Turkey becomes go-to destination for those seeking IVF treatment

İZMİR

Turkey has become a popular destination for foreigners pursuing in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF) with its successful clinics and cheap prices, according to a professor of gynecology and obstetrics.

“The increase in the number of foreign patients [coming to Turkey] in reproductive medicine area is around 15 percent [in 2018]. We expect this rate to hit 100 or 200 percent in the coming years,” Erol Tavmergen told state-run Anadolu Agency on March 22.

“Turkey’s achievements in this field are well-known in European countries, the U.S., Russia and the Middle East. Turkish scientists are revealing their abilities all around the world. Patient flow to Turkey has been gradually increasing because IVF treatments here are cheap and yield much more affirmative results than any other country,” he said.

Tavmergen is a board member of the Mediterranean Society for Reproductive Medicine, a scientific society working in the field of human reproduction, as well as the head of Ege University Family Planning and Infertility Research Center in Turkey’s Aegean province of İzmir.

Patients coming to Turkey are mostly from the U.S., northern and central Europe, north Africa and Turkic countries, according to the professor.

Turkey’s achievements in this field stem from the interest of doctors and clinics that follow the field’s developments closely and have accomplished success in implementing all treatments recorded in the current literature, Tavmergen said.

Turkey’s success rate in IVF treatment is much higher than that of any other country in the world and its low costs make the country an attractive destination for foreigners, the professor said.

“Prices differ in every country and every clinic. Each treatment in the U.S. costs about $10,000 to $20,000, while in Europe, the prices differ from 3,000 to 4,000 euros. The prices also depend on the different type of medicines used in treatments. Nevertheless, their success rate is much lower. Some people wait for their turn for four or five years for IVF treatment in countries like the U.K. In our country, this kind of a wait is out of question,” he said.

“The price advantage and touristic opportunities make Turkey desirable,” he added.

The professor also stressed that about two weeks of stay in Turkey is enough time to receive the IVF treatment, but some couples who do not want to risk travelling in the event of a possible pregnancy stay in Turkey for a while.

According to data provided by Turkey’s Health Ministry, some 34,840 foreigners travelled to the country for gynecology-related and reproductive treatments in 2018, Anadolu Agency said.

IVF is a very common treatment used to overcome a range of fertility problems, during which the eggs and sperm are combined outside the body and then get transferred to the uterus.

Turkey’s Social Security Institution covers the expenses of its citizens for IVF treatment if several conditions stipulated by the related regulation are fulfilled.