Greece is a country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Influential in ancient times, it’s often called the cradle of Western civilization. Athens, its capital, retains landmarks including the 5th-century B.C. Acropolis citadel with the Parthenon temple. Greece is also known for its beaches, from the black sands of Santorini to the party resorts of Mykonos. The current population of Greece is 11,155,668 based on the latest United Nations estimates. Greece is a country in south eastern Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Mediterranean Sea in south and the Ionian Sea in west. It is bordered by Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria in north and in east by Turkey. Greece shares maritime borders with Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, and Libya. Traveling to Greece for the first time is a life-altering experience. The unique culture and the beauty of the spectacular landscapes, alone, are enough to amaze you. Add on the rest Greece has to offer and prepare yourself for a long-lasting experience that you will remember forever. Since ever, the warm hospitality is one the main reasons to come to Greece. Feel free to mingle with the locals, have long chats with them or stop them at the street to ask for directions. The meeting point of Greece’s past and future, holding the origins of Western civilization.
In Greece there is a total of 283 hospitals, both private and public, with the significant part of these located in the Attica region. These hospitals operate 46,200 beds. International Benchmarks suggest that there is a 18%-28% oversupply of beds in Greece. Greece has a surplus of 20,000 doctors, with the total number reaching almost 70,000, and a substantial percentage of them being unemployed.
Greece is a very popular country to go to for IVF treatment. There are at least 50 IVF clinics in Greece dispersed around the country. People travel from overseas for egg donation and embryo donation and, like the Czech Republic and Spain, budget airlines fly to many locations in Greece making travel easy and cheap. If you are considering IVF in Greece then this guide may help you. The anonymity laws in place for egg and sperm donation in Greece mean that there are many people who are willing to donate. As a result, there is virtually no waiting list for egg or sperm donation treatment. This, together with the low cost of treatment, makes Greece a popular place for people seeking egg donation abroad. Embryo donation is permitted in Greece. A couple who have completed their family can donate their surplus frozen embryos to another couple anonymously. Egg donation treatment is cheaper relative to other countries in Europe. There are packages available which include all procedures and which start at 5000 Euros or cheaper.
A single cycle of IVF in Greece costs around, excluding medication is: $3,900–$4,300
IVF Laws Greece
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 regulated if 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.
• Embryo transfer laws state the following:
• -In women under 35 years of age using own eggs, one or two embryos can be transferred.
• -In women over 35 and under 40 years of age using own eggs, up to two embryos can be transferred if it is the first or second treatment cycles. Thereafter, on subsequent treatment cycles, up to three embryos can be transferred.
• -In women aged 40 years of age using own eggs, up to three embryos can be transferred.
• -In women over 40 years of age using own eggs, up to four embryos can be transferred.
• -In all women using donor eggs, only two embryos are allowed to be transferred.
The Greek law regarding all assisted reproductive techniques (Law 3305/2005) was issued on 27 January 2005. It covers many areas and is ultimately to ensure that the techniques and procedures are in the best interests of the conceived child. The age limit for women undergoing IVF treatment is 50 years. There is no age limit for men.
• Same sex couples are not “strictly” allowed to have treatment. However, as long as one partner signs a notarial deed saying that she is going through as a single woman with the use of donor sperm then it can be accommodated. In all non-married couples the law states that there is a requirement to have a signed notarial deed either stating that a woman is single or, if there is a partner, that he is agreeing to the treatment and that he will be the legal father of the offspring. The notarial deeds can be signed when the couple/woman arrives in Greece and the cost is between 40-70 euros.
• Sex selection is only allowed for medical reasons.
• Donation of egg and sperm is anonymous.
• Surrogacy is allowed under Greek law but the details stipulate there should be medical grounds and court approval must be arranged. Both the couple and the surrogate need to prove to the court that they are permanent residents of Greece.
Safety and Quality in IVF Clinics Greece
There is now a specific regulatory body in Greece to oversee IVF clinics and to ensure that they comply with Greek IVF laws. National Medically Assisted Reproduction (ACE) is now in place to regulate the IVF clinics. Licensed IVF clinics & cryobanks can be found here but it is only in Greek at the moment as the English version is under construction.
IVF clinics are inspected and this inspection can be without any notice to ensure standards are being met. Many clinics will also have ISO accreditation which will attest to their adherence to safety and quality.
IVF success rates are not required to be submitted anywhere at the moment, so there is no independent verification of these results. Some IVF clinics do submit their results to ESHRE and take part in the annual survey carried out by ESHRE into the state of ART in Europe.
Greece is a popular place for treatment because the staff are well trained and experienced, the IVF laws are fairly liberal and the cost of the treatment can be cheaper than in other countries in Europe.
How to visit Greece:
Persons who are not required to have a visa to enter France’s European territory Citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland;
EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
Other than these countries can apply to Schengen visa: less than 90 days –60.00 EUR Long stay visa, more than 90 days – 99.00 EUR.
Summary
| Gender Selection | Avalaible |
| Egg Donation | Avalaible |
| Micro Sort | Avalaible |
| Embryo Donation | Avalaible |
| Sperm Donation | Avalaible |
| Tandem Cycle | Available |
| Inrtacytoplasmic Morphological Sperm Injection | Available |
| Cryopreservation | Available |
| Surrogacy | Alloved |
2,817 total views, 1 views today