How to Get Started as a New Patient at Reproductive Medicine Institute

Reproductive Medicine Institute (RMI) is a fertility clinic in the Chicago area, and its site lays out a clear path for new patients: review the "Getting Started" section, schedule an appointment, and use the patient portal for ongoing access. The site lists four clinic locations — Chicago, Oak Brook, Naperville, and Skokie — plus a main phone number (630-954-0054) and an online appointment option. Before your first visit, the site points you to pages on initial visits, fertility assessments, insurance coverage, and financing options so you can arrive with a realistic picture of next steps.

Step 1: Decide What You're Coming In For

RMI organizes its services so you can match your situation to a starting point. The site's navigation groups care into a few broad areas:

• Fertility treatments — including advanced reproductive surgery, intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP).
• Fertility preservation — egg freezing.
• Third-party reproduction — egg donation, embryo donation, sperm donation, and surrogacy, with a dedicated LGBT reproductive section.
• Tests and procedures — endocrine testing, hysterosalpingogram, hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, ovarian reserve testing, sonohysterogram, semen analysis, and genetic testing.
• Conditions and concerns — maternal age care, endometriosis, male infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, recurrent pregnancy loss, secondary infertility, and tubal infertility.

You don't need to self-diagnose before contacting RMI. The site's framing — "Every Patient Is Different & Every Story Unique" — suggests the initial visit is where your specific path gets sorted out. Use the list above mainly to note anything you already know applies to you, so you can raise it early.

Step 2: Schedule Your Appointment

RMI offers two direct routes:

1. Call 630-954-0054.
2. Use the "Schedule an Appointment" link on the site.

The site also maintains a Patient Portal, which is the entry point for existing patients to manage their care online. If you're brand new, start with the phone number or the scheduling link; the portal becomes more relevant once you're an established patient.

When you book, it helps to say which location works for you. RMI lists four:

Step 3: Prepare for the Initial Visit and Fertility Assessments

The site separates "Initial Visit" from "Fertility Assessments" under Getting Started, which tells you these are treated as distinct stages. A practical way to prepare:

• Gather your history. Anything relevant to the conditions RMI lists — prior pregnancies or losses, known endometriosis, PCOS diagnosis, male-factor concerns, or previous fertility testing — is worth bringing in writing.
• Expect testing to be part of the process. The tests and procedures menu (semen analysis, ovarian reserve testing, hysterosalpingogram, and others) exists because assessments are how RMI narrows down what's happening. Which tests apply to you is a clinical decision made with your physician, not something to choose from a menu yourself.
• Note the physician roster. RMI lists Elena Trukhacheva, MD; Shweta Nayak, MD; Amanda Schwartz, MD; Asima K. Ahmad, MD; Shweta Bhatt, MD; Elizabeth Kennard, MD; and Shvetha Zarek, MD, along with nurse practitioners. If you have a preference, mention it when scheduling.

Step 4: Sort Out Insurance and Financing Before You Commit

Cost is the part most new patients want answered early, and RMI addresses it in two separate pages: Insurance Coverage and Financing Options. These are listed under Getting Started, alongside the initial visit and assessments — meaning the clinic expects you to look at them before or around the time of your first appointment.

What the site does not state, based on the available page content, is any specific price, coverage guarantee, or payment plan detail. So the honest guidance is:

• Check the Insurance Coverage page to see how RMI handles coverage questions.
• Check the Financing Options page if you expect to pay out of pocket or want to spread costs.
• Confirm your own plan's fertility benefits directly with your insurer, since clinic pages can't tell you what your specific policy covers.

Don't assume anything is free or included — the site doesn't make that claim, and fertility care rarely works that way.

Step 5: Know the Support and Access Options

Beyond the clinical side, RMI lists several resources that new patients often overlook:

• Fertility Support — for the emotional side of treatment.
• International Services — relevant if you're traveling to Chicago for care.
• Fertility FAQ's — a place to check common questions before calling.
• RMI Patient Testimonials and the Blog — useful for understanding what the experience is like.
• Resident & Fellows Program — indicates RMI is also a teaching site, which can matter if you have preferences about who's involved in your care.

A Reasonable First-Week Plan

If you want a concrete sequence: read the Getting Started pages (Initial Visit, Fertility Assessments, Insurance Coverage, Financing Options), pick your preferred location, then call 630-954-0054 or use the scheduling link. Bring your history and your insurance questions to the first visit, and treat the assessment stage as the point where your actual treatment path gets defined.