Are you planning to come to us for your IVF treatment because you want value for money and are not happy about paying the astronomical fees IVF clinics in the US charge ?

One major bottleneck in the past was the fact that your local US doctor will often refuse to prescribe the basic tests and medications you need for your IVF treatment. Because of this, just like many other patients, you were locked into the US medical system, and could not explore alternative options.

The good news is that now there are alternative options available to US patients, so that you are no longer completely dependent upon the cooperation of their local MD. This gives you a lot of freedom !

Here are examples of 3 websites which allow me to help patients like you living in the USA, even before you come to me.

Most patients will need some basic medical tests done before we can start IVF treatment.

These include blood tests to check your hormone levels, such as FSH, LH, prolactin and TSH. These can now be ordered online at www.mymedlab.com !

Also, you need imaging studies, such as a vaginal ultrasound scan. You can now find a radiologist to do this scan for you at www.remakehealth.com !

Finally, you can buy your medicines online at www.ivfmeds.com !

Will this encourage overtesting or self-testing ? The simple answer is - No. You still need a doctor's prescription to do these tests and buy these medicines. The only difference is that you are no longer forced to use your local doctor's services !!

This means that you are now empowered to manage your own treatment (with some help from me !) and are no longer limited by the expensive options your local medical facility offers ! Even better, because these websites cut out the middleman, you end up saving a lot of money by using these services, which are priced very competitively and transparently.

Coming to Bombay (Mumbai) for IVF is extremely easy.
Bombay (Mumbai) is a major metropolis, and has its own international airport. This is called Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. You can book your tickets online, and find the best deals by asking Indian travel agents in your city. Another option is to check out www.bootsnall.com .

A return air ticket to India from the US costs about US $ 1000- 1500. Your husband can accompany you, or you can hand-carry his frozen sperm in a dry shipper (which you will need to borrow from your local infertility clinic) or in a dry-ice box packed with dry ice. The clinic is in the heart of south Bombay, and is an hour's ride away from the airport. IVF treatment is done on a day-care basis, so you do not need hospitalisation at all. There are many hotels nearby and we can help you arrange accommodation in close proximity to our clinic. You only need to make 4 - 6 visits to the clinic during the entire cycle, and after the embryo transfer, you can fly back home.

When you buy tickets to come for IVF, please make sure these are flexible tickets. Eggs can grow at variable rates - and it's useful to have some flexibility in your travel plans, to allow for this biological variability !

Over half our patients come to us from out of Bombay; and a quarter of all our patients come from overseas, so we are very experienced in meeting your special needs. To make the process as easy as possible for you, we have developed protocols that allow you to interact easily with us by email. You can have all your preliminary testing and care performed by your own doctor in your own town. This means that with well-planned scheduling, you only need to spend about 10 to 20 days at our clinic to complete an IVF cycle of treatment.

Traveling to do IVF may make it less stressful for you. Getting prepared for the cycle is more stressful (things to do to get ready for the trip, etc.), but the cycle itself may be less stressful. You can do a lot of sightseeing and you may obsess less about the cycle that way than you would have if you were home and working. Also, you have fewer responsibilities to worry about and can concentrate on your cycle.

If you send me your complete name and address, I will email you an invitation letter, so you can apply for a Medical (M-visa) from the Indian embassy. You can find out where the Indian embassy in your clinic is at www.embassyworld.com.

We are the first IVF clinic which can provide you with accommodation facilities ! We can offer you a safe and secure stay (which is especially important if you are coming alone !) in central Bombay at Tardeo. This is about 30 min away from the clinic by taxi (and the ride would cost about Rs 100 (US $ 2) only ). We offer specially subsidized rates for our patients. A large airconditioned room costs only Rs 2000 (US $ 50) per night. Non-AC rooms are Rs 1500 (US$ 40) only per night. Breakfast is free ! If you want to book this, please contact us for details.

There's more information on hotels near the clinic at Click here !

You can calculate exchange rates from your currency into Indian rupees at http://www.xe.com/.

Here are some more tips for travellers to India !

Over the last 13 years, we have treated patients from all over the world- USA, UK, Australia, Middle East , Kenya, Nigeria and Singapore. Our patients have been surprised and pleased at the convenience that our system offers them . In fact, many feel that it is easier to be treated at Malpani Infertility Clinic, than to take treatment in their own home city . In addition, taking off 10 to 14 days in a relaxed setting, where you can bond with your partner and with us can only help promote an optimal outcome. You can also fly down to see the Taj Mahal, or get an ayurvedic massage in Kerala to melt your stress away.

A complete IVF cycle at our clinic costs only US $ 4000 - and this is all-inclusive of all medical procedures, including lab tests, scans, egg pickup and embryo transfer. We do not charge extra for ICSI which means a complete cycle of IVF with ICSI also costs only US $ 4000. The approximate total costs of all the medicines used for superovulation for one complete cycle is about US $ 1000 more. Embryo freezing (including storage for 1 year) is US $ 1000. Laser assisted hatching and blastocyst transfer cost US $ 500 more. A complete cycle of PGD costs US $ 6000. A complete cycle of donor egg IVF costs US $ 7500 only (including payment for the egg donor). Embryo adoption costs US $ 5000 only.

We provide a package deal which includes ALL costs, rather than add on costs for individual services (such as scans, OT charges, lab fees and so on) which many other clinics do ! This helps patients to know what their TOTAL cost will be upfront. We have no hidden expenses.

As an added service to our patients, we now accept payment at the clinic using international credit cards (Visa, MasterCard or American Express).

Indian Rupees (INR) is the currency of India, the approximate conversion rate is 1USD = Rs. 46.
Currency notes are available in multiples of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 & 1000.

Bombay, which has recently been rechristened to its ancient ethnic name of Mumbai, is the largest metropolis in India. This city, home to roughly 15 million people is located on the west coast of India and is the capital of the state of Maharashtra. Truly the 'Gateway of India', it is an important hub for international flights to India and the biggest port in India. Mumbai contributes the most to foreign trade in the country and it is the nation's commercial capital. The city is located on an island with a deep natural harbour.

In September the intensity of rainfall decreases. The monsoons officially end in the 3rd week of September. September has unsettled weather. The rainfall is short and light and is not continuous. The end of the monsoon, much like the beginning can feature heavy thunderstorms associated with the withdrawal of the monsoon current from the city and surrounding areas. The mean maximum daily temperatures reach 30.1°C while daily mean minimum daily temperature stays at 24.0°C. Cotton clothes are comfortable throughout the year.

Mumbai offers a plethora of delights for the visitor. Of course, no visit to Mumbai is complete without catching a sight of the famous Gateway of India monument. There are many other interesting sights in downtown Mumbai such as the Prince of Wales Museum and the Hanging Gardens and the Rajabhai Clock Tower.

The most spectacular sight near Mumbai are the magnificent caves, dedicated to the Hindu Lord Shiva on Elephanta Island, a short boat ride from the downtown jetty. These caves are a must-see and have been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. A two-day trip from Mumbai to the famous Ajanta and Ellora Caves near Aurangabad are equally beautiful, which are also a World Heritage Site worth seeing. For a relaxing break, a trip to the former Portuguese colony of Goa with its pristine beaches and seafood bonanza is recommended.

Mumbai offers a wide gastronomic choice with more than a thousand cafés and restaurants across the city. Spicy cuisine from various corners of India, fusion cuisine and international cuisine such as Continental, Thai, Japanese, Mexican & Chinese await the discerning palate.

Mumbai is the quintessential city that never sleeps. Trendy pubs and nightclubs are located in the downtown area as well as the suburbs. Many restaurants double up as bars and nightclubs and stay open till late hours. The dazzle of Bollywood movies beckons and even late night movies play to a full house. So don't be surprised if you are caught in a traffic jam at midnight even on a week day.

Mumbai is well connected by air with the rest of India as well as the world. It has the busiest network of domestic flights, with services to more than 30 cities daily, including flights to Aurangabad near the Ajanta and Ellora Caves and Agra, Jaipur and Kerala. The international airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, (www.mumbaiairport.com) located at Sahar, is about 4 km (2.5 miles) away from the domestic airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Domestic Airport located at Santa Cruz.

Travelling all the way to India for IVF treatment can be a difficult decision for many couples - especially those who have never been to India before. Here are some guidelines from one of our patients from the US, Fiona , which may help you to make a well-informed decision.

" I found out about the Malpani Infertility Clinic by searching the internet. My husband and I had found out about the costs of IVF in Louisiana, USA and due to the fact that our health insurance does not cover anything related to infertility so we knew that it would be expensive. It wasn't about not being able to afford it but more about not wanting to pay so much money to basically line the doctors/hospitals pocket. Coming from the UK, we find the American health system, in terms of cost, a bit of a nightmare. My research then started on countries that we knew offered IVF at reduced costs, such as Greece, Spain and India. I sent off emails to various clinics within these three countries and judged them by the response I received. I was amazed by the apparent lack of response from many clinics, and some provided such poor information that I didn't bother with them any further. The Malpani Clinic was prompt, informative, friendly and very patient. Further investigation by various reports on the internet reassured me of their good reputation and an internet friend of mine based in Mumbai also assured me of their credibility.

My expectations of Indian doctors was quite high. We have many doctors in the UK and USA that have come from India or Pakistan and that were also educated in their home countries so I figured that if my research was thorough then I would not be disappointed. My husband and I are an educated and professional couple so our view on such things may be different. I would not be surprised by people not knowing this and viewing such countries as 'third world' as such by nothing more than their own ignorance.

I am presently living in New Orleans in Louisiana. I moved here about 4 years ago from the UK, where I was born. I studied in Aberdeen for my BA Degree in Business Studies, which when completed I used for a couple of jobs within the Oil Industry. Two years prior to my departures to the U.S. I changed careers and became a College Lecturer in Business Administration, a job that I just adored. My British fiancée got a job in the U.S. and I moved with him where we married shortly after, I am presently studying for my BSc in Geosciences. I have been trying to conceive for 30 months and have had many consultations with specialists in New Orleans. This has involved the following: HSG, 2 IUI's and a laparoscopy. I became pregnant with my first IVF performed by the Malpanis but unfortunately lost it but am hoping that my next attempt is successful.

Yes , Westerners do have a poor opinion of India but that is due to what they see on the television, they are not educated about India via any other medium. But saying that, I would say that I personally was shocked by some of what I saw on my visit; after my treatment we toured for 2 weeks around Rajasthan and Delhi and were horrified by some of our sights. For example, the train station at Delhi was in my mind atrocious with an overpowering smell of urine, piles of excrement on the tracks and rats in plain view. We are probably an over-zealous nation (UK and USA) with our control of germs, we like things clean and out of sight so to see the things I mentioned are very off-putting. And then there is the poverty, and I can see how for some it would be very distressing.

I must say that I got used to it and now have a great affection for Mumbai and its people. As for the Clinic I cannot praise it enough after all it aided me in achieving my goal. It does sit within a non-descript looking building but once in the office you notice how nicely furnished and clean the surroundings are. The staff are courteous and kind; the Malpani's are wonderful - they explained everything I need to know as many times as I needed to know it. They comforted me when I was feeling unwell and lonely, in times going beyond the call of duty. It is these things that are missing in Western medicine, and I hope that it is not lost in India's effort to become a medical provider to more people around the world. "

You can read another patient's first person advise on coming to Mumbai for her IVF treatment.

India can be an exciting place to visit ! We promise to make your trip productive and fruitful (pun intended) !

Here are some useful tips for travellers to India.