Why Patients From The UK Are Going Abroad For IVF And Donor Egg Treatment

Infertility is a major and heartbreaking issue. Many people suffer from infertility and it isn’t something I would wish on my worst enemy – it is awful. It is such an emotional time, being told that you may have trouble conceiving or perhaps won’t ever conceive at all.

In the UK, it is also a very expensive treatment. Whilst some people are eligible to receive a round of IVF treatment on the NHS, the fact remains that many people aren’t eligible for this and have to fund it from their own pockets – something that not many people can afford to do. Many people also need IVF with donor eggs and this leads to many of them going abroad. My blogger friend Victoria actually went to Spain and had egg donation – read all about her journey here.

The average cost of IVF in the UK is usually around £5,000 per cycle of treatment but this will vary from clinic to clinic and what treatment you require. However some people often require more than one cycle of treatment so the costs soon start adding up – although clinics may offer discounts on subsequent cycles.

However the average cost of IVF in the UK with donor eggs is a little more, depending on whether you are donated frozen / fresh eggs as treatment here in the  UK is on average £8,000 – £11,000 including donor eggs, ICSI, blastocyst culture. In other countries costs are on average: Spain £7.500, Czech Republic £5.500, Greece, Cyprus £6.000 , Poland £4,500 and the Ukraine £5,500 which is a vast difference.

As you can see, the costs soon add up and it is little wonder people are heading to destinations such as Spain, Cyprus, Greece, the Czech Republic, Poland or Ukraine for treatment. A report was collated from  Eggdonationfriends.com actually prepared of the most popular destinations for IVF with egg donation which you can read here.

The reasons people head abroad aren’t purely financial though, although cost does of course factor into the equation. They also know that they are getting good quality treatment and there is often much more donor availability and anonymous donors too.  

With the inability for many women to access the NHS resources for fertility treatment and without the relevant finances, a lot of women have no choice also but to seek help abroad. The granting of NHS treatment is inconsistent across the board – some people in one area may be entitled to it whilst those in the next area across may not. Private fertility treatment in the UK is also extremely high in price with plenty of ‘hidden costs’ which weren’t factored into the original price given.

I certainly can’t fault women for going abroad for fertility treatment in this day and age, especially when private treatment in the UK costs so much and there is no guarantee that they will be eligible for NHS treatment. Everybody should be given the chance to have a family if they want one.

For more information on IVF egg donor treatment abroad, please visit the eggdonationfriends.com website. 

 

*Collaborative post*