Our first task: picking a IVF Clinic or IVF specialist. Which criteria we had to consider to make the right decision.
Six years have passed since I was diagnosed with two blocked fallopian tubes and I was declared “infertile”. Since then, it was clear to me that having a child wouldn’t be an easy journey, but it would be absolutely possible. I also met my amazing husband (DH – as we call our Dear Husband in the fertility community), and from the beginning of our relationship, we spoke openly about the issue with my fallopian tubes. He fully accepted me and my “flaws” and we started our search for the best way to become parents together as soon as possible. I am currently 36 and he is 47, so we didn’t really want to waste any time.
"I have an amazing gynecologist, who knows my story. It was obvious for me that I was going to ask for his recommendation. "
Our first task was picking the IVF clinic (or a doctor). There are plenty of clinic options available, and picking the right one is not an easy decision, so decided to make a list of my criteria:
- Waiting time. This was a key point for me. I am not the most patient human being on Earth in normal circumstances, and especially now. I would like to be a Mom as soon as possible.
- Success rate. A higher rate would indicate better chances. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about the rates published on the websites. As Aaron Levenstein said: “Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” I definitely would check how the success rates were calculated.
- Doctor’s personality, and atmosphere of the clinic. I wanted to feel that I am safe, supported, and important.
- Price. This was a key point as well, but not the most important in my opinion. It’s not a cheap medical service, and I had to keep in mind that most probably it won’t be a ‘one-time-service’ either. More IVF cycles will multiply the cost of the whole IVF journey.
- Location of the Clinic. I didn’t want to travel too much, if it wasn’t necessary.
I have an amazing gynecologist, who knows my story. It was obvious for me that I was going to ask for his recommendation. He recommended to us one of his fertility specialist colleagues, who – as he said – “helped him with many babies over the years”. This is definitely a good review!
We want to take our time to consider all our options, but don’t want to spend ages on picking the clinic either. We agreed with my husband for a 7-days deadline meanwhile considering two important rules:
- We are going to check all the options together, but the final decision will be mine.
- We won’t base our final decision on google/facebook/forum reviews or personal recommendations. Every case and story are different. We would like to focus on ours. (I am not a saint, and cannot promise that I won’t read any though.)
Our decision-making deadline (make an appointment with the doctor) is scheduled in Leeaf, so it’s time to make an excel sheet, and pick the best guide for our IVF journey.
