10 reasons to choose Albania for IVF treatment
1
High quality
The performance of fertility clinics is constantly assessed and reviewed by an independent regulatory authority to ensure that all patients receive high quality care at all stages of their fertility journey.
The performance of fertility clinics is constantly assessed and reviewed by an independent regulatory authority to ensure that all patients receive high quality care at all stages of their fertility journey.
2
Legal framework
Very liberal legal framework on fertility treatments. Single women may be offered all types of treatments. Additionally sperm and egg donation are allowed by the Albanian law.
Very liberal legal framework on fertility treatments. Single women may be offered all types of treatments. Additionally sperm and egg donation are allowed by the Albanian law.
3
Cost effectiveness
All treatment types are offered at considerably lower prices compared to the UK. Although costs are lower the quality of care remains at high standards. You can see here what people think of our clinic.
All treatment types are offered at considerably lower prices compared to the UK. Although costs are lower the quality of care remains at high standards. You can see here what people think of our clinic.
4
Ease of access
Albania is connected to most of the UK airports with daily flights. The duration of the flight is approximately 3 hours.
Albania is connected to most of the UK airports with daily flights. The duration of the flight is approximately 3 hours.
5
International experience
Consultants and staff with training and work experience in the Europe. Fertility doctors have a very good reputation for their work and their results
Consultants and staff with training and work experience in the Europe. Fertility doctors have a very good reputation for their work and their results
6
No waiting lists for treatment
You can have treatment when it is more convenient to you without having to join a long waiting list. The same applies to more complicated treatments like egg donation.
You can have treatment when it is more convenient to you without having to join a long waiting list. The same applies to more complicated treatments like egg donation.
7
Individualized approach
Most clinics have international departments that deal with you personally. Here you receive individualized attention by named staff members. This ensures consistency in messaging and continuity of care.
Most clinics have international departments that deal with you personally. Here you receive individualized attention by named staff members. This ensures consistency in messaging and continuity of care.
8
Extremely high pregnancy rates
This is due to a combination of individualized treatment plans and use of cutting-edge equipment and lab techniques like blastocyst culture, pre-implantation genetic testing of the embryos and time lapse imaging.
This is due to a combination of individualized treatment plans and use of cutting-edge equipment and lab techniques like blastocyst culture, pre-implantation genetic testing of the embryos and time lapse imaging.
9
Anonymous donation
Donation treatments are performed on anonymous basis according to the Albanian law. This means that sperm or egg donors do not have access to information regarding yourselves.
Donation treatments are performed on anonymous basis according to the Albanian law. This means that sperm or egg donors do not have access to information regarding yourselves.
10
Destination
Last but not least the country itself. Albania is an excellent holiday destination with amazing history. You can combine your treatment with holidays to alleviate all the treatment related stress.
Last but not least the country itself. Albania is an excellent holiday destination with amazing history. You can combine your treatment with holidays to alleviate all the treatment related stress.
Our philosophy
Our philosophy in Hygeia Fertility Center is that our patient’s needs and wants are our priority.
At Hygeia Fertility Center, we aim for high quality care pre and post treatment. We are committed to offering high success rates and ensuring maximum safety. We are in the frontline of scientific advances in the field of fertility treatments and operate for your own safety according to the European guidelines of Bioethics.
Our team will be by your side every step of the way, providing support and suggesting realistic options. As every patient’s problem is unique, so is every treatment plan.
IVF Phases
1Phase 1: Fertility evaluation and stimulation of the woman's ovaries with fertility drugs
The fertility health of both the woman and man is assessed through testing. The woman's egg production is then increased through the injection of hormones and her "cycle" is monitored.
Before beginning an IVF cycle your personal infertility physician will conduct tests to evaluate several variables critical to the procedure's success. The first variable in the success of IVF is your ability to respond to fertility drugs. Your personal infertility physician will measure the level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) during stimulation which helps estimate your ability to produce eggs in response to fertility drugs.
The second variable is your uterine environment. Just prior to ovulation, your personal infertility physician will look at your uterine lining by ultrasound (sonogram). The third variable is the male's fertility. A physician will analyze your partner's semen.
Women with normal ovarian function usually produce one egg per month. To increase the number of mature eggs available for fertilization, your ovaries will be stimulated with carefully regulated hormone doses, administered by injection. Your infertility physician will monitor your response to these hormonal preparations and track egg development through ultrasound scans and blood tests. Ovulation is then triggered by hormone injections. Each patient will receive a personalized calendar and IVF packet prior to these classes.
Before beginning an IVF cycle your personal infertility physician will conduct tests to evaluate several variables critical to the procedure's success. The first variable in the success of IVF is your ability to respond to fertility drugs. Your personal infertility physician will measure the level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) during stimulation which helps estimate your ability to produce eggs in response to fertility drugs.
The second variable is your uterine environment. Just prior to ovulation, your personal infertility physician will look at your uterine lining by ultrasound (sonogram). The third variable is the male's fertility. A physician will analyze your partner's semen.
Women with normal ovarian function usually produce one egg per month. To increase the number of mature eggs available for fertilization, your ovaries will be stimulated with carefully regulated hormone doses, administered by injection. Your infertility physician will monitor your response to these hormonal preparations and track egg development through ultrasound scans and blood tests. Ovulation is then triggered by hormone injections. Each patient will receive a personalized calendar and IVF packet prior to these classes.
2Phase 2: Egg retrieval, fertilization, and embryo transfer
Phase 2 typically involves two visits to Hygeia Fertility Clinic. First, your eggs are retrieved directly from your ovaries and then placed with the sperm in special cultures to fertilize. The embryos develop over several days. You then return to The Center where a physician will transfer the resulting embryos into your uterus.
Egg retrieval is accomplished using a vaginal ultrasound probe to guide a needle into the ovaries. Retrieval usually takes no more than 20 or 30 minutes and patients receive sedation for the procedure.
The egg and fluid from each follicle are collected and carefully examined in the IVF laboratory. The eggs are isolated and placed inside an incubator. Eggs are combined with sperm and left to incubate together in the carefully controlled environment. Approximately three days after the egg retrieval, the best embryos contain around eight cells each. At Hygeia fertility clinic, embryos for some patients may be allowed to develop for an additional two days, known as the blastocyst stage. These embryos contain approximately 60 to 100 cells and represent the embryos with the highest potential for establishing a pregnancy. This means fewer embryos may need to be transferred, lowering chances for multiple births, but not lowering the chances for implantation and pregnancy.
The embryo is transferred using a small catheter. Using ultrasound-guidance, the embryos are then placed in the uterine cavity. There is generally very little discomfort. Following the embryo transfer, no extra rest is needed and you can resume your normal daily activities. Hatching and implantation will occur in the next two days.
Egg retrieval is accomplished using a vaginal ultrasound probe to guide a needle into the ovaries. Retrieval usually takes no more than 20 or 30 minutes and patients receive sedation for the procedure.
The egg and fluid from each follicle are collected and carefully examined in the IVF laboratory. The eggs are isolated and placed inside an incubator. Eggs are combined with sperm and left to incubate together in the carefully controlled environment. Approximately three days after the egg retrieval, the best embryos contain around eight cells each. At Hygeia fertility clinic, embryos for some patients may be allowed to develop for an additional two days, known as the blastocyst stage. These embryos contain approximately 60 to 100 cells and represent the embryos with the highest potential for establishing a pregnancy. This means fewer embryos may need to be transferred, lowering chances for multiple births, but not lowering the chances for implantation and pregnancy.
The embryo is transferred using a small catheter. Using ultrasound-guidance, the embryos are then placed in the uterine cavity. There is generally very little discomfort. Following the embryo transfer, no extra rest is needed and you can resume your normal daily activities. Hatching and implantation will occur in the next two days.
3Phase 3: Follow-up care
After the IVF procedure, you'll return to your local infertility doctor to determine if pregnancy has occurred and talk with him or her to determine the next steps.
You'll receive supplemental progesterone and estrogen to maintain the integrity of your uterine lining. Six to 10 days after the transfer, blood tests are taken. Rising blood levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG indicate that implantation has occurred. Other blood tests follow to confirm normal gestational progression. Clinical pregnancy is tested by ultrasound examination four weeks after the transfer.
You'll receive supplemental progesterone and estrogen to maintain the integrity of your uterine lining. Six to 10 days after the transfer, blood tests are taken. Rising blood levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG indicate that implantation has occurred. Other blood tests follow to confirm normal gestational progression. Clinical pregnancy is tested by ultrasound examination four weeks after the transfer.
Meet the team
Our dedicated team has helped many people fulfill their dream of having children. Experienced infertility specialists, highly qualified embryologists, caring midwives and treatment coordinators, as well as other trained team members, work hard in order to provide you with the best possible treatment and support that you need. Many past patients have offered to share their experience and how it felt to have IVF treatment abroad in our IVF stories section. We hope that this may help you understand how we work and why others have chosen to trust us with their treatment.
Dr. Stefanos Chandakas
Head of Hygeia Fertility Clinic Tirana, gynecologist and endoscopist
He holds a PhD from Imperial College University in London. Trained for gynecological endoscopic laparoscopy and robotic surgery in England and the US. For 7 years he is Head of Prince Royal University Hospital in London and a lecturer at Howard University in the US and at the European Surgical Institute in Hamburg.
Dr. Marinos Tsirigotis
Specialist in Reproductive Health
With over 20 years experience with infertility problems. He has specialized and conducted specialized clinical practice at Loudest Hospitals in England and defended his doctorate in London. She has been a Fellow of the Royal College of Gynecologists in England since 1992, and in 2004 she was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Gynecology in Britain
Dr. Michael Pelekanos
Head of Embryology Laboratory
Embryologist specialist with over 20 years experience in the field of embryology. Specializing in Clinical Embryology at Kings College Hospital in London and Endowed in 1993 with a license to apply microfertilization techniques from the Fertilization and Human Embryology Authority of England (HFEA). In 1994 he was Director of the Laboratory of the London Gynecology & Fertility Center and during this time was appointed a Member of Clinical Embryologists and Biomedical Scientists in England.
Dr. Marcel Haxhia
Embryologist
An embryologist, graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 2009, has been trained in Clinical Embryology and In Vitro Fertilization in Ankara, Turkey. He is certified as a "Clinical Embryologist" by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) "While in the academic career he counts a number of publications, references and participation in scientific conferences inside and outside the country.
Dr. Otilja Dekovi
Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist
Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 2004 and specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2012 Trained in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the anamnestic approach of infertile couple couple, protocols ovarian stimulation. Works closely with the staff of Greek physicians in applying customized treatment programs for each couple.