We Answer the 5 Fertility Questions Every International Patient Should Ask

If you live outside Mexico and are considering having your fertility treatment here, it is natural to have many questions: how results are monitored, what a program includes, or who will support you once you are back home. Asking them is the best way to decide with peace of mind.

That is why we gathered the five most important questions worth asking before you travel, and we answer them one by one, so you have the full picture before taking the next step.

Before you travel: the questions that help you decide

Every year, more families from over 40 countries choose Mexico for their assisted reproduction treatment. The reasons vary: proximity, the experience of the medical teams and access to complete IVF programs. Even so, traveling to another country for such an important treatment is a decision that deserves all the information available.

Distance raises doubts that do not come up when you are treated close to home. How do I know the results I am shown are real? What happens if I need care after I have returned? Where do my embryos stay? These are questions that deserve clear answers.

Recently, Dr. Roohi Jeelani, a fertility specialist in the United States, summed up these concerns very well in a video on her Instagram account. In it, she proposed five questions every patient should ask before traveling for treatment: the live birth rate for her age, how many embryos are transferred, what the program really includes, who takes care of her once she is back home, and what happens to her frozen embryos.

We agree with her on something essential: when choosing where to have your treatment, everything that happens before, during and after it matters. A patient who asks more usually decides better, no matter which country she chooses.

So we want to answer these five questions from our own experience. At Ingenes, we have spent more than 20 years supporting people on their way to their baby, we have seen more than 75,000 babies born, and we welcome patients from over 40 countries, many of them arriving with these very same questions.

Is IVF in Mexico regulated? The role of REDLARA

There is a question many international patients ask: is assisted reproduction in Mexico supervised, or does each center work by its own rules?

The Latin American Network of Assisted Reproduction (REDLARA) has kept the regional registry of IVF treatments since 1990. It uses the same definitions as the registries in the United States and Europe, which makes results comparable across regions. In fact, the data on twin pregnancies in Latin America that Dr. Jeelani herself cited in her video comes from this registry.

Since 1997, REDLARA has also run an accreditation program with very specific requirements:

• The center must report a full year of every cycle: treatments started, transfers, births and twin pregnancies.
• External auditors visit the laboratory and verify that what was reported matches the records.
• The twin pregnancy rate must stay below 30%.
• Accreditation lasts five years, is reviewed every year and is lost if the center stops reporting.

In other words, the system serves a purpose very similar to the CDC registry in the United States: results are reported, verified and independently audited.

At Ingenes, we hold REDLARA’s Gold Seal. We are also licensed by the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), Mexico’s health regulator, and our laboratory takes part every month in external quality control through the Quality Assurance Program (PACAL). The standards are equivalent to those in the United States; the audit simply goes by a different name.

If you are comparing centers in Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America, asking to see their current REDLARA accreditation is one of the simplest ways to know who you are dealing with.

Results, transfer and what your program includes

The first three questions address what matters most to any patient: her real chances, the safety of the treatment and clarity about what she is signing up for.

1. What is the live birth rate for my age?

It is one of the most useful questions you can ask, especially when you compare it with the pregnancy rate. A positive test is an important step, but it is still not the end of the road. That is why, at Ingenes, the only metric we consider is a baby at home.

It also matters that the figure matches your age, because the odds change over the years. We treat patients of every age group, including women over 40 trying to conceive with their own eggs. At your first consultation, after reviewing your history and your tests, you receive a personalized estimate of your chances in writing, so you can decide with concrete information.

2. How many embryos are transferred?

This question is about safety. Twin pregnancies carry more risks for the mother and the babies, including a higher chance of preterm birth, and that is why we work to avoid them.

The number of embryos transferred depends on each case: your age, your reproductive history and the quality of the embryos available. Whenever possible, we transfer a single embryo, analyzed with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A), which checks whether it has the expected number of chromosomes. In other cases, your specialist may recommend transferring two embryos. When that happens, they clearly explain the benefits and risks of that decision, so you make it together and with all the information.

In addition, as part of our accreditation, REDLARA audits our twin pregnancy rate every year, which must stay within the limits set by its program.

3. What does the program really include?

A quote can look complete and still leave out important items, such as medications, genetic testing, embryo freezing and storage, or a second transfer. That is why it is worth reviewing, point by point, what each program covers.

Our Multicycle Programs include diagnosis and initial testing, every cycle in your program, every transfer, including the next one if the first does not implant, the ICSI technique, one year of embryo freezing and emotional support through our Ingenes Emotional Health Unit (SEI).

Even with all of this included, treatment in Mexico is usually more affordable than in the United States. The difference comes mainly from the cost of operating in each country, such as salaries, rent and running expenses, while the laboratory equipment, the protocols and the audits follow international standards.

What happens after the transfer is part of the treatment too: follow-up continues once you are back in your country

Going home and your frozen embryos

The last two questions look beyond the treatment itself. They are about what happens when you return to your country and the decisions you may make in the future.

4. Who takes care of me when I go home?

One of the greatest reassurances when you travel for treatment is knowing that your medical team stays with you at every stage. From your first consultation and throughout your stay in Mexico, the Ingenes team supports you closely to answer your questions, explain each step of the procedure and adjust whatever is needed along the way.

We monitor every stimulation closely, with protocols designed to make the process as safe as possible for you.

And when you return to your country, the communication continues. Your team is available in English and in your time zone, so you can get answers to any question no matter the distance.

5. What happens to my frozen embryos?

Your embryos are yours, and so is the decision about them. At Ingenes, they are kept in our own laboratories, monitored around the clock, and every year you receive a report on their status. When you decide to use them, you can travel just for the transfer or ask us to ship them to the center of your choice in your country. The terms of storage and shipping are explained in writing from the start.

How to take the first step

If you are comparing options, we encourage you to ask these five questions at every center you consider and to request the answers in writing. Our international patient guide brings together practical information on transportation, your stay and follow-up, and in our article on fertility tourism we explain why more and more families are choosing Mexico.

Our reproductive medicine specialists can review your history and answer each of these questions for your case. Your first consultation is the starting point, and you can schedule it here whenever you are ready to take the step.

Frequently asked questions

Is IVF in Mexico regulated?

Yes. Centers need a health license from COFEPRIS, the country’s health regulator, and those accredited by REDLARA report every cycle to a regional registry that has existed since 1990, with external audits that verify the results. At Ingenes, the laboratory also goes through external quality control every month.

How do I know whether a clinic is accredited by REDLARA?

Ask to see the current accreditation. It is a seal renewed every year, and the center loses it if it stops reporting its results, so they should be able to show it to you without any trouble.

Why does IVF in Mexico cost less than in the United States?

Because running a clinic in Mexico costs less: salaries, rent and operating expenses. The laboratory equipment, the protocols and the audits follow international standards, so the difference lies in the country’s cost of living, not in the treatment.

Can I take my frozen embryos back to my country?

Yes. You can ask us to ship them to the center you choose in your country, at an additional cost, or travel just for the transfer when you decide to use them. In the meantime, they are kept in our laboratories, monitored around the clock, with a yearly report.

Clear answers before you take the step

Choosing where to have your treatment deserves the same attention as the treatment itself. At Ingenes, we answer these five questions with facts you can verify: REDLARA’s Gold Seal, the COFEPRIS license and monthly external quality control, our own laboratories where your embryos are cared for, and a transfer policy that puts your safety first.

To that we add what our international patients value most: Multicycle Programs explained in writing from the start, the TripleMed approach to prepare each case comprehensively, emotional support from our SEI Unit, and a team that answers every one of your questions at every moment.

After more than 20 years and more than 75,000 babies born, we still believe the same thing: every story deserves clear answers and close support, step by step, until your baby at home.