British couples left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket after IVF clinic goes bust
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”.
Ovom Care continued to take payments from its patients and administered treatments just days before they abruptly closed their 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.
Investors in Ovum said claims for prepaid treatment can be registered with the insolvency 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.
At least 38 British patients are known to have been with the clinic at the time it became insolvent. However, The Independent has been told Ovom likely had around 200 clients and that around 60 per cent were UK nationals.
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. She suggested a: “number of claims circulating publicly are factually not correct”, without specifying.
Michelle Haworth, 42, and her husband had been trying for a baby for 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.
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. Upon asking Ovom’s specialist doctors if she should investigate further, she said was reassured further scans were not necessary.
In December 2025, she underwent her first egg 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. I’m the reason this isn’t working, I’m a bad person’,” she said.
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.
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.
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. Avenues subsequently informed Ms Haworth that her initial scans had shown endometriosis, endometrioma and meiosis.
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. 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.
