How I managed going abroad for treatment and my advice to others

How I managed going abroad for treatment and my advice to others?

If a woman living in Germany is in need of egg donation, she is currently forced to go abroad for treatment. This means that the treatment cannot take place in her vicinity, she is unfamiliar with the legal situation and common practice in the country and the clinic staff may also speak a foreign language.

This makes it all the more important to take a moment to think about what is particularly important to you when it comes to treatment and choosing a clinic. I considered and weighted the following points:

- How important is the form of donation? For example, open donation was very important to us.

- Is there an emotional connection to a country, e.g. because a parent comes from that country?

- Is a particular form of treatment desired, e.g. for some women a fresh transfer is important, for others a cryotransfer.

- How is the treatment generally organized, how often do I have to be on site? How can I travel (by car, train, plane), how complicated is it and how expensive?

- How does the donor search work and how long do I have to wait for a donor suggestion?

- Which languages do I speak; in which languages can I communicate and how does communication with the clinic work?

- What costs will I incur now and in the future (cryopreservation)?

- Do I personally fall under the current legal situation (keyword: age limit)?

- And finally: Do I feel that I am in good professional and personal hands at the clinic?

There are various forums in Germany where you can read testimonials from patients at individual clinics. Yes, it is tedious to gather the information there, but it is worth it. And I would always recommend visiting the clinic to get your own impression. If this is not possible, there may be a chance of a video call or at least a phone call.

It's worth finding the best clinic for you and taking a little time to do so. We contacted about half a dozen clinics and visited two of them and were then sure that Aagaard Fertility Clinic was our favorite.

Going abroad for egg donation treatment is naturally more complicated than going to the "clinic around the corner". The following advices has proved useful to us:

You will definitely need a local gynecologist to prepare for the treatment if you don't live just over the border. The gynecologist will measure the thickness of the mucous membrane. Depending on the thickness of the mucous membrane, you will start with the progesterone, but this will be explained to you in detail by the practitioners at Aagaard before treatment begins.

Plan enough time for the journey. Staying in a hotel beforehand increases the costs, but in my experience, it brings more peace and quiet to the day of treatment. There are two hotels within walking distance of the Aagaard Fertility Clinic. If you arrive late at the hotel, it is relaxing to have food delivered. Google and the automatic translation function help. We ordered food from a local Chinese restaurant, paid by credit card and had it delivered to our hotel.

Remember the different currencies in Denmark, especially if you want to stay a little longer. Cash (Danish kroner) is accepted, but is uncommon; the Danes pay most things cashless. A cell phone app for payment is widespread, but Germany is unfortunately not connected. PayPal is not widespread. That leaves the EC card or credit card. My advice is to use a credit card, as it is very straightforward. You can use it to pay for fuel, accommodation, transfers and even small items on site.

Before the transfer, you will be asked for your date of birth at Aagaard. In English. If you're not quite sure of your English, look up the numbers again. I was so excited during the first transfer that I blacked out and spontaneously didn't know how to say my year of birth in English, luckily my partner had a cooler head and knew how to say "1979" in English.

After the treatment, you don't have to lie in the chair at Aagaard, you can and should get up straight away and walk around a bit. Combine this with a short walk-through Aarhus, it's a lovely little town.

By Daniela Walch. Part 2 of 3. Read part 3 here.