Britons cautioned on foreign fertility treatment

LONDON (Reuters) – Britons were urged on Friday to think
twice about going abroad for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and
other types of fertility treatment.

The Human fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA),
which monitors fertility clinics in England and Wales, said
couples should think twice about the risks and implications
before booking an IVF holiday.

“We know that a relatively small number of people choose to
travel abroad to undergo fertility treatment and that sometimes
the treatment is packaged as a ‘holiday’ where the patient can
convalesce in the sun,” said Suzi Leather, the chair of the

HFEA.

“However we are concerned that people who choose to have
their treatment abroad should know about the potential risks,”
she added in a statement.

The HFEA said patients should consider what happens if
something goes wrong, whether their information is kept
confidential, the legal position of donors of eggs or sperm and
how they are recruited, screened and compensated.

Leather said she has heard stories of foreign clinics
offering treatments to patients that could be dangerous, such
as implanting five embryos to increase the chances of a
pregnancy.

Implanting two or more embryos can increase the odds of
having a multiple birth, which can be dangerous for the mother
and the babies.

“We would urge patients to think twice and consider the
risks and implications before going abroad for treatment,”
Leather added.

Infertility Network UK, a support organization, backed the
HFEA’s warning but added that some patients are being forced to
travel abroad because they cannot access the treatment they
need in Britain.

“The shortage of egg and sperm donors has led to
unacceptably long waiting lists in some areas and we know of
clinics where the waiting lists have been closed and couples
are no longer being accepted for treatment due to the lack of
donors,” said Clare Brown, the chief executive of the group.

But she added that the standard of care and treatment in
other countries may not be as high as it is in Britain.

Infertility affects about one in six couples worldwide.
Providing fertility treatment is a multi-billion dollar global
industry.

Declining natural fertility, rapid scientific advances in
treatment, and a mix of national regulations has prompted
couples wanting babies to go abroad for cheaper or quicker
procedures or treatments they cannot get at home.