Fertility treatment in Greece
Country profile

Featured clinics

emBIO Medical Centre

emBIO Medical Centre in Athens, Greece, was founded in 1997 and since then has offered couples a ful

4 out of 5
(22 reviews)

Price Factor

57

Good Practice Score

89%

Fertility treatment in Greece

Greece is an attractive destination for couples seeking any type of infertility treatment, including in vitro fertilisation (IVF). It is a beautiful country to visit with gorgeous beaches and resorts combined with the cultural interests offered by its many ancient buildings and archeaological sites. Waiting times for treatment in one of its 60 or so fertility clinics are short and the country is a pleasant location to combine infertility treatment with a holiday to take in the history and culture, or just to relax by the sea.

National law in Greece regulates all methods of assisted reproduction and all fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intrauterine insemination using sperm from the husband or from a donor (IUI), surgical sperm retrieval (PESA, TESA, MESA), egg donation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), assisted hatching (AH), blastocyst transfer and frozen embryo transfer.

• Sperm donation, egg donation and embryo donation are all allowed. Greece does not allow egg donors to receive financial compensation for their services but expenses can be paid.
• Frozen embryos are tightly regulatedif there are enough, these must be used in an IVF cycle before a fresh cycle can be done.
• Surrogacy and IVF surrogacy are allowed under Greek law but the details stipulate there should be medical grounds and court approval must be arranged.

ISCI

Allowed under statute

Pre implementation generic digonisis

Allowed only in licensed centres and is very limited

Micromanipulation

Strictly limited

Assisted hatching

hatching Allowed

IVF surrogacy

Allowed

Average prices for IVF in Greece

Costs for treatments vary with individual clinics; the following is a rough guide based on prices quoted in January 2012.

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Compare the cost of fertility treatment providers in Greece

Featured fertility clinics in Greece

emBIO Medical Centre

emBIO Medical Centre in Athens, Greece, was founded in 1997 and since then has offered couples a ful

4 out of 5
(22 reviews)

Price Factor

57

Good Practice Score

89%

The Greek healthcare system

Greece sustains a national health system, which is public funded and on which the government spends around 2.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Greeks themselves complain quite loudly about their healthcare system but it has been ranked 14th of the top systems in the world by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This is above Germany and the UK. The discrepancy may arise because the best hospitals with the latest facilities are concentrated in the bigger cities, with fewer facilities available in rural areas. This means long waiting lists for Greeks who need referral from a location with only a small and basic hospital.

People resident in Greece who contribute to the social security system have access to the public health system which is free, or has a minimal cost. Residents of other European Member States can access free medical care via the E111 system. Consulting a private specialist is possible and residents can later claim most of the costs back from the Idrima Kinonikon Asfalisseon (IKA), the governmental organisation that runs the national health system in Greece.

For medical tourists seeking fertility treatment in Greece, the issues with the national healthcare system are less relevant as all fertility treatment is carried out in private clinics. These are of a high standard but, like the main public hospitals, tend to be situated within major cities. Combining fertility treatment with a holiday may therefore involve some travelling if you would like to relax by the sea.

Emergency care is free to anyone of any nationality who needs it; the pharmacy supply service is good and drugs and medicines are of the best quality.

About Greece

Greece is within the top 20 world tourist destinations; this means there are regular flights from major airports worldwide, particularly between April and September, the main tourist season. As well as being able to access fertility clinics in the major cities in mainland Greece, medical tourists can also opt for treatment on the Greek island of Crete.

Greek civilisation flourished between 1200 BC and 800 BC, and modern medicine has its roots in Greece, with the great philospher and early physician Hippocrates. The country is packed with cultural treasures; some of the best known include the Parthenon, the ancient site of Olympia, the city of Rhodes and the site of Delphi. Historial sites are found in the otherwise modern cities, such as Athens, Larissa and Thessaloniki, and in remote rural locations such as Delphi and the hilltop monasteries of Meteora.

The climate and weather in Greece is sunny and warm to hot during the summer season from April to October, with mild sometimes wet weather the rest of the year. One of the major tourist attractions of Greece is the beautiful coastline around its many small islands such as Mykonos, Patros and Samos. Crete, the largest of the Greek islands has its own capital city Heraklion, which is the site of several private fertility clinics.