The current situation of infertility services provision in Europe

Abstract

Infertility is a global medical problem of the reproductive system which may affect the quality of a woman's life. Whether infertility provision varies between different European countries has not been investigated in the context of a comparative study. There are, however, differences in legislation between different countries, which encourage "infertility tourism". Women cross borders in order to get access to those treatment modalities that are not provided in their own country. Oocyte donation for example and the high cost of the services locally are common reasons for this mobility. Although treatment of infertility is still aetiology based, unexplained cause is most often the underlying reason. The invention of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has changed the management of infertility globally. In most European countries, treatment is mainly provided by well-organised private IVF centres using highly effective methodologies. Different European scientific organisations, together with European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG), should provide recommendations to the European Union on the development of common legislation to streamline quality assured clinical care for infertile couples. This will hopefully help to eliminate possible inequalities, providing evidence based services according to patients' needs and also reduce the cross border healthcare demand in European countries.

Keywords: EBCOG; Europe; Infertility; Infertility services.