Questions to ask the fertility clinic doctors

Aim to read up and familiarise yourself as much as possible with the different infertility treatments and options.  If you are having IVF you will be having surgery with mild anaesthesia so you will want to find out about the experience of the anaesthetist and what safety systems they have in place.

If you are going for egg or sperm donor treatment ask about their experience in Third Party Reproduction (the use of eggs, sperm or embryos from a third person, a donor), and what procedures are in place to ensure donor eggs or sperm are screened for genetic defects or disease.

Find out the age of the women donating the eggs, have they been screened to ensure good general and reproductive health, what is their genetic history and psychological stability?  It is vital to make sure measures are in place to screen donations for diseases such as hepatitis B and C, Cystic Fibrosis mutations, sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, Chlamydia, Syphilis and Gonorrhoea.

There will probably be hundreds of questions you will want to ask.  Below are some suggested questions to get you started:

1. Find out whether there is a waiting list to be seen.
2. Do they charge for the initial consultation?
3. What is their experience of infertility treatment, and how long have they been practising?
4. Do they offer other services such as counselling (this can help with the emotional journey) or nutritional advice to help improve fertility?
5. How do they evaluate the reproductive potential of the patients and how do they decide which is the best treatment?
6. How many cycles of IVF will they do, what is their maximum and what happens if they fail, are you entitled to a refund?
7. Is there a limit on how many IVF cycles or treatments couples can have?
8. How much time will there be between one treatment cycle and another?
9. What happens after a failed IVF treatment?  What does the clinic do to increase success with next cycle?
10. Ask to see their success rates.
11. Do they have an andrology lab for male infertility and performance procedures?
12. Ask about their MRSA infection rate.
13. After treatment will you stay in the hospital/clinic or be taken to a hotel?
14. Does the provider offer chauffer services to/from the airport/hotel and clinic?
15. What contingency plans are there in place in case of complications during any of the procedures or recovery time?