Navigating IVF Clinic Options

Choosing the right IVF clinic match for you can be a daunting experience. It is one of the most important decisions you will make in the IVF process. It can make or break you on SO many levels. Based on your diagnosis, you may choose to pair with a clinic or a specific provider at the clinic of choice who has extensive experience with your particular issues. This is why learning about your diagnostic needs is critical when choosing who your provider will be.

Many fertility patients choose local options simply out of convenience, which is unfortunate when there are possibly better, more skilled providers available. Potential for success should override convenience when shopping for a clinic/doctor, if possible.

IVF is expensive, and even if you are insured, it's stil a stressful and time-consuming process, usually without a guaranteed outcome, which is why itsessentialt to look at clinical statistics of success within yoour age group, since that is the greatest predictor of success with regard to IVF outcomes.

I encourage patients to investigate IVF opportunities on their ow and ask me for my opinion on which clinic would serve them the best before signing up. Often,n there are cheaper and/or better options to be explored outside of the greater Cleveland area that patients are unaware of.

Many patients don't fully understand how making the right choice of clinic or doctor will impact their chances of IVF success. They may wrongly assume that all IVF clinics are pretty much the same?

There are VAST differences between clinics, including, but not limited to, actual diagnostics, interpretation, clinical approach to IVF, drugs commonly used, cost, and financing.

Diagnostics should inform the treatment, preparation is equally important. When researching a clinic, how does the clinic deal with these two crucial aspects of the IVF process, or, do they not deal with them at all?

Even if a couple has had a negative IVF experience at one clinic, instead of moving on, they may NOT feel like starting the whole IVF process over again at a new place.

Switching to a new clinic may be overwhelming at best and typically results in further delay since every clinic requires a consultation before you can begin.

Wait times for the initial appointment can be lengthy. However, the potential for success often outweighs staying with a facility where you haven't had a good experience. It pays to shop around and talk to people in the know.

The following is a list of considerations when selecting or moving on to a new IVF provider:

1. clinical statistics of success with presenting the specific diagnosis regarding the patient/couple.

2. comprehensive lab testing for the couple.

3. patient financial resources.

(self pay costs, insurance coverage, financing options, guarantee programs)

4. flexibility/tolerance level for travel

Selecting the right clinic (and doctor) must be a careful, well thought out decision!

At some clinics, critical decisions regarding protocols, drugs, and dosing may be left to a nurse practitioner or a "committee of doctors."

Ask the IVF clinic to determine if you will be assigned to a specific doctor and how your questions during the cycle will be addressed (e.g., assigned concierge nurse, patient portal, phone call)?

Your IVF preparedness evaluation (comprehensive diagnostic testing) IS NOT necessarily part of every clinic's pre-IVF evaluation.

Does the clinic suggest specific vitamin supplement regimens before IVF, or other strategies to improve success rates, or do they tell you there is nothing you can do to improve the situation, and "it is what it is"?

This is simply categorically, untrue. With IVF pretreatment (acupuncture, lifestyle and diet modification) and treatment options (like PRP among others), chances of success with IVF are better than ever.

Not every clinic offers the latest treatments, however.

The clinic is responsible for diagnostics, which should be the basis for determining the choice and dosing of IVF drugs, as well as your transfer protocol.

Is the clinic implementing the latest research and good practice guidelines?

Ask me to find out!

The potential for successful outcomes should be prioritized over convenience of IVF clinic location, when at all possible.

Individual clinic IVF success rates may be posted on their fertility clinic website, or can be researched at the CDC.

Some clinics offer lesser-known, or new advanced treatments like (PRP) for low ovarian reserve/advanced maternal aged patients. While this is a new treatment, and there isn't a lot of research, I have seen PRP to be of clinical value to produce high quality euploid, PGT transferable embryos.

PRP treatments are not currently available at any Cleveland area reproductive clinic.

PRP should be considered in certain situations as a potential pretreatment for patients dealing with low ovarian reserve and advanced maternal age.

Some patients will get PRP treatment at a clinic outside of Ohio, and then use local IVF Clinic options for the actual IVF.

You do not need to do ovarian PRP at the same clinic you are doing IVF; you can mix and match.

In my clinical experience, PRP treatment may make the difference between creating a viable euploid embryo and note.

Ovarian PRP is used for pooregg quality in women of advanced maternal age. A version called uterine PRP is utilized to achieve a successful transfer after a failed transfer when all other reasons for transfer failure have been ruled out.

If IVF is the path of choice, I am certainly on board with it. The time invested in preparing for IVF optimization with acupuncture and supplements to enhance fertility potential should be ideally 3 months of treatment.

The consultation appointment includes discussing the IVF clinics, particularly those I know about, including their relative strengths and weaknesses.

I will make specific recommendations for which clinic I believe is the best match, and which doctors at those clinics can be depended on to make solid clinical decisions.

Fulldisclosure: I do not have any financial relationship with any fertility clinic.

Therefore, you can trust that my recommendations are not swayed by financial gain.

I have the most experience with CCRM Denver and CNY Fertility (Buffalo and Syracuse) clinics.

CCRM DENVER

CCRM Denver is a predictably high quality IVF experience. The downside is that they don't accept everyone, so you must prequalify within their acceptable ovarian reserve and FSH limits. You work with an assigned concierge nurse and the doctor you initially signed up with throughout your IVF and transfer process.

(I recommend Dr. Gustofoson at the Lone Tree office because we have a longstanding working relationship and a relatively high success rate.) Many other clinics leave critical clinical decisions to be made by a group of doctors who don't have a personal relationship with you or even a CNP (certified nurse practitioner) who also doesn't know you, and typically has a scripted response to every question you ask.

Comparitively, CCRM is usually a seamless experience and often the best choice, especially for anyone who has been traumatized by a previous IVF experience at inept hands.

CCRM is noted for its superior diagnostics and interpretation, including crucial diagnostic testing that is not available elsewhere.

Their in-house lab frequently offers more accurate insights than what is available at other reproductive clinics.

They also offer a take-home baby guarantee program (IVF Assure Program) for those who qualify. The Assure program provides up to three retrievals, if necessary, and 80% money back, if no baby.

CNY Fertility

CNY offers PRP for low ovarian reserve patients. They will take anyone, no matter what level of AMH or IVF.

CNY Fertility can be frustrating and often challenging to communicate with.

Their true advantage is that they are super inexpensive: basic IVF under $6k.

They have many add-on treatments, which might give a patient a real advantage, but they often lack leadership on which add-on services would be beneficial.

One patient referred to CNY Fertility as, "self-serve IVF"!

Interestingly, you can suggest to them what you want for your IVF service add on, (especially with coaching from the sideline), and if you are persistent, they typically oblige.

Based on diagnosis, a few select doctors are best for certain patients. You will be informed of this at a consultation meeting as part of the coaching discussion.

After observing hundreds of IVF cycles over the last twenty years, I believe planning is everything. I will do my best to help you through the process.