Are you thinking about taking the next steps on your fertility journey and considering IVF? We know it can seem overwhelming, intimidating and even a little scary - we’re here to help. You’re not alone, and you’re not wrong in feeling those things. There’s a reason we believe IVF should be the last step in your fertility treatment pathway – it’s invasive, it’s gruelling, and for so many people it can be both really exciting, and a bit sh*t when you’re going through it.
To help you feel more prepared for your first appointment, and for your IVF treatment in general, we asked Sandy - our Lead Fertility Coach and Embryologist, with over a decade of experience - to put together an article that will help you understand what to expect, what are the red and green flags to look out for when choosing a clinic, and what questions you may want to ask in your initial consultation. She’s really gone to town here, so we hope it helps.
In this article:
What can you expect from your first appointment?
During your first visit/initial consultation with a fertility specialist, they will review your medical history and any previous investigations or treatments you may have had. They may ask questions related to your menstrual cycle, reproductive health and sexual health. This could include if you have painful periods, if you experience pain during intercourse or if you’ve ever had a sexually transmitted infection. This will help them determine what investigations need to be performed to see if there’s an underlying cause of infertility/delay in getting pregnant. Here’s what you should do to prepare:
- bring results of any previous investigations
- make notes of any medications you or your partner are taking
- make a note of your/your partner’s last period and any symptoms experienced
What questions should you be asking in your first appointment?;
We’ve really gone to town here to help you feel as prepared as possible:
- What additional investigations might I need before proceeding with treatment?
- What treatment option is the best for me and why?
- What are your success rates for patients my/my partner’s age?
- What could my chances of success be based on my age/fertility background (to help manage expectations)?
- What can we do to prepare to increase our chances of success?
- What additional support do you offer (nutritional, holistic, counselling)?
- How long until you can start treatment/are there wait lists?
- What time of day are appointments typically offered (to help balance work/life)?
Green flags 🤩 (great signs!)
- Free counselling. Going through any type of TTC journey can be strenuous, clinics that offer free counselling are at the top of our list.
- Friendly staff. Your experience in the clinic will be based on the outcome of your treatment, but also how you felt when going through treatment. Kind, caring and knowledgeable staff can make a huge impact.
- Transparent pricing. Treatments and treatment add-ons can get expensive. If the clinic provides a clear and detailed estimate, consider this a huge green flag.
- Good success rates. Success rates should be used as a rough guide and not a prediction, but if the clinic is consistent with the national average, and transparent about their success rates, this is a great start.
- Good patient rating. There are multiple ways to check this: the HFEA, Fertility Mapper and Google reviews are a good starting point.
Red flags 🚩 (things to watch for)
- Poor communication. Going through treatment requires a lot of communication with your clinic and care team. When this is lacking, it can make you feel anxious, cause unnecessary stress or concerns about the outcome of your treatment, which doesn’t help anyone get pregnant.
- Your care team dismisses your concerns. It’s easy to go down a Google rabbit hole and try to figure out what’s going on in your body. Your care team shouldn’t feel threatened by this, instead, they should act as a filter and a guide so you know what to trust and not trust online.
- Your care team feels distracted. IVF clinics can be busy but long delays or multiple interruptions during appointments can be a sign of issues with the number of staff and subsequently the quality of the care you’ll receive.
- No preparation before starting treatment. We’ve had customers tell us that clinics tell them to “Google IVF process” to prepare. Big red flag. Fertility care should be a collaboration between your clinic and you as a patient.
If you want more information than the clinic is giving you, where can you go?
- The UK charity Fertility Network UK. They have free resources and guides: https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/learn-about-fertility/treatment/
- The HFEA (human fertilisation and embryology authority). They’re the regulatory body in the UK and gather data from clinics for publications (think pregnancy rates and trends) and also offer support resources: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/
- Béa. We may offer a home insemination treatment, but we’ve also created guides and free resources for a range of different fertility conditions or treatment types to support all family forming ways: https://beafertility.com/blogs/fertility-library/in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf
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