As a physician, you may feel that you are ready to branch out on your own by opening a reproductive health clinic. As a fertility specialist, your services are sought by couples who have tried unsuccessfully to conceive. You may be able to save them from the pain of infertility by opening up a clinic of your own.

Before you go any further, you'll need to get a basic idea of how to set up your own reproductive medicine clinics. Basics include planning your menu of services, setting up your equipment and supplies, and marketing your new clinic. Consider the following:

1. Find out what other reproductive health services are offering in your area. You are running a business, after all, so you'll need to stay competitive.

2. Make a list of supplies, furnishings and equipment you'll need for your reproductive health clinics. This includes not only medical products but office supplies as well.

3. Think of ways you can market your reproductive medicine services. Having a presence on the Internet will allow your patients to locate you and see what you're all about.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine what services you want to offer at your fertility treatment clinics

Of course, there are some basic services that you would expect to offer to your patients, like intrauterine insemination and traditional IVF. There are other more specialized procedures, like frozen embryo transfers, that are not offered everywhere. It's imperative that you know what other clinics are offering so you can set your menu and stay competitive.

I recommend: Find out what other clinics are offering by using the state search feature at Internet Health Resources. You can also locate the websites of clinics in your state at the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology; this will help you figure out what services you want to offer.

Get the supplies and equipment you need to get your reproductive medical services rolling

Doctors' offices everywhere have the same basic components: exam tables, exam room equipment and standard medical instruments. As a fertility specialist, you'll need a few other pieces of equipment as well, like ultrasound machines and tools used for performing transfer procedures.

I recommend: Buy exam tables and accessories from Telluride Systems, which offers both manual and hydraulic models. You can find a wide variety of equipment and furnishings at Aria Medical Equipment. For other supplies specific to reproductive medicine, reference Work.com's Guide to Reproductive Medicine Clinics.

Market your clinic's reproductive health care services via the Internet

When looking for help, the first source many couples turn to is the Internet. Having a web presence will draw quite a few patients to your clinic, especially if you're one of the only facilities offering fertility treatments in your area. You should have a website of your own, detailing your services and helpful information for couples coping with infertility. Also, by putting your clinic's ad on related sites, you can drive more traffic to your website, thus increasing the chance that you'll have patients who come to you. You may even get a few referrals from OBGYN clinics this way.

I recommend: Aurora Information Technology can develop your website and help you with online marketing. Consider listing your clinic on any of the sites in The Fertility Network to increase exposure.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't forget that you'll need to get your reproductive health clinic licensed by your state. You cannot open your doors until this is done, so fit this into your time line and plan accordingly.

Reproductive medical clinics are sprouting up all over the nation to help infertile couples attain their dream of having their own children. Infertility is a heart-wrenching situation in which couples cannot create a viable pregnancy on their own and must turn to fertility clinics for help.

Reproductive medicine is practiced in a few types of facilities, including OB-GYN clinics and fertility centers. Whether you practice general gynecological medicine and help infertile couples as they present themselves, or are a reproductive endocrinologist specializing in primary infertility, you must have the proper supplies and equipment to treat your patients. You can give them back the hope they have lost through their struggle with infertility.

1. Obtain all necessary fertility drugs for stimulating and/or suppressing a woman's hormones.

2. Stock up on disposables like IUI catheters to keep your patients protected every time.

3. Set up any equipment needed for performing your procedures.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Keep your reproductive health clinics stocked with a variety of fertility medications

Facilities offering reproductive medicine services should always stock fertility drugs. From clomiphene citrate to heavier drugs like Gonal-f, every patient will most likely need something to stimulate and control their ovulation. Women undergoing IVF will need take-home packages that include injectable drugs they must give themselves.

I recommend: Prevent premature ovulation by giving your female patients injections of Lupron Depot from TAP Pharmaceutical Products. Order self-injectables like Follistim AQ from MDR Pharmaceutical Care; they have a convenient feature that ships the drugs straight to your patients' homes.

Obtain reproductive health care supplies

In any branch of medicine, it's imperative to maintain sanitary conditions. This goes for fertility clinics as well. To make accurate diagnoses and do sterile procedures, you must have the proper disposable supplies.

I recommend: Use disposable counting chambers from Conception Technologies when doing a semen analysis. Find IUI catheters and cannulas at Zavos Diagnostic Laboratories.

Set up the necessary machines and equipment to provide reproductive health services

A wide array of machines can be used depending on couples' specific situations. Some sperm need a little help through IVF with ICSI while some sperm only need to be 'washed' before proceeding with an IUI. Every female patient undergoing egg stimulation should be monitored using ultrasound technology as this will help prevent hyperstimulation of the ovaries.

I recommend: Check follicle size using an ultrasound machine from Absolute Medical Equipment. Perform ICSI with the TransferMan NK 2 micromanipulator from Eppendorf AG.

Find a list of reproductive medicine clinics in the US

There are several reputable reproductive health clinics; find them online.

I recommend: Facility Centers of Illinois is one of the world's leading infertility treatment clinics. The NYU Fertility Center is also highly recommended. Read Child Magazine's list of the 10 Best Fertility Centers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Reproductive medicine clinics should stay at the forefront of new technology. Devoting yourself to helping infertile couples means giving them the best treatment they can afford. If it means that you have to buy new equipment for the latest breakthrough procedures, do it despite the cost and think of all the couples you'll be helping.

Whether you run a family practice or gynecology office, there will be times when you'll have to refer patients to reproductive medicine clinics for testing and procedures. Reproductive medicine services are usually performed by a reproductive endocrinologist, a doctor who is well-versed in the problems that arise when couples are faced with fertility issues.

Communication is a priority in the field of medicine. If a woman comes to you and tells you she's having trouble getting pregnant and you need to refer her to a reproductive health care specialist, you'll need to use the proper terminology when communicating with both the patient and the specialist.

1. Understand the tests fertility treatment clinics often run to diagnose problems. In addition, you might look into natural family planning methods.

2. Research possible treatment options. Fertility centers stay on the forefront of technology, and you must be able to keep up with new procedural terminology.

3. Find out what terms laypeople are using. Women coming in for reproductive health services may use lingo they picked up on the Internet.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get a jump on terms used for diagnosis at reproductive medical clinics

The medical community has specific terms and abbreviations used for different testing procedures. One example is 'HSG,' which stands for hysterosalpingogram. It's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with basal body temperature (BBT) charting, something that can drastically improve the chances of conception due to timing intercourse properly. Charting is useful for clinical staff, as well, since they may be able to look at a patient's charts and pinpoint potential problems.

I recommend: Check out the glossary of diagnostic terms from the Reproductive Science Center, which also touches briefly on BBT charting. Fertility Plus has a great explanation of basal body temperature and includes a sample chart.

Know reproductive medicine clinics' key terms for ART procedures

Due to the fact that artificial reproductive technology (ART) procedures often have long names, many of those working in the medical field use abbreviations for these terms. For example, intracytoplasmic sperm injection is better known as ICSI. You should familiarize yourself with acronyms like GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer) and FET (frozen embryo transfer), but you also need to be able to explain what they mean to your patients.

I recommend: The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology has a glossary you can use, as does the American Pregnancy Association.

Learn about layperson's lingo used in reference to reproductive health care

There are multiple online communities dedicated to helping women get through the pain of infertility, all of which use common terms to abbreviate symptoms, treatments and diagnoses. For example, 'endo' commonly refers to endometriosis, and 'lap' refers to laparoscopic surgery. If your patient brings up these terms, you'll need to know what they mean. Also, be prepared to clarify any misguidance these women may get on these discussion forums.

I recommend: Browse through the message boards at Fertile Thoughts to get a glimpse into the life of infertile women. You can find a great index of abbreviations and acronyms commonly used on message boards, like 2WW, at IntegraMed.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  OBGYN clinics are integral in the fertility treatment process. If you're an OB-GYN who has referred a patient to a reproductive endocrinologist, make sure you get any treatment notes from the receiving physician, since his or her treatments may have a direct impact on procedures done at your gynecology office. Obviously, you would not want your patient coming in for her annual pelvic exam right after an IVF transfer.