Patient: Dr Malpani, choosing an IVF clinic feels overwhelming. Every clinic claims they’re the best, with high success rates and cutting-edge technology. As a patient, how do I separate genuine quality from clever marketing?
Dr Malpani: That’s an excellent—and very important—question. IVF has unfortunately become a very competitive business, and not all clinics put patients’ interests first. The good news is that you don’t need to be an expert to identify a bad IVF clinic. There are three clear warning signs that should immediately make you pause and think.
Patient: Only three? That sounds manageable. What’s the first red flag?
Red Flag #1: The clinic hides information and refuses to share embryo photos
Dr Malpani: Transparency is the foundation of good medical care. A good IVF clinic has nothing to hide. They will willingly share detailed cycle reports and, most importantly, photographs of your embryos, especially blastocyst-stage embryos.
Patient: Why are embryo photos so important?
Dr Malpani: Because they are objective proof of lab quality. Embryos are created and grown in the IVF laboratory, not in the doctor’s consulting room. If a clinic consistently produces top-quality blastocysts, they will be proud to show them to patients.
When a clinic refuses to share embryo photos, gives vague excuses, or tells you that “you wouldn’t understand them anyway,” that’s a major red flag. Information belongs to the patient. You paid for the treatment, and these embryos are yours.
Patient: Some clinics say sharing photos isn’t necessary and might confuse patients.
Dr Malpani: That’s paternalism, not patient care. I believe patients are intelligent adults who deserve full information. Seeing your embryos helps you understand what actually happened during your cycle and protects you from blind trust. Clinics that hide information often do so because the results are not impressive.
Patient: Alright. What’s the second sign of a bad IVF clinic?
Red Flag #2: Routine Day 3 embryo transfers
Dr Malpani: This is a big one. In natural conception, embryos reach the uterus only on Day 5, when they are blastocysts. A good IVF clinic tries to replicate nature as closely as possible by growing embryos to Day 5 before transfer.
Patient: Then why do some clinics still do Day 3 transfers?
Dr Malpani:
Often because their lab cannot reliably grow embryos to the blastocyst stage. Instead of acknowledging this limitation, they push embryos into the uterus early and hope for the best. This may sound reassuring to patients—“at least something was transferred”—but biologically, it’s not ideal.
Patient:
So Day 3 transfer is not always wrong?
Dr Malpani: There are rare exceptions, but when a clinic routinely does Day 3 transfers for most patients, it usually reflects poor lab competence. A good lab is confident enough to let embryos declare their true potential in the incubator.
Day 3 transfers also deprive patients of crucial diagnostic information. If embryos arrest before Day 5, that tells us something important about egg or embryo quality. Skipping this step means flying blind in future cycles.
Patient: That makes sense. And the third red flag?
Red Flag #3: Transferring more than one embryo at a time
Dr Malpani: This is perhaps the most dangerous practice. Transferring multiple embryos is often an attempt to compensate for poor embryo quality. It artificially boosts pregnancy rates at the cost of patient safety.
Patient: But many patients actually ask for two embryos to increase their chances.
Dr Malpani: I understand the emotional logic, but medically it’s flawed. Twins and triplets are high-risk pregnancies, associated with preterm birth, complications for the mother, and long-term health issues for babies.
A good IVF clinic with high-quality blastocysts will confidently recommend single embryo transfer, because one healthy embryo is all you need. Clinics that routinely push multiple embryo transfers are prioritising short-term statistics over long-term outcomes.
Patient: So if a clinic hides embryo photos, does Day 3 transfers, and transfers multiple embryos—those are serious warning signs?
Dr Malpani: Absolutely. These three practices often go together, and they point to deeper problems: poor lab quality, lack of transparency, and a disregard for patient autonomy.
Patient: As a patient, that’s unsettling—but also empowering. It feels like I finally have a checklist.
Dr Malpani: That’s exactly my goal. IVF is stressful enough without being kept in the dark. Patients deserve honest information so they can make informed choices. My role is not to dictate decisions, but to help you understand the consequences of each option.
Patient: What would you say defines a good IVF clinic, then?
Dr Malpani: A good clinic respects patients as equal partners. It produces good-quality blastocysts, shares embryo photos openly, prefers Day 5 single embryo transfers, and communicates honestly—even when the news isn’t good. Trust is built through transparency, not promises.
Patient: I wish more doctors explained things this clearly.
Dr Malpani: Clarity protects patients—from unnecessary tests, expensive add-ons, and emotional harm. When patients are informed, they make better decisions and avoid being misled by glossy marketing.
Please get your doubts resolved free using our chatbot which is powered by AI based on Dr Malpani’s 40 years of clinical expertise and experience at https://www.drmalpani.com/chat-w-chatbot/index.html. This will ensure you’re on the right path and potentially save significant costs in the long run.