Finding the Right Fertility Clinic

When searching for a fertility clinic, there are 3 key factors to consider to ensure you choose the right one.

Before choosing a clinic, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I feel comfortable with the doctor / fertility specialist?

2. Is the clinic easily accessible? ie: Not too far away. (I know this is not always possible)

3. Do I feel comfortable with the clinics policies, protocols and procedures? I like to call these the 3 P's

1. Do I feel comfortable with the Doctor / Fertility Specialist?

Let's face it, we are all different, and the same goes for doctors. Having fertility treatment is not like having a tooth pulled. You are required to share the most intimate details of your private life and your private parts with this person, so it is very important to feel comfortable with them.

Your doctor should be approachable and personable. You need a doctor that you can communicate with easily and not bombard you with medical terms and jargon. We are not doctors and you don't want to be made to feel stupid when your doctor starts talking to you about 'long down reg cycles' or 'Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injections' while you're staring at him with your mouth open and your head spinning. There is so much information to take in and it is easy to get bombarded with information overload. It is so important that you understand every aspect of your treatment and that your doctor can explain everything in detail for you.

You need a doctor who is compassionate and empathetic to your situation and not one who treats you like patient No. 873. It is important for your doctor to understand you and your partners needs and to deal equally with both of you if you so desire. My main advice would be to go with your gut instinct. If it doesn't feel right after the first visit, try a different doctor.

2. Is the clinic easily accessible? i.e Not too far away.

I know this is virtually impossible for those of you who live in regional or remote areas, but if you do live in a metropolitan area, then you will have a lot more options available to you. It is possible (as it was for me), that you could be on fertility treatment for some time. I hope with all my heart that this is not the case for most of you but unfortunately it is a reality for some. As a result, you will be spending a lot of time visiting your clinic.

During your treatment, you will have many appointments and visits to your fertility clinic. Sometimes at a days or even only hours notice. It is important that you can meet these appointments with the least amount of inconvenience to your life. Ha, I laugh as I write this! Fertility treatment can have a huge impact on your personal and work life. You are required to juggle your daily routine, whether that be home, work, study, family around doctors appointments and procedures. If you have to travel long distances to your clinic for these appointments it can make life so much more difficult.

Travelling long distances may also have an impact the amount of cycles you feel you can have. If you have to travel hours to your clinic, it may mean staying away from home for extended periods of time. This is a time when you really need the support of your partner, so you don't want to put added pressure on the relationship. I feel for those of you, and I know there are many, who have to travel long distances to your clinic. My heart goes out to you all.

3. Do I feel comfortable with the clinics policies, protocols and procedures?

Although all fertility clinics are required to abide by the same guidelines, each clinic is different, and so too are it policies, protocols and procedures, (the 3 P's). You must make sure you are familiar and comfortable with the clinics 3 p's. Ask your doctor and clinic staff about their approach to different types of cycles and treatment options. Which medications they use, where and how procedures are performed and by who?

Is your clinic a large or a small clinic? If it is a small clinic then there is a good chance you will see the same clinic staff each visit. You will have the benefit of getting to know your clinic nurse and doctor very well, and you will probably see your doctor on most visits. If your clinic is a larger clinic, then there is a good chance you will be dealing with the clinic nurses more often than your own doctor. There is also a chance you will not always see the same doctor each time as often there are more than one doctor working out of the same clinic.

This is probably the topic that is raised with me most frequently and seems to cause the most amount of anguish for patients. In bigger clinics it is easy to feel like you are just another number/patient. I hear stories from patients who rarely see their doctor on their clinic visits and mainly deal with the nursing staff. I am not suggesting in any way that the clinic nurses are not competent, but patients like to see their own doctor. Quite often as a patient we have many question and issues that we want to discuss with our doctor and it can be very frustrating if you don't regularly see them. You also need to know who will be performing each procedure and where the procedures are generally performed. For example, are egg pick ups performed in the clinic or at a hospital?

FEES!!! That dirty little word that none of us want to hear or discuss, but unfortunately it is a reality that we have to accept. Find out UP FRONT, what fees are involved. Keep in mind that your treatment may change over time, and you may have to have procedures down the track that your doctor did not anticipate in the beginning of your treatment. But before you start a cycle,make sure you find out how much everything is going to cost you and what is covered by health insurance or medicare? Also find out about payment options and when payments have to be made. It is a stressful enough time in your life without having the added pressure of huge medical bills. I have heard horror stories of patients who have been booked in for an embryo transfer and have been made to pay their account before the transfer is allowed to go ahead. I can only hope this is not standard procedure for most clinics, but it would pay to find out.

My last piece of advice is to ask lots of questions and go with your gut instinct. Write down your questions and make sure you get all the answers. And, if it feels right, then it probably is. Also remember that you are not committed to any one doctor or clinic, if you feel it is time for a change, then maybe it is. Of course there are many other factors to consider when entering into fertility treatment, but I think the 3 I mentioned above are extremely important.

I hope this post helps you in making your decision. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, I am only too happy to help. I wish you all the best in your search for the right clinic and doctor, I just wish they were all like mine was, then you would all be very happy.