{"id":11169,"date":"2026-03-18T15:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mollekuqja.mk\/?p=11169"},"modified":"2026-03-18T15:21:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:21:48","slug":"kosova-dhe-maqedonia-e-veriut-e-lejojne-por-nuk-e-financojne-ngrirjen-e-qelizave-veze-per-grate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mollekuqja.mk\/en\/kosova-dhe-maqedonia-e-veriut-e-lejojne-por-nuk-e-financojne-ngrirjen-e-qelizave-veze-per-grate\/","title":{"rendered":"Kosovo and North Macedonia permit egg freezing for women, but do not provide funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Rita Behadini and Era Gjakova<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>\u201cLife is so fast and dynamic,\u201d says N.S., \u201cand no matter how good you are at managing time, there are simply things you cannot achieve.\u201d Lawyer <\/span>N.S., has personally used the option of egg freezing. According to her, women who have the financial means should allow themselves to \u201cextend the deadline\u201d for becoming mothers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Women\u2019s participation in the labor market and career ambitions make the ticking of the biological clock an additional challenge for those who want to realize themselves as mothers later in life. \u201cI thought carefully about whether I should do it or not,\u201d she says, \u201cI tried to get fully informed about the whole process and concluded that it was worth it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEgg freezing is not a difficult process at all and is a very good opportunity for women to fulfill themselves in the familial aspect, and honestly, it is a step that every woman who has the financial means and feels the need should take without thinking twice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither the Ministry of Health nor the Health Insurance Fund in North Macedonia have data on women who choose to freeze their egg cells<\/strong> with the aim of having a child in the future. This procedure is not carried out in public clinics and hospitals in the country<\/strong> and is not covered by the Health Insurance Fund. The only option is to undergo the procedure in private clinics.<\/strong>The same applies to Kosovo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince egg freezing (cryopreservation) as a healthcare service is not covered by the Fund, we do not have data to respond to your questions.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Health Insurance Fund of North Macedonia<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The lack of state funding for this procedure discriminates against<\/strong> women and makes it impossible for those who are unemployed, have lower incomes, or work in lower-paid professions to access this option.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"According to Vet\u00ebvendosje MP in Kosovo, Albena Reshitaj, egg freezing can give couples, or rather women, more opportunities for family planning and preserving fertility, especially in cases where they face medical treatments that may damage it. \u201cThis procedure can create an additional opportunity for many women to have children in the future,\u201d she states. \u201cHowever, it is very important that this is accompanied by full medical information and a clear legal framework that guarantees safety and ethical standards in the use of these technologies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What does the law say in North Macedonia and Kosovo?<\/span><\/h3>\n

In North Macedonia, the freezing and storage of egg cells is regulated in detail by the Law on Assisted Biomedical Fertilization,<\/strong><\/em>and the process is carried out in authorized healthcare institutions. As for Kosovo, <\/span>there is still no comprehensive and fully functional<\/strong> law regulating assisted reproductive technologies. Currently, this field relies mainly on general legal provisions of the Law on Reproductive Health (Kosovo, 2007) and the Administrative Instruction on Assisted Medical Fertilization (Kosovo, 2013), which do not sufficiently regulate this complex and sensitive sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEgg freezing and storage is one of women\u2019s reproductive rights as part of fundamental human rights and freedoms,\u201d explains for \u201cMoll\u00ebkuqja\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Arta Mero\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In <\/span>the Law on Assisted Biomedical Fertilization, <\/span><\/a>the process of egg freezing in North Macedonia is regulated from Article 30 to Article 33, which define which institutions may carry out the procedure, under what conditions it may be performed, and the obligations of healthcare institutions regarding the security and integrity of reproductive cells. The law also emphasizes that: <\/span>a man and a woman who, based on medical knowledge or experience, are at risk of infertility due to health reasons, may store their sperm, eggs, ovarian, or testicular tissue in an authorized healthcare institution for personal use (Article 33, paragraph 1).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cA woman has absolute rights over her body as well as the right to decide the fate of her reproductive material, meaning she can decide to freeze and store her egg cells for various reasons, including subjective, medical, or humanitarian ones: for personal use, to delay motherhood, to wait for the right moment for marriage, due to career, due to upcoming medical treatments, for reproductive health reasons, overcoming infertility, donating eggs to infertile couples, planning single parenthood, etc.,\u201d emphasizes Arta Mero.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The State Commission for Assisted Biomedical Fertilization under the Ministry of Health in North Macedonia is responsible for procedures carried out under this law. In Kosovo, this body is called the Commission for Assisted Medical Fertilization (FAM).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKosovo definitely needs a clear and well-structured law regulating assisted biomedical fertilization. Many couples face infertility and are often forced to seek treatment abroad; therefore, a solid legal framework is essential,\u201d says MP Reshitaj. According to her, a good law must balance three elements: the needs of couples for treatment, the protection of the child\u2019s interests, and the legal security of the system. Without this balance, she warns, new problems may arise in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"At the moment, the University Clinical Center of Kosovo does not offer the egg freezing service until a legal framework is created for this, but technically the Gynecology Clinic declares that it has this possibility. So women in Kosovo find it difficult to perform such a procedure in state institutions, while in private ones the prices are high.\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Paulina Nushi Muhaxhiri<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Kosovo, the draft law on Reproductive Health and Assisted Medical Fertilization in 2023 sparked public debate because it envisioned allowing in vitro procedures for single mothers, enabling them to create families even if they were not married. The draft law <\/span>has not been approved<\/span><\/a> by the Assembly in Kosovo despite being put to a vote several times since October 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRegarding the Draft Law on Reproductive Health and Assisted Medical Fertilization (Kosovo, 2023), in principle it is an important step toward regulating this field. However, in its current form it has shortcomings that need to be addressed before final approval. In particular, it is important to clearly regulate issues related to reproductive cell donors, transparency of procedures, and the protection of the child\u2019s right to know their biological origin,\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Albena Reshitaj<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How much does egg freezing cost?<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cMoll\u00ebkuqja\u201d researched several private clinics in Skopje and Pristina<\/strong> to assess the cost of this procedure. In North Macedonia, as in Kosovo, nine healthcare institutions have valid licenses<\/strong> to provide assisted reproductive services, all of them private.<\/strong>However, healthcare institutions in Kosovo were much more reserved and less transparent in sharing pricing information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n