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American IVF Patients in Europe
growth in 2025, per the European Fertility Society | +37% |
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One US IVF Cycle
avg. total cost, insured patients, 2026 study | $29K+ |
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IVF Savings Abroad
vs. US pricing | 60–75% |
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| The $40,000 IVF quote that sent a Florida couple to Athens |
| Milos, Greece. |
| In the summer of 2024, Emilie and Justin Solomon rented a boat on the island and spent a weekend swimming beneath its pale volcanic cliffs, in between Emilie’s hormone shots. |
| “It was one of the best summers that we’ve had,” Emilie told KFF Health News. |
| Back in Florida, family and friends figured the couple had jetted off on another adventure. |
| That was the idea… the two had even switched off location sharing on their phones. |
| The real reason for the trip was a fertility clinic in Athens, a ferry ride away. |
| Justin had testicular cancer in his late teens, so IVF was their one route to a biological child. Their insurance wouldn’t pay for it. |
| And the Florida clinic they first tried wanted $40,000 for a single round. |
| Emilie came away feeling the clinic was selling to their hopes of becoming parents. |
| So they shopped abroad. |
| Pelargos IVF Medical Group in Athens did the egg retrieval on the first visit and the embryo transfer on a second one, in October 2025. |
| Its founder, Dr. Harry Karpouzis, trained in British hospitals, including St Thomas’ in London. |
| Drugs, lab work, embryo storage and the transfer came to about $12,000 before travel. |
| That’s under a third of the Florida quote… and still not the cheapest way in. |
| For reference, a July study of insured patients put the average US cycle above $29,000. |
| IVF, one cycle, cost comparison |
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| 🇬🇷 Athens, the Solomons’ bill (drugs incl.) | $12,000 |
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| 🇪🇸 Spain, own eggs, before drugs | from $4,600 |
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| 🇬🇷 Athens, own eggs, before drugs | from $3,000 |
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| | | “It was one of the best summers that we’ve had.” | | Emilie Solomon, Florida |
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| A basic own-egg cycle in Greece runs about $3,000 to $4,000 before drugs, according to KFF. |
| In other words, the Solomons bought the full package, with medication and freezing on top. |
| But a simpler case can cost a lot less. |
| Now add the flights. |
| KAYAK puts the average Miami to Athens round-trip fare near $740, so a couple flying out twice spends roughly $3,000. |
| That’s about $15,000 before hotels and meals, or $25,000 under that Florida quote. |
| How does a teacher or a freelancer cover $15,000? |
| On a three-year medical loan, that’s around $417 a month before interest. |
| Car-payment money. |
| And the trips doubled as holidays, with Milos on the first and two days in Croatia on the second. |
| Is it for everyone? I doubt it. |
| The Solomons admit it takes an adventurous streak. |
| There are rules to learn, too: Greece limits how long embryos can be stored, and shipping them to the US takes paperwork. |
| At home, CNY Fertility charges around $8,000 a cycle before storage, so price both. |
| Most patients need two or three cycles, so plan for more than one… |
| The Solomons needed just one. |
| Their son was born in Florida this summer. |
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| Pelargos IVF, Athens |
| IVF · October 2023 · whatclinic.com |
| ★★★★★ |
| “We started trying in the US in 2021. Two rounds of IUI failed, I was 37, and IVF at home would have been 100% out of pocket, so we read everything we could find on clinics in Europe. |
| Dr. Karpouzis set up a video consult within a few days. He gave us at least 30 minutes, asked for no deposit and walked us through the tests, the timeline and his plan without any pressure. |
| Treatment took three weeks. His midwife, Vasiliki, checked in with me every day, and we had appointments every couple of days. We ended up with two top-quality day-5 blastocysts and transferred one fresh. |
| Afterwards I rested in Marousi, then traveled for work. Dr. Karpouzis even helped me track down my medication under other brand names abroad. Blood tests on days 12 and 14 confirmed the pregnancy, and we flew back to Athens for the six-week scan. |
| Our baby is due next week.” |
| Kristal P., USA Verified Patient |
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| Quick Reads |
| Destination |
| Manila now meets patients at the airport |
| Flying into Manila for treatment? The Philippine Department of Tourism has opened a medical concierge and lounge at NAIA Terminal 3, where staff confirm your hospital appointment, arrange wheelchair-ready transfers and help family find a room nearby. Officials laid out the wider push at a business forum in Pasay City on October 9. As of September, the tourism department lists 13 accredited hospitals, 21 outpatient clinics and 10 dental clinics, and six hospitals hold JCI accreditation. That list is a free first check… if your clinic isn’t on it, ask why. Details |
| Trend |
| Borneo’s patient trade is growing fast |
| Sarawak, a Malaysian state on Borneo, took in about RM109.9 million (Malaysian ringgit) from healthcare travelers in the first half of 2026, up 21% on a year earlier, its tourism minister said on October 12. Patient numbers rose more slowly, about 4%, to 48,480. Roughly 70% of them come from next-door Indonesia. But a 300-bed specialist hospital is planned for Kuching, with a target opening in 2029. Penang is still Malaysia’s giant, earning about RM1.5 billion of the country’s roughly RM3.5 billion in health tourism. Sarawak is one to watch. The Borneo Post |
| Safety Note |
| Bring your surgery notes home |
| A new review in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery pooled 58 studies on 1,249 patients who needed treatment at home after cosmetic surgery abroad. Infection was the most common problem, along with implant trouble and wounds that reopened. Breast augmentation, tummy tucks and liposuction made up most cases, and combining procedures raised the risk. The researchers also noted that doctors back home rarely get the operative report. In other words, before you fly home, get your surgical notes, implant details and drug list in writing. It costs nothing. Premium Beauty News |
