August 22, 2026
For some American couples struggling with infertility, the road to having a baby now includes a passport, an overseas fertility clinic and, sometimes, a few days of sightseeing.
A growing number of Americans are traveling to countries such as Greece and Spain for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, because fertility treatment can cost dramatically less overseas than in the United States. Some couples are combining medical appointments with vacations, turning what can be an emotionally exhausting process into an international trip.
The trend is part of a broader rise in fertility tourism as patients confront high U.S. treatment costs and limited insurance coverage.
The enormous cost of IVF in America
IVF is one of the most established forms of assisted reproductive technology. The process generally involves stimulating a woman's ovaries, retrieving eggs, fertilizing them in a laboratory and eventually transferring an embryo into the uterus.
But the treatment can be financially overwhelming.
A study released in July and commissioned by the Women's Reproductive Health Foundation found that an IVF cycle for insured Americans cost more than $29,000 on average. When genetic testing, embryo storage, pregnancy care and delivery are included, the total cost associated with an IVF-conceived birth can exceed $54,000.
For many patients, one cycle is not enough. The Washington Post reported that an average patient may need two to three cycles to have a child, potentially pushing the overall expense far beyond the cost of a single treatment.
Insurance coverage also varies significantly from state to state and from employer to employer.
That leaves many couples facing an uncomfortable choice: spend tens of thousands of dollars pursuing treatment at home, or travel abroad to seek a potentially less expensive alternative.
Greece has become a major destination
Greece is emerging as one of the destinations attracting American fertility patients.
For IVF using a patient's own eggs, treatment in Greece can cost roughly $3,000 to $4,000, excluding medication, according to the Washington Post. Even after adding international travel and accommodation, the total can remain substantially below the price of treatment at many American clinics.
Some clinics have built services specifically around international patients.
That can include airport transportation, assistance navigating appointments and, in some cases, tourism packages.
The result is a distinctive form of medical travel in which patients may spend part of their trip at a fertility clinic and another part exploring beaches, islands, historic sites or neighboring countries.
For couples already planning to spend thousands of dollars on treatment, the opportunity to combine medical care with a European vacation can make the idea more appealing.
One couple's journey to Greece
Emilie and Justin Solomon experienced that combination firsthand.
The Florida couple had been quoted approximately $40,000 for one IVF treatment cycle in their home state. Their insurance did not cover the procedure, making the price difficult to justify.
They eventually traveled to Greece in 2024.
During their first trip, Emilie underwent ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval. Between medical appointments, the couple explored the Greek island of Milos, including taking a boat trip and visiting its distinctive volcanic coastline.
They later returned for the embryo transfer and spent time in Croatia.
Including medication, fertilization, storage and the eventual embryo transfer, the couple said their treatment cost about $12,000, excluding travel.
For them, the strategy ultimately worked. The couple welcomed a healthy baby boy this summer after one IVF cycle and two trips to Europe.
Their experience illustrates why fertility tourism can be so attractive: patients may receive treatment at a fraction of the American price while also creating positive memories during an otherwise stressful period.
It is not simply a cheap vacation
Despite the appealing combination of treatment and tourism, fertility specialists warn that traveling abroad for IVF involves significant complications.
Medical care does not stop being complicated simply because the clinic is in a beautiful destination.
Patients have to research clinics, understand local regulations, arrange medications, transfer medical records and determine how embryos will be stored or transported.
Language and cultural differences can make those tasks more difficult.
Tarita Pakrashi, a fertility doctor with CNY Fertility, told the Post that patients seeking treatment overseas may struggle to understand local regulations and medical systems. Some patients who return to the United States have difficulty transferring their medical records or understanding diagnoses received abroad. In some cases, they may need to repeat tests.
The logistics can become particularly complicated when temperature-sensitive medications or embryos are involved.
European laws are different
Another major consideration is that fertility laws vary considerably between countries.
Greece, for example, has rules governing embryo storage, donor anonymity, sex selection and the number of embryos that can be transferred. Surrogacy is also subject to restrictions for nonresidents.
Those differences mean American patients cannot simply assume that the rules they are accustomed to in the United States apply overseas.
Couples considering treatment abroad also need to understand the requirements for moving embryos between countries.
The medical procedure may be less expensive, but the legal and logistical process can be more complicated.
Why American IVF costs so much
The high price of IVF in the United States is the result of several factors.
The Post cited inflation, a shortage of embryologists, increased demand following pandemic-related backlogs and private-equity ownership as contributors to rising treatment costs.
Medication costs have also increased significantly.
According to GoodRx data cited by the Post, IVF medication costs have risen about 90 percent since 2014.
That means the price of treatment is not limited to the doctor's fee.
Patients can also face separate charges for fertility drugs, laboratory work, embryo storage, genetic testing and other services.
When insurance does not cover those expenses, the financial burden can become enormous.
Even cheaper U.S. clinics are drawing travelers
The growth of fertility tourism is not limited to international travel.
Lower-cost American fertility clinics are also attracting patients from across the country.
CNY Fertility, for example, offers IVF for about $8,000 before embryo-storage costs and operates locations around the United States. More than half of its patients travel from outside the state where they receive treatment, according to the clinic's vice president of marketing and business development.
That suggests the underlying problem is not necessarily that Americans want to receive medical care in foreign countries.
Rather, many are looking for affordable access wherever they can find it.
IVF demand continues to grow
Despite the cost, IVF use in the United States has continued to rise.
More than 100,000 babies were born through IVF in the United States in 2024, a record number, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.
At the same time, millions of Americans experience infertility.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine estimates that infertility affects nearly 7 million people in the United States, while only about 24 percent of treatment needs are being met. High costs and inadequate insurance coverage are major barriers.
As more Americans delay having children, demand for fertility treatment could remain strong.
That creates a growing market for clinics willing to serve patients across borders.
European clinics see an opportunity
Fertility clinics in Europe are increasingly adapting their services to international patients.
Jakub Dejewski, chair of the European Fertility Society, told the Post that the number of Americans choosing European fertility clinics increased by more than 37 percent last year.
Clinics in Greece are particularly attractive because they can offer lower treatment costs while also providing infrastructure for foreign patients.
Some clinics arrange airport transportation and help patients organize their schedules around medical appointments.
For international patients, that assistance can remove some of the uncertainty involved in receiving treatment thousands of miles from home.
Trump's IVF agenda has not solved the affordability problem
The growth in overseas treatment is also occurring as President Donald Trump's administration has made fertility care and IVF a political priority.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised broad fertility coverage. His administration later proposed a rule intended to make it easier for employers to provide fertility benefits, although the proposal had not been finalized at the time of the Post's report.
The administration has also promoted lower prices for certain IVF medications through TrumpRx.
The White House projected that patients could save as much as $2,200 per IVF cycle through participating pharmacies.
But those savings remain relatively small compared with the overall cost of IVF.
For a couple facing a $29,000 or higher treatment bill, a reduction in medication costs does not necessarily make the procedure affordable.
A vacation can mask a difficult medical process
The idea of combining IVF with a European holiday sounds attractive, but patients and doctors emphasize that the treatment itself remains physically and emotionally demanding.
Hormone injections, frequent monitoring, egg retrieval and embryo transfer can dominate a patient's schedule.
The pressure of trying to conceive can also make a supposedly relaxing vacation very different from an ordinary holiday.
For some couples, however, traveling together can provide a sense of privacy and emotional distance from family, friends and everyday responsibilities.
The Solomons said their time in Greece created a kind of private bubble around the experience. Despite the medical demands, they remember the trip as one of their best summers.
The risks behind the trend
The rapid growth of fertility tourism also raises concerns about patients being treated as consumers in a highly emotional market.
People desperate to become parents may be particularly vulnerable to expensive promises about success.
William Kiltz of CNY Fertility warned that the emotional nature of IVF can make patients susceptible to being taken advantage of, especially when they are willing to spend extraordinary amounts of money to have a child.
Patients considering overseas treatment therefore have to evaluate more than the advertised price.
They need to investigate success rates, laboratory standards, physician qualifications, regulatory requirements, emergency care and what happens if something goes wrong after they return home.
A low headline price does not necessarily represent the final cost.
Medical tourism reflects a bigger American problem
The growing number of Americans traveling abroad for IVF highlights a fundamental problem with the U.S. fertility-care system.
For people who can afford it, IVF can provide a path to parenthood.
For those without adequate insurance or savings, the same treatment can be financially inaccessible.
That disparity is pushing some patients to cross state lines — and increasingly international borders — in search of affordable care.
Greece and other European countries are benefiting from that demand.
The appeal is straightforward: potentially lower treatment costs, international medical expertise and the possibility of turning an emotionally difficult medical journey into a meaningful trip.
But the decision also comes with medical, legal and logistical risks.
For couples such as the Solomons, the gamble paid off. Their treatment abroad ultimately led to the child they hoped for.
For the growing number of Americans considering the same path, however, the lesson is that an IVF vacation is not simply a holiday with a doctor's appointment added to the itinerary.
It is a complex medical journey that happens to cross international borders — driven by the increasingly high price of becoming a parent in America.
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