IVF (in vitro fertilisation)

Why fertility care is a meaningful overseas option

The economics are stark. A self-pay IVF cycle in Canada runs $15,000-$25,000 CAD all-in (medications, monitoring, retrieval, lab, transfer). Provincial coverage varies wildly — Ontario funds one cycle (waitlist 6-18 months), Quebec funds some, most provinces don’t fund cycles at all. The same protocol at a JCI-accredited Vietnamese fertility centre runs $4,000-$8,000 with comparable lab standards, embryologist credentials, and equipment.

The trip math also fits: egg retrieval is a day procedure, recovery is 1-3 days, and transfer can be done fresh on the same trip or frozen for a second short trip. For patients running multiple cycles, the cost difference compounds.

What’s included in our quote

• Pre-cycle consult with the partner reproductive endocrinologist (video, before any travel)
• Written hormone-stimulation protocol coordinated with your Canadian fertility clinic for at-home monitoring
• Retrieval under conscious sedation, lab fees, embryologist time
• Embryo grading and your choice of fresh transfer or vitrification + storage (first 12 months included)
• Genetic testing add-ons (PGT-A / PGT-M) priced separately and transparently
• Continuity letter for your Canadian fertility clinic and GP

What we require before booking

• A Canadian fertility clinic actively involved in your case — they monitor stimulation, they get the pregnancy follow-up. We’ll help you find one if you don’t have it yet.
• Baseline workup complete (AMH, FSH, antral follicle count, semen analysis if applicable) — the partner clinic will not skip this.
• Realistic per-cycle expectations from your Canadian clinician. We don’t oversell live-birth rates.

Honest “when not to”

• You don’t have a Canadian fertility clinic willing to coordinate stimulation monitoring. Without that, we won’t book — full stop.
• You’re committed to a single-clinic, all-under-one-roof model. Cross-border IVF is genuinely a two-team handoff and that adds operational friction.
• Severe OHSS history or a complex multi-cycle case with poor response — those patients belong in a clinic with weeks of immediate access to their treating team.
• You’re treating IVF as a wellness trip add-on. Hormone stimulation is systemic and not a vacation overlay.

Trip shape

A typical fresh-transfer cycle: monitoring at your Canadian clinic for 8-12 days → fly day 11-13 of cycle → retrieval day 14-16 → fresh transfer day 17-19 → fly home day 20-21. A typical FET cycle: monitoring at home → fly for 3-day transfer trip in a later cycle. Total time abroad: 5-9 days for a fresh cycle, 2-3 days for an FET-only trip.

FAQ

• Do I need a Canadian fertility clinic to do this?

  Yes — and we won't book the cycle without one. Hormone stimulation has to be monitored locally before you fly (baseline bloods, ultrasounds on day 5-7 of stimulation), and pregnancy follow-up if the cycle succeeds belongs at home. We coordinate the protocol handoff in writing between your Canadian clinic and the partner team. If you don't have a Canadian fertility clinic willing to monitor stimulation, we'll help you find one before scheduling.

• Egg retrieval — sedation or general anaesthesia?

  Conscious sedation, transvaginal, ~20-30 minutes. Most patients are walking the same afternoon and flying home in 2-3 days. The retrieval itself is the procedurally lowest-risk step in the cycle — the higher-monitoring stretch is the 8-12 days of hormone stimulation that happens before you fly.

• What about OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation)?

  Mild OHSS is common; moderate-to-severe is uncommon (~1-3% of cycles in good hands) but real, and it's the main reason the protocol must be monitored locally before you travel. The partner clinic uses antagonist protocols and trigger choices that minimise OHSS risk. If your monitoring suggests elevated risk, we'd defer the trip and re-cycle — that decision is your Canadian clinic's call, not ours.

• Embryo transfer — same trip or frozen for later?

  Both are options. Fresh transfer adds 3-5 days to the trip. Frozen-embryo transfer (FET) typically means a second short trip 1-2 cycles later when your endometrium is prepped — better outcomes in some patient profiles, your Canadian clinician advises. Embryo storage at the partner clinic is included for the first 12 months. International transport of embryos to a Canadian lab is possible but expensive and protocol-heavy; we surface costs up front if that's your plan.

• Genetic testing (PGT-A / PGT-M)?

  Available at all partner labs at a cost comparable to what Canadian clinics charge per embryo. Results turnaround is typically 10-14 days, which favours a frozen-transfer protocol. We send the lab's accreditation paperwork in the quote so your Canadian clinic can confirm it's a result they'll accept.

• Donor eggs, donor sperm, surrogacy?

  Donor sperm is straightforward and available at all partner clinics. Donor eggs are available but Vietnamese law restricts the donor pool to known donors only (no anonymous donor egg banks the way some clinics in Spain or the US run). We don't currently book surrogacy abroad — the legal and continuity-of-care complexity is outside our scope.