IVF is no holiday. Or is it?
Updated: Nov 10
Having fertility treatment is stressful - home or away! Sorry, there is no getting away from that and anyone who tells you otherwise in my opinion is a liar, or they haven't been through it themselves like I have. Four times.
From my own personal experience and that of my clients I do however believe that it is absolutely possible to have a holiday/break when having fertility treatment like IVF, ICSI, IUI, donor egg, donor sperm, donor embryo.
Yep, you heard me right. Let me explain....
OK, so I know it's not the same as going away pre-infertility years - remember those heady, care-free days?
However, combining IVF with a trip to Europe, in places like Spain, Greece, Czech Republic will give you the opportunity to relax, honestly! And this will help to decrease your stress levels and reduce overwhelm, making the process more bearable. You are only at the clinic a handful of times which leaves the rest of the time for you to do as you wish!
Oh and did you know that you can get a sick note to cover the absence from work too? This means you don't actually need to chip into your actual holiday allowance.
Stress does not cause infertility, but infertility and IVF can be so stressful and anything to reduce your stress levels is going to make the process more bearable.
It’s also a chance to spend time with your partner if you have one, on your own, or with a family member or friend and pick wisely and you will have lots of options outside of appointments to switch off and enjoy your time away. It also presents an opportunity to have fertility treatment without telling anyone should this suit you as it's easy just to tell people you are going on holiday.
Having IVF abroad has become an increasingly popular choice, both for those who have had failed cycles before as well of those who are new to IVF and may have fallen victim to the NHS postcode lottery and not qualify for state funded treatment.
Going abroad for treatment is now so accessible and there are now so many options in terms of how you can travel abroad and in particular low cost regular flights have made it a really viable option for so many people. There are also options for people in terms of accommodation too, which allows them to find something suitable, dependent on their budgets and requirements. Even including flights and accommodation you will save £1000s like for like on your fertility testing and treatment, vs the UK, America, Canada and Australia.
If you want to find out more about having IVF abroad and how we might be able to help you, just drop me an email to hello@yourivfabroad.co.uk quoting the word 'blog' and lets chat!
Love Emma xxx