A dedicated team of scientists and doctors, led by Professor Velimir Simunic, played a key role in the realisation of this dream. The birth of the first IVF baby in Croatia in 1983 was a revolutionary achievement. The media at that time described the medical conditions as modest and as not measuring up to world standards.

How has the progress of medicine in Croatia helped couples?

Over the past 40 years Croatia has experienced exponential growth. We can now boast a network of well-equipped infertility clinics staffed by highly qualified medical experts. These clinics have helped numerous couples realise their dreams of parenthood, offering a range of assisted reproductive technologies, in addition to IVF, such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).

How did Cito Polyclinic become an IVF leader?

Not so long ago, in 2001, the city of Split witnessed its own historic moment when the first child conceived through IVF was born under the guidance of Boris Poljak, MD, and graduate biologist Anamarija Baranovic. This achievement demonstrated the commitment of Croatian medical experts to advancing reproductive medicine and providing couples with innovative solutions for overcoming infertility. Since then, Cito Polyclinic has twice been declared the leader with the highest number of babies born. Since 2006 we have also had the best-equipped and most successful laboratory, fully equipped to perform all methods of in vitro fertilisation. We are proud that in 17 years of existence our team of experts has helped more than 3,000 couples realise their dream of parenthood, not only in Croatia but also around the world.

Why is it important to raise awareness of infertility?

It affects a significant proportion of the world's population, and Croatia is no exception. The stigma surrounding infertility often leads couples to suffer in silence, unaware of the treatments and support available. To address this, initiatives and awareness campaigns have been launched to break the silence around infertility. One of our infertility specialists, Petar Poljak, MD, speaks about this issue in an article that you can find at the following link.