IVF

By the time a couple turns to in vitro fertilization, they usually have been through a long, frustrating course that has exhausted them both financially and emotionally. Fortunately, there are now many reliable centers globally where they can find renewed hope for pregnancy.

In an IVF procedure, the implantation of a viable embryo is the goal of a process to manually combine an egg and sperm, achieving fertilization in a laboratory dish. When eggs are fertilized, they are allowed to become embryos by cell division, and then multiple embryos are placed in the uterus to implant and develop into a healthy fetus. Since the first IVF success in 1978, refinements, such as injection of the sperm into the ovum and improved screening for viable eggs, have boosted success rates.

Patients should get a quote from an institution and base their decision on costs — including travel and accommodation expense — and success rates for pregnancy and live birth. Procedure cost is 62-85% below the U.S. average price of $14,500.

There are excellent options on virtually every continent: Among the choice destinations

* Barbados, though that country is expanding IVF services to clinics throughout the Caribbean region.
* South Korea, where the best-known services are offered in the Greater Seoul area.
* Southern India, where patients can find medical facilitators to guide them to specific providers.
* The Ukraine, near the Black Sea, draws medical tourists from neighboring countries and the U.S.
* Costa Rica has multiple hospitals and fertility centers offering IVF.