Pros and Cons for Fertility Treatment, Local vs Abroad Fertility Clinics

The high cost of fertility treatment in the US is making many patients who cannot afford the cost to start to look abroad for more affordable fertility treatment. By undertaking fertility treatment abroad, couples can pay thousands of dollars less than the cost in the US. This makes a good idea and a great deal for parents who are price conscious. Yet, just like anything else, embarking fertility treatment medical tourism has pros and cons.  It is better to discuss options for local treatment before considering fertility treatment abroad.

Local clinics can recommend various treatment options that may be easier, less risky and much cheaper than traveling oversee. Local treatment also offers legal protections that may not be available overseas. However, there are a few factors you need to consider if you are considering going for fertility treatment medical tourism.

Things that may improve your fertility treatment success abroad

•              Ensure you are aware of the laws and regulations of the country want to use before you start heading off. The laws guiding the practice of assisted reproduction vary from country to country.

•              No matter where you want to carry out the procedure; in the U.S. or abroad, you need to really work hard to choose the best of the clinics to facilitate your success.

•              Find out if the clinic you plan to use is registered with local or international IVF organizations and if it is certified by specific IVF accreditation agencies like CAP in the U.S., or RED in Latin America.

•              If you plan to make use of a Medical Tourism Agency, ensure your contract with the agency details out all the services that are inclusive in your bill.

•              It is better to visit the treatment facility before your treatment but because of cost, you can get medical tourism agencies to check the facility for you. Thus, it might be essential to inquire if the agency visits the clinic.

The pros of fertility medical treatment abroad

Fertility treatments abroad offer many advantages for potential parents, including:

•              Inexpensive, excellent quality medical care. 

The key advantage of medical tourism for fertility treatment is that of cost. It is possible to reducing the cost by up to 50 percent abroad depending on whether or not the couple requires an egg donor.

•              Shorter or no waiting list;

•              Less stringent regulations;

•              Depending on the country, less or no discrimination between single parents, straight, gay parents or single individuals.

•              Another advantage is that the child born through medical fertility tourism automatically becomes an American citizen but you will require a visa to bring the baby to US. A number of US states like California allow the names of the proposed parents to go into the baby’s birth certificate, straight away.

Cons of Surrogacy Overseas 

•              A number of countries have fairly stringent regulations whereas there are countries that have less to no regulation. The free-for-all treatment scenario in a number of countries can cause a great problem for all the participating parties especially the resultant children.

•              If the fertility treatment results to twins and there is a need for extended neonatal intensive care, the process will take place in the countries involved and not in the US. American neonatal care is incomparable with what is obtained in any part of the globe including some parts of Europe.

•              Another problem has to do with the nature of the experience. Surrogacy in America is all about relationships. The proposed parents, the surrogate mother, and surrogate’s family all know each other and frequently form lasting friendships. Also, the children that were born through surrogacy are made aware of the circumstances surrounding their birth and the woman who helped to bring them to the world.

•              The fertility treatments performed abroad are not as transparent as those that occur in the U.S. The prospective parents regularly don’t have the chance to meet with the surrogate prior to the process. A number of countries don’t allow contact between the prospective parent and the surrogate till after the delivery.

Besides, going to another country for fertility treatment abroad implies moving outside the regulatory domain of the US; this implies:

•              You may not as successful as you would with the fertility clinics in the US.

•              You will have limited knowledge about how egg donors are recruited and if they are fairly compensated or not.

•              The doctors and medical personnel carrying out the process are not members of the same professional societies as their professional colleagues in the United States.

•              The levels of training obtained by the doctors in the two countries may also differ.

On the other hands, 

Local fertility treatment:

•              Is commonly a medically safe and restricted option.

•              Guarantees systematic preparation of all the parties involved

•              Is less unsettling than traveling to an unfamiliar location abroad. It is as well easier to access support from local family and friends.

•              Helps all parties involved to be fully clued-up about the implications and poses no language barrier

•              Legally ensures that the surrogate mother is not hidden from the resultant child.

•              Is carried out in an environment with a related value set, cultural background, and language

•              Has a limit to the number of times a surrogate mother can be treated as is obtained in Australia for instance. This may not be the case with foreign treatment.

•              Has less legal challenges consigning immigration, citizenship, and identification of parentage

•              Offers the intended parents higher greater chance of involvement at all stages of the process starting from embryo transfer to delivery and not only during the starting process

•              Makes it possible for the surrogate, parents and the child to have continuous contact if desired.

Conclusion

International fertility treatment provides a reasonably priced treatment options to intending couples. However, while this results to pleasant experiences for a number of patients, there are still some logistical and ethical concerns regarding the mode of operation in these nations. Expectantly, with constant patients’ demands, the process will become more transparent and more satisfying for prospective parents and resultant children.