How To Choose the Right IVF Clinic

Posted January 16, 2018 by NRM

If you are struggling with infertility, you may be ready to consult a reproductive specialist. But how will you know if you’ve selected the right IVF clinic?

You have many options for fertility treatment, but you’ll need to carefully examine each practice to find the one where you feel comfortable and that offers the best chance of success.

Here are some things to consider when selecting a clinic.

IVF Clinic Success Rates

Fertility clinics that are members of the Society of Reproductive Technology report pregnancy rates annually. Those statistics are a good place to determine a clinic’s overall outcomes. For example, at Northeastern Reproductive Medicine, we perform far more successful IVF cycles and frozen embryo transfers than any other clinic in Vermont. In 2015, we did 175 fresh IVF cycles and 80 frozen embryo transfers. Those numbers have steadily increased in recent years.

Doctors’ Experience

A reproductive endocrinologist should be board-certified in this subspecialty. That means a physician has passed rigorous examinations that display his or her expertise in reproductive endocrinology. At NRM, our physicians are each board certified and have more than 40 years of combined experience in egg retrievals and embryo transfers.

Clinic Philosophy

While the desired outcome is the same, each fertility clinic approaches treatment a little differently. Some clinics allow medical students and residents to stand in for the physician who is guiding treatment. Therefore, patients never really get any face time with their doctors and may not feel like their questions and concerns are addressed adequately. At NRM, you will see one of our three physicians during every office visit, and if you have problems after hours, our physicians are on call 24/7 to speak with you.

Cost Effectiveness

Since fertility treatment usually isn’t covered by insurance, you will most likely have to pay out of pocket. That means you’ll need to carefully consider a clinic’s costs and possibly its third-party financing options. Remember, you shouldn’t simply opt for the clinic with the lowest cost per IVF cycle. You need to also consider the clinic’s success rate per cycle to determine if a program is truly cost-effective. For example, If a clinic with inexpensive cycle costs also has a low success rate per cycle, their costs may actually be higher than a clinic with a better success rate.

Selecting a fertility clinic can be daunting, but these tips will help you identify the one that’s right for you. We’d love to discuss how Northeastern Reproductive Medicine can help you conceive. Please contact us today to discuss our treatment philosophy, costs, and medical expertise.