Ovarian cyst removal abroad for public patients in the EU

Covered by your country's public health service under the Cross Border Directive.

An ovarian cyst that needs to come out can bring pelvic pain and worry for every week it stays.

Your ovarian cyst removed without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in another EU country, paid back by your public health service. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.

Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick

A woman in her forties walking with a bag on her shoulder, smiling

Your right under EU law since 2011

290,000claims paid back to patients across Europe in 2024

Your rights under the scheme

How long you wait for ovarian cyst removal depends on where you live: waiting times differ widely between EU countries, and between regions within a country. We look at your own wait with you.

Your own public health service's published waiting times; no single European figure is quoted here

Your ovarian cyst removal in another EU country, step by step.

Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.

Before you commit

Stop at any time, at no cost

  1. Talk to us

    You

    Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We check your country's rules with you and tell you how the route works for ovarian cyst removal.

  2. Fill in the Consent Form

    You · about 15 minutes

    Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You usually need a referral for ovarian cyst removal from your own doctor, or a letter showing you are on a public waiting list for it; we tell you what your country asks for.

  3. We determine your eligibility

    Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days

    You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for ovarian cyst removal in another EU country, checked against your country's rules.

  4. We find a private hospital

    Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file

    We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your operation, the dates and your expected refund.

After you commit

We stay with you to the refund

  1. Your date is confirmed

    The hospital

    The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.

  2. Your treatment abroad

    The hospital

    You meet your surgeon before the operation, by video before you travel or in person at the hospital, as your country's rules and the hospital allow. You have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.

  3. We claim your refund

    Ablement · within 5 working days of your return

    We send your signed claim to your public health service and follow it until you are paid. How long the decision takes depends on your country; we tell you before you decide.

  4. Your aftercare at home

    Your own doctor

    Your own doctor and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. Your own doctor receives the discharge report and arranges any follow-up scan.

One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.

Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.

Read the full steps

What an ovarian cyst removal costs you

  1. Our service

    Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.

  2. The hospital

    One fixed price for your operation, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before your public health service pays you back.

  3. Your public health service

    Pays you back up to what ovarian cyst removal costs in the public system at home, under your country's own rules.

The detail for an ovarian cyst removal

Where your public system would remove the cyst, your country's public health service pays back the cost up to what that keyhole operation costs at home, or the invoice if it is lower, under your country's own rules; your proposal shows the expected refund. The refund comes to your own account after the treatment and covers neither travel nor a hotel nor a companion. Whether your country asks for permission in advance, called prior authorisation, we check with you on the call. The hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept, and if no hospital offers a price within the refund, we show you the gap in writing and you choose.

What is paid back, and when
Portrait of Kaare Beck-Fischer, Ablement

Find out in one free call if an ovarian cyst removal in another EU country can work for you

Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer

No commitment and no documents needed.

Schedule a free call

Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick

Illustration of the pelvis with the womb and the two ovaries

What an ovarian cyst removal involves

An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac on the ovary. Most go away on their own, but one that is large, painful or looks unusual on a scan is removed. The operation is usually keyhole surgery under a general anaesthetic: through a few small cuts in the abdomen, the surgeon frees the cyst from the ovary and removes it, keeping the ovary wherever possible. If the cyst is very large or the ovary cannot be saved, the ovary is removed with it; you agree the plan with the surgeon beforehand. The cyst is sent for examination under the microscope.

The cuts are small and most people are up the same day and back to normal activity within a couple of weeks. The aim is an end to the pain and the worry, with the ovary and your fertility kept where the cyst allows.

Questions about an ovarian cyst removal

Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.

All frequently asked questions

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Is ovarian cyst removal paid back?

Yes, when the public system would remove the cyst for you and the usual rules are met: a referral, a consultation before the operation and payment from your own account. Your written proposal puts the hospital's price beside the expected refund, so you see whether the refund covers it before you commit, and we tell you plainly if there is a gap.

Will my ovary be kept?

That depends on the cyst and on you, and it is for the surgeon to decide with you. The surgeon explains the plan at the consultation, and you can ask your own doctor about it before you travel.

What happens after I get home?

How quickly you recover differs from woman to woman, so ask the surgeon about lifting, driving and work before you leave. Your own doctor takes over your care, receives the discharge report and arranges any follow-up scan in the public system.

Will I lose my place on the waiting list at home?

No. The Cross Border Directive does not ask you to leave a waiting list to use it, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let your hospital at home know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.

Do I have to pay up front?

Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and your public health service pays you back afterwards; how long that takes depends on your country, and we tell you before you decide. Some people use savings or help from their family. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.

Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?

You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your own doctor takes over as after any operation.

Why is your help free? What's the catch?

There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.

Will my health service really pay me back?

The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and 290,000 claims were paid back across Europe in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when your country's rules are met: usually a referral, any permission your country asks for in advance, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We check your country's rules with you before you pay anything, and we prepare the claim with you.

Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?

Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.

Find out if this route can work for you

One free call, by video or phone. No commitment and no documents.

Kaare Beck-Fischer

by video or phone, at a time you pick

Schedule a free call

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