Update 09/02/16: Access Fertility has revised its pre-paid IVF plans since this content was published. Please click here to find out more.
Planning to have IVF next year? It can be difficult to find the right IVF clinic for you, when IVF costs and success rates vary so much from clinic to clinic.
Here are some useful initial questions to ask a clinic if you’re considering treatment there:
Is there a waiting list?:
If you need donor eggs or donor sperm as part of your cycle, you may find yourself on a waiting list. Many clinics don’t have their own egg and sperm donors to offer you, and have to source donor sperm and donor eggs from elsewhere, often from abroad. At Manchester Fertility, we have donor sperm and donor eggs ready now, from UK screened donors, so you can start treatment immediately.
Do you have the expertise to help me?: At Manchester Fertility we have a team of consultants with a wide range of expertise, many of whom are leaders in their fields with their own specialisms and interests – from male infertility to recurrent miscarriage and PCOS. Does the clinic you are considering have a consultant that specialises in your specific diagnosis?
Do you have any fee options that help make private IVF more cost effective?: Many private clinics are now starting to offer their own ‘pre-pay’ packages and programmes, which all differ in terms of what you actually get. But if it’s offered by the clinic itself, be cautious. Is the package and treatment offered in your best interests, or the commercial interests of the clinic? At Manchester Fertility we have partnered with Access Fertility to help make IVF more cost-effective, whilst also giving you the peace of mind that your treatment decisions are made without commercial bias. We offer two different programmes: IVF Refund, and IVF Multi-Cycle. Both offer multiple cycles of IVF/ICSI treatment at heavily discounted rates, along with the use of breakthrough innovations and techniques such as EmbryoScope, to maximise your chances of success.
Do your success rates relate to clinical pregnancies?: Make sure any success statistics you are given relate to clinical pregnancies only, for your specific age group. Clinical pregnancies are those confirmed by ultrasound scan with fetal heartbeat present. Some clinics however choose to publish biochemical pregnancy rates to make them appear more successful. These are for positive pregnancy tests only, which are always higher than clinical pregnancy rates. Make sure also that the statistics you are shown are for your age group, success rates are always higher for younger age groups which is why many IVF clinics only show these on their websites. Manchester Fertility’s success rates are regularly updated and are reported to HFEA.
Can I come and look around your clinic?: We hold regular free, informal open evenings which give potential patients the opportunity to come and tour our clinic, meet our Patient Advisors and ask any questions you wish. Book online if you're interested.
If you’d like to chat to us about starting treatment, you can speak to our friendly Patient Advisors on 0161 300 2737.
Last updated: 20th January 2020
