The world of infertility is full of compassionate people who have dealt with the struggle of infertility on a deep personal level. They have felt so touched by their experiences and challenges that in turn they have pursued new career paths as is the case of Mindy Berkson of Lotus Blossom Consulting. Mindy, a former venture capitalist, struggled with secondary infertility for over 3 years before she conceived her twins. During her ordeal, Mindy felt there was “no patient advocate” and “no where to turn” when dealing with her infertility. In 2005, she opened Lotus Blossom Consulting. Her practice has expanded internationally as 30% of her clients base and offers infertility consulting services to individuals, same-sex and heterosexual couples.
During our interview, I asked Mindy what advice she had for my readers about how to go about finding the best fertility specialist and how to deal with the financial aspects that go along with expensive treatments like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), and gestational and traditional surrogacy.
When searching for a fertility specialist, Mindy addressed the following:
- Diagnosis. Do you know your infertility diagnosis? It’s important to find a fertility doctor who has experience with your specific infertility diagnosis. Ask a potential specialist what their success rates are with other patients like you with your specific diagnosis.
- The embryology staff. The embryology staff is a key component to a successful outcome with such treatments as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Find out the success rates of the team and the laboratory. Find out their expertise, best practices, technologies, and how they work with the doctors.
- End Family BuildingGoal. When looking for the right doctor or clinic, Mindy also suggests keeping this in mind. If this is your first baby, you also want to consider your overall family building goal. Do you hope on having more than one child? This should be factored into your plan as well so you can prepare for the end goal and having the financing in place or perhaps freeze leftover embryos for use on a later cycle.
- Financial Programs. Mindy suggest looking at a clinic’s financial offerings such as money back guarantees like the shared risk program at Shady Grove Fertility. Mindy also can provide services through Lotus Blossom Consulting to help intended parents get 0% financing, 12-24 months up to $35,000, for qualified applicants.
- Doctor recommendations. In the Washington D.C. area, Mindy recommends Dr. Mottle of Shady Grove Fertility for his personal touch within a big clinic. She spoke highly of his team and his skill set. Another doctor she recommends is Dr. Abbasi of Columbia Fertility for her close-nit personal care.
For more information about Lotus Blossom Consulting and how Mindy and her team can help guide and support you along your fertility journey visit her on the web at http://lotusblossomconsulting.com/.
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