Choosing where to have IVF is one of the bigger decisions a couple will make, and it is usually made with very little to compare. Clinic websites tend to say similar things, the language is unfamiliar, and the one number everyone looks for, the success rate, turns out to be the hardest thing to interpret.

The most reliable way through it is not more research. It is a short list of specific questions, asked out loud at the first consultation, because how a centre answers them tells you as much as the answers themselves. These are the seven worth asking, and what a good answer sounds like.

1. Is the centre licensed, and who regulates it?

Start with the baseline, because everything else rests on it. Fertility clinics in Abu Dhabi are licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), while clinics in Dubai are licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and MOHAP is the federal regulator. A licence is a minimum, not a distinction.

Ask to see the licence number and check which services it covers, since a centre offering a full range of fertility services under one roof spares you the disruption of moving between providers mid-treatment. A centre that answers this easily is a centre used to being asked.

2. How do you report your success rates, and what would they mean for us?

This is the question most couples want answered first, and the one most likely to mislead them, so it deserves a moment of care.

Success can be reported per cycle started, per egg collection, or per embryo transfer, and as a clinical pregnancy or as a live birth. Those measures produce very different numbers from exactly the same treatment. A rate quoted per transfer will look higher than one quoted per cycle started, because it leaves out the cycles that did not reach transfer.

Then there is the population behind the number. Age is the single biggest driver of IVF outcomes, so a centre treating mostly younger patients will report better headline figures than one that takes on complex cases, regardless of how good either is. This is why the regulators themselves caution that headline success rates are not reliably comparable between clinics.

So when you search for an IVF success rate in Abu Dhabi, the useful question is not “what is your number” but “what does your number mean, and what would it look like for someone with my age and history”. A centre that explains the basis of its figures, and gives you a realistic picture for your own situation rather than a headline, is being straight with you. One that offers a single impressive percentage with no context is not.

3. Who runs the laboratory, and what happens to our embryos there?

IVF happens in a laboratory, and the embryology team is closer to your outcome than almost anyone else you will meet. It is a fair question and rarely asked.

Ask who leads the lab, how experienced the embryologists are, and what quality standards and monitoring are in place. Ask what happens to your embryos day by day, and how decisions about which embryo to transfer are made. You are not auditing the science. You are checking that the people responsible can explain their own process clearly.

4. Which treatment protocol would you recommend for us, and why?

A good answer to this one cannot be given at the front desk, and that is the point. Protocols are individualised, based on age, ovarian reserve, medical history and any previous response to treatment, which is why a proper fertility assessment comes before any plan.

What you are listening for is reasoning. A centre that explains why it would suggest one approach over another for you specifically is treating you as a case rather than a customer. Be wary of a single standard protocol applied to everyone who walks in.

5. What is included in the cost, and what is not?

Money is the question couples most often leave until last, and the one that causes the most friction later. Ask for an itemised breakdown rather than a headline figure.

A complete answer covers the consultations and tests, the stimulation medication, the egg collection and the transfer, the laboratory work, and any freezing and storage. Then ask directly what is not included, and what would trigger an additional cost, such as a second cycle or a frozen embryo transfer later. Transparency at this stage is a reliable signal of how the centre will behave once you are committed.

6. Which add-ons might you suggest, and what is the evidence behind them?

This question separates the careful centres from the rest, and most couples have no idea to ask it.

IVF add-ons are the extras offered alongside standard treatment, and their evidence varies a great deal. Regulators publish evidence ratings for these add-ons precisely because many are not proven to improve the chance of a live birth for most patients. Preimplantation genetic testing is a good example of the nuance involved. It has a clear purpose for couples with a known inherited condition, but professional bodies do not recommend screening embryos for chromosomal abnormalities as a routine test for every IVF patient.

So ask what any suggested add-on is for, what the evidence says, and whether it is recommended for your situation specifically or offered to everyone. A centre willing to tell you that an add-on is not right for you is one worth trusting.

7. Who will treat us, and what happens if a cycle does not work?

Finally, ask about the people and the plan beyond the first attempt. Will you see the same specialist each time, or a different one at each visit? Who performs the procedures? Who do you call at nine in the evening when something worries you?

Then ask the harder question. If a cycle does not succeed, what happens next? A cycle that does not work is reviewed to inform the next step, and a centre should be able to tell you how it conducts that review and how it decides what to change. No clinic can guarantee a pregnancy, and any that implies otherwise is telling you something important about itself.

Should You Choose Abu Dhabi or Dubai?

Location tends to be the last filter, and it matters less than the seven questions above. Standards are regulated in both emirates, so a couple comparing the best IVF clinic in Dubai with an Abu Dhabi centre is really comparing two licensed options rather than two different levels of care.

Distance is manageable either way. The drive from Dubai to Mohamed Bin Zayed City is around 60 to 90 minutes, which makes an Abu Dhabi centre a realistic choice for a Dubai couple, particularly for a treatment where continuity with one team matters more than proximity.

Where Trust Fertility Fits

Trust Fertility is a DOH-licensed fertility centre (licence MF7820) inside Burjeel Medical City in Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, and part of the Burjeel Holdings healthcare network. Its reproductive medicine programme is led by Dr. Walid Reda Sayed, Medical Director, with more than three decades of experience, and the centre provides IVF, ICSI, genetic testing, fertility preservation and male fertility care.

We would encourage you to ask us all seven of these questions, and to ask them of any centre you are considering. A clinic that answers them openly, including the uncomfortable ones about costs and about cycles that do not work, is giving you the information you need to decide properly. Every fertility journey is unique, and the right centre for yours is the one that treats your situation as its own.

Take the Next Step

If you are weighing up where to have treatment, bring these seven questions to your first consultation and see how they are answered. That conversation will tell you more than any amount of reading.

Speak to a fertility specialist at Trust Fertility, or book a consultation to ask them in person. Every situation is different, and the right plan begins with understanding yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I look for in the best IVF centre in Abu Dhabi?

Look for DOH licensing, an experienced embryology laboratory, specialists who explain their reasoning, transparent and itemised costs, honest discussion of success rates, and a clear plan for what happens if a cycle does not succeed. The right centre is the one that answers those questions openly for your situation.

What is a good IVF success rate in Abu Dhabi?

There is no single figure, because rates are reported differently, per cycle started, per egg collection or per embryo transfer, and as clinical pregnancy or live birth. Outcomes also depend heavily on age and medical history, so headline rates are not reliably comparable between clinics. Ask what a centre’s figures are based on and what they would mean for you.

Should we choose an IVF clinic in Dubai or Abu Dhabi?

Both emirates regulate fertility care, through the DHA in Dubai and the DOH in Abu Dhabi. The choice comes down to the centre itself rather than the emirate. Many Dubai couples travel to Abu Dhabi, which is around a 60 to 90 minute drive.

How do we know whether an IVF add-on is worth paying for?

Ask what the add-on is intended to do, what the evidence says, and whether it is recommended for your specific situation or offered as standard to everyone. Regulators publish evidence ratings for add-ons because many are not proven to improve live birth rates for most patients.