Last week we discussed the friend referral.  This week we will be discussing how to pick a clinic based on your diagnosis.

If you have already have a diagnosis, such as high FSH, blocked tubes, fibroids, endometriosis you will want to find a clinic with a specialized doctor for your situation.  Remember to ask your referring doctor if the clinic has experience handling your type of diagnosis.  If you decided to use the clinic referral, go to their website and read about their doctors training/experience.  If you have endometriosis, pick the clinic doctor who has the most experience with the diagnosis.  When calling to make your appointment, know which doctor to request since you cannot assume the clinic will book your appointment with your pick.

Why is it important to visit clinics which specialize in your diagnosis? 

Specialized clinics have doctors well versed in all protocols for the diagnosis and the possible problems that might arise to guide you through the process.  Let’s use the diagnosis for “high FSH” as an example.  Clinics specializing in “high FSH” have unique protocols for stimulation and are willing to proceed to retrieval when the client has less than 4 follicles. A clinic accustomed to treating “unexplained infertility” that does not target “high FSH” could be using standard protocols resulting in a possible poorer response and a cancelled cycle or will not proceed to retrieval when the client has less than 4 follicles. 

When comparing the above clinics two very important decisions come into light:

Are you comfortable if a cycle gets cancelled even if there are follicles produced but not enough for retrieval?

Will you permit a cycle go to retrieval with less than 4 follicles when fertilization might not occur?

Due to the varying treatment policies, IVF effects can lead to different results and understanding all the possible outcomes is important.  Each diagnosis has its own set of treatment questions and a specialized clinic should be proactive and approach you with these difficult questions before they arise (but as mentioned before educate yourself).  Treatment results are based on two components – the couple’s ability to respond to treatment and the doctor’s knowledge in treating your situation.  You have every right to seek out an optimal treatment protocol for the best results.