Fertility Clinics
If you are an IP, choosing a fertility clinic is a very important step. Location is often a big deciding factor, but it shouldn't be the only one. The next major thing most people look at is the clinic's success ratings. A popular resource for checking these ratings is the CDC's ART Success Rates page. Another thing you will want to consider is the clinic's practices.
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Let's talk about these things a little more.
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Location
IPs (who live in the same country as their surrogate) often use a fertility clinic local to themselves. Heterosexual couples in particular have generally already tried fertility treatments on themselves and, naturally, used a clinic nearby for convenience. Sometimes, IPs will choose a clinic near their surrogate for that convenience (and to save on travel costs). The opposite side of that coin is that IPs may look for a surrogate who lives locally to their clinic. Proximity and the benefits it brings shouldn't be discounted, but it also shouldn't be the deciding factor. Sometimes other consideration will outweigh the pros of having a clinic in or near a certain location.
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Success Ratings
Success rating are an important thing to investigate when researching potential clinics because, obviously, you are aiming for success, and it is reassuring to have that precedent. However, you should not get too caught up in these numbers. Don't simply choose the clinic with the best reported success ratings. Some clinics follow certain practices in order to boost their ratings, which can make these numbers misleading. They may be extra (and possibly unreasonably) strict/picky regarding the surrogates that they will work with. They may push certain costly tests or procedures, or transferring two embryos instead of one. They may do a number of things with which you don't necessarily agree or feel comfortable. It is better to go with a clinic with who you are on the same page, rather than one who boasts the best numbers.
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Practices
A clinic's practices, methods, guidelines, strategies, modus operandi - how they conduct business is important. I feel like people can get caught up in the first two factors, choose a clinic based on those things, and then feel like they have to go along with whatever their clinic does, because they must know what they're doing. I, on the other hand, have always been one to question everything. I don't blindly trust people just because they are experts; I can't go along with something just because "that's how things are done". For me, you have to earn my confidence, and I need to know and understand why things are done the way they are. All clinics do not operate the exact same way. It is okay to have preferences regarding how things are done. You should feel free to ask questions of potential clinics and to choose a clinic who gives you answers that you like.
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