Spain is the most popular IVF destination for international IVF patients nowadays – in fact, it has been ever since it passed its reproductive legislation in 2006. When it comes to fertility treatments, Spain offers safe, reliable and exceptionally high levels of medical standards. Liberal legislation allows for a wide range of fertility treatment procedures, regardless of marital status and sexual orientation. Egg donation is also very popular, with very short or instant waiting time reported by clinics.
Spain is home to some of the finest IVF specialists in Europe, three of whom all work in the same clinic. Natalia Szlarb, a Medical Director with years of experience in treating infertility through IVF, Ana Garcia and Patricia Munoz, two highly qualified embryologists who both know what it takes when it comes to increasing pregnancy rates and ensuring prospective mothers walk away free of stress and looking forward to their new lives as mothers.
| Egg Donation in Spain – availability, costs and law | |
|---|---|
| Egg donation cost range in Spain | €5,900-11,000 |
| Average egg donation success rates in Spain* | 54.6% |
| Maximum patient – woman age | 50 some clinics may accept older patients based on individual circumstances |
| IVF treatments for single women | Allowed |
| IVF treatments for female same sex couples | Allowed ROPA method available (Reception of Oocytes from Partner) |
| Gender selection | Allowed only if there are medical reasons Not allowed for family balancing reasons |
| Maximum number of embryos to transfer IVF with donor eggs | 3 |
| Maximum number of embryos to transfer IVF with own eggs | 3 |
| Egg donation – anonymity | Anonymous |
| Egg donor availability | Very good Caucasian, Latino, African / Black, Arab, Indian |
| Egg donor age | 18-35 |
| Maximum number of children born from the same egg donor | 6 |
| Sperm donor – maximum age | 50 |
| Maximum number of children born from the same sperm donor | 6 |
| Egg donation clinics in Spain | Check IVF clinics in Spain >>> |
It’s not just highly successful IVF programs and fertility treatment that Spain has to offer. Spain also has a lot of interesting places to go and things to see, all throughout the country. Whether you want to visit the capital city of Madrid or hop on over to Barcelona, Spain has beauty and culture for as far as the eye can see. This is why Spain is the perfect place with which to undergo your fertility treatment, whilst also enjoying a lovely and relaxing holiday in the sun, and seeing marvels like you have never seen before.
Being a popular destination with tourists Spain has lots of hotels and attractions all designed at giving you the best of times. So if whilst looking at booking fertility treatment in this truly wonderful country you decide to have a holiday at the same time you can talk to a coordinator at your clinic of choice, whose job it is to ensure you have an easy time when it comes to booking your entire journey, they can often help you with everything from booking flights, hotels and even sightseeing tours and give advice on what attractions to visit whilst in the city of your choosing.
When you’re considering IVF with own eggs or egg donation in Spain, there are a number of good clinics to choose from. Spanish IVF clinics boast a well-deserved reputation for results and high standards of care. They are often staffed with multilingual personnel and as a general rule have no problem assisting foreign patients. English is widely spoken, alongside other European languages, such as French, German, and Italian. Patients report very accommodating attitudes from doctors and other medical staff.
As Spain is part of the Schengen zone, visa-free travel is available for most Europeans, making treatment there as accessible as possible for patients from all over Europe, including those from the UK, Germany, France and Italy. Additionally, Spanish IVF clinics are usually and regularly chosen by international patients from the United States, Canada and Australia.
The most popular cities for IVF patients from abroad in Spain are Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, and Valencia. If you do an online search using phrases such as “IVF in Madrid”, “IVF in Barcelona”, “IVF in Alicante”, “IVF in Valencia”, “egg donation in Spain” or “egg donation Madrid” you will find many IVF clinics that treat patients in these areas.
Patients who are inquiring about IVF in Spain are also interested in IVF in Greece and IVF in the Czech Republic mainly because of the treatment costs which can be significantly lower than in Spain.
IVF-Spain truly knows what it takes to help women achieve their dreams of motherhood and performs over 1800 IVF cycles per year. With 3 clinics in 3 different places, they are a step above the rest. COVID-19 information IVF-Spain applies all containment regulations and safety measures required by the Spanish authorities. Patients coming from outside
Clinica Tambre is located in the heart of Spain, the capital city of Madrid, and has been working in infertility since 1978, that’s over 40 years. This makes it an ideal location for all of your needs thanks to the number of flights in and out of the city daily. With it being such a
Spain offers one of the most liberal legislations concerning IVF treatment – not only in Europe, but also in the whole of the IVF world. Single women, married heterosexual and female homosexual couples can equally qualify for assisted reproduction. The country is also impressive in terms of available treatment options. If you’re looking for the latest advances and techniques in IVF, you’ll probably find them in Spain.
There is a maximum legal limit as to how old a patient can be – 50 years in most cases. However, if there is such a need, some clinics may hold a case conference regarding older patients (up to 52) based on individual circumstances. Conversely, there is no legal limit on the male partner’s age. Unlike other countries with stricter age policies, treatment options are the same for each patient.
In Spain, egg donation as well as sperm and embryo donations are permitted. All donation treatments are strictly anonymous, with donor and patient identities being strictly guarded by the clinic. Social freezing of eggs is permitted, as is embryo freezing. There is no limit as to how long frozen oocytes or embryos may be stored.
When it comes to fertility treatment in Spain patient care is top of the list and everything is catered for your needs to ensure as smooth a time as possible, because ensuring you are stress free is a key factor in successful treatment. Often there is no waiting list when it comes to treatment (also with donor sperm or eggs) thanks to the efficiency of their patient care. This is also thanks to Spanish clinics and fertility specialists who know that a lot of women who need this treatment have been waiting for a child for a long time, and wish to help them have a child as soon as possible. This is all paired with top-notch specialists who know precisely what they are doing, so you will feel confident with whatever treatment you receive.
Spanish law accommodates lesbian couples seeking IVF treatment. In addition to regular IVF using donor sperm, some clinics even offer the reciprocal IVF method, known as the ROPA method (Reception of Oocytes from Partner) or “shared motherhood”. Here, one of the women undergoes stimulation and provides the eggs, while the other receives the embryo and carries the pregnancy. Babies born using a ROPA treatment can be legally registered in Spain as having two mothers.
Spanish law regarding assisted reproduction – including IVF – is known to be quite liberal, compared to other European destinations. It does not make a distinction between women in heterosexual marriages, single women and those in same-sex relationships. As such, treatments are universally available without any additional conditions.
Egg donation (as well as sperm and embryo donation) constitutes a significant part of reproductive medicine in Spain. Eggs come only from healthy women between the ages of 18 and 34, who donate freely and without financial compensation. Due to Spain’s geographic location and ethnic makeup, it’s easy to find a match from most racial backgrounds. The popularity of donation treatments in Spain makes waiting lists almost non-existent – for most patients, a donor can be found almost instantly.
Spain’s anonymity requirements match those in other European countries; that is to say, total anonymity for patients and donors is guaranteed and enforced. Only in exceptional circumstances, such as serious danger to the life or health of the child, or regarding Procedural Criminal Law matters, can the identity of donors be revealed. Clinics are required by law to make a phenotype match between the donor and the patient. This means clinics match donors and patients using traits such as skin, hair and eye colours, height, weight, blood type, and others to perform the match. Some clinics, additionally, employ facial recognition technology in order to perform a closer match.
Donors in Spain have to be between 18 and 34 years old. They go through a rigorous screening process during which they are examined for diseases and genetic abnormalities and also undergo a psychological interview to ensure they are both mentally and physically healthy.
Donor qualification tests required by law:
The genetic history of the donor may also be verified – most of the clinics in Spain include the karyotype test, too.
Aside from medical testing, potential donors are also required to undergo a complete psychological examination. This ensures the donor understands every implication of the donation process. Although they donate their eggs freely and without payment, they are reimbursed for expenses relating to donating (the amount, usually oscillates around €1000).
Each donor can only have six genetic offsprings; once the sixth child is born, the donor’s details are struck from the donor registry.
Spanish law allows patients to donate their surplus embryos to adoption programmes. The rules for receiving an embryo donation are similar to those set for egg adoption – phenotype matching also applies here. If you decide to undergo an embryo adoption treatment, you can be sure the child will look like you.
Because the embryos were created during a previous IVF treatment, full medical history is available to the clinic, which means the procedure enjoys a high degree of safety and a relatively high success rate.
If we compare it with other European countries, Spain is definitely the top-shelf choice for fertility treatments. The cost of a single own egg IVF cycle in Spain ranges from €4,100 to €8,200 while an egg donation cycle in Spain may cost from €5,900 to €11,000.
IVF costs in Spain are higher than the European average, however, many international patients state that the benefits outweigh the costs – the high standard of care, the wide availability of donors, and the high success rate are factors worth to be considered.
| IVF costs abroad – popular countries | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country / IVF treatment type | Egg donation costs | IVF own eggs costs |
| Spain | €5,900 – €11,000 | €4,100 – €7,100 |
| Czech Republic | €4,500 – €8,000 | €2,700 – €5,700 |
| Greece | €5,000 – €8,000 | €3,200 – €6,200 |
| North Cyprus | €4,500 – €6,000 | €2,700 – €5,700 |
| Ukraine | €4,000 – €7,000 | €2,200 – €5,200 |
| Russia | €3,800 – €7,000 | €2,000 – €5,000 |
| Portugal | €6,000 – €8,000 | €3,200 – €6,200 |
| Poland | €4,000 – €6,000 | €2,200 – €5,200 |
| Latvia | €5,000 – €8,000 | €3,200 – €6,200 |
| UK | €10,000 – €14,000 | €6,000 – €10,000 |
As you can see, Spain is the most expensive European destination for egg donation treatments. It also needs to be noted that transparency is not always apparent; some clinics are not the best at highlighting additional costs which may be incurred during treatments. It is important therefore that you ask your clinic what specific costs are included in any quote. Costs could include;
Looking through IVF Spain success rates in google most of the results are drawn directly from the clinic’s own websites. Be aware of what clinics advertise on their websites as often values are very far from national averages showed by independent IVF bodies.
As we mentioned previously, Spanish clinics are required to report their results to the SEF. The IVF success rate data published by SEF is very accurate and published annually in great detail, which makes it possible to not only compare overall results in specific years, but also specific clinics against each other. Check the latest IVF success rates report at SEF website >>>
Spain is one of the few countries which allows patients to check success rates of specific clinics in an independent source. Be mindful, however, that the SEF publishes its data with a year-long delay.
Other sources for IVF treatment statistics include ESHRE – IVF Monitoring (EIM) Consortium. ESHRE is the European authority concerned with collecting and publishing data about fertility treatments in member countries; their reports, however, are published with a large delay. Their reports paints a picture of Spain as a country enjoying a very high treatment success rate, especially when it comes to egg donation programs.
IVF with donor eggs (egg donation) success rates in Spain as compared to other European countries according to ESHRE latest report.
| Egg Donation Success Rates* per woman age in Europe – popular countries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country / Woman age | <34 | 35-39 | ≥40 |
| Spain | 53.8 | 57.4 | 53.7 |
| Czech Republic | 44.7 | 41.0 | 40.2 |
| Greece | 59.6 | 58.9 | 54.3 |
| North Cyprus | No data / not collected by ESHRE | ||
| Ukraine | 64.3 | 66.3 | 61.9 |
| Russia | 46.7 | 45.5 | 42.8 |
| Portugal | 43.7 | 46.4 | 49.2 |
| Poland | 45.3 | 44.2 | 40.3 |
| Latvia | 100.0* | 16.7* | 7.7* |
| UK | 41.9 | 44.0 | 41.8 |
IVF treatments in Spain are regulated by the National Commission of Assisted Human Reproduction. The body of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, publishes regulations and inspects clinics in order to maintain a consistently high standard of care throughout the country.
All centres are required to report their activity and clinical results to the Ministry of Health, which in 2019 signed a contract with the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), in compliance with current regulations, so that the organization and operation of the National Registry Activity (with data from 2016 and 2017) are carried out by the aforementioned scientific society.
There are no doubts that Spain is the most expensive European IVF destination – it is due to both very high standards of treatment and the wide availability of donors. The cost of a single own egg IVF cycle ranges from €4,100 to €8,200 while an egg donation cycle may cost from €5,900 to €11,000. Additionally, patients have to cover the costs of medical consultation with a doctor (€150 – €250) and remember that initial advertised prices may not reveal the full cost. Don’t let the price put you off though, whilst it is the most expensive in Europe it also has the highest success rates, and you know what they say, quality costs more.
As Spain offers one of the most liberal IVF legislations in the world, IVF treatment is allowed for single women, married heterosexual and female homosexual couples equally. However, there is the legal age limit for female patients and it is 50 years old. Egg/sperm/embryo donation is allowed and anonymous – donor and patient identities are strictly guarded by the clinic. Social freezing of eggs is permitted, as well as embryo freezing. The same refers to the procedures such as ICSI, PGS, PGD or assisted hatching. The maximum number of embryos to transfer in both IVF with own eggs and IVF with donor eggs is 3. Lesbian couples are offered the ROPA method (Reception of Oocytes from Partner), known as “shared motherhood”.
Clinics in Spain are reporting their results to the SEF (Spanish Fertility Society) and SEF reports to European IVF Monitoring Consortium (EIM) for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). According to the ESHRE 2014 report (published in 2018), birth rates for IVF with own eggs in Spain were 32.9% (for patients under 35 years old), 27.4% (for patients aged 35-39) and 14.8 (for patients over 40). The birth rate for IVF treatment with donor eggs was 55.6% for all age groups.
The cities that are most willingly chosen by IVF patients are – at the same time – the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. These include Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante and Valencia. These are the places where most of Spain’s top fertility clinics are located, too. And as stated above because these cities are tourist destinations you can be sure that the cities have lots to see and do, allowing you to have an unforgettable holiday as well as unforgettable treatment, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
The main piece of legislation regulating the conditions of IVF and other fertility treatments in Spain is the Law 14/2006 (of May 26), on human assisted reproduction techniques. Additionally, the Royal Decree Law 9/2014 dictates the quality and safety standards for the donation, handling and processing of human tissues and samples (oocytes, sperm, and embryos) as well as establishes operating protocols for working with patients.
The list of certified IVF centres in Spain is made available through the National Committee on Human Assisted Reproduction (Comisión Nacional de Reproducción Humana Asistida – CNRHA). The link can be found here: http://www.cnrha.mscbs.gob.es/registros/centros/home.htm and all the information is in Spanish.
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