How long do I need to be away from home for fertility treatment like IVF abroad?

If you're struggling to conceive and on the path to parenthood, looking to have a baby and are considering, planning or about to have fertility treatment like IVF, ICSI, Egg Donation, Sperm donation, Embryo donation treatment in Europe and in places like Spain, Greece, Portugal and Czech Republic then you're in the right place. 

I'm Emma Haslam and since the birth of our son in 2018, I have made it my mission to make fertility treatment more transparent, accessible, supported and affordable. I now help people around the world just like you to find a safe, best fit clinic and navigate fertility treatment in Europe. And since 2019 I have helped 100s of people around the world to make informed decisions that are right for them and to have fertility treatment in Europe and achieve their dreams of starting or expanding their families.

And stick with me until the end as I have freebies for you that will help you to understand the step by step process of having fertility treatment abroad.

How long do I need to be away from home for fertility treatment like IVF abroad?

This is a question I get asked a lot and I completely understand why. It's a question that I wanted to know the answer to when I was considering whether or not IVF or fertility treatment abroad could be right for us and it’s something you need to understand to work out if this is an option for you too.

There's no set answer and when you have a consultation with the fertility clinics, they will be able to confirm exactly how long you will need to be away for treatment. However, this blog should help give you a rough guide, so you can figure out if it’s doable.

Before I dive into that, I just want to tell you a couple of things that might be helpful.

If you are worried about using your holiday allowance for time away then if you are in the UK consider speaking to your GP for a sick note and you can consider self certification too. If you are employed maybe you have a fertility policy in place, so that’s worth exploring if you are happy to share this with your employer. If there is no policy in place they cut you some slack anyway and give you some additional time off or flexible working, but you will have to judge that based on the person/company that you work for.

If you are self employed it can make it easier in some ways if you can physically work from anywhere. You may not wish of course to do any work while you are away but it’s worth knowing that you will only need to visit the fertility clinic you choose a handful of times and so this might give you options around your work.

I know for some groups of people being away from home is very difficult, teachers for example in term time.

When opting for private fertility treatment like IVF with ICSI and egg and sperm donation treatment there is some control in terms of when you have your fertility testing and treatment, so maybe you can work it around school holidays?

It can be difficult if you're a pet owner. Some people call on friends/family/kennels to help out there.

If you are in a heterosexual couple (for example) you do not both need to travel and be out in the country you are having your fertility treatment in say for example places like the Czech Republic, Spain and Greece. You may prefer this of course, but to know (physically) a male partner is only needed abroad for around 1-2 days.

Most clinics will offer you a video consultation rather than in person so that also cuts down on the time needed away from home if you . You can totally choose to go out to the fertility clinics abroad and have an in person consultation if you want to, but doing a video consultation will save you time.

In terms of your treatment, if you're having own egg IVF with ICSI you are typically required to be away from home for around 10 days.

If you're having, let's say, a fresh donor egg cycle of IVF with own sperm, or donor sperm, then you will typically be away for 7 days.

And if you are having a frozen embryo transfer then you'd be required for about 1-2 days.

(These timings are based on starting your medication and monitoring in your home country)

Some clinics offer or suggest two shorter visits.

Lots of people combine a holiday or break away with their fertility treatment and you dictate to some degree when you have your treatment, so this helps with planning and making things work for you.

So there are options to make having fertility treatment abroad a real contender for many people.

If you want to understand more about the process of having treatment and how it all works then I have put together a new free guide that walks you through the process of having fertility treatment abroad, step by step.

I know from my personal experience how helpful this would have been for me and it’s one of the questions I get asked the most in my work as the go-to IVF and fertility treatment abroad mentor and expert.

It can feel really overwhelming and scary and I think until you understand the process, it's really hard to seriously think if this could work for you. And so I created this free guide and step by step process of having fertility treatment abroad.

I would love to know what you think of it too, so let me know on hello@yourivfabroad.co.uk

Love Emma xxx

Want to learn more about going abroad for fertility treatment? 

Watch this free masterclass: yourivfabroad.co.uk/freemasterclass

Access my Conceive Abroad Course. A step-by-step and comprehensive course for people globally on their fertility treatment journey who want to fully understand the process of IVF Abroad, know the steps it takes and feel confident about doing it themselves.

Or take my free quiz: yourivfabroad.co.uk/quiz

Still undecided if going abroad is right for you? Book a 121 Pick My Brain call: yourivfabroad.co.uk/pick-my-brain

Services - to find out more about my services visit: yourivfabroad.co.uk/services

FREE 15 minute video call - ready to take the next step and want to discuss the services Emma offers: calendly.com/yourivfabroad/15min

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Your IVF abroad planner/journal - Keep everything organised and in one place and document your journey and feelings along the way. Find out more/buy one here: yourivfabroad.co.uk/shop