Ten Questions to Ask Any Fertility Clinic Abroad

Barcelona has dozens of fertility clinics, and most of them have handsome websites with the same reassuring photographs. What separates them is not visible from the home page. These are the ten questions we encourage every family to ask on a first video consultation, with a note on what a good answer sounds like. Bring them written down; the call goes faster and you will not forget the one that matters.

The ten questions

Ask them in this order. The first three tell you most of what you need to know.

• What are your live-birth rates per transfer for my age group and my treatment, and how are they audited? A good answer names the figure, the year, and who audits it, and distinguishes per-transfer from cumulative rates. A headline number with no denominator is not an answer.
• How many embryos do you typically transfer, and why? Spanish law allows up to three; most strong clinics transfer one and can explain when they would consider two.
• How is my donor selected, and what can I learn about her? Expect a description of medical, genetic, and psychological screening, matching on physical characteristics and blood type, and a clear statement that donation is anonymous under Spanish law.
• What is included in the quoted price, and what is not? Medications, genetic testing of embryos, embryo freezing, storage, and additional transfers are the usual exclusions. Get the answer in writing.
• What happens to my embryos after treatment, and what does storage cost? You decide their fate in written consent; the clinic should explain the options and the annual storage fee.
• Who is my point of contact, and in what hours can I reach them from the U.S.? You want a named coordinator in the international department and realistic hours in Central time, not a general inbox.
• Can my pre-travel testing and monitoring be done near home? The answer should be yes, with a description of how results move between your Midwest provider and the clinic.
• If my cycle is cancelled, what are the financial terms? Cycles get cancelled for medical reasons. A good clinic can tell you exactly what is refunded or carried forward.
• How and when will I receive results, and who explains them? Lab results and embryo updates should come from a named person with a predictable timeline, in English.
• What is your policy if the package guarantee is not met? Clinics that guarantee a number of mature eggs or blastocysts should state plainly what happens if the lab falls short.

What to listen for

Specificity. Good clinics answer in numbers, names, and documents. Vague clinics answer in adjectives. You are also listening for comfort with hard questions: a physician who welcomes the cancellation question is one who has handled cancellations well.

Responsiveness matters as much as the answers. Note how long the clinic took to schedule the call after receiving your records and how quickly the written quote arrives afterward. That pace is what you will live with for the next several months.

What to do with the answers

If you are consulting with more than one clinic, keep a one-page sheet with the ten questions down the side and a column per clinic, and fill it in the same afternoon while the call is fresh. Two things to watch when you compare. Success rates must be on the same basis: per transfer for your age group and treatment, for the same year. A clinic quoting cumulative rates against another's per-transfer figure will look better than it is. And quotes must be compared line by line, with the exclusions added back in, because a lower headline price with medications and freezing excluded can cost more than a higher one that includes them.

Then add one row the questions do not capture: how you felt talking to the physician. You will be in this relationship for months, sometimes years. It matters.

How we use these questions

When we match a family to a clinic, these are the things we have already checked: audited outcomes, an international team that works in English, package pricing in writing, willingness to coordinate with your home provider, and a culture of care we have seen for ourselves. We still encourage you to ask them again on your own consultation, and we sit in when you want us to and debrief afterward.

The full list, with what to compare between clinics, is in chapter five of our free guide. If you would rather talk it through, book a free call.