Your first fertility consultation
A first consultation is the cheapest hour of the whole process, and the one where you have the most leverage. These are the questions worth asking, and what to have with you.
This is a checklist, not medical advice. It says nothing about what treatment you need — only what to ask and what to bring, so you leave with answers rather than a brochure.
What to take with you
- Any previous test results, in date order, including anything from another clinic. Bring the actual reports rather than a summary.
- A record of how long you have been trying, and of any previous treatment, with dates.
- Both partners, where there are two. Fertility is investigated on both sides and a single-partner first appointment often has to be repeated.
- Your own list of questions, written down. Consultations run short and it is easy to leave without asking the thing you came for.
- Something to take notes with. You will be given a lot at once.
Questions worth asking any clinic
- Which Level 2 lab do you use for IVF/ICSI, and where is it?
- Who will be my treating doctor and how often will I see them?
- What is included in the quoted cycle price, and what is billed extra?
- How many cycles do you run per month?
- What are your policies on embryo freezing and storage fees?
- Do you offer counselling and second-opinion reviews?
Questions that decide what you pay
Price is rarely a single number, and the headline figure is the least useful part of it. These are the ones that move a bill:
- Is medication included in the quoted price, or billed separately?
- How many cycles are likely in my case, not just the price of one?
- What happens to the fee if a cycle is cancelled before egg collection?
- Are ICSI, freezing, donor eggs or sperm and genetic testing each priced separately?
- Is there a government programme I would be eligible for?
- Can I have the quote in writing, itemised?
No clinic in this directory has published its prices, so we do not show a range and we do not estimate one. If you are quoted a figure, ask for it in writing with the inclusions named.
Before you decide
- You are allowed to leave without committing. A first consultation is not a contract, and a clinic that treats it as one has told you something useful.
- A second opinion is normal. Ask whether the clinic supports one; the answer is informative either way.
- Check the registry entry yourself. Every clinic page here shows the registration number and the issuing authority, and how much of the listing has been verified.
- Ask what happens if it does not work. How many cycles they would suggest, what changes between them, and at what point they would advise stopping.
Editorial note. Registry details are sourced from the National ART & Surrogacy Registry and corroborated against what the clinic publishes. Opening hours are the clinic's own, cited to its website. Partner plans unlock more detail but never change the methodology. Success rates are not published here — read how we rank.
- Verified against cited public sources
- No paid placement, ever