How to select the best IVF centre
Introduction
For
any couple who are suffering from infertility, pursuing fertility treatment is
a huge step. It also involves a commitment of money and time to ensure a safe
and successful process. Therefore, you must follow some crucial steps to find
the best IVF centre for your treatment.
Deciding
on the right hospital for your fertility treatment is a subjective decision and
is rather challenging.
It
would be best if you consult your doctor, local support group and anyone else
who has taken treatment earlier, for feedback and recommendations.
We
have picked out some valuable tips to help you choose the best IVF centre.
Learn
about different categories of IVF Centres
Many
people aren't familiar that IVF centres come in different flavours or categories,
depending on various factors. One must know that two clinics are not at all
alike and the treatment that you may receive may be entirely different. Every
category has its own advantages and disadvantages, with no category being
better than another. Choose according to your needs. Here's the list:
- Sole
practitioners
– Usually it is a small clinic, run by a single doctor, with very basic
facilities for treating infertility, along with other gynecology and
obstetric treatment. They are dependent on other IVF centres for some
advanced treatment options.
- Small
practices that have limited infrastructure – These are
slightly bigger clinics with their own andrology labs, pharmacies and a
small IUI setup. They may or may not have operation theatres for minor
procedures. These are managed by 1 or 2 doctors with skeletal staff.
- Full-service
Individual practices
– These are IVF centres with almost all facilities but with only one unit.
These generally tend to have a set of consultant doctors, visiting or full
time embryologists and are led by a star doctor. They are well known in
their geographical area and will have a reasonable practice.
- Fertility
Chains
– These are similar to the individual practices, but will have many
centres setup across multiple locations. These have a battery of doctors,
embryologists, panel of specialists, high end laboratories, good team of
embryologists with strong SOPs, systems, protocols, audit mechanisms and
strong QA and QC.
- University-based
Setups
– These are usually academic oriented and will be training doctors and
embryologists along with research projects. They tend to work on the
latest protocols and attend to the most complicated of the cases.
- Hospital-based
Setups
– These are IVF centres that are setup inside existing multi-specialty
hospitals, where infertility is one more department amongst many other
departments.
Each of them has their own benefits. 1
and 2 tend to be lower cost, less waiting time, but not all services will be
available under one roof. The team there may not be well versed in all aspects
of fertility treatment. The 3rd one (Individual IVF Centres) will
certainly be better than 1 and 2, but they may not have the best team or the
collaboration required for best outcomes between multiple specialists of
different departments.
IVF chains provide the best outcomes
as there are multiple branches and the availability of good specialists who can
collaborate and consult their own seniors and peers tend to provide great
outcomes. But they also tend to have more workload and so waiting times may be
more. Costs are also higher in chains as there will be stringent protocols and
strong corporate governance. University based setups are more academic in
nature and may also have the disadvantage of student trainees being involved in
certain aspects of treatment. Hospital based setups have the challenge that
there will be commercial pressure on the infertility departments vis-à-vis
other more profitable departments like cardiac or orthopedic.
Thoroughly
Investigate the clinic
Try
to collect as much information about the clinic you are considering for your
treatment. You can check out the past reviews and even meet past customers if
they are on your contact list to learn about their experience with the clinic.
It would be best to visit the place yourself to get a closer look at their
services and environment. While you visit the place, make sure to check out the
following
- What
types of equipment do they use?
- What
resources does the centre offer?
- What
lab facilities do they provide?
- How
comfortable are you with the doctor and the support staff?
- How
transparent are they with their costs and treatment process?
Check
the Centre's Success Rate
You
can check the success rate of infertility clinics/ IVF centres by asking
more about their success rates and what percentage of a surety they provide for
the success of their treatment process. Usually, the success rates are
mentioned on their official websites, but you ought to verify the actual
numbers by yourself to check on their credibility. Any top IVF centre in India will be happy to share this with their patients, giving them constant
assurance and necessary guidance.
Financial
Support
In
India, It is observed that individuals drop their plan to visit the fertility
hospital due to expenses of treatment, medicines and lab investigations.
But nowadays, there are many payment alternatives available in the area of IVF
without compromising quality treatment. For instance, your health insurance
policy may cover some aspects of treatment or other related procedures, which
will overall decrease the fee. There are also many options available to convert
your treatment cost into EMI payments at very little or no interest. To take
advantage of these options, choose a centre that can educate you on these and
help you with the process.
Conclusion
Going
through the fertility process involves a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Hopefully, the steps mentioned above are helpful in reducing your stress while
choosing an IVF centre to begin your parental journey.
Along
with that, also try to make some lifestyle changes, eat healthily, start
meditation to maintain your calmness and stay motivated. Talk to your doctor
about any issue you are facing; their advice will ease your unnecessary stress.
Visit: www.garbhagudi.com
Call: 8880000909
Email: dreams@garbhagudi.com
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