Anyone looking at doing IVF abroad knows that there is so much to think about and choosing the right clinic for you and your family can take up hours of your time and huge amounts of precious brain space. That’s before you even add in the emotional weight involved.
There are thousands of fertility clinics worldwide and you could travel to almost any one of them. Even if they don’t advertise their services to foreign patients.
Say if your auntie lives next door to a really successful clinic and you can stay with her – well then, why wouldn’t you go there? There is absolutely nothing to stop you hopping onto their website and arranging a treatment package. What are you waiting for? Say ‘hi’ to your auntie for me.
However… travelling abroad for IVF can be daunting. There can be a lot to think about and most people do a fair bit of research before making a decision. And in that case, well why wouldn’t you follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before you and smoothed the path?
There are clinics that are very experienced in treating patients from other countries and are well-placed to offer you support and treatment. The only tricky part is choosing just one.
Don’t worry. We have made a list of the “best IVF abroad resources” to help you.
All of these materials have something to offer. They all give you something slightly different – so you may find yourself needing each one at a different stage in your journey.
HFEA UK – Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) is the fertility industry regulator in the UK. Their website gives clear information and walks you through the process of what to do and what to think about when considering treatment abroad. It’s designed to help the UK based patients however the information provided is universal and relevant for anyone looking for fertility treatment abroad.
But this is definitely an overview rather than a step-by-step guide.
There are some really helpful resources – such as the checklist of what questions to ask prospective clinics. It covers everything from success rates to legal matters and cost and really helps you order your thoughts.
The whole site is a good starting place to get you thinking about what you need to know. It highlights the need to look at the law abroad and to find out what happens if you are unhappy with your treatment.
However, if you are looking for specifics then you will need to go elsewhere. If you are brand new to treatment abroad then it’s a starting point. Even if you’ve travelled for IVF before you will probably pick up some useful information. But it’s definitely not enough to see you through the full process of getting fertility treatment in another country.
Fertility Clinics Abroad
Fertility Clinics Abroad is a huge site – a behemoth. It’s the most popular website, also for patients from the UK. There is so much to explore and tonnes and tonnes of useful articles. Plus it’s almost like a dating site to find your ideal clinic – with lots of profiles to browse. Cool.
The search feature makes it really fast to find your way around and get what you need – even for IVF newbies. And each IVF clinic has been chosen for their expertise in supporting patients from abroad.
There are some unique resources for figuring out whether travelling abroad is going to be cheaper. All the different elements of IVF treatment are broken down with rough costs and there’s a handy calculator so it is easy work out exactly how much you might spend.
The individual descriptions of fertility clinics are really detailed. And include golden information about things like how far the clinic is from the airport or the nearest city. It all helps in pinpointing your best match.
You can browse for clinics and info by country. And the site even allows you to search by a particular treatment. Then when you look at the list of results there is a guideline package price – so you can see straightaway what is in your price range.
There’s lots of other information on there too that you don’t really see elsewhere. Such as an article explaining the roles of different staff members at a fertility clinic (what exactly does an IVF co-ordinator do anyways?).
There are useful sections on different fertility problems and treatments. Plus videos of experts talking about their specialism. Something for everyone here. For nerds who want to find out everything about one particular issue and for patients who are all ready to go and want to pick their perfect clinic.
The website is also available for German-speaking patients looking for IVF treatment abroad: Kinderwunsch im Ausland
Ultimate Fertility Tourism Guide by Sydney Brake
Ultimate Fertility Tourism Guide is full of little gems of thoughts and tips that can help you look differently at IVF treatment abroad.
There is some great advice on simply trusting that there are many clinics out there which can do what you need; provide safe, effective treatment. Because sometimes it’s hard to have faith in the medical set-up of another country.
There’s a timetable to help plan and manage IVF abroad. And ideas on the menstrual cycle and timings of travel (hint: think about using medication so you know what’s coming and when).
There’s also a cool run-down of all the additional little expenses and considerations you should think about. Things like; how much does it cost to travel to your destination country, what’s the local cost of food, eating out, local transport for getting to and from the clinic. All good stuff – but easy to miss those details when you’re caught up in the urgency of finding the best possible treatment.
However, this is aimed at an American audience – so there’s lots of info about IVF in the States and the (eye-watering) cost of fertility drugs there. If you were thinking of heading to Mexico to buy your IVF meds cheaply then this is an absolute gold mine of useful information for you. For everyone else there is still plenty of food for thought.
Sydney is also an author of the book: Affording IVF: The Complete Guide to Understanding Treatment Cost and How to Save Thousands on IVF available on amazon.
IVF Abroad Patient’s Guide
Need a reliable road map to start your search for a fertility clinic abroad? Then this is for you.
IVF Abroad Patient’s Guide is a free publication – PDF, 98 pages of in-depth insight into IVF abroad.
There is some vital information that you need when you are considering travelling to another country to start your family. And sometimes you don’t even know what info you need to look for – because you don’t know what you don’t know, right? This guide is written by people who really know their stuff and will fill in those gaps for you.
There is good information on the law in each country as it relates to fertility treatments. Which treatments are offered where – IF you can be treated (in some countries the law does not allow same sex couples to have fertility treatment). And a reasonable idea of how much it will cost.
It also offers impartial advice on success rates – which is soooo helpful. And you get an honest overview of what it’s like to receive medical treatment in each destination.
Even though all of this info is fundamentally important in making your decision about treatment abroad – it is not easy to come by all in one place. Not without hours and hours of internet searching.
If you are serious about getting IVF abroad then you need this guide. It will help you quickly narrow down your options in the fastest time possible.
Egg Donation Friends
Egg Donation Friends has some really helpful features which could save you hours of time trying to figure things out on your own. There’s loads of detail on fertility treatment abroad – looking particularly at clinics for those wanting to use donor eggs. The clue is in the name!
It’s similar to the FertilityClinicsAbroad.com site but with added-extra information on choosing the egg donor route – which is it’s own very special path. There are particular things you need to consider if you are using egg donation and that is all covered here. The breakdown on the types of donors available in each country is great.
The analysis of IVF costs is easy to follow. And the IVF calculator is simplicity itself to use. Comparing the cost of fertility treatments is tricky enough before you have to start thinking in Euros as well – so this little easy-to-use tool is a HUGE help in keeping your facts and figures straight.
There are dozens of individual clinics detailed – with everything you might need to know all clearly laid out one page per clinic. These profiles are unique as they include info not available on the clinics’ own websites – all of it confirmed by the clinics themselves. Cool, huh?
And having all of the details on one single page makes it a lot easier to scan through and see which ones offer what you need and at what price. Super helpful for making a rapid shortlist.
If you are interested in egg donor banks there is an article where you may find a list of egg donor banks with basic information.
If you are looking for an egg donor or egg bank you may try to find banks where a list of the donors is published online. Example: Cryos Egg Bank in the US – enable patients to browse through available donors online.
The website is also available for German-speaking patients looking for IVF egg donation abroad: Eizellspende im Ausland
Fertility Treatment Abroad
Fertility Treatment Abroad is a really nicely laid out site. Clean and clear so you can easily see where you need to go for the information you want.
There are clear sections with articles on; infertility generally, IVF abroad, and choosing clinics. The details here are succinctly laid out and are a good guide to treatments, destinations and assessing different treatment centres.
There is also a useful area where you can upload all your details and treatment requirements – including your medical history. Then you can whizz that straight off to clinics you like. It’s a great shortcut, but do think carefully before storing your personal medical details anywhere online. I mean, you could just store all that privately in a Word document for when you need it…
The site has a wide reach. Clinics from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as Europe are listed here. There’s some useful information on individual clinics – it’s especially nice to see how many embryologists, counsellors or doctors work at each site. It helps build a picture of the place. But there are separate tabs you have to click on to find details on treatments, costs, success rates and everything else. Which is fiddly. And it means you can’t just skim read.
Fertility Road
This fertility magazine website has a helpful country-by-country guide to IVF abroad. (Just click on the IVF Abroad tab).
Eight of the best-loved countries for fertility treatment are looked at. It’s an easy-to-read guide and the most important information is all laid out nice and clearly, so it’s quick to scan through for whatever you most need to know.
It gives you quick overview of the most popular IVF destinations.
Or even just to find out which countries are some of the most popular – it’s not like they cover that topic in school geography lessons, right?
Reading through the country descriptions will give you a better picture of what different countries are like for fertility treatments. There is also plenty of handy info about the law, who is eligible for IVF, age limits on egg and sperm donors, anonymity or non-anonymity of donors. All of that is covered. This section doesn’t get granular and right down into the teeny-tiny details – but then you don’t always want that.
There’s also a section listing IVF clinics abroad. What’s good here is that there are photographs which helps you to get an instant feel of what a place might be like. Then there are some different short introductions to the medical staff at each clinic. Again – you get an instant gut-feeling about whether this is going to be right for you.
Plus this is a great place to come for all sorts of other articles and insights into fertility treatment and everything that comes with it – all the physical and emotional costs that patients can experience. And there’s some valuable support on how to understand and use success rate statistics.
If you’ve already decided you’d like to travel abroad for IVF and are wondering which country might suit you best – then this is a great place to sort through the most popular options. Once you are ready to refine it down to particular clinics you can make a start here but might want to search around elsewhere too. Remember – It’s always a good idea to check out a clinic’s own website too before you make a final, final decision.
Fertility treatment abroad – best resources – final thoughts
Best for those just starting…
The IVF Abroad Patient’s Guide is the ideal place to begin. It gives you a bird’s eye view of everything fertility – and points out things you might not have considered before. It puts expert knowledge in your hands which you can use to inform the rest of your decision making.
Best for thinking through the finer details…
The Sydney Brake book ‘Ultimate Fertility Tourism Guide’ is perfect for helping you think more broadly about what exactly travelling abroad for fertility treatment involves. Bear in mind that this is written from an American point of view and a lot of the book is only relevant to those based in the USA.
Best for choosing an IVF clinic…
The Fertility Clinics Abroad site is definitely the one if you are ready to pick a place to get pregnant.
Best for choosing an egg donation clinic…
No doubt, the Egg Donation Friends website, as it’s solely focused on egg donation IVF only. Definitely the best resource for anyone interested in IVF with donor eggs abroad.
