IVF money-back guarantee programs – the whys, whats & how to choose
Why choose an IVF money-back guarantee?
We don’t need to tell you this if you’re currently going through it, but having IVF can be extremely taxing – emotionally, physically, and financially.
As some of our team know first-hand, leaning on as much predictability and reassurance as we can is incredibly helpful, when we’re in the thick of treatment.
Knowing that your financial commitment will only ever correlate with the outcome of a successful live birth can really take the pressure off – and that’s where IVF money-back guarantee programs can come in.
How to choose a guarantee – the expert perspective
Today we’re joined by the phenomenal Dr. Olga Zaytseff, CEO and Founder of O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic, who has helped so many patients to build their families through their incredible IVF money-back guarantee programs.
Watch as we cover:
- Who can benefit the most from an IVF money-back guarantee program
- How success rates for IVF treatments typically compare to those without a money-back guarantee
- What should be included in a really comprehensive IVF money-back guarantee program to ensure patients are fully protected and supported
We also get into the specifics of O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic’s personalised 100% money-back guarantee of live birth packages, including:
- Why O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic decided to introduce a range of 100% money-back guarantee packages
- Why patients love them
- Everyting about eligibility criteria, success rates and statistics
- What else makes O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic’s packages stand out from other clinics
Get in touch with the team at O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic to learn more about their Cyprus clinic and treatment offerings, or to apply for one of their comprehensive 100% money-back guarantee packages.
Keen to hear more from O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic? Read this next: Understanding IVF success rates and shortening your time to pregnancy – with the leading clinic offering a 100% money back guarantee of live birth
Transcript
Eloise Edington
Hello, good evening, and welcome, everyone.
I’m very excited about our Instagram live tonight, as I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Olga Z. Stepanova, who is the Clinical Director and founder of the Olga Fertility Clinic, a gynecologist and leading fertility specialist. We’re going to be discussing IVF money-back guarantee programs to answer any questions you may have about how they work, their benefits, and what they mean. This is a topic many ask us about, and it’s something I looked into during my own treatment.
I’ll check if Dr. Olga is here so we can get started. Welcome to those joining! Just waiting for Dr. Olga to arrive, and then we can begin. If you have questions, we’ll make sure to get them answered for you. Thank you for your patience.
Some themes of today’s live will include IVF refunds, money-back guarantee programs, and the benefits and success rates of these options. I’ll just see if she’s here now. Thank you for your patience as Dr. Olga joins. I see someone has already asked a question, and we’ll definitely address that. Hello to those joining; nice to see you here. Ah, here she is.
Hello, good evening, Dr. Olga!
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Hello, Eloise! Hi, how are you? Delighted to be here with you.
Eloise Edington
I’m very good, thank you. I was just introducing you and the topic we’ll discuss today. Please go ahead and introduce yourself and the Olga Fertility Clinic, and then we can jump into some great questions from our live audience and others we’ve prepared regarding IVF money-back guarantee programs. So, please start off by introducing yourself.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Thank you very much for this opportunity. I am very much devoted to fertility and have been since I was in my last years of university. I applied through a German public organization, DRD, to get a scholarship to go to Germany for postgraduate studies in reproductive medicine. I was gladly accepted—it was a great opportunity. In 2003 or 2004, after completing St. Petersburg State University, I went to Germany to further study IVF, and that’s how it started. I was offered a contract to continue working at a German university as a doctor, but at that time, I met my future husband, who wanted to go back to St. Petersburg. So, we went back, and I worked for over 15 years at the Russian-Finnish Clinic Ava-Pet, which is still existing. At that time, we specialized in reproductive medical tourism, helping single women and couples from all over the world achieve successful pregnancies after they hadn’t succeeded in their local countries.
The fact that we were situated in Russia made us work as well as possible because many came to us after having multiple unsuccessful IVF attempts in their local countries and even after private IVF or egg donation in Spain, the Czech Republic, or elsewhere. Since 2006, I have been getting patients who were the most challenging cases, those who hadn’t been helped by other clinics in Europe, to help them achieve their long-desired pregnancies and live births. The project started with egg donation, which was the solution for women in their late 40s, which was the average age of patients I was seeing. Around 2010 or 2012, I started noticing that among potential donor egg recipients, there were younger women who could have been helped with their own eggs.
I began offering them the option, explaining, “Of course we can find you a brilliant donor, but you are 41, and there is an opportunity to try this option.” Women looked at me as if I were crazy because after so many failed attempts, they couldn’t believe there was still something to try. But by that time, we were strong in individualized IVF, and there were options. That’s what led me in 2016 to start a money-back guarantee program. It was the only way to say, “Come on, I’ll share the risk with you. I know what I’m doing, and yes, I can be wrong, or I might be too optimistic, but if I am, I lose my money, not yours.” That’s how it started.
Now, in 2024, we have opened about 900 or 1,000 money-back packages, including own-egg and donor-egg packages, like three-time IVF or three-time egg donation IVF, or combinations. Six hundred something have led to children, over 100 are in treatment, and we’ve had to refund about 47 patients over the years. It’s not many—less than 5%.
Eloise Edington
Amazing! Before we dive into more questions, as I have many and I know people will have live questions, someone mentioned they’ve spent $30,000 on treatment, which is not uncommon. First, could you tell us a bit about Olga Fertility Clinic? You also have a clinic in Cyprus. Could you tell us where you’re based and who comes to see you?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
To continue the story of working in Ava Clinic in St. Petersburg, in 2019, I opened my own clinic in collaboration with Dr. Lapina, a brilliant surgeon, in St. Petersburg. We opened a beautifully renovated 1,000-square-meter clinic in a historic building from the 19th century in the heart of St. Petersburg. We were working very successfully until the pandemic began in 2020. Still, we didn’t give up. After four months of lockdown, we launched our own charter planes to bring patients from Scandinavian countries to St. Petersburg. Every Sunday, a mysterious plane was coming to pick up couples and single women, bringing them to St. Petersburg and then back the next Sunday.
In 2020, our number of international births and embryo transfers remained similar to other years.
Eloise Edington
That’s amazing that you were able to continue treatment and change so many lives.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Yes, our patients are often in their late 30s or early 40s for those planning with their own eggs. Waiting an extra six months for them would be a setback, so we did everything we could to keep helping. However, in 2022, a huge tragedy happened, and understandably, many couples and single women no longer wanted to travel to Russia. Some were willing to come, but husbands, brothers, and fathers discouraged them. Our patients in Scandinavian countries wrote to us, asking if we could continue helping them from another location. We looked for options within the European Union and found the best legislation in Cyprus.
Our patients wrote us a long letter. Our patient community is very strong in Scandinavian countries, and they wrote me a letter with many signatures asking, “Can you continue helping us? But can you consider doing it in another location?” So, we looked for options. It should be in the European Union, so we looked for options, and the best legislation we found was in Cyprus. We are in the Republic of Cyprus, which is in the European Union, so we are not in the occupied area of Cyprus.
The legislation there is amazing. It offers the opportunity of treatment up to the age of 53. Single women get free, not free, but problem-free access to fertility treatment. PGTA is allowed. You don’t need to write special applications to the Ministry of Health. If you put an indication, it is allowed. Egg donors and sperm donors can be open or anonymous, which is a great opportunity because in most countries it’s either this or that. In Spain, you have anonymous donors, in the UK or Sweden you have open donors, but here the patient can decide what is best for her.
So, we ended up in Cyprus. At the moment, we are setting up our own clinic, but since April 2023 we have been working in collaboration with an existing clinic in Limassol, and we’ve already treated several hundred of our international patients there.
An amazing thing happened two weeks ago: Two of my Russian doctors got their medical licenses confirmed for medical reproductive tourism in Cyprus. We got the first 10 results of embryo transfers, and seven out of 10 were positive, and it’s amazing. We are very, very happy.
Eloise Edington
Congratulations.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Thank you very much. We are more than happy to accommodate difficult patients, patients with long histories of unsuccessful attempts, patients with different comorbidities like autoimmune diseases and hormonal diseases. We have lots of cancer survivors in our patient pool as well, so we know how to work with patients with complex combinations of factors. We have a professional team to help them both in St. Petersburg and in Limassol.
Eloise Edington
And you are working with same-sex couples and also solo parents by choice, as well?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Yes, single mothers by choice are possible in Cyprus, and that’s a great achievement in this country. Since December last year, they have had problem-free access until the age of 53. Single mothers by choice don’t need to write any applications to the Ministry anymore. They get treatment just like regular patients.
With same-sex couples, sadly, the community in Cyprus is still quite conservative. So, if it’s a female same-sex couple and they are not officially married, they can be registered for treatment as a single. But if they are officially married, that’s the only issue with Cyprus legislation today.
Okay, but this would be no difficulty to help such couples in Russia if they would like to travel.
Eloise Edington
That’s really good to know. So, let’s talk about the IVF money-back guarantee program that you offer through Olga Fertility Clinic. I’d like to start by asking you, what is this program, and how does it work?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
The contract is very straight and very simple to understand. It covers the interests of the patient hugely. We do the money-back guarantee contract through American legislation. We chose this geographic zone for banking and legal contracting because they have huge experience in shared-risk programs, and it gives our patients the opportunity of problem-free refunds should this situation arise. Refunds are possible at different points of the contract.
What I mean is, of course, it’s 100% refund if all attempts included in your package are completed and there is still no baby born, but life situations sometimes change. Relationships change, health situations change, so inside the contract, there are exit opportunities with partial refunds.
Eloise Edington
Okay, that makes sense. And so, how does it work in terms of when someone speaks to you about it? What is the criteria? Who is it useful for, and what would be included in the package?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
There are several questions in one. For every patient who would come to us, the process is very straightforward and very convenient.
First, we request all the journals from previous treatments and all the previous test results to fill in our questionnaire, which asks about general health and other important aspects. We ask them to do an ultrasound examination between days 7 and 14, so that we can see how the lining looks and ovarian reserve.
For patients who consider IVF with their own eggs, under the age of 44, we ask for an AMH test. Both ultrasound and AMH tests should not be older than six months, and this all should be uploaded to our protected data storage. Then, a consultant will be assigned who is going to look into this.
On average, because we get such tough cases, it may be like 50 pages of data. We spend six hours on average studying one case, so one experienced consultant will sit with this and calculate the number of potential attempts necessary to achieve a successful life birth using their own eggs. If we are talking about a patient under 44, after 44, we only offer donor eggs for the same reason. If the number of egg retrievals is visible, with light ahead of the tunnel to achieve successful life with own eggs, then all egg IVF with a money-back guarantee will be offered.
We have three packages: a full package, which means—okay, if I consider a patient, let’s say in the age of 40, with AMH so and so, with a previous number of attempts so and so, and blastocyst formation like this, then I can offer her a four IVF package with own eggs and money-back guarantee.
There may be patients who have significantly reduced ovarian reserve or significantly increased reproductive age. In this case, either a 3 IVF package with donor eggs may be offered or a combination of two own egg IVF plus two donor egg IVF. Usually, exclusion criteria for egg IVF is when the number of potential egg retrievals becomes unrealistic to achieve two blastocysts with normal chromosomal counts.
In the case of donor egg IVF, I can hardly think of exclusion criteria, except for severe autoimmune diseases, uncompensated and proof of multiple miscarriages with chromosomally normal embryos, so that we know we are not ruling out the situation that even if it is a super embryo, the body is not compensated. And if we see no way to compensate life-threatening diseases, like cancer or uncompensated diabetes or some other diseases in which pregnancy would be a threat to maternal health and life and the baby, and psychiatric conditions where the patient cannot be psychologically stable. So basically, only that. Okay, that’s about inclusion criteria. They are very broad.
Eloise Edington
So the starting point would be that people would come to you, and they would have a consultation, and then medically that would be looked at by doctors for, like you said, in-depth for six hours. Would you then come back to the patient with a recommendation, based on their personal circumstances and medical history, and recommend a package that suits them?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Absolutely. I have to underline that this is done at a distance because we have been situated in Russia for 20 years. We know that it has always been a bit more difficult to travel to Russia than to the rest of Europe, so this consultancy is done remotely, and we are so experienced in this because we’ve been dealing with medical reproductive tourism for 20 years. It’s not going to be just a recommendation of the package.
Usually, after these six hours of study, the expert doctor is writing several pages analyzing what was done, what we have, what would be solutions, what would be strategic, and what fits into which package. They discuss it on a Zoom meeting. All the explanations usually involve two Zoom meetings: one to explain everything, send the written explanation, and then one two weeks after for a second talk.When patients read our explanation and recommendations, they will, of course, have extra questions, and the doctor will answer all these questions in the second meeting.
After this, the patient can decide, “Okay, I decide on this suggestion, or I decide on this suggestion, or I take a break to collect funds, or I take a break because I am doing my last attempt in Sweden.” So, we don’t decline patients if they want a second opinion, and I think that’s great if they are thinking about Plan B while doing Plan A.
These consultations are non-obligatory. We know that our patients will come to us, and they will pay when they receive their treatment plan. But the whole strategy and package discussion, donor choosing if necessary, and discussing issues with our former patients—we offer this opportunity. All this is free because it gives us the opportunity to have a dedicated, compliant pool of patients with whom we really want to sit in one boat and share responsibility. So, it’s non-obligatory, not binding, and open for everyone.
Eloise Edington
For anyone who is interested in learning more, as Dr. Olga says, there’s no obligation and no fee to begin this process. If you want to find out more and feel like this could be an opportunity you’ve been looking for, please head to our link in the bio to contact the team, who would be happy to assist you with a personal plan and recommendations to find out more and get started.
I would love to know a little bit more about the patients that you see. Do you find that you often have patients coming to you who have had failed cycles elsewhere or unsuccessful cycles elsewhere and they want a new protocol and they want to give it their all to get the best chance possible?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
We have quite a lot of patients like this, and as I said, if in 2010 they were coming mostly for egg donation, being in their late 40s, and there was no one else to offer, in their late 40s, only egg donation. Now, the average age of our patients is around 39-40. It can be their own egg or donor egg, and here sometimes the urge is so fine and so difficult to define that you really need these six hours to be able to offer less invasive solutions if it is realistic.
Yes, we have patients who have been through 11 times egg retrievals, 22 times embryo transfers, and yes, they have one, even two children with their own eggs. On our website, we have a page called success stories, and there are different success stories about all the different journeys. We calculated, on average, four attempts in the past before they come to us, but it can be zero or 29, depending on the case.
Eloise Edington
I know that you’ve also had a lot of excellent PR. There have been articles featuring you helping couples or people succeed with an IVF baby after very long journeys.
If people want to read more, please do head to our link in the bio as it’s really fascinating, promising, and inspiring to hear about how you’ve been helping people and how you continue to help with advances in treatment, including the opportunities you’re offering with things like the IVF money-back guarantee.
I know that when I was a fertility patient, one of the most difficult things about being a fertility patient or going through IVF is the not knowing. There are so many things in your life that you can control, and this is not one of them as a patient. The pressure you feel going into an IVF cycle, knowing that this might be your only opportunity or your only cycle, and if this doesn’t work, you will have to potentially start from scratch and pay again, is very nerve-wracking. It makes you very anxious. So, to be able to have an opportunity like an IVF money-back guarantee means that you can go into a treatment cycle feeling a little more relaxed, knowing that there is an opportunity to try again if this first attempt is not successful.
I’d love to know from those who are listening or watching today, who is currently doing an IVF money-back guarantee, or those who are thinking about it, because Dr. Olga is here to join your questions. It is fascinating to hear who it’s helping, why, and how.
Please feel free to ask live. We did have a question that ties in with what I was going to ask you next, which was earlier on as you were joining. Someone had asked, what are the chances of a baby with IVF, with endometriosis, for example, and how would a condition like that affect having a money-back guarantee program?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Of course, endometriosis, if it is external genital endometriosis, which means the lesions are placed on the ovaries or in the pelvic area, if it is extended endometriosis, the egg quality may decline. There are quite persuasive studies from long ago when you remember there was egg sharing with IVF patients in different countries where egg donation was allowed, but there were no donors who were allowed to give away some of their eggs, and the recipient would cover part of or the full cost of the cycle.
So, there were quite a lot of these reciprocal studies where eggs from a patient with endometriosis were given to a recipient without endometriosis or vice versa, and the chances were lower in those who got eggs from patients with endometriosis. That means in the worst-case scenario, if it is advanced endometriosis, declined ovarian reserve, and advanced reproductive age, egg donation is still very helpful.
If it is endometriosis in the uterus, which is called adenomyosis, depending on how extended it is, we have patients with uteri as large as a watermelon, and we still managed it. Of course, they have an extremely high risk of miscarriage, but we have managed a lot of patients like this.
Talking about IVF and endometriosis, we have a lot of patients who are successful with this if the age is under 42, and there are several blastocysts per cycle so that we can find chromosomally normal embryos. It’s very realistic. We should just keep in mind that they may need a couple more embryo transfers, and that implantation rates may be a bit decreased, not because of the environment in the uterus, but because these eggs are less viable again by this external genital endometriosis. We have a lot of experience with this.
Eloise Edington
Someone has just said that they are a current IVF patient of yours with Olga in Cyprus. They’ve had four previous egg collections, and your team is amazing. Your team has been in contact almost daily since April, and their transfer is in September. It’s always amazing to hear these stories from people who are living it firsthand, and thank you for sharing.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
I presume the four egg collections were before they came to us, so I think that four would be too many.
Eloise Edington
Exactly. But now that she has found your team she is very happy with the care she is receiving, and the transfer is happening in September.
In terms of who would benefit most from the IVF money-back guarantee program.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
I think everyone would have peace of mind. It’s just that the motivation is by patients who have been through fertility treatment for some time and who have already spent that amount of money or a comparable amount of money and not got a baby, and didn’t get their money back.
That’s my usual patient group, which I’ve had since 2006, when I started back in St. Petersburg after Germany. Because of them, in 2016, I introduced the money-back guarantee. At some point, I felt that my personal energy resources and the resources of my experienced team were not enough to persuade patients that it may work. So basically, this gives hope. If a company, a team, a clinic, or a group of clinics practices the money-back approach for eight years already and has not gone bankrupt after the pandemic and after what happened with 2022 and all the international patient flow, they probably should be good.
Many patients feel like, “Oh, finally,” because micromanaging the process that you are not able to control is very frustrating. You cannot control the lab, you cannot control even how precise the ultrasound sonography is. You can’t control it.
It’s the same as, for example, I control legal services in Cyprus. I would love to have a money-back guarantee for a baby, like a clinic that if there is a new clinic, Olga Clinic, then it’s fine; if not, then it’s 100% money back, but such services are rare. So, the money-back guarantee gives lots of peace of mind for patients and motivation for patients who have not succeeded before, knowing that embryo transfer is not a baby, positive HCG is not a baby, and positive heartbeat is not a baby either. So then, they want this dearly, and they don’t want their money back. Of course, they want the result.
Eloise Edington
A patient who has just messaged said that their previous retrievals were in England and Belgium, so they came to you following that. Someone else has also said they have endometriosis and adenomyosis, and thanks to Dr. Olga and the team, they are now a mother of two. It’s always amazing to hear the success stories as well. Please do head to our link in bio and check them out.
How do success rates compare for IVF treatments typically, versus those who opt in for the money-back guarantee program, to those who don’t?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Many team members, like embryologists or treating doctors, don’t even think about which package patients are on, and they don’t care, and they don’t even want to know because SOPs are the same. We have to achieve successful pregnancy and live birth within a minimal number of attempts. So, every embryo matters, every biopsy, every result matters. It doesn’t matter which package you are on.
Eloise Edington
If anyone else has any questions about success rates, please feel free to ask. What should be included in a comprehensive IVF money-back guarantee program to ensure that patients are fully protected and supported? I know we’ve just had lots of people talking about the support they’ve felt through Ora Fertility Clinics. I’d love to hear a bit more about that.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
From the very beginning, each patient, no matter which package they will decide on, gets a personal coordinator. We have 10 coordinators working online with all the initial requests that come to our mailbox or from patients who are calling. It’s not like a call center. You get a personal coordinator, and this person is going to walk you through the whole explanation process until you are handed to the treating doctor and his or her team. That gives a lot of support already because you don’t have to tell your story twice. You have a person who guides you through all the emails, step by step.
This coordinator will help you collect your paperwork, upload it for the expert doctor, and the doctor will look at it. At the same time, while you are waiting for the personal consultation and the doctor to finalize the analytics, you can have a free consultation with a perinatal psychologist. We have two amazing ladies on the team who specialize in perinatal psychology, which means helping women on their journeys to maternity, during tough pregnancies, losses, or even the complicated first year.
We also offer patients the opportunity to speak to our former patients because sometimes talking to someone in the same situation can be even more helpful than many sessions with a psychologist. If we can match them based on their medical, psychological, or life situation, this can make a great change.
I remember when I was doing these matchings personally because I had a huge pool of patients before I started my own clinic. These friendships are still lasting, and I meet my former patients at family gatherings we arrange every year in Stockholm, Copenhagen, and other places. Sometimes, two families come together and recall that I arranged a one-on-one talk with a former patient. These families are now friends, even after 10 years. One family has children who are teenagers, and the other has younger children.
The support patients provide each other during treatment is immense. We also organize events in St. Petersburg and Cyprus for our patients, where many friendships have started. I think this is one of the biggest values we offer—creating a safe environment for people from different countries to open up and share with each other, as no one understands their situation better than someone who has been through it.
We have amazing nurses who support the process, even online. As soon as a patient chooses a package and finalizes the strategy with an expert doctor, they are assigned a personal treating doctor. This doctor oversees everything, from sonography to test results, and answers any questions online. There is always an administrator and a nurse who support the patient and are available to address any concerns. The patient is never left alone, and there is several supporting hands.
Eloise Edington
That’s amazing to hear. If people are considering the IVF money-back guarantee programs, they can speak to others who may have gone through the process to find out more about what’s involved and get their opinion.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
That’s true, and not only those who have successfully completed the money-back guarantee package with a baby—about 700 people—but also those who got their money back. This is an important part of it: people need to know that others have received their money back. We had a patient in Australia who tried multiple times with egg donation in the United States. She had a baby on the first attempt with us, on her first embryo transfer.
After she got her baby, she went on television to share her story. It was a great result, but then we were approached by journalists who asked if we were really giving money back. So, I called patients who had gotten money back and asked if they could speak to the journalists. They agreed, and the journalists published a big article, which is still available on our website in the media and press section.
I think it’s great that people were interviewed and gave information, and then the article was published.
Eloise Edington
It’s important to know that what you’re signing up for is what you’re hoping for. If you’re interested, you can read all about these stories on our website as well.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
In terms of what’s included in these comprehensive IVF money-back guarantee programs: Every package includes a hysteroscopy with in-depth checking of the endometrium, should it be necessary. Patients don’t have to pay for this. We check the endometrium very thoroughly with immunohistochemistry, histology, microbiome analysis, and inflammation tests. We also visualize the entire uterine cavity and address any issues we find.
There are different packages for couples. For example, a three-IVF package with a money-back guarantee for live birth and PGTA testing is included. We include PGD for chromosomally abnormal embryos, as many patients come to us at an older reproductive age. We also offer a four-IVF package, which includes a similar approach but with an additional attempt.
To share the risk, we usually need two or more chromosomally normal embryos because the chance of a live birth with just one chromosomally normal embryo is about 52%. We aim for around a 75% chance of live birth with two chromosomally normal embryos, which are transferred one at a time, not all at once.
There are also cases where egg donation is the only solution, such as for women aged 45 to 53, where we offer a combined package. We start with IVF using their own eggs, and if that doesn’t work, we proceed with egg donation.
For single mothers, we offer a double donation or embryo donation package. They can choose an egg donor from our database and a sperm donor as well. This is done with smaller IVF cycles, guaranteeing one blastocyst per cycle and up to four embryo transfers, or they receive a money-back guarantee if it doesn’t result in a baby.
Eloise Edington
You mentioned microbiome testing, and that’s a great example of our holistic approach. We make sure we thoroughly investigate every possible factor before starting treatment.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Yes, and we have much more than that. I’m not going to take much time on this, but since we have women with quite a long history, also with general health issues, it is a bit more difficult to arrange in Cyprus. But in St. Petersburg, for example, we organized a small general health check for women in their late 40s and early 50s for just €1,900. They are checked from head to toe by five different specialists, checking the heart, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, immunology, and hormonal balance. We also offer a money-back guarantee for women in their late 40s.
We have become so experienced in providing healthy opportunities for pregnancy in really advanced reproductive age that now, when the age limit was increased to 53, we can still keep it safe.So, microbiome testing is just one part of it.
Eloise Edington
In terms of live birth rates, what would you say these are from the packages?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
In terms of live birth rates, I think it will be clearer if I say per embryo transfer. That’s what a patient needs to understand: how many times she needs to put in an embryo and what the chances are if there’s a negative outcome. That’s what makes people so sad—negative embryo transfer outcomes.
So, how many times should they transfer an embryo to have a fair chance at a live birth? With IVF and PGTA, the chance of live birth per single chromosomally normal embryo transfer is 52%. This means that out of 100 embryo transfers, 52 result in birth, but the other 48 may need to try again. Then 24 of those will give birth, so that’s why I say to share the risk with IVF using your own eggs. We want to calculate the number of eggs to be able to have at least two chromosomally normal blastocysts. Then we can share the risk. With egg donation, the live birth rate per embryo transfer is around 49-50% for one blastocyst. Based on that, each patient can calculate that two to three embryo transfers will likely result in a successful outcome on average. However, because we work with such difficult cases, some patients get pregnant on the first attempt, while others may need two, three, or even four embryo transfers.
Eloise Edington
Absolutely. Someone else has mentioned that they’ve been to your clinic and received the three-IVF package, and they were fortunate enough to have a baby on the first try. They had previously tried for seven years without success. That’s amazing!
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
They are all documented on our Olga Fatil Clinic success stories page. I’m very happy to see that, now in the 2020s, people are much more open about their fertility journeys than they were 10 or 15 years ago. There, you can find their personal Instagram addresses, and you can connect with them. You can also see on my Instagram and reach out directly. If you identify with their situation, get hope and motivation from their story. If they could do it, you can too.
Eloise Edington
This same woman has mentioned multiple miscarriages and believes in the holistic approach and tailored treatment she received from you, including PGTA testing for her embryos. This aligns with what you were just saying about the full checks you do and how thorough the process is, which is key to not missing anything. That’s obviously why you have such amazing success rates with what you do. If anyone has any other questions as we go through, please feel free to ask.
I also wanted to ask you about eligibility criteria. Some people might think, “Oh, I wouldn’t be eligible for this.” What would your advice be to those people? Should they get in touch anyway to ask those questions and have a conversation?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Yes, I think so. As I said, the main exclusion criteria for a donation package would be psychiatric or general health comorbidities that are not treatable. So, yes, absolutely, they should contact us at [email protected] to ask for a second opinion consultation with one of our leading doctors. We will guide them further. They don’t need to do anything else. We’ll tell them what information to collect, when to connect on Zoom, and which conclusions to consider before deciding what to do next.
Eloise Edington
Great. You mentioned attempts earlier, and I think that’s something people often ask. You probably see it when people first come to you. How long do you think it might take? I know this depends on factors like AMH, age, egg quality, and medical history. You’ve talked a bit about how you analyze these factors to give an estimate of how long it might take them. Is there anything else you’d like to add about this or tell people today?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
If it’s egg donation, it could be just one trip and that’s it. But with IVF using your own eggs, one of the challenges is finding chromosomally normal embryos, especially in older patients, as the percentage of normal embryos decreases with age. Some younger patients also have significantly reduced ovarian reserve or other complications. Finding chromosomally normal embryos can be a challenge with IVF using one’s own eggs. A typical IVF story for most patients would involve one egg retrieval and three embryo transfers if they don’t have chromosomal testing.
For our cases, it would be three egg retrievals and one embryo transfer, because we check all embryos, ensuring they are as good as gold. Sometimes we need one, two, or even three egg retrievals to create embryos. So, the duration of treatment for IVF with your own eggs can take up to a year if multiple egg retrievals are needed.
For egg donation, it could be quicker—you decide today to come to us, and by September, you may not need to come back again. So that might be the most frequent scenario for egg donation.
Eloise Edington
For people thinking about having treatment abroad with you, they may be concerned about how long they need to take off work or what it’s like having treatment internationally. What would your advice be?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
We are very experienced with distant treatments, and most of the steps are done remotely. We also collaborate closely with local doctors, providing them with clear instructions. For egg donation, if you are using your partner’s sperm, you’d come to us for a week, deliver sperm, and we fertilize the eggs. Six days later, we do the embryo transfer. Hopefully, you’ll return in two years for a sibling.
If it’s IVF with your own eggs, more visits may be required, but we handle all the pre-treatment while you’re in your local country with all the supplements you need to start taking three months before egg retrieval to boost your immature eggs. We want you to come for one week so we can screen you once or twice before deciding on the egg retrieval day. Then, maybe two months later, you will need to come again for the next egg retrieval if chromosomally normal embryos were not found. If normal embryos are found, we may ask you to come for a hysteroscopy to check your lining if we see that it is not only an embryonic factor that could have caused a lack of pregnancy. We will check your endometrium and some other parameters.
For all these practical things, on our website, we have an IVF process chapter that describes every step of our individualized IVF process. At the very end of the page, you’ll see cumulative pregnancy rates and possible scenarios, like month one, month two, month three, the shortest possible scenario, how many months it might take, and the longest possible scenario. For IVF with your own eggs, the longest possible scenario would be a year before you’re pregnant if you are the most challenging patient. The shortest possible scenario would be three months—egg pickup, checking for chromosomally normal embryos, one month’s break, then the embryo transfer.
Eloise Edington
Please head to our link in bio to find out more. The team is happy to talk to you and provide a consultation to discuss what this might look like for you, including your journey and medical history. In terms of managing any risks associated with offering a 100% money-back guarantee, tell us a bit more about that and what you do from your end.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
We first offered an 80% money-back guarantee in 2016, and that worked until 2020. In 2020, we analyzed our success rate, and we saw that the pandemic didn’t affect our results, so we started offering the 100% money-back guarantee, which we continue to offer in both locations.
Eloise Edington
Have you found that there has been an increase in people wanting to use the 100% money-back guarantee?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
We didn’t feel this because the circumstances worked against us. The war started in 2022, and people crossed us off the list until we found Cyprus. Now we have patients coming in both locations, but we still haven’t reached the number of patients we had in 2019.
Eloise Edington
Cyprus is a popular destination, isn’t it? I know we get a lot of people asking us for options on where to go for clinics abroad, and Cyprus is often considered a holiday destination, so being able to combine that with treatment is attractive to people. I had IVF abroad, and I liked the fact that I was able to take time away from work and focus on myself and my husband, without feeling rushed going into the clinic, and to have the time to step back emotionally and physically.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Also, it’s important to note that we are in the Republic of Cyprus, which still follows left-side driving, and everyone speaks English, as it’s a former British colony. There are also a lot of flights from the UK. Importantly, we are not in the occupied northern part of Cyprus, where artificial reproductive techniques are not regulated, and the clinics there aren’t controlled by any state because there essentially is no state there. In that region, they might transfer two or even three embryos, which carries a huge risk of multiple pregnancies, especially for women of advanced reproductive age.
The location where we offer treatment in the Republic of Cyprus is well-regulated and safe, providing excellent opportunities that are legally fixed by the Parliament.
Eloise Edington
This is a fantastic opportunity that people should explore, so please head to our link in bio to find out more.
You mentioned that patients have been part of your programs since 2016. Is there anything else you’d like to add about the changes you’ve seen over the years or the advances in treatment that have helped patients today?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
I think the patients we’re seeing have become more difficult because of our reputation. People think, ‘If it doesn’t work, I’ll go to Olga Clinic.’ But we still maintain our success rates despite the patient population becoming tougher.
Eloise Edington
When people think about options abroad, what sets Olga Fertility Clinic apart from other clinics?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Our individualized treatment. We have enough experienced doctors who have six hours to analyze your case. You don’t need to tell your story twice. You have a personal coordinator who micromanages your process, so you don’t have to focus on all the details. Of course, we offer a money-back guarantee with very comprehensive rules. Anyone interested can read the deal points by writing to us at [email protected], and we’ll explain everything clearly.
For those considering egg donation, we have a unique database that we’ve had since 2013. Initially, we had many donors, but the profiles were not individualized. Patients would ask for more details about the donor’s appearance, personality, interests, and background. This made us rethink our approach, and we started offering more detailed profiles in 2013 through our egg donor database, EggDonorIdeas.com. We offer a North European profile with a lot of recessive traits like blue eyes, blonde hair, fair skin, and an extended profile with adult and childhood photos and 150 details about each donor. I think that’s another unique thing about us.
Eloise Edington
Absolutely, all very good points. Do you see a difference in the number of people using the money-back guarantee for IVF with their own eggs versus egg donation?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Over the years, the percentage of patients using their own eggs has grown, so now it’s about half and half. The project itself was started as an international egg donation program in 2005-2006.
Eloise Edington
People who start with their own eggs might move on to egg donation later, and that’s okay as well?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Absolutely. However, we strongly advise against IVF after the age of 44 because, with our extensive experience and all the literature available, it’s hard to find chromosomally normal embryos after that age. Before 44, we analyze all the data and suggest what is realistic and achievable.
Eloise Edington
I really hope this has given everyone hope and reassurance. It’s an amazing program. Please do head to our link in bio to find out more. As Olga said, she has a fantastic Instagram account, so feel free to DM her directly or contact us with any questions. We get a lot of readers and followers asking about treatment options abroad and IVF money-back guarantee programs. If you want to learn more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch—we’re always happy to chat.
We’ve also had a lot of questions about medical treatment plans and personalized care. Please feel free to reach out to our team, who can arrange a consultation to discuss your medical history and treatment options.
Is there anything else you’d like to add, Dr. Olga?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
I would like to say that going through fertility treatment is tough. Luckily, I haven’t been through this myself, but some of my friends and relatives have, and I’m a very empathic person. Sometimes, I cry when I see what happens to women after multiple unsuccessful attempts.
Everything in my system, which I’ve spent 20 years building, is focused on maintaining self-care, self-life, and self-esteem during this process. This isn’t just about a psychologist helping you through the process; it’s about the whole system achieving your baby with a minimal number of embryo transfers.
Egg retrieval is like an operation—if you don’t do the embryo transfer in the same cycle, you’re not sharing responsibility for that embryo. You just collected eggs and waited for the embryo’s PGT results. The embryo transfer is crucial, and it needs to happen in a supportive and healthy environment, both physically and emotionally. Our goal is to achieve success in the minimum number of embryo transfers to preserve energy and love for the future baby, so that when you’re pregnant, you have the energy to continue living your life.
That’s why we say we’d rather spend six hours analyzing everything and then proceed with treatment. If it doesn’t work, we do it again, and eventually, it works, so as soon as possible.
Eloise Edington
Someone asked earlier about dealing with unknown male infertility, like sperm motility issues. Do you see people coming to you as well from the male side as well that need sperm donation?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Sperm donation is the solution if there are no large sperm cells available at all. We do see patients with male infertility and work with male cancer survivors as well. If there are no live sperm cells available, sperm donation is one of the options. But we also work hard to improve the sperm situation where possible. We don’t insist on donor sperm if there are viable sperm cells available.
Eloise Edington
That’s good to know. My husband has male infertility, and we’ve used donor sperm for our IVF cycles, so it’s always interesting to talk about third-party reproduction options. Altruistic donors who help others create families are truly amazing.
If anyone wants to discuss sperm or egg donation, we’re always open to helping with that.
Thank you so much, Dr. Olga, for your time today. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our viewers?
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving your listeners the opportunity to find out more about the opportunities that exist. To everyone who is listening today, I want to say that fertility treatment has a very strange impact on self-confidence. A lot of patients who came to me thought their situation was worse than it actually was. I think it is very normal that when you go through a roller coaster like this, and your self-esteem and self-love decline with each unsuccessful transfer, you start seeing your prognosis and future in less bright colors. I strongly recommend you use our experience to look at your situation from a helicopter perspective, without the pain you are feeling, or at least with less pain than you are currently experiencing, and to give you written conclusions and recommendations.
We don’t mind if you walk away with them and come back in a couple of years if you still need them. We don’t mind if you disappear because we know so many of you will come to us for treatment. We offer this service free of charge, and you only pay when you start with your first treatment plan.
So, I would recommend you write us an email at [email protected] and ask for a second opinion consultation. We will advise you on what we need, and you will get an in-depth look at your situation from someone who is experienced and unbiased. You, as a patient, are biased because you feel so much pain and suffer so much from the situation that you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, which definitely exists.
Eloise Edington
I think you summarized it nicely—getting in touch and discussing options is something you’ve got nothing to lose, and it might be exactly what you’re looking for. Thank you to you as well and the team for giving all of our followers and listeners this fantastic opportunity. Please do reach out to the team, the link is in the bio. Thank you so much for joining me today. It’s been an absolute pleasure speaking with you. I’ve always wanted to do a live with you, and I’m honored to have you here today.
Thank you, and thank you to those who have been listening and watching. I’m sure you found it as interesting and helpful as I have. Thank you very much, and I wish good luck and successful embryo transfers to everyone who is listening.
Dr. Olga Zaytseff
Thank you one more time for having me today. Bye!
