IVF Eligibility: Who Can Get IVF and What Really Matters

When it comes to IVF eligibility, the set of medical, legal, and personal conditions that determine if someone can access in vitro fertilization treatment. Also known as fertility treatment criteria, it’s not just about age or infertility diagnosis—it’s about your overall health, financial readiness, and even how your body responds to hormones. Many assume IVF is only for women under 35, but that’s not true. People in their late 30s, 40s, and even early 50s have successfully had babies through IVF—when their bodies and medical teams say it’s safe.

What really decides if you qualify? It’s not one thing. It’s a mix of IVF success rates, the likelihood of a live birth based on age, egg quality, and clinic performance, your hormone levels, how your body responds to fertility drugs like FSH and LH, and whether you have conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, or blocked tubes. Even your BMI matters. Clinics often set limits because being underweight or overweight lowers success chances and increases risks. Insurance rules, country laws, and clinic policies add more layers—some won’t treat single people or same-sex couples without legal backing, while others don’t care.

There’s also the emotional side. IVF isn’t just a medical procedure—it’s a marathon. It takes weeks of injections, blood tests, appointments, and waiting. If you’re not mentally prepared, the stress can hurt your chances more than any hormone imbalance. That’s why many clinics require counseling before starting. And let’s be honest: cost is a huge factor. IVF can run $10,000 to $20,000 per cycle in the U.S., and most insurance plans don’t cover it. That’s why people look to medical tourism—like in countries where treatment is cheaper and still high-quality.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of rules. It’s real stories and science about who gets IVF, who doesn’t, and why. You’ll see how age affects outcomes, what tests doctors actually check, how some people beat the odds, and what happens when IVF doesn’t work. There’s no magic formula—but there are clear patterns. And if you’re thinking about IVF, you need to know them before you start.