Why Madrid? Rethinking IVF Through International Medical Tourism

How high U.S. costs and discouraging success rates opened the door to fertility care abroad—and why Spain stood out.

After ten years of infertility, over $30,000 spent on natural supports and fertility clinic treatments, and the growing awareness of being 38 years old, the financial and emotional pressure felt overwhelming. My partner and I were desperate to find an option that felt both viable and realistic for our finances.

As of 2023, Colorado law (Building Families Act) requires large group (100+ employees) health plans to cover infertility treatment—including three rounds of IVF. And FINALLY, I have GOOD insurance! For the first time, IVF felt financially possible. Through a specific clinic that accepted my insurance, I could do a round of IVF for $7,500. After so many years of loss and expense, it felt like a long-awaited stroke of luck.

Then came the statistics.

18%

During the consult, the clinic shared my estimated success rate for a first IVF round: 18 percent. Eighteen. They explained that success rates often increase with subsequent rounds, but my heart sank. I immediately started calculating—three rounds to reach a potential 50% chance of success would total at minimum $23,000. And that was just the financial currency.

There was also the emotional cost. The physical toll. The hormonal rollercoaster, of not just doing this once. But all of those tolls times three. And the very real possibility that after all of that, we still might not have a child.

After a decade of infertility—and four years marked by profound heartbreak, depression, and even suicidal ideation—my body responded viscerally.
If my gut had words, it would have said: I don’t know if I can do this after all I’ve already been through. Can my heart take it?

A familiar heaviness settled in. After the virtual appointment, I lay on the floor. The rest of my workday passed in a haze of partial dissociation. I barely remember that week at all.

And then—almost unexpectedly—I remembered something.

A friend’s story sparked hope.

A friend’s sister had done IVF in Madrid at 42 years old. She was pregnant and due in a few months. We’d met briefly before and followed each other on Instagram. I reached out to congratulate her and shared that I was trying to figure out which IVF path made sense for us.

After a few exchanges, she told me her story. She had tried IVF twice elsewhere without success. A cousin of hers mentioned a fertility clinic in Madrid—IVF Life Madrid—where they had gotten pregnant on the first round. It felt like a last-ditch effort. And it worked for my friend.

She walked me through the numbers.

The starting cost was 6,500 euros, plus approximately 800 euros for medications. Genetic testing was optional, at an additional 3,000 euros.

That alone caught my attention—it was comparable to what IVF would cost me with insurance in the U.S. But then I looked at the statistics.

66%

A 66%-70% success rate on the first round.
85% on the second.
95% by the third.

These weren’t just different numbers—they felt emotionally different. I immediately shared everything with my partner, who was understandably thrown for a loop. haha My people know, when I get serious about something, I tend to run with it.

There were spreadsheets. Cost comparisons. Long conversations. We checked whether my job would provide paid medical leave for an international medical procedure—it did. And then, slowly but clearly, a decision emerged.

Todd & my Excel Spreadsheet that really helped us visualize the Cost & Statistical Comparison.

When we weighed the financial reality alongside statistical probability, the choice felt surprisingly easy.

Madrid it is.

As we shared our decision with friends and family, the same question came up again and again:

Why are the statistics better overseas?

From our research, it appears that top-tier fertility technology and training are more accessible in several countries, including Spain, Greece, Germany, and the Czech Republic. It’s not that the United States lacks expertise—it’s that the cost of accessing that same level of care is dramatically higher.

In Europe, a traditional round of IVF without genetic testing typically costs 4,000–8,000 euros. In the U.S., that same level of care—available even in our own city of Denver at renowned places like CCRM—starts around $27,000.

For some, staying local makes perfect sense. I know people who traveled within the U.S. for IVF and had successful outcomes. For others, the convenience of remaining close to home outweighs the cost.

For us, though—behind on retirement, without home ownership, and earning a very average income—the additional $13,000–$15,000 per IVF round felt enormous. When paired with significantly higher success rates abroad, the decision became clear.

There was also something else—something softer—and that mattered.

My fertility journey has been long and heavy. Choosing IVF in Madrid added a thread of lightness to a process that is often grueling. It shifted the tone. It offered the possibility of beauty alongside the hard.

My partner and I missed much of the freedom of our younger years—life circumstances, choices, and caretaking responsibilities shaped that reality. We can’t undo the past, but we can choose presence and adventure now, even within financial limits. We’re aware that welcoming a child brings new and real limitations, but we’ve made a pact to keep living a vibrant life with them in our lives.

As small as it may seem, weaving a sense of adventure into this chapter felt healing—softer.

At one point, aware of the uncertainty, I even thought:
“If we can’t get pregnant, at least we’ll have invested in an adventure, and gotten to see a little more of the world”.

Every person and every couple must decide what’s right for them.
There is no universal answer—only finances, statistics, personal history, and unique needs. This path matched ours. I’m curious what yours will be?

I joked with my partner one day after deciding to do IVF in Madrid:
“Our kid is already teaching us about duality—how to keep adventuring with them, starting at the very beginning. We have to adventure to go get them!”

So here’s to the next adventure.
And future kid—thank you for teaching us how to find beauty, creativity, and hope in the process of finding you, our best adventure.

Stay tuned for how planning and beginning IVF in Madrid unfolds.