“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” T. Roosevelt
Need a little push to solidify which clinic you are going to work with for your IVF cycle? Here are a few reasons to start NOW with approaching clinics. Reasons like long wait list times and being booked out way in advance. Some clinics due to their popularity have up to three month waiting lists. You will want to do your research early so that you can get on a clinic’s new patient queue as soon as possible. Convinced? Below are suggested parameters in considering a clinic for your IVF cycle.
Selecting your Clinic…
What do you take into account? How do you begin your research? I would start here by beginning to prioritize based on what you know already and then deciding what areas you like to learn more about to make the best decision for yourself.
Proximity?
How far do you want to be from your clinic? Is this non-negotiable? I think that initially we would all like to be just down the street from the clinic but sometimes in actual reality that proves to be difficult. Of course as our patient needs become more refined we may have to seek out specialists that may involve some sort of travel to meet your specific needs.
I think it’s best to go as far as you would be comfortable in traveling to achieve the success that you desire given your life constraints, family, jobs that would prevent you from traveling far. There is a reason why some clinics open at 7am! People have to be able to get back to work!
Reputation
Reputation is built upon word of mouth as well as success and value. If there were no successes, then there would be nothing to talk about. Black swan theory. In your hopefully brief fertility journey, you will come across a lot of information from people who are intending to be helpful but will really start to weigh heavier and heavier as you try to distill and process all the information that you weigh in whether to be possibly helpful eventually or not.
A lot of doctors you may hear about because someone is sharing their experience which may sound completely similar to yours and you may find yourself feeling hopeful in that particular doctor may also be able to help you. I think that this is a very natural thing. I found myself following someone across different groups because of her story and of course her story of success at giving birth with her own egg at 45. Naturally I wanted the name of the doctor and the clinic! Success rates at that age were exactly what lines I was casting my hope upon!
Cost
Cost is a huge consideration when selecting clinics. It is important to remember that more cost will not necessarily equate to a larger chance of success. Obviously what your insurance coverage (or non-coverage situation) will depend on your work, location, and personal finance circumstances.
I cannot tell you to select the less costly clinic vs the more costly clinic. Obviously you will be taking into account all of the other criteria mentioned to finally select your clinic. Obviously this process of family building is important to you, otherwise you would not be here reading this book!
I think that getting a sense of cost per cycle vs a worse case scenario of how many cycles could help budget you for the worst case scenario in what you are likely to spend. Arriving at a number, could you possibly afford an additional cycle at another clinic if you like the doctor and the team equally at a less costly clinic? Sometimes this will also include having to estimate travel and lodging expenses. And again, the question of how far you would be willing to travel comes into play in order to justify a savings.
Considering cost, at what point do you then change the plan if things do not go according to plan? Meaning, having to do an additional cycle? I’ve been on online forums where doctors and their reps recommend an -ish number on how many cycles to try at one clinic depending on the circumstances and then when to consider going on to donor eggs. What I am able to recommend here is connecting with a resource that you can know to come and trust and base your potential plan on those possible scenarios.
It may feel frustrating to have to potentially plan and account for something for which you have no idea in what direction things are going to move.
To plan is to feel empowered in your choices. They say IVF is all about Plan B or C or D. To be cautiously optimistic yet hopeful and willing to adapt.
I value hearing from you! What have I missed? If you feel that I have missed anything I would love to hear about it?! Hearing from you helps me to grow and improve in order to share the best version of the relevant material in order to help as many readers as I can. If I can do anything to make the content more interesting, educational, or well-rounded…then I would love to hear from you!
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