Infertility Counseling

What are the aims of medical counselling?
Medical counselling is one of the facets of infertility counselling. Its objective is to keep you appraised of treatments and tests you have to undergo for infertility treatment. It covers following:
1· Technology details which are used during management like Ultrasound /Laparoscopy.
2· Build acceptability of tests included in treatment plan.
3· Metabolic disorders & management.
4· Medical disorders & infections like HIV /HBS Ag /HCV.
5· Malignancies eg cancer. How do they affect fertility.
6· Uterine defects & associated pathologies of tubes & ovaries.
7· Male factor.

1st Step of counselling : Pre-treatment
1· A counsellor outlines an individual plan for evaluation, treatment & timeline for you.
2· Documents everything and shares education material.
3· Arranges a supports group of patients who faced this problem and were able to come out of it.
4· Provides correct information about treatment, side effects, cost & results.
5· Gives the details of the general infertility procedures like IUI, IVF, ICSI.
6· Informs you about special procedures like TESE/TESA, PESA, Micro-TESA /Egg donation /embryo donation/Cryofreezing /surrogacy & adoption if you require them or are interested to know.
7· If you are a male undergoing counselling, then you are provided details of semen analysis test, Sperm Function Analysis (SFA) test for DNA, sperm donation & sperm procedures like MACS and IMSI.
During the entire process we ensure not to make any tall claims and set false expectations.

2nd Step of counselling : During treatment
1· Information about hormonal drugs & it’s side effects.
2· Details of anaesthesia & procedures done on day to day basis.
3· Blood investigations that you need to undergo and their purpose.
4· Time taken for each of the treatments.
5· Options available for freezing your eggs /embryos / semen.
6· Number of embryos to be transferred.
7· Alert you for Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) which may occur for patients suffering from PCOD. In this case ovaries swell and become painful.

3rd Step of counselling : Post treatment
1· Rest & diet
2· Sexual relationship
3· Drugs & its side effects
4· Psychotherapy with stress management methods like meditation, music therapy, acupuncture, reiki & yoga.
5· Spiritual counselling
6· Preparing with good mental strength for negative results

What does the counsellor do for you?
1· Empathise in your grief & loss.
2· Build hope, if a cycle fails dues to complications.
3· Support group-share experience with other patients
4·Keeps you posted about any post conception problems at the starting of your cycle and gives complete counselling in case negative results.
5· Provide you information about sperm bank, egg bank, embryo bank & surrogacy as an alternate option.
6· Counsels you about doing Genetic tests like PGD/PGS in advance if you face repeated failures.

Benefits you get from counselling
1· Builds up healthy relationship between you and your doctor
2· You feel involved in decision making process
3· You are better equipped to receive the treatment
4· You don’t feel cheated because you are given complete and correct information.