It seems that people who want a baby via IVF will pay a lot less for the chance to get pregnant if they have their infertility treatments done in countries like South Africa, Mexico or Columbia, rather than going to their local hospital and paying four or five times the amount.
Not all countries with cheaper options are poor. France, Germany and Belgium offer excellent resources for a fraction of the cost.
But India, Malaysia and Mexico also offer state-of-the-art treatment facilities.
According to Health News, "Couples from the United States are traveling to Colombia, South Africa, Argentina, the Ukraine, Mexico, Greece, Spain, Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, and India, where in vitro fertilization treatments, and other assistive reproductive treatments cost much less than they do at home. At the same time, higher costs in some Western European countries are driving Western European couples to seek reproductive assistance in Eastern European countries.
In vitro fertilization treatments that would cost perhaps $70,000 in the States can be had in Cape Town, South Africa, for around $14,500; or for around $7,000 in India; far less than they would cost in the United States. Reproductive tourism has made IVF and other assistive reproductive procedures affordable for many couples who would have no chance of receiving the treatments in their own countries."
http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/pregnancy-childbirth-parenting/r...
IVF is relatively common. Approximately one in every one hundred baby in America is born via this treatment.
"Europe leads the way in the number of assistive reproductive procedures, with the United States a close second. In the U.S. alone, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine reports 424,401 babies were born with the help of IVF between 1985 and 2006; and 50,515 babies were born using this technology in 2006, the last year for which the organization has complete records."
http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/pregnancy-childbirth-parenting/r...
Prospective parents have had great successes in this area but as always, buyer beware. It's far more difficult to research doctors and facilities that are so far away and aftercare or follow-up can be costly.
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Would you travel abroad for this treatment, or any other medical procedure? Have you already?