Choosing a clinic

Choosing the right clinic for you is a crucial part of your journey to parenthood. On this page we provide information and resources to guide your decision making process.

Choosing a fertility clinic can feel like a fraught process. If you’re in the UK you may be lucky enough to be funded for your treatment but that might mean you have little or no choice about where your GP refers you.

However, as the majority of fertility procedures take place in the private sector, you are more likely to have to choose a clinic yourself and that choice can feel confusing and daunting. The UK fertility industry regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, has a “choose a fertility clinic” service that allows you to search for and look at data from all UK clinics.

If you are looking for a clinic outside the UK, as many of our members are doing, then the search can be harder as there isn’t a similar single place with all the information. You might have to do a lot of leg work and assessment independently.

If you’re not planning to use a clinic, make sure you’ve considered the legal implications of this and make sure you have time to explore fully what that option would mean for you and your family.

Some things to consider:

Location: you’ll probably be going to the clinic fairly regularly so it might be helpful to have a clinic that’s near to your home or work. If you’re going abroad, you might want to think about visas, flights and other travel related arrangements to get you from home to the clinic and back, to make sure that doesn’t just add to your stress.
Legal situation: check the legal framework in the country you’re considering.
Donor availability: some clinics recruit their own donors, some advise sourcing from particular sperm or egg banks, and some may want you to find your own donor.
Feeling confident: you want to feel happy with the clinic and the team that are looking after you. What suits one person won’t suit another as it’s so personal, but make sure you choose somewhere where you’re well cared for.
Getting organised: you might find making a spreadsheet listing your wishes and priorities helpful. You can then list clinics that interest you and compare your options.