An IVF clinic is offering couples a 'no baby, no fee' promotion but some experts have concerns

An IVF clinic is offering a ‘no baby, no fee’ deal to wannabe parents that could cost them up to £26,000.

Marketing material from the Spanish chain, IVI, which has 71 clinics in 13 countries including a new clinic in London, claims: “Your newborn baby or your money back.”

The marketing information on the website tells patients: “IVI Baby is a new concept that has been introduced with the aim of offering patients peace of mind and the certainty that they will achieve their objective.

“IVI Baby offers an answer to their fears and uncertainty. It is the promise and guarantee that their dream of having a baby will come true.”

“With IVI Baby you will have your baby home with you in a maximum timeframe of 24 months,” the material adds.

According to The Times, depending on the exact treatment chosen, the promotional scheme could cost between €20,000 and €30,000, about £26,000.

But the offer hasn’t gone down well with everyone, with critics suggesting the commercial nature of the promotion shouldn’t have a place in fertility treatment.

A spokesperson from Dr Fertility, a leading supplier of fertility products in the UK told Yahoo Style UK: “Although this ‘no baby, no fee’ marketing approach will be compelling to many couples struggling with fertility, the industry needs to question how ethical this is when they are targeting emotional and often vulnerable people who are desperate to have a baby.”

To be eligible for the plan, patients must be under 38, have good egg reserves and not be obese and some critics also argue that the offer is only really open to patients who would already be considered ideal candidates for fertility treatment.

They suggest therefore that the offer, may in fact cost some couples more as they could pay less for individual rounds of IVF.

The cost of IVF in the UK is usually around £5,000 per cycle of treatment. The price of a cycle will vary from one clinic to another and will also increase or decrease depending on what treatment you require.

“Couples should select the right IVF clinic for them based on the effectiveness of their treatments, how compassionate their staff are and the emotional support they can provide, not because they are offered a marketing tactic,” a spokesperson for Dr Fertility continues.

“The average cost of IVF is £5,000 in the UK, so at £26,000 for 3 cycles this is significantly higher. Is this really putting the patient first?”

Commenting on the scheme, a spokesman for IVI told The Times: “If the patient gets pregnant on the first attempt there is no refund. IVI Baby is a mutual compromise, so they pay a price for the programme and if they do not have their baby at the end of it they will get their money refunded.”

Dr Elena Labarta, a gynaecologist from IVI, told Daily Mail that patients have to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible for the scheme.

“Not all of them can be included in this programme, if they have abnormalities, it is not our fault.”

“But once they are included we will perform up to three cycles and if after transferring all of the embryos coming from these cycles, the patient does not have a healthy baby, we will refund the money.”

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