Resource

The Treatment Abroad Clinic Checklist

For solo women over 40 travelling outside their home country.

"I went to Spain having not asked half these questions. I left more confused than when I arrived and significantly out of pocket on a cycle I wasn't prepared for. The clinic in Greece — where I was much more prepared — was a different experience, even though that cycle didn't result in a baby either. Preparation is not a guarantee. But the gap between informed and uninformed is larger than most people expect, and you will feel it."

Sarah, Solo Fertility 40s

This checklist is yours to keep. Right-click anywhere on this page and choose Save As or Print to save a copy — then work through it before you speak to any clinic.

Not medical advice. This checklist covers the non-clinical questions — what to ask about support, logistics, safety, and transparency before you choose a clinic and book travel. It isn't exhaustive, but it gives you a flavour of the kinds of questions worth asking before you invest.

Section 1 — Choosing the right clinic

Ask these before you book a consultation — or in the first call.

What is your live-birth rate specifically for solo patients over 40 using their own eggs — not the clinic's headline rate?
How many solo women over 40 have you treated in the last 12 months?
How is my treatment plan decided, and who is involved in that decision?
Which add-ons would you recommend for someone in my situation — and what is the evidence behind each one?
If I want to try with my own eggs, at what point would you recommend considering donor eggs — and on what basis would that recommendation be made?
Are you independently owned, or part of a larger group — and does that affect which treatments or add-ons get prioritised?
If my first cycle doesn't work, what would you change — and why?

Section 2 — Solo-specific support

Most clinics are built around couples. These questions surface whether this one has thought about solo patients.

What allowances do you make for solo patients attending appointments without a partner?
What does aftercare look like after egg retrieval — who meets me, and how do I get back to where I'm staying?
Can I bring a support person — a friend, family member, or doula — to retrieval and transfer? Do they get the same access a partner would?
Who is my named contact between appointments, and what response time can I expect?
What support do you offer during the two-week wait — particularly if I've returned home by then?
Do you provide written summaries after consultations, so I have a record of what was discussed?
What does follow-up look like after a negative result — is that contact clinic-initiated, or do I have to chase?

Section 3 — Your stay abroad

Practical questions you need answered before you book flights.

How long should I plan to be in the country — for monitoring, retrieval, and transfer? What's the minimum, and what's realistic?
What happens if my cycle is delayed and I need to stay longer than planned — who handles communication with my accommodation?
Do you offer help with accommodation recommendations or airport transfers?
How do we stay in contact during my stay — WhatsApp, a direct number, or a general enquiries address?
What support is available outside of clinic hours — if I have a question or a concern at 10pm, what do I do?
Are there other solo patients at the clinic you could put me in touch with, if both parties are willing?

Section 4 — Safety and your rights

These feel uncomfortable to ask. Ask them anyway.

Where is your lab, and who has custody of my eggs or embryos — at every stage of the process?
What happens to stored eggs or embryos if the clinic is acquired or closes?
Can you give me a realistic all-in cost estimate — including the add-ons you would recommend — for a patient in my situation? Not the advertised starting price.
What does the contract cover if something goes wrong during treatment?
What is your complaints process, and who handles it — someone inside the clinic, or an independent body?
Are you regulated, and by whom? Can you provide this in writing before I commit?

Not medical advice. This checklist covers the non-clinical questions — what to ask about support, logistics, safety, and transparency before you choose a clinic and book travel.

Not every clinic will be able to answer all of these.

Solo patient programmes are still rare, and an honest clinic will tell you what it doesn't yet have in place. That's not automatically a problem. The red flags are different: a clinic that gets defensive, deflects, or gives vague answers to direct questions about cost, support, or custody of your eggs is telling you something worth knowing before you fly anywhere. Use this list as a basis for judgement, not a pass-or-fail test.

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