IVF and donor egg costs
Donor Egg Military Discount
January 15, 2025
Last updated:
January 15, 2025
To the service members, veterans, and military spouses reading this: your dedication to our country deserves recognition and support as you build your family. We know that military life brings unique challenges to family planning, and we want to help make your path to parenthood clearer and more affordable.
At Cofertility, we work with many military families pursuing donor egg IVF. While the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) provide certain fertility benefits, we understand that navigating coverage options and understanding available discounts can feel overwhelming. That's why we offer a year-round military discount, and we've created this straightforward guide to help you understand your options.
Here, we'll break down the available resources for military families considering donor egg IVF, including VA benefits, TRICARE coverage, and how to make the most of various discount programs. We'll explain exactly who qualifies, what's covered, and how to combine different benefits effectively.
First off, what is Cofertility?
We're an egg donor matching platform committed to making donor egg IVF more accessible and ethical. We offer both fresh and frozen donor eggs through a unique egg sharing model: our donors aren't motivated by cash compensation - instead, they keep a portion of the eggs for their own future fertility while donating the rest to your family.
This model sets us apart from traditional egg donation programs. Our donors are typically accomplished women in their 20s and early 30s who want to preserve their own fertility while helping another family. They go through the same rigorous medical and psychological screening as traditional donors, but their motivation comes from the opportunity to freeze their eggs rather than financial compensation.
We support all paths to parenthood, whether you're interested in our fresh egg sharing program or would prefer to select from our frozen donor egg bank. Our platform makes it simple to view detailed donor profiles, and our team provides personalized support throughout your matching process.
Who qualifies for military discounts?
Cofertility offers a $500 discount to active duty personnel, veterans, and their spouses. This includes members and veterans of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard, as well as Reservists. The discount applies to both fresh and frozen donor eggs, and all family structures are welcome - whether you're a single parent, same-sex couple, or heterosexual couple.
VA fertility benefits explained
The VA covers several aspects of fertility treatment, including:
- Basic fertility counseling and evaluation
- Up to 6 embryo creation attempts
- Maximum of 3 embryo transfer cycles
- Cryopreservation and storage until the veteran's death
However, the VA does not cover donor egg costs. This makes additional discounts particularly valuable for those requiring donor eggs.
TRICARE coverage explained
Under TRICARE, fertility treatments fall under the Supplemental Health Care Program. While donor eggs must be purchased separately, TRICARE helps with related expenses like cryopreservation and storage during active service. Understanding these coverage limitations helps families plan financially for donor egg IVF.
Maximizing available benefits
Many families find success in combining different forms of coverage. VA benefits might cover certain procedure costs, while Cofertility's military discount reduces donor egg expenses. Some military treatment facilities also offer additional programs worth exploring.
Where to do IVF
While Cofertility can help you match with an egg donor, intended parents still need to seek fertility care with a clinic. We have a network of clinic partners we can introduce you to or you can work with a military hospital.
The military hospitals that provide IVF services include:
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
- Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu
- Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Liberty, North Carolina
- Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
- Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- Naval Medical Center San Diego
- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia
- Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Ohio
IVF clinics with military discounts
If you match with a Cofertility donor, our team can help connect you with clinics that offer military discounts. We work with a network of respected fertility clinics across the country and can guide you toward those that provide special pricing for service members, veterans, and their families. While clinic selection is ultimately your choice, we're happy to share information about military-friendly options in your area.
Support organizations
A few non-profit organizations provide support services and grants specifically for military families pursuing fertility treatment:
- The Bob Woodruff Foundation, Veterans in Vitro Initiative, and others offer financial assistance that can supplement existing benefits.
- The Military Family Building Coalition is a non-profit organization committed to supporting military families build the families they want.
- Operation Baby Foundation aims to help military couples diagnosed with medical infertility achieve their dreams of becoming parents.
- Building Military Families Network provides an empowering and supportive network to military and veteran families navigating the challenges in the family building process through support groups, education, and resources.
Getting started with Cofertility
To access Cofertility's military discount, verify your eligibility with appropriate documentation like military ID or DD-214. Our team will guide you through applying the discount to your donor egg treatment costs while helping you understand how to maximize any additional benefits you qualify for.
This 10% discount remains available year-round, reflecting our commitment to making donor egg IVF more accessible for military families. Contact us to learn more about combining this discount with other benefits as you plan your family-building treatment.
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Lauren Makler
Lauren Makler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cofertility, a human-first fertility ecosystem rewriting the egg freezing and egg donation experience. Previously, as an early Uber employee, Lauren founded Uber Health, a product that enables healthcare organizations to leverage Uber’s massive driver network in improving healthcare outcomes through patient transportation and healthcare delivery. Under her leadership, the business helped millions of patients get to the care they needed. Prior to that, Lauren spent the early years at Uber launching the core business throughout the east coast and led the company’s first experiment in healthcare, national on demand flu shot campaigns. After a rare disease diagnosis, Lauren’s fertility journey led her to believe that everyone should have the opportunity to freeze their eggs–and that there should be better access to egg donors. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their miracle baby girl. She was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business in 2023 and recieved her BA from Northeastern University in Organizational Communication.
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Lauren Makler