Assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs); intra-uterine insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection, etc. are all emotionally and financially involving. It is therefore important that before you decide on where to get the help that you need, you perform a thorough research on a number of centres offering these services. For countless times I have had to counsel people into not just looking at the cost factor. There are far more important factors to consider over how much that centre will charge for the service. Here are a few tips to guide you in your decision making process;
1. The Numbers
Remember that your number one priority for going for IVF or any other assisted reproductive technique is to come home with your bouncy baby or babies (if you prefer twins….. LOL). The most important thing to ask is how successful is your program? What is the pregnancy rate of your centre. If the centre has succeeded in making lots of people pregnant then you stand a good chance. (Remember IVF is not 100% guaranteed success). Do not be deceived though with the numbers; some IVF centres accept only patients who seem to have a better prognosis. If they have separated the pregnancy rates according to ages, tell them your age and let them give you the corresponding pregnancy rate for your age category. Apart from the pregnancy rate, other numbers to ask about is the live birth rate. I hope by now you know that not everyone who gets pregnant get to take a baby home. Some people miscarry along the pregnancy journey. Asking about this gives you an idea of how well you will be catered for when you conceive. You should also ask about the multiple pregnancy rates (maybe you like twins, this will give you an idea into your chances of having twins or even higher order multiples….LOL)
2. “The Whole experience”
Like I mentioned, IVF is emotionally daunting and as a result you should have a good support system all around you to ensure your peace o mind (which is a vital factor to the success of the program). Will you be assigned a focal or contact person throughout your cycle? If you really need a question answered (which will happen several times during an IVF cycle), can you just pick up your phone and call your specialist(s) at the centre to have your questions thoroughly answered? You must feel at home from day one. How is the clinic’s environment – is it in a busy crowded area with buses hooting their horns every minute? Is the staff cheerful and welcoming? If the staff are not cheerful, unconsciously they will offer you a rude service sometimes without them even knowing. These are all important
3. Treatments Available
There are several treatments to tackle infertility. (some specific ones to cater for male issues as well). Find out the entire array of treatment options available and how these can best solve your situation. Read more here for a better understanding of several treatment options
4. Freezing and other ancillary services
The process of IVF is often such that quite a number of embryos (fertilized and developing eggs) will be generated. You need to find out if there are extra embryos from your cycle, can they be frozen or kept for you to be used in a different cycle after you have conceived and delivered this one? If they do not then you are sure your extra embryos will be discarded. If you are able to freeze your extra embryos, you will find that subsequent IVF cycles using these frozen embryos are actually very cheap. Maybe a quarter of what you will pay for a full fresh IVF cycle.
5. Caliber and technical skills of the staff
I’m not saying go round and ask the doctor or embryologist to show you his/her certificate oooo. If you do that, they may find you rude and may not receive you nicely. Just by sitting and talking to them, asking them all your questions you will be pretty convinced of the quality that this particular centre can offer. If they don’t seem to have answers or they seem unsure about their fatcs then you know what to do - right? You do not want your eggs and or embryos in the hands of a one-week old embryologist who is working without supervision. Would you? You can simply ask…”who is the senior embryologist here and how many years has he/she been working as an embryologist?” you will most likely get a candid answer (and if they are senior they will brag a little bit of their success. …Heheheheheh). Don’t ask this question at the reception, ask the specialists themselves. They may have worked for several years elsewhere that the current receptionist may not be aware of.
6. Modern relevant technology
IVF is constantly evolving. Day in and day out, some techniques are becoming obsolete and new ones are being developed. What latest technology have you read about that this centre is using? Are they performing something called blastocyst transfers? (this has been shown to offer a better chance at success)
7. Quality is king
The processes involved in IVF require the use of complex machinery and techniques and you should be assured that the quality of standards is maintained right from the doors of the clinic. What quality measures have they put in place to ensure mistakes do not happen…… For example getting your samples mixed up in the lab (this is quite rare though but a possibility)
8. Good communication
When you first called the centre, did someone say they will call you back? Did they call? With IVF, you constantly need an update of how things are progressing. You want to know how many eggs were retrieved, was your fertilization good, are the embryos developing well, I’m a bit nauseous, is that normal? You constantly want to know what is happening…. Understandably so
And because of this the centre must be forthcoming with information. When they say they will call, they must call, when they say they will email, they must email. To put them to task, when they say they will call you, ask them what time should you expect their call? That way you don’t sit and remain anxious of when this call is coming (anxiety not good for IVF).
9. Will you be treated like VIP?
Nobody wants his private businesses especially when it comes to IVF to be in the public gallery. Will your diagnostic results and other details be kept confidential? Will you be treated well? Will their program schedule fit into yours, will you be comfortable or you will always have to be running up and down just to fit into their program?
10. Comments from Past Clients –
This maybe quite difficult to get especially in Africa where fertility treatments are still shrouded in secrecy and nobody likes to be known that they had their baby through IVF. However if you manage to meet or have someone who has been to a centre you plan attending, find out their review of the centre’s IVF program.
11. Professional reputation
Google the clinic. Google the names of some of the specialists that will be working on your case. Check out their facebook, twitter and linkedin accounts. Have they published any fertility related article in an international scientific journal? Have they received any significant endorsements from their colleague professionals? Basically you are finding out the kind of respect they carry in professional circles.
12. The Money
When you have found out all these little-little detail, which can go a long way to impact your success, you now ask about the how much it will cost you to have the service. Mind you, IVF is a step-by-step program and the stage or protocol that will be used for you determines the cost. The medications you will use cost a different sum and the procedure itself costs a different sum. Remember to find out from the centre whether the quotes you have been given comprises the medications and the procedure or just the procedure
13. Other related costs
There are always other possible related costs that you may not anticipate. Will you pay extra to get your embryos frozen? Will the male partner pay extra to get his semen frozen or stored in case he is not going to be in town when he is needed? You must find out about all these
14. Language matters
Perhaps you speak Chinese only, can you get things explained to you clearly in a language that you can understand?
15. Ask a lot of questions
Ask any and every question that pops up in your mind. Don’t think any question as menial or unimportant; ask every single question on your mind. Specialists respect patients who have done their research and ask questions. You will be sure to get the very best of treatment.
So there you go, consider all these when choosing your ideal IVF clinic.
Michael Bright Yakass
Michael is a certified clinical embryologist by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). His research interests are on pre-implantation embryos and He has authored several articles in this area published in international scientific journals.
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