Choosing your Fertility Clinic

Choosing your clinic is a big deal.  Here are some things to consider when looking for a fertility clinic.

1) If you already have insurance, are they in-network?  You will obviously get the best pricing with an in-network provider.
2) Where are they located?  Once you start the actual IVF process you will be at your clinic every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks, at least.  For some people, this means staying in a hotel close to their clinic for a couple of weeks so they don't have to travel back and forth.  Lucky for me, I live close to a big city with a few fertility clinics to choose from.  I chose a clinic with two locations (one near Starbucks and one near my regular full-time job) so the days I needed to go in for monitoring I would be close no matter what!
3) Do they have any costs not billed to insurance?  My clinic had a total of $1500 that they do not bill to insurance during the IVF and FET process.
4) How large is the practice?  Sometimes a big practice can feel impersonal and like a baby making factory.  I sometimes feel this way at the clinic I chose (but I went with them anyways because of the convenient locations).  Also, when you're at a practice with many doctors, you probably won't see the same doctor all the time.
5) What days of the week are they open?  A good fertility clinic is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year because the IVF process is so particular and your body doesn't care if it's Sunday, Thanksgiving or Memorial Day.  My clinic definitely had restricted hours on holidays and weekends, but they are always able to do the things they need.
6) Do the doctors have a specialty?  In general, I like my doctor but she's not the greatest when talking about male factor infertility and I wish we had someone who could answer our questions better in this area.  She knows what she's talking about, just isn't great explaining why we are trying 'X' or why this medication will or will not work etc.
7) Do they have an embryology lab on site?  I like that my clinic has everything right there, so when they retrieve the eggs they only have to walk through a doorway to the lab where they will be fertilized and stored.  I would be wary to have my babies transported across town to another lab or storage facility because they are so fragile!
8) Do they have embryo storage on site? See above.