Once you’ve decided that you should seek the help of a fertility clinic to help you become a parent, the next step is to choose a clinic. You want a clinic that will make this a positive experience for you. There are a few things you should look for when making a selection
Success
Compare success rates. This is important, since you will be investing both a lot of money and a lot of emotions into the project. Be careful when comparing success rates, since different clinics might deal more or less with difficult cases. Ask hard questions and take your time to make sure you understand what each clinic’s success rate means.
Florida
Not all states are as friendly toward surrogacy as others. Florida is one of the better ones. Some states are outright hostile. You might want to seek a clinic in one of the better states, and that might mean moving in order to do it. That’s a big step to take, but so is having a child.. And if the state you live is not surrogacy-friendly, moving might just be your best option.
Bedside manner
Make sure you are comfortable with the doctor. You will want to know that the doctor knows what she is doing, of course, but more importantly, you will want to know that the doctor will make sure you know what she is doing and how she is doing. Communication is important. If at first you are not comfortable with the doctor, you probably won’t be later on. This is crucial for you, because you will find this an emotional process. Poor communication or unsympathetic bearing will not help, but a communicative doctor who really cares will make your whole experience vastly more enjoyable.
Professionalism
How everybody at the clinic treats you is very important. The surrogacy process is complex, not just because of the biological science involved but also because of the legal and human dimensions. You have to be able to count on the staff of the clinic to treat numerous stakeholders with professional courtesy, from lawyers and government officials, to surrogates and intended parents, to suppliers and various medical labs and clinics.
An unprofessional approach can cause stress, create misunderstandings and possibly result in more serious miscommunication – especially if the unprofessional-ism involves failing to keep people apprised of information they need.
Lab
Does the clinic have its own lab.? Find out what they do in-house and what gets outsourced. There is nothing wrong with outsourcing lab tests, but the more that is outsourced the more often you will have delays.
Cleanliness
This is almost a given, since any fertility clinic you walk into should be spotless. If it is not spotless, you might wonder how careful they are about small, but important details, including hygiene. You do not want to get involved with a clinic that might risk the you or your baby’s health through carelessness, especially when it comes to disease and infections. If a clinic does not appear to be clean enough, best to just move on.
Price
This is not the nest metric to use when comparing clinics, but if finances are an issue, it is worth finding out about what help might be available to make the finances work smoother for you
Make sure you pick a clinic you are comfortable with, because in the end, that’s what is most important. If the clinic helps make the experience positive for you, then you will have struck gold.
