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 Ovom 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.

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.

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.

“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. There is a way to shut down clinics and there is no registered doctor I know that would have done this.

She added: “You don’t just announce an insolvency and walk away. People remortgage their households to do this treatment.

“This is the biggest disaster I have seen globally in the IVF sector, this is as bad as it gets.”

Pippa Hogg and her wife Jay Brown, both 39, had always known they wanted 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.

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. 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.

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.

Ms Hogg underwent her first scan on 21 August and began her simulation three days later. But the couple were left blindsided when they were informed on 28 August that Ovom were insolvent.

“It’s been really hard to be honest,” Ms Hogg told The Independent. “It was such a shock, I got really, really upset. As a queer person, you’ve already gone through other barriers and it felt like the final nail in the coffin. I also found it hard while also being treated for hormones and the procedure – I’ve not been back to work since. I’ve found it hard to be normal.”

Ms Hogg and Ms Brown are now undergoing treatment with Avenues. Given that they are now seeking another sperm donor and their bank has refused their fraud claim on the money paid to Ovom, they now believe the process has cost them in the region of £32,000.

A spokesperson for Ms Hogg and Ms Brown’s MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said: “Miatta is very saddened and concerned to read about the experiences of those affected by the situation at Ovom Care.

“We would strongly encourage the constituents affected to get in touch with our office directly if they have not already done so. We will be looking out for their cases and will ensure that they are treated as a high-priority case by our office.”

Ovom Care’s German parent company is separately subject to its own insolvency proceedings. Restructuring measures are initiated and a mergers and acquisitions process is organised.

The insolvency administrator and Portugal’s regulator for assisted reproduction, the CNPMA, approved a process for stored eggs, sperm and embryos to be transferred to the Ava Clinic in Lisbon. Ovom say this was safely carried out under the CNPMA’s authorisation and clinical data is also being securely transferred.

Rachael and Anthony Jones, 38 and 36, had been trying for a baby but had suffered three miscarriages. They were drawn to Ovom Care after continuously seeing their adverts “popping up online”, and after conducting their research and having a “no pressure” consultation, they felt that the clinic was a good fit.

In April, they made an up-front payment of more than £8,000 to cover three cycles of IVF and the embryo transfers, and began the process in May. After travelling to Portugal for their egg retrieval, they felt encouraged by the “lovely” staff and nurses, and had no concerns about their treatment.

In July, they were informed that they could not undergo the embryo transfer as essential building work was taking place at the clinic, and on 21 August, they were disappointed when their transfer was delayed again due to a scan showing Rachael’s womb lining was not sufficiently optimal.

Just one week later, they received an email at 5:30pm on a Friday to inform them that the clinic had filed for insolvency.

“That weekend was just horrendous,” Rachael said. “I don’t think we slept properly. We were trying to contact Ava Clinic, where we were told the eggs would be transferred to, but they had also only found out on the Friday and were inundated with queries. They couldn’t get in touch with Ovom either. Ava only got our eggs a week ago and until then, it has been massively stressful.”

“We feel fleeced,” Anthony said. “The financial side has had to really dictate our choices. There’s the context of it as well – we’ve had three miscarriages which we haven’t really gotten over. You then take the scientific route and hope it will be a bit more in your control. We just feel like the unluckiest people in the world.”

Similar to Pippa and Jay, they are now also with Avenues, which has offered to retrieve their eggs for no additional cost. They are now hoping to embark on a new treatment plan in a few weeks, but the stress from the ordeal is believed to have triggered Rachael’s Graves’ disease, which means it is unlikely that they can go forwards with the embryo transfer for another six months.

Ovom Care chief executive, Felicia von Reden, said in a statement to The Independent: “I would like to start off by saying that we as management are deeply sorry for the distress and uncertainty caused by the insolvency proceedings.

“Stored eggs, sperm and embryos, together with patients’ clinical records, have been transferred to AVA Clinic in Lisbon, with the authorisation of the Portuguese health authority (CNPMA). If you are currently undergoing treatment, or wish to continue your care, please contact AVA Clinic directly. They are able to advise on next steps.

“If you have paid for treatment that was not provided, this is a claim against the insolvent estate.

“We are currently in the process of finding a fair outcome for patients who paid for treatment that was not delivered, and I will communicate further as soon as there is something concrete to share.

“The circumstances surrounding the insolvency, including the operational decisions taken after the court appointed an independent administrator, are before courts in Portugal and Germany. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on matters under judicial review.

“I will say, however, that a number of claims circulating publicly are factually not correct.

“My focus, and the priority of everyone involved, is making sure patients get the support and answers they need – we are working on this with all the resources we have.”

A spokesperson for the Ava Clinic said: “Portugal has a long-standing reputation for safe, reliable and high-quality fertility treatment. Ava Clinic is proud to be part of that tradition, with more than 25 years of experience in assisted reproduction that patients can trust.

“The situation with Ovom Care is unfortunately an example of poor business practice which can impact any sector in any country; but should never be allowed to impact patients. For this reason, Ava Clinic had no hesitation in doing everything possible to ensure the safety of Ovom Care patients and their frozen reproductive material.

“When our support was requested by the court-appointed insolvency administrator and by Portugal’s assisted reproduction regulatory authority, our priority was immediately to protect patients and ensure continuity of care. Our team worked intensively to safeguard frozen reproductive material, preserve clinical records and support every patient who wished to continue treatment.”

A joint statement from Alpha Intelligence Capital, Merantix Capital and Ananda Impact Ventures said: “Our funds invested in Ovom Care between 2023 and 2024. Alpha Intelligence Capital and Merantix Capital had representatives on the board of its German parent company; Ananda Impact Ventures held an observer position on the board.

“The insolvency of the Portuguese clinic and its German parent company is the subject of court-supervised proceedings in Portugal and Germany. Management acted throughout on legal advice, and both entities cooperated, and continue to cooperate, fully with the insolvency administrators and the courts. As the proceedings are ongoing, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on matters under judicial review.

“As Ovom has set out, patient safety measures were taken, including the transfer of biological material to an authorised backup facility, AVA Clinic in Lisbon, with the approval of the Portuguese health authority Claims for prepaid treatment can be registered with the Insolvency Administrator.

“Our sympathies are with everyone affected, particularly the patients whose treatment has been disrupted, and the clinic’s staff.”