Let's start out by saying that having fertility treatment anywhere abroad or at home is a hassle. Nobody wants to have fertility treatment, do they? Ideally in an ideal world we could all conceive naturally. Unfortunately one in six people globally are infertile and of these many do not have access to state funded fertility treatment like IVF.
Now I know first hand that if you're thinking about going abroad for private fertility treatment, it can just feel like too much hassle, especially if this isn't something you've done before and if you don't understand the process of having IVF abroad and/or you're not a confident traveller, like thinking about having fertility treatment is already pretty overwhelming, right? So then add in thinking about going abroad then for some people it just feels like way too much hassle.
So, given that, having facility treatment is stressful enough I just want to look at why people are choosing to go abroad, but also look at some groups of people who it might not be right for.
When I went abroad to the Czech Republic for donor embryo treatment six years ago we were in the minority of people choosing to go abroad for fertility treatment. I felt very alone and there was little information and support available. Thankfully things are different now and more people than ever before are choosing to go abroad for private fertility treatment like IVF, ICSI, IUI, egg and sperm donation, embryo donation and embryo adoption.
Reasons to go abroad include being unhappy with the fertility clinics in their home country in terms of patient care and the extortionate costs of treatment in places like the UK, Ireland, America, Canada, Australia, UAE
A lot of my clients have had accessibility issues regarding fertility treatment in their home countries - things like people's age, BMI, single, person of colour, ‘older’ and the LGBTQ, plus community and by going abroad they will have the options of more favourable legal frameworks and more liberal laws. And if you're looking at egg and or sperm donation then you have the choice of anonymous or anonymous donation without waiting lists that can be experienced in other countries like the UK and Ireland.
Many countries overseas now provide fertility testing and treatment to overseas clients and are very well set up to look after them with high quality services and great communication with multi-lingual members of staff
There are however some groups of people that going abroad may be more difficult for - teachers for example, if you're not able to take any holiday outside of official school holidays as then you would have to work around school holidays. I have worked with teachers before and they had treatment in the school holidays which may or may not work for you. Some clinics however will let you do two shorter trips and are open at weekends and this may make it do-able for you, but you've got to judge whether or not it's too much hassle for you and your circumstances.
The other group of people that might find things potentially more difficult is if you've got a pet. Many of my clients do and they have used friends, family and or kennels/catteries etc, but it’s something to bear in mind.
When you go abroad for your fertility treatment it does add an extra element of planning and organisation and many things to sort out. However, if you have the time and are organised, you do your homework and due diligence and choose the right country and clinic that meets your needs and is safe, then there is no reason why going abroad would be too much hassle for the majority of people.
There are so many benefits of going abroad, you can take the opportunity to truly relax away from the stresses and the strain of home life like don't underestimate the power of this. Yes, it's not the same as going on holiday, but you will be surprised about how much of a positive impact having that break away from home can impact on you so positively. You can take the opportunity to explore another country, a new one or somewhere that you want to go back to because you love it.
When we had fertility treatment abroad. It was a really special time for us and you only visit the clinic a handful of times generally and for us it was twice which meant that we could get out and explore the local sights and restaurants and just focus purely on us and away from the stresses and strain of home and work life.
I really do believe that for the majority of people, the benefits far outweigh any hassle and that in other ways going abroad can reduce the hassle of having fertility treatment at home. Consider getting some help from an IVF abroad mentor and expert like myself to help reduce the hassle, overwhelm, stress and time involved to help you find a best fit safe clinic in a destination that meets your needs. You will never regret getting support on your journey with infertility and fertility treatment abroad and it means you won’t feel alone either.
If you are interested in finding more about having fertility treatment abroad please email me at hello@yourivfabroad.co.uk with the word Blog in the subject line so I know where you have come from and I will be in touch to discuss how I can help.
Emma Haslam
Co-founder Your IVF abroad
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