IVF Abroad Patient Research – full findings
Every year, thousands of people cross a border to have fertility treatment. They leave home for many reasons. Price. Law. Waiting lists. Hope.
We wanted to understand them properly. So we asked.
We surveyed 1,189 patients worldwide who were actively looking for IVF treatment abroad – one of the largest international surveys ever conducted among this group of patients. The survey asked 19 questions about their motivations, budgets, information needs and how they choose a clinic. Fieldwork ran from January to June 2024; the full report was published in October 2024 and updated that December. This page is the complete public summary of what patients told us.
The findings are free to use. If you quote them, please credit “IVF Media Patient Research” and link to this page.
Prefer the full report? Download the complete PDF report here – all 36 pages, with every chart and country breakdown.
Key findings at a glance
- 41% of patients seek IVF abroad because private treatment at home costs too much. It’s the single biggest driver worldwide.
- 35% go abroad because the law at home blocks the treatment they need. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Scandinavia and Italy, legislation – not cost – is the number one reason.
- 51% of patients looking abroad want IVF with donor eggs; 48% want IVF with their own eggs.
- Spain is the most considered destination, shortlisted by 60% of patients worldwide – ahead of Greece (34%) and the Czech Republic (30%).
- 54% of patients have a maximum budget under €7,000 for treatment abroad. Only 11% can spend more than €15,000.
- 74% of patients research clinics abroad using Google – nearly three times more than any other channel.
- 56% of patients cannot find information for international patients on clinic websites. It’s the most common unmet information need.
- Only 51% of patients trust the success rates clinics publish – and trust falls to 44% once patients have been through IVF themselves.
- 59% say the doctor’s experience with cases like theirs is the most important factor when choosing a clinic abroad.
- 83% don’t care how big the clinic is.
- 80% would welcome an independent expert second opinion before choosing a clinic.
- 60% of patients looking abroad have already been through at least one round of IVF. One in four has been through four or more.
Who took part
1,189 people responded from all over the world. 73% were resident across 8 major regions covering 15 countries in Europe, North America and Australasia:
| Region | Respondents |
|---|---|
| Anglo-Celtic Isles (UK and Ireland) | 255 |
| DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) | 198 |
| North America (United States, Canada) | 141 |
| Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) | 70 |
| France | 65 |
| Italy | 52 |
| Netherlands | 48 |
| Australasia (Australia, New Zealand) | 42 |
| Other territories | 318 |
That mix matters. It let us compare patients country by country – and the differences turned out to be the most interesting part of the whole study.
Most patients are not IVF beginners
Here’s the first thing that surprises people: patients looking abroad are experienced.
60% have already been through at least one round of IVF. Only about 40% are starting fresh.
Rounds of past IVF treatment (anywhere):
| Rounds | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of patients | 40% | 12% | 14% | 8% | 25% |
Read that last column again. One in four patients searching for a clinic abroad has already been through four or more failed IVF cycles. These are people who have run out of road at home.
Experience varies sharply by country:
- Australasians are the most experienced. 88% have had at least one cycle. 57% have had four or more at home. Yet 81% have never had treatment abroad – they’re crossing the border for the first time.
- Italians are the most internationally experienced. 45% have already had IVF abroad, and 60% have had at least one treatment in Italy first.
- North Americans are the least experienced. 42% have never had IVF at all, and 84% have never had treatment abroad.
What treatments are patients looking for?
Donor eggs and own eggs, in almost equal measure:
| Treatment sought | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| IVF with donor eggs | 51% |
| IVF with own eggs | 48% |
| Embryo donation | 13% |
| Insemination (IUI or AID) | 8% |
| Egg freezing | 5% |
| Other | 2% |
76% of patients were looking for one specific treatment. 24% were considering more than one – and nearly half of those were weighing up own eggs versus donor eggs.
Some national patterns stand out:
- 42% of all egg-freezing seekers were North American – even though North Americans made up only 16% of respondents. Egg freezing is disproportionately a North American search.
- Embryo donation over-indexes in Italy. Italians made up 11% of embryo-donation seekers – nearly double their share of the survey. France and the Netherlands over-index too.
- North America is the one region where own-egg IVF tops the list, not donor eggs.
Why patients go abroad
Globally, four reasons sit close together – and one trails far behind:
| Motivation | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| Cost of private treatment at home | 41% |
| Prohibitive legislation at home | 35% |
| Availability of desired treatments | 35% |
| Better treatment quality abroad | 34% |
| Not eligible for funded treatment | 9% |
62% of patients gave one single reason. And that reason depends almost entirely on where they live:
- English-speaking countries run on cost. In the UK and Ireland, cost came first (named by 170 of 255 respondents). In North America it wasn’t even close – cost was cited roughly four times more often than any other factor (119 of 141 respondents).
- Much of continental Europe runs on law. In the DACH region, prohibitive legislation was the top reason by a huge margin – 120 mentions against 60 for the next factor. France (34 vs 18), Italy (24), and Scandinavia (37 vs 22) follow the same pattern. Egg donation is banned or heavily restricted in several of these countries, so patients have no choice but to travel.
- The Netherlands and Australasia run on availability. Dutch (21 mentions) and Australasian (24 mentions) patients most often travel to access treatments – like donor eggs with short waiting times or advanced techniques – that are hard to get at home.
- Italy is the quality outlier. Legislation leads, but treatment quality is a close second (21 of 52 respondents) – higher relative interest in quality than any other market.
One sentence version: the English-speaking world travels to save money; continental Europe travels to escape the law.
Where patients want to go
We asked patients which destination countries they were considering. Spain dominates:
| Destination | Considered by |
|---|---|
| Spain | 60% |
| Greece | 34% |
| Czech Republic | 30% |
| Denmark | 23% |
| Portugal | 21% |
| North Cyprus | 20% |
| Poland | 15% |
| Latvia | 12% |
| Turkey | 12% |
| Estonia | 11% |
| USA | 10% |
| Mexico | 6% |
| Barbados | 5% |
| India | 4% |
| Belgium | 1% |
Patients typically shortlist several countries – the percentages show how often each one makes the list.
The by-market view adds colour:
- Italians love Spain most of all: 83% of Italian patients shortlist it – the highest single figure in the study. France (72%) and the Netherlands (75%) are close behind.
- Australasians break the pattern. Greece (52%) edges out Spain (50%) for them, and 40% consider the USA – four times the global average.
- Scandinavians stay close to home. 46% consider Denmark and 31% consider Latvia – both far above the global norm.
- The Czech Republic is a DACH favourite – 39% of German-speaking patients shortlist it, more than any other nationality.
- Mexico and Barbados are effectively North American destinations. 73% of everyone interested in Mexico was North American; 29% of North Americans consider Mexico and 16% consider Barbados.
Destination shortlists within each major market (top picks):
| Destination | UK+IE | DACH | N. America | Scandinavia | France | Italy | Netherlands | Australasia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 65% | 57% | 48% | 67% | 72% | 83% | 75% | 50% |
| Greece | 42% | 21% | 40% | 40% | 34% | 38% | 35% | 52% |
| Czech Republic | 29% | 39% | 28% | 16% | 35% | 29% | 29% | 26% |
| Denmark | 17% | 30% | 28% | 46% | 34% | 21% | 19% | 29% |
| North Cyprus | 25% | 16% | 13% | 23% | 22% | 21% | 31% | 26% |
| Portugal | 23% | 17% | 26% | 16% | 37% | 23% | 35% | 19% |
What patients can afford
Budgets are tighter than many clinics assume.
Maximum budget for IVF treatment abroad, all patients:
| Budget | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| €3,000-€5,000 | 31% |
| €5,000-€7,000 | 23% |
| €7,000-€9,000 | 13% |
| €9,000-€11,000 | 13% |
| €11,000-€13,000 | 4% |
| €13,000-€15,000 | 5% |
| More than €15,000 | 11% |
A little over half of all patients – 54% – have a maximum budget under €7,000. Roughly one in ten can go above €15,000.
By country:
- France is the most price-sensitive market in the study. 42% of French patients cap their budget at €5,000 – the largest single budget segment for any country.
- Italy has the most patients at the top end. 19% of Italians can spend over €15,000 – even though 27% sit in the lowest bracket. Italy is really two markets in one.
- Australasians travel with the deepest pockets overall. 49% have budgets above €9,000.
Budgets also sort patients by destination:
- India (45%), Turkey (41%), Estonia (36%), the Czech Republic (35%) and Poland (35%) attract the highest share of patients in the lowest bracket (€3,000-€5,000).
- The USA attracts the big budgets. 26% of patients considering the USA can spend over €15,000 – by far the highest share of any destination – and only 20% of its considerers sit in the lowest bracket.
- Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic attract every budget level – one reason they dominate the shortlists.
How patients research clinics
Google is the front door. 74% of patients use it to research IVF clinics abroad – nearly three times more than the next channel.
| Research channel | Used by |
|---|---|
| 74% | |
| IVF clinic websites | 27% |
| Internet forums | 22% |
| Facebook groups | 21% |
| Recommendations from friends | 13% |
| Online patient reviews | 12% |
| Doctor recommendation / referral | 10% |
| Online ads of IVF clinics | 9% |
| Agencies / facilitators | 3% |
How long does the decision take?
- 38% choose a clinic within 1 month.
- 44% take 2 to 6 months.
- 18% take more than 6 months.
So the typical window to win a patient’s trust is measured in weeks, not days – but it does close.
What patients can’t find
We asked what information patients wanted from clinic websites but couldn’t find. The answers should worry every clinic:
| Missing information | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| Information specifically for international patients | 56% |
| Detailed breakdown of treatment costs | 55% |
| Detailed breakdown of success rates | 50% |
| Information on the doctors and their expertise | 37% |
The “international patient” gap covers the practical things: how the treatment process works from abroad, how the cycle is managed remotely, where to stay locally.
And the gaps shift with experience. Patients with two previous rounds of IVF struggle most to find international-patient information (61%). The most experienced patients – four or more rounds – have the highest hunger for detailed costs (58%) and detailed success rates (56%). The more cycles a patient has been through, the more evidence they demand.
Do patients trust what clinics publish?
Here’s the uncomfortable finding.
Success rates: only 51% of patients trust the success rates published on clinic websites. 49% do not. And trust collapses with experience: 62% of first-timers trust published success rates, but among patients who have been through at least one cycle, trust drops to 44%. The majority of experienced patients – 56% – do not believe the numbers clinics show them.
Costs fare better: 69% of patients trust the costs clinics publish. Distrust rises only slightly with experience, from 28% to 33%.
The lesson is blunt. Patients believe price lists. They doubt success claims. Clinics that publish transparent, well-explained, honestly-caveated success data are addressing the single biggest credibility gap in the industry.
How patients choose a clinic
When it comes to the final decision, medicine beats marketing:
| Most important factor when choosing a clinic abroad | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| Doctor’s experience with patients like me | 59% |
| Personalised treatment approach | 53% |
| Treatment cost | 52% |
| Clinic reputation | 49% |
| Availability of new treatments | 44% |
| Success rate listed on the clinic website | 42% |
| Patient-friendly clinic | 40% |
| Communication with staff | 33% |
| Number and quality of online reviews | 22% |
| Clinic size | 5% |
Two human factors – the doctor’s relevant experience and a personalised approach – outrank price. And clinic size is almost irrelevant: 83% of patients have no preference between a big clinic and a small one (10% prefer smaller, 7% larger).
Whom do patients trust for information about clinics?
| Most trusted sources | Share of patients |
|---|---|
| Google reviews | 46% |
| Doctor recommendations | 37% |
| Internet forums | 33% |
| Friend recommendations | 32% |
| Clinic websites | 26% |
| Third-party websites | 24% |
| Facebook groups | 21% |
| Clinic representatives | 17% |
Independent voices top the list. What a clinic says about itself ranks fifth. What its sales representatives say ranks last.
Second opinions: a huge unmet need
80% of patients would find it helpful to get an expert second opinion – an independent specialist reviewing their previous cycles and medical history before they choose a clinic. Interest grows with experience, from 73% among first-timers to 85% among patients with three or more failed cycles.
Patients would even pay for it: 42% would pay €50-€100, and 31% would pay €100-€200.
Multicycle refund packages: growing appetite, clear limits
We described a three-cycle IVF package priced at €18,000-€22,000 with a full refund guarantee if treatment doesn’t reach a defined milestone (usually a 12-week pregnancy or a live birth).
40% of patients would opt for such a package. Among those who wouldn’t, the dominant reason is simple: 43% say it’s too expensive – which matches the budget data above. Only 8% are simply not interested in the concept.
Interest varies enormously by nationality:
| Region | Interested in a refund package |
|---|---|
| Australasia | 69% |
| Scandinavia | 54% |
| North America | 53% |
| UK and Ireland | 43% |
| Italy | 40% |
| DACH | 35% |
| Netherlands | 33% |
| France | 22% |
And it grows with scar tissue. 35% of first-timers are interested. After two failed cycles, 43%. Among patients with four or more failed cycles, 45% want a refund package – the highest of any group. Experience teaches patients that one cycle is often not enough, and they start pricing in failure.
What went wrong last time: lessons from patient disappointments
We asked experienced patients what disappointed them in past treatments:
| Disappointment | All patients | Treated abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Treated as a number, not a patient | 36% | 34% |
| No disappointments | 35% | 31% |
| Clinic was unresponsive / slow to answer | 20% | 19% |
| Not enough information on embryo transfer (do’s and don’ts) | 15% | 10% |
| Not enough information on egg retrieval (do’s and don’ts) | 13% | 9% |
| Higher cost than advertised | 13% | 12% |
| Poor communication during stimulation | 6% | 6% |
| Language barrier with the doctor | 5% | 5% |
The number one complaint isn’t medical. It’s feeling processed instead of cared for – exactly the thing 53% of patients said they were looking for when they named “personalised treatment” a top selection factor.
Notice also: 28% of patients overall said they didn’t get proper before-and-after guidance for their procedures (embryo transfer and egg retrieval combined) – but among patients treated abroad, that drops to 19%. And discontent peaks after the second failed cycle abroad, when 38% report feeling like a number and 26% report unresponsive clinics – then eases in later cycles.
The encouraging flip side: roughly a third of experienced patients had no complaints at all.
What this means
If you’re a patient, the data offers some reassurance: you are not alone, and you are not unusual. Most people researching IVF abroad have been through treatment before. Most work with a budget under €7,000. Most shortlist the same handful of countries. And your instincts are shared: demand a doctor who has treated cases like yours, demand a written cost breakdown, treat published success rates with healthy scepticism, and consider an independent second opinion before committing – 8 in 10 patients wish they had one.
If you run a clinic, patients have told you exactly what to fix:
- Build a real international-patients section. 56% can’t find one. Explain the remote process, cycle management and accommodation.
- Publish a full cost breakdown. 55% can’t find one – yet 69% will trust it once you do.
- Explain your success rates honestly. Half of patients distrust them, and your most experienced prospects distrust them most. Show the method behind the number.
- Put your doctors front and centre. The doctor’s experience with similar cases is the single biggest selection factor, and 37% of patients can’t find doctor information at all.
- Answer quickly and personally. Being treated as a number is complaint number one, and unresponsiveness is number three.
FAQ
Why do most patients go abroad for IVF? Cost is the biggest single reason worldwide – 41% of patients say private treatment at home is too expensive. Restrictive legislation (35%), treatment availability (35%) and better quality (34%) follow closely. The driver depends on the country: cost dominates in the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada, while law drives patients from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Scandinavia and Italy.
What is the most popular country for IVF abroad? Spain – 60% of patients researching treatment abroad shortlist it. Greece (34%) and the Czech Republic (30%) come next. Among Italian patients, Spain’s share reaches 83%.
How much do patients budget for IVF abroad? 54% of patients have a maximum budget under €7,000. The most common range is €3,000-€5,000 (31% of patients). Only 11% can spend more than €15,000.
What treatment do most patients seek abroad? IVF with donor eggs (51%) and IVF with their own eggs (48%) in roughly equal measure. Embryo donation (13%), insemination (8%) and egg freezing (5%) follow.
How do patients find IVF clinics abroad? 74% use Google – almost three times more than any other channel. Clinic websites (27%), internet forums (22%) and Facebook groups (21%) come next. Most patients decide within one to six months.
Do patients trust clinic success rates? Barely half do. 51% of patients trust published success rates overall, falling to 44% among patients with previous IVF experience. Published costs are trusted more (69%).
What matters most when choosing a clinic abroad? The doctor’s experience with similar patients (59%), a personalised treatment approach (53%) and treatment cost (52%). Clinic size barely registers – 83% have no preference.
Who took part in this research? 1,189 patients worldwide who were actively seeking IVF treatment abroad, surveyed between January and June 2024. 73% came from 15 countries across Europe, North America and Australasia; the largest groups were the UK and Ireland (255), the DACH region (198) and North America (141).
Methodology
The survey ran from 6 January to 27 June 2024. It was an anonymous online questionnaire with 19 questions, designed by experts within the fertility industry, covering motivation, research methods, information needs and clinic selection criteria. The full report was first published on 31 October 2024; an updated version 2 followed on 27 December 2024.
It was distributed through three channels: an email invitation to 25,400 newsletter subscribers; prominent placement on our network of fertility websites focused on treatment abroad (34,000 monthly targeted impressions); and outreach in Facebook groups for patients considering IVF abroad, plus partner social networks.
1,189 complete responses were received. 73% of respondents were resident across 8 major regions made up of 15 countries; the remaining 318 responses came from other territories worldwide. Subgroup results are reported for regions with sufficient sample sizes (n=42 to n=255). Percentages are rounded, so some rows may not sum to exactly 100%.
This research is published for information and education. It is not medical advice – always consult a qualified specialist before making treatment decisions.
About the authors
Aleksander Wiecki, Chief Marketing Officer – leads the marketing and research teams, ensuring all content is backed by thorough research and designed with patient education in mind.
Jakub Dejewski, Chief Executive Officer – over a decade of experience in the healthcare industry and the driving force behind our patient-focused initiatives.
Clare Jackson, Data Analysis and Interpretation – an experienced data analyst and researcher working on large-scale healthcare reports and projects.
Published by IVF Media Ltd., Dublin, Ireland. Established 2012. Our network of 10 fertility websites in four languages helps patients make informed decisions about treatment abroad.
How to cite this research
IVF Media Ltd. (2024). Seeking IVF Treatment Abroad – IVF Abroad Patient Research. Survey of 1,189 patients, conducted January-June 2024. Available at: www.ivfmedia.org/ivf-abroad-patient-research/
Journalists, researchers and clinics are welcome to quote the findings with attribution. For the full dataset, media enquiries or interview requests, contact Aleksander Wiecki.
Explore this research in depth
Analysis series on ivfmedia.org:
- Why patients go abroad for IVF: cost drives the English-speaking world, law drives Europe
- The most popular IVF destinations abroad
- How much do patients budget for IVF abroad?
- How patients research IVF clinics abroad – and what they can’t find
- What makes patients choose an IVF clinic abroad?
What the findings mean for you – patient guides across our network:
- How patients really research IVF abroad (Fertility Road, EN)
- IVF destinations ranked by 1,189 patients (Fertility Clinics Abroad, EN)
- Donor eggs abroad: what patients told us (Egg Donation Friends, EN)
- Warum so viele DACH-Paare ins Ausland gehen (Kinderwunsch im Ausland, DE)
- Eizellspende im Ausland: was Patientinnen wirklich suchen (Eizellspende Freunde, DE)
- FIV à l’étranger : ce que révèlent 1 189 patients (Cliniques de Fertilité à l’Étranger, FR)
- Don d’ovocytes à l’étranger (Les Amis du Don d’Ovocytes, FR)
- FIVET all’estero: cosa hanno raccontato 1.189 pazienti (Cliniche FIV all’Estero, IT)
- Ovodonazione all’estero: cosa cercano davvero i pazienti (Ovodonazione all’Estero, IT)
- In vitro za granicą: czego szukają pacjenci (In Vitro za Granicą, PL)
