Ukraine as an IVF destination
Ukraine, similarly to the Czech Republic and Poland, is still associated more with the Eastern Bloc rather than with advanced reproductive medicine and modern medical equipment. Not many international patients realise that IVF method was used there for the first time already in 1990. Since then the Ukrainian fertility clinics (most of which are located in the country’s capital – Kiev) has been offering full range of fertility testing and assisted conception services.
Nowadays Ukraine might be regarded as one of the most attractive European destinations for fertility patients. There are two major factors for that: significantly lower treatment costs (easily affordable for the so–called “middle income” patients) and no legal limit on the age of women accessing IVF procedures . This, topped with friendly English–speaking medical staff and both variety and anonymity of treatment, is surely enough to include Ukraine in one’s own searches of a perfect country for IVF abroad. However, there is still one main disadvantage that needs to be taken into account – namely, the Ukrainian unsure political situation. Over five years after the Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Ukrainian politics and economy are still far from stabilising. Additionally, as Ukraine is not a member of the European Union, patients would not benefit from the legal protection available to EU clinics.
The Ukrainian cities most willingly chosen by IVF patients are Kiev and Lviv.
Reasons to go to Ukraine for IVF
- Highly affordable prices of IVF treatment
- Modern and well–equipped fertility clinics
- Experienced medical specialists who are also fluent in English
- Variety and anonymity of IVF treatment options
- Liberal IVF regulations on female patients’ age
- Egg/sperm/embryo donation allowed
IVF in Ukraine at a glance
IVF treatment options in Ukraine
- the age of women in IVF programs is not limited (although usually women over 51are not able to access IVF treatment because of potential health and pregnancy problems)
- no legal age limit for a male partner
- single women are allowed for IVF treatment
- egg/sperm/embryo donation is anonymous
- the maximum number of embryos to transfer is 2 (or 3 in case of medical indications)
- the maximum number of eggs for fertilisation is not limited
- surrogacy is allowed and available
Ukraine seems tempting to foreign fertility patients due to its lack of legal limit in regards to women’s and men’s age. However, it is generally known that female patients should not have contraindications to pregnancy in accordance with the order of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health (which in practice means the access to treatment up to the age of 52).
Both married couples and single women are allowed to undergo IVF treatments. Unfortunately, none of IVF procedures are accessible to same–sex couples. In Ukraine, egg and sperm donation is allowed and anonymous. According to the order of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, it is recommended to transfer no more than 1–2 embryos to the uterine cavity. However, in case of projected reduced likelihood of implantation, it is possible to transfer 3 embryos (with a clinical justification as well as with a patient’s consent). Procedures such as ISCI, PGD and PGS are available and sex selection is possible only for medical reasons. The biggest novelty in the Ukrainian fertility law (as compared to other European IVF destinations) is the allowance of surrogacy. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Health does not release any data on surrogacy, so it’s difficult to estimate how popular the practice actually is.
| IVF treatment in Ukraine | |
|---|---|
| Maximum patient age (woman) | No limit not specified by legislation, decided by each clinic individually |
| IVF treatments for single women | Allowed |
| IVF treatments for lesbian couples | Not allowed |
| Maximum number of embryos to transfer IVF with donor eggs | 2 |
| Maximum number of embryos to transfer IVF with own eggs | 3 if there are medical indications and the patient gives consent |
| Anonymous egg donors | Yes |
| Non anonymous egg donors | No |
| Egg donor availability | Very good |
| Egg donor age | 18-35 |
IVF treatment costs in Ukraine1,2
| IVF costs in Ukraine1,2 | |
|---|---|
| Treatment option | Price range |
| IVF with own eggs program | €2,200 - €5,200 |
| IVF with donor eggs program | €4,000 - €7,000 |
| Medical consultation - visit / online (with doctor) | €70 - €150 |
| Donor sperm | €200 - €500 |
| Frozen embryo transfer (all embryos) | €1,000 - €1,600 |
IVF success rates in Ukraine
IVF own eggs success rates in Ukraine3 (pregnancy per embryo transfer)
| IVF with own eggs success rates in Ukraine3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Woman age | <34 | 35-39 | ≥40 |
| IVF with own eggs in Ukraine | 38.3% | 34.4% | 26.8% |
| ESHRE average in Europe | 29.0% | 24.2% | 12.9% |
IVF donor eggs success rates in Ukraine3 (pregnancy per embryo transfer)
| IVF with donor eggs success rates in Ukraine3 | |
|---|---|
| IVF with donor eggs in Ukraine | 56.2% |
| ESHRE average in Europe | 50.3% |
Assisted Reproduction Law and Clinics in Ukraine – information for Patients
| Assisted Reproduction Law and Clinics in Ukraine – information for Patients | ||
|---|---|---|
| Resource | Available online? | Language |
| ART Legislation in country | Yes / Link>>> | Ukrainian |
| List of certified IVF Centers by independent national body | No | - |
| Success rates published as per IVF center by independent national body | No | - |
| National success rates published for country by independent national body | Yes / Link>>> | Ukrainian |
Institution and / or contact person for IVF patients in Ukraine
On the basis of information received from the Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine (UARM), we know that patients searching for IVF information can contact Irina Babenchuk and Natalia Silina at uarm.kiev@gmail.com, tel. +380958538135
- Patients Enquiries Reports 2013-2019, Fertility Clinics Abroad Ltd., Edinburgh, August 2019.
- Patients Enquiries Report’s 2013-2019, IVF Media Ltd., Dublin, August 2019.
- De Geyter Ch., Calhaz-Jorge C., Kupka M. S., Wyns C., Mocanu E., Motrenko T., Scaravelli G., Smeenk J., Vidakovic S., Goossens V., The European IVF – Monitoring Consortium (EIM) for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE): ART in Europe, 2014: results generated from European registries by ESHRE, Human Reproduction, Volume 33, Issue 9, September 1st 2018, pp. 1586-1601.
https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/33/9/1586/5055580 - Report on the Regulation of Reproductive Cell Donation in the European Union. Results of Survey, European Commission, Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General, Brussels, February 2006.
https://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_threats/human_substance/documents/tissues_frep_en.pdf - International Federation of Fertility Societies’ Surveillance (IFFS) 2019, Global Trends in Reproductive Policy and Practice, 8th Edition, Global Reproductive Health, Wolters Kluwer, March 2019, Volume 4, Issue 1, p. e29.
https://journals.lww.com/grh/FullText/2019/03000/International_Federation_of_Fertility_Societies_.3.aspx - A Policy Audit on Fertility. Analysis of 9 EU Countries, Fertility Europe, European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), Evere, Grimbergen, March 2017.
http://www.fertilityeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/EPAF_FINAL.pdf - Keane M., Long J., O’Nolan G., Farragher L., Assisted reproductive technologies: International approaches to public funding mechanisms and criteria. An evidence review, Health Research Board, Dublin, 2017.
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/af2460-health-research-board-report-assisted-reproductive-technologies-inte/?referrer=/blog/publications/health-research-board-report-assisted-reproductive-technologies-international-approaches-to-public-funding-mechanisms-and-criteria-an-evidence-review/ - Assisted Reproductive Technology. Fertility Clinic Success Rates Report 2016, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, October 2018.
ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Publications/art/ART-2016-Clinic-Report-Full.pdf - Präg P., Mills M., Assisted reproductive technology in Europe. Usage and regulation in the context of cross-border reproductive care, Families and Societies, Working Series Paper, Volume 43 (2015), Department of Sociology and Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, 2015.
http://www.familiesandsocieties.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/WP43PragMills2015.pdf
