We have mentioned on this blog in the past that there is a big industry known as "medical tourism" which serves the needs of many women seeking assistance in dealing with infertility. This basically means that women with fertility problems are traveling to foreign countries to get in vitro fertilization or egg donation. They do this primarily because the cost of the procedures is significantly lower in these foreign locations.
For the most part, people talk about these trips in a negative light. It's not recommended as a good idea to travel away from your local fertility doctor to get a procedure as serious as this one completed. Additionally, there are health insurance concerns and other medical and legal issues which can complete the ease of the transaction.
Despite this, there are some people who support the idea of medical tourism for many different ailments including infertility. For example, there is a company called StatMedica that works specifically with patients in the UK who are interested in traveling to Poland to get a reduced cost medical procedure. The service provides advice and assistance to these people to help them make sure that their international medical experience goes smoothly.
There does not appear to be similar service for U.S. patients at this time. However, there may be a growing need for this type of service if women continue heading out of the country to treat their infertility.
Question of the Day: Do you support the idea of businesses that assist women with getting international infertility treatment?
