The concept of medical tourism is not new. Patients have been travelling for decades to find better treatment options outside of their home country, but now this trend is becoming even more prevalent as developing countries offer highly specialised medical treatments, with better results. Success alone is not the only factor, and patients are realising they can receive equal quality, or potentially better care at a lower cost elsewhere. In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is one of the treatments that has couples leaving their home country and travelling to other shores, and the destination of choice is Barbados Fertility Centre.

Infertility is a common medical problem and affects one in six couples, but IVF has transformed treatment options for couples who dream of a family. While science has advanced considerably following the first IVF birth in 1978, one often immeasurable factor remains today; stress. Stress is difficult to scientifically quantify, but studies show that higher stress levels at the time of IVF decrease the number of eggs, fertilisation rates and number of good quality embryos, which most significantly will reduce the likelihood of success.

Barbados Fertility Centre was established in 2002 buoyed by the vision of becoming a world class IVF unit with the latest scientific advances and technology. Barbados was chosen as the ideal location being a tranquil, safe, and well-established popular tourism destination. The dream has been achieved and its popularity amongst tourists is proven by patient figures, indicating 85 percent of couples having IVF at Barbados Fertility Centre treatments are non-residents of Barbados.

Aside from traditional medical science, the team has a holistic approach and encourages couples to incorporate supportive care such as acupuncture, reflexology and massage, maximising the stress relieved already by the steady island life on Barbados.

Barbados Fertility Centre boasts a state of the art Assisted Reproduction Treatment single site clinical facility. All medical staff are internationally trained and focus on individualised treatment. The centre is fully accredited by the independent healthcare accreditation body Joint Commission International, ensuring high operating standards and quality care.

The success rates at the clinic are remarkable and considerably higher than the national published UK rates. The increased success of treatment together with lower costs, wider care options, such as donor egg treatment cycles, and shorter waiting lists, have led to a substantial increase in the numbers of UK couples seeking IVF treatment in Barbados.

The clinic offers a full range of treatment options in the field of assisted reproductive technology; IVF and ICSI, Blastocyst culture, Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) and offer both embryo and egg vitrification.

Vitrification is the new “fast freeze” technique which has significantly improved success rates of frozen embryos. For the first time, this technique also allows for the option of egg freezing. With this breakthrough, women now have the option to preserve her eggs at a younger age to ensure fertility for a later time when ready to start a family.

Barbados Fertility Centre believes in treating each patient with individual care and is dedicated to making the journey a superior one for all couples requiring assisted reproduction treatment.

For further information on the Barbados Fertility Centre please contact: Web: www.barbadosivf.org; Email: info@barbadosivf.org; Facebook: Join the Barbados Fertility Centre group for regular updates