Bethesda Fertility Center

When we first met Dr. Robertshaw we were entering our 5th year of TTC, and Bethesda was our third clinic. We'd been to a huge clinic where I described most of my visits as "cattle calls", and to a smaller clinic where I still felt as though the doctor never really heard or understood me or my questions. Within minutes of meeting Dr. Robertshaw we knew that things would be different -she listened carefully and responded thoughtfully. Throughout treatment (1 cycle IVF) she let us have our way where we felt strongly about things and helped us make decisions when we were unsure. She never *ever* rushed through an appointment, and will always take the extra few minutes to answer every last question or to celebrate with good news.

Sometimes (but not always, maybe 10-20% of the time) you may have to wait a bit. Because she never rushes patients through appointments, things can sometimes go over -since I've certainly been the one prolonging things, I was more than happy to wait patiently for my turn, and she never rushed through my appointments to get "back on track" like other doctors do.

We went through one cycle of IVF. I used GonalF for ovarian stimulation and had regular ultrasounds during the cycle to check progress, then something-that-starts-with-a-C to induce ovulation. Then the egg retrieval -we got something like 20 eggs, which was expected from the estimates with the ultrasounds. 19 were mature. Because of my dude's morphology, we used ICSI to fertilize, and 16 ended up fertilizing. The clinic was clear that typically only half of fertilized eggs make it to blastocyst, and that they only freeze high quality embryos, but we ended up with 14 embryos. They all were frozen because during retrieval Dr. Robertshaw identified an issue that required surgery. Immediately after surgery I started estrogen to begin a frozen embryo transfer procedure, then injectable progesterone. My husband and I insisted on 2 embryos, even though Dr. Robertshaw was very clear about the likelihood of twins. We had a positive blood test, then another to confirm, and we had two teeny heartbeats on ultrasound a couple weeks later. We've been discharged to an ob. So in conclusion, one round of IVF, one pregnancy with twins resulting, 12 embryos remaining in storage.

I've met my insurance out-of-pocket maximum, which is 5500, plus another 3000 or so in medication. This is for a round of IVF with one FET, and includes required diagnostic tests such as the SIS, as well as an MRI with contrast and an outpatient surgery.

Dr. Robertshaw was very clear that a single embryo would probably be successful given my age and no history of failure to implant, and said that she'd recommend one embryo. Nevertheless, she recognized that we were a-ok with the possibility of twins (it's been 5 years... we figured we'd have 2 by now, anyway) and let us go for it.

Dr. Reynolds is amazing, she listens to you and makes your feel comfortable, and will change the course of treatment that is best for you. She truely made me feel comfortable in the situation that I had sprung on me with cancer treatments and needing to make a choice to save my eggs or not.

Ask questions and speak up about your symptoms Dr. Reynolds will listen and answer. This can be a scary process/fast pace especially if its not something you have had the chance to think about and need to do for other medical purposes. She is amazing, and will make help you through the whole process while giving you the best medical care.

I was on a certain level of dosages to get my hormones up, Dr. Reynolds evaluated me and started me on shots to slow my hormone growth, and even changed my trigger injection to give me the best results.

Still in fighting the insurance company they said they would cover cost at the beginning to myself, and to the doctors office but when we filed after treatments started they claim no benifits

N/A

Dr. Robershaw and Dr. Reynolds are both amazing, each one treated me as a doctor and helped me with the situation I was going threw, they never made me feel like I was stuck in anything and that the choice was ultimately mine.

feel comfortable enough to ask all questions that you have. no question is a dumb one in her eyes, she will take the time and be honest and speak with you about any questions or concerns you may have, and leave the choice ultimately up to you.

Dr. Robershaw pulled me in and let me know how soon I would have to start treatments based off of my situation, from there she was on hand for questions at anytime. Dr. Reynolds did my surgery, and changed my trigger shots and surgery date when it was discovered I was producing eggs and they were growing at a good rate. She really paid attention to my body and what it was doing and made a plan that was suited for me.

this is still pending, with my insurance.

Dr. Robertshaw took her time to explain all our options and set our expectations. I couldn’t be happier with the experience she gave us. Infertility is so emotional and hard and the fact that she was so warm and compassionate meant a lot to me. I’m forever grateful for her.

I can’t remember all the specifics, but my last transfer she did an immune protocol after running a recurrent loss panel and still not finding anything besides testing positive for the MTHFR Gene and I was put on a folate supplement. She wanted to do this protocol in case there was something microscopic being missed. It’s working so far and I’m now 10 weeks pregnant.

Dr. Reynolds is an outstanding person. While we have not yet had success with IVF, we did a lot of research and felt that Dr. Reynolds most closely fit what we were looking for. Her insight and thoughtfulness made me feel comfortable every step of the way. Even when things did not work out, we never thought of going in another direction.

Be upfront with her and do not be afraid to ask questions if you have them.

To this point we have spent $32,000 on our fertility journey. (that includes our next and final transfer) We were able to use WinFertility to help pay for some of the costs. I will say, check all pharmacies for prescriptions, do not just assume the nurses know the best places.

Dr. Reynolds was willing to do whatever we felt the most comfortable with.

Dr Reynolds very carefully took her time to explain the aspects of infertility and more specifically what our struggles meant for our chances of conceiving. She gave us all our options and allowed us to make an informed decision on the route we wanted to take. She didn’t try to persuade us to go one way or the other. She was able to express what we should expect from our first iui cycle but still gave us hope that even if it was not successful she was very confident that we would be able to conceive.

Ask as many questions as you need to in order to fully understand all your options.

At my consultation appointment we got right down to business. Dr Reynolds performed a quick transvaginal ultrasound to check out the lining of my uterus and my ovaries. She also ordered bloodwork to check my overall health and hormone levels. The results came back pretty quickly and she was able to order a repeat of one of the labs that she was concerned about. For my first cycle we decided to try a medicated iui. Based on my labs she started me off on a pretty high dose of clomid (100mg) per day for 5 days starting day 3 of my cycle. Midway she asked that I come in for a SIS ultrasound which was quite painful. My ovaries and eggs were checked at this appointment as well. After the ultrasound we decided that I should do my ovidrel trigger shot because I had several follicles that were ready and was nearing ovulation. 36 hours later I went back in for my iui. It wasn’t very quick and just a little painful because of the position of my uterus.

My iui was roughly $500 for the insemination and sperm wash. The medication was about $120, this included the clomid and ovidrel trigger shot.

She is extremely knowledgeable and has data and studies to back up each of her treatments suggestions for my particular situation. She explains things well to myself who needs details and comforted and my husband who is factual and wants all the data. She is very upbeat and to the point. She’s excited about what she’s doing and encouraging which is definitely needed on this long hard journey.

She is the only RE I’ve consulted with. I saw her partner, Dr. Robertshaw who is also fantastic and highly recommended, but Dr. Reynolds just got me right away. She made a plan of attack and encouraged us to make decisions together but was ready to move forward as aggressively as we wanted. Every time we talk she encourages me and tells me this will happen, which is what I need to keep moving forward!

4 rounds of cookie or femera with my OB then 2 IuI with Dr. Reynolds that weren’t successful so we moved directly into IVF. Luprolide protocol didn’t go well so we canceled the cycle. 2nd cycle used antagonist protocol and I got 10 mature follicles with 8 fertilizing. 2 enbryos made it to day 5 so we transferred both. Conceived and misscarried around 6.5 weeks. 3rd round starting soon which we will do endo scratch and levenox injections in addition to the same protocol- praying this one works!

Very blessed to have a specific amount contributed to fertility care through my husbands company and able to run all charges through insurance. We are approaching anther cycle and will soon be completely out of pocket pay. We haven’t received a breakdown of costs yet but that has been requested.

She was very kind and understanding. She answered all my questions but when it came down to doing the things she said she was going to do, that just didn't happen. She told me to email her anytime but I never got responses.

Make sure you go into it knowing all the possible outcomes. I didn't know there was something called a guarentee program and I feel like I got screwed. I took out a personal loan to afford 1 round of IVF and now that that didn't work I have to figure out how to come up with a ton more money.

I started with taking birth control. Then had my baseline ultrasound. Things looked good so I started my injectable medications and did that for 9 days. I wasn't growing very many follicles about half way in so she upped my dosage and I started to respond better. I triggered on day 10 and then had my retrieval on day 12. Another doctor completed that procedure as Robertshaw was out of town. I was updated the day after retrieval, day 3 and day 5 as to how everything was progressing. I had a 5 day fresh transfer of 2 embryos. And then found out that none of my other embryos made it to freeze. I did not get pregnant and was left heartbroken and broke.

Each IUI was about $300. And the IVF all together was about $13,000. That's minus the meds for the IUI's and the donor sperm that I was using.

My dr wanted to just do 1 embryo because I was young and healthy but we ended up doing 2. First because it was a different doctor that did my transfer and secondly, because I only had 2 good looking embryos.

She’s amazing. She’s very good at her job and I would go back to her again and again. My body doesn’t respond as it should, and she very much tackled our case and tried everything she could to get us pregnant.

Trust her! She genuinely cares about you.

My body doesn’t respond as it should, so even though my levels were normal, I wasn’t producing many follicles at our old clinic. She did an aggressive treatment and really upped my meds (gonal f, menopur, lupron) to try to get as many as we could but even with the increase in meds, they were only seeing around 6 follicles, which made no sense! She canceled that round (which I’m very thankful for bc I didn’t want to go through a retrieval for only 6 since our embryos always arrest by day 5.) We reset and did a menopur only cycle and it worked so much better! We got 13 (the most I’ve ever had). 11 fertilized, we did a day 3 transfer bc the majority weren’t looking great. They didn’t take and the rest had arrested by day 5 again. By the time we had done this with her we were at the end of our 4th IVF attempt (having done 2 rounds at a different clinic.) So with her advising us, we have decided to stop trying via IVF.

Our IVF cycle cost around $10k, which was after a military discount (how cool is it that they offer that?!).

Dr Reynolds has supported our treatment from the start. She worked with us, our schedule, our finances to help us understand the prognosis and what would be next. She never 'did the same' again if it didn't work the first time, she always adjusted the plan of action.

Ask a lot of questions. You'll always get the answers, but it's important to know everything during these treatments!

Antagonist protocol. I wasn't as strong of a responder as expected so we had to crank up the drugs and go an extra day- but we ended up with 17 eggs retrieved. For both FETs we did lupron with progresterone - after a body rash during the FET, we added/adjusted meds for the next FET.

All based on insurance coverage! This is hard to describe, but the IUI were about $350 (plus meds). IVF 'package' was competitively priced and offered small discount for pay in full.

She encouraged 1 (as did embryologist) the first time - as they said it was beautiful. that failed, so she was ok with 2 next time.

Very caring and passionate about what she does as a fertility doctor. She takes the time to explain the risks and connected me with a trusted specialty doctor for my damaged tube surgery. Interactions with her can seem impersonal at times when they are busy and she was quick to suggest IVF after my surgeries. This was not the intent or my expectation, per previous discussions, as based on the results of my 1st surgery I was told we would be able to continue with IUI with more success.

Ask for THEIR practices' success rates not the general medical success rates which are quoted

Average dose of Letrozole was prescribed to help me ovulation consistently month-to-month initially. This was bumped up slightly prior to my first IUI. After the surgeries and my two failed IUIs, she wanted to prescribe me clomid over July 4th weekend although my insurance would not pay for it. Later I found out that it would have only been a few bucks out of pocket AFTER countless hours on the phone with the insurance company vs. doctors vs. pharmacy battles and ending up missing that cycle's opportunity. That is when we decided to take our break.

IUI was $400/each, ovulation trigger shots were $100, IVF was going to be appx. $8,000/each. I have no insurance coverage for fertility specific care.

No preferences. She stated the facts as black and white with statistics.

She has a warm and caring bedside manner. Extremely knowledgeable and explains things to me so my husband and I were able to understand the process. She made me feel like we made the right decision and that it is going to work out well for us in the end. She has a very positive attitude.

Ask any questions you have big or small. She doesn’t make you feel stupid for asking and she makes sure you understand everything. She’s also extremely flexible with your schedule to make things less stressful.

We haven’t started the actual cycle beyond clomid which was fairly simple. The rationale for using them was to force the process of ovulation which turned out to not be an issue.

With insurance around $5000 minimum.

Very energetic and enthusiastic. Talks fast but tries to explan everything thoroughly. Clearly a busy doctor but takes the time to answer questions and be relational. When our first round of treatment was unsuccessful she was helpful in laying out all other possible options.

Ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to message her on the app. She will respond.

First she had me take birth control pills for 4 months to get my estrogen levels up. Then we started Menopur injections. The first round I responded too well and had too many mature eggs. Next we decided to try another round of injections but a lower dosage.

She's young and energetic. Easy to talk to. Friendly and warm personality. Helpful. Good at explaining things. Talks fast but willing to explain things again. I've only seen her once so far but she was honest and hopeful. She told me with my issues it might take time, but it wouldn't be impossible for me to get pregnant. She was recommended to me by my obgyn. Excited to go back to see her.

Ask questions. She talks fast.

None yet

Haven't got bills yet

Dr. Reynolds is friendly and puts you at ease quickly. She is knowledgeable and helps you do understand exactly what the treatment is going to be. She would sit with us to explain what is going on and she had a positive attitude towards our goals.

She is great, so make sure you request her as your doctor if you are going to Bethesda Fertility Clinic.

I do not remember these, as they occurred in 2016- and first half of 2017

The one IVF cycle I did I actually won via a raffle with the clinic! (Too bad it didn't work). The IUI's and other procedures I think cost around 3-4K total, since my insurance covered a lot of it.

I do know know Dr. Reynold's approach to multiple embryo transfers. She only did IUI's for me.

Dr. Reynolds, in my experience, has no weaknesses at this point in time. She is a great listener, never makes you feel rushed, answers questions you might think are silly or dumb. She is happy to answer phone calls and emails.

Make sure you create a list of questions no matter how you feel about them. You might think they are silly or dumb but she wont and she will answer any of them.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dr. Thie. I am confident that she wants the best for us. Before my first egg retrieval, she actually called my cell phone the night before to leave a message of encouragement in light of my estradiol results and to let me know that she was thinking of me. This is one case where bedside manner is really important given the emotional strain of infertility. That said, as a DOR patient, I am not always sure she is up on the latest treatment or protocol options.

Be prepared to wait and call the clinic to see if they are on time or not. If you don't want to wait to see your doctor, she is the wrong one. However, you are waiting because she gives each patient the time needed and will do the same with you.

He was very easy to talk to, and confident in his ability to make it so that I would be able to get pregnant. After one HSG test and having to shake my hips to get the dye through one of my fallopian tubes, I was able to get pregnant the very next month via IUI

Don't discount his confidence as cockiness.

I had already done 4 unsuccessful rounds of Clomid. His first recommendation was for an HSG test where dye is shot through the tubes, as he felt there might be a blockage. After the procedure, he recommended IUI, and I literally was successfully pregnant the next month (twin boys)

Expensive (approximately $2000 even with insurance) but I think any couple expects this with fertility treatment.

She was amazing. I highly suggest seeing her. Polite and professional. She always knew every answer to every question. I would see her again if we decide to do it again. I have already suggested to a friend to go to Bethesda.

Be prepared for anything. Relax she knows what she is doing. Give her all your trust

First was cleaning fallopian tubes. Then ultrasound to see uterine thickness. Started hormones. Did iui per her suggestion. After 3 failed she suggested ivf. Started hormones for that. Did egg retrieval, with a fresh transfer. After positive pregnancy test, did ultrasounds of baby every week until released to ob

I was lucky to have great insurance that helped pay. Otherwise they had payment plans

She gave me the option

Dr Robertshaw is a great listener, seeks to understand any/all symptoms to help discuss treatment options. She takes the time to answer all questions and is candid in her responses and opinions. She took the burden of stressing about infertility off of my shoulders, and I truly trusted that I was in good hands with her recommended treatment.

IUI and IVF procedures, embryo freezing, monitoring ultrasounds, doctor visits, blood work.

She did not want to transfer more than 2 embryos, which is what we ended up doing. If PGS had been used, she prefers to transfer only 1 to minimize risk but is open to patient input.

Dr. Thie took a long time to get my history and previous testing. She was very knowledgable about PCOS and took time to help me understand it. She went out of her way to make sure I received the best treatment. I feel she could of been a little more aggressive as I had to order an additional week of medicine because she was nervous of me over ovulating.

She brings ypu back a lot and staff is considerate about multiple visits and high copays.

I did and IVF startibg with birth control for a month then starting injections.

18,000

His strength is his experience. He has seen a lot of cases and makes very accurate predictions. His weakness is his bedside manner. He was too quick to tell me that I needed to use a gestational carrier vs. adjusting his approach.

Have thick skin. I do, and his delivery still brought me to tears more than once.

2 antagonist cycles -BC for 3ish weeks -overlapping with lupron for 2-3 weeks -8 days of Gonal F and Menopur -Novarel -Transfer on day 6

Her only weekness was remembering where we were in the while process. Meaning if I wanted to do IUI again or have sex once the egg was ready. But she also has many patients too. It was clear her goal was to get us pregnant as easy and quick as possible. Invetro was suggested but I wasn't comfortable at that point w that process and they understand and continued with the treatment I wanted.

Dont get discouraged if it once you get a positive result that she doesn't seem happy and asks you to come back for another ultrasound so see can actually see the heartbeat.

I don't remember

My treatment was fertility pills and ovulation shot. Coat was about 60.00 a month combination. Ultrasound to see when I had a viable egg. Cost about 30.00 after insurance.

N/a for me

Dr. Robertshaw was recommended to me by another physician, a friend who I confided in explaining the horrible bedside manner of a fertility doctor from whom I initially sought treatment. My first meeting with Dr. Robertshaw was appropriately lengthy because I had a ton of questions. She explained my suggested treatment protocol at length and the reasons for her suggestions. My journey with Dr. Robertshaw lasted over two years because I paused my treatment a few times to psychologically deal with the arduous fertility process. In that time, Dr. Robertshaw treated me with emotionally intelligent empathy and followed-up or allowed me space appropriately. You can't teach this type of genuine care and empathy. It felt like a blessing and I certainly appreciated it immensely.

I would advise a prospective patient to feel free to ask questions, even the ones that seem stupid. I would also advise prospective patients to disclose their concerns and fears so that Dr. Robertshaw can do her best to address them. Embrace her kindness and stick with it! She knows what she's doing!

Initially, I was diagnosed by another fertility doctor with fallopian tube blockage via a very painful HSG. I wanted a second opinion so Dr. Robertshaw and I decided that rather than having me endure another excrutiating HSG, I should under go a laproscopy. Following the laproscopy we learned that one tube is partially blocked and one tube fully blocked. I was not ready to undergo IVF so we started a brief treatment of Clomid. When that was unsuccessful, I took a break from fertility treatments. A year later, I returned. Dr. Robertshaw was on maternity leave so I saw Dr. Kasey. We began the full IVF protocol starting with birth control, followed by ovary stimulating hormones, I produced only 3-4 eggs so we cancelled the cycle. When I returned for the next try, Dr. Robertshaw had returned from maternity leave so I went back to her for treatment. We started birth control followed by stimulating hormones however I produced too few eggs again so we cancelled the cycle. My understanding is that because I pressed to have this cycle result in a December retrieval, I wasn't given the full stronger protocol. Finally, we started a new cycle with the stronger stimulating hormones and I produced 12 eggs. These resulted in 7 embryos. The embryos had to be frozen because my progesterone levels were too high. We waited one menstrual cycle and I was prescribed progestorone regulating medications for about two weeks when finally my embryo transfer was scheduled. Two embryos were transferred, resulting in my current singleton pregnancy.

In total greater that $20K

Dr. Robertshaw strongly advised against transferring more than two embryos. We transferred two embryos.