Clinics invest in gleaming buildings, new labs, and glossy brochures. Patients, it turns out, are looking at something else entirely: the person who will treat them.
In 2024, we surveyed 1,189 patients worldwide who were researching IVF treatment abroad. We asked what matters most when choosing a clinic, what disappointed them in past treatments, and what would help them decide. The answers are strikingly consistent – and strikingly human.
The decision factors, ranked
We asked patients to identify the most important factors when choosing an IVF clinic abroad:
| Factor | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| Doctor’s experience with similar patients | 59% |
| Personalised treatment approach | 53% |
| Treatment cost | 52% |
| Clinic reputation | 49% |
| Availability of new treatments | 44% |
| Success rate listed on clinic website | 42% |
| Patient-friendly clinic | 40% |
| Communication with staff | 33% |
| Number and quality of online reviews | 22% |
| Clinic size | 5% |
Look at the top two. The single most important factor – chosen by 59% of patients – is the doctor’s experience with patients like them. Same diagnosis, same history, same situation. Second, at 53%, is a treatment approach personalised to them.
Cost, the factor that drives so many patients abroad in the first place, comes third at 52%. Published success rates – the numbers clinics fight hardest to advertise – rank only sixth at 42%. Which fits what we found earlier in this research: roughly half of patients don’t trust those numbers anyway.
Nobody cares how big your clinic is
The most lopsided result in the entire survey: 83% of patients have no preference about clinic size. Just 10% would prefer a smaller clinic, and 7% a larger one.
Big international chain or boutique practice – patients are indifferent. They’re not choosing an institution. They’re choosing a doctor, a plan, and a price they can trust.
What goes wrong: “I was treated as a number”
We also asked patients with past IVF experience what disappointed them in previous treatments. The number one answer isn’t medical. It’s personal.
36% said they were treated as a number, not as a patient – the most common disappointment, ahead of every clinical and financial complaint. Next came unresponsive clinics that didn’t answer queries in reasonable time (20%), and missing guidance around procedures: 28% said they didn’t get enough advice on what to do – and not do – before and after embryo transfer or egg retrieval. 13% paid more than the advertised price.
There’s good news for treatment abroad specifically. Among patients whose past treatment was abroad, the complaints were slightly lower across the board: 34% felt impersonally treated, and only 19% lacked procedure guidance – significantly better than the overall figure. Going abroad doesn’t mean accepting worse care. But the pattern holds everywhere: the deepest wounds come from feeling processed rather than cared for.
Notice the symmetry. The top selection factor is a doctor who knows patients like you. The top disappointment is being treated like a number. Patients are telling clinics the same thing twice.
80% of patients want a second opinion
One more finding rounds out the picture. We asked patients whether an expert second opinion – someone reviewing their previous cycles and medical history, and advising on likely outcomes – would help them choose the right clinic.
80% said yes.
The demand grows with scar tissue: 73% of first-timers would welcome a second opinion, rising to 85% among patients with three or more failed cycles behind them. And this isn’t idle interest – patients are willing to pay. Of those interested, 42% would pay €50–€100 for an expert second opinion, 31% would pay €100–€200, and 27% would pay more than €200.
Patients facing their third or fourth cycle aren’t looking for another brochure. They’re looking for someone qualified and independent to tell them the truth about their chances.
What this means if you’re choosing a clinic
Let the data sharpen your shortlist.
Interview the doctor, not the building. Ask how many patients with your diagnosis and your age they’ve treated in the past year, and what protocols they used. 59% of your fellow patients rank this as what matters most – because it’s what actually varies between clinics.
Test the personalisation claim. Every clinic says “individual approach.” Ask what, specifically, they would do differently for you based on your history. A real answer references your case; a template answer could be sent to anyone.
Watch the small signals during first contact. Response time, who answers, how completely. 20% of experienced patients were burned by unresponsive clinics – and the clinic is never more attentive than when it’s trying to win you.
And if you have failed cycles behind you, get an independent second opinion before committing. 80% of patients want one; those who’ve been through the most want it most. It’s a small cost next to a €5,000 cycle in the wrong clinic.
And a message to clinics
The winning formula in our data costs less than a new building: an experienced doctor who is visible and specific about the patients they treat, genuinely personalised protocols, transparent prices, and fast, human communication. Patients choose people. The clinics that let their doctors and their care be seen – rather than their lobbies – are the ones patients pick, and the ones patients come back to.
FAQ
What is the most important factor when choosing an IVF clinic abroad?
The doctor’s experience with similar patients – named by 59% of the 1,189 patients in our 2024 survey. A personalised treatment approach (53%) and treatment cost (52%) came next. Published success rates ranked only sixth (42%).
Does clinic size matter for IVF?
Not to patients. 83% have no preference about clinic size – the most one-sided result in our survey. Only 10% prefer a smaller clinic and 7% a larger one.
What do IVF patients complain about most?
Being treated as a number, not a patient – the top disappointment at 36% among experienced patients, ahead of unresponsiveness (20%) and insufficient guidance around procedures (28% combined for embryo transfer and egg retrieval).
Should I get a second opinion before choosing an IVF clinic abroad?
Most patients think so: 80% said an expert second opinion would help them choose, rising to 85% among patients with 3+ failed cycles. Most would pay €50–€200 for one.
This article is based on “Seeking IVF Treatment Abroad: Patient Research 2024” – IVF Media’s survey of 1,189 patients worldwide, conducted January–June 2024. Read more about the research here →
Read the full series
This article is part of our five-part series based on our 2024 survey of 1,189 patients researching IVF treatment abroad:
- Why Patients Go Abroad for IVF: Cost Drives the English-Speaking World, Law Drives Europe
- The Most Popular IVF Destinations Abroad – and Who Chooses Them
- How Much Are Patients Willing to Pay for IVF Abroad? Half Budget Under €7,000
- Google First, Clinic Websites Second: How Patients Research IVF Clinics Abroad – and What They Can’t Find
- What Makes Patients Choose an IVF Clinic Abroad? The Doctor, Not the Building (this article)
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