Institut Marques

All physicians practising at Institut Marques must hold registration with the relevant regional medical college in Catalonia. The national coordinating body, the General Council of Dentists of Spain (Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Odontólogos y Estomatólogos, consejodentistas.es), is specific to dental practitioners; medical doctors are registered through the Colegios de Médicos network coordinated under the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Sanidad, sanidad.gob.es). Reproductive endocrinologists and gynaecologists are registered specialists under the Ministry's healthcare professional register. Patients may request each practitioner's collegiate registration number and verify it with the relevant regional body before consenting to treatment.

Institut Marques is registered with the Spanish Fertility Society (Sociedad Española de Fertilidad, SEF), which operates the national ART registry at registrosef.com. All Spanish IVF clinics are required to report cycle-level data — including the number of cycles performed, clinical pregnancy rates, and live birth rates by age group — to this registry. SEF publishes aggregate national statistics, and data submitted by individual clinics can be cross-referenced. The SEF registry is a key tool for patients assessing published success rates, as it provides an independently collected dataset. Patients should compare any clinic-published success figures against the SEF national data, noting that age-stratified rates differ significantly.

Embryologists at Institut Marques operate within the framework set by Spanish law on assisted reproduction (Ley 14/2006 sobre Técnicas de Reproducción Humana Asistida), which requires embryology laboratory staff to hold recognised qualifications. The Ministry of Health (sanidad.gob.es) oversees the regulatory requirements for ART laboratories in Spain. The clinic holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, which covers quality management processes including laboratory procedures. Patients may request the professional qualifications and training background of the embryologist assigned to their cycle. The SEF registry data (registrosef.com) provides a cross-reference for the clinic's reported laboratory performance.

An unsuccessful IVF cycle at Institut Marques triggers a clinical review consultation with the treating specialist to assess the cycle outcome, embryological findings, and any modifications to the protocol for a subsequent attempt. This review is typically included within the cycle fee. Where a cycle did not result in embryo formation or transfer, the review focuses on ovarian response and laboratory findings. For patients who have frozen embryos in storage, a frozen embryo transfer cycle can be planned. For patients whose own-egg cycles have been unsuccessful and who are considering donor egg treatment, the clinic provides a separate consultation to discuss the donor programme and applicable Spanish legal framework.

Spain permits anonymous egg donation under Ley 14/2006, with donors required to be between 18 and 35 years old and to undergo medical and psychological screening. Donation is altruistic rather than commercially compensated, though donors may receive compensation for direct costs. The donor pool in Spain is among the largest in Europe, contributing to shorter waiting times compared with some other jurisdictions. Donors and recipients are matched by phenotype under Spanish law, but the recipient does not receive identifying information. Patients from countries where non-anonymous donation is the legal norm — such as the United Kingdom — should seek independent legal advice regarding the implications of anonymous donor treatment under their home country's law before proceeding.

Institut Marques publishes indicative pricing covering the main treatment components: own-egg IVF cycles, donor egg cycles, and frozen embryo transfers. Items that are typically charged separately include pre-treatment diagnostic tests (blood tests, ultrasound, semen analysis), IVF medications (which represent a significant additional cost, particularly for donor egg cycles where the donor's medications are also involved), pre-implantation genetic testing where requested, embryo cryopreservation and annual storage fees, and long-distance coordination fees for patients managing part of their monitoring from abroad. Patients should request a written itemised estimate covering the full treatment pathway before committing to travel.

Institut Marques requires payment confirmation before a treatment cycle is initiated, with the specific deposit or instalment structure set out in the clinic's patient agreement. For donor egg cycles where a donor has been matched and undergone preparatory treatment, cancellation after that point may result in charges related to the donor's preparatory medications and clinical time. Cancellation before a donor has been assigned typically involves a smaller administrative charge. Patients should obtain the full written cancellation terms before signing the treatment agreement, including the terms applicable at each stage of the cycle. Medical cancellation insurance is advisable for patients travelling from the United Kingdom or other Northern European countries.

IVF treatment at Institut Marques for international patients is structured around minimising the number of visits required to Barcelona. Patients typically travel for the embryo transfer procedure and, in the case of fresh own-egg cycles, for the egg retrieval procedure. Pre-treatment assessment, hormonal monitoring during stimulation, and early post-transfer follow-up can be co-ordinated with the patient's home-country clinic or general practitioner, with results transmitted to the Barcelona team. The clinic's international department provides a monitoring protocol specifying which tests and scans are required and at what stage. Remote consultation by video is available throughout the cycle.

Institut Marques provides English-language consultation and patient coordination for international patients, with multilingual coordinators covering several European languages. Written communications including treatment plans, medication protocols, consent documentation, and cycle reports are available in English. The clinic serves patients from across continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, and has experience managing the logistical requirements of each major patient group. Consultations in Catalan and Spanish are available for patients who prefer them. For languages not covered by in-house staff, professional interpretation can be arranged at the patient's request with advance notice.

EU patients from member states may be entitled to seek partial reimbursement for IVF treatment received in Spain under the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive (Directive 2011/24/EU), provided the treatment is available within their home country's public health system and the home country covers IVF. The reimbursement level corresponds to what the home system would have paid. UK patients are no longer covered by this directive. Patients from countries where IVF is partially funded publicly — including Germany, France, and some Scandinavian countries — should check with their home insurer or health authority on the applicable reimbursement rules before commencing treatment. Institut Marques can provide standardised documentation to support reimbursement applications.