Pitfalls to Be Aware of for Fertility Tourism

Q: What are some of the pitfalls that people should be aware of when going abroad for fertility treatment?

A: According to Dr. Glen Cohen, quality differences in terms of what is offered abroad versus at home (though some foreign providers provide even better services); limitations on one’s ability to sue if something goes wrong; immigration questions in trying to bring a child conceived to a surrogate abroad home; whether the process of fertility tourism empowers or exploits foreign women offering services; language barriers for documentation of services provided; the effects of your decision to go abroad on the health care economy of the place to which you travel, in particular whether resources are re-directed to medical tourism facilities in the destination country at the expense of health care access for the poor in that society.

Dr. Glen Cohen is a Harvard professor and author of Patients with Passports: Medical Tourism, Law, and Ethics.