IVF Gender Selection in Thailand - Cost & Legal Issues
IVF Gender Selection in Thailand - Cost & Legal Issues
Thinking about IVF, but not sure where the best success rate would be? There are so many things to think about regarding IVF, from medical facilities, physicians, stress levels and affordable rates. Here at Fountain-of-you.com, we are here to help each couple plan for the best possible experience combining low stress, trusted facilities and full hospitality.
How does in Thailand compare to USA?
Since 2017, Thailand has seen an uptick in Medical Tourism
from both the Middle East and neighboring Asian countries. With higher volume of treatments, Thailand success rates are reported to be averaging about 60%.
Our partnerships with the top medical hospitals in IVF, will help pair you up with a physician you are comfortable with and trust.
Combining IVF with a vacation in Thailand can lead to lower stress levels, may help. We don’t claim that a vacation will help you conceive, but trying something different wouldn’t hurt.
What is IVF?
IVF is the procedure where the sperm fertilizes an egg outside of the body, and then reinserted into the uterus.
How’s this work?
The doctor will give the woman hormones to boost her egg counts so they can collect as many good eggs as possible. On egg collection day, the man will give his sperm. The doctor then injects the best sperms into the best eggs in the lab, and lets them grow. The combination of egg and sperm is called an embryo. Once the embryo is ready, it’s reinserted into the woman’s uterus. If it stays attached to the uterus, the woman is pregnant.
How long will this take?
This procedure takes about 2 weeks at the quickest.
Day 1- Stimulate ovaries- On the second day of the woman’s period, visit the doctor who will check all blood tests and do an ultrasound to prescribe a mix of hormone shots/ therapy. The doctor will make multiple appointments to check if the prescribed medicine is working how they want or be needs to be adjusted. This is usually every 3 days.
Day 10- Retrieve mature egg- If the egg is ideal, there is a half day outpatient procedure to extract the egg. The man will also give the sperm sample while the woman is having the procedure. During the procedure, the woman is put to sleep while the doctor collects the egg.
The egg and sperm are then sent to the lab where the doctor mixes the best egg and sperm together to create an embryo.
**If the egg is not big enough, the doctor will continue hormone medications for up to another 5 days.
Day 11- Grow eggs- The egg will be allowed to grow on its own for 5 days.
Day 15- At this point, if the couple has chosen to do a DNA test, a small sample of the embryo will be taken to do a genetic test.
Embryo transfer- An embryo can be put back into the uterus fresh, meaning on Day 15 (5 days after the egg collection) or frozen first, then reinserted when the couple is ready. If the couple decide to put in a fresh egg, then the woman will be called in on Day 15. The woman stays awake while the embryo is reinserted, and will rest a bit giving the embryo time to attach before moving (approx. 1 hour).
Any additional eggs collected that are not used may be stored at the clinic for future use for a fee.
After Day 15- After verification from the physician, the couple can leave Bangkok while waiting for pregnancy results.
Day 25- Await pregnancy confirmation- Return to the doctor office to do a blood test to check if pregnant. This can be done in Thailand or back home.
What is the cost of IVF in Bangkok Thailand?
The costs are all dependent on the clinic chosen and the individual’s degree of infertility difficulties.
Average clinic costs start from $10,000 USD per average treatment. This includes the basic ovaries stimulation, egg collection and embryo transfer.
Additional costs are airfare, accommodation and food. We can help arrange airfare and accommodation near the clinic and suggest where to eat. Estimated airfare from SFO to BKK is $700 USD per person economy; $4,000 USD per person business. Average 4 star hotel room is $60 USD per night; 5 stars is $100 USD per night. Long term stay discounts are available with our partner hotels. That’s as low as $2,240 USD for 2 persons for 2 weeks.
Is my entire time spent at the IVF clinic?
No way! It’s true you will need to go to the IVF clinic often, but not all day. Bangkok has lots to offer. Before or after a visit with the doctor you can take in some culture at a museum, stay connected to Hollywood with a movie, hug a puppy at a dog café, learn to cook Thai food, and much more. We can plan your full itinerary and tailor it to your specific interests. On days you don’t need to check in with the clinic, you can take a day(s) trip(s) out of the city. There’s so much to do in Thailand. From exploring the old ruins of Siam in Ayuttaya to the beaches of Pattaya to the floating markets near Kanchanaburi. No one back home will even know you’re here for IVF, they will think you’re on vacation! The food in Bangkok is amazing too, so many different cuisines and all top-notch!
What can I do before coming to Bangkok?
Our team is happy to meet and talk to you via Skype (or any other video call). We can also help arrange meetings with the medical facilities per your request. There will be some tests that the couple can both do before this meeting to help the doctor layout the best IVF plan.
Here are some tests that the couple can do before coming to save some time. Although it would definitely be cheaper to get done in Thailand, it would be disheartening to fly to Bangkok to find out that the doctor advises against IVF.
For women, a visit to a primary care physician (PCP) can help complete most screening tests. Here’s a list:
● Testing for Body Mass Index - records for BMI level
● Pap Smear
● Ultrasound (transvaginal) during the middle of a menstrual cycle (approximately 12th day)
● Follicle-stimulating hormone blood tests
● Luteinizing Hormone blood tests
● Prolactin blood tests
● Estradiol blood tests
● Anti-Müllerian Hormone Test
For men, it’s important to do sperm testing. The sample can be analyzed for health, number, size and shape. In addition, blood tests for Complete Blood Count (CBC) and Hemoglobin (HB) typing will be necessary information for IVF screening.
What are the legal limits of IVF in Thailand?
Here are the limits of the Thai IVF clinics:
- Gender selection: you cannot choose a boy or a girl. The doctor will select the strongest embryo to reinsert.
- Commercial surrogacy: you cannot hire someone to be a surrogate for you. Only female family or friends can help, and they must have already had a child.
- Commercial egg or sperm donation: you cannot buy an egg or sperm. Only friends and family can donate.
- Married couples only: must bring the marriage certificate. Single parents are not allowed to do IVF.
