The journey
Choosing care
Ready to find a clinic and decide who to trust with your care.
Choosing a fertility clinic is one of the harder decisions in this journey, and it's often made under pressure and without good information. The single most useful starting point is legitimacy: whether a clinic is registered, and at what level.
This stage helps you separate the signal from the marketing — start from the registry-backed directory, understand what registration does and doesn't tell you, and walk in with the right questions. Trust is something you verify, not something a brochure asserts.
Good places to start
- AMH test (anti-Mullerian hormone)A blood test that estimates how many eggs you have left.
- Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)A blood test that roughly estimates how many eggs you have left.
- Antral follicle count (AFC)An ultrasound count of resting follicles that helps estimate ovarian reserve.
- AzoospermiaWhen there is no measurable sperm in the semen.
- EndometriosisA condition where tissue like the womb lining grows outside the uterus.
- Endometriosis and fertilityA condition where tissue like the womb lining grows outside the uterus.
- FET (frozen embryo transfer)A previously frozen embryo is thawed and placed in the uterus.
- How we evaluate clinics, and our promiseWe do not take money from clinics. No clinic can pay to be listed, to rank higher, or to have information removed. What we show is each clinic's official registration and level from the National ART and Surrogacy Registry, presented the same way for everyone. We do not rate or rank clinics ourselves, and a listing is not an endorsement. Our aim is to give you verifiable facts and the questions to ask, so you can decide for yourself.
- HSG (hysterosalpingogram)An X-ray test that checks whether the fallopian tubes are open.
- ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection)An IVF step where a single sperm is injected directly into each egg.
- ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection)A lab technique where a single sperm is injected directly into an egg.
- IUI (intrauterine insemination)Prepared sperm is placed directly into the uterus around ovulation.
- IUI (intrauterine insemination)Prepared sperm placed directly into the uterus around ovulation.
- IUI vs IVF vs ICSI: which treatment, and whenIUI is the simplest and cheapest option, placing prepared sperm in the uterus; it suits mild male-factor or unexplained infertility but has a lower success rate per cycle. IVF is more involved and has higher success, and is the better first step when there is a clear reason such as blocked tubes, severe male factor, endometriosis, low ovarian reserve, or older age. ICSI is a version of IVF used mainly for male-factor problems, not a separate or automatically better option. The right choice depends on your diagnosis and age, not on which sounds best.
- IVF (in vitro fertilisation)Eggs and sperm are combined in a lab, and an embryo is placed in the uterus.
- IVF (in vitro fertilisation)Eggs collected and fertilised in a lab, with an embryo placed in the uterus.
- Low AMH and diminished ovarian reserveHaving fewer eggs remaining than expected for your age.
- Male-factor infertilityWhen a problem with sperm contributes to difficulty conceiving.
- Mental health and emotional support during fertility treatmentFertility treatment is emotionally hard, and struggling with it is common and normal, not a weakness. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, you can reach free, 24-hour help in India now: Tele-MANAS on 14416 (or 1-800-891-4416) and KIRAN on 1800-599-0019. This page lists trusted Indian helplines and gentler ways to find ongoing emotional support alongside your treatment.
- Ovarian reserveThe pool of eggs you have remaining, estimated by AMH and antral follicle count.
- PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)A common hormonal condition that can disrupt ovulation.
- PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing)An optional genetic test of an embryo's chromosomes before transfer.
- Preparing for your first fertility consultationA first fertility consultation is mostly a detailed conversation about your history, often with an ultrasound, followed by a plan for tests. You will get far more from it if you bring both partners where possible, your past medical records and test results, a rough menstrual history, a list of medications, and your most important questions written down. You do not have to decide anything on the day.
- Questions to ask your fertility clinicBefore you commit to a clinic or a treatment, the right questions protect you. Ask about your diagnosis and whether IVF is really needed, how the clinic reports success rates (live births per transfer, for your age group), who performs your procedures, the full itemised cost in writing, the evidence behind any add-ons, and your rights under India's ART Act. A good clinic welcomes every one of these questions.
- Red flags: how to spot a fertility clinic to avoidMost fertility clinics are run by committed professionals, but a few warning signs are worth heeding. Be cautious of misleading or vague success rates, pressure to start IVF without a proper work-up, unproven add-ons sold as essential, costs that will not be put in writing, evasive answers, and any "guaranteed baby" promise. None of these alone proves bad care, but together they are a reason to slow down, ask more, and consider a second opinion.
- Semen analysisA lab test of sperm count, movement, and shape.
- Unexplained infertilityWhen standard tests find no clear cause for infertility.
- VaricoceleEnlarged veins in the scrotum that can affect sperm.
- What an IVF cycle looks like, step by stepAn IVF cycle usually runs about four to six weeks of active treatment. You take hormone injections for around 8 to 14 days to grow several eggs, have a timed trigger injection, then a short procedure to collect the eggs. The eggs are fertilised in the lab, the embryos grow for five to six days, and one is placed in the uterus. About two weeks later, a blood test shows whether it worked. This guide walks through each step in plain language, with what to expect, realistic numbers, and what to do if a cycle does not go to plan.
- What ART clinic registration meansEvery fertility clinic in India is required to register with the National ART and Surrogacy Registry under the ART (Regulation) Act 2021. Registration means a clinic is on the official government register and has been given a level: L1 for basic ART such as IUI, or L2 for advanced ART including IVF and ICSI. It confirms a clinic's legal standing. It does not, on its own, tell you how good the clinic is or what its success rates are.
- When to see a fertility specialistAs a general guide, see a fertility specialist after about a year of trying if you are under 35, after about six months if you are 35 to 39, and without delay if you are 40 or over. Go sooner at any age if you have irregular or absent periods, a known condition such as PCOS or endometriosis, two or more miscarriages, a history that affects fertility, or a known sperm problem. Seeing a specialist is an assessment of both partners, not an automatic step to IVF.
- Where our clinic data comes fromOur clinic information comes from the National ART and Surrogacy Registry, the official government register of fertility clinics maintained under the ART (Regulation) Act 2021. We currently cover Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, and we add cities as we are able to verify their data. We tidy the formatting but never change the facts: registration numbers and levels are shown exactly as the registry records them.