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Pelargos IVF Centre

Table of Contents

IVF treatment availability at Pelargos IVF

IVF at Pelargos IVF Medical Group - restrictions
Woman maximum age54
Single womanAllowed
Same sex female couplesAllowed
HIV (female)Not allowed
HIV (male)Not allowed
HCV / HBV (female)Not allowed
HCV / HBV (male)Not allowed

About Pelargos IVF

Pelargos IVF was founded by Harry Karpouzis and aims to deliver outstanding care towards its patients and help them achieve their dreams of parenthood. In Greek, Pelargos is the word for stork, which is the bird that was said to bring babies to families who were expecting a child, and this sums the clinic up quite well, bringing babies to families. With each patient that walks through their door they give them a truly caring experience, treating each one with the care and love that they deserve.

Whatever the reason for your visit to Pelargos IVF they can offer many different treatments and techniques, using state-of-the-art equipment that has been designed to offer you the highest chances of success. With the many treatment options available they will have a consultation with you and determine what the issues are, and come up with a personalised plan that is tailor-made for your needs.

Some of the treatment options available are treatments using egg donation, embryo donation, sperm donation, and more. If you require egg or embryo donation, then you will be matched with your donor as closely as possible, to ensure similar looks, although this will be done by the fertility doctors as the donation is anonymous. You can rest assured that all donors are thoroughly tested to ensure that their donations are only coming from healthy and fertile young people, and they have had specialised testing done to further ensure that there will be no genetic diseases further down the line. Pelargos’ collaborator sclinics also only use donors that are younger than 30, despite donors in Greece being allowed to be up to age 35, as this allows for healthier and more fertile donations to be made available to you.

In 2023, Pelargos IVF performed 344 treatment cycles (31% IVF with donor eggs and 69% IVF cycles with own eggs). Greek IVF regulations allow treatment for women up to 54 years of age and with additional requirements for international patients aged between 50 – 54 years old. To get approved for treatment at Pelargos IVF, international patients in this age group must submit:

  • a gynecologist’s assessment letter, translated into Greek (translation service available through Pelargos IVF)
  • a cardiologist’s evaluation letter, translated into Greek (can be done in Athens or the patient’s home country)
  • a mammologist’s examination report, translated into Greek (can be done in Athens or the patient’s home country)
  • a completed application to the Greek National Authority of Assisted Reproduction

Pelargos IVF Medical Group

One major advantage of using Pelargos IVF is that Greece has laws in place that allow couples from abroad to look to surrogacy as an option, as long as the surrogate has an address in Greece, be it temporary or permanent. Whilst surrogacy isn’t cheap, in Greece it is cheaper than a lot of other places, and thanks to the strong laws in place it is a very good option to have, as the law protects both the couple looking for a surrogate and the surrogate herself. The surrogate is also tested to ensure she is healthy and has the ability to carry a baby to term. So if you are looking at surrogacy as a possible option for your journey toward parenthood, Pelargos IVF has your back.

Pelargos IVF experience and medical staff

Harry Karpouzis, MD

The Pelargos Medical Group is run by Harry Karpouzis, MD, MRCOG. He was fully trained in the United Kingdom and has worked at some of the busiest hospitals in the capital city of London. He is a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as being certified by the British Fertility Society, British Society of Colposcopies and Cervical pathology, and with the European Inter-University Diploma of invasive endoscopic surgery. Having over 10 years of experience in assisted conception and infertility, he began working in the private sector in 2013 and has been cooperating with the Fertility Specialists team at the Institute of Life Fertility Center since 2015.

The Pelargos Medical Group collaborates with doctors and specialists in Athens, as well as London, who are there to help you with every step of your treatment. The team of collaborators comprises two fertility doctors, a urologist, an endocrinologist, a hematologist, and a dietician and various ESHRE-accredited embryologists in cooperating IVF centres in Greece where the actual treatments take place. Some standouts are their psychologist, acupuncturist, personal trainer and a yoga instructor who also specialises in shiatsu massage. These members of the team are notable because it shows that the clinic wants to work towards your mental and physical health in order to ensure that you are healthy of mind and body, as a healthy mind and body are a lot more important than people think when it comes to your overall health. Pelargos IVF also has their own clinical dietitian who is based in London and who can help you with your daily diet, as what we eat can also have a great impact on our bodies.

You won’t have to worry about a language barrier as there are interpreters available who speak multiple languages, so that you will never feel like you can’t communicate effectively with your doctor or the clinic. If you are based in the UK you will also have access to private and NHS GPs in London, should you ever need any tests or blood work performed while back in the country, without needing to worry about booking a flight back to Athens.

IVF costs at Pelargos IVF

Pelargos IVF and its associate clinics offer individualised treatment, meaning that the treatment plan is designed specifically for your needs, so when it comes to your treatment costs there is no one set price, and the overall price can vary depending on what you require. However, all patients are expected to pay €80 for the initial medical consultation with the doctor. This is deducted from the cost of treatment once the cycle begins.

Basic IVF packages cost at Pelargos IVF Medical Group
Intrauterine insemination (IUI)€550
Artificial insemination with donor (AID)€850
IVF with own eggs€3,250
Egg donation IVF€6,300
Embryo donation€5,700
Egg freezing€2,250
Sperm donation€3,400
ROPAN/A
SurrogacyTBC

The basic cost for IVF treatment will be €3,250, with IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) costing €550, and AID (Artificial Insemination with Donor) costing €850.

If you are undergoing treatment using egg donation then this will cost €6,300, whilst treatment using embryo donation will cost €5,100. Sometimes the reason you require treatment is due to your male partner’s sperm not being fertile enough, so you can undergo treatment using sperm donation, which will cost €3,400, with the donor sperm costing €300.

Some additional add-ons that patients like to have include embryo monitoring and blastocyst culture, which are both included in the cost of your treatment. Another popular add-on is called PGT-A/PGS genetic testing, which tests for abnormalities within the embryos prior to implantation, and to have this test performed will cost €740 for a biopsy and EUR 240 per blastocyst biopsied (NGS) so nearly in total €1,000.

If you wish to have children in the future or wish for the possibility, you can freeze sperm and eggs, as well as any remaining embryos from the treatment you have already performed. The cost in order to freeze sperm is €100, while the cost to freeze your eggs (social freezing), which includes medication and the first year of storage, is €2,250, and if you wish to store your eggs for more than one year you will need to pay €230 per year. The cost for the vitrification and storage for one year of any remaining embryos from treatment will be €400, with each additional year costing €230. FET, Frozen Embryo Transfer, will cost €1,200.

Pelargos IVF Group deals a lot with ovarian PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment and Endometrium PRP treatment and they are very experienced in this therapy. They offer PRP for €1,400, as well as a potent PRP treatment for an additional €300, bringing the total cost to €1,700.

IVF add-ons and other costs

Other IVF techniques costs at Pelargos IVF Medical Group
Medical consultation (doctor)€80
Donor sperm€300
Sperm freezing€100
Embryo Monitoring (e.g. Embryoscope)included in treatment price
Blastocyst cultureincluded in treatment price
PGT-A / PGS genetic embryo testing€740
Embryo freezing and storage for 1 year€400 (after a year €230/year)
FET - Frozen Embryo Transfer€1,200

Pelargos IVF in Greece

Pelargos IVF success rates

The success rates for Pelargos IVF are from the year 2023 and are based on the clinic performing an average of 140 IVF cycles using a patient’s own eggs and an average of 204 IVF cycles using donor eggs.

All success rates are also based on a clinical pregnancy, which is a pregnancy where the fetus can be seen or heard. The success rates are:

  • IVF with donor eggs – 70%
  • IVF with own eggs – 62%.

Due to the complexity of the date we have broken down the success rates for IVF treatment using a patient’s own eggs into age groups, as follows:

  • Under 35 years of age – 74%
  • 35 – 40 years of age – 68%
  • Over 40 years of age – 43% (42% with PGT-A)

We also have success rates available for treatment using frozen embryos, from a patient’s own eggs, and donor embryos, they are:

  • Frozen embryos – 68%
  • Donor embryos – 72%.

As you can see, Pelargos IVF patients have had success rates that are quite a bit above the European average, showing that they are a centre that you can trust your treatment with.

Pelargos IVF Medical Group room

Why choose Pelargos for IVF

Pelargos IVF is located in the neighbourhood of Kolonaki, which is in Athens, the capital city of Greece. Thanks to its location in the capital city you will find yourself not too far from the airport, with it being only a 30-minute car journey away, of which you can easily get a taxi from the airport, although the clinic offers a pickup service for only €30. Pelargos also has deals with local hotels to save you money when booking your accommodation for your stay in the city. Pelargos IVF has a concierge service available, of which you will receive a free week whenever you book a treatment with the clinic. This concierge can arrange your accommodation and your travel to and from the airport. If you want to take the tube instead then the nearest station is only 8 minutes from the clinic.

When in the beautiful city of Athens you might be thinking about having a nice time between treatments, and Athens is certainly a city you will want to spend time in. If you are a fan of culture and history, then Athens has it in spades, with the Acropolis being a particular highlight and a sight very much worth seeing. You can also visit the Acropolis Museum, the Ancient Agora, the National Archaeological Museum, and many more places of historical and cultural value. For history buffs Athens is a dream come true, so why not combine your treatment with a trip to the past?

If history isn’t your cup of tea, then your concierge will be able to recommend other places for you to visit and see, so choose Pelargos IVF for your treatment and you will have the holiday of a lifetime, before fulfilling your dream of parenthood.

Pelargos IVF Medical Group - FAQ
What is the average cost of IVF with your own eggs at Pelargos IVF?

The average cost of IVF with your own eggs at Pelargos IVF is 3,100 Euros, plus an additional cost for the medication that you will require, the cost of this medication can vary, so it can go from 400 Euros up to 1,100 Euros. The reason that the cost for the medication varies is because you may require more of it or higher doses, which can increase the price. If you undergo hormonal stimulation in Greece, at the clinic, you will need to pay an additional cost for the hormonal tests, but these won’t cost you more than 80 Euros.

Included in the price of 3,100 Euros for your egg donation treatment is:

  • Ultrasound, if performed in Greece.
  • Medical and anaesthetic fees
  • Egg collection
  • Embryo Transfer
  • Blastocyst culture
  • ICSI
  • Freezing and storage of remaining embryos for one
  • year.

Blastocyst culture is where the embryos are allowed to develop in the laboratory for an extra two days, which allows them to reach the blastocyst stage and has a higher chance of successful treatment. ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is where a single sperm cell is injected directly into the egg, and is performed in instances where male fertility is a reason for you needing to undergo IVF treatment.

As it says above you can freeze and store any remaining embryos from your treatment for one year. You may also be able to pay to have them stored for longer and if you wish to do so you can talk with your doctor about this.If you wish to have the frozen embryos implanted further down the line then you can have a procedure called FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer), the cost of which is 1,000 Euros.

What are the costs of popular IVF add-ons at Pelargos IVF?

There are many popular add-ons available with Pelargos IVF so the price will vary depending on which add-ons you get, as well as how you combine them with other add-ons.
However, there are some add-ons that are free as they will come with your IVF treatment if you need them.
Included add-ons are:

  • Embryoscope monitoring. Using an embryoscope they can do timelapse monitoring to better see the development of the embryos, in order to pick the best ones and the ones that have developed the most.
  • Assisted hatching. This is a procedure that can help an embryo to have successful implantation in the uterus and is performed by creating a tiny hole in the zona pellucida.
  • Embryoglue. This is a substance that helps the embryo stick to the uterine wall and can help with successful implantation.

These are popular add-ons that will be free due to the price being included in the treatment cost.

The clinic performs sperm selection, such as Zymot which has been shown to increase the rate of clinical pregnancy by 10%, and this is used in DNA fragmentation, the cost for this is 180 Euros. You can also have MACS, which is the best report when it comes to DNA fragmentation, but this costs 380 Euros as an additional cost.
Another add-on is endometrial scratching, which is a procedure performed in which the endometrium, the lining of the womb, is scratched using a sterile tool. This triggers the womb to make it more receptive to embryo planting. If this is performed as an outpatient procedure then the cost is 100 Euros, but if it is performed as part of a hysteroscopy then the cost for that plus the endometrial scratching will be 700 Euros.

The clinic deals a lot with ovarian PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment so are very experienced, and they offer this for 1,400 Euros, as well as a potent PRP treatment for an additional 300 Euros, bringing the cost to 1,700 Euros. They also offer ERA, ALICE, IMAP and EMA. The ERA test will cost 500 Euros, but if you wish to hear pricing or more about these then you can contact the clinic for more information.

What is the average cost of the egg donation cycle at Pelargos IVF?

The average cost of IVF treatment using egg donation with Pelargos IVF is 5,700 Euros, and this is all-inclusive as it includes everything that you may need, other than one form of medication that may be required, but that is because it is not a guaranteed requirement of the treatment.

This treatment includes:

  • Embryo Freezing for 1 year. In the price is included the cost of freezing for 1 year of any remaining embryos.
  • Donor fee. The donor will receive some form of compensation due to needing to miss work and going through a medical procedure.
  • Donor medication. The donor may need to go through hormonal stimulation, which requires medicine, but she will definitely need medicine for her procedure, so this will be covered by your treatment cost.
  • Embryo transfer. Once the egg has been fertilised and is ready you will have it transferred into your uterus.
  • Blastocyst culture. This is a process whereby the embryo is allowed to develop for a further two days, which takes it to the blastocyst stage, then it is implanted.
  • Medical fees. All of the costs for the procedure will be included in your fee.

The treatment cost doesn’t include the fee for medication that is required in order to prepare your endometrium for implantation, if you buy this medication in Greece then this will cost 180 Euros. You may also buy this medication in your home country but the fee may be different depending on where you are from.

What kind of egg donor ethnicities are available at Pelargos IVF?

The egg donor ethnicities available at Pelargos IVF are mainly Caucasian, as Asian and African are a lot harder to get hold of. As of writing they don’t have any Asian egg donors at all, although they are able to work with cooperating cryobanks in order to get them if this is what you would like, but with this will come with a higher cost for the eggs, as well as the transport involved. It is the same with African donors. Egg donors that will give us fresh eggs are very hard to find and there is long waiting for that. We can also get eggs from cooperating egg banks ( frozen ). Cost is again higher in that case( can reach 6500E )

When it comes to donors you can rest assured that any donor that is used by the clinic has undergone strict testing in order to ensure that they are healthy and fertile, as requirements in order to be an egg donor can be strict. Donors are also anonymous due to Greek law, but the clinic will match the donor with you, to ensure there is as close a genetic match, and physical characteristic match, as possible. Donors are allowed up to the age of 35 but Pelargos IVF uses donors with a maximum age of 32, as the younger the donor the more healthy and fertile their eggs. Some of the testing they undergo is genetic testing to ensure there are no hereditary diseases that will be passed down, as well as STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) testing to ensure they have no STIs that will harm their eggs in any way. Thanks to the strict requirements you can feel confident in the eggs that you receive through the clinic.

What is the cost of PGT-A and how should it be calculated with IVF programs at Pelargos IVF?

The cost of PGT-A testing with Pelargos IVF is an additional 700 Euros for the biopsy, and 230 Euros for each biopsy that is performed on an embryo that has reached the blastocyst stage. For a regular biopsy on the embryos the fee is flat so you will only pay 700 Euros no matter how many embryos you have, but for blastocyst stage embryos you will need to pay for each embryo that you require the test for, so if you have two embryos that you want to be tested at the blastocyst stage you will be paying 230 Euros times two.

There are a few different reasons to have this test, the most common one being the genetic testing aspect. What the test does is it looks at the chromosomes of the embryo to determine if there are any chromosome abnormalities present that can cause any issues with the development of the embryo or with your child in the future, this way you can be sure that the embryo you have implanted will be healthy and free of genetic problems. Another aspect of the test that is a little more rare is for gender selection. Gender selection can be seen as necessary by some would-be parents due to certain diseases or illnesses in their family that only pass to one gender, so to avoid this they can have a child of the opposite gender, who will be free of this. Whilst this aspect isn’t performed as often, if you wish to speak to the clinic about it then you are more than welcome to discuss this with them.

What is the cost of donor sperm from the bank at Pelargos IVF?

The cost of donor sperm with Pelargos IVF is between 350 and 400 Euros. However, if the clinic needs to use another sperm bank, abroad, because you want sperm from the type of donor that is unavailable to them at the time, the cost will be a little higher as this will include transport costs. Typically, the waiting time for donor sperm is quite quick, as they have a good selection available.

Like egg donation, sperm donation will have requirements to ensure that the donated sperm will be as healthy and fertile as possible. Although, unlike with egg donation, the sperm donation age is higher, due to sperm being more viable at later ages. However, the sperm donors will be undergoing the same types of tests, such as genetic testing to ensure there are no genetic defects or diseases in their DNA that will pass down to your child, as well as STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) testing to ensure that they have no STIs at all, as these can affect the fertility of the sperm. Thanks to the strict requirements and testing that takes place with sperm donors, you can be sure that any sperm that you receive is not only healthy and fertile, but that it is the best sperm that you can get. Sperm donation is anonymous so you won’t be able to see your donor or know who they are, so they will be chosen by the clinic and matched to you based on your genetic and physical characteristics.

 

What is the average cost of the ROPA (IVF for same-sex female couples) cycle at Pelargos IVF?

Due to Pelargos IVF not explicitly offering ROPA as a treatment option, there is no price available. ROPA is Reciprocal IVF and is a treatment that some clinics offer to all-female couples who wish to have a baby together, and it is performed by having one of the women donate her eggs, with the other having the eggs implanted in her uterus once they have been fertilised and are ready. The reason it is performed this way is so that both women can feel like they are part of the process and won’t feel left out, as they often can when it is performed using donor eggs, rather than from a partner.

While the clinic doesn’t offer this treatment, there are ways of having the treatment performed without it being called ROPA. The way they can do it is if one of the women presents themselves as a known donor who wishes to donate their eggs to the other. A known donor is a donor whom the person desiring to get pregnant personally knows, as opposed to going with an anonymous donor. However, the known donor must undergo all of the same tests that anonymous donors do, as well as meet all of the requirements that donors must meet as per Greek law. If they do not meet the requirements or pass the tests that are performed they will be unable to donate their eggs. Both women must also be a part of the European community and have a European passport, so you will be unable to do this if you are from the UK, due to the UK withdrawing from the EU.

The costs for the testing that is to be performed on the egg donor will need to be paid for and these genetic tests will cost around 800 Euros, and this will need to be paid regardless of if they qualify to be a donor, as the tests still need to be performed. To undergo the tests they will need to travel to the clinic, have the tests performed, wait for the results of the tests, then travel back to the clinic for hormonal stimulation, if they do qualify, so that the eggs can be retrieved.

What is the average cost of embryo donation at Pelargos IVF?

Pelargos IVF doesn’t have an average price for embryo donation treatment, as they don’t explicitly perform this. The way it is done is with egg donation treatment, plus sperm donation in order to fertilise the eggs, which will cost 5,700 Euros for the egg donation, plus 350 Euros for the sperm, totalling 6,050 Euros.

What is the average cost of egg freezing at Pelargos IVF?

The cost of egg freezing with Pelargos IVF is 2,000 Euros, as well as the cost of the medication, the cost of which will depend on what medication you need and how much you need. This cost includes storage for the first year, although you are able to pay for storage for longer with this costing an additional 230 Euros per year. However, if you pay in advance for five years you can have a reduction in the cost, and this will be discussed with the clinic when you talk about freezing your eggs.

There are many reasons that you may need, or want, to freeze your eggs:

  • Medical treatment. If you know you are going to undergo medical treatment that can have an impact on your fertility you may wish to freeze your eggs prior to this treatment. This is commonly seen with those who are set to undergo chemotherapy as the chemicals used can have a big impact on a woman’s fertility.
  • Career or Studies. If you are trying to get ahead in your career by moving up the ladder or studying further in order to have a big career then you might be thinking about holding off on starting a family, so freezing your eggs can maintain their health and fertility, so that you can have children at a later time when you are ready.
  • Not ready. You may not be ready to have children for a variety of reasons, such as not being financially stable or not having met the right partner. Freezing your eggs so that you can have children once the time is right can be seen as a good idea in this situation.

Once you are ready you can have the eggs implanted so that you can have children when you feel you are ready.

What are the average costs of intrauterine insemination and donor sperm insemination at Pelargos IVF?

The average cost of IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) with Pelargos IVF is 550 Euros. If you require AID (Artificial Insemination with Donor) then you will also need to pay 350 Euros for the sperm if it is ordered from a Greek sperm bank, although if you want sperm that is not available in the Greek sperm bank then you may order from International Sperm banks and pay more, as there will be transport costs as well. If you ask for sperm that is in low stock, or they do not have it, then there may also be extra costs in order to acquire it, and there may be a small waiting time.

IUI and AID are both artificial insemination, but IUI is performed using a partner’s sperm, as with donor sperm it is called AID. The way this is performed is that sperm is placed inside a small syringe, and a tube is inserted through your cervix and into your uterus, then using the syringe the sperm is pushed through and directly into the uterus. The reason for this is often due to male infertility or problems with their sperm not being able to get to the uterus, so placing it directly inside helps with the fertilisation process. Due to the minimally invasive nature of the procedure you will not require any pain medication or anaesthesia, as you will only feel a slight pinch and some cramping as the tube passes through your cervix.  If you require hormonal stimulation in this procedure, in order to help, then there will be an extra cost for the medication, but this cost will be minimal, and you can ask your doctor about the cost if it is required.

Who is the medical director and what is the doctor’s experience in IVF treatment at Pelargos IVF?

The medical director of the clinic is Harry Karpouzis, who has over 11 years of experience in working with IVF. He is a highly accomplished doctor who is a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology and specialises in reproductive medicine, infertility and minimally invasive surgery. He has worked and trained in the United Kingdom, with hospitals such as King’s Cross Hospital and St. Thomas Guys & Trust being some of the lucky hospitals to have seen him through his training and career.

Thanks to his extensive training and education he is a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He has also been certified by the British Fertility Society, thanks to his work in embryo transfers, assisted conception and management of infertile couples, and the British Society of Colposcopies and Cervical Pathology. He also managed to achieve certification in France with the European Inter-University Diploma of Invasive endoscopic surgery. On top of all of this, he has presented to other doctors and specialists at numerous domestic and international congresses and courses, showing that his knowledge is seen as valuable to others in his field. Thanks to this, he is seen as an amazing doctor and one who can be trusted with your treatment.

Harry Karpouzis was the founder of Pelargos IVF and under his guidance, they have made a name for themselves in endometriosis and recurrent implantation failures. Thanks to this they are able to help women who have suffered from implantation failure before and offer them a chance to see their dreams of having a child come true.

Are international patients allowed in Greece for IVF?

Yes, international patients can undergo IVF treatment in Greece. Many fertility clinics are experienced in providing IVF with donor eggs for international patients and offer services in multiple languages.

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