IVF in India for international patients

Why people travel here for treatment

The usual reasons are cost, waiting lists at home, and access to procedures that are restricted where the patient lives. A full IVF or ICSI cycle in India typically costs a fraction of the equivalent in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia or the Gulf, and the difference is large enough that the travel and stay are still comfortably absorbed within it.

What that lower price does not buy is a different biology. Age and ovarian reserve determine the outcome in Bangalore exactly as they do in London, and any centre quoting you a success rate before it has seen a single report is quoting a marketing figure.

What actually determines the cost

No honest estimate can be given without your reports, because the variables below move the total considerably. What you should insist on, from any clinic anywhere, is an itemised written estimate that names what is and is not included before you book a flight.

• Whether the cycle is IVF or ICSI, and whether surgical sperm retrieval is needed.
• The dose and brand of gonadotrophin, which follows your ovarian reserve and is the largest single variable.
• Whether embryos are transferred fresh or frozen, and the cost of freezing and annual storage.
• Genetic testing of embryos, if it is indicated - it usually is not.
• Whether donor gametes are used, which are supplied through a registered ART bank.
• Pre-cycle investigations, some of which you can have done at home and bring with you.
• Any additional procedure - hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, endometrial testing - identified during the workup.
• Your travel, visa and accommodation, which are not part of the medical estimate.

What Indian law permits, and what it does not

This is the part most worth reading before you plan anything. Two Acts passed in 2021 changed the position substantially, and a great deal of older material online still describes the previous era.

• Surrogacy is not available to foreign nationals. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 restricts it to Indian intending couples and to certain Indian single women, and it prohibits commercial surrogacy altogether. The position for Overseas Citizens of India has changed more than once since the Act came into force - if it applies to you, verify the current rule directly before making any plan that depends on it.
• Sex selection is illegal and is never offered. The PCPNDT Act 1994 prohibits the determination or selection of the sex of an embryo or fetus, and this applies to embryo testing during IVF. Any clinic anywhere in India that offers it is committing an offence.
• Donor gametes may not be bought or sold. Under the ART (Regulation) Act 2021 donors are recruited, screened and supplied only through a registered ART bank, not by the clinic, and donation is anonymous to the recipients.
• Age limits apply to treatment: 21 to 50 for women and 21 to 55 for men.
• Every ART clinic and bank must be registered under the Act with the National Registry. It is reasonable to ask any clinic for its registration.
• Export of embryos or gametes from India is tightly controlled and cannot be assumed. If your plan involves moving embryos to another country, resolve that in writing before the cycle begins, not after.

Visas and how long to plan for

Most patients travel on a medical visa, which usually allows an accompanying attendant on a medical attendant visa. Requirements differ by nationality and change, so confirm the current position with the Indian mission that covers you rather than relying on a clinic summary, including any registration you must complete after arrival.

For planning purposes, a stimulated cycle runs about two to three weeks from the start of injections to egg collection, with scans every few days in that period. A fresh transfer follows three to five days later. A freeze-all cycle splits the trip in two: the collection now, the transfer in a later cycle, which many international patients prefer because the second visit is short and can be timed to suit. Some of the preparatory work and much of the follow-up can be done remotely.

What to send before you travel

• AMH, day 2 or 3 FSH, LH and oestradiol, thyroid function and prolactin.
• A recent pelvic ultrasound with antral follicle count.
• Semen analysis, and any previous andrology or hormone results for the male partner.
• HSG, hysteroscopy or laparoscopy reports.
• Full summaries of any previous IVF cycles - drugs and doses used, eggs collected, fertilisation, embryo grades, what was transferred and what happened.
• Any genetic testing, and the details of any medical condition or medication in either partner.

A video consultation before you book anything is the sensible order. It establishes whether treatment here is appropriate at all, what it is likely to involve, and what it is likely to cost - and occasionally it establishes that you should not travel, which is also a useful answer.

Care after you go home

A pregnancy that begins here is usually looked after where you live. You leave with the full cycle record - protocol, doses, embryology, what was transferred and what remains in storage - in a form your own doctor can act on, and follow-up questions are answered by video and on WhatsApp. Frozen embryos remain in storage here under a written agreement that sets out the term and the annual cost.

Where treatment happens

Dr Gupta practises at Indira IVF, J.P. Nagar, Bengaluru, and is Zonal Business Director for Indira IVF South. Kempegowda International Airport connects to the Gulf, Singapore, London and much of South East Asia directly. Consultations, including video consultations from abroad, are arranged on +91 98999 84791, which takes both calls and WhatsApp.