"It is not a right to be able to have children," says Health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD). Photo: Linus Sundahl-Djerf
Svenska Dagbladet, Sweden | Text: Erik Nilsson | Photo: Linus Sundahl-Djerf | Translation into English: Maria Jeffs
Published 28 Feb 2025
Original version in Swedish on Svenska Dagbladet website →
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More than 200 Swedes have gone to Russia during the war with dreams of having children. Experts point out two ideas to get more people to stay in Sweden, but a KD minister says no.
On a Saturday in February, a Russian fertility clinic is in Stockholm to find new customers.
Swedish women and couples have been invited to a location at Odenplan to be inspired. Several former patients, such as the artist Titiyo and the boxer Mikaela Laurén, are there to share their success stories.
Founder Olga Zaytseff formulates the message on the clinic's website in connection with the meeting.
"I hope we can help you achieve your dream!"
The Olga clinic in St. Petersburg has been marketing itself in Sweden for a long time.
Over 1,000 Swedes have traveled there in the past six years, and more than 200 of them have done so after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
SvD has previously reported on the clinic and the Swedish "Malin" who defied the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel advice to undergo IVF and become a mother on her own.
For her, the so-called "baby guarantee" was attractive, which means that you get your money back if no child is born after a certain number of attempts.
In addition, the clinic treats women up to the age of 53, significantly higher than in Sweden.
- I don't really want to favor that. But now it was a selfish perspective. My longing for children drove me there, "Malin" told SvD.
"Do almost anything"
It is known that Swedish women and couples seek IVF abroad, but Swedish authorities lack statistics on how many people there are.
The phenomenon is called “fertility tourism” and there is often a lot of money involved.
Carin Lindén, head of the reproductive medicine department at Karolinska University Hospital, thinks it is sad that Swedish women feel they cannot get help in Sweden.
– The drive to have children is so incredibly strong. Some will do almost anything and pay any amount to have that child they long for so much.
There are several risks to doing IVF abroad. Experts warn of so-called “add-ons”, medical methods that may lack scientific evidence and promise more than they can deliver.
Also treats “elderly”
Another risk is that foreign operators, like the Olga clinic, also treat “elderly” women – whose often intensive pregnancies are left to Swedish healthcare to take care of.
From the age of 40, the risks of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and premature birth increase, says Anna Karin Lind, medical director of the private clinic Livio.
– If a 52-year-old woman comes home pregnant with twins, the risks for the pregnant woman and the fetuses are quite high, she says.
In Sweden, you can receive treatment from tax-financed care up to and including the age of 39. Private clinics then have a practice of not treating women over the age of around 43.
Carin Lindén, at Karolinska University Hospital, believes that the age limit for tax-financed treatment should be raised in cases where the conditions are considered good.
In Sweden, it is only permitted to examine fertilized eggs (embryos) if the parents are predisposed to certain serious diseases. Photo: Simon Rehnström
But perhaps even more important, Carin Lindén believes, is to allow so-called PGT-A.
This is called testing the fertilized egg for genetic abnormalities before it is inserted into the woman. This is done to sort out eggs that are unlikely to lead to a successful pregnancy.
It is possible in many countries, but not in Sweden.
– It is sad that it is not allowed. It would be fantastic if we could do it on selected patients in Sweden.
Anna Karin Lind, from Livio, also wants to allow PGT-A. She says that it could reduce the number of treatments and the emotional burden for women who want to have children.
– It is sad that in Sweden we are not allowed to offer these women and couples such a proven and safe method.
The Ministry of Social Affairs includes the Minister of Health, Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD).
She encourages more people to have children and points out that people have the right to get help with involuntary infertility from Swedish healthcare.
But going to Russia is not a good idea, she believes.
– I think you should follow the travel advice. It is there for a reason. Lack of security, it is a country at war, we have strict sanctions against Russia and there is a danger in going there.
Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD) at the Ministry of Social Affairs. Photo: Linus Sundahl-Djerf
The minister's most important proposal to get more people to stay in Sweden is to make healthcare more equal across the country. She refers to a committee that is investigating how healthcare could be nationalized.
However, she does not want to allow PGT-A. Acko Ankarberg Johansson fears a “sloping plane”, where more and more people start to choose certain types of children.
– The risk is that people value human dignity and decide who should live and who should not.
The minister also does not want to advocate for higher age limits, since they are primarily determined based on medical science.
– If you are too old, it is something that you simply have to take. It is not a right to be able to have children, but I have great respect for the fact that many struggle with the issue.
Is it wrong to seek treatment abroad if you do not meet the Swedish criteria?
– I do not think that any moral aspect should be placed on those who struggle with childlessness and are looking for a solution. On the other hand, we should do what we can to make Swedish healthcare more equal.
Erik Nilsson
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