An increasing number of childless Asian couples are travelling to India for fertility treatment because of a shortage of south Asian egg donors in the UK. (BBC)

Gays and lesbians who want babies are flocking from as far away as France and Israel to conceive their dream of becoming parents using donor eggs, donor sperm and surrogates — something not allowed in their home countries. (U.S.A. Today)

If you ask a hospital in your neighborhood to give you a package price on a standard surgical procedure, you will probably be turned down. After the suppression of normal market forces for the better part of a century, hospitals are rarely interested in competing on price for patients they are likely to get as customers anyway. (Psychology Today)

Turkey’s economy is getting hairier, as a booming medical sector profits from a growth spurt: mustache transplants. (Wall Street Journal)

Global Health Travel is offering baby sex-selection trips to Thailand and Malaysia. For $12,000, couples can spend 11 days in a luxury Bangkok hotel while they have IVF treatment to choose a baby boy or girl. (The Australian)

Medical tourism has seen a surge in popularity over the last 10 to 15 years, as many discover the savings that can be enjoyed by traveling abroad for medical and dental work. InternationalLiving.com recently released its 2013 Health Care Survey, looking not only at the affordability of medical services and procedures abroad, but at the cost of living and real estate values as well. (Huffington Post)

Tales from the Organ Trade is a fascinating film which takes a chilling look at the characters in the international black market in organs. (BioEdge)

With what appears to be thousands of Australians heading overseas for expensive treatments that don’t reverse their illnesses, university researchers are trying to understand the ‘’stem-cell tourism” phenomenon. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

A research study of US consumers has identified different reasons why various socio-demographic groups would consider medical tourism. The aim of the study is to help medical tourism agents refine their marketing strategies on medical tourism. (International Medical Travel Journal)

A groundbreaking deal will allow Australians undergoing IVF to import eggs from young American women at a cost of $19,000. (Sydney Morning Herald)

A dentist’s office may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect holiday destination. (Reuters)

Consumers trying to combat the rising cost of health care are increasingly going abroad to have medical procedures—but experts warn, buyer beware. (Fox)

A Boston surgeon tells us why traveling for plastic surgery may not be the best idea. (Boston Magazine )

Attacked and left for dead by a man she had allegedly dated, the 24-year-old suffered serious brain damage more than a year ago. (WFAA)

In a move to streamline the medical tourism initiative for the Emirate of Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) have signed an agreement on Wednesday to facilitate and support medical tourism in the Emirate. (The Gulf Today)

Gangnam District, an affluent district in southern Seoul which became world-famous last year due to Psy’s hit song “Gangnam Style,” is becoming an increasingly popular destination for medical tourism patients from diverse countries who head to the district for a range of treatments. (The Korean Times)

India’s medical tourism industry, pegged at around $2 billion and growing at 20% a year , is set to take a significant hit if tension with Pakistan persists. Hospitals and industry experts fear that visa hurdles may restrict the movement of patients from Pakistan, who constitute around 15-20% of the total international travelers coming to India for medical treatment, causing a chunky revenue loss for the country. (Business Standard)

But there are hidden dangers to today’s stem cell treatments, both in the U.S. and offshore, scientists said at the recent World Stem Cell Summit in West Palm Beach. They pointed to reports of deaths, tumors, lumbar punctures and other potential harm, as well as vulnerable people being conned out of thousands of dollars. (Sun Sentinel)

Medical Tourism in Costa Rica has seen significant growth over the past decade, and many experts expect to see even greater growth as issues like US health insurance through Obamacare come into play. (The Costa Rica News)

CHENNAI: With the Centre easing restrictions on tourist visas that required a two-month gap between consecutive visits for people from certain countries, medical tourism is likely to get a boost. (Times of India)

Interestingly, a more recent trend of emerging, and even frontier, nations developing medical tourism industries has sprouted. Unlikely spots such as Thailand are getting in on the game. (Forbes)