The 3 mistakes patients make when selecting an IVF clinic

 

1.  1. The commonest mistake is to blindly depend on their family doctor or GP or gynecologist to refer them to a clinic , because they hope and trust their doctor is a reliable source of medical information , and will act as a trusted get keeper and send them to the IVF clinic which has the best success rate . Once upon a time , this used to be true , but because of the rampant corruption which has infected the health care system today, often your family doctor will send you to the clinic which gives him the highest kickback , rather than the one with the highest success rate . This helps him to make more money, but reduces your chances of having a baby.

2.  2. The second problem is that they don't do their homework before selecting an IVF doctor . They automatically assume that just because their friend got pregnant in that particular IVF clinic , or because the clinic paid for a full page ad in the newspaper , or bought a press release or an award, that they are a good clinic. The reality is that not all IVF clinics are  the same . There is a world of a difference between the competence of clinics, and a huge gap between the success rates of good clinics and bad clinics . You need to do your homework before you select a clinic which is right for you,  and one simple way of doing this is by interviewing at least 2 clinics , creating a shortlist , and then choosing the one which you like the best .

3.   3. The third and most important mistake patients make is during their actual IVF treatment. They have absolutely no clue as to how their cycle is progressing . They are passive, and expect the doctor to inform them. The problem is the main doctor is never available , and they have to depend on either the assistant , or the nurse, which means they are completely in the dark . The point is you can’t select an IVF clinic based on your doctor’s referral, or its brand name or reputation – you need to be actively involved in making this critical decision, by investing in Information Therapy. The good new is that it’s easy to do this – all you need to do ( before starting your cycle !) is to confirm that the clinic routinely provides embryos photos to all their patients , and does only Day 5 transfers ( blastocyst transfers)