Choosing a Fertility Clinic

So you have been trying to conceive for a long time and you're starting to wonder if you need help. It's generally recommended that couples seek infertility specialists if the woman is over 35 and has a history of three or more miscarriages, the man has a poor semen analysis, and you've been trying to conceive for at least two years. Of course, your circumstances may be different than this, but you should try for at least a full year before seeking a fertility specialist regardless of other factors.

Do Your Research

Before you start looking at infertility specialists and fertility clinics, do some research first. One thing you should consider is how much you are willing to spend, and how long you are willing to keep trying different treatments. Do some procedures feel too invasive for you? Are some just too expensive? What are your limits? You should explore these issues before you start any kind of treatment since one you get on the fertility treatment cycle it can be hard to get off, and you may lose sight of what you really want to put yourself through - fertility treatment can by a physically and emotionally stressful time, and it can sometimes be confusing. If you think about your own goals and limits before interviewing doctors, it will be easier to find a doctor who you know will be sympathetic to your personal needs as his or her patients.

One useful tool when researching clinics is the federal database kept by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that contains the success rates of fertility centers around the country. Statistics are updated every few years, so check if the data is recent. Rates may have changed since publication, but this will give you a start. You may not necessarily want to choose the clinic with the highest success rate, but do make sure the clinic you choose has a success rate above the national average.

Ask Questions

While statistics are a good place to start, to make an educated decision on which fertility clinic to go with, you need to ask lots of questions. You need to make sure of the compatibility of your goals and limits with a chosen doctor and his or her clinic. You want a clinic with strong quality control and strong ethics. After all, the decision you make will affect the rest of your (and hopefully your new baby's) lives. Here is a sample of questions you should ask:

• What technological and ethical guidelines do they follow? The clinic should have ethical guidelines in place, and you should feel comfortable with them
• How long has the medical director been there? What about doctor and technicians? A high staff turnover may be a sign of bad management and it can also contribute to mistakes.
• What procedures do they offer and how often? You want a clinic with a wide range of treatment options that is familiar with the latest technology. You want a clinic that is well versed in the treatments you are most likely to pursue.
• Do they have age limits for treatment? Age limits are a good sign the clinic is concerned about ethical issues.
• When they do advanced procedures that involve fertilizing an egg outside of the womb and then placing them back inside the woman, who decides how many eggs are put back in? Avoid a clinic that gives complete control to the doctor. It should ultimately be up to the patient since the chances of multiple births increase with every extra egg.
• How many clients per year does the clinic deal with? You don't want to end up feeling like a number.
• What does treatment cost, and are there any shared risk programs? You shouldn't choose strictly on price, it's good to know costs ahead of time. Shared risk programs have upsides and downsides. While the clinic is removing some of the financial burden for you if treatment doesn't work, the doctor may also have a financial incentive to treat you more aggressively than you want.

We are unable to provide answers to medically related questions or other medical advice via e-mail. Our physicians look forward to addressing your medical needs in person. To schedule an appointment or for more information about this practice as well as the programs and treatments they offer, please complete the form below. Be sure to include a valid telephone number and e-mail address so that one of our patient services coordinators may contact you directly.

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