Decisions on embryo disposition in cross-border reproductive care: differences between Belgian and Dutch patients at a Belgian fertility center

Empirical research into cross-border reproductive care is scarce and many facets of the phenomenon are unexplored. The objective of this study was to compare Belgian and Dutch patients regarding the way they perceived the treatment they received and regarding the embryo disposition decisions (EDDs) they made. A questionnaire was sent to patients for whom embryos were cryopreserved at the Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. The response rate was 79%. Of those who replied the questionnaire, 70.9% was Belgian (n = 231) and 29.1% was from The Netherlands (n = 95). Dutch patients were on average three years older (38.22 years) than Belgian patients (35.30 years). Belgian patients more often considered their last treatment both physically and emotionally burdensome compared to Dutch patients (36.0% versus 25.5%). Half of the Dutch patients wanted to continue the storage of their embryos compared to a third of the Belgian patients. Dutch patients less often considered the EDD difficult to make compared to the local patients and they less often experienced stress or tension regarding the decision. In conclusion, Dutch cross-border patients had more positive experiences regarding to the treatment and the EDD compared to Belgian patients. However, they wanted to hold on longer to their cryopreserved embryos.