Information about fee structure and payment plans, and insurance coverage. How much does the procedure cost, including hormone treatments? (Costs generally range from about $8,000 to $10,000 including the drugs.) Does the doctor or his nurse have a call-in time so that you can ask questions about your case? Is the lab and ultrasound office open on weekends and holidays? If it is a group practice, ask if you will be seeing only one doctor or several doctors in the practice. Ask which hospitals the doctor has admitting privileges to. If relevant, ask if the doctor refers to a particular urologist for evaluation of the male. Does the doctor do other assisted reproductive technologies (GIFT, ZIFT, etc.)? If so, is it done there or at a different location? Is the doctor a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine? Does the doctor have any limitations on the age or types of infertile couples they accept into their program? What is their pregnancy ratio per embryo transfer? Does this ratio include only clinical pregnancies? What is their pregnancy rate for couples our age with our particular problem? What percentage of their couples initiating an IVF cycle don't make it to transfer? What percentage of their couples have a male factor problem, and what is their success rate in treating them? How many cycles does their program perform in a year? Do they freeze pre-embryo's? What happens to frozen pre-embryo's after we achieve a pregnancy? Do they have an egg donor program? Do they do ICSI? What is their pregnancy rate? What is their live birth rate among all couples who have started an assisted reproduction cycle in their program? home |
| *Try not to feel intimidated during your initial consultation. I would suggest writing these questions down or printing them to take along with you. A good doctor will appreciate you for being an active participant in your treatment* |