Talking With Your Healthcare Provider

Questions for Your OB/GYN or PCP

When you see your OB/GYN or Primary Care Physician for the first time, you'll need to provide some basic information, including:

Based on the information you provide, your healthcare provider should have a sense of whether or not you are at particular risk for having a fertility problem. You can then begin to discuss your potential testing and treatment options. Here are some questions to prepare you for that conversation:

  • What specific tests would you recommend to diagnose my infertility?
  • Should my partner be tested?
  • What are the tests for male fertility?
  • How much will the tests cost?
  • How long will it take to diagnose our problem?
  • Based on the results of those tests, what are my treatment options, and how much do they cost?
  • Will my insurance pay for the testing and/or treatments?
  • If we decide that clomiphene citrate (commonly known as CLOMID®) therapy is the next step, how many cycles will we try before we move onto another treatment option?
  • What is the success rate with clomiphene citrate (commonly known as CLOMID®) therapy — and what are the side effects?
  • Will I have to repeat any tests if I go to a Fertility Specialist or Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE)?
  • What surgical procedures might you recommend for my partner or me? What are your success rates with those procedures?

You can also download and print these questions to take with you to your doctor's visit.

To view the download, you need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® installed. Don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer? Download it free, here.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Important Considerations
As with all prescription medications, side effects may occasionally occur with use of fertility drugs. Doctors specializing in fertility or reproductive health should only prescribe these products. Patients prescribed gonadotropins and GnRH analogs should be monitored carefully by a trained fertility specialist. Risks include the following events which can be serious: hypersensitivity reactions; ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS); pulmonary and vascular complications, and multiple births. For complete product details about a specific fertility drug, please refer to the Full Prescribing Information.

Know Before You Go

Check into your insurance coverage before you see your healthcare provider. Your policy may determine what kind of healthcare provider you see, what kinds of fertility tests you undergo and in what sequence. To have a benefits specialist assist you, call Fertility LifeLines™ at 1-866-LETS-TRY (1-866-538-7879). All calls are free and confidential.

Can We Afford Fertility Treatment?

Get the facts about paying for treatment. Learn how you can save up to $500 on Gonal-f® (follitropin alfa for injection) with the FertilityAssist 2 program.

Important Considerations:
Gonal-f® RFF Pen (follitropin alfa injection) is indicated for the induction of ovulation and pregnancy in the oligo-anovulatory infertile patient in whom the cause of infertility is functional and not due to primary ovarian failure. Gonal-f® RFF Pen is also indicated for the development of multiple follicles in the ovulatory patient participating in an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program. Gonal-f® RFF Pen (follitropin alfa injection) should only be prescribed by physicians specializing in fertility or reproductive health. Gonal-f® is a potent gonadotropic substance capable of causing mild to severe adverse reactions, including Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) in women with or without pulmonary or vascular complications, and multiple births. Gonal-f® is contraindicated in women who exhibit prior hypersensitivity to FSH preparations, primary gonadal failure, uncontrolled thyroid or adrenal dysfunction and pregnancy. Nursing women should not use Gonal-f®. Common side effects include headache, abdominal pain, enlarged abdomen, and injection site disorders. For complete product details, see full prescribing information.

Important Considerations:
Women: Gonal-f® (follitropin alfa for injection) is indicated for the induction of ovulation and pregnancy in the anovulatory infertile patient in whom the cause of infertility is functional and not due to primary ovarian failure. Gonal-f® is also indicated for the development of multiple follicles in the ovulatory patient participating in an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program.
Men: Gonal-f® (follitropin alfa for injection) is indicated for the induction of spermatogenesis in men with primary and secondary hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in whom the cause of infertility is not due to primary testicular failure. Gonal-f® (follitropin alfa for injection) should only be prescribed by physicians who are thoroughly familiar with infertility problems and their management. Gonal-f® is a potent gonadotropic substance capable of causing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) in women with or without pulmonary or vascular complications. Gonal-f® is contraindicated in women and men who exhibit prior hypersensitivity to recombinant FSH preparations or one of their excipients, high levels of FSH indicating primary gonadal failure, uncontrolled thyroid or adrenal dysfunction, sex hormone dependent tumors of the reproductive tract and accessory organs, and an organic intracranial lesion such as a pituitary tumor; and in women who exhibit abnormal uterine bleeding of undetermined origin, ovarian cyst or enlargement of undetermined origin and pregnancy. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Gonal-f®. The most common side effects in patients using Gonal-f® include headache, ovarian cysts, nausea and upper respiratory infections in women and in men, acne, breast pain and growth, and fatigue. Injection site reactions were also reported. Reports of multiple births have been associated with Gonal-f® treatment. For complete product details, see the full prescribing information.

For complete product details, please read the Prescribing Information offered below.


© EMD Serono, Inc. CIM Last Update 2008-09-16
This site contains medical information that is intended for residents of the United States only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by a medical professional. Always consult a physician if you have health concerns. Use and access of this site is subject to the terms and conditions as set out in our Legal Statement and Privacy Policy.

This site contains information that is intended for US residents only. Canadian residents should consult the EMD Serono Canada Inc. Web site at www.emdserono.ca for information on products and services approved in Canada.

EMD Serono

Close

Please wait... loading

View the Full Glossary