Whether you are preparing for your first appointment with a fertility specialist, seeking a second opinion or gearing up after taking some time away, it's important that you are prepared.

Fertility is incredibly emotional and can be overwhelming. It's important that you prepare ahead of time so that you get all your questions answered and concerns addressed. Here's an extensive list of some questions you may want to ask. You can tailor it to you and your specific needs.

Lifestyle Habits

• Are there lifestyle habits that might be affecting our fertility such as smoking or alcohol use?  
• Do you have suggestions on how I can my manage stress during infertility?
• Will losing/gaining weight to improve our chances of getting pregnant?
• Are there any non-medical approaches we can try in conjunction with treatment?
• Could my partner or I be exposed to anything that could contribute to our fertility?
• Could my job or my partner's job contribute to our problems? 

Infertility Diagnosis and Prognosis

• Do I have a specific diagnosis?
• How does my condition interfere with fertility?
• Does my partner have a condition that interferes with fertility?
• Do these conditions worsen over time, improve, or remain constant?
• If the reason for my infertility is not clear, what tests do you recommend?
• How likely are these tests to establish a diagnosis?
• Are there any risks associated with the testing?
• Does my partner need additional testing?
• How much do the recommended tests cost?
• Is my insurance likely to cover these?

Treatments Options

• What type of treatment would you recommend trying first?
• Does this involve medication, surgery, or both?
• What are the risks of treatment?
• Are there any long-term effects?
• Are there less invasive treatments to try first?

Chances for Success and Success Rates

• What are the success rates for less invasive treatments?
• What are my chances to get pregnant if I don’t do any treatment?
• What are your live birth success rates with these recommended treatments?
• And, how many of these treatments has your clinic/practice performed?
• What are the chances of multiple births with your recommended treatment?
• How many cycles of treatment do you recommend before trying a different treatment?
• Do you recommend using donor eggs/sperm?
• If so, does your clinic offer these? (if this is an acceptable option for you)
• Over what period of time would you expect pregnancy to occur?
• Can you put us in touch with former patients who had similar treatments?

Treatments costs

• What does the recommended treatment cost?
• Do you offer multi-cycle packages?
• Does my insurance cover any of the medications, hospital charges, or doctor’s visits?
• If there are any out-of-pocket costs, do you offer any special payment plans/financing options?
• Do you have a billing specialist available to answer my questions/concerns?