Clinician-authored health information
This article supports informed conversations with your clinician. It does not replace an examination, diagnosis or emergency care.
If you've been trying for a baby for a long time, you already know how draining it gets. Choosing a doctor shouldn't add to that. But the clinic that advertises loudest or has the biggest waiting room isn't automatically the right one for you. These are the things worth checking.
Look at the doctor, not the signboard
Find a gynaecologist with real training and experience in infertility, not someone who sees it occasionally alongside everything else. Infertility is also never only about the woman, so your doctor should be comfortable assessing both partners, or work closely with a urologist or andrologist when your husband needs one.
The first visit should be a conversation
A good first consultation involves a lot of questions. Expect to talk about your age, your cycles, how long you've been trying, any earlier pregnancies or miscarriages, past surgeries or infections, endometriosis, treatments you've already had, and anything that runs in the family. Your husband's history matters just as much.
If you leave the first visit with IVF already booked and nobody has really asked about you, be careful.
Both of you need to be checked
Male-factor problems are common, and a semen analysis is simple, quick and inexpensive. It belongs at the start of the work-up, not after months of the woman's tests.
Every test should have a reason
Here is the question worth asking about any test:
"What will this test tell us, and will the result change what we do?"
A basic evaluation usually covers ovulation, the shape and health of the uterus and tubes, and the semen analysis. Tests such as karyotyping, immunological or clotting tests, advanced sperm tests and endometrial biopsy are useful only when there's a specific reason for them. Nobody needs every test on the menu.
AMH is a good example. It helps a doctor plan treatment, but it doesn't tell you whether you can or can't get pregnant.
Treatment should fit you
Timed intercourse, ovulation induction, IUI, surgery, IVF/ICSI and donor options all have their place. A good doctor tells you why they suggest one of them for you, and just as importantly, when you don't need a particular treatment yet.
Ask for honest numbers
Ask, "What is our realistic chance, given our age and our diagnosis?" A single success rate for a whole clinic tells you very little, because it depends on who the clinic treats. The number that matters is the one for someone in your situation.
Know the cost before you start
Ask for a clear breakdown: consultation and investigation charges, medicines, the cost of each IUI or IVF cycle, lab and embryology fees, freezing and storage, extra procedures, and what happens if a cycle is cancelled or has to be repeated.
If IVF is on the table, ask about the lab
For IVF and ICSI, much of the outcome depends on the embryology lab. It's fair to ask about the embryologists' experience, how embryos are cultured and frozen, and how the clinic tracks its results.
Being able to talk to your doctor
You should get explanations you can follow, a say in the decisions, reasonable access to the team, and ideally the same doctor throughout your treatment.
Warning signs
A "100% success" claim, or any guarantee of pregnancy
IVF recommended before a proper evaluation
A long list of tests with no explanation
Your husband being left out of the process
No clear estimate of costs, or no clarity on what's included
Expensive add-ons suggested to everyone as routine
Being discouraged from getting a second opinion, which is always your right
Five questions to take with you
Who will evaluate my husband as well as me?
What do you think is causing our infertility?
Which tests do we actually need, and why?
What are our realistic options before IVF?
What is our chance of a live birth at our age and with our diagnosis, and what will it cost in total?
A good infertility specialist will answer these without hesitation. You should come away understanding your situation, your options and the uncertainties, and without feeling rushed into anything.
If you'd like to talk through your own situation, you can book a consultation with Dr. Berkheez Shabir at Womb2Bloom.