About IN VITRO CLINIC (LeaderMed)
IN VITRO CLINIC was founded in Tbilisi in 1998 by Prof. Natalia Khonelidze, MD, PhD, a pioneer of reproductive medicine in Georgia. In 2000 the clinic delivered the first IVF baby in Georgia — and in the entire Transcaucasian region, opening the era of assisted reproduction in the Caucasus (source: LeaderMed clinic history page).
The clinic repeated that “first-in-Georgia” record again in 2005, when it became the first center in the country to introduce egg donation and surrogacy, the first to perform sperm and oocyte freezing, and the pioneer of medical fertility tourism in Georgia. In 2012 the team continued its work at the “In Vitro” Clinic for IVF Human Reproductive Health and Artificial Insemination, and since 2010 it has operated as an affiliated clinic of the State Medical University of Georgia. In 2021 the practice expanded into LeaderMed, a modern multidisciplinary center bringing an IVF center, outpatient services, surgery and maternity care together in one integrated space (source: LeaderMed About page).
Regarding outcomes, LeaderMed reports overall results of 15,000+ babies born and 25,000+ satisfied patients with 25+ years of experience (source: LeaderMed website, as of the August 2026 review). The clinic does not publish age-specific clinical pregnancy or live-birth rates, and — as a non-US center — it is not covered by CDC or SART reporting.
Accreditations & Awards
- ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System — certified (source: LeaderMed announcement page)
- TEMOS International Healthcare Accreditation (TIHA) — international healthcare accreditation for medical tourism providers (source: LeaderMed announcement page)
- First IVF baby in Georgia and the Caucasus (2000)
- First in Georgia: egg donation and surrogacy programs (2005); sperm and oocyte cryopreservation (2005); fertility tourism pioneer (2005)
- Affiliated clinic of the State Medical University since 2010
- Cryos International partnership — access to donor sperm from one of the world’s largest sperm banks, alongside the European Sperm Bank
No JCI, CAP or SART accreditation was found on the clinic’s website or in independent searches as of August 2026.
Why Choose IN VITRO CLINIC (LeaderMed)
- Caucasus IVF pioneer: the clinic where Georgia’s — and the whole Transcaucasian region’s — first IVF baby was born in 2000, with a continuous track record since 1998
- Multiple Georgian firsts: the first clinic in the country to offer egg donation, surrogacy and gamete/embryo freezing, so its protocols were built around these programs from day one
- Dual international accreditation: ISO 9001:2015 quality management plus TEMOS international healthcare accreditation
- Academic teaching clinic: affiliated with the State Medical University since 2010, which supports standardized, evidence-based protocols
- One integrated campus: IVF center, outpatient care, endoscopic surgery and maternity services under one roof — patients do not get referred elsewhere during treatment
- International patient support: services in English, Russian, Georgian and Chinese, remote consultation options, and transparent, all-inclusive pricing (source: LeaderMed website)
- Legal certainty for surrogacy families: Georgia’s Article 143 makes the intended parents the legal parents from birth
IVF & Fertility Services
Assisted reproduction (source: LeaderMed IVF and services pages):
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) for male factor infertility
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
- Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID, donor sperm)
- Natural-cycle IVF
- Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
- Sperm retrieval procedures
Genetic testing:
- PGT-A — screening for chromosomal aneuploidies
- PGT-SR — testing for structural rearrangements
- PGT-M — testing for monogenic (single-gene) disorders
Donor programs and surrogacy (source: LeaderMed Surrogacy & Egg Donation page):
- Egg donation using screened healthy donors, with carrier genetic screening for up to 2,000 genetic conditions
- Donor sperm from Cryos International and the European Sperm Bank
- Surrogacy programs: with own eggs, with donor eggs, for HIV-positive patients, and with frozen-and-shipped embryos
Fertility preservation and embryology laboratory:
- Oocyte, embryo and blastocyst vitrification (freezing)
- Sperm cryopreservation
- Time-lapse imaging for continuous, undisturbed embryo monitoring
- Assisted hatching
Fees & Packages
According to the clinic’s published FAQs (verified August 2026), IVF in Georgia costs on average €2,500–€4,500 per cycle (~$2,900–$5,300 USD at indicative 2026 exchange rates), depending on the treatment protocol — compared with €5,000–€9,000 per cycle in Spain (source: LeaderMed FAQs page).
- IVF with own eggs: €2,500–€4,500 per cycle (~$2,900–$5,300 USD)
- Surrogacy programs: priced case by case; the full program timeline averages 16–18 months
The clinic does not publish a complete price list; initial consultation fees can be credited toward treatment. Contact the hospital for current, protocol-specific pricing.
Patient Journey
Based on the clinic’s FAQ and surrogacy program pages (source: LeaderMed official website, reviewed August 2026):
- Consultation and planning — an initial online or phone consultation reviews your medical history and treatment goals; remote diagnosis is supported for international patients
- Arrival in Tbilisi — plan a stay of 10–14 days for a standard IVF treatment window; a fresh embryo transfer takes place 18–20 days from the start of ovarian stimulation
- Ovarian stimulation and monitoring — an individualized stimulation protocol with ultrasound and hormone monitoring
- Egg retrieval and fertilization — retrieval followed by IVF or ICSI in the embryology laboratory, with time-lapse embryo culture
- Genetic testing (if indicated) — PGT-A/SR/M recommended for age 38+, recurrent miscarriage, failed IVF cycles or a family history of genetic disease
- Embryo transfer and pregnancy test — fresh transfer, or vitrified embryos stored for a later frozen transfer (frozen embryos can be stored long-term)
- Surrogacy path (if chosen) — a five-step program: consultation and planning → matching with a screened surrogate → medical and legal preparation → embryo transfer and pregnancy → birth and postpartum support. Surrogates are aged 25–38, have at least one biological child, a maximum of one prior C-section, and reside in Georgia
Local Legal Framework
Georgia regulates assisted reproduction in its Law on Healthcare (Articles 141–144), and the clinic publishes these provisions in full (source: LeaderMed FAQs page):
- Article 141 — Donor insemination: artificial insemination with donor sperm is legal where there is infertility or a risk of transmitting a hereditary disease. The legal parents of the child are the treated couple or single woman; the sperm donor holds no parental rights
- Article 143 — IVF and surrogacy: extracorporeal fertilization (IVF) is legal for treating infertility or preventing transmission of hereditary disease. Transferring an embryo to a surrogate mother is expressly permitted, and the intended parents are the legal parents from birth — the surrogate cannot claim parenthood
- Article 144 — Frozen gametes and embryos: use of cryopreserved sex cells and embryos is regulated and permitted; storage arrangements follow the couple’s wishes
What this means for international patients: surrogacy is legal with clear protection of the intended parents’ rights, both intended parents are recognized immediately at birth, egg donation is permitted with screened donors, and costs are a fraction of Western prices. The framework suits heterosexual couples starting a family through IVF, donor gametes or surrogacy.
Location
- Address: 21 Nodar Bokhua I Lane, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Phone: +995 32 2 157 777
