources read and cited for this article:
Medical disclaimer: MedellinIVF.co is an independent educational and lead-navigation site, not a fertility clinic. Nothing on this page is diagnosis, treatment advice or a guarantee of outcome. Prices and policies change. Verify current information directly with the treating clinic and appropriate Colombian registries.