This post is part of the “Ask Me Anything” series. I answer reader-submitted questions about our experience with infertility and IVF.
Reader A. asks, “I am in infertility treatment myself. We are located in Israel, we are about to relocate to USA. I was wondering how did you decided which clinic is a perfect fit for you? There are so [many] of those clinics online that I don’t know which one is a good fit for me.”
Choosing a clinic is one the most important steps in your journey. We were lucky in that we had a great clinic just minutes from home and literally steps away from where I was working. However, not everyone has such an easy time choosing a clinic. Here are some factors you might want to consider.
Location
Large cities often have multiple clinics, but if you live in a suburban or rural area you may not have a clinic near you. You may not mind traveling a longer distance every once in awhile, but keep in mind that treatments like IUIs and IVF may require daily visits (or at least several visits per week) during some portion of the cycle. A long commute may require overnight hotel visits, late / early hours on the road, additional travel costs, and added scheduling stress. However, many people find that the extra stress with traveling is worth it for the “right” clinic.
Prices and Insurance
If you’re lucky enough to have insurance that covers infertility testing and/or treatment, you’ll want to check with them to see if they require you to go to specific clinics. If you’re paying out-of-pocket, keep in mind that each clinic has their own prices and certain areas of the country (or the world) are cheaper than others.
Type of Practice
Our clinic was a small, solo practice. We loved that we saw one doctor every time. He knew our names and so did each of his staff. They treated us like family and I know they wanted us to have a baby almost as much as we did. The downside to such a small practice was that there were no back-up doctors. Doctors are people, too, and they have families of their own. My first IUI cycle had to be postponed to due an emergency in our doctor’s family. Then, on the day we were to receive the results of our frozen cycle our doctor himself had a medical emergency. Luckily he was okay, but who knows what would’ve happened to his patients if he was incapacitated for awhile.
If you choose a large, multi-doctor clinic you won’t have to worry as much about emergencies happening to your doctor. However, I’ve heard that these clinics can often feel impersonal and too business-like. The upside to these larger clinics is that they often have more availability for appointments, many have pharmacies or other services (like acupuncture, counseling, and labs for blood work) available on-site.
Success Rates
Of course, you’ll want to know how successful your clinic is. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) has an online tool where you can check the success rates of local clinics. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also maintains a database of clinics’ success rates and has some helpful information on how to understand what the rates mean.
Referrals & Reviews
Many people find it helpful to check out review sites like Yelp or HealthGrades. You may find some helpful reviews, but I always try to remember that it’s often only the people who want to complain who take the time to write reviews on these sites. And these sites can’t screen people to make sure they were actually clients.
That’s why I highly suggest you check out Fertility IQ. They use reviews from VERIFIED patients and they give feedback and ratings based on criteria that are relevant to fertility clinics. They also have a TON of info on topics like acupuncture, IVF vs IUI, PGS Genetic Testing, Endometriosis, Male Factor Infertility, ICSI, and Egg Freezing, just to name a few. I had the opportunity to spend some time with the Fertility IQ founders and they are passionate about educating and helping fertility patients. (And yes, I reviewed the clinic I used on Fertility IQ).
Of course, in-person referrals or recommendations are always helpful, but you might not know anyone who has personally visited these clinics. Or they might not be comfortable sharing their experience. You may be able to connect with other patients via social media, but privacy might be an issue there, too.
Connection With the Doctor
Fertility treatments are an intensely personal experience. No matter how reputable the doctor is or how good his or her success rates are, you want to make sure you feel comfortable. It is a relationship that will last months or even years, and you want to make sure you are confident in his or her ability and bedside manner.
What’s Most Important to You?
I think it all comes down to which of these factors are most important to you. Every clinic will have its pros and cons. No doctor is perfect. But if you can decide what’s most important, you can help narrow down your choices and hopefully choose the right clinic for you.
How did you choose your fertility clinic? What factors were most important to you? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you’re looking for more encouragement during infertility, be sure to check out my book, 31 Days of Prayer During Infertility.
Images courtesy of Pixabay and Unsplash.
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