So first things first I would get the baseline test to do for your treatment done for consultation.
Some clinics will tell you that you that don't need them to have to have a consultation, or that results of up to a year are fine and that's OK if you only want to have a bit of a meet and greet in the first instance to get a feel for the clinic and then send on fresh results later and have another consultation with the Doctor to review these. However, my advice would be that if your results are more than 3 months old you repeat these and submit them prior to consultation and this is so the Doctor will be able to give you a thorough and more accurate consultation which will more than likely then be completed in one meeting and providing the Doctor doesn’t feel you need any further fertility testing based on your personal circumstances then you will be in a position to start your treatment with your next period or when you are ready.
Make sure that you do have a medical consultation with a Doctor and that if it is not all done through a co-ordinator. You'll have a chat with the coordinator on email and possibly on the phone too as they are the people who look after you and who is the central person between you, the Doctor and wider clinic team and that is great in terms of pricing, logistics, understanding the process and assessing what the communication is like. However I feel it is important to have a video call or face to face appointment with your designated Doctor so that you can discuss their suggested treatment plan and ask your questions and of course assess their fit for you.
Write a list of questions and for the non-medical ones ask the co-ordinator and save your medical questions for the Doctor, who may not know the answer to the other questions. Please do not be afraid to ask questions. I was so scared of asking questions when I was talking to fertility clinics in Europe. I didn’t know what to ask, didn’t prepare well enough and didn’t feel confident enough too, but remember you are paying the clinic you choose for private fertility treatment and although you will save money by going abroad it’s still a large sum of money you will be spending and you will be their client.
I know it’s hard but prepare in advance, and write down your questions for consultation. And if you've got a partner, it's really good for both to be there. I think you always need two people. Ideally and if you're single ask yourself if there is somebody that can come and support you, because it's a lot of information to take in on our own and it’s good to have someone to take notes for you and to discuss afterwards to ensure you both had the same understanding of things and so you can collate any further questions you may have for the fertility clinic post consultation.
Book your IVF consultations after you have done your due diligence and checked the fertility clinics are safe and registered and regulated, that they specialise in what you need and that you can have fertility treatment in that country based on your own individual circumstances.
Ask if the IVF clinic has a waiting list. The answer is no, but at certain times of the year in certain countries, there can be a waiting list. If you're having donor conception treatment like donor egg, donor sperm, donor embryo and embryo adoption then you know you need to understand the process and how long it is likely to take so that you can make plans and this may factor into your decision making process when choosing an IVF fertility clinic.
Then you will need to understand from the clinic what the next steps would be should you choose to go ahead with your fertility treatment abroad and with them and then you can formulate a plan.
Once you have your treatment plan ask the clinic to confirm costs for your fertility treatment, how and when things need to be paid which will help with planning and budgeting.
I don’t recommend speaking to any more than three fertility clinics, less than this doesn’t allow much comparison and more than this leads to overwhelm for some people. If you have three consultations and you have done your homework beforehand and followed my guidance then the rest comes down to who you trust and feel you have a connection with - personal preference as we are all different and for this part trust your instinct.
If you would like my personalised support to help you to prepare for a consultation then I offer a Pick My Brain Call where together you can do just that. Details and how to book are via the link below. Or you can find the details via the services tab on my website.
https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/pick-my-brain
Love Emma Haslam
Co-founder Your IVF abroad
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