When planning to get IVF, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information being thrown at you. IVF is an incredibly complicated and emotionally fraught experience for most people and it may hard to process all the complexities of this procedure when you’re sitting down for your first consultation.
Your IVF consultation is a chance to delve into the minds of the staff at your fertility center so that you can arm yourself with the knowledge required to make a sound decision. Your doctor is the expert in these situations, so use this as a chance to really help yourself understand the procedure and the risks surrounding it.
It can be beneficial to bring a list of questions with you to your consultation so that you’ll feel more confident in the information you gather. While you may have many questions already floating around in your mind, here are 5 important things we feel you should ask during your IVF consultation.
- How many eggs are you hoping to retrieve?
Talk to your doctor about how many eggs they are hoping to retrieve during the procedure. Many women (and some doctors) believe that more is better, but this can be a very expensive and emotional procedure, so it’s best to know if you and your doctor are on the same page concerning the amount of eggs they would like to retrieve and their reasons why.
- Can I go with low-dose IVF?
Low-dose IVF is an option for women who don’t need or want the higher dose IVF. It essentially uses a lower dosage of hormones and drugs that will not produce the 15+ eggs that regular IVF does. Unfortunately, not all women are candidates for this type of IVF, so it’s important to discuss it with your doctor.
- What can I do with the unused embryos?
Not all the eggs your doctor retrieves will be used, so it’s good to consider what you want done with the unused embryos. Many women choose to store them, some choose to donate them, some choose to discard them, and others have them reinserted back into their bodies when their cycles are not conducive to pregnancy to allow their bodies to dispose of them naturally. Discuss these options with your doctor to understand which you prefer and what will work best for you for future family planning.
- Single sperm injection or simple IVF?
Single sperm injections are done when there are issues with male-factor infertility, but it can also be performed for other reasons.
The other alternative is simple IVF, which samples the sperm and places them in a dish with the eggs and allows the fertilization to happen unaided.
Ask your doctor to see what method they will use.
- How many embryos will be transferred into me?
The more viable embryos transferred into you, the more chances of multiple births. This may be something you love the idea of, or something you dread, so be sure to discuss this with your doctor to make sure your familial needs are being met.
