Fertility Specialists

Fertility specialists are doctors who have focused their practice on the reproductive system and on helping couples conceive children. When they make mistakes or provide negligent medical services, though, the harm that can come from a fertility specialist can be surprisingly dire.

How Fertility Specialists Practice Medicine in Philadelphia

Fertility specialists practice medicine in a variety of settings and under a range of titles. Depending on the particular services they provide, they can be known as:

• Reproductive endocrinologists
• Urologists
• Obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN)

Fertility specialists usually practice in private offices or in group clinics. However, they can also provide services in hospitals as independent contractors. They are occasionally hired as full-time employees by hospitals that have active and large scale maternity wards.

In private practice, fertility specialists help patients who have conditions like:

• Erectile dysfunction
• Infertility
• Ovulation problems
• Pituitary gland problems that impact fertility

Fertility Specialists: Education and Licensing

Fertility specialists need to complete all of the rigorous academic work that other doctors need to complete, plus additional work that allows them to lay claim to their specialty. They have to graduate college and then medical school before completing a multi-year residency program that focuses on obstetrics and gynecology. They then have to complete another multi-year fellowship that allows them to specialize in fertility issues for both men and women.

After all of this education and training, fertility specialists have to pass their state medical exam and then become board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in both reproductive endocrinology and in gynecology.

How Fertility Specialists Can Commit Medical Malpractice

All of that training cannot prevent mistakes from occasionally being made. Negligently treating patients is something that all doctors are prone to doing, and fertility specialists are not immune from making mistakes.

When those mistakes cause a fertility specialist to provide medical care that falls below the minimal standard of care that one would expect from someone claiming a specialty, though, it can amount to medical malpractice. The injuries that a fertility specialist can cause with negligent care are not limited to the man or the woman directly under their care: They can also impact the unborn child that their efforts create. Birth injuries are a common repercussion of poor medical care provided by a fertility specialist, especially if they prescribe fertility drugs that can have an adverse impact on the health of an embryo or fetus.

Other examples of medical malpractice from a fertility specialist can include:

• Problems with a sperm donor
• Missing or providing a delayed diagnosis of a medical condition that could be triggered with a pregnancy
• Failing to prevent a pregnancy for couples who do not want to have children

Gilman & Bedigian: Medical Malpractice Lawyers Serving Victims in Philadelphia

The medical malpractice lawyers at Gilman & Bedigian strive to legally represent people who have been victimized by the negligence of fertility specialists in the Philadelphia area. Contact them online if you have been hurt by one of these doctors and want to explore your legal options.