Choosing the Right Doctors - A Vital Step Towards IVF Treatment

IVF is a very complicated procedure which, to be successfully accomplished, needs a combination of doctors from various specialisations. A fertility clinic offering IVF treatment must have experts in fields of gynaecology, endocrinology, embryology, urology, surgery and psychology to name a few. Absence of any one will render the procedure unsafe and unsuccessful.

A good IVF treatment needs an examination by a geneticist who can assess genetic disorders in the patients. This helps in preventing likely complications during the pregnancy as well as transfer of disorders like thalassemia to the foetus. A reproductive endocrinologist is also an IVF doctor. He monitors the hormonal changes during the treatment cycle. A reproductive surgeon is needed for surgical correction of conditions like obstruction of fallopian tubes, endometriosis and urinary tract disorders. A reproductive urologist specialises in treating male urinary tract disorders. The urologist must also be capable of carrying out surgical procedures to counteract obstructions or other defects in the male urinary tract.

Another important IVF doctor is an embryologist who specialises in maintaining viable embryos after fertilization. Embryologist’s expertise is particularly of great significance in freezing the unused embryos. An expert in the field of immunology is needed to handle immunity related problems which might occur during implantation and the course of pregnancy. Andrologist is also an IVF doctor who particularly takes care of male hormones and sperm quality. He prepares the sperms for final fusion with the ova. A gynaecologist completes the team. Good fertility centres also offer the services of a psychological counsellor as the IVF treatment involves immense mental exhaustion for the patient.

All the IVF doctors must hold M.D degree and ample experience. To make IVF physically and emotionally rewarding to the aspiring parents the competence of variously specialised doctors is required. No single doctor can boast of providing a complete treatment satisfactorily.

IVF is the last hope towards motherhood for a woman after having tried natural as well as all available methods of assisted conception. Her desperation makes her an easy target for a number of fake IVF doctors who might leave her in absolute physical and mental jeopardy after deriving huge monetary benefits. Today many doctors claim to provide expert IVF services. Fake doctors generally do not provide full details of the procedures involved. They may charge less but at the same time may not have facilities and expertise for most basic requirements of the IVF treatment like freezing of embryos.

A good IVF doctor will have discussions and planning about the smallest details of the procedure with the intended couple. He will encouragingly answer all the queries and provide advice on alternatives, time limit, costs and success rate of the procedure. It is therefore very important to make thorough research before selecting an IVF doctor. One places ones life in the hands of the IVF doctor so his credentials must be most carefully checked.