HOW TO DECIDE ON A FERTILITY CLINIC THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU
So, you’re facing concerns regarding your fertility or considering assistance in pursuit of single parenthood or LGBTQ parenthood. You’re already facing a challenging course that most parents don’t even consider. You know you’re going to invest a lot, financially and emotionally, just to get pregnant. Of course you want the very best care for yourself and your growing family. But how do you know where to get that and who to trust? That’s what I am going to discuss in this post. Thankfully, there are a lot of options but not all of them are equal. So, let’s dive into some factors you should consider when deciding on a fertility clinic near you.
As most people are aware, ART (assisted reproductive technology) is relatively young. The first IVF baby who was born in the US is only 41 years old today. There is still a lot to learn in this field of medicine. Thankfully, regulations have come a long but there are still some valid concerns about how to find a reputable physician and who to trust with your fertility care.
My intent is to provide a list of considerations to begin researching when starting your search. This list will not be comprehensive but rather offer some core components to consider as you navigate fertility. Some may be more obvious than others, but all are important. Let’s get started.
COST
You might be surprised by the difference in cost from one clinic to the next. People often google “how much does IVF cost?” and get a wide estimate range that can span tens of thousands of dollars. It’s confusing and difficult to know how to budget. I’ve had clients get identical treatments at two different clinics and come out with bills $5,000 apart. All this to say, there isn’t a great deal of consistency in the cost of fertility assistance, so do your due diligence to get a breakdown of what your particular process will cost, including medications.
EXPERIENCE
Getting an experienced provider is clearly a priority with any type of healthcare. It’s exceptionally important when paying someone out of pocket for procedures that may or may not get you the result you want. If you are seeking support for LGBTQ assisted reproduction, look for a provider that clearly states experience with this population. If you have had or are going through cancer treatments and are seeking preservation treatments, seek out a provider with explicit experience in fertility preservation. Same with single parent by choice. You want to find a provider that is familiar with your unique situation and confident in the best course of treatment for a positive outcome. Additionally, I wouldn’t see someone who isn’t a board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist. You want to know that the doctor you are working with has specific training. There may be questions or issues that your fertility doctor doesn’t have an answer for but you want to be sure that they have the specific training and experience needed to get you as many answers as possible.
SUCCESS RATES
Another category that you’ll want to do research on is to acquire the statistics of pregnancy or preservation successes that the clinic you are considering has had. They should be able to get you a specific percentage on how many of their patients have had successful outcomes. Success is going to look different from one person to the next but they will have numbers on how many healthy embryos they average from IVF rounds, how many successful pregnancies come out of embryo transfers, how many successful IUI’s they see in various populations, etc. You can then compare and contrast those numbers against other clinic considerations and make a more informed choice based on this data.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Whether you go into treatment expecting to need a donor or not, I would ask about what relationships the clinic you are considering has with third party supports. These include donor banks for sperm or egg donation and surrogacy agencies. Some clinics have a list of organizations they work closely alongside for these needs and others don’t. If it’s a concern for you, I would check out their network and what the process is of getting all organizations to collaborate on your care.
IVF POLICIES
Something that a lot of people aren’t aware of is the difference in policies around the particularities of IVF from one clinic to the next. An example being that one clinic may allow you to select the gender of your embryo for a transfer while another won’t allow gender selection. Another common policy is the transferring of more than one embryo at a time. Some clinics won’t do that due to risks that other clinics don’t find to be problematic. If you wanted to try for multiples or have more than one embryo transferred during a single transfer for cost effectiveness, you would want to make sure that the clinic you choose allows that. It’s always wise to look into their particular rules around the process of IVF from start to finish.
REPUTATION AND REVIEWS
If there are reviews online, outside of the direct website for a clinic or provider, I would pay attention to those. What are other people saying. Not everyone is going to get the results they hope for at any clinic, but what are people reporting about the quality of the care they received. Does it sound like a business that is simply looking for profits or a facility that values and cares for the interest of their patients and supports those patients along the process. This is a major factor I would consider in finding a fertility specialist to work with as this is an exceptionally vulnerable type of care.
INTUITION
Finally, and maybe most importantly, pay attention to your intuitive experience. What does it feel like to visit the clinic? Do the staff seem friendly and knowledgeable? Are you given adequate time to address your concerns? All of these seemingly small factors are signals to how your greater experience will likely look. I have visited fertility clinics that felt dark and cold and others that felt warm and inviting. Even the atmosphere plays into the feeling of the quality of care you might receive, so pay attention to all of these pieces. You have the wisdom inside of you to make a good choice for your particular needs.
There are countless considerations to assess when establishing care for reproductive assistance. This list is not comprehensive but hopefully gets your wheels turning about things you may not have considered otherwise. Don’t get lost in the weeds but definitely do your diligence to research and assess the treatment options that are available to you when making a decision about where you want to place your care. You are worth high quality, honest, and empathic fertility care. If I can be of any assistance along your process, please reach out. I’d be happy to help.
-Rachael