Steps-to-Success

We offer free-of-charge video and telephone consultations (you may book one here) to help our international patients understand their individual treatment options and take the right decision. Medical aspects will be discussed with a gynecologist from our team (view the team here) and various non-medical aspects such as logistics and time commitments will be discussed with our Chief Listening Officer (CLO, view her here).

In this step you will learn about the blood tests required and the medication needed. Please allow approximately 60 min for a detailed consultation (for the couple if this is the case) and be ready that your medical history will be recorded and more tests may be requested.

Since the time and cost commitment for international patients is greater, we at IVF Athens Center provide an end-to-end understanding of how the treatment process will progress by us. We assist you to plan your infertility treatment in the best cost-effective and time-efficient way. Prior to the planning of your journey with us, we strongly believe that you should be in touch and trust your consultant. This results to a stress-free process and to better treatment outcomes and in the same way minimises logistical and operational costs.

In this step, after a follow-up of blood tests and further discussion of your individualized treatment plan, it is time to take the decision. If positive, you may register for an IVF cycle and agree to share with us your complete medical record.

After the registration our CLO shall assist you with your travel and accommodation arrangements. If needed, we offer also immigration assistance. Our services include: airport pick-up, assistance with hotel booking and details of the hotels nearest to IVF Athens Center, transfers to and from IVF Athens Center, as well information about Athens and current events (acting as your local concierge). We also work closely with hotels and apartments under a special rate arrangement for our patients. If you are interested to stay in such accommodation we will be more than happy to manage your reservation through our reservation forms.

If you have chosen to start the IVF, an appointment will be made to see either your gynecologist or Dr. Athanassiou between day 21 to day 23 of your menstrual cycle. We offer you a detailed personalized medical and biological plan with daily instructions. The plan will be designed following your decision to start the IVF cycle home or in Athens and your availability to return to Athens for approximately 10 days (depending on the type of treatment) for the embryo transfer. All blood tests, consultation and treatment prescriptions can be completed in a day. You may return to your country the same or next day with the egg-inducing medications to be administered daily. Your doctor (and/or Dr. Athanassiou) will advise you how to use those medications. Blood tests and ultrasound scan are required to the very beginning of the IVF cycle.

Our CLO will receive from you the necessary informed consent and other documentation needed (according to the Greek and European legislation) answering in parallel any potential open question regarding the whole process. First payment of IVF cycle should be completed with the beginning of the procedure. In case this step is done home, now is time to make the final travel and accommodation arrangements. During the whole step, your dedicated midwife will be constantly communicating with you.

During this period extra blood tests and ultrasound scans are needed in order to follow the growth of your follicles. Your medication dose could be adjusted if needed after planned multidisciplinary meeting involving your doctor, Dr. Athanassiou, your dedicated midwife and your dedicated embryologist responsible for your IVF cycle. If your medication doses or any changes to your treatment are decided, the midwife will inform you accordingly. In case this step is performed at IVF Athens Center, please consider all blood tests and ultrasound scans under one roof). No stress for extra movements.

At the end of the ovulation period balance payment of IVF cycle is required.

If everything has gone according to plan, the oocyte or egg pick-up will follow 3 days after. The oocytes will be transferred to the laboratory where it is fertilized with your partner’s or a sperm donor sperm.

If you have started your IVF treatment home, you will then travel to Athens, Greece for monitoring and the final phase of your IVF cycle – egg and sperm collection, laboratory procedures and embryo transfer. At your arrival, Dr. Athanassiou, your dedicated midwife and your dedicated embryologist with our CLO will welcome you for a stress-free genetic material collection. They will closely monitor and care for you during the critical egg and sperm collection, embryo development and transfer stages.

There are two options offered: 1. Freeze all (and leave) 2. Have an embryo transfer and freeze the rest.

Three or five days after egg and sperm collection, depending on each individual case, fertilized embryo/s will be ready to be transferred into the uterus (the exact number will be given in the report). The max quantities of embryo/s are determined by Greek and European legislation.

A few days after your embryo transfer you can travel home. On average, if you have started the IVF cycle home, you should allow for a two week stay in Athens.

You will receive a report after the embryo transfer informing you of the transferred as well as the remaining embryos, post-transfer instructions as well as medication you will need to receive in order to support the pregnancy. This information will be shared with your gynecologist.

After you return to your home country, we continue to provide ongoing support and care. We’ll provide a full copy of your medical record on completion of your treatment in Athens, along with a letter for your local supervising physician detailing the treatment undertaken.

Within two weeks after your arrival home you will have a pregnancy blood test and then consult your gynecologist. Your dedicated midwife will contact you to check on your progress.

Excess embryos not used during your initial cycle may be frozen and used for an additional frozen embryo transfer later on, increasing your chance of a future pregnancy (cryopreservation must be paid individually).