5 Questions to Ask Your Reproductive Endocrinologist (That You Might Not Think To)

The day has finally come for your long-awaited (possibly VERY long-awaited) New Patient Consult with a Reproductive Endocrinologist. 

You are nervous and don’t know what to expect.  

You have been telling yourself all morning to *breathe* and take things as they come. 

You get called back from the waiting room to the physician’s office, to have a one-on-one discussion. 

The doctor gives you a TON of information, half of which sounds like a foreign language, and then asks you if you have any questions. 

You know you have questions, but you don’t know which ones are the most important or where to begin, as you’re still processing all the information you were just given. The doctor’s time is valuable…so what do you ask? 

Here are five essential questions to ask that are not so obvious and that  help you advocate for yourself and get the clarity you need: 

What is your approach to diagnosing infertility? 

This question helps you to understand the diagnostic process of your physician, and how they do (or do not) tailor their treatment recommendations to individuals and couples. You want to listen for inclusive and collaborative language. You do not want your physician to approach your care in the same, cookie-cutter way that they would approach the next individual or couple. They should be centering your goals, taking into consideration your entire medical history, and assessing your emotional and financial readiness before they recommend a treatment pathway. 

What are your success rates for people like me? 

The important phrase of this question is “like me”. All clinics have general success rates that are calculated through the data submitted to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Asking for a further breakdown of the data to reflect success for patients who have a similar diagnosis and/or clinical presentation to you is taking it a step further and can help you understand if this is the right clinic to help you reach your goals. Pro tip: Ask for live birth rates instead of just pregnancy rates, because even pregnancies that end in miscarriage or are categorized as biochemical pregnancies are counted under the pregnancy rates.

How will this treatment affect my daily life, and do you have supportive resources in place? 

Many people just starting on their fertility journey vastly underestimate the level of time commitment and energy (both emotional and physical) that treatment needs. The nature of fertility treatment requires frequent office visits for monitoring, which typically means time off work and possibly extra commuting. It is also very time-sensitive, so flexibility with your schedule is a necessity. The right care team will acknowledge this as a significant challenge and will have supports in place (within reason).  Examples of this might include relatively flexible scheduling for same-day or next-day appointments, and efficient clinic workflows so your time in the clinic is quick. It is also a good idea to ask about options for payment plans, referrals for counseling, or in-house support. 

Where and how are my embryos and/or eggs stored? 

This seems straightforward, but many people forget to ask about this. You want to make sure that you know where your eggs or embryos are stored, what the process for that storage is, and how much it costs. If you are doing fertility preservation and not planning to use your eggs or embryos shortly, it might make sense to move them to long-term storage, which is often cheaper. 

Will you (or someone on your team) be available for follow-up questions or concerns?

This is a very important question, as it sets communication expectations early on. At some smaller clinics, the physician performs all of the scans at each appointment, so questions about treatment can be asked directly at almost every appointment. At larger clinics, you may only ever speak with your physician once or twice during your entire treatment cycle, with the majority of the communication coming from the nurses or other advanced practitioners (such as nurse practitioners). You also want to know what options are available if you have urgent questions after hours, like an on-call number. 

Bottom line: it’s more than ok to ask questions! Fertility clinic care teams know firsthand how overwhelming and daunting the journey can be, so they expect and encourage people to ask a lot of questions. Writing them down as you think of them can help, along with taking notes. You deserve to have a care team that welcomes curiosity and invites collaboration. 

Need additional help preparing for your first appointment? Let’s chat!