Choosing a clinic

[Leontine]

I’m currently in the process of putting together clinic profiles, but need some advice from people with experience!

I’m planning on having fertility preservation treatment within the next year. I’ve decided that the best course of treatment for me is to have embryos frozen with donor sperm, however not many clinics seem to advertise this on their websites so I’ve started the process of emailing/calling.

So far I’ve only contacted one clinic and I feel the communication has been quite poor, but I’m not sure if I’m being unreasonable/have unrealistic expectations or not? I first emailed them 3 weeks ago, they emailed back a few days later asking me to ring them but I’ve not been able to get in touch with them since as the phone line is always busy.

This particular clinic is part of a general NHS hospital, if that makes any difference (although I’d be a private patient)? Would it be more straightforward to go to a standalone clinic, or is it pretty much the same everywhere? I have no idea what to expect in terms of timescales.

I would advise a stand alone clinic if you are a private patient. You are a paying customer and should be treated as such - at the end of the day they should be trying to get your business as you are about to give them a huge amount of money!

Communication is key. Remember, during treatment you will need to call them and if they don’t answer he phone I would consider this a massive red flag! Also, as much as we don’t like to think about it when we start these journeys, you could walk away with nothing so it’s essential that you feel cared for, understood, safe and like they have all the time in the world for you

Most clinics do open days, could you maybe visit a few to get a better feel for the place and people?

I agree that if you are paying then a standalone clinic is more likely to be able to give you what you want. Where do you live as that is important in terms of getting to the clinic etc? Also, do bear in mind that fertility preservation is not a guarantee so I did wonder how old you were?

It may also be helpful for you to do a clinic search on the HFEA website. The advanced search allows you to narrow down your location and criteria and can be helpful. www.hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-clinic/clinic-search/

I was going to give it until this upcoming Friday to successfully contact them, which will be 4 weeks since I made the initial contact, but to be honest, especially now after of what you’ve just said, I think I’ve kind of cancelled them out already.

Unfortunately I’m not exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing somewhere - even with a 50 mile radius, and most of the other clinics seem to be a similar set up and are part of the same company. They also seem to have a lower patient satisfaction rating than other places - perhaps to communication issues are why?

There does seem to be another place I can go to which seems better. I have been using the HFEA website. 💖

I’m late 20s. I know that the treatment is no guarantee - this is just something I have to do for myself.

(I don’t actually live that near near any clinics, which is a bit of a concern to me I’ll be honest - nearest is about 30 miles away).