Dr Juna Zimlitski on Personalised IVF Care: IVF Off The Clock in London
Dr Juna Zimlitski, Fertility Specialist at LeaderMed Clinic
For patients exploring fertility treatment abroad, the search for the right clinic often begins with many questions. What options are available? How long will treatment take? What happens if previous IVF cycles haven’t worked? And perhaps most importantly, how can patients know whether a clinic will understand their individual situation rather than offer a one-size-fits-all approach?
In the first episode of IVF Off the Clock, we sit down with Dr Juna Zimlitski, Fertility Specialist at LeaderMed Clinic in Georgia, for a conversation about the personal side of reproductive medicine and the importance of looking beyond a single fertility diagnosis or success-rate statistic.
With 10 years of experience in reproductive medicine, Dr Zimlitski has worked with patients facing a wide range of fertility challenges. In this episode, she shares what continues to inspire her work, why helping patients achieve a healthy pregnancy remains one of the most rewarding parts of her profession, and why every fertility journey requires its own approach.
The conversation also explores some of the questions patients may have when looking beyond their home country for treatment. Dr Zimlitski discusses her experience with UK patients and the factors that can influence their decision to seek fertility care in Georgia, from the treatment experience and laboratory expertise to personalised protocols and shorter waiting times.
Above all, this episode is a reminder that every patient has a unique story. When discussing treatment options, previous experiences and potential chances of success, an individual’s medical history and circumstances should remain at the centre of the conversation.
Watch the full interview below to meet Dr Juna Zimlitski and discover her perspective on personalised fertility care, complex fertility challenges, and what patients should consider when taking the next step in their journey.
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit more about your experience.
My name is Juna Zimlitski. I’m a reproductive specialist from Georgia, specialising in IVF, and I have 10 years of experience working in this field.
I’m very pleased to say that I work at the first IVF clinic established not only in Georgia but in the entire Caucasus region. The first IVF baby in Georgia was born thanks to our team 25 years ago.
Throughout my career, I have been involved in thousands of IVF cycles and have worked with many different fertility problems, including diminished ovarian reserve, recurrent pregnancy loss, recurrent implantation failure, severe male-factor infertility, and fertility preservation.
What do you find interesting or inspiring about the work that you do?
It’s very inspiring because every patient has a unique story, and we try to manage all their problems and help them achieve the best possible outcome — having a healthy baby.
What’s the most exciting part of what you do?
The most exciting moment is when we get a positive pregnancy test. We are happy, and our patients are happy with us. So, this is the most exciting part.
Do you have any particular areas of special interest?
Recurrent implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage are my particular areas of interest. In these cases, we have to carry out a lot of investigations to find out what the reason is, what is happening, and where the main problem lies that may be disturbing a normal pregnancy.
We’re here in London today, the capital of England. What do most UK patients ask you before committing to treatment with your clinic?
We have many patients from the UK. Firstly, they come because treatment in Georgia is more affordable for them.
But then, they find out about the quality of care we provide. We have high-quality patient care, a well-equipped embryology laboratory, and experienced embryologists.
We also have short waiting lists, as well as individualised, personalised care and protocols for ovarian stimulation and embryo transfer. Patients find that this approach is more comfortable and suitable for their treatment, and they are happy with us.
Do patients ask you about success rates?
Yes, most patients want to know about success rates. But we have to discuss this individually because every patient has their own history.
We have to take into account maternal age, antral follicle count, AMH concentration, and sperm quality.
Every patient has their own unique success rate, and I prefer to discuss this with them personally.
Can you share anything about your success rates?
We have high success rates, but it depends on the individual situation. If it’s egg donation or surrogacy, then the success rates are different and can be around 70–80%. For patients using their own eggs, it depends on maternal age — the age of the woman — and also sperm quality.
So, in general, we have high success rates, and we are happy with this.
Do patients have any other concerns before commencing treatment?
Yes, they want to know in detail what they have to go through, how long they have to stay in our country, and what investigations they have to undergo at our clinic.
So, we can provide them with all the information in detail.
Why do patients from the UK choose Georgia for treatment?
Most patients think that treatment in Georgia is more affordable for them. Also, many patients ask about egg donation and surrogacy treatment packages. For donation, we have a wide variety of donor profiles, and we also have a great choice of surrogate mothers.
So, that’s why they decide to have treatment in Georgia.
Which treatments do patients from the UK usually come to you for?
They come to us if they have had many unsuccessful cycles in their own country and want to find out what is happening. They may want some additional investigations, such as PGT-A testing, or they may have some problems with anti-Müllerian hormone and sometimes need donor oocytes. Also, if a patient has recurrent implantation failure, adhesions in the uterus, uterine-factor infertility, or severe male-factor infertility, they may ask for some additional tests or techniques, such as IMSI, PICSI, and so on.
We can provide all these services at our clinic.
Let’s talk about IVF with donor eggs for patients from the UK. How is that process organised?
First, we have to go through the patient’s and the couple’s medical history — what the problem was and what the situation is now — and carry out some assessments. Patients can do these assessments in their own country and send us the results so that we can review them. We may check some uterine assessments and hormonal investigations, and then we can share donor profiles with them.
They can think about the options, choose the right donor, and then we can discuss what the next step will be and start preparing for the treatment. First of all, they have to come to the clinic, and we have to check the sperm parameters to make sure everything is okay and assess the male partner for infectious diseases. If everything is okay, we can start the process, freeze the sperm, find a donor and create the embryos.
After that, the second step is for the patient to come back for the frozen cycle. We prepare her with HRT and hormonal treatment, and when she is ready, we can proceed with the embryo transfer.
It’s not as complicated as patients might think. We can manage the process very easily.
Do patients have to travel to the clinic a maximum of twice?
Yes.
And how long do they have to stay when they’re there?
The first visit can be one or two days because we have to freeze the sperm. If it’s a fresh transfer, then they have to stay longer. If it’s a frozen cycle and we are doing a frozen embryo transfer, they can go back home as soon as the embryos are ready.
We can then start the second process — the preparation of the endometrium and uterus. Even this can be managed while they stay in their own country. They can take the medication at home and then come straight away for the embryo transfer.
So, normally, they only need to come twice.
Do you offer both fresh and frozen embryo transfers?
Yes, these are two options: fresh or frozen. Frozen is more suitable because sometimes patients need some additional investigations. If a woman is at high risk of OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome), if the patient has a high progesterone level, or if we need to do embryo testing like PGT-A, then we have to freeze the embryos and wait.
After that, we can do the second step: prepare the endometrium and do the transfer.
What is the availability of donors like?
We have a great choice and a lot of profiles. The age is from 19 to 30 years maximum. They have all been tested for STIs and have gone through many investigations. They have all been checked to ensure they are healthy, and we can start the process.
Patients can go through the profiles and choose the best one for them, and then we can start stimulation.
Let’s talk about IVF with a patient’s own eggs. How is that process organised?
First of all, she has to go through some assessment in our country or in her own country — there is no big difference. We will go through her blood test results, ultrasound reports, and sperm test results, and then I will decide which way is better. The stimulation starts on the second day of the cycle, so she has to definitely visit our country on the second day of the cycle. We will start stimulation and control the stimulation, and it will take around 8–12 days.
After that, we can go through the egg retrieval procedure and create the embryos.
In total, how long does a patient need to stay with you, and how many times do they need to travel?
Roughly 2 weeks. If we go through fresh transfers, then it is more than two weeks — around 20 days at least.
If it’s a frozen embryo transfer, she can stay for two weeks.
Many of our viewers are from the UK and beyond, and a lot of them are interested in PGT-A testing. Who needs PGT-A testing?
It’s not for every patient. It has some special indications, such as high maternal age or advanced maternal age, severe male-factor infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, or recurrent implantation failure. In these situations, yes, definitely the patient should consider this test. But in other cases, it is not mandatory to have this test, and there is no clear scientific evidence that all patients have to undergo it.
So yes, it’s excellent in some cases, but not all — particularly in special situations like those I mentioned.
How is PGT-A testing organised? What is the process?
We test day-5 embryos and blastocysts, and we have to wait one week to 10 days to receive the test results. After we receive the results, we can start to prepare the woman and the endometrium and uterus for embryo transfer.
In your opinion, is it worth it?
I think in the situations I have already talked about, if the patient has many complications, if they have tried IVF several times, if there is high maternal age, severe male-factor infertility, or recurrent implantation failure, they should definitely consider going through this test.
A lot of UK patients travelling abroad are aged 50 plus. What’s the upper age limit that you are happy to treat at your clinic?
We have no upper limit, to be honest, but we have to do a lot of investigations to be sure that the mother and the coming baby are safe. Our aim is that the patient has to be healthy and happy.
What assessments do patients over 50 have to go through before treatment?
They have to go through cardiovascular risk assessment, obstetric complication risk assessment, and metabolic status. Then we can discuss if we can proceed and start preparing the woman for embryo transfer.
Are there any other ways that treatment differs for women aged 50 plus?
They have to prepare with estrogen for 10 to 14 days. Then they have to take progesterone injections and phosphorus. After that, if the endometrium is within good parameters and in good condition, and all health parameters are good, we can proceed with the embryo transfer.
Why do patients from the UK choose LeaderMed?
A little bit about our clinic: LeaderMed, as I have told you, is the first IVF clinic in Georgia and in the Caucasus region. So, we have huge experience in this field. A lot of thousands of babies were born — like 25,000 babies were born at our clinic and with our IVF team. So they are very experienced.
The embryology lab is equipped with high-standard equipment, and our doctors are qualified and experienced too. So, I think this is the best choice for them to come to our clinic in Georgia.
Do you remember a specific story or case of a patient or couple from the UK who visited your clinic?
Yes, I can remember, but I can say that all stories are unique and they are very precious for us, because we have achieved pregnancy and it’s very vulnerable for us. But I can remember that they had several tries in their country and no pregnancy.
We did some investigations and a specific stimulation protocol for her. Also, the embryo transfer protocol was changed and modified, and it was individualised for that patient. And for the first try, it was a successful pregnancy.
So, this was a special memory for me. I’m happy for them.
