The frustrations of trying to get pregnant have forced more than one woman to cross the line, past their national borders and off to a little vacation of sorts sometimes as far as 10,000 miles away.
Not a typical vacation, but one that's becoming increasingly popular among American women who are willing to travel to the ends of the earth from South Africa to South of the border in Mexico in search of a more affordable chance to have a baby.
As fertility costs soar in the United States and across the globe, in-vitro fertilization for women is a fraction of the price in foreign countries of that in their backyards, even after figuring in expenses for travel and accommodations.
Sightseeing and Motherhood
The internet has made connecting easier for women with fertility clinics in diverse locations, such as the Czech Republic, Israel, Canada and Thailand. Specialized medical tourism facilitators are able to help these wannabe mothers arrange travel plans, set up physician appointments and even plan sightseeing tours.
The opportunity is a great relief for many women, who, because of their age, were turned down for treatment at clinics at home. To complicate matters, many insurance packages will not cover treatment past a diagnosis of infertility, leaving many women in a new realm of financial commitment that they cannot deal with.
“We understand the frustration and doubt that comes with not being able to conceive a child — and not to mention the extreme expense many couples face when considering fertility treatment in North America, said Dr. Pablo Chee, director of Almater Hospital, which offers IVF services for couples from the United States and Canada at affordable prices in Mexicali, Mexico. We give
our patients hope. From renowned fertility specialists to our wide range of treatment options, Almater drastically reduces a patients’ financial burden by providing access to truly affordable and outstanding fertility treatments.”
Almost three-fourths of American women, aged 25-45 polled, who said they would consider IVF treatment also stated that they would travel abroad if the cost was significantly lower and the pregnancy rate high, according to a study by the Barbados Fertility Centre and Ipsos Reid.
Multiple Options
Almater Hospital offers a wide scope of treatments including fertility drugs, IVF, intra-uterine insemination, intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, and frozen embryo replacement cycle.
“Patients from around the world travel to Almater Hospital for our excellent IVF program, which boasts a remarkably high success rate,” said Dr. Leonardo Garza, Fertility Services and Obstetrics/Gynecology. “The key to our success is the expertise and experience of our IVF specialists. We work directly with each of our patients to ensure that they receive the right treatment, at the right time, with the goal of bringing a new life into their family and making them parents.”
Just the stress of failed attempts at fertilization is enough to shrink the hopes of many couples of ever having a family. Many IVF providers have reported that often times traveling patients plan to stay for extended periods in country, allowing them to step away from their day to day work and activities and focus on relaxation.
This stress reduction alone is reported to have a strong impact on the overall access at achieving successful fertilization and why many clinic report very high success rates for their international clientele.
