Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Recognised only by Turkey, Northern Cyprus is considered by the international community to be part of the Republic of Cyprus. Thus, although the entire territory of Cyprus is within the European Union, the North is beyond the control of the Greek Cypriots and is therefore excluded from EU law. This is also the reason why the IVF success rates are not known or rather confirmed, compared to the South, where the data are collected by ESHRE - The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. However, this does not mean that Turkish clinics are not doing well. On the contrary, many of them have an excellent reputation. Just before choosing a clinic, it is always advisable to check whether it is fully accredited and regulated by the local Ministry of Health. In return, you will receive care comparable to top IVF destinations such as Spain, but at an affordable price, even if you add the cost of travel and accommodation.
The final price varies, of course, for each patient. Only the clinic can calculate the cost of a particular treatment, but it could be said that the price for IVF own eggs in Northern Cyprus is around 3000 EUR and IVF donor eggs about 5000 EUR. Furthermore, the maximum number of embryos to transfer is 3, social freezing is permitted, with no restrictions on the length on their storage. PGS and PGD are available but beware: since 2016 preimplantation genetic screening can no longer be used for choosing the desired sex of the baby.
If you've ever heard that "age is just a number", in the IVF world that number plays a pretty big role. Under certain conditions, local clinics can legally treat women up to the age of 55 years old. For any woman older than this, special permission can sometimes be applied for their treatment. Thus, the age limit for IVF in Northern Cyprus definitely ranks among the highest. While the law is generous to recipients, there is a strict limit for donors: 18 - 35 years. And what can we find out about them besides age? For example their nationality, height & weight, skin tone, eye & hair colour, blood type, but also their educational background and occupation. All these information help future parents to put together a mosaic of what their child will probably look like.
Almost all desired babies then come from Kyrenia and Nicosia, where most of the certified clinics are located.
