Finding fertility care in South Carolina means considering what each clinic can offer throughout your treatment, from IVF and embryo development to future transfer plans. Experience, laboratory quality and available services can all shape which provider makes sense for your path, especially if gestational surrogacy may be part of your plans.

In this guide, you can compare South Carolina fertility clinics using standardized CDC data while learning what to consider at each stage of IVF and a potential surrogacy journey.

Have questions about your options? Contact us to get the personalized guidance you need as you decide what comes next for your family.

Fertility Clinics in South Carolina

South Carolina has fertility clinics serving intended parents across several areas of the state, including Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. The providers below offer IVF and services that can support patients pursuing gestational surrogacy.

• Coastal Fertility Specialists (Lexington, SC)
• Fertility Center of the Carolinas – Prisma Health (Greensville, SC)

Note: The clinics featured in this guide are SART member clinics with laboratory accreditation through the College of American Pathologists (CAP) or The Joint Commission. Unless otherwise noted, success rate data is based on SART’s 2024 clinic data.

Coastal Fertility Specialists

Location: Lexington, SC

Phone: 803-223-9898

Website: coastalfertilityspecialists.com

Services Offered:

• Donor Egg
• Donor Embryo
• Egg Cryopreservation
• Embryo Cryopreservation
• Gestational Carrier
• Mental Health
• Outside Monitoring
• PGT

Success Rates of Frozen Embryo Transfers by Age: With PGT-A

Age	<35	35-37	38-40	>40
Clinic Success (Live Birth Per SET)	65.9%	64.5%	70.0%	47.8%

Success Rates of Frozen Embryo Transfers by Age: Without PGT-A

Age	<35	35-37	38-40	>40
Clinic Success (Live Birth Per SET)	64.2%	59.1%	35.1%	3/13

Fertility Center of the Carolinas – Prisma Health

Location: Greensville, SC

Phone: 864-455-1600

Website: prismahealth.org

Services Offered:

• Donor Egg
• Donor Embryo
• Egg Cryopreservation
• Embryo Cryopreservation
• Gestational Carrier
• Outside Monitoring
• PGT

Success Rates of Frozen Embryo Transfers by Age: With PGT-A

Age	<35	35-37	38-40	>40
Clinic Success (Live Birth Per SET)	60.4%	47.0%	54.5%	4/9

Success Rates of Frozen Embryo Transfers by Age: Without PGT-A

Age	<35	35-37	38-40	>40
Clinic Success (Live Birth Per SET)	60.0%	1/5	1/1	0/0

How to Compare Fertility Clinic Success Rates

A higher percentage does not tell the whole story when comparing fertility clinics. Start by looking at live birth rates, which show how often treatment results in the birth of a baby. Pregnancy rates measure an earlier outcome and can include pregnancies that do not ultimately result in a live birth.

Next, consider who the clinic treats. Patient age, diagnosis, treatment type and other medical factors can influence reported outcomes, so two clinic percentages may not represent comparable patient populations.

Treatment volume provides additional context. Clinics performing fewer IVF cycles can experience larger year-to-year changes in their reported rates. Use the clinic data above as one part of your comparison alongside the patients treated and the number of cycles performed.

Understanding the IVF Process

In vitro fertilization (IVF) creates embryos through a series of medical and laboratory stages before transfer to an intended parent or gestational carrier. Each phase involves clinical monitoring and specialized embryology care:

• Fertility Evaluation: Biological parents or donors complete testing that may include ovarian reserve testing, ultrasounds, infectious disease screening and semen analysis.
• Ovarian Stimulation: The egg provider uses fertility medications to stimulate multiple follicles while the clinical team monitors hormone levels and follicular growth.
• Egg Retrieval: A reproductive endocrinologist retrieves mature eggs through an ultrasound-guided outpatient procedure.
• Fertilization and Embryo Development: An embryologist fertilizes the eggs using conventional insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), then monitors the embryos as they develop.
• Optional Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A/PGT-M): Embryos may be tested for chromosome abnormalities through PGT-A or certain inherited single-gene conditions through PGT-M.
• Embryo Cryopreservation: Embryos can be frozen through vitrification and stored for a future transfer, including while intended parents prepare for surrogacy or bank embryos for later use.

Average IVF Costs in South Carolina

One IVF cycle in South Carolina may cost around $12,000–$24,000 before medications and additional services. Your total will depend on your treatment plan, medications and whether you need genetic testing, donor services or additional transfers. Estimated expenses may include:

• Egg Retrieval and Monitoring: $8,000–$13,000
• Stimulation Medications: $3,500–$7,000
• Laboratory Services and ICSI: $1,500–$2,500
• Embryo Freezing: $600–$1,200
• PGT-A: $2,000–$4,500, if used
• Donor Eggs: $14,000–$28,000, if needed
• Donor Sperm: $800–$1,500 per vial, if needed
• Embryo Storage: $500–$1,000 annually
• Frozen Embryo Transfer: $3,000–$5,000

Paying for IVF in South Carolina

South Carolina does not have a statewide mandate requiring private health plans to cover IVF. However, fertility benefits vary by insurance plan, and some policies may cover testing, monitoring or other parts of treatment even when IVF itself is not covered.

Financing and multi-cycle programs may also be available through individual clinics. Review your insurance benefits and request an itemized estimate from your clinic before beginning treatment.

How Fertility Clinics Work with Surrogacy Agencies

After embryos have been created, your fertility clinic and surrogacy agency work together to prepare for the medical portion of your surrogacy journey. Your clinic oversees medical screening and the embryo transfer process, while your agency coordinates the surrogate, scheduling, travel and other logistics. Here’s what the process generally looks like:

• Step 1: Choose a Gestational Surrogate: Your agency helps you find and match with a surrogate who meets its program requirements.
• Step 2: Review Medical Records: Your fertility clinic reviews your surrogate’s medical and pregnancy history.
• Step 3: Complete Medical Screening: Your surrogate travels to your fertility clinic for an in-person medical clearance appointment.
• Step 4: Finalize Legal Contracts: The necessary surrogacy agreements are completed before treatment moves forward.
• Step 5: Embryo Transfer and Monitoring: Your surrogate returns to the clinic for the embryo transfer and receives early pregnancy monitoring before transitioning to her OB for prenatal care.

Your agency coordinates the scheduling and travel for your surrogate’s screening and embryo transfer. Her travel and related expenses are accounted for within the agency’s program cost as part of her compensation and expenses.

Talk With a Surrogacy Professional About Choosing the Right Fertility Clinic

Considering surrogacy can change what you need from a fertility clinic. Looking ahead can help you choose a provider that can support your IVF treatment now and work with a gestational surrogate later.

Talk with a surrogacy professional to discuss what to look for in a clinic, how IVF fits into the surrogacy process and which factors matter for your plans for parenthood.