PwC: Female Fertility Care Beyond IVF & Reproductive Health

Fertility care is expanding into a broader reproductive health category, shaped by earlier engagement with reproductive health and continued innovation to improve outcomes for women seeking treatment. 

According to PwC, the market is being supported by delayed parenthood, rising awareness and expanding insurance coverage. 

At the same time, advances across AI, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, care delivery and consumer health are creating opportunities beyond traditional IVF treatment. 

PwC expects the global fertility market to grow from approximately US$25-35bn today to around US$35-45bn by 2030.

An evolving fertility market

Fertility is among the most established categories in women’s health, shaped by decades of clinical development, public awareness and private investment, according to PwC. 

An estimated one in six people globally experience infertility during their lifetime, highlighting the scale of demand for fertility services. 

Historically, fertility care has largely been synonymous with IVF and focused on patients who have already experienced difficulties conceiving. 

PwC says this framing is changing as delayed family formation, broader family-building pathways and greater awareness bring women into the fertility ecosystem earlier. 

The average age of first-time mothers in the US reached 27.5 years in 2023, up from 24.9 years in 2000. 

“Reproductive care is broadening beyond infertility treatment itself,” Claire Love, PwC Global Health Industries Advisory Leader tells Healthcare Digital.

“We are seeing more proactive fertility assessments, egg freezing and at-home solutions that help people engage earlier and stay connected to their reproductive health outside the clinic. 

“The nearly 4x increase in elective egg-freezing cycles in the US between 2014 and 2021 is one indication of how that mindset is shifting.”

As family-building timelines lengthen, fertility assessment, preservation and treatment are becoming increasingly relevant parts of reproductive planning.

Earlier engagement with reproductive health

PwC identifies elective egg freezing as a significant indicator of earlier engagement with reproductive health. 

A 2025 study cited by PwC found that the number of patients undergoing planned elective egg freezing in the US nearly quadrupled between 2014 and 2021. 

This growth demonstrates how women are increasingly making proactive decisions about reproductive timing before infertility becomes a clinical problem. 

Broader family-building pathways are also expanding the patient population, including same-sex couples, single parents by choice and people pursuing donor conception or surrogacy. 

At the same time, age-related declines in egg quality and ovarian reserve continue to create challenges for women seeking treatment later in life. 

“Growth will be driven by a combination of demographic changes, expanding access and continued innovation to increase capacity of the fertility ecosystem,” Claire tells Healthcare Digital.

“People are forming families later, while broadening insurance coverage and employer-sponsored benefits are helping more patients access fertility services. 

“Additionally, advances in diagnostics, AI-enabled laboratory tools such as embryo assessment and more personalised treatment approaches can help improve decision-making, outcomes and operational efficiency.”

PwC therefore identifies both earlier engagement and continued unmet clinical need as important forces reshaping the fertility market.

AI and innovation enter the lab

AI is beginning to address some of the longstanding challenges associated with fertility treatment, with PwC identifying embryo selection as a key area of opportunity.

Embryo assessment typically relies on visual grading by embryologists, making the process labour-intensive and subject to observer variability.

PwC cites a 2022 study involving 36 embryologists in which average implantation prediction accuracy was 51.9%, while an AI model achieved 62.5% accuracy.

Deep learning models trained on time-lapse images could therefore support more consistent assessment while helping clinics manage shortages of trained embryologists.

AI-based image analysis is also being explored to assess oocyte quality earlier in the treatment process.

PwC notes that prospective evidence demonstrating improved pregnancy or live-birth outcomes will be important in establishing whether these technologies deliver meaningful clinical differentiation.

A wider healthcare opportunity

The fertility opportunity is expanding across providers, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, employers and consumer health, according to PwC.

The firm estimates that women’s fertility solutions represent a global market of US$25-35bn across these five areas, with growth projected at 6% to 8% annually through 2030.

Virtual and hybrid care models are helping reduce logistical barriers, while employer benefits are broadening beyond IVF to include egg freezing, genetic testing, care navigation and wider family-building support.

Consumer solutions such as at-home hormone testing, cycle tracking apps and connected monitoring devices are also encouraging earlier engagement, although PwC highlights differences in clinical validation and regulatory status.

Investment is following this expansion, with more than US$14bn deployed across fertility between 2020 and 2025 and nearly 400 venture capital funding events recorded during the period.

PwC’s analysis shows a category moving beyond clinic consolidation and IVF treatment towards a broader reproductive health ecosystem shaped by earlier engagement, clinical innovation and expanding access.

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