Choosing the right clinic

See the place, meet the people and learn about their approach

It's always a good idea to take a closer look at the clinic you want to go to and get to know the team working there. If the place you are considering runs open days, information meetings or e-workshops - take advantage of them. This is a unique opportunity to get to know the clinic and its staff "behind the scenes", ask them questions, or simply assess the atmosphere there.

As you read descriptions on the website and reviews from former and current patients, pay attention to what's behind the real story. Is the text on the site pure advertising, or is there something more behind the words? Are the descriptions trying to "sell" the place and its treatment programs, or is there a genuine passion and desire to help behind them? Trust your intuition.

Confirm treatment availability

No matter what treatment path lies ahead, it's a good idea to choose a center that has facilities full of options. No matter what stage of diagnosis or treatment you're at, you don't want to be scrambling from place to place for follow-up tests, additional specialist consultations or more advanced treatment options. Make sure that your first choice clinic is a registered assisted procreation center and a germ cell and embryo bank (i.e. licensed by the Ministry of Health), operates in accordance with the Act on Infertility Treatment and is subject to regular inspections. Does it guarantee your safety at every stage of your journey? Check what diagnostic methods and treatment programs are available there. Make sure you can get them all done there. You will appreciate this comfort during your treatment.

Check the success rates of the treatment programs offered

On clinic websites and in various published reports you will find information about the effectiveness of the therapies undertaken. However, it is worth looking at them critically - what and how exactly have these statistics been counted, and for which age groups, techniques, and stages of treatment? When reading statistics, pay particular attention to source data and description - only meticulously described and explained numbers confirm the clinic's credibility. It is also worth asking how the effectiveness of the clinic is monitored and verified on a daily basis.

If you're looking for more practical advice, check out this independent study from patient association databases: A practical guide for the patient: How to choose an infertility clinic