Spain is increasingly becoming a popular destination for people considering fertility testing and/or treatment, like IVF. Here’s what you need to know from Gaia’s partner, Emma, Co-founder of Your IVF abroad.

Having IVF in Spain

Spain is a liberal, cosmopolitan and multicultural destination that is easily accessible all year round and from the UK. It is served by several budget airlines and is somewhere that offers plentiful accommodation to suit different budgets, as well as favourable weather conditions and the possibility of a holiday at the same time as having fertility treatment.

As a destination it is a popular choice for people to have fertility testing and treatment like IVF, ICSI, egg/sperm donation, embryo donation and egg freezing and there are clinics that are located in a variety of locations with lots to offer people during their time away from home.

Spain can offer very high standards of healthcare, quality and innovative fertility testing and treatment without waiting lists and all delivered by Doctors with an impressive portfolio of experience and alongside liberal legislation that allows fertility treatment irrespective of marital status or sexual orientation.

What is the cost of IVF in Spain?

The price of IVF treatment in Spain varies depending on the clinic you choose for your treatment and your exact treatment plan. However, in my experience of helping clients to source treatment in Spain the price of their own egg/sperm IVF with ICSI for example starts from around €4,500 and often includes other services that in other countries may be charged for in addition, like some consultations, ultrasounds, bloodwork and additional laboratory techniques.

How does it compare to other countries? Is it cheaper than the UK?

Although more expensive than some other European countries, Spain offers good value for your money when it comes to fertility testing and treatment and is considerably cheaper like for like vs having treatment in the UK.

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What are the donor regulations?

Spain is a popular destination for egg, sperm and embryo donation. Spain offers a wide variety of donors from different ethnicities and who are readily available. 

All types of donation in Spain are strictly anonymous and no information is shared with the recipient, other than blood group, ethnicity and sometimes age.

Donors in Spain are altruistic and are only paid for expenses. Clinics should have a strict recruitment and selection process that includes in depth screening across a number of areas to ascertain suitability for donation, or not. 

An egg donor must be between 18-35 years old and a sperm donor between 18-50 years old and the maximum number of children born from one egg and or sperm donor in Spain is six.

Fertility treatments in Spain

As well as IVF and egg/sperm donation and embryo donation people may also travel to Spain for The ROPA method, which is available for female couples – in the UK is commonly referred to as Shared Motherhood or reciprocal IVF. Egg freezing is also very popular in Spain for those wanting to try and help preserve their fertility for later when they feel ready to start a family and/or when they have met a partner they wish to have children with.

What else is useful to know?

It is worth noting that surrogacy is legally not allowed in Spain.

In Spain you are allowed to transfer by law up to three embryos, however there is a preference by most clinics and Doctors to transfer one at a time, or two if this is the patient's wishes and the Doctor agrees.

The maximum age for fertility treatment (female) is up to 52 years old. However at most clinics the upper limit is 50 and certain conditions will need to be met in order to qualify for treatment towards the upper limit.

Best clinics in Spain

There are many great choices of clinics in Spain. However, there is no one size fits all. We are not all the same. We have different personalities, medical needs, requirements from a destination and budgets. 

Also, it is important to remember that not all fertility testing and treatment offered is the same at every clinic, communication styles differ, as do prices and specialisms.

Is IVF more successful in Spain?

There are clinics in Spain with impressive success rates. However, it is impossible to say whether having IVF in Spain is more successful than in other countries, and vice versa as the way that success rates are measured and presented by individual clinics and countries vary hugely and therefore success rates should not be the sole reason for choosing a particular country in which to have your treatment. You may instead wish to ask the clinics you are considering what your projected chance of success would be with treatment with them.

How do I get started?

At Your IVF abroad, we offer a free short step by step guide that explains the process of having fertility treatment abroad in places like Spain.

If you require more information or support then Emma offers a wide variety of services to people who are interested in having fertility testing and treatment in Spain and other European countries. You can find out more about her services here.

For more free information, Emma hosts a podcast and has a blog.

The most affordable way to start and protect your IVF.

The Gaia Plan offers a flexible and affordable way to pay for the treatment you need to have a child, with financial protection if you don’t, and support throughout. For UK residents, we can provide our Gaia Plans to most clinics in the EU. Complete our short questionnaire to find out how much it would cost at your chosen clinic. You can find our eligibility criteria on our Eligibility page.