Have you recently scheduled a consultation with a fertility specialist?

There are ways to make the most of a fertility consultation, including planning for the questions you will ask during the appointment. Sometimes, patients are understandably anxious for a fertility consult because they dread the potential for bad news or having to discuss something as personal as family planning with someone new, even if he or she is a medical professional.

These concerns are very common, and fertility specialists understand why that first consult can seem daunting. At Fertility Solutions, we hope you can take comfort in our one-on-one approach to fertility care. Your fertility specialist will be the one who calls when test results are ready, and he or she will be on hand to answer your questions. The consultation appointment is an excellent time to plan ahead and come prepared with questions. Having answers to your top concerns can be a significant step toward stress relief.

In case you’d like some help preparing for your first fertility consult, we’ve prepared a list of five questions to ask your fertility specialist at the appointment.

1. Is there any information you can provide now about why I haven’t conceived?
Your physician may be able to provide a diagnosis based on your medical history, your partner’s medical history, and/or any testing you’ve already completed. If this isn’t yet possible, your physician may ask that you undergo screening to help answer this question and determine a treatment plan.
2. Do you take my insurance? How can I confirm this?
We do recommend that patients review our insurance coverage webpage for information regarding providers we work with. You can also call our office at 781-326-2451 and ask to speak with one of our financial coordinators.
3. Do you have a treatment plan in mind for our situation?
Your treatment plan will depend on your fertility diagnosis. For some couples, treatment can begin with a more straightforward technique, such as IUI. For others, IVF may be recommended as a starting point. Others may require an egg donor, sperm donor, or surrogate.
4. How long should we try one treatment plan before trying another?
The answer to this will depend on which form of treatment you start with and whether your physician believes you will be more successful trying again or moving on. The decision is ultimately yours, but your physician can provide a recommendation.
5. What are your success rates?
Fertility clinics should be able to provide information on their success rates when asked. Your physician is likely to provide up-to-date statistics on treatments for the previous year. Patients can also visit SART’s website to find further information on their clinic’s success rates. Regarding success rates, SART does advise the following: A comparison of clinic success rates may not be meaningful because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches, and entry criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic.