Latvia is a small country in the Baltic region in Northern Europe with a population of only 2 million people. There are not many IVF clinics in this country – in 2014 there were just five fertility clinics operating there. Still, Latvia is increasing in popularity as an IVF destination for patients from Scandinavia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Latvia’s clinics offer a European level of quality for the infertility treatments they provide. This is due to the 20-year history of IVF clinic in Latvia. IVF treatments carried out in Latvian clinics conform to the recommendations of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS). Many patients from the UK, Germany or France chooses this destination mainly because of lower prices than elsewhere in Europe.
Egg Donation Latvia
Donating eggs and undergoing egg donation treatment is legal in Latvia. According to local law, the donors are Latvian and anonymous. Egg donation treatment in Latvia is especially popular among patients from Estonia, Lithuania, Scandinavia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The Latvian clinics cater to foreign patients’ needs by offering them the services of personal patient coordinators and translators if needed.
You may also like to read – Sperm donation abroad – what you need to know.
IUI Latvia
IUI procedure involves preparing sperm and injecting it into a patient’s uterus. It is the most non-invasive treatment and can assist couples with mild forms of infertility in conception. IVF law in Latvia grants access to IUI (intrauterine insemination) and AID (artificial insemination with donor) to formal and informal heterosexual couples, single women, and female same-sex couples. AID treatment uses anonymously donated sperm through licensed sperm banks. The cost of IUI in Latvia oscillates around EUR 400 and for AID you would have to pay approx. EUR 950-1,000.
Egg Donation Costs Latvia
The average cost of egg donation treatment in Latvia is EUR 6,020. Usually, clinics guarantee a number of eggs from the donor (for example 8 eggs guaranteed) or a number of blastocyst-stage embryos (usually around 2 blastocysts). The price of an egg donation program in Latvia may include qualification tests, medication, ICSI, vitrification of remaining embryos, sperm freezing, assisted hatching or blastocyst culture. Embryo transfer is usually included in the price.
We would suggest using the IVF Cost Calculator to determine an indication of the potential cost for your treatment.
You may also be interested in IVF costs abroad.
Egg Donation Success Rates in Latvia
The ESHRE report for 2014 (published in 2018) reads that there were 480 IVF cycles with own eggs performed in Latvia and 144 cycles using donor eggs. The reported pregnancy success rate for egg donation cycle was 50.9% (per embryo transfer) and in case of IVF with own eggs the success rate was 29.8% (per embryo transfer).
You may also like to read – Why do donor egg success rates seem higher abroad?
Ready to find IVF clinics in Latvia?
IVF laws in Latvia
Same-sex female couples and non-married couples and single parents are welcome in IVF clinics in Latvia. The maximum number of embryos you can have transferred in Latvia is 3 (some clinics allow maximum 2 embryos). There is no upper age limit for either egg recipients or male patients. We recommend you contact the clinic of your choice to find out what maximum age limits they have for donor egg recipients.
Surrogacy is not allowed under the law of the Republic of Latvia. Sex selection (family balancing) is only allowed for medical reasons, for example when there is a risk of sex-related genetic disease being transferred to the baby.
According to Sexual and Reproductive Health Law passed on 1st July 2002, egg donation and sperm donation in Latvia are anonymous, however, the intended parents may obtain information regarding the donor’s genetic and anthropometric data as outlined below:
- age
- skin color
- hair color
- eye color
- weight
- height
- blood type
- Rhesus factor
- education
- hobbies and interests.
You can always be sure that your and your donor’s identity is protected. Information about patients is strictly confidential. Egg and sperm donors are also protected by anonymity laws. It is strictly forbidden to meet the donor, see the donor’s pictures as an adult or a child and obtain personal information. But in no way, it means that the donor is randomly selected or that he/she can be unsuitable for the patient. The Latvian law allows a maximum of 3 children born in the country as a result of IVF with gametes from a single gamete donor (except for cases of multiple pregnancies).
Featured clinic
Clinic EGV
Clinic EGV is located in the very centre of the capital of Latvia — Riga, at Lacplesa Street 38. EGV Clinic was established in 1998.
Egg donors – testing for infectious diseases
According to the laws of the Republic of Latvia, an egg donor must be 18 to 34 years old and have excellent mental and physical health, and a male donor needs to be 18 to 45 years old. There is a list of tests a donor needs to have for a successful IVF procedure. These are Hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis and other STD tests. Many Latvian IVF clinics follow the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) recommendation and include karyotyping test (analyzing the chromosome structure of cells). Many clinics also carry out microbiological and pap smears and ultrasound examinations on egg donors.
Egg donors – psychological screening
In most clinics, each egg donor must visit not only gynecologist and medical geneticist, but also a psychiatrist. Donors with drug addictions and alcohol abuse are never accepted. An egg donor needs to be mentally healthy, very often the traceable relatives of the donor are asked to provide information on their mental health.
Safety and Quality in IVF clinics Latvia
ISO 9001 quality certificate ensures strict compliance with diagnostics and treatment standards in IVF clinics. It is always advisable to check with the clinic if they hold any certificates.
Read more: Can anyone have IVF treatment abroad?
IVF in Latvia Question and Answers
What is the cost of IVF in Latvia?
Latvia is a small country in the Baltic region in Northern Europe with a population of 2 million. It offers seven fertility clinics and has become an increasingly popular destination for patients from Scandinavia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The clinics offer competitive rates for IVF with own eggs which start in the of €2,000 All IVF treatments carried out in Latvian fertility clinics conform to the recommendations of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
How much does it cost to freeze your eggs in Latvia?
If you are not yet ready to have a baby or you wish to pre-empt medical treatment which might have a negative effect on your fertility, clinics in Latvia offer an egg freezing service. Like the service offered by any modern clinic patients can have their eggs vitrified - a modern freezing technique that rapidly lowers the temperature of the egg keeping it safely preserved until the day you are ready to begin treatment. You will need to contact each individual clinic for specific costs which average around €1,200 for the initial procedure which will ordinarily allow you to store eggs for one year. Frozen eggs can be stored for up to 10 years.
How much does embryo donation cost in Latvia?
Four clinics in Latvia offer embryo donation packages from €1,520 upwards. It should be noted however that by Latvian law only single women and heterosexual couples are allowed for IVF treatment. There are some clinics that treat lesbian couples – assuming one partner states that she is single. In Latvia, embryo donation is anonymous which means that the recipients are not allowed to know the identity of a donor or meet them in person. However, the intended parents may obtain some non–identifying information about the donor such as their genetic and phenotypic data
What is the cost of IVF with donor eggs in Latvia?
Egg donation treatment offered in Latvia consists of an in-vitro donation of oocytes (eggs) from an anonymous donor. This is a treatment which is most popular with international patients who travel to the country. The average cost of egg donation treatment in Latvia is €6,020. Clinics invariably guarantee a number of eggs from the donor (for example 8 eggs guaranteed) or a number of blastocyst-stage embryos (usually around 2 blastocysts). The price of an egg donation programme in Latvia may include qualification tests, medication, ICSI, vitrification of remaining embryos, sperm freezing, assisted hatching or blastocyst culture. Embryo transfer is also usually included in the price.
How much does donor sperm for IVF cost in Latvia?
Sperm from anonymous donors is available in Latvian clinics for around €350 - €600 and this treatment is offered to heterosexual couples and single women only. Donor insemination is a fertility treatment that involves using a sperm donor to conceive. Insemination typically refers to intrauterine insemination (IUI) with a donor or an intended parent's sperm, but donor insemination can also be used with intra-vaginal insemination or as part of an IVF cycle as well. Sperm is purchased from recognised banks or obtained from individual donors who undergo a mandatory health check by a urologist and medical geneticist.
