When considering In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) as a fertility treatment option, one may naturally wonder how much IVF is in Mexico. After all, many things are much less expensive in Mexico. IVF costs in Mexico can be just as comparable to the costs of IVF in the United States. So, how much is IVF in Mexico?
IVF costs in Mexico range from $4,000 to $5,000, not including medications, doctor and hospital fees, and monitoring. After factoring in all additional and required aspects of the IVF procedure, IVF in Mexico costs around $8,000 not including travel expenses for the entire process.
Traveling just to get to Mexico for an IVF procedure could run you a few hundred to a few thousand dollars on top of the rough estimate of $8,000 for the procedure alone. Not to mention time off work just to get there.
And keep in mind that this is just for one IVF attempt. Another thing to consider is the time you will be required to remain in Mexico during your procedure. Some Mexico clinics will need to see you twice within a 30-day timeframe.
Are you willing to hang out in Mexico for 30 days or double your travel expenses and time off work for two trips just for your one procedure?
Is IVF in Mexico Worth It?
The average cost of IVF in the United States is approximately $20,000, so traveling can certainly be worthwhile. Traveling to Mexico for IVF may not be worth the trouble, however, as one can find comparable IVF services in the United States starting at $3,995.
When researching IVF costs in Mexico, it’s important to remember that the highest price does not necessarily imply the best success rate.
Where you live in the United States has a dramatic impact on the cost of your IVF procedure as well as the institute you wish to use.
Mexico happily welcomes international patients and is well-known for its medical tourism. Just be extra careful during your fertility journey and try not to make decisions based on money alone.
Hidden Fees Not Included in Mexico’s Advertised IVF Cost
- Travel expenses
- ICSI (a single sperm is injected directly into a woman’s egg)
- Doctor’s fees
- Clinic or hospital fees
- Agency fees
- Assisted hatching
- Blastocyst culture
Many clinics can charge more simply because of their popularity. A smaller, less well-known clinic can have the exact same or better IVF success rate as a larger more renowned clinic.
What Is the Success Rate of IVF in Mexico?
Not only do you want to research how much IVF is in Mexico, it’s also important to understand the success rate claims.
It’s crucial to take into account all the information you are provided and not just the appealing ones while making any financial or life decisions. Patients are attracted to agencies and clinics abroad by their advertisements for low costs and high success rates.
The Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology membership was at 86% of assisted reproductive therapy facilities in the United States as of 2018. (SART).
SART is an American regulatory body that sets standards and reporting criteria for its member IVF facilities. The greatest standards for care, safety, and quality are upheld at SART facilities.
For its member clinics, SART provides birth results and IVF success rates.
However, the same regulations from SART and other regulating bodies that apply to IVF facilities in the United States do not apply to clinics in Mexico.
As a result, it is frequent to discover clinics and organizations publishing extraordinarily high success rates that are not supported by actual data or independent evaluation.
Some organizations state that their first IVF cycle success rates might reach up to 95%.
Mexico would have received a noble award and nobody would have IVF done anywhere else if they were able to do IVF with success rates of 95%.
A few top clinics in the United States record success rates above 40%, according to an analysis of CDC data. Women in the US have about a 33% probability of becoming pregnant during their first IVF treatment.
Learn the truth about the pain associated with the IVF procedure.
How to Select a Fertility Center in Mexico
Due to the fact that IVF regulations are lacking in Mexico, I am unable to recommend IVF fertility clinics. I feel a responsibility to provide my best research and information to complete a helpful article for you, and as a writer and owner of this website, I refuse to simply take the word from IVF clinics who advertise on the internet and claim they are great.
My hope for you is that you make a wise decision about where you receive your IVF services and understand that your safety, as well as your time and money, are worth investing in a clinic you can truly vet and feel comfortable with.
Your fertility journey should be one you know is safe and secure.
Is IVF Safe in Mexico?
Because there are no legal regulations governing IVF clinics in Mexico, I guess we will never know about the safety of having an IVF procedure in Mexico. All IVF clinics in Mexico claim they are safe with success rates beyond reality.
Since the safety and success rates cannot be verified, please use good judgment in your decision on where you will receive your IVF procedure.
Below is a horrible quality screenshot of something I am seeing often while doing my research for this article.
Notice how you are supposed to be impressed by the “no legal regulations” comment. They are saying, “Come on down! We have no legal regulations that restrict or prohibit IVF or egg donation treatment in Mexican clinics.”
They are correct, as IVF clinics are not regulated the way you would hope. It’s no wonder I cannot find information on how to vet an IVF clinic in Mexico or learn how safe IVF is in Mexico.
Unlike the United States, which has regulations governing IVF practices with proven statistics and studies to report, Mexico cannot provide the same.
Just because an IVF clinic claims they are safe along with other claims, it’s important to remember that is called marketing. Of course, they will say that. They want your business and since they aren’t regulated, they can claim anything they want and get away with it.
How Much Is a Donor Egg in Mexico?
The cost of a donor egg in Mexico is between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on the clinic you choose. Some locations in Mexico may be more expensive than others.
Not all women require the use of donor eggs. The optimal course of therapy for you will be decided by the doctor who evaluates your case, following a preliminary examination during which he will evaluate the condition of your ovaries and their ability to reproduce.
Is Donor Egg IVF in Mexico Legal?
In Mexico, egg donation is permitted, and several clinics provide this service. To make sure they are healthy enough to donate and don’t have any disorders, donors undergo a comprehensive examination. Making the decision to donate eggs to an IVF facility is crucial for a healthy pregnancy.
Discover the ins and outs of embryo adoption and how embryo adoption works.
Are Egg Donors Anonymous in Mexico?
Donations of eggs are anonymous. This ensures that the donor’s identity will never be disclosed to the receiver. What you can know are certain phenotypic characteristics like age and blood type. To discover a physically suitable donor, this information is used.
How Long Do I Have to Stay in Mexico for IVF?
Patients must weigh the expense of travel as well as the amount of time they will need to spend away from home when deciding whether to travel to Mexico for treatment. The majority of IVF clinics in Mexico require that patients spend the whole cycle (3 or more weeks) preceding their IVF treatment there. Patients must consider their possible lost pay and other difficulties of a prolonged stay in addition to the expenditures of travel, hotel, and meals.
Maximum Number of Fertilized Eggs and Embryos Transferred
The maximum number of embryos that can be transferred legally in Mexico is not specified by legislation. Nevertheless, depending on the patient’s unique situation, Mexican fertility physicians advise transplanting one or two embryos. Additionally, Mexican law does not prohibit doctors from fertilizing all of the donor eggs that they receive.
Here again, they openly and honestly state the lack of laws regarding IVF in Mexico and word it as if it’s a good thing for you. It’s like saying, “It’s recommended to not attempt to fertilize more than two eggs at once, but no worries. We will try to fertilize as many as you want!”
Information on embryo transfers in the United States follows:
How many embryos are actually implanted into the woman’s uterus still varies in practice. While some medical professionals think that two fertilized embryos improve the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy, many times just one viable embryo is transported to the uterus.
The number of fresh embryos to be transplanted varies depending on the woman’s age and prognosis, according to recommendations provided by the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics Trusted Source.
Fewer than two embryos will frequently be used. Doctors may think about utilizing just one embryo in women under 35 who have a good probability of becoming pregnant.
According to a new study published in Fertility and Sterility, single embryo transfer in women under the age of 38 lowers the chance of multiple births without appearing to have an impact on live birth rates.
This is significant to note since many medical professionals advise utilizing many embryos to guarantee conception. According to this research, more embryos might not be required.
Learn the things you should not do after an IVF transfer.
Gender Selection in Mexico
In Mexico, gender selection using PGD is not prohibited by law and is permitted when patients want to balance their family and prevent genetic problems associated with the particular sex of the newborn.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, is a technique for determining an embryo’s genetic make-up, including any genetic disorders.
Before the embryo is placed in the recipient patient’s uterus, this is carried out on day three of the embryo’s growth.
As a chromosomal function, the gender of the embryo may be determined by embryologists using PGD. The method nearly guarantees a perfect diagnosis of the baby’s sex.
PGD is only a diagnostic technique. Based on PGD results, embryologists can choose the finest, healthiest embryos, increasing the likelihood of successful implantation and the likelihood that the baby will be born healthy and free of genetic disorders.
In order to prevent aneuploidy (severe chromosomal defects in embryos), which can cause repeated miscarriages or babies being born with severe deformities that subsequently affect their quality of life, it is essential to choose the best quality embryos for transfer.
Additionally, IVF with PGD may be the answer if genetic illnesses like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, or sickle cell anemia run in your family.
PGD, as we already explained, is merely a diagnostic technology that enables medical professionals to ascertain the sex chromosomes of your embryo.
Female or male embryos might be chosen by the doctor in Mexico for the patient’s embryo transfer. By doing this, you can also get rid of genetic disorders that are exclusive to girls or boys.
So, how does gender selection actually take place? FISH, MicroSort®, and Sperm-Sort are just a few of the techniques used by medical professionals in Mexico.
In Cancun, Mexico, FISH is the most often utilized sex selection method. It makes use of fluorescent probes that draw certain chromosomes.
Under a fluorescent microscope, the X or Y-labeled probes may be seen attaching to chromosomes. The gender of the embryos is then determined by an embryo biopsy by an embryologist.
How much cramping is normal after an IVF procedure and what does it mean?
How Much Are IVF Medications in Mexico?
IVF medications in Mexico average $1,000 for one IVF attempt.
Conclusion
Traveling to Mexico for treatment may be appealing to some when considering the average cost of IVF in Mexico against the average cost of IVF in the United States alone. When contemplating treatment internationally, individuals and couples should take a number of factors into account in addition to the cost.
Our complete guide to improving egg quality for a successful IVF procedure.
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About the Author:
Trina Greenfield is passionate about providing information to those considering growing their family. Trina does not run an adoption agency. Her website is strictly information-based, so she is able to provide unbiased, credible information that she hopes will help guide those along their journey.