How to choose a fertility clinic?

Perhaps you already know what fertility treatment you need after undergoing testing with a different doctor, or perhaps you have been trying to get pregnant for a long time with no results. Whatever the case for you, choosing a fertility clinic is a decision of enormous importance.

Whether you are going there for a very invasive procedure like IVF, or a less high-tech one such as IUI, you need to be comfortable that you have made the right choice. Choosing a fertility clinic is a high individual act, but you can be sure that, once you have made the decision, it will be more difficult to change it.

You might have very intensive contact with your fertility clinic and your treating doctor. What, then, are the factors on which you need to base your final choice?

These, again, are very personal, but here are some pointers which I hope will be useful for everyone.

1) Check the fertility clinic's success rates. I think that eliminating clinics that have unrealistically high, or terribly low success rates should be the first step. Look at clinics that have a healthy success rates, and then decide which one of them you like best.

2) Ask any fertility clinics you are considering what range of treatments they provide, and whether they are using the latest technology available. Besides that, ask to see statistics on how often every procedure is performed. If you already know what procedure you need, you just need to look at that for starters.

3) In case of IVF, ask how many embryos the clinic normally puts back in a woman's uterus, and why. Ask whether the decision lies with the woman, or the doctor, and how they feel about single-embryo transfers. If you prefer a singleton, it is important that your clinic leaves you the choice of implanting a single embryo, and allows the patient to make decisions. In case you are wondering yes, there are clinics that do not allow their patients to make these choices for themselves.

4) What is the cost of your treatment? Do you take insurance? The second question is not relevant for everyone, and the answer to the first one should not be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing the fertility clinic that is right for you. However, it is something you definitely need to know!

5) The last point I will mention is a very subjective one. What feel do you get from a clinic, after you have been there several times, gathered all the information discussed above, and spoken to several doctors? Do you feel respected and valued as a patient? Do you feel the clinic is reputable, and committed to providing the best care possible? Does the clinic simply feel right to you? Then, you have probably found your match! If something is telling you to take your business elsewhere, then listen to that inner voice!