IVF Clinics - How to Choose a Good One

There is no doubt that IVF technology represents one of modern medicine’s success stories. IVF can help infertile couples to start their own family. Increase in infertility among young people has led to mushrooming of IVF clinics all over the world claiming high class facilities and sure shot results. But many among these might be fake opportunistic clinics which take advantage of patients’ insecurities and vulnerability arising from desperation to conceive. Such clinics will only leave the patients mentally, physically and economically drained. The worst is that the patients loose confidence in IVF technology thus depriving themselves of their only chance to parenthood. It is therefore crucial to choose the right IVF clinic. Choosing a fertility clinic can be quite a daunting task. One must understand the various features which are essential for a good IVF clinic.

A good IVF clinic must provide high class medical treatment, staff facilities, and proper hygiene. Typical treatments which should be available in IVF clinics all over the world include:
•    In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
•    Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Insemination (ICSI)
•    Embryo freezing
•    Donor Insemination (DI)
•    Egg donation
•    Egg sharing
•    Surrogacy

The clinic must provide standard storage facilities for freezing eggs or embryos and must have access to donor sperm, eggs and embryos. The IVF clinic must also have an inbuilt laboratory with qualified technicians available round the clock so that all needed tests could be performed and results be provided the same day. The clinic might also have a tie up with an outside laboratory.

The most important characteristic to look for while choosing a good IVF clinic is its staff. Along with gynaecologists and obstetricians, there must be a Reproduction surgeon to rectify conditions like obstruction in fallopian tubes, uterine abnormalities and other reproductive organ abnormalities which might require surgery. An Endocrinologist is needed to monitor the hormonal levels particularly during the stage of ovarian stimulation. Reproductive immunologist is required to counter immunological problems which might arise during implantation and course of pregnancy. An embryologist and an andrologist are other indispensable members of the IVF doctors’ team.  They treat eggs and sperms before fertilization and then handle storage and transfer of viable embryos. Reproductive urologist is yet another important IVF doctor who specialises in treating urinary tract disorders in males particularly. Clinic must also provide services of a geneticist who helps in assessing congenital abnormalities the foetus might be subjected to. A psychological counsellor should also be available to help patients during the mentally exhaustive IVF cycle.

Cost of the treatment and size of the clinic should not be the determining factors for the quality of service available. Larger clinics may have shorter waiting lists, but a more personal approach with a smaller clinic might be more preferable where one gets to know everyone on the team. Other important factors that need to be considered while choosing the right IVF clinic are its location, success rate, reputation and kind of counselling and support available to the patients.