Whenever interested in finding the very best fertility clinic, it is time to conduct a really serious research. You should NEVER go to the very first place you find since you are about to take a really important step that will involve a lot of time and money. Only the very best possible fertility clinic should be taken into account.
A big part of the decision will be subjective and personal. Never assume that the very best fertility clinic for a friend will be the one that you should choose. It is definitely a good idea to talk with as many people as you can contact. This includes insurance companies, local support groups, doctors and friends. However, after you get recommendations, you have to research the clinics alone.
Where Can You Find Information About A Clinic?
- Fertility clinic official website.
- Direct conversation with a clinic representative.
- The fertility clinic statistics reports from the CDC.
- Direct conversation with former or current patients.
- Direct conversation with the considered doctor while in a fertility consultation.
Always Consider Fertility Specialists
The doctors are the backbone of any fertility clinic. Based on how the facility operates, you can work with one or more doctors. Both setups have some clear advantages and disadvantages. However, usually the best choice is to work with one doctor that is the main case manager and your direct contact.
As you meet the doctor or you consider who to trust, here are some things to take into account:
- The best fertility doctors take the time that is needed to answer absolutely all questions you might have. Communication is at the foundation of the best possible service. If up front questions are not answered or if answers are delayed, you need to find someone else.
- The training that is in place will have an impact on results. Is the doctor certified as a reproductive endocrinologist? Is he/she a member of a specific related organization?
- Is there an affiliation with a specific hospital? This might be important for insurance reasons.
- How high is the experience of the rest of the staff at the fertility clinic?
- What digital health who solutions are used.
Financing Fertility Treatment
At most fertility clinics there is staff that handles all financial aspects related to treatment and testing. Staff members need to be able to answer questions about all available payment plans and fees. Discuss options and ask all questions you might have during the very first clinic visit.
Most people will tell you that it is foolish to think about prices when you choose a fertility clinic. This is understandable since better medical services tend to cost more money. However, we need to consider that fertility treatments are expensive. It is sometimes possible to find a clinic that is less expensive and that does offer the quality you are after. Considering prices is particularly important when you cannot afford many cycles.
Some of the things that you need to consider when you analyze financing include:
- What insurance is accepted.
- Who will handle the insurance claims.
- Prices for different treatments and tests.
- The possibility to be offered a payment program.
- The possibility to get improved financing deals when working with a specific lender.
- The potential existence of an IVF refund program.
- Costs of freezing and storing embryos.
- Discounted lodging options if the considered fertility clinic is far.
Things You Need To Consider When Choosing A Fertility Clinic
- Location – Living close to a fertility clinic is rare. In many cases you need to travel so you need to consider travel time and travel costs. This is especially the case when going through IVF since daily clinic visits may be necessary for a cycle part.
- The Staff – It is possible to go to the fertility clinic for a long time so you do want to be sure that staff members are helpful and courteous. If you feel that you are rushed at any time, there is a strong possibility you are not looking at the very best possible fertility clinic.
- Fertility Clinic Hours – Especially important when you cannot take time off from work.
- When You Can Contact – You need to be aware of when you can contact the fertility clinic in order to get updates or ask some questions.
- Other Services Offered – The more, the better! You might also want to learn more about alternative fertility treatments.
Fertility Clinic Lab
When you have your first meeting with the doctor it is a really good idea to talk about the laboratory of the fertility clinic. Some of the related things to talk about include:
- Age Cutoff – Learn about age cutoffs for potential fertility treatments you could go through.
- Where tests and procedures are done – Do not assume everything happens at the site of the fertility clinic.
- Available procedures – Numerous fertility treatment options are available for couples struggling to have children. This is why you need to know what the fertility clinic has available. As an extra tip, do ask about surrogacy or donor options that may be available.
- Recommended procedures in your case.
- The number of embryos that will be transferred in a single cycle – This can vary a lot from case to case and you want to be aware of the fertility clinic’s policy, together with who makes the final decision.
- Where clinic IVF success rates are reported – If the clinic never reports statistics, can you trust them?
- Laboratory accreditation.
Analyzing Fertility Clinic Success Rates
When you think about how to choose the best fertility clinic you naturally want to think about success rates. If they are reported somewhere like the CDC or SART, you can look at them. However, the highest reported success rate is not necessarily an indicator that this is the very best fertility clinic for you. There are numerous clinics that simply refuse treating women that are older than forty or refuse the hard cases.
What is particularly important when you analyze fertility clinic success rates is whether or not they are higher than national average. Analyze the rates based on your current age. Compare multiple pregnancy statistics for women in your situation to national averages.
When IVF is not what you go through, do not look at statistics that relate to IVF. You want to analyze the statistics that are covering exactly the procedure you will go through.
Final Thoughts
The last thing that needs to be mentioned is:
“Whenever the fertility clinic guarantees success, especially in a single cycle, you want to look for another fertility clinic.”
IVF never has 100% success rate. The same thing can be said about absolutely all fertility treatments. You have to be honest with yourself and you want to take as much time as possible to consider as many fertility clinics as you can afford. The more information you have about the considered fertility clinic, the easier it is to make a final choice.