The number of Irish people seeking information about fertility treatment abroad has risen significantly in recent months, new research suggests.

According to the findings, these types of enquiries have jumped by almost 60% in the last six months alone. The lower cost associated with obtaining fertility treatment overseas appears to be the driving factor.

The research found that in the Czech Republic, enquiries about IVF by Irish people have risen by over 460% in the last year, while similar enquiries in Spain have risen by 238%.

At the same time, enquiries about IVF in Ireland have fallen by around 21% in the last year.

With IVF, a woman's eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body in a test tube and the resulting embryo is placed back inside her womb. Many people undergo more than one attempt at the procedure. The average cost of one round of IVF in Ireland is almost €4,700, however the average cost in the Czech Republic is €2,651.

The research noted that the cost of IVF in Spain is similar to Ireland. It suggested that the increase in enquiries there could be due to a greater number of clinics and treatment options.

Meanwhile, enquiries about egg donation to the Czech Republic have risen by almost 190% in the last year. During the same period, enquiries in Ireland fell by almost 50%.

Egg donation is usually used in cases where a woman is unable to produce her own eggs or does not have many eggs left.

In Ireland, this type of treatment costs an average of €5,537, but in the Czech Republic, it costs around €4,877. The cost of this treatment in Spain is €6,317, however enquiries from Irish couples have still risen there by 35% in the last year.

A less common type of fertility treatment is embryo donation - when a spare fertilised embryo from a patient's successful IVF treatment is given to another patient. Enquiries about this in Spain have jumped by 700% in the last year, where the procedure costs around €2,500. In Ireland, it costs €3,500.

The research was carried out by healthcare search engine, whatclinic.com.