Infertility – Finding a Specialist

Finding a Specialist
Word of mouth is the best place to start your search for a fertility specialist. Ask family, friends, neighbors and colleagues who have undergone treatments for their recommendations. Also check with your OB-GYN. Once you have gotten the names of a few doctors, call their office and ask the following questions and/or log on to the Center for Disease Control Web site (www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/index.htm) and view their stats.
• How long have you been practicing?
• What is your treatment cycle/success rate ratio?
• How many of these were twins or multiple births?
• How many pregnancies were carried to full term?
• How many egg retrievals have you performed?
• What is your policy on leftover embryos?
• What fees will we be expected to pay for tests and appointments?
• What is your payment plan?

Once a doctor has been chosen and a diagnosis has been made, following are a few questions to ask about treatment options:
• What is the treatment and how much will it cost?
• What drugs will need to be taken and what are the side effects?
• How much will this treatment improve our chances of pregnancy?
• How long will we need to undergo treatment in order to give it a reasonable chance to work?
• What are our chances with and without help?
• How much risk is involved and what are the risks?
• Will undertaking this treatment eliminate other options?
• What are our other options if this treatment fails?

Denise Yearian is the former editor of two parenting magazines and the mother of three children.