Fertility Tourism / Going Abroad for Infertility Treatment

Going Abroad for Fertility Treatment

Going Abroad for Fertility Treatment Fertility tourism refers to going to another country for infertility treatment, although it is safe to say that many people looking at this option do not consider these trips to be a vacation. The primary reason US citizen go abroad for fertility treatment is lower cost; while the primary reason citizens of other countries come to the US for infertility treatment is the availability of treatment options not offered in their home country.

Reasons Why People Go Abroad for Fertility Treatment
While cost is the primary reason, there are a multitude of reasons why people might choose to go abroad for fertility treatment, either going from the US to other countries or citizens of other countries coming to the US.  Some of the most common are:

  • Cost savings
  • Availability of treatment with fewer restriction on age, weight, marital status, sexual orientation, etc.
  • Seeking a specific treatment/technique that might not be available in home country (ICSI, PGD, embryo cryopreservation, gender selection, etc.)
  • Privacy
What Infertility Treatments Do US Citizens Go Abroad For?
From talking with the Creating a Family community, we find that most US residents don’t go abroad for basic IVF. It is possible to find US infertility clinics that offer lower cost IVF, and the savings abroad, once travel is factored in, are not so great. We also do not hear that people go to other countries for sperm donation given the ready availability and cost of sperm banks in the US. Most of the people from the US that are considering infertility tourism are doing so for egg donation and/or surrogacy.
Immigration Issues For the Child Born To a Surrogate Abroad
One of the biggest issues you will face is making sure that your child born abroad will be granted citizenship in your country. We can not recommend more highly this Creating a Family radio show where the complexity of this issue is discussed thoroughly: Legal and Immigration Issues with Egg/Sperm Donation or Surrogacy Abroad. You must consult an attorney in your home country that specializes in immigration and reproductive law.

Creating a Family has many resources on fertility tourism. A few we think you will find particularly helpful are:

Many more Creating a Family radio interviews with experts, videos, blogs, fact sheets, and Q and A’s with Experts on fertility tourism can be found at the icons below.

Image credit: Roslyn in Starfish Island

Additional Resources

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Creating a Family Radio Shows on Going Abroad for Treatment

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Creating a Family Blogs on Going Abroad for Treatment

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Creating a Family Factsheets, Tips on Going Abroad for Treatment

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Creating a Family Videos on Going Abroad for Treatment

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Q and A's with Experts on Going Abroad for Treatment