CARE Fertility vs CREATE Fertility 2026: Prices, Success Rates & Locations
Compare CARE Fertility and CREATE Fertility for IVF in the UK. Prices, success rates, locations, and treatment approach — conventional vs mild/natural IVF.
CARE Fertility and CREATE Fertility are two of the most recognised IVF clinic groups in the UK. They take fundamentally different approaches: CARE is the UK's largest private fertility group (11 clinics, conventional high-stimulation IVF), while CREATE (5 clinics) specialises in natural and mild IVF protocols that use fewer drugs. CREATE publishes only "from" prices, so its headline figures are floors rather than fees — which is why the two are not directly comparable on price alone.
Quick comparison
| CARE Fertility | CREATE Fertility | |
|---|---|---|
| UK clinics | 11 | 5 |
| Locations | Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Derby, Dublin, Edinburgh, Exeter, London, Manchester, Northampton, Sheffield | London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Chelmsford |
| Published IVF cycle | £4,500 fixed (£4,950 London and South) | From £3,795 (£3,995 some sites) |
| Approach | Conventional stimulation | Natural and mild IVF specialists |
| HFEA licensed | Yes | Yes |
| Success rates (under 35) | At or above national average (32%) at most centres | Comparable per embryo transferred; lower per cycle started due to fewer eggs collected |
| Add-ons offered | Extensive — PGT-A, ERA, EmbryoGlue, endometrial scratch, time-lapse | Selective — time-lapse, PGT-A available |
| Funding options | Self-pay, NHS contracts (select locations), finance plans | Self-pay, finance plans |
Success rate source: HFEA national data. National average birth rate per embryo transferred for patients under 35 is approximately 32%. Individual clinic rates vary by year and patient mix.
CARE is one of the few UK clinic groups with NHS contracts at select locations — so some patients can access CARE centres through NHS-funded cycles, depending on their ICB. CREATE operates self-pay and finance plans only.
Pricing comparison
Read from each group's own published fees. CARE prints fixed figures in PDF fee schedules; CREATE publishes only "from" prices, so its column is a floor rather than a fee. Blank cells mean the treatment is not published, not that it is unavailable.
| Treatment | CARE Fertility (published fee) | CREATE Fertility (from price) |
|---|---|---|
| IVF cycle | £4,500 (£4,950 London and South) | From £3,795 (£3,995 some sites) |
| ICSI | £1,500 added to a cycle | From £1,395 |
| IVF with PGT-A | PGT-A £1,445 | From £5,795 (£5,995 some sites) |
| Frozen embryo transfer | £2,900 | Not published |
| IUI | £1,350 | Not published |
| Egg freezing cycle | Not published | From £3,195 |
| Donor egg treatment | Not published | From £5,880 |
| HyCoSy | £645 | Not published |
| Initial consultation | Not published | From £175 (includes scan) |
CARE figures read from its published fee schedules on 6 August 2026 via the TreatCompare UK clinic price dataset; CREATE figures read from createfertility.co.uk/costs on 6 August 2026. All exclude stimulation drugs. A "from" price is a starting point and the amount charged is commonly higher, so request a full itemised quote before comparing the two.
CARE Fertility: treatment profile
Founded in 1997, CARE Fertility operates 11 clinics from Exeter to Edinburgh. It is the largest private fertility group in the UK.
- Conventional high-stimulation IVF is the standard protocol, aiming to maximise eggs collected per cycle
- PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing) is a particular area of expertise — CARE was an early adopter
- NHS contracts at several locations
- Wide geographic reach — 11 clinics cover most of England and Scotland
- Comprehensive add-on menu including EmbryoGlue, endometrial scratch, and time-lapse imaging
- Research-active — publishes studies in reproductive genetics and embryology
CREATE Fertility: treatment profile
Founded by Professor Geeta Nargund, a campaigner for milder IVF protocols. CREATE operates 5 clinics focused on reducing the physical, emotional, and financial burden of fertility treatment.
- Natural cycle IVF (no stimulation drugs), used for patients who respond poorly to drugs or prefer minimal intervention. CREATE does not price it separately on its costs page — the published line is a single IVF entry from £3,795 — so ask what a natural cycle costs before assuming it is lower
- Mild stimulation IVF uses lower drug doses (typically 5–9 days of stimulation vs 10–14 days), producing fewer eggs but at lower total cost
- Lower drug spend — total cycle cost including medication is often £1,500–3,000 less than conventional IVF
- 5 clinics in London (St Paul's), Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, and Chelmsford
- Selective with add-ons — fewer optional extras than conventional clinics
- Philosophy-driven — designed around reducing OHSS risk and drug exposure
The two groups publish in different forms, and that is the practical difference. CARE prints a fixed cycle fee you can plan against; CREATE publishes a floor. Comparing £4,500 with "from £3,795" is not comparing like with like — ask CREATE what your protocol actually costs before treating the gap as a saving.
Differentiators summarised
CARE emphasises: conventional stimulation, maximising egg yield per cycle, PGT-A expertise, wide geographic coverage, NHS contracts at some locations, comprehensive add-on menu.
CREATE emphasises: lower drug exposure, natural and mild protocols, lower cost per cycle, reduced OHSS risk, smaller add-on menu aligned with minimising intervention.
Both are HFEA-licensed and publish outcomes to the national register. Neither is categorically better — they serve different patient preferences and clinical situations.
NHS-funded IVF at these clinics
NICE recommends up to 3 NHS-funded IVF cycles for eligible women under 40, but provision varies dramatically by area. Many ICBs fund only 1 cycle, and age, BMI, and waiting-time criteria differ across the country.
CARE holds NHS contracts in some regions. CREATE is self-pay only. Whether you can access NHS-funded treatment depends on your local ICB's commissioning.
Use our NHS IVF eligibility checker to see what your local area offers.
Compare UK fertility clinics
Compare CARE, CREATE, and other HFEA-licensed UK fertility clinics on pricing and treatment approach.
Compare fertility clinic pricesRelated guides
- IVF Cost UK Guide — full breakdown of advertised vs true cost
- Egg Freezing Cost UK — cycle, drug, and storage pricing
- NHS IVF eligibility checker — check your local ICB funding
Important context
IVF success rates vary by age, diagnosis, treatment type, use of donor eggs, embryo transfer approach and patient selection. TreatCompare summarises published clinic-level data for comparison and research purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a clinic. Patients should verify current figures, treatment suitability and pricing directly with the clinic.
- Source type
- TreatCompare compiled research
- Primary source
- Provider-published information and TreatCompare research
- Reporting period
- 2026-08-06
- Last updated
- 2026-08-06
- Figure type
- Mixed sources
- Use
- Research and comparison only
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CARE Fertility and CREATE Fertility?
CARE Fertility is the UK's largest private fertility group with 11 clinics, using conventional high-stimulation IVF protocols. CREATE Fertility operates 5 clinics specialising in natural and mild IVF protocols that use fewer drugs, which can reduce total medication spend. Both are HFEA-licensed and publish outcomes to the national register.
How do CARE Fertility and CREATE Fertility compare on price?
They publish differently, which matters as much as the numbers. CARE prints fixed figures in PDF fee schedules: an IVF cycle with fresh embryo transfer is £4,500 at most of its centres and £4,950 in London and the South, with ICSI charged separately at £1,500. CREATE publishes only 'from' prices on its costs page — IVF from £3,795 (£3,995 at some locations) and ICSI from £1,395 — so its figures are floors rather than fees. A CARE price tells you what you will pay; a CREATE price tells you what you will pay at least. All figures exclude stimulation drugs.
What is natural IVF and how much does it cost at CREATE Fertility?
Natural cycle IVF uses no stimulation drugs, and mild IVF uses a reduced dose. The trade-off is fewer eggs per cycle, so some patients need more cycles to reach a live birth than they would on conventional stimulation. It suits patients who respond poorly to drugs or prefer minimal intervention. CREATE does not currently price natural or mild cycles separately on its costs page — it publishes a single IVF line from £3,795 — so ask directly what a natural or mild cycle costs before assuming it is lower.
Where are CARE Fertility and CREATE Fertility clinics located?
CARE Fertility has 11 clinics in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Derby, Dublin, Edinburgh, Exeter, London, Manchester, Northampton and Sheffield. CREATE Fertility has 5 clinics in London (St Paul's), Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Chelmsford. CARE has wider geographic coverage across England and Scotland.
Can I get NHS-funded IVF at CARE Fertility or CREATE Fertility?
CARE holds NHS contracts in some regions, so some patients can access CARE centres through NHS-funded cycles depending on their ICB. CREATE operates self-pay and finance plans only. NICE recommends up to 3 NHS-funded cycles for eligible women under 40, but many ICBs fund only 1 cycle and criteria vary dramatically by area.
Which clinic offers more IVF add-ons, CARE or CREATE?
CARE Fertility offers an extensive add-on menu including PGT-A, ERA, EmbryoGlue, endometrial scratch and time-lapse imaging, and was an early adopter of PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing). CREATE is more selective — time-lapse and PGT-A are available, but the smaller add-on menu aligns with the clinic's philosophy of minimising intervention and OHSS risk.
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