IVF in Greece
General information
IVF treatment in your home country could be extremely expensive, very stressful and time consuming since you lose valuable time because of the big waiting lists. These are the reasons why so many people decide to receive IVF treatment abroad and more specifically in Greece, combining high levels of medical services with stress-free vacations.
Greece is already a popular overseas destination for IVF treatment and there is a large network of trustworthy and professional fertility clinics across the country. The vast majority of them consist of multilingual medical staff and doctors, providing to the visitors thorough explanation of the techniques and procedures applied.
What makes Greece a preferred destination for IVF treatment is the high level of professionalism, the flexible legislation, the extremely low waiting lists for sperm and egg donors, the high success rates, the Value For Money costs in treatment, the low costs in accommodation and transportation, as many budget airlines fly to Greece making travel easy and cheap.
IVF Abroad: A cost-driven decision
As IVF treatment cost is a key factor motivating people to travel abroad,
Greece is becoming a popular low cost destination where you can combine your IVF procedure with relaxation. The savings you can get, depend on the costs in your origin country, while in some cases the financial benefit for IVF in Greece could be up to 50-60%, including flights and accommodation. And do not forget the high level of services offered in IVF clinics and the high success rates in Greece.
Rules and Regulations in Greece
- Assisted reproduction procedures are applied to adults only.
- Single women and unmarried couples may also undergo in the procedure of assisted reproduction but in both cases a notarial deed is required.
- The age limit for women is 50 years, while there is no age limit for men.
- Sex selection is only allowed for medical reasons, in order to avoid serious hereditary diseases.
- The number of embryos transferred is defined as follows: three (3) embryos are transferred to women aged up to 40 years and four (4) to women older than 40 years under specific conditions and in special cases.
- People who wish to undergo assisted reproduction treatments are informed by the scientific staff of the clinic, in a detailed and comprehensible manner, as to the procedure, the alternatives, the expected results and possible risks of the application of these methods.
Donation of egg and sperm is anonymous; therefore there is a large number of donors in Greece- The male sperm donor must not be over 40 years and the female egg donor must not have attained the thirty-fifth (35) year of her age.
- Donors undergo a series of blood tests for infectious diseases in order to be accepted. They are not allowed to donate if suffering Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and syphilis. However, most clinics will go beyond these tests and perform other tests, as well
- Surrogacy is permitted in Greece, following certain procedures. Surrogate mothers must have undergone medical and psychological examinations. Any financial transaction is strictly forbidden, except for the expenses related to tests, etc. The whole procedure requires a court approval
Operation of Fertility Clinics
Ministry of Health is responsible for monitoring the application of the legislation and the operation of the IVF clinics. The private clinics are established and operate under the license of the Ministry, which controls whether the legal conditions are met. The operation permit for IVF clinics is valid for three (3) years and is renewed for an equal time, if it appears to the Authority that the conditions of operation are met.
However, many clinics go over and above the regulations, and obtain certification and accreditation, that are recognized worldwide, such as ISO. In addition many of the embryologists are certified by ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) and follow specific guidelines.
ESHRE certification for embryologists *
The programme aims to certify competence of clinical embryologists working in IVF and to develop a formal recognition for embryologists. The participants are certified after having successfully passed written examinations. They must be a member of ESHRE and must guarantee that they truly fulfill the required criteria for the "Senior Clinical" or "Clinical" Embryologist certification.
Requirements for Senior Clinical Embryologist
- hold a PhD or MSc in Natural Sciences
- have at least six years' hands-on experience in a clinical ART lab
- submit a logbook (there is a minimum number of cases in order to apply)
Reguirements for Clinical Embryologist
- hold a BSc in Natural sciences
- have at least three years' hands-on experience in a clinical ART lab
- submit a logbook (there is a minimum number of cases in order to apply)
*as presented in http://www.eshre.eu/
IVF in MedTourism.gr
Our infertility treatments section (IVF treatments in Greece) aims to help you decide what is best for you.
In this section you will find a listing of IVF clinics in Greece, with additional information for each one (services, contact details, photos) and some general information about the legislation and status of IVF treatment in Greece.
Our listed IVF clinics offer all the appropriate services, such as:
- Egg or sperm donation
- IVF treatments
- Frozen embryo transfer