Top PGD/PGS Centers in Europe

Preventing now couples from having to face the difficulty of giving birth to children with almost any of the genetic defects and helping couple to achieve the family they always wanted and hoped for.

Innovative procedures and techniques in Europe allow nowadays couples worldwide to get the family they dreamed of. Whether it is for balanced families or to achieve the perfect model of the dream family, PlacidWay can help with answers, information and the streamlining the process of making informed decisions. The possibilities are endless and more and more couples can access what they want, where they want in the best fertility clinics in Europe.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a reproductive technology used with an IVF cycle. PGD can be used for diagnosis of a genetic disease in early embryos prior to implantation and pregnancy. In addition, this technology can be utilized in the field of assisted reproduction for screening and diagnosis of unbalanced inheritance of chromosome abnormalities, such as translocations or inversions.

PGD, a highly sophisticated scientific technique to test embryos, is indicated for patients with:

1. Advanced maternal age
2. Implantation failures
3. Previous miscarriages
4. Family history (including previous child born with chromosomal and genetic disorder)
5. Parental aneuploidy
6. Balanced translocation
7. Some male factor infertility
8. Family balance and sex selection

Gender selection, or sex selection, is a fertility procedure used to choose the gender of a baby prior to conception. While the desire to choose whether a baby would be a boy or a girl has been present throughout human existence, it is only recently that the technology to do so has become clinically possible and available. With improvements in gender selection technology, demand for gender selection has also been growing steadily.

There are many reasons  for using Gender Selection:

• Sex-linked genetic diseases
• Cultural reasons
• Family rebuilding
• Having a child of a particular sex
• 
  

Prices for PGD/PGS vary from continent to continent, from country to country mainly due to economical factors. For example, PGS/PGD costs worldwide vary from $2,500 to $7,000. In East European countries, the costs vary from $2,000 to $9,000.

Top Destinations for PGD/PGS in Europe:

North Cyprus IVF – Nicosia (Cyprus)

Nova Clinic | Fertility Center– Moscow, (Russia)

European Health Centre Otwock, Poland

PGD - $2,820 - $4,146

PGS - $2,395 - $3,346

With growth in medical travel, there are many options at affordable prices and possibility to fulfil parenting dreams.

Don’t hesitate to contact us!

Egg Donation In Europe

No matter what the fertility issue may be or for how many years a woman has been longing for children, egg donation treatment for infertility brings back the hope for mothers-to-be all over the world. Egg donation IVF is to solution for many women over 40 offering the best chance for pregnancy success.

The egg donation process is the last resort for couples who cannot be helped through procedures such as in vitro fertilization. Donor eggs prove to be highly successful in treating infertility and allowing almost every woman to carry a child and give birth to healthy babies.

The process of adopting and embryo and becoming a parent:

The egg donation is one of the highly successful methods of infertility treatment. Eggs gained from an anonymous healthy donor are fertilized by recipient’s partner sperm and resulting embryos are transferred in to the recipient’s uterus - future mother.

Who can choose the egg donation?

• Couples, where the woman does not produce own eggs.
• Couples, where the woman does not produce good quality eggs.
• Couples in which the woman is the transmitter of an inherited disease.

Egg Donation Advantages:

• Genetic contribution of a father (50%) compared to adoption
• Impact on the nutrition and contentment of the fetus by its mother before the birth
• Experience of own pregnancy from the very beginning
• Birth and the option of breast feeding

Egg Donation Costs:

The prices for infertility treatments in Europe, especially in Eastern European countries, vary from country to country, but they are much more affordable comparing to USA and Western Europe. Keeping in mind that in some countries infertility solutions like surrogacy are still illegal, the costs start from $7,850 in Georgia, one of the top destinations for egg donation IVF treatment.

All these advantages bring an outstanding benefit for the child, the mother and the whole family.

Top Destinations for Egg Donation in Europe:

North Cyprus IVF – Nicosia (Cyprus)

In Vitro Fertility Clinic - Tibilisi (Georgia)

Iakentro Egg Donation Agency - Athens & Thessaloniki (Greece)

Nova Clinic | Fertility Center– Moscow, (Russia)

New Life Georgia – Tiblisi (Georgia)

Discover European  infertility solutions and make your parenthood dream come true right now!

Steps to a Successful IVF

In-Vitro Fertilization

What is IVF all about? See here the process, advantages and disadvantages of this fertility treatment.

IVF is the fertilization process that requires the removal of some eggs from your ovaries and later to be mixed with sperm in a laboratory dish. Fertilization actually takes place in this particular laboratory dish ("in vitro" is the Latin expression of "in glass").

The first "test-tube" baby, following IVF procedure, was born in 1978 and thousands of babies followed.  

Who benefits from IVF?

Fertility issues sometimes require IVF procedure. Some of these problems are:

1. Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes or similar, where IVF is the only treatment likely to result in pregnancy
2. If the male partner has minor problems with his sperm (For those experiencing more serious problems – ICSI is advised.
3. When IUI or fertility drugs treatments have been unsuccessful
4. At least two years of conception trials resulting in an unknown cause for lack of pregnancy

How is IVF performed?

IVF requires a sequence of steps to be followed:

1. Fertility drugs

Usually, an IVF doctor will most likely recommend you to take fertility drugs. These help to stimulate your ovaries to develop mature eggs ready for fertilization.

During a normal menstrual cycle, one egg per month is released. The chances of getting pregnant are better with more eggs and the fertility drugs increase the number of mature eggs that can be harvested.

This is called down-regulation and in some cases the drugs suppress or stop your cycle. The intake frequency is daily for a couple of weeks, either tablets or injections.

There are, however, other shorter ways of taking control of the egg release. Drugs like GnRH antagonists, for example can be taken over a few days, usually at the start of ovulation stimulation and after pre-treatment with the contraception pill (recommended to women at higher risk of severe side effects of fertility drugs).

For endometriosis patients, the GnRH agonist Cetrotide is recommended for several months to help improve egg quality and success chances.

2. Hormone injections

The next step involves daily hormone injections. These can be administered for about 12 days and act as a stimulatory (ovulation induction) for your ovaries, that will result in a greater number of mature eggs released.

Women tend to have different ways of coping with these fertility drugs, and in some cases strong side-effects have been seen. Your doctor will closely monitor you through this step to insure that your reactions remain within the normal boundaries - ultrasound scans and possibly blood hormone tests will be conducted, to monitor the way your body is responding to the treatment, for safety purposes and to monitor the development of your eggs.

3. Egg retrieval and sperm collection

When your eggs are mature enough, the doctor will then harvest them from your ovaries. This is done by using a fine, hollow needle attached to an ultrasound scan probe. The doctor locates the follicles that contain the eggs with the help of the probe, which can be a bit uncomfortable. Painkillers are prescribed if you experience pain.

While you are undergoing egg retrieval, your partner will be providing a fresh sample of semen.

When donated or frozen sperm are used, the sample is taken from the freezer, washed and the best-quality sperms are extracted ready to fertilize the eggs.

Then the in-vitro fertilization process occurs - the sperm combined with the eggs in a dish are left to culture in an incubator.

4. Fertilization and Embryo Transfer

The next day after combining the eggs and sperm, the dish is checked. If the eggs have been fertilized, they will be left to develop for two to five days. After that, the eggs will be transferred into your uterus. The fertilized eggs will have become to divide by now into an embryo or blastocysts. The healthiest embryos are chosen to be transferred to your uterus.

Comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) is conducted in some clinics. This is a pre-implantation test that screens embryos before being transferred at the blastocyst stage. Only the embryos that are supposed to have a full set of chromosomes are selected, increasing your chances of getting pregnant and reducing the risk of miscarriage in single embryo transfer. CCS is recommended to 35 and over mothers to be using their own eggs.

By now, your uterus should be fully prepared to carry a baby – with the progesterone administration (by IV or gel), which helps thicken your womb’s lining. If your uterus lining (endometrium) is too thin, the embryos are unlikely to implant. In this case, the IVF cycle will be abandoned and you are likely to be recommended to consider surrogacy.

During the egg transfer, one or two embryos are transferred to your womb with a thin catheter (tube) through your cervix into your uterus. Your fertility specialist is likely to use ultrasound to guide him.

With IVF, it is widely known that multiple pregnancy can occur. To avoid this, three embryos are usually transferred.

The number of embryos depends upon your age, chances of success and of course, your particularfertility problem.

5. Repeated IVF cycles

If your procedure resulted in extra embryos, these may be frozen for future use, in case the first cycle doesn't succeed, or if you may want another baby after your successful treatment.

After embryo transfer you are usually free to go on with your normal activities, of course, after resting for some minutes immediately afterwards, but it will usually not affect the outcome.

In a successful cycle, one or more embryos will stick on your uterine wall and they will continue to grow. You can take a pregnancy test in about two weeks.

Once you have confirmed pregnancy following IVF, you should have an ultrasound scan at about six weeks, to check that the embryo has implantedin your uterus.

IVF treatment duration

One IVF cycle takes between four weeks and six weeks to complete. You and your partner can expect to spend about half a day at your clinic for the egg retrieval and fertilization procedures. You will go back two days later for the embryo transfer or between five and six days for blastocyst transfer.

IVF Success Rates

The IVF success rates depend upon your age and/or particular fertility problem.

Specialists say that the younger and healthier you are (egg health included) the higher your chances of success.

If you have been pregnant or have had a baby before, you have an higher chance of succeding.

The key to focus on is that success rates are very high but it can take up to 6 IVF attempts for couples with more complicated problems to actually have a baby.

Improve your chances of fertilization success by:

• Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight (BMI between 19 and 30)
• Keeping your alcohol consumption to no more than one unit of alcohol per day (excessive drinking reduces the effectiveness of IVF)
• Stopping smoking
• Lowering caffeine consumption to a minimum (2 - 50mg have been linked to lower IVF success rates).

Your chances of success fall as the number of unsuccessful IVF cycles increases.

Advantages of IVF

• IVF gives the chance of having a baby if a woman is unable to conceive naturally, because of various fertility issues (i.e.Falopian Tube Failure)

• For couples with certain types of infertility, IVF has the obvious benefit of boosting the odds of getting pregnant, sometimes from a near zero odds of pregnancy

• IVF can also be the best choice when men have a low sperm count or other issues impacting their ability to fertilize the egg

• Using IVF and implanting embryos eliminates the need for the sperm to navigate the woman's reproductive tract

• IVF would also be the treatment of choice any time a couple decides to use donor eggs, (premature ovarian failure or other issues with eggs)

• Most children conceived by IVF experience no long-term problems.

Disadvantages of IVF

IVF increases the risk of certain complications: 

• Multiple birth - more than one embryo transferred resulting in twins.Many couples consider twins to be a blessing. However, you may be at risk of having a premature birth or a baby with a low birth weight.
• Side-effects - from fertility drugs:These are usually mild, and include hot flushes, headaches and nausea. However, your doctor will monitor you closely for ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS may cancel IVF cycle for a time), particularly if you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).  
• High risk of ectopic pregnancy - embryo implants in a fallopian tube or in your abdominal cavity (This is more likely if you have had problems concerning your fallopian tubes)
• Slightly higher risk of baby being born with a birth defect: However, these problems are not common and the absolute risk of your baby having a problem as a result of ICSI or IVF is very low. More research is underway to identify if there is a link between fertility treatments and birth defects.

Despite these risks, many parents still go on to give birth to their overwhelmingly much-expected IVF babies.

 Fertility Centers Worldwide

Make your parenthood dream a REALITY!

You can choose where you want to have your baby, as well as your specialist, country. Make an informed choice for you and your future family!

Contact us, and we will help you learn more about how to get the best IVF treatments at the best IVF centres worldwide!

Getting IVF Treatment in India Can Be a Great Decision

Planning To Go for IVF?

Getting IVF Treatment in India Can Be a Great Decision

Infertility is a growing problem in today’s scenario of stressful life with both husband and wife  working in growing career ambitions. Eventually when the couple plans for a baby, it turns out to be a prolonged battle. Usually in desperation, the couple is ready to take any step to fulfil their dream of having a child. Most of these couples with difficulty in getting pregnant are referred for an IVF treatment.

The last 20 years have seen an exponential growth of infertility clinics across the globe and the IVF industry in India is burgeoning with professional expertise. India, being at the forefront of reproductive medicine, has become a Mecca for all the IVF treatments available around the world. The Indian IVF sector accounts to around five billion dollars and has 500 plus IVF clinics across the country. The key drivers for its growth being the increasing number of infertility cases in the country and growing number of people from abroad who flock to India seeking high-end treatments that come at a fraction of the price that they have to pay abroad.

IVF Procedures

With IVF, a method of assisted reproduction, a man’s sperm and the woman’s egg are combined in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. The resulting embryo or embryos is/are then transferred to the woman’s uterus (womb) to implant and develop naturally. Usually, two to four embryos are placed in the woman’s uterus at one time. Each attempt is called a cycle.

IVF can be used to treat infertility with the following patients:

• Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes
• Male factor infertility including decreased sperm count or sperm motility
• Women with ovulation disorders, premature ovarian failure, uterine fibroids
• Women who have had their fallopian tubes removed
• Individuals with a genetic disorder
• Unexplained infertility

There are five basic steps in the IVF and embryo transfer process:

• Monitor and stimulate the development of healthy egg(s) in the ovaries.
• Collect the eggs.
• Secure the sperm.
• Combine the eggs and sperm together in the laboratory and provide the appropriate environment for fertilization and early embryo growth.
• Transfer embryos into the uterus.

India and Fertility Tourism

According to the medical tourism website of the Government of India, the combination of the low cost of infertility treatment in India - nearly one-quarter of the cost in developed nations - and the modern ART available here make India a top choice for infertility treatments. Fertility clinics in countries like United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, France, Spain, and Denmark are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the demand for donor eggs and hence turning to India. Further on, benefits associated with fertility tourism are numerous. To name a few, fertility tourism brings in more income, creates jobs, improves lives and contributes to overall economic development. For, success rate of Infertility Clinics depends on key factors like: age of patients, expertise of doctors, infra and equipment available and the like. In India, the doctors have decades of experience and the clinics are surprisingly well equipped with all advanced equipment.

The Cost of IVF in India

The average IVF cost in India is  Rs. 2,50,000 ($4,000) for one cycle, but it can be as much as Rs. 4,50,000 or more. It may be as low as Rs. 1,50,000 ($2,400), but it’s rarely lower than that. These prices are for one cycle of IVF. If a fertility clinic tells you that their IVF costs less than Rs. 1,50,000 ($2,400), they are probably leaving something out from their price quote. Ask them if their price quote includes everything, including fertility drug purchases, ultrasound and monitoring costs, blood work, and any options they consider “extra”.

While basic IVF costs around Rs. 2,50,000 ($4,000) for one cycle, if you need additional assisted reproductive technologies, the cost will be higher. For example, ICSI treatment (where a single sperm is injected directly into an egg) may be an additional Rs. 1,50,000 – Rs. 2,50,000 ($2,400 - $4,000). If you have frozen embryos from a previous cycle and want to use them, doing so is significantly cheaper than doing a complete IVF cycle with fresh embryos. The average cost for a frozen embryo transfer (FET), is about Rs. 1,20,000 ($1,900).

Medicines used during IVF cyle, like any drugs you take, come with potential risks and side effects. Reading about potential risks can increase your anxiety during treatment and increase the failure rate in IVF. While you should be educated about the risks, the goal isn’t to scare you out of going through with treatments. Ideally, you should take what you learn here and use the information to make smarter decisions about your treatment.

The use of fertility drugs during IVF cycles may lead to a multiple pregnancy. Your risk of multiples is dependent on a number of factors, including which medication you’re taking, what dosage, and how sensitive your body is to the drugs. If you’re taking medications that mimic the hormones FSH and LH, even with monitoring, your risk of getting pregnant with multiples is higher. As many as 30% of pregnancies from these fertility drugs are multiple pregnancies.

Another risk that comes with fertility drug use is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). OHSS occurs when the ovaries become unusually enlarged, filling with fluid. When ovulation occurs, the fluid is released into the body, causing complications.

Choosing the Best IVF Clinic

If you are looking for infertility treatment, India offers you treatment options in abundance. No matter what your selection criteria is: doctor's expertise, cost, success records, geographic location, climate or more - India can offer you IVF treatment options meeting all your needs.

Bourn Hall Clinic in Kochi was originally founded in Bourn, Cambridge, England, and is one of the world’s best clinics for the treatment of infertility. Co-founder of Bourn Hall Clinic, Professor Sir Edwards, known affectionately as "the father of IVF", was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2010. Their state of the art patient-friendly infertility clinics for IVF is equipped with the latest technology and staffed by qualified, specialist doctors who will guide you at every stage of the journey towards the new life you’re creating.

Here is the range of treatments they offer at Bourn Hall Clinic, for women and men:

• IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
• ICSI/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
• Blastocyst Culture
• FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer)
• IUI (Intrauterine Insemination
• Egg Donation/Egg Sharing
• Surrogacy/ IVF Surrogacy
• Embryo Freezing
• Sperm Donation
• Sperm Freezing
• PESA (Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration)
• TESA/TESE (Testicular Sperm Aspiration)
• Micro-TESE (Microsurgical Sperm Retrieval from the Testicle)
• Secondary Infertility – for couples who already have a child

When you’re ready to start, simply contact Bourn Hall Clinic and they will talk through the detailed timings of your treatment and arrange your next appointment. You will have plenty of opportunity to ask any questions about your treatment all the way through your journey with the clinic.

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