Public fertility care in Ireland starts at six HSE Regional Fertility Hubs, and funded IVF, ICSI and IUI are delivered by eight HSE-approved private clinics. According to the Medical Independent (29 June 2026), reporting the HSE Fertility Services Report 2025, the hubs accepted 5,818 referrals in 2025 and 1,996 patients were referred on to a private AHR provider.
Beacon Care Fertility, First IVF, Merrion Fertility Clinic, ReproMed Dublin, ReproMed Galway, Sims IVF, Thérapie Fertility and Waterstone Clinic, several with satellite clinics (Department of Health, August 2024).
Cork University Maternity Hospital has been designated to deliver Ireland's first publicly funded and publicly provided AHR facility. IUI began there in 2025 after HPRA authorisation, and the full service is targeted for the final quarter of 2027 (Medical Independent, June 2026).
| 2025, public scheme | Number |
|---|---|
| Referrals accepted at the six hubs | 5,818 |
| Patients referred on to a private AHR provider | 1,996 |
| IVF cycles started | 712 |
| ICSI cycles started | 1,020 |
| Frozen embryo transfer cycles started | 1,319 |
| IUI cycles started | 594 |
| Clinical pregnancies recorded | 664 |
| Combined IVF/ICSI/FET clinical pregnancy rate | About 30% |
Source: Medical Independent, 29 June 2026, reporting the HSE Fertility Services Report 2025. Live-birth tracking was incomplete.
The same article reports that monthly referrals averaged 166 in 2025, up from 122 the year before, and that the average wait to see a reproductive medicine consultant at a hub ranged from 10 weeks in Nenagh to 27 weeks at the Coombe, about five months overall.
In the first year (September 2023 to August 2024), the HSE reported 6,288 referrals to the hubs and 1,084 referrals for AHR treatment (491 ICSI, 398 IVF, 166 IUI, 28 ICSI with TESE), with annual funding of €30 million. Of 206 couples discharged from the pathway, 79 (38%) had a confirmed clinical pregnancy, not adjusted for age or treatment type. A clinical pregnancy is not a birth, so ask your clinic for its live-birth results for women your age.
With one funded cycle, it pays to arrive at the approved clinic with your questions ready. Map to the Positive suggests asking your specialist before IVF starts:
The book notes that many centres now prioritise frozen embryo transfer for slightly better rates, which is one reason to ask how transfers are planned in your cycle.
Assisted reproduction demystified is Chapter 35 of Map to the Positive, in Station IV. It walks through the five phases of IVF, from the first injection to the pregnancy test, with side effects, common myths and the full list of questions to ask. The same station covers how to choose a doctor and the treatment ladder.
Take 30 days. If it does not give you more clarity than everything you have read for free so far, ask for a refund and you get every cent back. We cannot promise you a pregnancy. We can promise you will not be guessing.
References: Minister for Health marks the first anniversary of publicly funded AHR treatment - Department of Health (gov.ie) (2024-09-25) · Minister for Health announces over 1,000 couples referred for publicly funded Assisted Human Reproduction treatment - Department of Health (gov.ie) (2024-08-20) · HSE Fertility Services Report 2023-2024 - HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme (covers Sep 2023 to Aug 2024) · Growth in Irish fertility services (reporting the HSE Fertility Services Report 2025) - Medical Independent (2026-06-29)