Even the lucrative US IVF business is suffering in the recession. According to the New York Post, fertility clinics across the country are slashing prices and offering discount IVF. Normally a single IVF cycle costs between US$12,000 and $15,000. However, discounts ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 are not uncommon nowadays. One Los Angeles clinic is boasting a fire-sale price of $5,800. "I expect some clinics will go out of business and others will be forced to merge because of the downturn in business," said Dr Joel Batzofin, a Manhattan specialist. He told the Post that the recession is not the only reason for the downturn. There is also a demographic issue leading to a dip in demand: baby boomers are generally past baby-making and their children, the so-called echo boomers, will not begin to hit prime IVF candidacy until 2011.

All the tricks of discounting are being tried out by clinics. Some clinics are offering package deals. One Pennsylvania clinic, the Crozer Reproductive Endocrinology & Fertility Center, has introduced “multi-cycle” package that charges $12,500 for two attempts and $15,000 for three attempts. ~ New York Post, May 24; Philadelphia Business Journal, May 15