Reproductive tourism is the type of medical tourism where the patients travel to different states or countries to seek fertility treatments due to the unavailability of the treatments in their own state or country. People also opt for reproductive tourism if they think that the treatment offered in their country is not up to the mark. The most common treatments for which the patients consider reproduction tourism are in vitro fertilization and third-party reproduction.
The current lifestyle and increased stress in the youth has made infertility a very common problem amongst them. But with the technical advancement in the medical field, it has become easier to treat infertility amongst both men and women. In some cases, infertility can be treated with the help of counseling, proper diet plans, meditation etc., but the change in lifestyle is not a cure for everyone suffering from the problems. It is then when the couples think about other options like IVF and surrogacy.
Reasons, why patients suffering from infertility opt for treatments abroad, include:
Illegality of the treatments in their home country, like in European countries like Germany, Austria that term egg donation as illegal.
Lower costs of the treatment abroad, inclusive of the travel and stay cost
Better donor option in the foreign country, many people want their child to be born with specific genes and are willing to travel abroad for the same.
Some patients are not eligible for fertility treatments under law in their country. These include guys, lesbians or single person.
And most importantly, better treatment facilities abroad. Medical facilities in Middle Eastern Countries and African countries are not that well established and the lack of specialization in the countries makes it necessary for the people living there to travel abroad for having access to better medical facilities.
According to an online survey, India saw an increase of 49% in the number of patients travelling from Africa and other parts of Asia in the past two years for infertility treatment. India has gained popularity in the field of reproductive tourism because of the cheap rates of surrogacy in the country. Indian surrogacy packages are comparatively US$ 40,000 less than the cost in the US. In addition to that, the accreditation of the hospitals from Joint Commission International gives the required legal validation to the patients. Moreover, the clinics throughout India are well established and have high standards, better regulations and infertility treatments for women up to 55 and even for single people. This makes India the most preferable hub for the patients who are thinking about reproductive tourism.