If you are planning to search for a good fertility clinic and become a parent using Assisted Reproduction Technologies, it is always a good idea to do thorough research first. A well done homework is a recipe for success.
It is worth bearing in mind that a good fertility center is not only one that promises you a successful pregnancy and live birth, but also one with a great team of helpful and compassionate patient coordinators, transparent pricing, clear regulations, and offers seamless doctor-patient communication; meaning that they will be able to assist you with the best course of action.
The doctor may be able to help you explore other options, such as surrogacy or egg donation if IVF is not the right solution for you. For the uninitiated, surrogacy involves another woman carrying a pregnancy on behalf of the intended parents. Considering the legalities involved, it is often carried out under the supervision of a third-party surrogacy escrow agent.
Egg donation, on the other hand, involves a woman donating her eggs to another lady who wishes to become a mother. Both options can be incredibly empowering for couples who are struggling to conceive a child. That said, let’s look at some of the qualities you should look for in a fertility clinic to ensure the maximum chances of success:
- Clear and transparent statistics of IVF success rates. Make sure you know how the clinic compiles their success rate statistics of IVF with donor eggs. Ask the clinic if their stats refer to cumulative or single IVF cycles, clinical pregnancy (6 weeks), clinical pregnancy (12 weeks), or take-home baby – “live birth”. After you gather this information, you will have a clearer picture and will be able to make a better informed decision.
- Transparent and fair pricing.Every clinic has a different pricing policy, some of them offer a free initial consultation, but most of the clinics do not include medication costs in their egg donation programs. Make sure you know what tests and guarantees are included in the package you are buying. Ask how many donor eggs are guaranteed from the donor, whether are there any blastocysts guaranteed, is there a refund policy on any failed cycles. Choose the clinic which offers the best deal for you.
- Determine the clinic offers the treatment you need. If, due to time or distance limitations, you are not able to have a fresh donor egg program, do not opt for a clinic that only offers fresh egg donation. Do not compromise – pick a clinic that offers what you need. Anonymous donor, embryo donation, sperm donation, PGD/PGS screening, no waiting time for donor eggs – the facility you choose should tick all the boxes.
- Professional international patient care.If you are opting for any of the IVF clinics in Europe, for example in Spain, Greece or Ukraine, make sure the facility has patient coordinators who speak your language. Nowadays the vast majority of fertility centers employ staff who speak excellent English. Many foreign clinics go the extra mile and offer free or paid airport pickup, hotel-clinic transfer, and 24-hour emergency contact with the coordinators. In addition, a lot of clinics provide interactive patient care (click here for interactive patient care definition) by utilizing entertaining and educational resources through the patient’s in-room TV. If the package also includes pre-treatment or post-treatment counseling, such a clinic is a keeper.
- And, finally, trust your gut feeling. If you are hesitant to go ahead with treatment at a particular clinic, do not feel in any way obliged to stick with it. There are many options out there. To be on the safe side, schedule appointments or free Skype consultations with several clinics during a week and then compare their offer. Make sure your partner feels the same way about the clinic you choose – all in all, it is a very important decision which will, hopefully, lead to become happy parents for the second time. Good luck!
Another important aspect to keep in mind while looking for a trusted clinic is, the technology they are using to carry out different procedures and the daily workflow. Nowadays many clinics tend to have EMR software (similar to https://www.patientnow.com/innovative-emr-for-hormone-replacement-therapy-practices/) that help in proper and efficient patient care and streamlined workflow – which includes, lab integration, signing online consent forms, etc. Make an informed decision only after checking all the different facets.
