Fertility treatment abroad – FAQs

Absolutely not! Each year, around 10,000 UK couples travel to the EU for fertility treatment. With an average IVF cycle costing over £13,000 in the UK (add in all the extras and see for yourself), patients have had enough. Just like us, couples struggling with infertility have discovered they can save thousands of pounds by having their IVF treatment abroad. Even factoring in travel and accommodation expenses, you’ll still save a fortune off your total bill.

It’s quite hard to answer this question. You could just say different countries have different markets. But Lord Winston, the eminent fertility expert, is on record for saying some UK clinics are charging up to three times more than they should. “A combination of avarice on the part of the clinics and desperation on the part of the women is driving this market,” he said. We agree. In contrast, the cost of fertility treatment abroad at our Czech clinic is half that of many UK clinics.

As English-speaking former patients of the clinic, are are its exclusive UK agency. We manage every aspect of your fertility treatment abroad, making the process more bearable and less stressful. And it makes a difference: success rates for Your IVF Journey patients are even higher than the clinic average stats, demonstrating the value of our support. IVF treatment abroad can be an anxious experience. Our partner clinic is an outstanding fertility centre but its staff are very busy and don’t have the time or resources to give you the level of personalised support we can.

Yes – Becky had successful donor-egg treatment at the clinic in October 2012 and 2015 and now has two beautiful daughters!

Yes. Patients get discounts on fertility medication, savings on selected hotels in Brno, a £100 flight voucher, the best prices on pre-treatment scans and tests in the UK, and more. We’ve arranged these competitive prices with trusted third-party suppliers. You could save up to £1,000.

We believe in totally transparent pricing. We don’t inflate treatment costs or add mark ups. The treatment prices we quote are exactly the same as the clinic. We charge a modest agency fee of between £450 and £495, depending on your treatment. Alongside managing your entire treatment, we give you a range of added-value benefits like pre-arranged discounts on medication, a £100 flight voucher, hotel discounts, and affordable pre-treatment tests and scans. You also get additional advantages, including subsidised airport pick-up from four airports, a 30-page travel and relaxation guide, priority booking (donor-egg patients) and agency fee discounts on future treatment. See our prices for more details.

Our sincere wish is that you fall pregnant on your first attempt. If for any reason you don’t, we’ll waive our agency fee altogether on your second fresh cycle. In addition, under your contract with the Czech clinic, all donor-egg patients who don’t fall pregnant after two fresh attempts will pay just 50% of the treatment fee for a third fresh cycle. This is explained in the clinic’s ‘shared risk’ document.

From the moment you  get in touch, we take you through the whole process, step-by-step. We explain the treatments offered by the clinic, help you complete the medical questionnaire and other documentation, explain your treatment protocol (which can be complicated) and pass on medical instructions. We arrange your booking, help you get discounts on medication, currency, hotels and pre-treatment scans and tests, and stay in close touch with you throughout the process. Whatever treatment you choose – standard IVF, IVF with donor eggs or donor-embryo IVF – it can be an emotional journey. As patients ourselves, we truly understand the ups and downs of the process. That’s why we’re on a mission to make great-quality IVF in Europe more affordable and less stressful for everyone.

We’ve come across websites that are rather impersonal and corporate. Rest assured Your IVF Journey is about as un-corporate as you can get! Ben and Becky Saer, Your IVF Journey’s founders, are patients of the clinic, not a faceless corporation. We formed our agency to help people. We champion the services of a wonderful IVF clinic and support patients all the way.

We had treatment at IVF clinics in the UK, in London and the Midlands, and weren’t that impressed. The fees were way too high and we received questionable service. We found the standard of care while having our fertility treatment abroad to be in a different league: pristine facilities, unfailingly professional staff and an absolute commitment to our success. So our experience has been negative in the UK and positive in the Czech Republic – where Becky got pregnant!

Yes. Combining your fertility treatment abroad with a ‘holiday’ is a very good idea. Why break the bank in the UK, juggling procedures around work and commuting, when you can have a relaxing, cost-effective IVF vacation in a pleasant Czech city? It’s a compelling alternative to the costs and stresses of UK treatment.

First, get in touch. We offer a free 15-minute consultation. We’ll explain our service and your treatment options. Once you’re ready to take things further, we’ll send you our medical questionnaire. Based on your answers, we may ask for more information or tests to be carried out. In most cases, we can prepare your treatment and trip quickly.

There are no waiting times for treatment. And under Your IVF Journey’s exclusive agreement with the clinic, egg-donor IVF patients can ‘jump the queue’ and have their transfer within 6 to 8 weeks from medical approval. That includes finding your donor! So you can be having your IVF or donor-conception treatment in a matter of weeks.     

Yes, your treatment protocol (which we explain carefully) will tell you how to prepare medically before you travel. Most treatments start with medication at the start of your cycle.    

As part of your treatment protocol, we may advise you to take birth control pills for a while after all your pre-treatment tests are completed. These help your body prepare for treatment on an exact day, making it easier for you to book travel and accommodation well in advance (saving your money).

It depends on your treatment choice and protocol. IVF patients should plan on spending around ten days in Brno. Egg-donor IVF recipients stay for a week. For embryo donation/adoption, this is a frozen-embryo transfer in most cases (with no egg retrieval or embryo development) so your trip is just two days.

The clinic asks you to rest for the remainder of your transfer day – but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in bed. They advise you not to do any strenuous physical exercise or heavy lifting. Try to relax, eat well and look after yourself. You can travel home the same or next day.

Your IVF Journey has written a Travel and Relaxation Guide for you. This is a very useful document. We compiled all the information based on our personal experience. We’ve listed all the best places to stay at, visit and explore in Brno and we’ve reviewed all the nicest places to eat. You can also travel further afield to the wonderful cities of Vienna (90 minutes away) and Prague (two hours away). The Travel and Relaxation Guide takes you through all your travel options, whether you stay in Brno or venture further afield.

Due to the decreasing quality of a woman’s eggs, egg-donor IVF, rather than standard IVF, is usually recommended by the clinic for women aged 42 or over. Some women by this stage, or earlier, may not produce eggs at all – making egg donation a strong contender. However, every patient is different and the clinic will base its advice on your completed medical questionnaire.

Czech law allows donor eggs (and donor embryos) to be transferred up to the day before the recipient’s 49th birthday. We will explain all other legal matters to you as part of our service.  

Yes. Under Czech law, egg (and sperm) donors remain anonymous. In the UK, donor-conceived children have the legal right to trace their natural parents when they turn 18. This may be one reason why waiting lists for donors remain so long in the UK. Anonymity, together with the steady supply of young and healthy donors in the Brno area, means waiting lists for donors are very short – a key reason to consider egg-donor IVF in the Czech Republic.

Donors are rigorously tested. They undergo clinical, genetic, psychological and sexual-health examinations, as required by Czech and EU law. IVF in Europe is stringently regulated. 

The clinic asks this to ensure blood-group compatibility between you, your partner and your donor. Both male and female blood groups are needed. 

No, only white-skinned donors are available.

The process is anonymous. But you are welcome to give a small present or card as long as it doesn’t identity you or attempt to identify the donor. The clinic will check your gift and message to see if they are appropriate.

With IVF and egg-donor IVF, one to two embryos are usually transferred. This depends on the number, quality and viability of any developed embryos, your age and the clinic’s medical opinion. Ultimately, you make the final decision. One is safer in most cases. 

The clinic will freeze all viable embryos after a fresh cycle.

The clinic will give you an embryonic development sheet. This illustrates the likely development of cultivating embryos, from egg retrieval day to transfer day. The development of your embryos is carefully monitored. On day 5 or 6, a final grading assessment is given to you.       

ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) involves a single sperm being injected into each egg. This process often gives couples the best chances of fertilisation. The clinic uses ICSI as its default fertilisation process. UK clinics routinely charge extra for doing ICSI. With our clinic, ICSI is usually included in your package price.

Embryo adoption involves a sperm and egg donor. In a remarkable act of generosity and altruism, local Czech donors consent to their eggs and sperm being frozen and donated to couples seeking a child. As with egg donation, the clinic will try to match the physical characteristics of the donors to you and your partner. Many see embryo donation as an alternative to traditional adoption. When you consider the time and bureaucracy of adoption services, embryo adoption is a fast-track consideration for those who cannot create a child naturally or through other fertility methods.

The date will be on your treatment report, which the clinic gives you after your transfer. It’s usually 14 days after a blastocyst transfer. Whatever the outcome of the HPT, we will ask you to continue to take all your prescribed medications until the results of your HCG blood test.

After we receive your completed forms, we’ll email you our invoice stating the appropriate agency fee. Our invoice can be paid in two instalments. We’ll forward the clinic’s invoice for donor-egg patients later in the process, which is a deposit for your treatment, and you’ll pay the balance of the treatment fee on the day of transfer at the clinic. For all other treatments, you’ll pay the full treatment fee at the clinic on your transfer day, by debit or credit card. You can save money by sending your euro payment in advance using our Currency Exchange service.