Your efforts to become pregnant and expand your family have proven unsuccessful, and you have decided to proceed with fertility treatments. But now where do you turn? A simple Google search of fertility treatments and the specialists in your area who are able to help you can seem overwhelming. When deciding who to see as your specialist who will walk you through the process of fertility treatments, keep a few important factors in mind. Consider the points below and help yourself to choose the fertility specialist that is right for you.
Type of clinic
There are many options when it comes to choosing where to receive fertility treatments, and the type of clinic serves as no exception to this. Think about whether you want a large office or a smaller, more personal experience. There are sole practitioners, clinics based at universities and hospitals, clinics with multiple locations, small offices with a few doctors, and large offices with several specialists in-house. Choose whatever makes you feel most comfortable and well taken care of, then seek out that type of clinic near you.
Financial factors
Of course, cost is something to be considered when choosing a fertility specialist. Though many people are willing to pay a great deal for the gift of a new addition to the family, realistically it is known that you have to look at all your options and see what fits within your budget. Although fertility treatments are generally not inexpensive, your area will likely have a few different options that fall within a range of cost of services.
More than just the cost of services, you also must look into insurance-related factors. Is there an option available to you that would allow your health insurance to cover all or part of the cost of the fertility treatments? If so, look for a specialist who is covered within your insurance plan. If you’re struggling to choose the right fertility specialist, look no further! Fertility Plus is up there with the best and very affordable too.
Success rates
You are looking to undergo fertility treatments with one goal in mind: to become pregnant! Look into the charted success rates of the fertility specialists from which you are making your decision. If a fertility specialist/clinic does not have their success rates readily available to you online or in the office when you visit in person, ask to see them and review the statistics.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requires that all fertility clinics report their success rates to them annually, so you can use the agency as a resource in your research efforts as well. Each fertility clinic must verify its data on assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles to the CDC and what the outcomes of these cycles were. (These ART cycles include every fertility treatment in which either an egg or an embryo is handled.)
When it comes to comprehending and analyzing the success rates of fertility specialists, it is important you know that you can access this information from a verified source other than solely from the fertility clinic itself. Plus, it is a good idea to compare any information on success rates that you obtain from the specialist with the CDC’s report. Then choose one with an average success rate at or above the national average for the best chance at positive results.
Personality
You certainly want your fertility specialist to have a great deal of experience and to be really well qualified for what they do. However, in addition to the more clinical side of things, you would like your fertility specialist and the clinic where they work to be welcoming to you. When you go to the clinic and when you interact with your chosen specialist, you should feel comfortable and like your doctor genuinely cares about you through the entire treatment process.
You should look to choose a fertility specialist with a good bedside manner and who has demonstrated to you that he or she will work with you to reach your ultimate goal. Have them describe to you their treatment philosophy and how they can customize it to fit your individual wants and needs. A pleasant working relationship between you and your specialist rather than a clinical doctor/patient scenario will make the prospect of fertility treatments much less intimidating and hopefully more relaxed.
Beginning the fertility treatment process is a significant step. Make it as smooth and simple of a process as it can be by considering the right things in deciding which specialist to see.