How to Pick an Infertility Center
- 1). Ask your doctor to recommend a few infertility centers to you. Your doctor may be able to provide you with contact information for local and national infertility centers based on your current health status, personal needs and goals. You can also check with relatives and friends to find out whether or not they know of any qualified and professional infertility specialists in your area.
- 2). Research the various infertility clinics on the Internet. You can begin by visiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to read about the success rates for infertility centers all over the country. Make sure that the infertility center has a success rate that is at or above the national average rate. You can also look at websites such as the Fertility Clinics Directory and The Fertility Network to find out more information on infertility centers (see Resources below).
- 3). Evaluate the pros and cons for each infertility center. In order to choose an appropriate infertility center, you and your spouse should take a look at the specific services that each center offers. There are a variety of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures, like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), but not all centers offer the same exact services to clients. You should also evaluate the cost of the procedures, how long it takes to complete the process, the amount of time the doctor and staff have been there, the quality of the equipment and resources and the company’s ethics and guidelines.
- 4). Determine which infertility centers you would like to visit and make an appointment for each location. Before you actually pick an infertility center, you and your spouse should meet with the infertility specialist at each center to discuss your situation. You can also ask the doctor to show you around the facility so that you can check it out and get a feel for it. So make a list of the infertility centers that really caught your attention and plan to visit each facility (see Resources below).
- 5). Make a final decision and pick an appropriate infertility center. Once you’ve visited all of the infertility centers on your list, you and your spouse should have enough information to decide which center you would like to go to for your infertility treatments. Be sure to take your time and choose the best center to suit you and your spouse’s needs.