Infertility treatment in Turkey

Fertility treatment is the medication and procedures undertaken by couples to help them become pregnant and investing in tests to establish fertility and in assisted reproductive technology can become very expensive indeed. Not surprisingly, many couples are considering fertility treatment abroad. For detailed information about infertility treatment in Turkey you can visit our sister site, Fertility Treatment Abroad.

Turkey has particular expertise in the complex area of fertility, offering a solution for female patients in their late thirties who face a long waiting list or are unable to afford private IVF treatment in their home country. Fertility treatment in Turkey is undertaken by experienced European (or American) Board Certified Doctors. The Medicana , for example, was the first IVF centre in Istanbul and is considered to be a leader in women's health with a 50-60% success rate on its IVF cycles for women under the age of 38. In Turkey patients can transfer three embryos.

IVF treatments are at least fifty per cent cheaper in Turkey - an IVF package (one ICSI cycle) costs £1,500 - or US$3,000. In the UK the cost of IVF treatment varies greatly but it can range from £1000 to £4000 per treatment cycle (and upwards) without including the cost of drugs or certain procedures like assisted hatching. In the US, an IVF cycle with ICSI is around US$10,000.

When considering treatment in Turkey - as with any treatment abroad - it is vital to get a breakdown of the expenses for the procedures from initial consultation to insemination, and to get this in writing. Also ask what the fees include, and ask about the assistant's fees, the cost of anaesthesia, charges for theatre and hospitalisation and any follow-up visits. It is also vital to check the hospital or clinic's accreditation, looking for international recognition such as ISO 9001:2000(the voluntary standardisation run by a non governmental body where hospitals must pass rigorous tests to be certified).

• About the country: General background on Turkey
  
• Why consider Turkey for treatment?
  
• The healthcare system in Turkey
  
• Doctor accreditation in Turkey: What qualifications should you look for?
  
• Travel and accommodation: Suggestions for a cost effective trip
• Featured hospitals and clinics: Contact these providers for a quote or for further information

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Enquire about infertility treatment and costs

If you are considering infertility treatment in Turkey, Treatment in Turkey will submit your enquiry to up to three clinics and hospitals. They will respond within 48 hours.
Complete the enquiry form....

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Patient stories

If you are considering going to Turkey for infertility treatment, then why not find out about other people's experiences of treatment in Turkey.
Read the patient stories...

FREE guide to medical tourism

Read our free guide to medical tourism; it will help you to decide which is the best destination and healthcare provider for your needs, and provides practical advice about going overseas for surgery, dentistry or other kinds of treatment.
Read the guide...

Is IVF right for you?

In vitro fertilisation (IVF cost)  is one of several techniques available to help couples with fertility problems to have a baby.

During IVF, an egg is surgically removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilised egg, now called an embryo, is then returned to the woman's womb to grow and develop.

For more information read IVF - How it is performed.

IVF doesn't always result in pregnancy and it can be both physically and emotionally demanding. If you're going through IVF, you should be offered counselling to help you through the process. Read more about the support available during IVF.

Who can have IVF?

According to guidelines, couples may be eligible for IVF treatment on the NHS if:

• The woman is between 23 and 39 years old at the time of treatment.
• A cause for their fertility problems has been identified or they have had infertility problems for at least three years.

However, the decision about who receives treatment is made by local healthcare trusts. Priority is often given to couples who don't already have children.

IVF isn't usually recommended for women above the age of 42 because the chances of a successful pregnancy are thought to be too low (see below).

For more information read IVF - Getting started.

Success rate

The success rate of IVF depends on the age of the woman undergoing treatment as well as the cause of the infertility (if it's known). Younger women are more likely to have healthier eggs, which increases the chances of success.

In 2008, the percentage IVF treatments that resulted in a birth (the success rate) was:

• 33.1% for women under 35
• 27.2% for women aged 35-37
• 19.3% for women aged 38-39
• 12.5% for women aged 40-42
• 4.9% for women aged 43-44
• 2.5% for women aged over 44

For more information read IVF - Risks.

Funding and payment

In 2004, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines recommending that suitable couples receive up to three cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS.

NHS trusts across England and Wales are working to provide the same levels of service. However, the provision of IVF treatment varies across the country and it often depends on local trust policies.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority regulates and licenses fertility clinics. You can find a fertility clinic using their search function.

If you're not eligible for NHS funding or you decide to pay for IVF, you can approach a private fertility clinic directly. On average, one cycle of IVF costs about £5000. However, this varies from clinic to clinic and there may be additional costs for medicines, consultations and tests.

Some clinics may offer a ‘package’ of treatment. During your discussions with the clinic, make sure you find out exactly what's included in the price. You may also be able to reduce the cost of IVF by donating some of your eggs for others to use.

For more information go to HFEA: private fertility treatment.

If you're thinking about having IVF abroad, there are a number of issues that you may need to consider, including your safety and the standards of care that you'll receive. The HFEA licenses and regulates clinics in the UK only. Clinics in other countries may or may not be regulated to local standards and regulations.

For more information go to HFEA: considering fertility treatment abroad: issues and risks.

In Vitro Fertilization for Infertility

During in vitro fertilization (IVF), eggs and sperm are brought together in a laboratory glass dish to allow the sperm to fertilize an egg. With IVF, you can use any combination of your own eggs and sperm and donor eggs and sperm.

See a picture of the female reproductive system .

Recommended Related to Infertility & Reproduction

Understanding Infertility: The Basics

Infertility is defined as the inability for a couple to become pregnant after a year of regular, unprotected intercourse. The male partner, the female partner, or both, may have a fertility problem. In women over 35 years old, an evaluation and possible treatment is needed after 6 months of unprotected intercourse. A person who is infertile has a reduced ability to have a child. It usually doesn't mean a person is sterile -- that is, physically unable ever to have a child. Up to 15% of all...

Read the Understanding Infertility: The Basics article > >

Ovulation and egg retrieval. To prepare for an assisted reproductive procedure using your own eggs, you will require hormone treatment to control your egg production (ovulation). This is done to prevent unpredictable ovulation, which would make it necessary to cancel that in vitro attempt. This is generally done using one of two similar types of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist). The following are two examples of how ovulation can be controlled:

• You first receive about 10 days of nasal or injected GnRH agonist that "shuts down" your pituitary. Next, you get daily ovary-stimulating hormone injections and are closely monitored for 2 weeks before egg retrieval. At home, you or your partner injects you with gonadotropin or follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to make your ovaries produce multiple eggs (superovulation).
• You start treatment with FSH injections and then add the GnRH antagonist injection after about 5 days, which stops the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) within an hour or two.

After the first week, your doctor checks your blood estrogen levels and uses ultrasound to see whether eggs are maturing in the follicles. During the second week, your dosage may change based on test results. And you are monitored frequently with transvaginal ultrasound and blood tests. If follicles fully develop, you are given a human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection to stimulate the follicles to mature. The mature eggs are collected 34 to 36 hours later by needle aspiration guided by ultrasound. You will usually have pain medicine and sedation for this procedure.
Sperm collection. Sperm are collected by means of masturbation or by taking sperm from a testicle through a small incision. This procedure is performed when a blockage prevents sperm from being ejaculated or when there is a problem with sperm development. Sperm may have been collected and frozen at an earlier time. Then the sperm are thawed on the day the eggs are collected.
Fertilization and embryo transfer. The eggs and sperm are placed in a glass dish and incubated with careful temperature, atmospheric, and infection control for 48 to 120 hours. About 2 to 5 days after fertilization, the best fertilized eggs are selected. One to three are placed in the uterus using a thin flexible tube (catheter) that is inserted through the cervix. Those remaining may be frozen (cryopreserved) for future attempts.
Pregnancy and birth. Any embryos that implant in the uterus may then result in pregnancy and birth of one or more infants.

What To Expect After Treatment

Overall, in vitro fertilization (IVF)-related injections, monitoring, and procedures are emotionally and physically demanding of the female partner. Superovulation with hormones requires regular blood tests, daily injections (some of which are quite painful), frequent monitoring by your doctor, and harvesting of eggs.
These procedures are done on an outpatient basis and require only a short recovery time. You may have cramping during the procedure. You may be advised to avoid strenuous activities for the remainder of the day or to be on bed rest for a few days, depending on your condition and your doctor's recommendation.

Why It Is Done

In vitro fertilization may be a treatment option if:

• A woman's fallopian tubes are missing or blocked.
• A woman has severe endometriosis.
• A man has low sperm counts.
• Artificial or intrauterine insemination has not been successful.
• Unexplained infertility has continued for a long time. How long a couple chooses to wait is influenced by the female partner's age and other personal factors.
• A couple wants to test for inherited disorders before embryos are transferred.

IVF can be performed even if a:

• Woman has had a tubal ligation reversal surgery that was not successful.
• Woman does not have fallopian tubes.
• Woman's fallopian tubes are blocked and can't be repaired.

IVF can be done using donor eggs for women who cannot produce their own eggs due to advanced age or other causes.

How Well It Works

The number of women who have babies after in vitro fertilization varies, depending on many different things. Almost all assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures in the United States are done using IVF.
Age. Birth rates resulting from a single cycle of IVF using women's own eggs are about 30% to 40% for women age 34 and younger, then decrease steadily after age 35.³ The aging of the egg supply has a powerful effect on the chances that an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure will result in pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Cause of infertility. Infertility can be caused by problems with the woman's or the man's reproductive system. Some of these causes can include problems with the fallopian tubes, with ovulation, or with the sperm.
Pregnancy history. A woman who has already had a live birth is more likely to have a successful ART procedure than a woman who hasn't given birth before. This "previous birth advantage" gradually narrows as women age from their early 30s to their 40s.
Own eggs versus donor eggs. Birth rates are affected by whether ART procedures use a woman's own eggs or donor eggs. Many women over age 40 choose to use donor eggs, which greatly improves their chances of giving birth to healthy babies. For each cycle of in vitro fertilization:³

• Using her own eggs, a woman's chances of having a live birth decline from over 40% in her late 20s, to 30% at about age 38, and to 10% by about age 43.
• Live birth rates are the same among younger and older women using donor eggs. Women in their late 20s through mid 40s average about a 50% birth rate using fresh (not frozen) embryos.

Frozen embryos versus fresh embryos. Donor-frozen IVF embryos from a previous IVF cycle that are thawed and transferred to the uterus are less likely to result in a live birth than are donor-fresh (newly fertilized) IVF embryos.³ But frozen embryos are less expensive and less invasive for a woman, because superovulation and egg retrieval aren't necessary.

Risks

In vitro fertilization (IVF) increases the risks of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancy.

• Severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which rarely is life-threatening, develops in 0.5% to 2% of all IVF cycles.² Your doctor can minimize this risk by closely monitoring your ovaries and hormone levels during superovulation.
• Approximately 35% of births in the United States that result from assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF produce pregnancies with twins or more.¹Multiple pregnancies are high-risk for both the mother and the fetuses.

There may be a higher risk of birth defects for babies conceived by certain assisted reproductive techniques, such as IVF. Talk with your doctor about these possible risks.
Your doctor will help you decide how many embryos to transfer, with the goal of having a healthy pregnancy with one fetus. You should discuss this decision before your treatment cycle begins and then again before embryo transfer. Depending on your age and other factors, you may decide to limit the number of embryos transferred to one, two, or three. If more than two embryos implant and grow in your uterus, you will probably be counseled about multifetal pregnancy reduction to increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy and infant survival.

Embryo transfer success versus the risk of multiple pregnancy

For a woman over age 35 to maximize her chances of conceiving with her own eggs and carrying a healthy pregnancy, she may choose to have more embryos transferred than a younger woman would. But this increases her risk of multiple pregnancy.
Because of the risks to the babies of multiple pregnancy, experts recommend limiting the number of embryos transferred. Your doctor will recommend a certain number of embryos to be transferred based on your age and specific situation.
Women over 40 have a high rate of embryo loss when using their own eggs. As an alternative, older women can choose to use more viable donor eggs. When a woman uses donor eggs, experts recommend using the donor's age to help figure out how many embryos to transfer.⁴

What To Think About

Smoking has a damaging effect on fertility and pregnancy. Smokers usually require more cycles of IVF to become pregnant than nonsmokers.¹Smoking also endangers the health of the fetus. As a result, some doctors do not provide infertility treatment to women who smoke.
In vitro fertilization provides diagnostic information about fertilization and embryo development (which is not the case with a GIFT or ZIFT procedure).
Using ultrasound to help collect eggs from the woman's ovaries is less expensive, less risky, and less invasive than egg collection by laparoscopy.
In the United States, a cycle of in vitro fertilization costs approximately $10,000 to $15,000.
If you and your doctor are concerned about passing on a genetic disorder to your child, preimplantation genetic diagnosis might be available. Some genetic disorders can be identified with specialized testing before an embryo is transferred, increasing the chances of conceiving a healthy child.
Complete the special treatment information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this treatment.

Citations

1. Speroff L, Fritz MA (2005). Assisted reproductive technologies. In Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility, 7th ed., pp. 1216-1274. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
2. Al-Inany H (2005). Female infertility, search date April 2004. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence. Also available online: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006). Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Report: 2005 Preliminary Clinic Data by State and National Summary. Available online: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ART2005/clinics05.asp.
4. American Society for Reproductive Medicine and Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (2009). Guidelines on number of embryos transferred. Fertility and Sterility, 92(5): 1518-1519.

Should IVF Be Affordable for All cost of ivf

When doctors at a local St. Louis clinic told Marcie Campbell it would cost more than $15,000 to try to get her pregnant, she was crushed. For somebody with polycystic ovary syndrome, coupled with blocked fallopian tubes, in vitro fertilization was the best option to conceive a child. But with a household income of $47,000 a year, it was hardly an option. (Missouri isn’t one of the 15 states that mandate insurance coverage for IVF cost.)

“I told them, ‘There’s no way.’ We can’t afford it. Maybe rich folks can,” says Campbell, 33.

Then late last year, she found a smaller, new clinic in St. Louis called Fertility Partnership, which was charging roughly half the cost for the same procedure. Fertility Partnership’s founding partner and reproductive specialist, Elan Simckes, opened his clinic a few months ago with the principle that fertility care should be more readily accessible for everyone. “A woman’s right to have a chance to try to have a child should be available to all,” he says.

Instead of charging the rates most other IVF clinics charge—$10,000 to $20,000 per treatment—he set his pricing at around $7,500 for a standard course of treatment including intracytoplasmic sperm injection of eggs and assisted hatching, which many other clinics don’t include in their price. While Fertility Partnership isn’t entirely unique, it is one of the few clinics offering more affordable treatment—Barbara Collura, director of Resolve, the National Infertility Association, says that her organization has “only heard of a handful” of clinics offering IVF at lower cost.

While patients applaud the concept, despite some initial skepticism about whether a less expensive treatment can be as effective, the opening of his clinic in the Bible Belt sent yet another wave of controversy through a field of medicine balancing on an already thin ethical edge. The local Christian community came knocking on his door to inquire about embryo handling. Other doctors in the area felt threatened by the pricing model. Dr. Sherman Silber, a reproductive specialist at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis and author of the book How to Get Pregnant, argues that cost alone shouldn’t be the sole deciding factor for patients, and that the fertility field shouldn’t be viewed as an industry. “This isn’t Walmart. Embryos aren’t like toothpaste,” he says. “You can’t do a recall on embryos.”

For his part, Simckes says that claims that lower prices mean lower quality is merely one of the ways other clinics take advantage of the emotional state of their patients, many of whom are willing to pay as much as they can to get a chance to conceive. To Simckes, it’s simple economics: by opening more clinics and getting more doctors the skills to provide fertility services, the costs will come down. “Just as there has been a price adjustment in other medical fields, it needs to happen in the fertility field,” he says. “Once upon a time, it was considered a luxury to have Lasik surgery. It was not readily available, and costs were up to $6,000 per eye. Now, competition has brought the costs down to as little as $1,500 for both eyes. The competition in fertility cannot develop if an organization can limit the number of people providing the service.” (Currently, there are only around 40 openings each year at fellowships approved by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology where reproductive endocrinologists can be trained.)

David Adamson, a past president of the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology, disagrees that the number of reproductive endocrinologists is low and the demand is high. “There is not a long wait to see reproductive endocrinologists,” he wrote in an e-mail. “At this time the supply is greater than the demand.”

But if supply were truly greater than demand, prices should be expected to be broadly decreasing, particularly during a time of economic downturn, which doesn’t appear to be happening. In fact, more Americans seem to be going abroad to seek fertility help for cost reasons: the National Institutes of Health estimates the medical-tourism industry to grow to more than $40 billion in 2010, with a rising number of Americans seeking fertility treatments in nations such as South Africa, Argentina, or the Czech Republic. Different studies on the subject confirm that the cost of fertility treatment in the U.S. is by far the highest out of all developed countries.

According to a study by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, published in The Human Reproduction Update last month, direct costs of fertility treatment vary substantially between countries, but the U.S. stands out as notably more expensive than other countries. While the average price of IVF treatment in Japan was 3,149 euros ($4,012) and Belgium’s 2,441 euros ($3,109), the U.S. averaged 10,812 euros ($13,775). The next highest nation on the list after the U.S. was Canada, with a substantially lower cost of 6,766 euros ($8,740). On top of that, American facilities only met one quarter of the estimated demand for fertility treatment. The underutilization of fertility treatments is especially noticeable within minorities and low-income patients

The couples crippled by the cost of IVF

Two years ago, Gill Jones looked around the comfortable house she shares with husband Mark in West Yorkshire and wondered whether it would ever be filled with the children they dreamed of.
The couple had ploughed £20,000 — all their savings and every spare penny of their earnings — into their battle to have children of their own. But two days before Christmas 2009, Gill miscarried — a few short weeks after her latest course of IVF.
Over three years, she had been through five attempts at IVF cost, two miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy: a shattering cycle of crushed hopes and financial strain, culminating in the most awful despair.
‘We realised we just couldn’t do it any more,’ says Gill, a 38-year-old human resources manager. ‘It felt like everything was against us. It was just devastating — there’s not another word for it.’
A dreadfully sad account, yet Gill and Mark’s story is, for many couples, an all too familiar one. As the Mail recently revealed, infertile couples are being driven to overspend on credit cards, take out high-interest loans and even remortgage their homes to cover bills for fertility treatment that can run into many tens of thousands of pounds.
Yet, according to fertility pioneer Lord Robert Winston, it shouldn’t be happening. The Labour peer and former head of the NHS IVF clinic at London’s Hammersmith Hospital has launched a scathing attack on the high cost of fertility treatment in Britain.
By his calculations, a reasonable-sized clinic could offer a cycle of IVF for £1,300. Instead, the basic cost of treatment is often more than double that — £2,500 in clinics run by the NHS and £3,500 in private clinics. This does not include the costs of drugs and tests.

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Little wonder, you might think, that Lord Winston peppered his comments with words like ‘exploitation’ and ‘scandal’. Some top clinics, he said, are charging £350 a year to preserve frozen embryos and eggs, when the liquid nitrogen they are kept in costs 70p a flask and storage costs amount to no more than £10 a year.
‘Having a child is life-changing and is a fulfilment many couples can’t get in any other way in their lives,’ he told the Mail. ‘For this to be exploited commercially or by the NHS is unforgivable.’
One thing is for sure. The baby business is booming. Last year, more than 45,000 women in Britain underwent IVF — in which an egg is fertilised by sperm under laboratory conditions — or ICSI, a more complex process in which the sperm is injected directly into the egg. That’s a rise of 9,000 since 2007 and a rise of more than 300 per cent since 1992, when just 14,057 were treated. Of today’s total, some 60 per cent paid for treatment themselves.

Lord Robert Winston has launched an attack on the high cost of fertility treatment

While the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that all Primary Care Trusts fund three cycles of IVF for women aged 23 to 39 who have been infertile for more than three years, the reality is that only a third of trusts fund three cycles and 39 per cent offer just one. After that, private clinics become the only option. So having paid £3,500 for an IVF cycle, perhaps another £1,000 on drugs, a few more hundred pounds for tests and extra consultations (one cycle can cost between £4,000 and £8,000) what outcomes can anxious couples expect?
It’s not quite National Lottery odds, but IVF is a huge gamble. Average success rates are just 32 per cent for women under 35, falling rapidly with age to just 1.5 per cent for those over 45. There is no disputing that fertility clinics have brought enormous joy to countless families who would otherwise have remained childless. Yet the only guaranteed winners seem to be the clinics themselves.
When the Mail took a look at the finances of a handful of the best-known fertility clinics, they appeared to be in glowing health. Take the Lister Fertility Clinic, established in 1988 and run by clinical director Hossam Abdalla, who owns two-thirds of the company and is also a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which oversees the IVF industry.

When you are in the middle of a cycle, you can’t just stop... you are on the train, it’s moving and you will pay anything

The Lister boasts high success rates (44.9 per cent on average for women under 35), but also hefty fees of £3,450 per standard cycle — plus £915 for egg/embryo freezing for a year, £162 for a pregnancy scan and £200 for an initial consultation. Last year the company’s turnover was £7.9 million, with profits of £2 million. Mr Abdalla did not take his share of the profits as dividends, allowing it instead to accumulate within the company, but he was paid £588,000.
Then there’s the London Women’s Clinic, headed by scientific and managing director Kamal Ahuja, which charges £2,950 for a standard cycle of IVF. The clinic’s parent company JD Healthcare is 95 per cent owned by Mr Ahuja and it turned over £10.87 million last year, a 23 per cent increase on the previous year. Mr Ahuja awarded himself a relatively modest salary and pension of £115,000, but if he drew his share of profits he would have been entitled to just shy of £1 million.
Such financial success is by no means restricted to London. The Care Fertility Group, which claims to be the UK’s largest independent provider of IVF, saw its profits go from £2.37 million to £4.1 million last year. Enquiries to the clinic’s Nottingham centre reveal prices not dissimilar to London clinics — £2,850 for a standard IVF cycle.
But illustrating Lord Winston’s concern about dramatic variations in additional costs, it charges a £515 flat fee for drugs, less than half what is typically demanded by some London clinics. Only three years ago, the HFEA told private clinics they should provide ‘clear and accurate’ information in the form of personalised, costed treatment plans after a survey found that more than one-in-four fertility patients had ended up paying more than they expected.

Average success rates for IVF are 32 per cent for women under 35

The Authority, which charges IVF clinics a £75 administration fee, paid by each patient, told the Mail it was not an ‘economic regulator’. Unfortunately, as Gill Jones knows only too well, what desperate woman wanting to become a mother is going to say no if something arises during treatment that requires extra funding?
‘When you are in the middle of a cycle, you can’t just stop if they need another £100 for this test or that test; you are on the train, it’s moving and you will pay anything,’ she says. ‘You never believe you’re going to be in the 70 per cent who don’t succeed.’
Gill and Mark, who works for a water company, began trying to have a family soon after they married five-and-a-half years ago and sought medical advice after a year. With no explanation for their failure to conceive, they were soon swept up in the relentless roller coaster that is IVF. ‘In our area you only get one round of IVF on the NHS, not the three that NICE recommends,’ says Gill. ‘But I was 35 and we decided we couldn’t wait the one to two years it would take on the waiting list, so we decided to go privately.’
Two cycles of IVF followed in late 2007 and early 2008, but the second had to be abandoned because the drugs, costing £1,000 up front, were not stimulating Gill’s ovaries. To fund the treatment — £4,500 for two cycles — the couple raided their savings and lived frugally. Over the next year, Gill underwent a cycle using donor eggs at a clinic in Barcelona, costing £10,000 and another in Britain costing about £6,000. The first attempt ended in miscarriage, the second produced an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in one of Gill’s fallopian tubes being removed.
Still desperate to have a child, they waged a battle with their local Primary Care Trust and underwent a final round of IVF in Yorkshire, paid for by the NHS. Sadly, that too ended in despair in 2009. ‘It’s so hard,’ says Gill. ‘Some of these clinics are putting a lot of work into increasing success rates, but it’s upsetting to think that in some ways they could be exploiting women’s biological need and desire to have a baby. Hearing that the costs could be halved hurts.’

It’s upsetting to think that in some ways they could be exploiting women’s biological need and desire to have a baby

Her feelings are echoed by Tamsin Bowers, 36, who runs an independent support group IVF Support Services in Essex. Tamsin and husband Andrew, 43, a sign maker, were so terrified of the costs in Britain that they travelled to Sweden for IVF, which led to the arrival of twins Isabella and Francesca, eight, and daughter Azaria, five. Ironically, they then had a surprise natural arrival — little Ellphia, now two. ‘I looked at clinics in Britain, but we didn’t know how expensive it was going to get — we remortgaged our home to pay for IVF.’
They chose Sweden because they had family there, it had good results and the clinic charged an all-inclusive fee of £6,000. They then remortgaged their home a second time to fund a further cycle.
‘Andrew and I are still paying for the IVF cycles now on our 25-year mortgage,’ says Tamsin. ‘Financially it was very hard. I had to give up work after we had the twins, and at the time my husband’s salary was about £19,000 a year.’
There is no indication that the clinics looked at by the Mail do not give their patients a costs summary. A spokesman for the Lister Fertility Clinic said: ‘The Lister agrees with Lord Winston that all patients must be given full information at the earliest opportunity and we always tell patients what chance they have of success and we tell them precisely what the costs will be well before treatment begins.’
He said profits were used in providing the latest equipment and technology for treatment. A Care spokesperson said: ‘Care’s reputation for developing new treatments and technologies is world-renowned. Thousands of babies have been born thanks to successful treatment. Our focus remains, as always, on our patients.’
But in West Yorkshire, Gill and Mark finally have the family of their dreams, after adopting children.‘Now we have children we do think what could we have done with that £20,000 over the years,’ says Gill. ‘We are not the same people we were five years ago, but we feel lucky that we have our family.’

Additional reporting: Nic North

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2085356/The-couples-crippled-cost-IVF.html#ixzz29AE3qc76
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Welcome to Everybody Who is Looking for IVF Cost Information

Welcome to ivfcost.net. This site was born out of my husband and I being told that we have “unexplained” infertility after 10 years of trying! With finances being tight, and me being 43 and hence not eligible for IVF on the NHS, we were unable to just select the most convenient IVF clinic and pay the price. So we decided to look across the world to see where the best place was that offered good IVF success rates and low IVF cost!
What a job! If you have been trying then you’ve probably struggled as much as we have! So I decided that as I gather information I will share it with others, like yourself.
The first thing I did was try to get an overview of the IVF cost across the globe. The results of this can be found here.
After this I found the contact details for as many IVF clinics as I could and I am in the process of sending them an email (which can be seen here) requesting the IVF cost, IVF success rate and information on the IVF process. I am posting the responses as I get them on this site and have tagged them with the country name. To date I have responses on:
IVF Cost in Argentina
IVF Cost in Australia
IVF Cost in Austria
IVF Cost in Belgium
IVF Cost in Brazil
IVF Cost in Bulgaria
IVF Cost in Costa Rica
IVF Cost in Croatia
IVF Cost in Cyprus
IVF Cost in Czech Republic
IVF Cost in Denmark
IVF Cost in Georgia
IVF Cost in Greece
IVF Cost in Hong Kong
IVF Cost in Hungary
IVF Cost in India
IVF Cost in Iran
IVF Cost in Ireland
IVF Cost in Kenya
IVF Cost in Latvia
IVF Cost in Malaysia
IVF Cost in Mexico
IVF Cost in Panama
IVF Cost in Poland
IVF Cost in the Slovak Republic
IVF Cost in Slovenia
IVF Cost in South Africa
IVF Cost in Spain
IVF Cost in Sweden
IVF Cost in Switzerland
IVF Cost in Taiwan
IVF Cost in Thailand
IVF Cost in Turkey
IVF Cost in the Ukraine
IVF Cost in the USA
IVF Cost in the U.K.
IVF Cost in United Arab Emirates
I have also tagged the responses that I found particularly useful and put them in the tag My IVF Shortlist.
When we started this journey I must admit that it was all very overwhelming. We knew very little about what our options were and what to expect. We scoured the book stores for something that would help us get to grips with the jargon and understand what our test results really meant. The one book that stands out above the others is What to Do When You Can’t Get Pregnant: The Complete Guide to All the Technologies for Couples Facing Fertility Problems by Daniel A Potter and Jennifer S Hanin. This has been our bible to knowing what is going on, what questions to ask and how to make good decisions – we can highly recommend it.
I hope that the information on this site is useful to you. If you have experience with any of the clinics please do leave a comment so that others can benefit from it too.

IVF Cost at Medicana International Hospital IVF Center – Istanbul, Turkey – Great Information

I have had a very thorough reply to my IVF Cost Letter from Medicana International Hospital IVF Center – Istanbul, Turkey. Their prices certainly seem reasonable.
The contact details for the clinic are:
Address: Beylikduzu Street No 3, Beylikduzu, Istanbul, Turkey
Phone: +90 212 867 79 18
Website: http://www.turkey-ivf.com
Here is their response:
The questions I have regarding treatment at your clinic are:
1.What is the current success rate for your clinic? (preferably by age as I know that the success rate will be much lower for somebody of my age)
Here are our cumulative pregnancy rates in the following format.

Woman’s Age	Pregnancy test (B-hcg +)	Clinical Pregnancy
30 or younger	65 %	52 %
30 – 35	57 %	44 %
35 – 40	40 %	32%
41 - 43	27 %	14%
43 – 45	11 %	6 %

2. How many cycles do you perform per year at the clinic?

Between 900-1000 patients
3. What is the maximum age that you treat?
We do not accept patients older than 45 years of age for ivf treatment.
4. Are there any fertility conditions that you will not treat?
If woman’s FSH is higher than 20 mIU/ml at day 3, or male has been undergone micro TESE operation before and sperms not found, we do not start IVF treatment. Besides, we do not try tubal re-anastomosis operation in tubal blockage cases since our IVF success rates are quite high.
5. What is your embryo transfer policy? How many embryos will you replace at one time?
We do not transfer more than two embryos, since we believe that transferring more than two embryos only increases multiple pregnancy rate. Also we offer to transfer only one good quality blastocyst in first trial to young patients (<35 years of age) , but it is the decision of the couple.
6. What is the basic cost of the IVF treatment?
Our Package Prices are as follows;
Option 1 £ 1500
IVF / ICSI Package
Including all exams, ultrasound, blood tests
Assisted Hatching ( With Laser) Included
IMSI ( In severe male factor cases) Included
Freezing Excess Embryos ( With Vitrification ) £ 250
All cycle costs are package costs and include all the ultrasound scans, anaesthetic charges, doctor’s fees and post-op recovery where applicable.
At the time of egg collection, if there are no eggs or failed fertilisation, we refund £ 300 for cancellation of embryo transfer.
Pregnancy scans are charged separately.
Medication costs are charged separately and can vary from patient to patient. Patients are requested to buy the drugs from the pharmacy themselves
Option 2 £ 2350
Option 1 + all drugs and medications until embryo transfer
Option 3 £ 3250
Option 2 + freezing the extra embryos and also a 20 night accommodation in a flat and airport transfers. Flat is fully furnished and very near to our Hospital (in walking distance).
7. What additional costs would / could be incurred?
If you have embryo(s) frozen, the cost of storage after one year is 120 £ annually
TESA 280 £
Sperm freezing 150 £
Micro TESE 550 £
8. What happens to the costs if the cycle has to be abandoned?
If the stimulation protocol is cancelled due to failure of follicular growth, we charge only examinations and blood tests. If embryo transfer is cancelled due to fertilization failure or embryonic development arrest, we refund £ 350 for cancellation of embryo transfer.
9. How long would I need to be in Turkey for?
If we will start the treatment at second or third day of the mensturation, it will probably last in 15-20 days with the embryo transfer.
10. Who deals with the logistics of flights and accommodation?
You will arrange the flight tickets yourself but we can pick you up from airport for transfer to Hotel. Also we can help you for accommodation (hotel or residence near to our Hospital)
Coordinator for patient relations in our IVF centre will help you.
11. How is the pre-treatment carried out?
You can send us the copies of all your medical records before you start.
For woman; fT4 (free thyroxine),TSH, Prolactine levels are required and also HBSAg, Anti-HCV , Anti-HIV is required
For man: HBSAg, Anti-HCV , Anti-HIV, sperm analysis are required.
All the details of previous treatments will be helpful to understand the medical condition also.
12. How do I get medication?
As we start the treatment we provide the drugs in the package program or you can buy from pharmacy yourself.
13. How will I be monitored?
We will start the treatment at second or third day of the mensturation. The treatment will begin with daily injections and after three days you will be controlled again by ultrasound and blood levels of hormones to adjust the drug dosage. In every other day, you should be examined again and at about 9th or 10th day of treatment, you will have the final injection and in 36 hours your eggs will be collected under general anaesthesia. After that, your embryo transfer will be performed between 2 – 5 days .
14. How will I know that I am not being under / over stimulated?
In ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome, you may feel swelling and discomfort in the abdomen, sometimes nausea and vomiting, bowel problems and changes in urine colour and consistency. We will observe your stimulation closely to prevent hyperstimulation. If your ovaries are polycyctic type ( that means more sensitive for hyperstimulation), you should have daily monitoring with ultrasound and blood levels of oestradiol.
Understimulation is easily diagnosed by ultrasound and blood levels and managed by modulating the drug dosage.
15. If I have a problem whilst in the UK who would I go to?
Couples are free to return UK next day after embryo transfer. Sometimes problems like ectopic pregnancy, missed abortion, threatened abortion can occur just as after spontaneous pregnancy. In these circumstances, your local consultant will help you. We are always willing to give medical advice and direct you by phone or mail.
16. Is the clinic registered with any regulatory body?
Our IVF centre is located in Medicana International Hospitals Group which is one of the largest and pioneer of private Hospitals in Turkey. It is approved by our Ministry of Health and also Our Hospital is accredited by ISO and JCI (Joint Commission International) regularly. You can observe the Medicana group by visiting our site (http://www.medicana.com.tr/intPatients/default.aspx )


Our Contact Informations
Medicana International Hospital IVF Center – Istanbul, Turkey
Turkey IVF, a fertility clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, offers several low cost IVF options.
An IVF cycle is 1,500 GBP without medications and 2,250 GBP with medications. For patients traveling to Turkey for treatment they offer a special package for 3,250 GBP which includes IVF, medications, airport transfers, and a 20 night stay in a flat within walking distance of the clinic. All their IVF prices include ICSI.
Phone: +90 212 867 79 18
Website: http://www.turkey-ivf.com
Call the above number for more information or to make an appointment.
Turkey IVF has English speaking staff and no wait for treatment.
Address: Beylikduzu Street No 3, Beylikduzu, Istanbul, Turkey