FAQs

We understand that you might have questions. Take a look at some frequently asked ones below.

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How does the Gaia Plan work?
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We build you your very own personalised insurance plan using data from over 1 million previous treatments. After you complete your Gaia profile, we predict your chances of success across a maximum of 6 IVF rounds. We create a Gaia Plan for you, insuring you for the number of rounds where you have at least an 82% chance of success.

Our personalised insurance plan means that if you do not have a child within your insured rounds, you would only pay your premium. If you are successful - and only once you have given birth to your child - you would pay back the cost of the IVF rounds you completed, in monthly instalments.

We also fix the cost of your IVF treatment for you and pay your clinic upfront, so you don’t need to worry about a single payment throughout your cycle.

How do you make money?
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We make money by taking a portion of the premium that you pay at the start of your IVF rounds. The rest is pooled together so that we can afford to pay for our members who are not successful after their insured rounds.

What is a successful round of IVF?
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When you have your child.

Who founded Gaia?
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Gaia was founded by Nader AlSalim. Nader was an IVF patient himself and, after many rounds of IVF at several clinics, costing thousands of pounds, Nader and his wife were fortunate to have their son. The experience left him wanting to solve two big problems in the IVF journey: not knowing how many rounds he would have needed, and not knowing the total cost of his treatment. Gaia was created to provide IVF patients with greater visibility on your journey and financial access to treatment.

Getting started

What is a fertility check?
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A fertility check is needed before you start your fertility treatment in order to understand your current reproductive health. This involves checking things such as your hormone levels, ovarian reserve, or semen count. This is usually done in-person at a registered fertility clinic through procedures like blood tests and ultrasounds. The process of booking your fertility check to getting your results can take around 2 weeks. It’s good to be mindful that this might take some time prior to starting your fertility treatment. If you want to book your fertility check, have a chat with one of our advisors who can help you decide which clinic is right for you.

I haven’t done my fertility check yet, can I still get a quote?
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You can request a quote without having completed your fertility check, however before you become a Member, you will need your test results and treatment summary so that we can give you the most accurate and personalised plan.

How does the credit check work?
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Once you have agreed to your Gaia Plan, we will send you a link to complete our credit check and will update you within 1 working day of whether or not we can offer you your plan.

We do what's called a 'hard' check, which means other credit lenders will be able to see that a company looked up your score. They won't be able to see that it was Gaia specifically. If you have any questions about the process, just let us know.

How quick is the turnaround to start my treatment?
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Very quick! Just complete the credit check and send us proof of your treatment plan, and we will send you your Gaia Membership Agreement to sign.

What do I do now?
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Complete your fertility profile to request a quote at your chosen clinic. Your personalised quote will be available on your profile within 24 hours. Each quote is valid for 3 months, after that you can just request a new quote.

Clinics

How do I know what clinic to choose?
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There are many factors that may impact what clinic you choose, such as location, price, success rates and personal preferences. There is no right answer of how to make a decision, but if you want to get more information on the process of choosing a clinic, look at our clinics page. You can get a personalised, 1:1 call with a Gaia advisor to discuss what clinics might suit you and your fertility journey best.

What is a clinic success rate?
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Clinics often include a variety of success rates on their website. These can be very confusing as measurements of success rates can vary across clinics. To learn more, look at our blog on the truth behind IVF success rates here.

How does the cost of IVF compare from clinic to clinic?
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The average cost people spend in the UK on IVF throughout their treatment process is £13,370. This can vary across clinics and locations around the UK. It is important to bear in mind that clinics’ packages vary in terms of what is included. And medication is most often an extra cost. If you want more information on the cost of IVF, have a look here.

Can I change clinics if I’ve done my fertility check or a round of IVF somewhere else?
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Yes, just because you’ve done your fertility check or IVF round(s) at one clinic doesn’t mean you have to continue there. If you want to change your fertility clinic, but are unsure of where might work best for you, have a look at our clinics page to find out more about choosing a clinic.

Payments

What do I pay and when?
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Start paying insurance premiums at the beginning of each IVF round. If you don’t have a child by the end of your insured rounds, the sum of the premiums is all you would pay. If you are successful (and only once you are discharged from the hospital following birth) you pay Gaia back the fixed cost of the IVF treatment that you went through.

The repayment of your IVF treatment can be paid in monthly instalments for up to 8 years. Our plans also include a £1 per month admin fee which you pay until you give birth.

What is the administration fee described in my plan?
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The administration fee is £1 per month. This fee is just for us to maintain your account and ensure that your financial account is still active.

Can I not pay the admin fee?
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In order for us to provide support services to you and our community, the £1 monthly admin fee is required for all our members.

How much is the premium?
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Your premiums are calculated based on your predictions, the type of treatment you're having, and your clinic’s treatment costs. It’s normally around 20-30% of the cost of the treatment and would never be more than 40%. Premiums can be paid in 5 monthly instalments or in a lump sum.

How do you calculate my premium?
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We calculate your premium based on your personalised chances of success, the number of rounds you are insured for, and the cost of treatment at your clinic. Each and every member has a unique premium tailored to their journey. Insurance premiums are separate from the treatment price at your clinic, as they go towards covering you and others during the IVF journey. Your personalised quote is valid for 3 months, after which you will have to request another one.

Can I increase my finance period to over 12 months with interest?
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Yes. Once you have a child, you will have the option to refinance your payment plan beyond 12 months for up to 8 years.

Why is your cost different from what the clinic said they would charge me?
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Prices listed by the clinic are the base prices for IVF and most often do not include the other necessary costs that you will incure as you go through your IVF journey. Through extensive research, we have calculated the entire cost of an IVF round at each and every UK clinic. The price we have listed for your IVF treatment includes your clinic's base cost of IVF treatment, in addition to other necessary treatments and medication that you would be charged for throughout your IVF round.

This includes: HFEA Fee, monitoring blood tests, monitoring scans, sedation for egg collection, blastocyst culture, pregnancy scan, embryo freezing and storage of any extra embryos to up to 12 months, and medication. The cost we give is all inclusive and fixed, so that you know exactly the full price of your IVF treatment, giving you full visibility of the total cost of your IVF journey and so you don’t have to make a single payment to your clinic throughout your IVF treatment.

Timeline

What is the maximum number of rounds I can be insured for?
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We insure you up to 6 rounds of IVF.

Why do you only insure to up to 6 rounds?
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We only have access to data which allows our predictive model to calculate your chances of success across 6 rounds.

Do I have to be insured for a personalised number of rounds or could I choose?
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Yes, we personalise our insurance plans so that you are insured for the number of rounds where you have above an 82% chance of success. This is the rule implemented by our insurance providers so that your plan is both fair and affordable for you.

Can I extend my Gaia Plan if I'm not successful within my insured rounds?
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There is a possibility for you to extend your Gaia Plan for additional rounds if you are not successful. All you would need to do is reach out to us and we will re-calculate your premiums.

Could I stop IVF before I’ve finished all the rounds that I was insured for?
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We would never force you to continue treatment if you wanted to stop. However, if you decide to cancel your Gaia membership before you either had a child or completed the rounds you are insured for, then you would have to pay back the cost of the treatments you had.

This is to make sure the cost is stable for other members in the community. However, if your doctor says it is medically necessary for you to stop your treatment and provides proof of this, then you would not have to pay anything back.

Eligibility

Can anyone get a Gaia Plan?
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We have to make sure that our Gaia Plans are fair and affordable for you, and that your premium isn't too expensive. This means that your predictions have to be above 82% across at least 6 rounds of IVF. Also, we currently can only insure members who have a BMI of below 35.

Can I have a Gaia Plan with any clinic?
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You can go to any HFEA registered clinic in the UK and select clinics abroad.

What treatments do you cover?
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We can insure you for Standard IVF, IVF+ICSI, Sperm Donor or Egg Donor IVF treatments.

Why does my BMI need to be below 35 to get a Gaia insurance plan?
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Our eligibility criteria currently takes into account your BMI. This is a requirement from our insurance underwriters based on NHS guidelines. We understand the impact of BMI on fertility is disputed, and we are currently collecting more information on its effect so we can widen our eligibility constraints.

Complaints & Claims

How do I make a complaint?
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If your complaint is about Gaia services, please contact:

Gaia Fertility Ltd

65 Alfred Road

London W2 5EU

members@gaia.family

If your complaint is regarding your insurance policy, please contact:

Beazley Furlonge Ltd

22 Bishopsgate

London

EC2N 4BQ

Tel No: +44 (0)20 7667 0623

Fax No: +44 (0)20 7674 7100

Email: beazley.complaints@beazley.com

In the event that you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a complaint, it may be possible in certain circumstances for you to refer the matter to the Complaints Team at Lloyd’s. Their address is:

Complaints

Lloyd’s

One Lime Street

London

EC3M 7HA

E-mail: complaints@lloyds.com  

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7327 5693

Fax: +44 (0)20 7327 5225

Ultimately, should you remain dissatisfied after Lloyd’s final response, you may, if eligible, refer its complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent service in the UK for settling claims between consumers and businesses providing financial services.

How do I make an insurance claim?
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If you complete the number of rounds insured by the Gaia Plan and do not have a successful outcome, then Gaia will issue the claim immediately and you do not pay any more. You can always contact us at:

Name: Gaia Fertility Ltd.

Address: Great Western Studios, 65 Alfred Road, W2 5EU

Email: members@gaia.family

Other

How are you different from Access?
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There are 4 main distinctions between Gaia and Access:

1. No full upfront costs. You pay a premium to start every round, and only pay back the full cost of your IVF monthly, once you have given birth.

2. All inclusive. We include medication in our plans so that you do not have to pay a single invoice to your clinic.

3. Only pay for what you need. We are not a multi cycle package, which means if you have a child after 1 round of IVF, you will only pay back the cost of that 1 round.

4. Membership support and services. Gaia supports you throughout your entire journey, with access to membership support, a medical advisor, 12 sessions of counselling, and in person and online events.