Picking an IVF clinic in India is not really a medical decision — it's a commercial one dressed up as a medical one. Most patients walk into 2–3 clinics, listen to the pitch, look at a plaque on the wall, and then choose based on either price or which doctor felt the warmest. Six months and ₹4–6 lakh later, they realise the questions they should have asked on day one.
This is the question list. It is written for patients in India who are comparing clinics in 2026, and it ignores everything that doesn't actually predict outcome.
1. Is the clinic registered under the ART Act 2021?
Since the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act came into force, every IVF clinic in India must be registered with the National Registry. If a clinic cannot show you a current registration number, walk out. This is a legal requirement, not a marketing point.
Ask for the registration number, then verify it. Don't accept a photocopy on the wall as proof — registrations lapse and clinics are sometimes audited and put on hold.
2. Who actually does the embryo transfer — and the lab work?
In India, the celebrity doctor whose face is on the hoarding outside the clinic is rarely the person performing your transfer or running your stim cycle. They might be the founder, the medical director, or a consultant who comes in twice a week.
Ask, in writing if possible:
- Who will perform my egg retrieval?
- Who will perform the embryo transfer?
- Who is the senior embryologist running the lab?
- If my preferred doctor is unavailable on the day, who is the backup?
A clinic that can't answer these clearly is one where you don't actually know what you're buying.
3. What is the clinic's live-birth rate, by age band, for the last 12 months?
Forget "success rate". Almost any number a clinic quotes you is either a pregnancy rate (which includes pregnancies that don't result in a baby) or a self-reported figure that wasn't audited.
Ask specifically for:
- Live-birth rate per embryo transfer (not per pregnancy, not per cycle started)
- Broken down by age: under 35, 35–37, 38–40, 41–42, 43+
- Restricted to own eggs, not donor eggs (donor data is not a useful comparison)
- For the most recent 12 months
Most clinics will not give you this. That itself is information. See our deep dive on why these numbers are slippery for what to push back on.
4. What is the lab's blastocyst conversion rate?
This is the single best proxy for lab quality and almost no patient asks it. Of the eggs that fertilise normally, what percentage make it to a usable blastocyst on day 5/6? A solid Indian lab in 2026 should be in the 40–55% range overall. Significantly below that and the lab culture conditions are probably the limiting factor, not your eggs.
5. Is the lab a closed-system / time-lapse incubator setup?
You don't need every premium add-on, but you do want to know what equipment is in the lab. Ask:
- Are embryos cultured in individual incubators or shared trays?
- Is there a time-lapse system (EmbryoScope or equivalent)?
- What is the air-quality / HEPA setup in the lab?
- Is ICSI, PGT-A, and laser-assisted hatching done in-house or sent out?
Sent-out PGT-A is fine — most Indian labs do this. Sent-out ICSI is not, because the eggs lose viable hours in transit.
6. What is the protocol they recommend, and why specifically that one?
A good clinic will explain the choice between antagonist, long agonist, and mini-IVF based on your AMH, AFC, age, and prior response. A weaker clinic will recommend the same protocol to everyone because it's what they're set up for.
Push the question: "Why this protocol for me, specifically?" If the answer is generic, the plan is generic.
7. Are quotes itemised, or is it a single "package"?
Indian IVF marketing is built around "all-inclusive" packages that turn out not to be inclusive at all. Anaesthesia, consumables, freezing for year 2 onwards, donor matching fees, embryo biopsy, cryopreservation transport — these are the line items where the bill balloons.
Ask for an itemised quote. A clinic that won't give you one is signalling that they prefer the bill to grow during treatment, when you're emotionally locked in. We have a separate piece on how to read past the "all-inclusive" framing if you're comparing 3+ clinics.
8. What happens to my embryos if I switch clinics or stop treatment?
Embryo storage, transfer to another clinic, and eventual disposal are governed by the ART Act and your consent forms. You should be told, upfront:
- The annual storage fee, and how long the clinic will store before contacting you
- The cost and process for shipping embryos to another clinic
- Whether the clinic uses long-term off-site storage
- What happens to your embryos in the event of clinic closure or buyout
9. Will the doctor write down what they're telling me?
Verbal commitments at IVF consultations don't survive contact with billing. If a doctor tells you a number — "you have a 45% chance in your first cycle" — ask them to put it in writing in your consultation summary. The good ones will. The ones who won't are managing your expectations verbally and protecting themselves on paper.
10. How does the clinic handle a failed cycle?
Most cycles don't work first time. The question is how the clinic responds. Ask:
- Is there a debrief consultation included after a failed cycle?
- What additional investigations are standard before cycle 2?
- Is the second cycle priced differently? (Multi-cycle packages are common but read them carefully — see our note on multi-cycle budgeting.)
11. Are donor and surrogacy referrals handled in-house?
Under the ART and Surrogacy Acts, only registered ART banks can supply donor gametes, and surrogacy is altruistic-only with strict eligibility. A clinic that promises "easy" donor matching or commercial surrogacy is either misinforming you or operating in a grey area. If donor or surrogate care might be on your path, read the ART Act 2021 reality check before signing.
12. Is the clinic NABH or NABL accredited — and for what?
NABH applies to the clinic as a hospital; NABL applies to its diagnostic lab. Neither is a guarantee, but the absence of either is a flag. We unpack what these accreditations actually cover (and where they're weak) in this companion piece.
13. What does the consent form say about add-ons?
Read the consent form before the day of retrieval. Look for:
- Embryo glue, assisted hatching, ERA, EMMA/ALICE — are they billed separately?
- Is the clinic recommending PGT-A on every cycle? (Evidence does not support universal use.)
- Are you consenting to research use of leftover embryos by default?
14. What does an unhappy patient look like?
Read Google and JustDial reviews, but read them sceptically — large Indian chains pay for review management. The more useful exercise is to find one local fertility support group on Facebook or Telegram and ask about specific clinics. The patterns of complaint matter more than the average rating.