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British couples have lost tens of thousands of pounds after an IVF clinic in Portugal filed for insolvency – leaving many in limbo mid-treatment – in what has been described as the “biggest disaster globally in the sector”.
asserted
what → log → sector
Ovom Care continued to take payments from its patients and administered treatments just days before they abruptly closed their business.
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they → continue → business
Given that many of their patients had not paid via a credit card to avoid hefty exchange fees, they have been informed they are ineligible for refunds and have received no word about compensation.
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they → give → compensation
Investors in Ovum said claims for prepaid treatment can be registered with the insolvency administrator.
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claims → say → administrator
One couple believe the ordeal has cost them upwards of £30,000, while another woman says she was left devastated to discover she had paid for three IVF rounds – despite her new doctor informing her she likely suffers from endometriosis.
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she → believe → endometriosis
At least 38 British patients are known to have been with the clinic at the time it became insolvent.
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it → know → time
However, The Independent has been told Ovom likely had around 200 clients and that around 60 per cent were UK nationals.
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cent → tell → clients
Ovom Care’s chief executive told The Independent the clinic was “deeply sorry” to patients for distress caused, but those who had paid treatment they had not received would now need to contact insolvency administrators.
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they → tell → administrators
She suggested a: “number of claims circulating publicly are factually not correct”, without specifying.
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number → suggest → claims
Michelle Haworth, 42, and her husband had been trying for a baby for years.
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Haworth → try → years
They chose Ovom Care due to the high quality of doctors advertised but now feel their “one shot” of having a child has been taken from them.
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shot → choose → them
Prior to beginning their treatment with Ovom, Ms Haworth says she went for a scan at a clinic in Harley Street, London, and was informed she may have endometriosis.
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she → begin → endometriosis
Upon asking Ovom’s specialist doctors if she should investigate further, she said was reassured further scans were not necessary.
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scans → ask → doctors
In December 2025, she underwent her first egg transfer.
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she → undergo → transfer
She discovered that the transfer had failed on Christmas Day, but claims to have felt pressured to continue with her second transfer in February, which also failed.
“I was in such a bad way mentally and thinking ‘what’s wrong with me physically, I’m killing these things.
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I → discover → things
I’m the reason this isn’t working, I’m a bad person’,” she said.
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she → ’m → ?
Given her age, she asked if she should take part in another egg retrieval or undergo further testing, but says she was once again reassured by the clinic that all was well, and she should proceed with her third and final transfer in August.
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she → give → August
She discovered this had also failed on 26 August, just one day after Ovom filed for insolvency and two days before they informed their patients.
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they → discover → patients
An estimated 60 per cent of Ovom’s patients were British and London-based Avenues clinic, run by Ovom co-founder Dr Cristina Hickman, has offered to take over their care.
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clinic → base → care
Avenues subsequently informed Ms Haworth that her initial scans had shown endometriosis, endometrioma and meiosis.
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scans → inform → endometriosis
She and her husband believe they are now £20,000 out of pocket, and are unsure how to raise the funds for a second opportunity.
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they → believe → opportunity
They have joined forces with other affected patients to launch a fundraiser, with the hope of using it to recuperate costs and pay for future treatment.
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They → join → treatment
Dr Hickman, who said she left Ovom in 2024 over disagreements with the direction the clinic was taking, said there had been a “misalignment between healthcare and venture capital business”, which had failed to prioritise patients.
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which → say → patients
The clinic had been backed by venture capital firms Alpha Intelligence Capital, Ananda Impact Ventures and Merantix Capital, and received a €4.8m (£4.1m) investment in 2024.
“It’s hard to navigate the private equity and venture capital space as a healthcare provider as you want different things, there is a different target,” Dr Hickman said.
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Hickman → back → things
“Six months before your runway of money runs out you should do a transfer of care, stop further care from starting and transfer the embryos.
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you → run → embryos
There is a way to shut down clinics and there is no registered doctor I know that would have done this.
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that → be → this
She added: “You don’t just announce an insolvency and walk away.
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You → add → insolvency
People remortgage their households to do this treatment.
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People → remortgage → treatment
“This is the biggest disaster I have seen globally in the IVF sector, this is as bad as it gets.”
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it → see → sector
Pippa Hogg and her wife Jay Brown, both 39, had always known they wanted children.
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they → know → children
As a same-sex couple, they were aware of the financial pressures of undergoing IVF in the UK, which can spiral into the tens of thousands of pounds.
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which → undergo → pounds
After researching various clinics and speaking with friends, they decided to pick Ovom Care as they felt protected by EU rules and were pleased that Portugal had almost identical laws to the UK on sperm donation.
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Portugal → research → donation
They travelled to the country and felt reassured by the staff and enjoyed a good relationship with their doctor – so decided to proceed with treatment.
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They → travel → treatment
After months of living on “the extreme frugal side”, they transferred £5,000 for a round in February which failed, and then made a second £10,000 payment on 15 August for three egg collections, as well as an additional £2,800 for their sperm donor vials.
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which → live → vials
Ms Hogg underwent her first scan on 21 August and began her simulation three days later.
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Hogg → undergo → simulation
But the couple were left blindsided when they were informed on 28 August that Ovom were insolvent.
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Ovom → leave → August
“It’s been really hard to be honest,” Ms Hogg told The Independent.
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Hogg → tell → Independent
“It was such a shock, I got really, really upset.
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I → get → ?
As a queer person, you’ve already gone through other barriers and it felt like the final nail in the coffin.
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it → go → coffin
I also found it hard while also being treated for hormones and the procedure - I’ve not been back to work since.
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I → find → work
…and 50 more, not listed.
The Aporia
