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Why British Asian Couples Travel to India for IVF
Some British Asian couples go from the United Kingdom to India to receive IVF treatment.
IVF is a medical treatment that can help people try to have a baby.
NHS treatment may involve waiting, and some couples may not qualify for funded care.
Private IVF in the UK can also be very expensive.
India may feel familiar because many couples have relatives there and visit regularly.
Some couples also want donors who share their South Asian background.
Dr Rohit Gutgutia says Indian IVF care has become more standardised but warns that many extra treatments may not help.
Family privacy and different cultural attitudes can also affect how couples make their decisions.
Some British Asian couples travel to India for IVF because of NHS waiting times, eligibility limits and private treatment costs.
Family connections and regular visits can make receiving fertility treatment in India more familiar and manageable.
Some patients seek South Asian donor matches because donors from those backgrounds may be in limited supply in the UK.
Dr Rohit Gutgutia says India’s IVF sector has become more standardised, though he warns against unnecessary IVF add-ons.
Cultural attitudes, privacy concerns and the involvement of relatives can also influence couples’ fertility-treatment decisions.
- Who
- Some British Asian couples, fertility specialist Dr Rohit Gutgutia, and the fertility-support platform Ikivana.
- What
- Some British Asian couples are travelling to India for IVF because of treatment access, cost, waiting times, donor availability, family connections and cultural considerations.
- Where
- Between the United Kingdom and India, with Gutgutia based in Kolkata.
- When
- Why
- The article identifies NHS waiting times and eligibility, high UK private costs, limited South Asian donor availability, family ties, familiarity and privacy concerns as factors.
Key facts
- Specialist quoted
- Dr Rohit Gutgutia, a Kolkata-based fertility and IVF specialist with more than two decades of experience.
- NHS coverage
- Gutgutia says the NHS covers about 30 per cent of IVF cycles in the UK.
- UK private cost
- Gutgutia describes a UK IVF cycle as costing almost the equivalent of three months’ salary for an average Asian couple.
- Donor availability
- The article says South Asian donors may be in limited supply in the UK.
- Treatment reasons
- Couples may travel for NHS access concerns, private costs, donor matching, family connections and cultural comfort.
- IVF add-ons
- Gutgutia warns that most additional IVF treatments are not beneficial.
- Support platform
- Ikivana coordinates fertility treatment with pricing, visas, accommodation, emotional support and wellness services.
Quotes
Dr Rohit Gutgutia
Kolkata-based fertility and IVF specialist
““NHS covers only about 30 per cent of cycles that happen in the UK. There are two main reasons for this. One is the wait time that is there. So if it's an IVF, it essentially means couples require a child, and they need an IVF. So nobody's going to wait that long for a pregnancy.””
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““It's become a lot more standardised. There are large corporates who have entered the IVF scene, so there is transparency, there is ethical service, and quality is maintained at a fraction of the cost that would basically be the cost of a cycle in the UK.””
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Sources
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