When you make the decision to seek the help of a fertility specialist you often just choose the closest fertility clinic to where you live. That isn’t a bad thing considering you have to factor how inconvenience and travel will affect you and your cycle if you decide (or are forced) to go outside of your area. If, however, you are fortunate to have a number of clinics to choose from or if you decide that you want to seek out the assistance of the most reputable, successful clinic possible then the success charts and annual reports on Assisted Reproductive Technology can provide excellent information. To see the 2006 (most recent) report for all clinics you can follow this link – http://www.fertilitycommunity.com/uni/frame.php?url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ART2006/FCT.aspx?SelectedYear=2006.
The report can really provide valuable information. You can not only see success rates by type of cycle, but can also find out their percentage of cancellations, percentage of twins, the number of cycles the clinic you are considering performed, and much more that will help you make your decision. There are actually two clinics in my city that were recommended by friends and physicians. People who I knew that had success at the clinic carried a lot of weight with me, but I also wanted to diligently research the pros and cons of each clinic – especially since one was a bit more affordable than the other. I personally knew people who had used the clinic where I eventually ended up who had successful cycles whereas there were only stories of success at the other clinic of people that I did not personally know. I heard enough negative about both of them though that personal accounts alone could not make my decision.
Ultimately, a lot of the basic information in the reports made my decision for me. The clinic where I did not end up performed a lot fewer cycles than what eventually became my clinic. Whereas the other clinic performed 42 cycles in my age group, the place I used performed 158 for patients of the same age. The report from the other clinic seemed to confirm the rumors I heard that they did not really concern themselves with trying to control multiple births and they transferred an average of 3.4 embryos whereas my clinic transferred 2.2 on average in my age group. Their percentage of live births was pretty similar but the clinic I used did have more procedures performed overall and better success rates across the board.
I probably would have ended up at the same clinic without having read the report just based on word of mouth (two friends with healthy babies thanks to the Dr. I visited), but I went in with a lot more confidence and procedural knowledge having thoroughly researched both of my options. Of course, I cannot look back and know how I would feel about my clinic had the outcome been different – but, I do think that if I had made the decision to use the other clinic because of finances or a snazzier website and it was unsuccessful that I would deeply regret it. The facts were used to make my decision and the valuable and insightful information available in the reports is, in my opinion, essential knowledge for a decision that you are sure to second guess and question and fret over even if you are thorough in your research and thought processes. I liked knowing how many people my age with my same issues with the same treatment procedures fared and it not only made me more realistic, but also more confident in my decision.
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