Initial Consultation
The first step in the process is to have an initial consultation with Gender Selection Australia.
One of the GSA Team Members will contact you at a scheduled time to discuss your objectives and the treatment options. During the call we will talk you through the entire process and you will have ample time to ask any questions you may have. We want to give you as much time as you need to truly understand and be totally comfortable with the process. This is one of the main advantages of Gender Selection Australia – we are here for you and are committed to providing a personal, genuine service that overseas clinics could never do. We won’t rest until you are 100% comfortable and all your preliminary questions have been fully answered. Of course, any questions of a very technical nature can be asked of Dr. Potter himself or his team. Dr. Potter will oversee each Australian client and perform all procedures at his offices. In all cases, the couple will have the advantage of a final Q&A with Dr. Potter.
Intial Testing
Once you have had your initial call with GSA and you decide to embark on the gender selection journey GSA will assist you to get set up as a patient of Dr. Potter’s before he issues you with your testing orders.
Testing orders need to be rewritten by an Australian doctor – either a GP or a fertility specialist. GSA works with Australian doctors who have helped our patients in the past and can also help you! Testing is a very important part of the process. Along with your age and your fertility history, testing gives Dr. Potter the information he needs to give you a very clear indication of your chances of success.
Consult with Dr Potter
Once you have completed your testing and your results have been sent to Dr. Potter’s clinic, the next step in the process is to arrange a 1:1 phone consultation with Dr Potter.
During this call Dr Potter will explain your testing results, your chances of success and the treatment strategy he recommends for you. This is also a good opportunity to ask any medical or technical questions you may have.
Starting Treatment
Once you have completed your 1:1 consultation with Dr Potter the next step in the process is to commence your treatment.
Approximately 6 -8 weeks before your egg retrieval date you will start to work very closely with Dr Potters Nurse Coordinator. She will provide you with a detailed schedule, a prescription for your meds and information about your treatment. She will also arrange a call with you (once you have your medication) to talk you through this final and exciting step before departing for L.A. You will need to have your medication rewritten by an Australian doctor (again, GSA can help!) and your medications commence around 10 days before you head to Los Angeles. Dr Potter will also ask you to have a number of ultrasounds during the time you are taking your medications. This is called ‘cycle monitoring’ and the purpose of these tests is to check how you are responding to the medications and whether any changes to the medication strategy need to be made. This is a very important and exciting time of the process any many of our families comment that this is when it all gets ‘very real’!!
Your trip to Los Angeles: Egg Retrieval and Frozen Embryo Transfer
You will travel to Los Angeles, California twice. Once for approximately 6 to 7 days for an egg retrieval. Then 8 weeks later you will go back for a 4 day trip for the frozen embryo transfer.
Gender Selection Australia can help with accommodation advice. On your first day in L.A you will visit Dr Potter’s clinic for your final ultrasound and on your nominated egg retrieval date (normally on the third day of being in the U.S.) you will visit the clinic again for your egg retrieval. The embryos will then be grown in HRC Fertility’s embryology laboratory for approximately five days, biopsied and frozen. 8 weeks later you can travel back to California before returning to Dr. Potter’s offices for the frozen embryo transfer. After the embryo transfer, you will stay in California for one or two more nights. Then, it is safe for patients to return home where they will be monitored with blood tests (for hormone levels) and ultrasounds (to check the growth of the foetus) during the first trimester. We look forward to sharing your excitement when you hopefully come home pregnant!