State spending on fertility treatment in Cyprus has surged from €475,417 in 2016 to €5.75 million in 2025—a 12-fold increase driven by soaring demand and expanded subsidies that now cover up to four attempts per couple.
The number of people receiving subsidies jumped from 412 in 2016 to 2,355 in 2025, with the sharpest increase following a 2021 scheme revision.
Over the past decade, Cyprus has subsidised 14,946 people at a total cost of €31.5 million, according to Ministry of Health data.
The growth in state support comes as fertility treatment costs remain steep.
IVF and ICSI procedures range from €6,000 to €10,000 per attempt, with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis adding another €2,000, according to Dr Nikos Zottis, an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Ledra Clinic and member of the Medically Assisted Reproduction Council.
Costs vary by clinic with no ceiling on charges.
State subsidies now reach €4,500 for a first attempt, €3,500 for a second, and €2,500 each for third and fourth attempts—but only for couples without children. Couples with one child qualify for up to three subsidised attempts, those with two children for up to two attempts.
The financial support extends beyond IVF. Women aged 35 to 43 receive €2,000 towards egg cryopreservation, which costs €2,500 to €4,000. Single embryo transfers, costing €700 to €1,500, attract €500 subsidies.
The state also provides up to 35 gonadotropin injections free through SHSO pharmacies for up to four attempts.
Success rates average 40-50% per attempt but depend heavily on age, Zottis said. Rates drop sharply after 40 and very sharply after 42. Individual outcomes vary widely—from 20% to 60%—making timing critical.
“Age works negatively,” Zottis said. “People must consult specialists first and not let time pass. The sooner, the more chances you have to succeed”.
Cyprus has no upper limit on attempts. If the first fails, a second can begin within one to two months. But regulations now restrict embryo numbers to reduce multiple pregnancies: women under 39 can transfer only one embryo for their first two attempts, with a maximum of two when multiple transfers are permitted. Women over 39 can transfer two from the first attempt.
The subsidy scheme, first introduced in 2002 and revised in July 2024, covers only GHS beneficiaries, with one exception: couples seeking egg cryopreservation for own use need not have both partners enrolled.
Eligible recipients include women up to age 53—single or in marriages, civil partnerships, or stable relationships confirmed by sworn statement.
Ten IVF centres now operate across Cyprus: five in Nicosia, four in Limassol and one in Larnaca.
The island has offered fertility treatments since 1988, when pioneer gynaecologist Dr Takis Georgiou first applied IVF locally—ten years after the world’s first IVF baby was born in Manchester. More than 12 million babies have since been born worldwide through IVF.
Available methods include IVF, where eggs and sperm fertilise naturally in a laboratory dish, and ICSI, where sperm is injected directly into the egg.
Many centres now choose ICSI as standard because it produces more embryos with better results, even though it was originally developed for cases with sperm problems, Zottis said.
The simpler intrauterine insemination procedure costs €500 to €1,000 but receives no state subsidy.
Related techniques covered by Cyprus’s 2015 legislative framework include intrafallopian gamete and zygote transfer, cryopreservation of embryos, eggs and sperm, assisted hatching, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and surrogacy.
Applications must be submitted within four months of treatment completion, with subsidies typically arriving one to two months after submission. GHS also covers tests and visits to participating gynaecologists.
The surge in subsidised treatments reflects both growing demand and the expanded scheme. Annual subsidies jumped from 932 in 2020 to 2,095 in 2021 following the revision, and have remained above 2,200 since 2022.