IVF abroad: what to check before you book
Short answer: Treatment abroad can cost less and still work well, but the saving is smaller than the brochure suggests once flights, accommodation, time off work and repeat trips are counted. The things that decide whether it goes smoothly are monitoring at home, who answers your questions between visits, and what happens if you need follow up once you are back.
We went through six weeks of treatment in Türkiye, so this section is written from the inside as well as from published guidance. It is still general information, not advice about your case.
By destination
Before you book anywhere
- Check the clinic is licensed by that country's regulator, and get the licence number.
- Ask how many trips are needed and how long you must stay for each one.
- Arrange who does your scans and blood tests at home, and what they cost.
- Ask who you speak to between visits, in which language, and how fast they reply.
- Get the full price list in writing, including medication and storage.
- Ask what happens, and what is refunded, if the cycle is cancelled.
- Ask how records and any frozen embryos can be transferred later.
- Check your travel insurance covers treatment and complications.
Read next
Sources
- Choose a fertility clinic, HFEA. Link checked 17 September 2026.
- Guidelines and patient information, ESHRE. Link checked 17 September 2026.
- Treatment add-ons with limited evidence, HFEA. Link checked 17 September 2026.
Written by patients, not clinicians. This page has not yet been reviewed by a named fertility professional, so it explains published guidance and points you to the original source instead of giving medical advice. It is not medical advice. Decisions about your treatment belong with your own clinic. Read our editorial policy and corrections policy.