The draft law “On the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies” (No. 13638) could radically change the provision of medical services in the field of reproductive technologies and lead to Ukraine losing its status as the “reproductive hub of Europe.” It requires significant revision with the involvement of the professional expert community, according to experts surveyed by Interfax-Ukraine.
“According to various estimates, up to 40-60% of patients in large reproductive medicine clinics are foreigners (especially from the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Israel, and China). If the law does not provide for transparent mechanisms for foreign patients, such as official medical visas or agreements between countries, Ukraine may lose its status as the “reproductive hub of Europe,” said Dmytro Biletsky, head of the assisted reproductive technology department at the Adonis Medical Gynecological Center (MGK) Adonis Medical Gynecological Center (MGK).
According to him, Ukraine is currently among the top 10 global destinations for reproductive technologies, thanks in particular to “affordable prices: an IVF cycle in Ukraine costs three to five times less than in most EU countries or the US,” the high level of specialists and technologies, the certification of many clinics according to international standards, and the fact that “Ukrainian legislation allows virtually all ART methods — donor eggs, sperm, embryos, IVF programs for married couples and single women.”
“In Ukraine, anonymous donation and the creation of embryos for storage are permitted, which is not acceptable everywhere,” he said.
Predicting the impact of the bill if it is passed, Biletsky expects that in the short term (one to two years), Ukraine may lose some of its patients for reproductive technology (ART) programs, although overall demand will remain high because IVF, donation, and embryo banking procedures will remain permitted, and Ukrainian clinics have an internationally recognized reputation and competitive prices.
However, he predicts that in the medium term (three to five years), “if the rules for foreigners remain strict (especially regarding embryo transportation, donation, and surrogacy), demand will decrease by 20-40%.”
At the same time, commenting on the impact of the bill’s proposed ban on embryo donation on the development of reproductive prospects in general, Biletsky noted that “the ban on embryo donation will result in some patients simply losing the opportunity to treat infertility, as well as an increase in the number of ‘unused’ embryos in clinics.”
“Currently, some couples voluntarily give their frozen embryos to others. If this is banned, embryos will either have to be stored (which is expensive) or destroyed. This raises the ethical question: ‘What to do with embryos that could give life?’” he said.
According to his estimates, donor embryo programs may account for up to 10-15% of all IVF procedures, so clinics specializing in “full cycles” (creation, donation, surrogacy) will lose a significant share of their clients.
“Many foreign patients came specifically for donor embryo programs — this was a unique Ukrainian advantage, because in many countries (for example, Germany and Italy) this is prohibited. The ban will mean the loss of one of the key areas of reproductive medicine. Ukraine is effectively losing one of the most humane mechanisms for helping infertile couples,“ he said.
For her part, Svitlana Shiyanova, head of assisted reproductive technologies at the Dobrobut medical network, also predicts that ”the adoption of this bill will lead to a sharp decline in international demand, as it contains two critical restrictive provisions: a ban on surrogacy services if one of the spouses is a citizen of a country where this method is prohibited, and a requirement that one of the spouses be a citizen of Ukraine (for surrogacy).”
“These provisions effectively close the international surrogacy market, which has brought significant investment to the medical sector. A sharp drop in international demand is expected,” she said.
In addition, Shiyanova noted that the ban on embryo donation provided for in the bill “is one of the most restrictive and controversial provisions of the bill,” which, also contradicts the principles of evidence-based medicine (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, ESHRE) and takes away the last chance for the most vulnerable category of patients, forcing them to seek this service abroad.
“For clinics, this means excluding an important service from the list, which limits the ability to provide a full range of ART and comprehensive patient care,” she said.
According to Shiyanova, the following aspects of reproductive medicine currently require regulatory regulation: the definition of infertility, the determination of who is eligible for ART, the need to ensure the anonymity of donations, the regulation of compensation, as well as the lack of a clear mechanism for creating a single national ART registry and standardized performance monitoring.
As reported, representatives of the Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine (UARM) believe that government bill No. 13683 “On the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies” will limit Ukrainians’ access to such technologies.
Tags: Government bill on reproductive technologies may lead to Ukraine losing its status as “Europe’s reproductive hub” – experts
The draft law “On the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies” (No. 13638) could radically change the provision of medical services in reproductive technologies and lead to Ukraine losing its status as the “reproductive hub of Europe,” It requires significant revision with the involvement of the professional expert community, according to experts surveyed by Interfax-Ukraine.
“According to various estimates, up to 40-60% of patients in large reproductive medicine clinics are foreigners (especially from the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Israel, and China). If the law does not provide for transparent mechanisms for foreign patients, such as official medical visas or agreements between countries, Ukraine may lose its status as the “reproductive hub of Europe,” said Dmytro Biletsky, head of the assisted reproductive technology department at the Adonis Medical Gynecological Center (MGK) Adonis Medical Gynecological Center (MGK).
According to him, Ukraine is currently among the top 10 global destinations for reproductive technologies, thanks in particular to “affordable prices: an IVF cycle in Ukraine costs three to five times less than in most EU countries or the US,” the high level of specialists and technologies, the certification of many clinics according to international standards, and the fact that “Ukrainian legislation allows virtually all ART methods — donor eggs, sperm, embryos, IVF programs for married couples and single women.”
“In Ukraine, anonymous donation and the creation of embryos for storage are permitted, which is not acceptable everywhere,” he said.
Predicting the impact of the bill if it is passed, Biletsky expects that in the short term (one to two years), Ukraine may lose some of its patients for reproductive technology (ART) programs, although overall demand will remain high because IVF, donation, and embryo banking procedures will remain permitted, and Ukrainian clinics have an internationally recognized reputation and competitive prices.
However, he predicts that in the medium term (three to five years), “if the rules for foreigners remain strict (especially regarding embryo transport, donation, and surrogacy), demand will decrease by 20-40%.”
At the same time, commenting on the impact of the bill’s proposed ban on embryo donation on the development of reproductive prospects in general, Biletsky noted that “the ban on embryo donation will result in some patients simply losing the opportunity to treat infertility, as well as an increase in the number of ‘unused’ embryos in clinics.”
“Currently, some couples voluntarily give their frozen embryos to others. If this is banned, embryos will have to be either stored (which is expensive) or destroyed. This raises the ethical question: ‘What to do with embryos that could give life?’” he said.
According to his estimates, donor embryo programs may account for up to 10-15% of all IVF procedures, so clinics specializing in “full cycles” (creation, donation, surrogacy) will lose a significant share of their clients.
“Many foreign patients came specifically for donor embryo programs — this was a unique Ukrainian advantage, because in many countries (for example, Germany and Italy) this is prohibited. The ban will mean the loss of one of the key areas of reproductive medicine. Ukraine is effectively losing one of the most humane mechanisms for helping infertile couples,“ he said.
For her part, Svitlana Shiyanova, head of assisted reproductive technologies at the Dobrobut medical network, also predicts that ”the adoption of this bill will lead to a sharp decline in international demand, as it contains two critical restrictive provisions: a ban on surrogacy services if one of the spouses is a citizen of a country where this method is prohibited, and a requirement that one of the spouses be a citizen of Ukraine (for surrogacy).”
“These provisions effectively close the international surrogacy market, which has brought significant investment to the medical sector. A sharp drop in international demand is expected,” she said.
In addition, Shiyanova noted that the ban on embryo donation provided for in the draft law “is one of the most restrictive and controversial provisions of the draft law,” which, also contradicts the principles of evidence-based medicine (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, ESHRE) and takes away the last chance for the most vulnerable category of patients, forcing them to seek this service abroad.
“For clinics, this means excluding an important service from the list, which limits the ability to provide a full range of ART and comprehensive patient care,” she said.
According to Shiyanova, the following aspects of reproductive medicine currently require regulatory regulation: the definition of infertility, the determination of who is eligible for ART, the need to ensure the anonymity of donations, the regulation of compensation, as well as the lack of a clear mechanism for creating a single national ART registry and standardized performance monitoring.
As reported, representatives of the Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine (UARM) believe that government bill No. 13683 “On the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies” will limit Ukrainians’ access to such technologies.
