Travel insurance when undergoing IVF UK

[Shrimpin]

Hi, does anyone have experience of UK travel insurers and medical screening questions?

I am in the early stage of my first IVF cycle. I have booked a holiday for after the first cycle is complete (and I will know an outcome from the 2 week pregnancy test).

I have spoken to an insurer who said that IVF does not need to be declared as a treatment I am undergoing, but if for any reason the trip was to be cancelled due to reasons relating to IVF, then I would not be covered by the policy.

Has anyone cames across probelms with travel insurance claims due to IVF?

Thanks in advance

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Shrimpin. Hoping you get a reply that helps. Anyone with a reply, please PM if mentioning companies by name. Thanks. Diane

[Twiglet2]

Hi, what you’ve been told is true, going through IVF doesn’t affect your travel insurance price and doesn’t need to be declared. It isn’t something you can cancel a trip for and get money back on though. For example you book a holiday for early November when you are due to start a cycle mid November but your period comes early and you need to go to the clinic when you would have been on holiday. You wouldn’t get your holiday money back from insurer as you have chosen to go through IVF that month.

I don’t see it as a ‘problem’ with insurers it’s just the way insurance works (they wouldn’t cover if you had booked other ‘elective’ treatments either it’s just unforeseen things like medical emergencies they insure against normally and when I say ‘elective’ I don’t mean we have a choice in undergoing IVF 🤪 I mean we have a choice around timing ie it’s not an ‘emergency’) we just need to time our holidays to make sure no chance of cancelling for IVF. It’s never been an issue for us in the 6-7 years we have gone through treatment you just plan trips around the treatment or treatment around the trips depending on which is the priority for example if it’s a trip for a family member wedding etc. just tell the clinic and they will help plan the right time around that but general holidays just book last minute or when you know defo nothing happening IVF wise that month is how we did it . we had at least 3-4 trips a year abroad and plenty staycations so totally possible. Is there something particularly worrying you about the fact you couldn’t cancel due to IVF and get your money back? If you are worried that you won’t want to travel due to being pregnant that’s not really ‘IVF related’ it’s pregnancy related and I think most insurers wouldn’t pay out for that either unless there was a some kind of medical emergency related to the pregnancy (whether it’s an IVF pregnancy or not) so maybe try that angle with the insurer? sometimes hotels and airlines are sympathetic in those circumstances though and will let you move dates. Good luck with your cycle and I hope it ends up being a happy problem for you after your cycle 🤗💜 xx

[Shrimpin in reply to Twiglet2]

Hi and thank you so much for replying. We have booked a trip for when our first cycle will have ended and checked with the clinic that those dates should be clear. So on that front, I don't anticipate any issues. A concern (and defaulting to worst case scenraio for the purpose of example), is that in the case I am lucky enough to become pregnant and then while away experience some kind of complication, would the insurer then have an issue with it being a pregnancy by IVF? I am cynical about the practice of insurers I suppose, and their reluctance to pay out of they can help it!! However I am a novice at all of this and probably overcomplicating things in my mind! Thanks again X

[Twiglet2 in reply to Shrimpin]

It shouldn’t matter how you got pregnant just your coverage for that regardless of IVF xx

[Tir-26]

agree with advice above, shouldn’t matter how u got pregnant. Pregnancy is pregnancy! All the very best with your treatment.

[Shrimpin in reply to Tir-26]

Thank you for replying 😊