International Services
IVF Fertility Treatment for International Patients
For individuals or couples pondering Infertility treatment, the process can seem daunting. Now imagine adding a 5000 mile distance between you and your physician…and a language barrier. Yet, each year, an increasing number of patients travel to the United States from other parts of the world, to pursue their dreams of conceiving a child.
Why Choose Team RMI?
- Six Physicians, each with dual board certification in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Obstetrics and Gynecology
- One of the largest and most successful practices in the United States with a focus on Infertility, Assisted Reproduction (IVF) as well as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).
- A comprehensive infertility clinic with full access to Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) for single-gene disorders and aneuploidy.
- Able to provide assistance with Third-Party Reproduction including Donor Egg, Donor Sperm and Gestational Surrogacy
- Here to help build your family; LGBT, single parents, traditional couples
- A staff conversant in languages including Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Russian and Urdu.
- Available and capable to help you coordinate every part of your treatment plan
A Chicago area-based practice with nine offices throughout the city and suburbs, our staff boasts a unique mix of different languages, cultures and ethnicities. That, along with specialized training in meeting the needs of out-of-town, or out-of-the-country, patients, makes our clinic a rather seamless choice.
Patients seek treatment in the United States for a multitude of reasons. Often, the laws of other countries prohibit or limit certain practices which may include Gestational Surrogacy, Gamete Donation and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). In many parts of Europe, restrictions are placed on the use of egg and sperm donors, severely limiting the choices for recipients. In addition, most European countries do not allow payment to a woman for carrying a pregnancy, a hardship that affects the number of willing participants. Team RMI works to help prospective visitors coordinate the details, not just of the medical procedures, but travel arrangements as well. Leslie Anastos, our International Patient Coordinator, has worked for ten years helping out-of-town patients simplify the process.
“We have designed our practice to accommodate patients ‘wherever’ they are,” says Leslie Anastos from the Downtown Chicago location of Reproductive Medicine Institute. “Patients call or email me to coordinate scheduling either a phone consult or an in-person consult. Our practice also offers a wide range of multi-lingual personnel to help with communication.”
The coordinated efforts Team RMI offers to streamline the IVF process for out of town and international patients include:
- Arranging for the required pre-testing (Labs/Ultrasound) with the patient’s local physician.
- Managing the ordering of all medications through the patient’s local pharmacy, an online pharmacy, or a local Chicago Pharmacy.
- Working closely with 3rd party reproductive agencies (Gestational Hosts and Oocyte donors) to synchronize details of the IVF cycle for all parties involved.
- (Importantly, it is required that the Intended Parents make a minimum of one visit to Chicago, for 3-4 days, which will be scheduled by the team ).
- Organizing a visit to Chicago for all Intended Parents using a Gestational Host to efficiently achieve all required testing.
- Offering genetic testing as part of the IVF cycle, allowing patients to have one contact through their journey.
“At first, it may seem as though there are a myriad of details,” says Anastos. “But, the truth is, most patients spend some time talking and emailing with me, and then the next thing we know, there’s a positive pregnancy test!”
Have more questions? Speak with an RMI team member.