Which fertility hospital in Chennai should we choose? Here's how to check any clinic.

The one that answers seven checkable questions clearly and in writing. No ranked list can tell you that.

Most lists of Chennai fertility hospitals are written by a clinic, and the clinic that wrote the list is usually first. Ours was too: this page used to rank ten clinics, with Jananam first. We took it down, because a clinic is not a fair judge of its competitors. What you can judge is how a clinic works: who treats you, how it counts results, what it charges, and whether it will tell you when to stop.

Look it up on the National ART and Surrogacy Registry, and ask to see the registration certificate.

Under the ART (Regulation) Act 2021, no clinic may offer IVF, IUI or other assisted reproduction unless it is registered (section 15). The certificate must be displayed in the clinic, with its validity dates (section 16). The government registry publishes a list of registered clinics by state, with registration numbers. Jananam is registered as an ART Level 2 clinic. ART/CHE/121/2023. [CONFIRM: National ART & Surrogacy Registry number]

Ask by name. The doctor you meet first is not always the one who treats you.

In some clinics a senior name sees you once, and different doctors scan, collect eggs and transfer. Ask who does each step, what their training in reproductive medicine is, and for how long they have practised it. At Jananam, your specialist stays with you from the first scan to embryo transfer. Our doctors' qualifications are listed by name, so you can check them.

Only when both clinics count the same thing: live births, per cycle started, for your age band, with donor egg cycles shown separately.

A rate per embryo transfer leaves out every couple who never reached a transfer. A pregnancy rate counts positive tests, not babies. A clinic-wide figure mixes 28-year-olds with 42-year-olds, and donor egg cycles lift it further. A headline rate with no age band, no period and no cycle count cannot be compared with anything. Ask what the figure means for someone with your age and your tests.

The price in writing, the lab on site, both partners tested, add-ons with evidence, and a plan for when to stop.

Ask for the full price in writing before you start, including medicines, freezing and storage. The cheapest quote can cost more if it leaves things out, and a high price is not proof of quality. Ask whether the embryology lab is in the same building, so eggs and embryos are not moved. Ask whether he has a semen analysis in the first round. Ask which add-ons they would recommend for you, and the evidence for each. And ask when they would advise you to change plan, pause or stop.

A guarantee, pressure to decide today, or reluctance to give you your own numbers.

Be wary of any clinic that promises a baby, quotes one success rate with no age band, or offers a package that expires this week. Be wary of IVF recommended at the first visit before both of you are tested, of the same plan for every couple, and of vague answers about price. After a failed cycle, a clinic should give you a written summary of what happened. If it won't, a second opinion is reasonable.