IVF Costs Abroad

One in six couples worldwide experience some form of infertility problem. In the UK, with funding for fertility being cut as a result of measures to control spending, many people who find themselves ineligible for treatment on the NHS are being pushed into the private sector.  The cost of IVF/ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) in private clinics in the UK can range from £4000-£6000 once all ‘extras’ are added in. How does that compare with going abroad for IVF?

Data available for 2008, published by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), show that, yet again, the number of IVF cycles undertaken in Europe had increased from the year before. New fertility clinics are being established regularly in popular IVF destinations like the Czech Republic. These clinics advertise themselves as being cheaper, and from the published price lists, this appears to be true. The starting price for IVF in some clinics in Prague ranges from 1500-2000 Euro and even when ‘extra’ treatment costs are added (e.g. specialised freezing techniques, embryo monitoring), the price is rarely more than 3000-3500 Euro.  With today’s favourable exchange rate, the cost is even lower for UK IVF travellers.