Cross-border reproductive care in Belgium

Area of Science:

• Reproductive medicine
• Healthcare policy
• Medical tourism

Background:

• Cross-border reproductive care describes patient travel for infertility treatments unavailable in their home countries.
• Limited empirical data exists on the scale of this phenomenon.
• This study examines infertility patient movements to Belgium.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the extent of cross-border reproductive care in Belgium.
• To identify the origins and treatment types of foreign patients seeking fertility services in Belgium.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to Belgian centers for reproductive medicine (B-centers) permitted to handle oocytes and embryos.
• Data collected spanned from 2000 to 2007, focusing on patient nationality and treatment type.
• 16 out of 18 centers responded to the questionnaire.

Main Results:

• The influx of foreign patients seeking fertility treatment in Belgium has stabilized around 2100 per year since 2006.
• French women constituted the largest group of foreign nationals, primarily seeking sperm donation.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with ejaculated sperm was the second most common treatment sought by international patients.

Conclusions:

• Patient movements for reproductive care are often driven by a desire to circumvent legal restrictions in their home countries.
• These restrictions may involve prohibited technologies or patient characteristics that exclude them from domestic treatment.
• Belgium serves as a destination for patients seeking treatments not accessible or permitted elsewhere.