Choosing your Doctor

So, your choice of doctor will be a very important one. You need to find a Reproductive Endocronoligist (RE) you are really happy with. Now, every RE will not do IVF. IVF is very specialized. Depending on your proximity to an IVF clinic you are happy with, your RE may be your IVF doctor or not. For instance, I live in a medium-sized city with a couple different RE's. However, to my knowledge, there isn't a RE in the area who does IVF. The closest IVF clinic is about 2 hours away. So, I see my local RE for monitoring & tests... then I drive to the clinic for the actual procedures. If you're lucky enough to be near a clinic you are happy with, that's all that much better.

Side note here. If you've been unsuccessfully trying to conceive for over a year, get thee to an RE!!! Really. Run... don't walk to the nearest RE. Well, ok so maybe you don't want to go to the closest one, but you get my drift. RE's specialize in infertility. They have all sorts of sophisticated tests that can make all the difference in the world. I wasted 3 years with my gynecologist saying, "I'm sure next time I see you you'll be pregnant! I don't see any reason why not!" Once I stepped in the RE's office with the same test results my gynecologist had been looking at for 3 years, the first thing I was told was, "Well, you're not going to get pregnant on your own." Sheesh! Had I known that 3 years ago, I would have been a lot better off!

So, back to picking the RE that's right for you...

I would start by asking your gynecologist for a recommendation. He or she will know who has a good reputation in your area. Also, if they do IVF, consult the CDC's ART report to see their success rates. Set up an initial consultation & see how you like them. Not every patient is right for every RE. You need to understand this. Just because they are great on paper doesn't make them great for you. You will be spending amazing amounts of money and time with this person & their staff. Make sure you are comfortable with them. Every patient is different & every RE is different. Make sure you are a good fit. You will be amazed at how much time you're going to spend in the office & on the phone with your RE & your RE's nurse. Funny side story here... one of the girls I know that is doing IVF said she developed an almost Pavlovian response to all doctors. If they walked in wearing a white coat, she immediately felt the need to strip from the waist down for an exam. That makes me laugh to this day, but it has a bit of truth behind it. You're going to be having a LOT of exams. Make sure you can tolerate the person giving them to you!

Also, it is important for you to make a list of questions before you go in. You will be on information overload & when the RE asks if you've got questions, every one of the 100 you have will fly out of your head. Some clinics are great at giving out every little detail of information. Other clinics it seems like you have to ask every detail. Some clinics have shot clinics where they teach you to do the injections. Some hand you the needles & meds and tell you to have fun. The good news is that you can find just about everything you need to know on the Internet from common questions to injection instructions, but if you're a person that prefers the personal hand-holding, then you need to find a clinic that provides that.

Never be afraid to ask questions!!! Ask all the questions you can think of ... even if you think they're silly. There is no other way you're going to know exactly what your RE is thinking and planning.

And one last note... get to know your RE's nurse. He or she is going to be your lifeline. They will be the one calling with test results, scheduling exams & procedures and sometimes, they will be the one doing the majority of your exams. Get to know them & be on a friendly basis with them. Be sure they know you appreciate all they do. They have a hard job & even though it seems they do all the real work, the RE gets all the glory in the end. Don't forget about the nurses!