British couples have lost tens of thousands of pounds after the Portuguese IVF clinic Ovom Care filed for insolvency, leaving many patients mid‑treatment. The clinic had been taking payments and administering procedures until it abruptly closed, a development described by some as the “biggest disaster globally in the sector”.
At the time of insolvency, at least 38 British patients were known to have been with Ovom, though the clinic likely served around 200 clients, with about 60 per cent being UK nationals. Pippa Hogg and Jay Brown, a same‑sex couple, paid £5,000 for a failed round in February and then £10,000 on 15 August for three egg collections, plus £2,800 for sperm donor vials. They now estimate the cost of the ordeal at around £32,000.
Other patients, including Michelle and her husband, and the Jones couple, report similar losses and are now seeking treatment at the Avenues clinic, which has offered to take over their care. Rachael and Anthony Jones have also moved to Avenues, where the clinic has offered to retrieve their eggs at no additional cost.
Ovom Care’s chief executive, Felicia von Reden, issued a statement saying the clinic was “deeply sorry” and that stored eggs, sperm, embryos and clinical records had been transferred to the authorised AVA Clinic in Lisbon under the approval of Portugal’s health authority. Investors Alpha Intelligence Capital, Merantix Capital and Ananda Impact Ventures said they had cooperated fully with the courts and administrators, and that patient safety measures were taken. The German parent company is also undergoing separate insolvency proceedings, and MPs have called for urgent support for affected patients.
