IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) in Turkey

 

Quick Access

What is IVF?	How Many IVF Attempts are required?
Who Needs IVF?	IVF Cost in Turkey
What is the Right Age for IVF Treatment?	IVF Success Rate in Turkey
What is the IVF Process?	Legal Aspects of IVF in Turkey
What are IVF Risks and Possible Side Effects?	Religious Aspects of IVF in Turkey
Does IVF guarantee a 100% result?

Infertility has affected many couples and individuals all around the world. The reason for infertility varies in every person. If you have already tried fertility medications and still did not get pregnant, you may be advised to consider IVF. In vitro fertilization is one of the most popular reproductive assisted technologies that has been extensively used in the past decades. Turkey is one of the leading countries in the Middle East, which professionally offers IVF services to local and international people. IVF in Turkey is conducted in over 140 clinics.

The low cost and wonderful scenery of Turkey are attracting many couples to this country for fertility treatment. The laws in Turkey do not allow egg, sperm, or embryo donation and also surrogacy. However, the cost of artificial insemination in Turkey can be half of that in the UK, which makes this country an affordable destination for patients.

What is IVF?

 

IVF as the abbreviation of In Vitro Fertilization is one type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) helping many people experience parenthood and have babies. This technology helps fertilization of egg and sperm and implantation of the embryo into the uterus using a combination of medication and surgical procedures. Using other assisted technologies such as ICSI, IUI, IVM, egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, and surrogacy along with the IVF procedure depends on the patients’ needs is common.

For using in vitro fertilization, you should start using medications in order to stimulate more eggs to mature in one menstruation cycle. Afterward, the doctor retrieves the mature eggs out of the ovaries and combines them with sperm in a lab. This procedure helps insemination happen easier. Then they select one or two high-quality embryos and transfer them to your uterus. If any of the embryos implant in the lining of the uterus, then the pregnancy starts.

In vitro fertilization has several steps and it often takes between 28 to 40 days. More than one cycle is often needed before pregnancy happens, although in some cases it works in the first round. It should be said that this process helps treat infertility and definitely increases the chance of pregnancy; however, there is no guarantee for getting the desired result in all the patients. Every person’s medical condition is unique and IVF may not work for everyone.

 

Who Needs IVF?

 

There are several medical conditions where IVF treatment can be a useful option. If you or your partner have the following conditions, then you may consider in vitro fertilization.

 

• Endometriosis
• Poor egg reserve
• Male infertility, including low sperm number or low motility
• Issues with the uterus or fallopian tubes
• Ovulation problems
• hereditary disorders of the parents
• low egg or sperm quality
• unexplained infertility
• post-cancer fertility treatment
• using cryopreserved eggs or embryo
• when a gestational carrier (surrogate) is required
• gay couples willing to have a baby

 

What is the Right Age for IVF Treatment?

 

The success of in vitro fertilization highly depends on the age of the woman. Women are most fertile in their twenties. As their age goes higher, their fertility and the rate of live birth decrease.  Therefore, the younger you are, the higher is your success rate. In vitro fertilization is most successful for women in their twenties and early thirties. Once a woman reaches her mid-thirties, the success rate starts decreasing.

With the advancement in reproductive technologies, it is now possible to get pregnant using donor eggs, even when a woman has reached menopause. However, in Turkey, using donor eggs, sperms, or embryos is not possible and the couple should use their own gametes. Therefore, many clinics will not treat women over the age of 46.

What is the IVF Process?

 

Artificial insemination has some steps that you should be informed about before deciding to undergo this process. Here the major steps of this treatment are explained.

 

Step 1: Ovarian Stimulation

In the first step, the fertility doctor prescribes some hormonal medications that are generally in the form of ampules. In every menstrual cycle, ovaries produce one mature egg to be used for fertilization. Nevertheless, in an IVF cycle, more eggs are needed to produce multiple embryos. Therefore, these hormonal medications are used to stimulate the ovaries for producing more mature eggs.

While you are using medications, the follicles’ status and hormonal level will be evaluated via ultrasounds and blood tests. Once the eggs are mature enough and ready for fertilization, your doctor removes the eggs through the egg retrieval procedure. It is possible that ovarian stimulation gets canceled before the egg retrieval due to reasons like the inadequate number of developing follicles, premature ovulation, the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or other medical issues.

 

Step 2: Egg Retrieval

When the egg follicles seem ready, the last trigger shot is injected 34 to 36 hours before the egg retrieval (puncture). Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure that is often carried out under anesthesia at a fertility clinic or your doctor’s office. Under the guidance of ultrasound, a doctor puts a thin hollow tube through the vagina and into the ovary and follicles that hold your eggs. The needle is connected to a suction device that pulls the eggs out of their follicles gently. After the egg retrieval process, you should stay at the hospital until you are fully awakened from the anesthesia. You may feel a little cramping or pressure, but it will go away quickly.

 

Step 3: Sperm Retrieval

The male partner should provide the semen sample on the same day of egg retrieval. This process is often done through masturbation; however, other methods of sperm retrieval like testicular aspiration are used in case there is a requirement. After collecting the sperm sample, it will be washed in order to enhance its quality and increase its chance of fertilizing the eggs. Donor sperm can also be used in some countries, but it is not allowed in Turkey.

 

Step 4: Fertilization

The process of fertilization can happen in different ways of Conventional insemination, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), Assisted hatching, and In Vitro Maturation (IVM).

 

• Conventional insemination: In a laboratory environment, the eggs are simply combined with sperm cells in a special container, and insemination occurs.
• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): In case the sperm has low motility and cannot swim well, the sperm may be directly injected into the eggs by a method named Intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI for short. As the cells divide and become embryos, an embryologist monitors their progress.
• Assisted hatching: in this technique, in order to make the embryo implantation easier, the embryo is hatched from its surrounding membrane (zona pellucida). In this procedure, a hole is made in the outer surface before the transfer to help the embryo hatch and implant in the uterus lining. If you are of older ages, using frozen eggs or embryos (zona pellucida can get hard by freezing), or you have experienced multiple failed IVF cycles, then you may consider assisted hatching.  
• In Vitro Maturation (IVM): this technique is one of the assisted reproductive technologies that are a part of the IVF procedure. In this method, the eggs are collected from the ovaries before they are matured and ready for fertilization. In this method, there is no need for multiple hormonal shots to stimulate egg maturation inside the ovaries. Rather than that, the eggs will be matured in a laboratory. By doing the IVM method, there is less need for injections, exams, and spending time for the eggs to be matured inside the ovaries before the follicles puncturing step.

 

Step 5: Embryo Transfer

After 3-5 days have passed from the fertilization, the embryos are ready to be transferred into the uterus. Depending on the medical condition of the recipient, one or more embryos are transferred into her uterus. Embryo transfer is a simple procedure that is done in about 10 minutes without the need to use anesthesia. In this procedure, the doctor inserts a thin tube into your uterus through your cervix. Then the embryos that are floating in a special fluid are injected into the uterus through the catheter.

If the embryo attaches to the uterus lining, pregnancy will happen. After the embryo transfer, it is better to rest and go back to your normal activities the next day. For the first 8 to 10 weeks, you may also get progesterone in the form of pills or shots. The hormones make the embryos survive easier in your uterus. After 10-14 days, you can take a pregnancy blood test. If the result is positive, you are officially pregnant.

 

What are IVF Risks and Possible Side Effects?

 

Every medication or medical procedure can bring some possible side effects. Although these side effects may not affect the patient seriously, knowing about them in advance seems to be necessary. The common complications of this procedure are discussed below.

 

• Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS): this syndrome is an excessive response of ovaries to hormone stimulation, which cause eggs to become very large making the ovaries swollen and painful. OHSS is a rare complication of in vitro fertilization, even though it can be dangerous. Sometimes it is necessary to cancel the current treatment cycle and start over with a lower dose of fertility medicine.

OHSS syndrome is often mild and can be treated by hydration and rest. However, in rare cases, the patient may need to be treated in the hospital. Contact your doctor if you have any of the symptoms including pain in the tummy, feeling sick, shortness of breath, and fainting.

• Multiple births: if more than one embryo is placed into the uterus, there is an increased chance of having twins or triplets. Having more than one baby increases the potential complications for the mother and the babies. Problems like miscarriage, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, anemia, heavy bleeding, needing a C-section, premature birth, low birth weight, etc.
• Ectopic pregnancy: by undergoing in vitro fertilization, you have a slightly higher risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. In this condition, the embryo implants inside fallopian tubes rather than in the uterus. This can cause pain in the tummy and vaginal bleeding. If your pregnancy test result is positive, you need to have an ultrasound in the sixth week to ensure the embryo is growing properly and in the right place.
• Other complications: the other possible complications of in vitro fertilization are:
  • Bloating
  • Cramping
  • Feeling sick or nausea
  • Hot flashes
  • Breast tenderness
  • Mood swings
  • Fatigue
  • Constipation
  • Headache
  • Infection
  • Emotional stress
  • Allergic reactions to medications

Does IVF guarantee a 100% result?

Absolutely not. Artificial insemination will definitely increase the chance of pregnancy, but there is no guarantee that it works for all cases. The in vitro fertilization success rate for women below the age of 35 is about 50% per cycle. The success rate decreases as the women get older. The result of this procedure depends on many factors, including age, the uterus and ovaries conditions, quality of oocytes, quality of sperm, and biological and hormonal conditions. Considering all the influencing factors of this procedure, the average success rate is about 35% all over the world.

 

How Many IVF Attempts are required?

 

In vitro fertilization often needs more than one cycle for getting a positive result. For some patients, the procedure may not work at all. The studies show an increasing positive result over the in vitro fertilization cycles. The previous studies show that after one cycle, there is a 29% chance of successful live birth. This chance goes up to 43% after 6 cycles of IVF.

Overall, no limitation is defined for doing multiple attempts and this decision is totally up to you. You may stop after the first cycle or decide to continue the attempts for more than 10 cycles. You should plan your cycles considering your financial budget besides your medical condition. The low cost of treatment in Turkey can offer you more opportunities to continue the cycles for having a higher chance of success.

IVF Cost in Turkey

 

FlytoTreat cost of IVF treatment in Turkey is only $2200 (the cost of medication is not included) which is determined by almost everyone’s budget. Depending on the patients’ needs including gender selection, PGS, and the required number of cycles, the final cost would go higher. The costs of the most common treatments using IVF are listed below.

 

Service	Cost
IVF	$2200 (medication fee is not included)
IVF + PGD	$5080 (medication fee is not included)
Gender Selection	$450 (per embryo)

 

Doing in vitro fertilization in Turkey can save up to 75% of the cost. The costs in Turkey is about 3 to 4 times lower than the American and European healthcare centers. The costs in Turkey are determined based on local citizens’ income and the average price policy of the country.

Medical fertility facilities in Turkey provide excellent services for treatment under the Turkish Ministry of Health supervision. Every 6 months, the representatives of the ministry check the clinics’ equipment, medical records, and professional staff.

 

IVF Success Rate in Turkey

 

Nowadays, people are looking for places where they can benefit from both the higher success rate and more affordable costs. It is important to know that the success rate of in vitro fertilization depends on many factors like the age of the woman, the quality of the ovaries, her body, and psychological structure. Thus, before starting the treatment, you should feel ready to get the desired result.

The success rate of IVF treatment in Turkey is at high rate. On average, the success rate of live births for women under 35 is about 54.5%. As the women get to advanced ages, the success rate of this treatment decreases as it becomes 14% in women over 40.

The success rate of this procedure can vary in different clinics; therefore you need to have an expert agency beside you to lead you to the best doctors and the most qualified fertility clinics in Turkey. FlytoTreat is one of the most experienced agencies that keeps its customers the priority and makes them satisfied with the whole medical journey.

Legal Aspects of IVF in Turkey

 

Compared to some countries in Europe, the law in Turkey is somehow strict about who is allowed to be treated and which treatment is available. IVF treatment in Turkey is only offered to married couples who are using their own eggs and sperm. Treating single people or gay couples is illegal in Turkey.

There is no legal age limitation for couples but since there are no donor eggs, sperm, or embryos involved, only the woman’s eggs can be used in the process. Consequently, most clinics will not treat women who are over 46 due to the low chance of success.

Religious Aspects of IVF in Turkey

 

Turkey is a secular country with the majority of Muslim local people. According to the latest data from Turkey, about 99.8 percent of people are Muslims and the left 2% of the population are Christians and followers of other religions. The majority of Muslims in Turkey are Sunni, who are restricting the use of assisted reproduction technologies (ART).

From the Sunni point of view, the use of in vitro fertilization for a legal husband and wife is allowed and there is nothing wrong with it. However, there are serious debates about using donor eggs, sperm, and embryos. The Sunni school of thought bans the use of a third party in the reproduction process. Any combination of the gametes belonging to a couple who are not married is considered Haraam (forbidden).

In conclusion, it should be said that using reproductive assisted technologies is becoming more popular all over the world. Turkey is a beautiful country that hosts international couples for IVF treatment at a low cost along with the use of modern technology. By choosing Turkey as your medical treatment destination, you can have a memorable vacation and enjoy your time in this touristy country. Do not worry about finding the best clinics and experienced doctors. Leave arranging all of your medical and non-medical requirements to FlytoTreat because it is absolutely whatever you need!