Hundreds of Swedes have gone to Russia for IVF treatment

It has been three years since the full -scale invasion of Ukraine began. Despite sanctions on Russia and the travel remedy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 200 Swedes have traveled there to carry out an IVF treatment, reports Svenska Dagbladet.

– The operation of having children is so incredibly strong. Some do almost anything and pay as much to get that child that they long for so much, says Carin Lindén, section manager at the reproductive medical reception at Karolinska University Hospital, to the newspaper.

Over the past six years, over 1,000 Swedes have done IVF in Russia, where there are clinics that offer the money back after a certain number of failed attempts.

There are also clinics that offer treatment for women up to the age of 53. Swedish tax -financed care does not offer women older than 39 years the treatment and among Swedish private clinics, few make IVF on women older than 43 years.

Minister of Health Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD) is critical that Swedes have gone to Russia to try to have children despite the Foreign Ministry's travel remedy.

– I think you should follow the travel remedy. It exists for a reason. Lack of security, it is a country in war, we have sharp sanctions against Russia and there is a danger in going there, she tells SvD.

Implementing the treatment in Russia because you are too old to do so in Sweden is not an acceptable argument, says the minister.

– If you are too old then it is something that you simply have to take. It is not a right to be able to have children, but I have great respect for many struggling with the issue.