We have compiled answers to your most common questions. They are answered directly by our experts from GYNCARE assisted reproduction clinics. If you have not found an answer to your question, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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You do not need to worry about any of them; however, you should be prepared that ovarian stimulation before IVF involves injections. You administer these yourself subcutaneously with a thin needle into the navel area. These hormonal injections induce the growth of multiple follicles in the ovaries. This ovarian enlargement may be associated with mild discomfort in the lower abdomen. The egg retrieval itself takes place under short-term general anesthesia (lasting approximately 5–10 min.) and is not painful.
The number of IVF cycles is not limited, meaning there is no upper limit to the number of cycles a woman can undergo in her lifetime. However, in cases of repeated failure with one’s own eggs and partner’s sperm, we can suggest the alternative of using either donor eggs or donor sperm, of course, after an individual assessment of the reasons for not achieving pregnancy. Often, this is due to poor quality gametes or embryos.
The cost of infertility treatment is highly individual. It depends on several factors, primarily on the causes leading to infertility.
Health insurance companies currently cover 3 IVF cycles until a woman reaches 39 years and 364 days of age. This covers only basic procedures (egg retrieval, their fertilization by conventional insemination, and embryo culture for up to 48 hours).
To increase the success rate of IVF at our clinics, we recommend couples utilize supplementary laboratory methods. The patient’s surcharge for these procedures ranges from 1,000 euros to 2,600 euros. In cases of serious genetic problems, it can be even more.
Health insurance companies cover 3 IVF cycles until a woman reaches 39 years and 364 days of age, provided the cause of infertility has been confirmed on the woman’s side, the man’s side, or both partners simultaneously. As part of the IVF cycle coverage, a larger portion of the cost of medications and procedures associated with IVF is covered. However, the insurance company does not cover certain procedures, and the patient pays for these themselves – these include egg micromanipulation techniques, embryo freezing, and preimplantation genetic testing of embryos. Of course, surcharges for procedures beyond insurance coverage depend on the assisted reproduction techniques that will be performed for the given couple. IVF is not covered for women who have previously undergone an induced abortion or sterilization at their own request.
No, IVF can only be undergone by a couple. The partner must acknowledge paternity.
Your treating physician will decide on the next steps. There are several options, but all depend on your health condition and circumstances.
Yes, hormonal treatment is safe for women if it is carried out under the supervision of specialists. If any side effects occur, consult your treating physician immediately.
There is essentially no age limit for undergoing IVF. However, after the age of 40, the patient covers the entire procedure herself. It should also be taken into account that after reaching this age, the chance of conception significantly decreases, and this also applies to IVF.
The frequency of your visits will depend on the specific treatment procedure, but generally, especially at the beginning of the entire process, expect several visits per month.
Yes, none of the treatment procedures require long-term sick leave. On the other hand, we recommend that women conserve their energy and do not overexert themselves during the IVF process. If you perform physically demanding work, you should consider a gentle regimen during critical periods (after fertilization). We also recommend sick leave for women who work in an infectious environment, an environment with a higher incidence of harmful or toxic substances, or radiation in the workplace.
The percentage of children born with congenital developmental defects after IVF is slightly higher, representing about 4%, compared to 2% of children conceived naturally. However, the higher percentage of congenital genetic defects and genetic abnormalities is due to the fact that the average age of women undergoing IVF is higher than the average age of pregnant women in general, and as we know, with age – especially after 35 – the risk of these complications in pregnancy increases. Therefore, for every woman who becomes pregnant after IVF, we recommend thorough screening during pregnancy – optimally at a prenatal diagnostic center.
The cause of infertility can be not only on the woman’s side but equally often on the partner’s side. Therefore, it is important to approach infertility treatment as a treatment undergone by a couple. The partner should always undergo at least basic diagnostics (sperm analysis). Even if the cause of infertility is not on the partner’s side, their interest and support throughout the process are very important, as psychological well-being also influences success.
No, it is not. The first consultation is informative. We will strive to provide you with all important information, and you will have enough time to make a decision.
You can book an initial examination at one of our clinics using the contacts found on our website. It is ideal if you have a referral from your general gynecologist. You can also get an appointment for an initial consultation with us within two weeks.
Please bring all results from previous examinations you or your partner have undergone. Similarly, if you are being monitored by an endocrinologist, hematologist, or diabetologist, please bring reports from the specialized clinic. If you have previously undergone a laparoscopic examination or had your fallopian tube patency checked, please bring reports from these procedures to the first consultation. If you have not yet undergone any of the mentioned examinations, we will complete all necessary examinations here.
Endometriosis itself is just a diagnosis, but women with endometriosis can have diametrically different reproductive indicators. According to studies, endometriosis slightly reduces the success rate of IVF treatment, but if a woman with endometriosis decides to undergo an IVF cycle while she still has a good egg reserve, the cumulative success rate is not so diametrically different compared to women without endometriosis. However, if endometriosis reaches a stage where it damages ovarian function and egg reserve, the overall success rate of the process will also be lower.
Genetic embryo testing is paid for separately. The cost for testing one embryo currently ranges around €350. Only the Union health insurance company contributes to this examination for its policyholders, but only under specific indications. This means if a genetic hereditary problem is confirmed in the family and a geneticist recommends genetic embryo testing to prevent the disease from being passed on to future generations. In such a case, Union partially covers the costs of this examination up to €900. Other health insurance companies do not yet cover genetic embryo testing.
Union is currently the only insurance company that has a reproductive program and partially covers advanced sperm analysis, ICSI, and partially genetic testing.
Currently, this is not the case. At our clinics for assisted reproduction GYNCARE, we perform a gynecological examination as part of the initial assessment. If a patient wishes to undergo IVF treatment, she must have cytology and basic examinations, and at an older age, also breast ultrasound or mammography. At an older age, we also require an internal examination.
This applies only to women. The entire infertility treatment concerns only the woman and her health insurance company. Thus, even if IVF is indicated due to deteriorated sperm parameters in the partner, in such a case, the coverage comes from the woman’s health insurance company, and the age limit applies only to the woman.
Yes. Each assisted reproduction center may have specific requirements, but we require a pre-operative internal examination.
We once thought that AMH only indicated the number of eggs, not their quality. Today, we know this is not true. A reduced ovarian reserve occurs for some reason. The ovary prematurely ages for some reasons, and lower AMH values or lower ovarian reserve are associated with a higher proportion of genetically abnormal eggs. This answer needs to be understood in context. If a woman has an AMH of 0.88 because one ovary was removed for some reason, there is no reason for a higher proportion of genetically abnormal eggs in the other ovary. So, it also depends on the reason why AMH is reduced. If AMH is reduced for unexplained reasons, considering age, it means that the ovary is indeed prematurely aging for inexplicable reasons. In this case, we must also assume a higher proportion of genetically abnormal eggs.
We can determine the sex, but we cannot disclose it to patients, as embryo sex selection is not legally possible. We only perform sex selection if there is a risk of a sex-linked genetic disease. In other cases, the patient does not have the option or right to obtain information about the sex of the embryos.
At our assisted reproduction center, we do not implement an embryo donation program from patients because people who enter a donation program require certain guarantees and want the donated eggs to have the highest possible chance of a healthy pregnancy. A patient who enters an IVF program usually has some reproductive problem. If a patient has a high yield of eggs and her IVF is performed due to a partner’s sperm pathology, and the woman has undergone all examinations necessary for a donation program, her eggs can be donated if she wishes to share them.