Why do people go to Spain for IVF?

80 replies

CurdinHenry · 29/09/2026 11:09

Have recently noticed it's popular among my peers (no one a close friend I could just ask) but not sure why it's better than here. Is it cheaper/ more holistic? I'd have thought the travel back and forth would be stressful.

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Original poster

CurdinHenry · 30/09/2026 14:44

MrsShawnHatosy · 30/09/2026 10:35

I think the people criticising IVF often forget that this is often the case. I don’t know the statistics so can’t say if it’s the majority or not but at least in our case we used own eggs and sperm and ended up doing IVF simply because it wasn’t happening naturally for whatever reason. I don’t think there is an ethical dilemma in that case.

One unethical aspect is clinics offering expensive add ons when there is absolutely no evidence that they increase success rates. Exploiting desperation. As I said there was a Panorama programme about it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jAroTaYZQV8&pp=ygUMcGFub3JhbWEgaXZm&ra=m

There’s also this place in Northern Cyprus where staff were accused of misleading patients about donor eggs and sperm.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75gv9xnr3po

I do have experience of IVF btw.

I guess though the UK medical profession IS very conservative in general (if it doesn't have a bunch of peer reviewed longitudinal studies of a decade it's not a thing even if your patient has personal experience of something working well) and if Spain has better success rates surely that suggests they are adding value somehow.

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Cosyblankets · 30/09/2026 16:16

bananaobama · 29/09/2026 11:21

I would question why you’re asking this question if you are not considering IVF yourself?

Can you not have an interest in something to want to follow what's going on?

kxeil · 30/09/2026 16:20

Cosyblankets · 30/09/2026 16:16

Can you not have an interest in something to want to follow what's going on?

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Apparently not on mumsnet! I have never had IVF, but I clicked on the thread as I was curious.

Parker231 · 30/09/2026 16:25

My cousin went to Barcelona for a donor egg and after 15 years of miscarriages and IVF failures, she had a successful pregnancy. Her gorgeous little boy is now six.

drspouse · 30/09/2026 16:37

CurdinHenry · 29/09/2026 11:21

That's interesting - what were the ethical issues?

I think I'd feel weird about a donor egg from a woman who would definitely not look anything like me (but appreciate am not the target market).

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Back when we were trying to start a family, I read people's blogs who were doing donor egg treatment in Spain. There were clinic employees quoted as saying they accosted blonde young women in the street to match with their northern European clients...

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