Infertility Center Resource Center

Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology About this site: The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology is the professional association responsible for setting and maintaining standards of practice for its 392 member practices (which represents 85 percent of all fertility clinics in the United States). The group's online Patient's Guide is a good overview and step-by-step explanation of the different stages of assisted reproductive technology (ART). http://www.sart.org   Pluses: Clear and concise writing makes it easy to understand the difficult terminology of ART drugs and procedures.   Minuses: Much of the Patient's Guide is presented in a graphics-free, list format that can seem disorganized and be arduous to click through.   Best feature: Use the Find a Clinic feature to search by zip code for a SART-member clinic. http://www.sart.org/find_frm.html

Fertile Hope About this site: Having cancer and undergoing treatment can put you at risk for infertility. You'll probably also have lots of questions about how safe it is to become pregnant. Fertile Hope is a site dedicated to providing reproductive information, support, and hope to people who want to have children after beating cancer. http://www.fertilehope.org   Pluses: The site's survivor stories -- searchable by cancer type, fertility preservation, and method of conception -- are a great source of hope and inspiration.   Minuses: Boring graphics and annoying navigation. Some content areas (adoption, surrogacy) are a little thin.   Best feature: By compiling clinical experience and published research, Fertile Hope has developed risk calculators -- for both women and men -- based on type of cancer and method of treatment to give you an idea of how fertility may be impacted.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) About this site: For people facing the uncertainties of assisted reproductive technology, accurate statistics are vital. Fortunately, the CDC is a clearinghouse for this important information. Now in its tenth year of publication, the 2005 Fertility Clinic Success Rates and National Summary provides verified data on all ART cycles began in the 422 clinics reporting. (The info is also available as an Excel spreadsheet.) http://www.cdc.gov/ART/   Pluses: The list of further resources has links to other organizations that are better equipped to handle the emotional side of undergoing fertility treatments.   Minuses: The site is barebones; the look and feel is clinical.   Best feature: The clickable map of the United States breaks down the information not only by state, but also by each individual clinic which contributed to the report. In-depth data is available on which technology was used, to pregnancy success rates for different types of cycles and ages of the women treated. http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ART2005/clinics05.asp

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Patient Page About this site: The ACOG Patient Page bills itself as "information you can trust from the leading experts in women's healthcare." The site provides online pamphlets (similar to what you might pick up from your doctor's waiting room), which cover topics ranging from contraception to postpartum care. There's even a special section for teens. You can print out online pamphlets or request (up to five) print versions for free. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/patientPage.cfm   Pluses: The Tip of the Month and Pamphlet of the Month highlight timely topics in women's health.   Minuses: The Physician Lookup allows you to search for an ACOG physician by name, state, or zip code, but unhelpfully does not list doctors' contact information.   Best feature: There's a good search function, and the extensive list of patient pamphlets is also available in Spanish.

American Society for Reproductive Medicine About this site: The Web site of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine was created by physicians who offer reproductive medicine and infertility services. The society devotes much of its site to answering patients’ clinical questions aboutpregnancy, male and female infertility, and the latest in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). (http://www.asrm.org)   Pluses: The Patient Fact Sheets have well-sourced medical information geared to patients researching fertility and infertility procedures.   Minuses: Many of the stories are dry and clinical. Searching for a physician on the site's directory of members results in an error message.   Best feature: A resource page for patients brings together stories, lists of questions, and articles on evaluating a clinic's infertility services.

The International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination About this site: Founded in 1995 by three women who were looking for answers to their own infertility problems, this site has grown to include information on infertility, pregnancy following infertility, adoption, and even living without children. (http://www.inciid.org/)   Pluses: Some unusual information can be found here, such as a Semen Analysis Chart and summaries of legal cases on issues like embryo donation.   Minuses: Some of the news is not current. The Q and A and message boards are plagued by commercial pitches and requests for donations.   Best feature: The organization was founded by people who have lived with -- and overcome -- infertility.

March of Dimes About this site: The March of Dimes is a worldwide organization dedicated to improving infant health and survival rates. One in every 8 infants in the United States is born too early, increasing the risk of many illnesses, so the March of Dimes is conducting a public education campaign to prevent premature births. Site visitors can read mothers' stories about their premature babies, learn how to care for their own "preemie," or support the campaign with a donation. (http://www.modimes.org/)   Pluses: The entire site is viewable in Spanish as well as English.   Minuses: It takes a while to find basic information on how to prevent birth defects.   Best feature: Through the site's Pregnancy and Newborn Health Education Center, visitors can ask a health-information specialist questions by phone, email, or live chat -- a valuable resource for busy parents.

American Fertility Association About this site: Based in New York City, the American Infertility Association was founded in 1999 by Executive Director Pamela Madsen. Today the group represents doctors, nurses, therapists, and patients working to increase public awareness about infertility. The group's Web site was primarily intended for patients grappling with the medical and emotional aspects of infertility. The group also advocates insurance coverage for infertility treatment. (http://www.theafa.org)   Pluses: Patients going through infertility treatments will appreciate the down-to-earth descriptions of reproductive medicine. In the stories about the emotional aspects of infertility, the language is sensitive and caring.   Minuses: There are only a few pages of stories on fertility and reproductive medicine. Some links, such as the page of therapists, are broken.   Best feature: Besides stories on the basics of infertility care, this site offers articles about when to consider adoption. Message boards cover topics including women over 40, donor embryos, and male infertility.

Resolve: The National Infertility Association About this site: This site has a lot of information that is well-organized and easy to read. Men don't get the short end of the stick here, either -- there's plenty of information on male infertility. (http://www.resolve.org/)   Pluses: Bulletin boards let you compare notes and ask questions of others with similar problems and issues.   Minuses: Some informational materials are only available for a fee.   Best feature: Thorough, up-to-date information is presented in a reassuring, positive way.