Your IVF Team Abroad

Considering IVF abroad? Find out more about who will be looking after you.

Your Doctor

Your relationship with your doctor is important. You can request a female doctor if you feel more comfortable with that. Some clinics will try to ensure that you get the same doctor throughout your treatment. But this can be difficult, as some of your treatment may occur at the weekend when the duty doctor is on call.

In clinics abroad, the licensing body inspects that the medical director of the clinic is fit to practice and hold that position. The other doctors in the clinic will tend to have less experience. It is worth bearing in mind that you may not be allocated the senior doctor as your consultant, especially in the busier clinics. In many of the clinics the senior doctor will have a vested interest in making the clinic a success, since they will at least partly own it as well as work in it.

 

International Team

The IVF coordinators are very important as they will be the people who you will deal with most before, during and after your treatment. They can sometimes be called  the ‘International’ team. They will instruct you on when you should arrive at the clinic and will facilitate the smooth running of your treatment. The role of the IVF coordinators is more than just translating or form filling. Usually they have indepth knowledge of all the treatments and deal with all the practicalities e.g. obtaining prescriptions, advise on when to arrive etc. They have an important role in directing enquiries to the most appropriate place and understanding the urgency of requests.

The nurses will be directly involved in your care of course. The nurses are primarily focussed on your treatment rather than dealing with the practicalities of having treatment abroad.

 

Embryologists

The Senior Embryologists in each of the clinics have many years of experience. This is important as you need them to be able to react to different situations and respond appropriately.

Not all Senior Embryologists are European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) accredited, but many are. What this means is that they have not yet undertaken the exam syllabus that was introduced by ESHRE in 2008. This exam aims to develop the formal recognition of the role of embryologists by ensuring appropriate levels of knowledge and expertise. It is desirable, but not essential, for a clinic to have embryologists certified by ESHRE as it demonstrates that they have achieved a level of competence and understanding in theory and practice.

Read some interviews by the staff at the IVF clinics featured on our website.