Can Anyone Have IVF Treatment Abroad?

If you are a single-sex couple or a single woman who is considering fertility treatment abroad, you will want to know which countries will, by law, treat you. Single women often seek fertility treatment to freeze their eggs and preserve their fertility. Or they may want to use donor sperm. ROPA as a fertility treatment is popular and aimed at lesbian couples. In this treatment, one woman in the partnership donates her eggs which are then fertilised by donor sperm. The other woman in the couple receives the fertilised embryos and carries the pregnancy. So both women are involved as one is the genetic mother and one is the birth mother.

Not all countries in Europe will treat same-sex couples or single women. And it can be difficult to find out which countries do and which don’t. Fortunately, we have all this information on our website but to make things easy we have written this article to help you find the information quickly. If you need more information click on the links on each country below. And ALWAYS CHECK with the clinic if your understanding of the law is correct.

When there is a lesbian couple seeking treatment, the law usually accommodates this by allowing single women to use donor sperm. Each country may have slight variations in law. And in working practice it might be different i.e. the interpretation of the law can vary within a country.

Countries which DO treat same sex couples or single women

Spain:  This popular fertility destination has quite liberal laws concerning fertility treatment. ROPA is very often offered.

Finland:  Legally available to unmarried couples, single women and lesbian relationships.

Bulgaria: Unmarried couples, single women and women-only couples.

North Cyprus: Single women and same sex patients can be treated. There are different laws in the North compared to the South.

South Cyprus: Single women are allowed but not same sex couples.

Greece:  Same sex couples are not “strictly” allowed to have treatment. However, as long as one partner signs a notarial deed saying that she is going through as a single woman with the use of donor sperm then it can be accommodated.
For more reviews see our article IVF in Greece – Reviews.

Russia: Legally available to unmarried couples and single women. Same sex male partnerships are not allowed to be treated.

Ukraine: Same sex couples are not allowed to be treated but single women can be.

Estonia: Legally available to unmarried couples and single women. Unmarried couples need to sign a consent form before treatment agreeing to be parents of any future child.

 

Countries which DON’T treat same sex couples or single women

Poland: Assisted reproduction is not available to single women and women-only couples.

Turkey:  Single women and lesbian couples are not allowed by law to be treated and in fact couples need to be married.

Serbia: Assisted reproduction is unavailable to single women and same sex couples. Heterosexual couples do not need to be married. But the male partner needs to attend the clinic to sign approval for the treatment.

Czech Republic: An “infertile couple” is classed as a man and woman who live together intimately. Therefore, the Czech Republic does not legally offer treatment to single women or same sex couples.

You may be interested in reading IVF for Single Women.

 

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