Expert Guide: How to Choose an IVF Doctor you Can Trust for your Fertility Journey

All IVF patients want a baby, and they know that in order to get a baby, they need to find the right IVF clinic, which is why they invest a lot of time and energy in finding the best clinic.

They need someone who is affordable, available, and accessible , but the problem is that this often means they end up compromising on the competence of the doctor.

This is why your focus should be on – is the clinic trustworthy. Many patients will use the brand name of the clinic, or the fact that they have been referred to the clinic by a friend or a doctor as a proxy for trustworthiness, but this is often a flawed measure, especially because cuts, kickbacks, and commissions for patient referrals are so rampant in India today.

The trust equation is a helpful guide because this asks you to assess the doctor’s competence, reliability, and intimacy, and divide this by the doctor’s self-interest. You need a clinic that is compassionate and combines both high techs with high touch. It should be transparent and open to sharing information with patients!

We take pride in how well-informed our patients are because we all know that the outcome of IVF treatment is always uncertain and unpredictable because embryo implantation is not something that any doctor can control. However, the IVF process itself should be a happy and positive one and this is something that you can judge for yourself. How well are you treated every time you go to the clinic?

Part of the problem is that patients feel they don't have a choice – after all, beggars can't be choosers, and many patients end up putting up with a lot of rubbish from their IVF clinic, simply because they don't know that better options are available.

This is a shame, and this is why it's important to interview at least two or three clinics so you can judge the chemistry between the doctor and yourself before finalizing such an important decision. While it's easy to judge the bedside manner of the doctor, this can often be misleading in the first consultation, because the doctor is in sell mode, and is doing his best to get you to sign up and part with your money.

The good news is it’s surprising it's very easy to check the competence of an IVF clinic! This may seem counter-intuitive because patients feel they lack the technical competence to judge the medical expertise of an IVF clinic.

The good news is that you only need to ask a simple question to judge whether the clinic is good or not! This is – do you provide photographs of all embryos to all your patients proactively?

All good clinics do this routinely. This is a standard global best practice because it allows them to share information with their patients, so that patients have peace of mind that they have received high-quality medical care, no matter what the final outcome maybe.