CHOOSING A FERTILITY SPECIALIST

I've often been asked by patients, when and how to choose a fertility specialist. The question they have is whether to stay with their current OB/GYN physician or seek out an infertility specialist. First, if you are undergoing some evaluation and possibly treatment by a Family Practice physician or General practitioner, you're in the wrong hands. Your doctor may feel he or she can do infertility, and may have had some exposure to infertility in their training, but it was hardly enough for them to be evaluating and/or treating infertility patients. I have even had patients that were under the care of physician assistants and nurse practitioners! These are the wrong providers for your problem. Speciality care should be done by a specialist, an OB/GYN physician, Infertility specialist or Reproductive Endocrinologist, not a general practitioner. See "Infertility Evaluation" for more information.

The easy answer to the question is seek out the physician that you feel you need to see. If you want a basic level of evaluation and treatment, or want minimal intervention, then most OB/GYN physicians have adequate training and knowledge of infertility to help you. However, this varies among OB/GYN docs so make sure your doc has this knowledge. One good way of screening is to simply ask what levels of treatment they provide: Clomid ovulation induction, Gonadotropin ovulation induction or Insemination (artificial insemination)? I would choose a doc that can do at least insemination. If they don't do that, then their training and knowledge is probably not adequate for your needs. The problem with docs that only do a little, is they tend to get stuck in the little that they can do and are slow to refer you to a higher level of care. For example, a doc that can only do Clomid ovulation induction, but not insemination, tends to treat their patients for months with just Clomid, often without even doing a complete infertility evaluation to see if this is the best treatment. Clomid ovulation induction should probably not be done for more than 6 months. If your doc gives you a prescription for Clomid, that is a year's supply, and says call me if you miss your period, then you need to find another doctor. Or, if you go to your doctor with your infertility problem and the doctor sends you away with a Clomid prescription before even suggesting an infertility evaluation, then that is another sign that you need to seek out a different doctor. As a consequence, you end up losing valuable time, and money. A good OB/GYN and Infertility specialist will lay out a clear and concise plan for evaluation and treatment, and give a defined timeline for each.

However, that being said, you may also want to avoid the clinic that provides only IVF, because they will not offer other choices of evaluation or treatment. If you are just starting your infertility care and evaluation, that may be the wrong choice for you. Many large IVF clinics are like that. They only provide IVF. You want an infertility specialist that offers IVF, in addition to, a broader level of evaluation and care. Find someone who can provide all levels of infertility evaluation and treatment.

So, when should you seek a specialist? The answer is when you feel you need a specialist. For some that will be right from the start, when you realize you are not getting pregnant. For others, that will not be until they have exhausted their options with their Ob/Gyn doctors. My advice is this: if you are under 35 years old, then either a well-trained Ob/Gyn doc or an infertility specialist will do, depending on your problem. If you decide to go to an Ob/Gyn doc, then do not spend more than 6 months on a treatment plan. If it doesn't work by that time, then it's time to move on. If you are over 35, then you should go directly to see an infertility specialist, because time is working against you. Also, if you have tubal blockage, stage 3 or 4 endometriosis, a very bad semen analysis or failed four IUI's, then you should see an infertility sub-specialist directly.