President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expand access to and reduce the cost of in vitro and other fertilization treatments.

The order directs his domestic policy advisers to make recommendations on how to lower costs for IVF, both for patients using health insurance and those paying out of pocket. 

The order signed Tuesday has no immediate impact on the cost of IVF or expanding access to reproductive treatments.

Roughly 13% of reproductive-age women said they or their partner needed fertility assistance services at some point, according to a 2024 survey from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research and news organization. Fourteen percent of those women said they received IVF, a type of assisted reproductive technology where eggs are combined with sperm in a lab to form embryos.   

But because IVF isn’t always covered by insurance, out-of-pocket costs can put the fertility treatment out of reach for some. The base fee for IVF averages between $9,000 and $14,000, according to KFF, and many patients require multiple rounds of treatment plus additional costs for freezing eggs, storage and other services.

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“I've been saying we are going to do what we have to do and I think the women and families, husbands, are very appreciative of it,” Trump said during a press briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. 

Trump called for the expansion of IVF treatment on the campaign trail after his Supreme Court nominees helped overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had protected abortion rights. IVF became a contentious issue during the 2024 election following an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos could be considered children.

Trump, who once called himself the “father of IVF” at a town hall, pledged during his campaign that his administration would ensure that insurance carriers or the government would pay for the costs of IVF treatment but did not say how he would do that.

“Under the Trump administration, your government will pay for – or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for – all costs associated with IVF treatment," Trump said at a Michigan event in August. “We want more babies, to put it very nicely.” 

Polls show most Americans support IVF, but the issue has divided Republicans, some of whom believe life begins at conception and object to the destruction of unused embryos. Others in the GOP have spoken out against the government funding IVF treatments because of the cost. Senate Republicans twice last year blocked legislation to provide federal protections for IVF.

It’s unclear how quickly the Trump administration will be able to take action to reduce costs. The executive order gives the Domestic Policy Council 90 days to submit a list of policy recommendations.  

Families reeling from the high cost of infertility treatments responded enthusiastically to the announcement.

Courtney Deady and her husband have been trying to conceive a baby for 10 years. As the community support director for the Building Military Families Network, a nonprofit that supports military and veteran families, Deady calls the president’s executive order a “huge win” for the 1 in 6 families struggling with infertility.

“That makes me super excited. It means he held true to his campaign promise,” she said. But as a patient advocate, Deady said she knows better than most that “executive orders are just executive orders” and the road to reducing costs and expanding access for families has just begun.

Usha Ranji, associate director for women’s health policy at KFF, said Congress likely will have to take action to reduce IVF costs. 

“It’ll be interesting to see what actually happens going forward, in terms of legislative action,” Ranji said.