Health & Beauty
Barbados Fertility Centre Passport? Check. Swimsuit? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Hormone injection kit? Check. Wait . . . hormone injection kit? Isn’t there something a bit strange about this holiday packing list? Not according to the many patients of Barbados Fertility Centre (BFC), who travel away from their busy lives, knowing they are in for much more than a medical procedure once they land in this carefree paradise. These couples originating from neighbouring Caribbean islands, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and even Europe will discover a state of the art facility, and the very best in In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment, topped off with a few stress free vacation days and romantic nights in Barbados. The clinic itself is located directly across the street from the island’s sparkling South Coast beaches. Now who could ask for anything more? However, the uniqueness of this experience begins way before these patients, or perhaps they should be called guests, even step onto Barbadian shores. In true reflection of legendary Bajan hospitality, BFC is famed for excellent, personalised patient care extended by its entire staff, from the specialists who carry out the variety of medical treatments offered, to the receptionists who make their visitors feel welcome, comfortable and at home. Once initial contact is made by a couple who need an IVF cycle, Dr. Juliet Skinner conducts a telephone consultation where their full medical and fertility history is reviewed. Dr. Skinner then decides on their best course of treatment, and the couple liaises
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The Ins & Outs of Barbados
with Anna Hosford, Clinic Director, about the ideal timing for the IVF cycle and how it can best be coordinated with travel plans. In these professional and thorough, yet friendly consultations, time is taken to set one at ease, and to carefully explain what can be expected from the IVF process. Much of the preparation, however, is done in the patients’ home territory. BFC works with their personal physician or gynaecologist to have preparatory lab tests, ultrasounds and evaluations performed. Then, just a few weeks later, patients pack their suitcases for their muchanticipated Caribbean “holiday with a purpose”. Not only can guests look forward to being warmly received into an expertly managed medical centre, but for those who choose one of the holiday packages offered, complimentary transfers are provided from the airport to their chosen accommodation. There, they sit down with BFC’s personable Patient Liaison Manager, Rachel de Gale, for an informal familiarization meeting. Patients who take advantage of the centre’s tailor-made “Holiday Packages” enjoy the luxuries of being chauffeur driven to and from appointments, the use of a local mobile phone, and even massage, acupuncture and other wellness treatments during their stay. While stress has not been proven to prevent pregnancy, BFC believes it certainly does not aid the process of getting pregnant. BFC therefore attempts to accommodate its patients as much as possible to reduce or even eliminate stress, and procure optimal chances of becoming pregnant. BFC also