Imagine a future where starting a family isn’t just a dream but an accessible reality for millions. But here’s where it gets controversial: President Donald Trump has just announced a deal that could significantly lower the cost of fertility medications, sparking both hope and debate. On Thursday, Trump revealed an agreement between his administration and pharmaceutical giant EMD Serono, aimed at reducing the price of certain IVF drugs. This move, officials claim, will help countless American couples struggling with infertility to afford treatments that were once out of reach.
Trump has long championed expanding IVF access as a key campaign promise. In February, he signed an executive order to explore ways to lower IVF costs and remove barriers to treatment. This latest deal, according to an administration official, is a direct fulfillment of that pledge. “In the Trump administration, we want to make it easier for couples to have babies, raise children, and start the families they’ve always dreamed of,” Trump declared from the Oval Office.
EMD Serono, the world’s largest fertility drug manufacturer, has agreed to offer substantial discounts on its medications in the U.S., including Gonal-f, a widely used treatment for infertility in both women and men. Currently, a single cycle of fertility drugs can cost between $5,000 and $6,000, with only about 30% of families having employer-based coverage to offset these expenses. Under the new deal, prices for these drugs will be listed online at “heavily reduced rates,” with potential savings of 42% to 79% per IVF cycle, depending on the patient’s income. These discounted drugs are expected to be available by early 2026.
And this is the part most people miss: The cost of IVF isn’t just about medication. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a single IVF cycle can range from $15,000 to $20,000, soaring past $30,000 if donor eggs are involved. With the average number of cycles needed to achieve pregnancy being 2.5, the total cost can easily exceed $40,000. Trump’s administration has also pressured specialty pharmacies like CVS and Express Scripts to reduce their handling expenses, ensuring broader access to these treatments.
But the conversation doesn’t end there. During a White House press briefing, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pointed to endocrine disruptors—chemicals that interfere with hormones—as a major cause of declining birth rates. “When my uncle was president, the fertility rate was 3.5%. Today, it’s 1.6%,” Kennedy noted, calling it a national security threat. He credited Trump’s MAHA agenda for addressing these chemical exposures. However, this claim is hotly debated. Numerous studies, including a recent review in Fertility and Sterility, suggest that social and economic factors—delayed childbearing, high costs of raising children, and lifestyle changes—are the primary drivers of lower birth rates. A 2024 Pew survey found that 36% of young adults cite unaffordability as the main reason they’re unlikely to have children.
While some research links endocrine disruptors to reduced fertility in humans and animals, a Scientific Reports paper found no evidence that these chemicals are the main cause of declining fertility. Kennedy has long championed this theory, citing studies like one on atrazine’s effects on frogs, but critics argue that the evidence in humans remains inconclusive.
Here’s the question that’s bound to spark debate: Is Trump’s deal a game-changer for fertility access, or is it just a band-aid on a much larger issue? And what role, if any, do endocrine disruptors truly play in declining birth rates? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this is a conversation that needs your voice.
