Locating a Great Infertility Clinic or Reproductive Endocrinologist
One of the first issues that must be tackled before Intended Parents proceed with their dream of becoming parents through Assisted Reproductive Technology is to find a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) or an In Vitro Fertilization Clinic.
One way to locate a clinic is through recommendations from your ObGyn, infertility support group such as RESOLVE, or professional organizations such as The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) or The Society for Assisted Reproduction Technology (SART). These groups maintain lists of well qualified ART providers. The FDA also maintains a list of RE's that follow certain national regulations.
Interviewing the RE and staff before you make any decisions is highly recommended. While all clinics will provide statistics demonstrating pregnancy rates, as a good consumer you owe it to your family to ask for their statistics for live births. In addition, you will need to confirm what treatments (GIFT, ZIFT, Assisted Hatching, etc.) are available and how those treatment options can help resolve your specific medical needs.
Finally, medical fees and costs should be a part of the interview. You will probably find that every Clinic will have its own fee schedule. As most fertility treatments are not covered insurance expenses, you will need to ask very specific questions on the costs of the professional services as well as the anticipated medication costs for your cycle.
