IVF Abroad

[Anonymous]

For those of you who have done IVF abroad, can you share some info?

1. How long did you have to be there? From research, it seems some clinics allow you to arrive later in stim phase (day 8 or 9?) and then have the retrieval, transfer, and leave within 7-10 days total. Wishful thinking? In both IVF cycles I did here I had to stim for 12 and 11 days.
2. Did you partner have to go with you? It looks like there may be an option to send frozen sperm, not sure if this is a real thing (from my partner, not a donor bank).
3. Was PGT testing an option? It isn't mentioned at many clinics. This would speed things up in focusing on a fresh transfer, but if it doesn't work then you have to return again for future FET (if you have frozen options)
4. Do you have any other creative options on how you minimized your time/cost? Are there any US based clinics I should be researching that are somewhat on par with Total Cost (OOP) after factoring in travel costs, stays, time off from work, and potential return visits for more FETs?

Thank you so much in advance. I have done IVF twice in the US, had 2 unsuccessful FETs with PGT normal blasts, and am trying to weigh options, including doing a Shared Risk option in the US instead (but that is like $32k with PGT. I am 35). I do have a child so abroad is an added headache of dealing with parenting and being away, or surviving being abroad all together.

[Anonymous]

Which countries are you looking at for IVF? Many European countries have laws against PGS testing unless one or both biological parents is a documented/tested carrier of a certain disease or condition, like cystic fibrosis. If PGS testing is something you 100% want to do, you should research the particular laws of the countries you are considering before you determine which clinic to go with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which countries are you looking at for IVF? Many European countries have laws against PGS testing unless one or both biological parents is a documented/tested carrier of a certain disease or condition, like cystic fibrosis. If PGS testing is something you 100% want to do, you should research the particular laws of the countries you are considering before you determine which clinic to go with.

Thanks, that makes sense and is probably why many aren't mentioning it. It's not make or break for me. In the US my RE suggested it just to expedite not wasting transfers on abnormal embryos. My first retrieval ended with both blasts testing as abnormal, and my second retrieval 2 of the 3 blasts were normal, but ended in a chemical and then a total fail for FETs. Currently looking at Denmark (for comfort with the language and procedure) and Spain (for a nice place for my family to hang out for 1-3 weeks if we have to go together).

[Anonymous]

I would look for clinics that have a focus on so-called “medical tourism” to find out what their process is and whether they would work with a stateside clinic for testing, monitoring etc.

I don’t have experience traveling for IVF, but I have done IVF when living overseas. In my experience, our European clinic wanted to redo every single test we had already had American doctors perform because they wanted their own results. This included everything from another sperm analysis to testing chicken pox antibodies. The process from the initial intake with our European clinic and our first cycle was three months, and leading up to the first procedure that included monitoring two or three times a week. I can’t imagine flying back-and-forth between appointments and how difficult that would be in so many ways; and you also could potentially run into an issue, unless you have dual citizenship, where you are only permitted to stay in country for up to 90 days without leaving the continent for visa clearance.

I would do some serious number crunching if that’s the driving force here. Sure, the European clinics are cheaper altogether, but if you may be relocating for a month or two or more each cycle, you’ll be incurring so many expenses for lodging, airfare, meals, transportation, I’m just not certain if it would even be worth it. Also, I hate to be that person, but Spain in particular is currently in the red zone, and most of Europe is orange. There’s a lot of buzz in the ex-pat community over here that most of Europe will shut down again by the holidays. If that is the case, traveling for non-necessary medical procedures, which unfortunately this falls under, will be forbidden. I’d hate for you to be mid cycle or have new embryos ready to go but the inability to schedule a transfer. If your goal is to start another cycle and the next calendar year, I would focus on doing so stateside.

[Anonymous]

I’d also suggest checking out the Reddit infertility sub. There’s a lot of discussion on overseas treatment.

[Anonymous]

We did it in Barbados , stayed 12 days maybe , husband was with me we treated it as vacation. PGS testing was available , total cost with meds and travel around $12k I think?

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for these replies. Given our situation I think we've decided to stay put and do Shared Risk or CNY, leaning towards Shared Risk. Shared Risk is way more money but at least we have an idea of how much all-in it could be from the start (plus maybe PGT and definitely meds for every cycle necessary). It seems that IVF abroad is very difficult if you have children already, and covid is still causing enough hassles and unknowns. No good answers, but thanks for helping identify options.

[Anonymous]

I think you are making the right choice. Even without the unknowns of the pandemic and potential limits on travel, managing IVF abroad with a family and jobs is extremely challenging. Cost wise, in the end I bet you aren’t spending all that much more staying stateside then you would to attempt cycles abroad. Wishing you lots and lots of luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for these replies. Given our situation I think we've decided to stay put and do Shared Risk or CNY, leaning towards Shared Risk. Shared Risk is way more money but at least we have an idea of how much all-in it could be from the start (plus maybe PGT and definitely meds for every cycle necessary). It seems that IVF abroad is very difficult if you have children already, and covid is still causing enough hassles and unknowns. No good answers, but thanks for helping identify options.

Shared risk makes a lot of sense if you quality. Good luck!!!