Boston IVF

He [Dr. Arroyo] feels that it will be safer to transfer one embryo at a time, to give that embryo the best chance to grow into a baby and potentially decrease risks of having multiples. Ultimately it is up to us...He takes the time to be thorough during office visits and he answers all of our questions... extremely easy to talk to. I appreciate that we have a plan in place every time we leave the office, results are communicated timely, and he is extremely honest. We are never rushed because he has another patient to get to and he tailors treatment to fit our needs.

Anna at the front desk [of Boston IVF] is always warm and welcoming. The phlebotomists are fantastic and very professional. The financial coordinator Abby is incredibly knowledgeable about the insurance processes, submitting PA requests, getting medications approved, and dealing with billing issues...Dr. Arroyo and his staff have been AMAZING...The nurses at his office are top notch as well. We travel 2.5 hours to and from appointments as we live in Buffalo, that’s how confident we are in Dr Arroyo and his staff. Doctor Nps

How was your experience with Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Amazing. He’s very thorough and extremely easy to talk to. I appreciate that we have a plan in place every time we leave the office, results are communicated timely, and he is extremely honest. We are never rushed because he has another patient to get to and he tailors treatment to fit our needs.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Fertility treatment can be a roller coaster, and I suggest consulting with different providers before selecting one to care for you during this sometimes crazy/stressful time. My husband and I saw a different provider locally and we felt like a number, not patients. Dr Arroyo has never made us feel that way. He wants the best outcome for his patient and is very honest.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Dr. Arroyo and his staff have been AMAZING. He takes the time to be thorough during office visits and he answers all of our questions. The nurses at his office are top notch as well. We travel 2.5 hours to and from appointments as we live in Buffalo, that’s how confident we are in Dr Arroyo and his staff.

Describe the protocols Armando Arroyo used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

After failed IUIs and unpleasant experience at a different practice, we sought the help of Dr Arroyo at Boston IVF. My husband and I had already decided that since our failed IUIs we were ready to move on to IVF. After a lot of testing (ultrasounds, lab work, genetic testing, etc), I started my stimulation protocol of Gonal F and Menopur in December 2019. We had a successful retrieval in January 2020. Dr Arroyo was able to retrieve 9 mature eggs (I’m 38 and only have one ovary, so we were very happy with this number), 8 fertilized without ICSI, and 5 made it to day 5 embryos. We decided to freeze our embryos to give my body time to heal after the retrieval. My first transfer was cancelled in March due to my lab values and a growing follicle, and unfortunately due to the current pandemic all cycles are currently on hold. I am currently taking daily birth control until I am told by the office to stop and start taking my transfer protocol meds as soon as cycles are able to begin again. I will be taking Estradiol 6mg daily, then adding in IM progesterone injections every 3 days, and Endometrin twice daily.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Jill, RN)

I don’t have enough words to fully describe how amazing the nursing staff has been. I appreciate that they all know what is going on with our care no matter who I talk to. Jill, Sara, and Jess have been AMAZING. They call promptly with lab results, give clear and concise instructions, and are always willing to listen and provide guidance. If they don’t know an answer (which is hardly ever) they get the correct information and call back timely.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Anna at the front desk is always warm and welcoming. The phlebotomists are fantastic and very professional. The financial coordinator Abby is incredibly knowledgeable about the insurance processes, submitting PA requests, getting medications approved, and dealing with billing issues.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF.

I had insurance that was used for my treatment from September 2019-February 2020. My costs were on average for office visits, diagnostic testing. My insurance plan carried a high deductible. Between medical services and medications for my IVF stimulation and cycle I met my OOP Maximum of $4200.

Describe Armando Arroyo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Due to my age, we were given the option to transfer either one or two embryos. He feels that it will be safer to transfer one embryo at a time, to give that embryo the best chance to grow into a baby and potentially decrease risks of having multiples. Ultimately it is up to us if we want to transfer one or two. My husband and I have discussed it and the plan is to transfer one for our first transfer, if that does not work, we may consider transferring two embryos the next time. We have 5 embryos, but we could not afford PGD testing, so we are currently under the assumption that statistically 50% of our embryos will not be genetically viable.

Doctor

Armando Arroyo

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Syracuse

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2011 - 2019, Successful

Age 28 - 36

3 IUI

3 IVF

Unexplained

European

Other

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Each time we had a negative result she (Dr. Kerri Luzzo) would help dust us off and get us back in the saddle. When I got my first positive pregnancy, she was so excited she called me with the results. When we “graduated” we opted not to know the gender but asked her to surprise us, she made out a card for us to open when we were ready. Although later I lost my pregnancy due to IC ( incompetent Cervix), we got pregnant again and again and she would always tell me to text her or email her and keep her updated. She would contact me on my appointment days wishing me luck and I would share sonogram photos with her and updates. She genuinely cares about her patients. I never had a bad experience with her.

Just like Dr. Luzzo her staff Julie Perry( Dr.Luzzo coordinator), Joanna Leroux, (front desk) Wendy Shaw (nurse) Heidi LaValley( ultrasound tech), Chrystal Norates (phlebotomists) were amazing. They are the best team to work with and when you are there often it’s nice to have such great faces welcoming you in. We have all became like family. Dr Luzzo’s team [at Boston IVF] is incredible. They also kept in touch during my pregnancies and I have made some great friends that I consider very close...The cost of care was expensive. We had changed our insurance company last year but some costs were not always covered. We spent a couple thousand dollars each cycle for medications, some bloodwork (3rd party ), co-payments and meeting our deductible, also our genetic testing was not covered the first time so that cost us $3,700 for the testing of 5-8 day 5 embryos. IVF is not cheap and we have done it multiple times. Luckily, the last time we had the PGS testing done, insurance covered the cost with the recommendation from the doctor.

How was your experience with Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

Nine years ago when I started seeing Dr. Luzzo she was very thorough and helped us to understand everything that we were about to experience. We had started out from the very beginning of time in intercourse to the IUI procedures, to IVF, to IVF with ICSI hatching , to IVF with ICSI , hatching and PGS. It’s been a long journey, and she has been with us through the whole thing. Each time we had a negative result she would help dust us off and get us back in the saddle. When I got my first positive pregnancy, she was so excited she called me with the results. When we “graduated” we opted not to know the gender but asked her to surprise us, she made out a card for us to open when we were ready. Although later I lost my pregnancy due to IC ( incompetent Cervix), we got pregnant again and again and she would always tell me to text her or email her and keep her updated. She would contact me on my appointment days wishing me luck and I would share sonogram photos with her and updates. She genuinely cares about her patients. I never had a bad experience with her.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

Don’t give up on her, she will do everything she can to figure it out and help you. Trust her advice and her treatment plan. She’s more than just a RE , she is one of the best.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

Dr. Luzzo has always been such a huge support to my husband and I during our journey. She has called me from her home to check on me, she also had given me her personal cell phone number to keep her updated after my “graduation” ( when you transfer to OB with pregnancy). Whenever we would come to the office and she would see us she would always make small chitchat and was always smiling and laughing with us. When times were hard, she would check on us and hug us. Dr Luzzo became like family. I completely trust her and I know she has and would do whatever she can to help us become a family. When your going through such a hard challenge like infertility, it’s important that the doctor takes their time with you and is patient. Dr Kerri Luzzo is the best IVF RE and I would never change doctors.

Describe the protocols Kerri Luzzo used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I don’t remember each treatment strategy however, when we did the IVF process we did the Gonal-F and started our doses low I believe (75) and then gradually higher , by our 3rd retrieval we started high (300) and stayed high approx 2-3 weeks. We also did Menopur and again started at 1 vial then by our 3rd retrieval we started at 2 vials during the 2-3 weeks. Then we would go in for ultrasounds and check on the follicle growth and count and bloodwork for levels of LH and FSH. Slow and steady wins the race! Close to the time of “ triggering “ (ovulation stimulant) I would start on cetrotide (.25MG)for the last week and then when ready to finally “pop” the nurse would call with the time that I would inject the Pregnyl (HCG). Then about 48 hours later I would have the eggs retrieved and ready for testing.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Julie Perry)

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

As a new patient you might be overwhelmed but they make it as easy as possible for you. The strength of this clinic is that they work as a team and work all together. They are very friendly, thorough and compassionate.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Boston IVF.

Monitoring appointments would be scheduled for early mornings. There had been times where I was stuck in traffic and running late for my appointment when I would call they would say don’t worry we’ll see you when you get here. One time I did forget about my appointment and they called me to make sure I was ok, and we just rescheduled for the next day. The nice thing about the appts is that they can start very early in the morning so you can still make it to work on time.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF.

The cost of care was expensive. We had changed our insurance company last year but some costs were not always covered. We spent a couple thousand dollars each cycle for medications, some bloodwork (3rd party ), co-payments and meeting our deductible, also our genetic testing was not covered the first time so that cost us $3,700 for the testing of 5-8 day 5 embryos. IVF is not cheap and we have done it multiple times. Luckily, the last time we had the PGS testing done, insurance covered the cost with the recommendation from the doctor.

Describe Kerri Luzzo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Because of my age we would only put in one, since it could split and we knew they were checked for chromosomal abnormalities. I trusted her advice and was ok with just the one at a time approach.

Doctor

Kerri Luzzo

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Providence

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Rita Sneeringer Boston IVF

2014 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 38 - 43

3 IUI

5 IVF

3 Egg Freezing

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

South Asian

Engineer

1st of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

[Dr. Rita Sneeringer] was easy to speak with, gave facts in a kind manner...She is conservative with the medical technology and prefers to "put the eggs through hoops" with lab growth then genetic testing...does not prefer to have Day 3, Day 5 transfers. Prefers genetic screening then frozen transfer. Prefers 2 embryos at most...I felt she brought up donor eggs too early after one unsuccessful cycle

[Boston IVF] Primary care nurse was professional but not compassionate. Made statements that weren't necessary. I had to insist on email to have better communication...all my surgeries were also at the clinic and I felt at ease with the surgical team...Egg freezing cycles = $15,000-17,000. 3 elective frozen egg cycles. Human growth hormone = $3,000.

How was your experience with Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF?

Dr. Sneeringer is probably one of the best in the industry. She is compassionate, friendly, and genuinely wants to see you succeed. She knows when to also be firm and assert her expertise. She did let me ask about novel protocols, etc. The one issue is she is conservative and plays it safe. I was also using frozen eggs. She insisted on developing the eggs past 5 day blasts and having genetic testing on both fresh and frozen eggs. After several failed cycles I asked for a Day 3 transfer and she agreed to a Day 5 transfer. That helped me conceive. But we used every egg and I have no frozen eggs left. I often wish we had done a Day 5 transfer on earlier cycles. Or we had frozen the one remaining embryo that was left with the frozen egg at Day 5. I may have been able to have one more child?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF?

Dr. Sneeringer is one of the best fertility specialists. She is genuine and cares. Some people prefer a stronger voice, but she is professional and asserts her medical expertise when necessary. She is conservative with the medical technology and prefers to "put the eggs through hoops" with lab growth then genetic testing. I felt she brought up donor eggs too early after one unsuccessful cycle. But otherwise, every interaction with her was professional and with the highest level of medical attention and care.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF?

MD was easy to speak with, gave facts in a kind manner. Head nurse had little bedside manner and even made a statement saying that I shouldn't expect good results as I have low ovarian reserve. It was psychologically difficult process and did not need to be exacerbated.

Describe the protocols Rita Sneeringer used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Cycle 1 - 4 Frozen, Fresh retrieval Cycle 2 - 3 Frozen, Fresh retrieval Cycle 3 - 0 Frozen, Fresh retrieval - Genetic Screening - 1 AA embryo, Frozen transfer Cycle 4 - 7 Frozen, Fresh retrieval - 1 BB embryo and one morula, Day 5 transfer, 1 conception (no genetic screening due to day 5 transfer) Strategies used: 7% chance of frozen eggs working, so best to have fresh cycles with frozen eggs. Always use genetic screening to be safe even with eggs frozen at age 35 and 36.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Meg Kennedy)

Primary care nurse was professional but not compassionate. Made statements that weren't necessary. I had to insist on email to have better communication. Also, I'm in meetings all day, open office, and wireless firewalls for mobile phone issues. The secondary nurse, Bonnie, was much easier to work with, understood how/why I needed to communication using certain means.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

I chose a suburban clinic and not a hospital so that I could receive better 1 on 1 attention. It was much more pleasant than going into a clinical setting. I liked that all my surgeries were also at the clinic and I felt at ease with the surgical team. Weakness was easily being able to get to the clinic. Luckily, my physician also worked in a clinic near my home and I was able to get monitoring and blood work there and still make it to work on time.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF.

Egg freezing cycles = $15,000-17,000. 3 elective frozen egg cycles. Human growth hormone = $3,000.

Describe Rita Sneeringer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Dr. Sneeringer does not prefer to have Day 3, Day 5 transfers. Prefers genetic screening then frozen transfer. Prefers 2 embryos at most. Conservative with number of embryos to be transferred.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to send your chart to another clinic

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

I personally took paper documents to another IVF clinic. An electronic transfer would have been easier. However, that was the only issue. There were never drug Rx mistakes or surgical mistakes.

Doctor

Rita Sneeringer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Waltham

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Rita Sneeringer Boston IVF

2016 - 2018, Unknown Success

Age 26 - 28

IVF

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Unexplained

European

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

Alan S. Penzias Boston IVF

He [Dr. Alan Penzias] was very thorough in looking through an extensive medical record and breaking it down as to where all my information put me, he answered all my questions honestly but with care and hope. He helped me feel better about my situation by being direct and informed about my diagnosis of unexplained infertility and what my specific history meant for this. I had previously been told by doctors that nothing was wrong, that recurrent miscarriage just happens and to keep trying which just seemed so unrealistic and inhuman to say, Dr. Penzias recognized what had been been happening right away as a problem and concern, he found me a solution and provided hope with a very uncertain condition.

They [doctors at Boston IVF] insisted on a single transfer, it's common practice in this clinic and they have high success rates with it. While I would have rather transferred 2 embryos to start, the risks with multiples in pregnancy was enough that I didn't argue it, and we had a successful single transfer...They are an extremely compassionate and educated group of people. They are a timely clinic, I never waited around past my appointment time.

How was your experience with Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

He was very educated and informed, and able to explain things without going over your head when he talks. I personally appreciate somebody who is very honest, so Dr. Penzias was a great doctor for me. He's very straight forward if you ask him a question and confident in his responses, when your dealing with infertility at first you usually come across doctors that don't know much about it, so it was comforting for me to not hear any hesitation when he spoke. By breaking down my personal experiences with my diagnosis of unexplained infertility, he was able to say with confidence that IVF could be a good solution for me and he was correct. I could never thank him enough.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

Listen to what he's saying when he discusses your condition with you.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

He was very thorough in looking through an extensive medical record and breaking it down as to where all my information put me, he answered all my questions honestly but with care and hope. He helped me feel better about my situation by being direct and informed about my diagnosis of unexplained infertility and what my specific history meant for this. I had previously been told by doctors that nothing was wrong, that recurrent miscarriage just happens and to keep trying which just seemed so unrealistic and inhuman to say, Dr. Penzias recognized what had been been happening right away as a problem and concern, he found me a solution and provided hope with a very uncertain condition.

Describe the protocols Alan S. Penzias used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I've had one IVF cycle, and I am currently 8 months pregnant with my first child. IVF was determined to be the best course of action, I previously had lost 5 pregnancies over 2 years, giving me a diagnosis of recurrent pregnancy loss and unexplained infertility. I had no issues getting pregnant, but could not carry past 6 weeks. I was given progesterone to help maintain the pregnancy until 11 weeks gestation. Ovidrel was the drug used to cause ovulation. Menopur with gonal-f were used during egg stimulation producing 14 eggs in total.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Ashley?)

I didn't see a nurse often. I saw more medical assistants and sonographers than anybody during my cycle. They were all great and I never had to wait around, my appointment times were always met or even early if I was there early.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

They are an extremely compassionate and educated group of people. They are a timely clinic, I never waited around past my appointment time. With that said, if I was there early they could usually get me in sooner, or the one time I was late they didn't make me reschedule, told me they would see me when I got there and to drive safe, and they did in fact see me within 15 minutes after I showed up late. I just can't say enough good things about this clinic.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF.

My insurance covered the cost of most of it.

Describe Alan S. Penzias's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

They insisted on a single transfer, it's common practice in this clinic and they have high success rates with it. While I would have rather transferred 2 embryos to start, the risks with multiples in pregnancy was enough that I didn't argue it, and we had a successful single transfer.

Doctor

Alan S. Penzias

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Waltham

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Alan S. Penzias Boston IVF

2015 - 2017, Successful

Age 34 - 36

4 IUI

1 IVF

Male Factor

Other

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Kristen Wright Boston IVF

She [Dr. Kristen Wright] is a no nonsense type person. Blunt and to the point with recommendations. We don’t feel we need coddling or hand holding as a couple so her approach worked for us. If someone needs a softer touch she may not be the best doctor. After we had a successful transfer her demeanor changed a little and she was lighter, less serious demeanor, happier for us and our situation. I think that is the nature of I fertility though, you can’t be too optimistic Incase it doesn’t work. We hit a few speed bumps and she gave us proper guidance for each step.

One major thing I want to say is the primary nurse [at IVF NE- Lexington] was very kind and helpful when I accidentally froze my injectable medications for the egg retrieval protocol. We had no fertility coverage with insurance so everything was OOP. She contacted the Gonal F rep and they got me samples to replace my medications so I didn’t have to pay over $2,000 again) she even offered to meet my husband to pick up the medication on her drive home since we lived so far away. Through the IVF process she was nice enough and left very brief messages with results/recommendations, but was also pregnant during this process which sadly left a bitter taste in my mouth not knowing if we were going to be successful (she was on maternity leave for the frozen transfer).

How was your experience with Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

She is a no nonsense type person. Blunt and to the point with recommendations. We don’t feel we need coddling or hand holding as a couple so her approach worked for us. If someone needs a softer touch she may not be the best doctor. After we had a successful transfer her demeanor changed a little and she was lighter, less serious demeanor, happier for us and our situation. I think that is the nature of I fertility though, you can’t be too optimistic Incase it doesn’t work. We hit a few speed bumps and she gave us proper guidance for each step.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

Have your questions written down ahead of time if you can. But don’t hesitate to call and ask additional ones that pop up.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

Dr Wright always answered any questions we had and spoke to us frankly. We are not people that need coddling or hand holding and her approach was just right for us.

Describe the protocols Kristen Wright used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Two procedures: 1) IVF for egg retrieval and 2) embryo transfer. 1) Started Lupron 10 units SQ once daily for 10 days, then decreased to 5 units once daily and started Gonadotrpins: Gonal F 225 units SQ and Menopur 75 units SQ once daily until hCG shot (10 days later). Egg retrieval 2 days after trigger. 13 eggs retrieved, 7 mature and frozen unfertilized. We found out a week or so before retrieval that my husband had zero sperm in his sample that was to be frozen for a back up. As well as zero sperm the day of retrieval. After speaking with Dr. Wright she encouraged us to go ahead with Egg retrieval since we were so far along in the process and fertilize later on. My husband had TESE procedure 2 months after my ER and the froze 10 vials of sperm. We did not to any genetic testing or extra testing on eggs/sperm or embryos. 2) Fresh embryo transfer from frozen gametes (3 months after ER and 1 month after TESE procedure). Treated like a frozen embryo transfer schedule but with the unpredictability of transfer date like a fresh cycle. Started Aspirin 81mg and estrogen patches (I get migraines and can’t be on Estrace pills) and continued this until pregnancy test. Started Progesterone 25mg IM once daily day 15 and increase to 50mg IM daily until after positive pregnancy test and ultrasounds. Day 17 transfer of two embryos. Gametes thawed, 4 eggs survived the thaw and fertilized, 2 arrested day 1, 2 remained and were transferred as a Day 2/3 transfer to Give them the best chance at growing. Our original protocol was to transfer one embryo due to our low risk factors and age. The on call doctor made the decision to transfer both in order to give us the best chance to get pregnant, we agreed with their recommendation. Transferred a -2c and a 5b embryo. Both stuck and resulted in live (C-section) birth of B/G twins.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Sarah Corey, RN)

One major thing I want to say is the primary nurse was very kind and helpful when I accidentally froze my injectable medications for the egg retrieval protocol. We had no fertility coverage with insurance so everything was OOP. She contacted the Gonal F rep and they got me samples to replace my medications so I didn’t have to pay over $2,000 again) she even offered to meet my husband to pick up the medication on her drive home since we lived so far away. Through the IVF process she was nice enough and left very brief messages with results/recommendations, but was also pregnant during this process which sadly left a bitter taste in my mouth not knowing if we were going to be successful (she was on maternity leave for the frozen transfer). This was no fault of hers, just a very delicate situation dealing with infertility emotions. The phlebotomist Brenda Connolly was AMAZING. I shed many tears and asked her many questions in which she showed so much compassion, support and guidance. I personally have a hard time with gynecology visits and it’s has been something very stressful and anxiety ridden for years. So when I was informed the ultrasounds would be internal starting with day 1, I had a very anxious emotional reaction. The one ultrasound nurse (only saw her twice) was more irritated and put off that I was shocked about the ultrasound not being external. I was not informed of this prior to the appointment. After holding it together for the ultrasound I let my emotions out to Brenda who was ever so kind and I believe she spoke to the ultrasound nurse about it since her demeanor changed the only other time I saw her. Once I was completely informed and there were no new surprises I did much better with the whole process.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

IVFNE was in the process of merging with Boston IVF which made things more complicated with billing more than anything. But I had a very good experience with all of the doctors I dealt with from IVFNE including the doctor that did my retrieval and embryo transfer. They are definitely a well oiled machine and know what they are doing. I didn’t feel like a number, I felt like I was being taken care of by professionals that knew what to do and did it efficiently.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kristen Wright at Boston IVF.

Medications were completely out of pocket. They were phoned into a local compounding pharmacy that has dedicated staff to help answer any questions about fertility medication. 1) IVF for egg retrieval: Leuprolide $249 Gonal F $2,142 Menopur $972 Pregnyl (hCG) $92 Crinone $572.46 (did not use due to no fertilization at egg retrieval and non-returnable) Rx fees $16.94 Total for cycle $4,044.40 2) embryo transfer Estrogen patches $409.21 Progesterone injectable $79.85 Total cycle cost $489.06

Doctor

Kristen Wright

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Lexington

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kristen Wright Boston IVF

2013, Successful

Age 33

3 IUI

3 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Alison Zimon Boston IVF

I felt like Dr. Zimon really listened to me and took my concerns seriously...She explained everything we needed to know about IVF, the risks, the benefits, and the odds of it working for us. She was cautious going into our first cycle (maybe too cautious) and we found out I was a poor responder to meds. She was open to adjusting my protocol and she was open to trying different things...I met with her several times

The clinic policy [at Boston IVF] was eSET if patient was under 35 and first IVF cycle, so we followed that recommendation for our first transfer...Being at the big clinic was far less personal, but they were organized and usually running on time. For egg retrieval and transfer, you had the doctor that was on that day, not necessarily your usual doctor, so I saw several doctors over my course of care.

How was your experience with Alison Zimon at Boston IVF?

I came to Dr. Zimon after already being treated by another doctor in another state. I wasn't new to infertility or treatments, so we hit the ground running. We had some insurance hoops to jump through (like trying IUI one more time) and she was patient through all that. She explained everything we needed to know about IVF, the risks, the benefits, and the odds of it working for us. She was cautious going into our first cycle (maybe too cautious) and we found out I was a poor responder to meds. She was open to adjusting my protocol and she was open to trying different things. I met with her several times and she always listened to my concerns and took the time to answer all my questions. She did my first egg retrieval, and we only had one egg retrieved, but she took the time to talk to me about everything and called me personally when that egg didn't fertilize. She celebrated with me when we had successes and shared my disappointment with failed cycles. I felt like she was a good balance between honest and direct but also compassionate. We ultimately ended up with twins after our third retrieval and second transfer, so I'm glad she was willing to try different protocols until we found what worked.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alison Zimon at Boston IVF?

Come to appointments prepared with a list of questions and be ready to take notes. It can be a lot of information at once.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alison Zimon at Boston IVF?

I felt like Dr. Zimon really listened to me and took my concerns seriously. I had already done several rounds of treatment before starting with her, so she respected that I knew what I was talking about and had experience. I never felt rushed at my appointments. Getting bloodwork and ultrasounds done, it was easy to feel more like a 'number' just due to the sheer number of patients they saw at my clinic, but Dr. Zimon was very personable.

Describe the protocols Alison Zimon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

First cycle: antagonist protocol. Started low and slow, very little response to meds (Bravelle and Menopur). Tried upping the dosage, with some response. I have some symptoms of PCOS, so I think she was worried I would over-stim, but since I have DOR, that wasn't an issue. Only 1 egg was retrieved and it didn't fertilize, so nothing to transfer that round. Second cycle: no birth control pills taken prior to cycle start, since I was over-suppressed. Switched to an estrogen priming protocol with much better response and upped my dosage of Bravelle, continued Menopur. 8 eggs were retrieved, 5 fertilized. Elective single embryo transfer on day 5, 2 embryos were frozen. Negative pregnancy test. Third cycle: Dr. Zimon recommended another fresh cycle, so we left 2 embryos frozen and did the EPP again. My dose of Bravelle was upped again, I think to the max recommended dose. 6 eggs were retrieved, 4 mature, 2 fertilized. Dr. Zimon recommended a 3 day transfer (clinic policy with less than 4 embryos on day 2). We transferred both embryos on day 3, both were 8 cells. One was good quality and the other was showing some fragmentation. They told us that embryo likely wouldn't survive to day 5, and if it did, wouldn't meet the freeze criteria, so we decided to transfer both. Both embryos implanted and I gave birth to twin girls at 37 weeks 4 days.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Karen)

I loved Karen. She was kind and loving and compassionate. She had been through infertility treatments herself, so her empathy was strong.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

I liked that they had early morning appointments for monitoring (starting at 6:45am). The front office staff was always nice. I did most of my cycle monitoring at the South Shore clinic, but weekend monitoring and all procedures were done at the main location in Waltham. Being at the big clinic was far less personal, but they were organized and usually running on time. For egg retrieval and transfer, you had the doctor that was on that day, not necessarily your usual doctor, so I saw several doctors over my course of care. I didn't mind this, I liked the additional perspective on my cycles and they all seemed to be on the same page as far as treatment recommendations. I liked that they had a no-children allowed policy for their clinic waiting rooms.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Boston IVF.

Monitoring was done first thing in the morning, I liked the early appointments. It was organized and the wait time was never long.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Alison Zimon at Boston IVF.

I think the total cost for the cycle was around $12.500. We had insurance coverage, so our OOP was around $1500. I know ICSI was going to cost us an extra $1500, but our insurance ended up covering it. We were quoted $4500 for PGS, but didn't ended up using it (not recommended based on our diagnosis, but cost would have been prohibitive). Retail for meds was over $6K per cycle, I paid about $1K in co-pays per cycle for meds.

Describe Alison Zimon's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

The clinic policy was eSET if patient was under 35 and first IVF cycle, so we followed that recommendation for our first transfer. She seemed very supportive of eSET, especially because we were concerned with the risks of multiples. She explained that the cost of multiple transfers would be potentially less that the cost of a high risk pregnancy and/or premature babies. After our eSET transfer failed, she was open to us transfering 2, but she let us know that the risk of multiples went up more than the probability of pregnancy.

Doctor

Alison Zimon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Alison Zimon Boston IVF

2019 - 2020, Unsuccessful

Age 25 - 26

1 IVF

Tubal Blockage

European

Income $0 - $49K

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

She [Dr. Murphy] is very informative. She answers every question you have with a straight answer. She doesn't give false hope and she will tell you what to expect. Even with only one failed round, I am very eager to start my next round with her as my doctor because this is not an 100% chance thing and with her as my doctor I feel like my odds increase!

Boston ivf is very clean, organized, and friendly. The office is warm and inviting. They support any kind of couples. The nurses and doctors are great with names and faces with all the people they see daily. ... Dr. Murphy suggested 1 embryo transfer because of my age and heath. ... I can't remember her name but she was the beta nurse, always called me early on the days I went in for ultrasounds. Always called me back within the hour if I had a question for her.

How was your experience with Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF?

She is very informative. She answers every question you have with a straight answer. She doesn't give false hope and she will tell you what to expect. Even with only one failed round, I am very eager to start my next round with her as my doctor because this is not an 100% chance thing and with her as my doctor I feel like my odds increase!

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF?

Ask her any questions you have. She will always answer you.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF?

Dr. Murphy was very kind and always answered my questions even if I thought they were stupid questions. She made me feel like no question is stupid. She gave me everything I needed to know and didn't give me false hope.

Describe the protocols Lauren Murphy used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

In my cycle I used menopur, ganirelix, and follistim for my egg retrieval. I got 19 eggs, 8 were fertilized and 4 made it to day 5. 1 was transferred, 2 were frozen. I started progesterone the day after my egg retrieval until after my negative pregnancy test.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF.

I can't remember her name but she was the beta nurse, always called me early on the days I went in for ultrasounds. Always called me back within the hour if I had a question for her.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF.

I reached my out of pocket maximum because of a surgery I had prior to starting ivf so I didn't have to pay much for ivf. My lifetime max is 25k and meds is 10k, I reached my med maximum very quickly but I paid nothing for almost all of the medications, except 1 that wasn't covered and my nurse got me a very good price.

Describe Lauren Murphy's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Dr. Murphy suggested 1 embryo transfer because of my age and heath.

Doctor

Lauren Murphy

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Brookline

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019 - 2020, Successful

Age 22 - 23

IUI

1 IVF

1 Embryo Freezing

Endometriosis

Immunological

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Unexplained

Other

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Michael Alper Boston IVF

We are young and I have a high AMH so [Dr.Alper] customized our protocol so we wouldn’t overstimulate...took lots of notes on our situation so every time we saw him or spoke over the phone he was very up to date on our individualized care. He does care about your success and will do what needs to be done and is very thorough on explaining things but can be a little quick to get you out of his office. I have left feeling like I didn’t always have my questioned answered

Nursing staff [at Boston IVF] has been wonderful. Communication with them is great. Financial office is bad. Not good with communication, gives very little information when needed. Their office is small and I love that about it because you feel less like a number. They often refer to us as the “travelers” because we have to travel 3 hours to get to the office, but it feels so personal and sweet and I love that they are a small enough clinic to remember their patients.

How was your experience with Michael Alper at Boston IVF?

Our overall experience thus far with dr. Alper has been good. He is great at explaining the process of IVF and the logistics. I have a couple autoimmune diseases and we were beginning to look into IVF when one of them went into a dangerous flare. No matter how many times I begged him to start, he told us he wanted the best outcome for us and wanted me to be at my healthiest. That appointment was HARD. But I now appreciate him pushing off our treatment because it showed he cared about us and in the end was the right decision. I am a very straight to the point “give me all the details” kind of patient and he is a “everything is fine” “trust me” kind of doctor. He has a lot of faith in the process and that things will work out and definitely looks on the bright side of all things. While this is great and some patients might really appreciate this, this is where we butt heads a little bit because I like the cold hard truth. I like to see my specific results for everything, I like to hear opinions good and bad on everything and weigh pros and cons. Being Informed is best in my opinion and he doesn’t usually give all the information, just a summarized “best” version. I do like him as our doctor and so far our experience moving forward through IVF has been wonderful.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Alper at Boston IVF?

Be an advocate for yourself. This goes for any doctor. But test results don’t always tell the full truth, otherwise “unexplained infertility” wouldn’t be a thing. Write your questions down and push to have them answered. Don’t be afraid to be assertive about your particular situation if you have concerns. Communication is great so typically that isn’t something to worry about. Just be an advocate for yourself!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Alper at Boston IVF?

Dr Alper took lots of notes on our situation so every time we saw him or spoke over the phone he was very up to date on our individualized care. He does care about your success and will do what needs to be done and is very thorough on explaining things but can be a little quick to get you out of his office. I have left feeling like I didn’t always have my questioned answered, which was why I didn’t rate him “perfect” on this scale. I’ve learned to be a bit more assertive asking questions so we now work well together.

Describe the protocols Michael Alper used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

We are young and I have a high AMH so Alper customized our protocol so we wouldn’t overstimulate. We did Gonal F, Cetrotide, and a Lupron trigger. There was a risk for hyperstimulation for me but dr Alper was really great with lowering my dosages and watching everything closely so that didn’t happen. Our IVF cycle produced 35 eggs retrieved, 27 of those fertilized, 17 made it to day 5 embryos and were frozen, 7 of those came back pgs normal embryos. We were very happy with our outcome of our IVF cycle. Due to Covid 19 we haven’t been able to move forward to our transfer yet. With my autoimmune conditions I advocated for immune protocols for our transfer but Alper is a bit reserved when it comes to “experimental treatment”. Or treatment/protocols without enough evidence to support. We’ve lost 5 pregnancies so this was important to us to try but he was strict on his opinion. He took us seriously though and pushed for second and third opinions from other doctors, which I appreciated. Dr. Alper cares.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Tiffany)

My nurse Tiffany has been the best part of my treatment at Boston IVF. She is amazing. Great at communicating, very fast at getting back to you. She is so organized! I don’t know how she does it handling so many people but she does an amazing job making you feel like you are her only patient. The financial office is bad with communication. Not good with sharing pertinent information. We were hit with an unexpected huge bill and nobody communicated with us. Their phlebotomist is amazing!! She is so sweet and always makes you feel so good. She asks how we’re doing and how things are going and truly cares about you. It’s nice to have someone ask those questions.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Nursing staff has been wonderful. Communication with them is great. Financial office is bad. Not good with communication, gives very little information when needed. Their office is small and I love that about it because you feel less like a number. They often refer to us as the “travelers” because we have to travel 3 hours to get to the office, but it feels so personal and sweet and I love that they are a small enough clinic to remember their patients.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Alper at Boston IVF.

We had a cap of 10k for insurance coverage which we feel so blessed to have. Our IVF cycle (ministering, retrieval, freezing of embryos) cost is about 2000. Our pgs testing (which we were not given any information about regarding cost or what to expect) cost us 8,000. This was unexpected and we weren’t prepared to handle it. Our transfer will be out of pocket.

Describe Michael Alper's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

For our particular situation I am considered high risk with pregnancy so he strongly advised us not to transfer more than one. We never wanted more than 1 transferred at a time anyway so this wasn’t an issue.

Doctor

Michael Alper

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Michael Alper Boston IVF

2017 - 2020, Unsuccessful

Age 30 - 33

3 IUI

1 IVF

Anovulation

PCOS

European

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

During the first IUI cycle [with Dr. Pauli], we started with the lowest dose and incremented up until I was on the highest dose plus dexamethasone. For our egg retrieval, he had me do an antagonist protocol with Cetrotide. I don't know the rationale for this protocol over others, but I responded will in terms of follicles/mature eggs produced...he strongly suggested elective single embryo transfers for the first two transfers. After that, he seemed more amenable to doing a multiple embryo transfer if I pushed for that but still recommended single embryo transfers.

A few times I have not received a call [from Boston IVF] with details about the results of some diagnostic tests. I also had an incident during my third IUI where I received a false result. A mechanical malfunction caused my beta result to be recorded as positive rather than negative...is a large fertility clinic, which has advantages and disadvantages. One of the pros is that monitoring and time sensitive procedures (IUIs, retrievals, transfers) happen every day of the week, and with the exception of scheduling consultations with my RE, I'm able to schedule tests/procedures without huge delays/waits. The cons are that care may not be as personalized as it is at smaller clinics with fewer patients.

How was your experience with Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

Dr. Pauli has been fantastic. I really appreciate his straightforward manner. He's approach tends to be more conservative and while I have not gotten pregnant yet, I don't think this is a reflection of his clinical skills.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

Ask lots of questions. Dr. Pauli always seemed willing to answer all my questions and explain his rationale for my treatment plans, and asking questions helped me to understand.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

Dr. Pauli has really listened to my concerns, answered my questions compassionately, and was receptive when I asked about alternative transfer protocols.

Describe the protocols Samuel Pauli used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

We did three IUIs with Dr. Pauli using letrozole, which he selected because the academic research indicates women with PCOS tend to respond better to letrozole than clomid. During the first IUI cycle, we started with the lowest dose and incremented up until I was on the highest dose plus dexamethasone. For our egg retrieval, he had me do an antagonist protocol with Cetrotide. I don't know the rationale for this protocol over others, but I responded will in terms of follicles/mature eggs produced. On retrieval day, we got 21 eggs, 16 mature eggs, 16 fertilized, and 6 embryos frozen on day 5. I did develop mild OHSS. For the first two frozen embryo transfers, Dr. Pauli had me on a birth control and Lupron down regulation then estrogen in increasing doses before starting progesterone in oil after a lining check. Both transfers resulted in negative betas. We switched to ovulation induction with letrozole and an HCG triggers shot for the third embryo transfer, which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. I stopped responding to letrozole, so we switched back to the original transfer protocol and did an ERA, which showed that I was 1 day pre-receptive and needed an additional 24 hours of progesterone. Our fourth embryo transfer resulted in a missed miscarriage between 6 and 8 weeks. Fifth transfer resulted in a negative beta test.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Nicki)

Nurse Nicki primarily manages my care, and she has been fantastic. Occasionally, one of the other nurses on Dr. Pauli's team will manage my care and they have also been great. They almost always return my call on the same day if not within an hour or two of leaving a message.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

BostonIVF (which merged with IVF NE a couple years ago) is a large fertility clinic, which has advantages and disadvantages. One of the pros is that monitoring and time sensitive procedures (IUIs, retrievals, transfers) happen every day of the week, and with the exception of scheduling consultations with my RE, I'm able to schedule tests/procedures without huge delays/waits. The cons are that care may not be as personalized as it is at smaller clinics with fewer patients.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF.

My insurance has covered the majority of my costs.

Describe Samuel Pauli's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

In my situation, he strongly suggested elective single embryo transfers for the first two transfers. After that, he seemed more amenable to doing a multiple embryo transfer if I pushed for that but still recommended single embryo transfers.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call with results

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

A few times I have not received a call with details about the results of some diagnostic tests. I also had an incident during my third IUI where I received a false result. A mechanical malfunction caused my beta result to be recorded as positive rather than negative.

Doctor

Samuel Pauli

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Gloucester

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 34 - 35

1 IVF

European

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

We did a freeze all cycle [with Dr. Benjanmin Lannon] due to the risk of OHSS based on my AMH. I stimmed for 8 days, Follistim/Menopur/Ganirelix. My estrogen went sky high and it was recommended that I switch to Lupron trigger - however, at the time this was going to cost me an extra $700 so I pleaded to continue with Ovidrel trigger. (I did end up with OHSS). 24 retrieved, 19 fertilized = 6 embryos.

It's [Boston IVF- Maine] small so you will pretty much only work with your nurse and definitely only with your doctor. Because it's small, they do manage cycles to line up with their OR schedule. I wish there were more services available here like acupuncture, mental health, etc. I don't like working with the financial people - I feel like there should be more compassion in that process because it is VERY expensive. They've also raised their prices in the last year.

How was your experience with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Dr. Lannon is kind, funny, and intelligent. He has responded to my questions nearly immediately which I appreciate. He has validated my feelings throughout the entire process and I truly believe he is committed to our success. I believe he works very hard as sometimes he would share results with us in the evening when I know he isn't at work. This was incredible as the waiting period for results is very stressful. I knew as soon as he had them, we'd have them.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Don't be afraid to bring up what you've read/researched. You can really ask all questions you have.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Dr. Lannon has taken the time to respond to all of my emails, calls, and in person questions/concerns. He was very validating after our first failed transfer and was open to hearing about what I want to explore as next steps but also gave me his expert opinion. The nurses have all been very nice.

Describe the protocols Benjamin Lannon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

We did a freeze all cycle due to the risk of OHSS based on my AMH. I stimmed for 8 days, Follistim/Menopur/Ganirelix. My estrogen went sky high and it was recommended that I switch to Lupron trigger - however, at the time this was going to cost me an extra $700 so I pleaded to continue with Ovidrel trigger. (I did end up with OHSS). 24 retrieved, 19 fertilized = 6 embryos. 4 came back normal (PGS testing) and one indeterminate. First frozen embryo transfer- estrogen patch and pills for three weeks then started endometrin suppositories for 5 days before transfer. Transferred failed unfortunately even though it was a high grade, PGS tested embryo. We are waiting to start a new cycle to transfer again.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Tiffany)

I was assigned a nurse but would hear from other nurses often during the transfer cycle. That was fine since they're all nice. Our nurse is nice, professional, and returns calls quickly.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

It's small so you will pretty much only work with your nurse and definitely only with your doctor. Because it's small, they do manage cycles to line up with their OR schedule. I wish there were more services available here like acupuncture, mental health, etc. I don't like working with the financial people - I feel like there should be more compassion in that process because it is VERY expensive. They've also raised their prices in the last year.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF.

Consultation: $350 , Follow up appointment: $300 Freeze all cycle: $7,750, PGS testing: $3,850, Embryo storage for one year: $1,020, Frozen Embryo Transfer: $4,000. None of this includes medications or blood tests.

Describe Benjamin Lannon's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

It was preferred to only transfer one due to high risks of a multiple pregnancy. We agreed so it hasn't been discussed again since.

Doctor

Benjamin Lannon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Unknown Success

Age 30

3 IUI

1 IVF

1 Egg Freezing

Embryo Freezing

PCOS

Tubal Blockage

European

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

I felt like he [Samuel Pauli] looked into my case individually and didn’t give me a blank diagnosis and treatment....Coming from a doctor with no bedside manner Dr. Pauli is a breathe of fresh air. He has a sense of humar which is needed in this journey...He isn’t in the business’s of making multiples and does what’s best for you to not have a high risk pregnancy....

Friendly phlebotomist and ultrasound techs. Clean and modern office [Boston IVF Lexington]. Always on time for morning blood work and monitoring which I appreciate to get to work on time. Once I showed up to the wrong office and instead of making me leave and travel to another office they handled it like no big deal and fit me right in, I didn’t even have to wait. The awesome nurse knowing I’m self pay suggested I may qualify for a discount I wasn’t aware of. They also gave me med samples from the sample closet to save me a significant amount of money. New policy: sometimes you sign into the portal to look at results but it’s hard to make sense of the hormone levels.

How was your experience with Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

Coming from a doctor with no bedside manner Dr. Pauli is a breathe of fresh air. He has a sense of humar which is needed in this journey and comes highly recommended in the online support group I’m in.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

If you’re looking to pick a fertility doctor or make a change go for it!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

I felt like he looked into my case individually and didn’t give me a blank diagnosis and treatment.

Describe the protocols Samuel Pauli used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

changing my injections as needed to keep follicles growing while also trying to prevent OHSS.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Brittany )

Goes above and beyond!! She gave me extra samples of meds since I’m self pay, filled out multiple papers for applying for scholarships and always calls in the afternoon with blood work results.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Friendly phlebotomist and ultrasound techs. Clean and modern office. Always on time for morning blood work and monitoring which I appreciate to get to work on time. Once I showed up to the wrong office and instead of making me leave and travel to another office they handled it like no big deal and fit me right in, I didn’t even have to wait. The awesome nurse knowing I’m self pay suggested I may qualify for a discount I wasn’t aware of. They also gave me med samples from the sample closet to save me a significant amount of money. New policy: sometimes you sign into the portal to look at results but it’s hard to make sense of the hormone levels.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF.

$9,400 for IVF and monitoring plus medication roughly $2,000-$4,000

Describe Samuel Pauli's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

He isn’t in the business’s of making multiples and does what’s best for you to not have a high risk pregnancy.

Doctor

Samuel Pauli

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Lexington

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2014 - 2019, Successful

Age 25 - 30

8 Fertility Medications

PCOS

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

European

Other

Income $100K - $199K

Entrepreneur

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Dr. Lannon was not only a part of my clomid/letrozole cycles, but he also performed a surgery to correct my septate uterus. The surgery was a great experience and I always knew what to expect and how to deal with it. During my medicated cycles, he treated my cycles as a priority even though we were doing simple hormone treatments. With each of my two miscarriages, he was there for comfort and to explain every detail possible. Every appointment has been a good experience.

Everyone at the clinic [Boston IVF- South Portland] is friendly and comforting at times of joy as well as during the hard times. They are prompt and timely at returning calls and emails. All of the paperwork and info has been sent via email prior to our appointments which makes it easier to review on our own time before talking about it in person.

How was your experience with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Ask any questions you may have. No question is too simple and will always be answered.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Dr. Lannon made every effort to make me feel important during every cycle, even though it was simply a clomid or letrozole cycle with no other treatments. Even though I was not doing an IVF cycle, he still made my cycle a priority. I can’t wait to do our IVF cycle with him in a couple of weeks.

Describe the protocols Benjamin Lannon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

The first treatment I had was to correct my uterus. I had a laporoscopy and hysteroscopy to remove a septum in my uterus. After that was corrected, I did clomid cycles. The second cycle worked but ended in m/c at 8 weeks. The very next clomid cycle I did after my first m/c worked but also ended around 8 weeks. After doing a couple more clomid cycles, we switched to letrozole. After 3 letrozole cycles that didn’t work (and a couple years of a break from trying) we were advised to move onto an ivf cycle with pgs testing. We are starting injections for that this month and can’t wait to start the journey.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Tiffany Tifft)

Tiffany has been great at explaining all of the steps for our upcoming ivf cycle. She is also always prompt at responding to emails and calls, as is the rest of the staff.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Everyone at the clinic is friendly and comforting at times of joy as well as during the hard times. They are prompt and timely at returning calls and emails. All of the paperwork and info has been sent via email prior to our appointments which makes it easier to review on our own time before talking about it in person.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF.

I don’t remember exactly

Describe Benjamin Lannon's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

We have not gotten to this point yet but we are very happy that he suggested that we test our embryos with pgs testing before we do a transfer to ensure we are transferring the healthiest and strongest embryos.

Doctor

Benjamin Lannon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018 - 2019, Successful

Age 40 - 41

2 IUI

3 IVF

Endometriosis

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Prefer not to answer

Income $100K - $199K

Professor

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

He [Dr. Armando Arroyo] knew exactly who we were and what our details were at every visit...I had a very tricky schedule as I had moved to Canada before transfer. He was very good about arranging phone calls and making a protocol easier for travel. He is warm and always seemed happy to see us...Trust that he is part of a larger, highly successful team. He knows the latest research and is open to talking through your ideas. You have a voice in the path ahead. He is an interlocutor, not an authoritarian.

The main nurse [at Boston IVF Syracuse], Jill, was wonderful. First, there is one main nurse! At my last clinic, you saw a new person every visit. This clinic offers a single contact person which makes things MUCH easier. Jill knew exactly what our plan was and was always quick to get back to me to help organize meds etc. I "graduated" from the clinic at week 8 and she continues to email to check on us every three weeks!...This is a new clinic with a great staff. Abby at the front desk is cheerful and Mel is a wonderful embryologist who spent a bit of time to assist with moving my embryos across town and then prepping them for transfer. The blood and ultrasound team is also small, so you see the same faces often and they are all very good!

How was your experience with Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

He really gives patients the respect they deserve. I am a professor and I felt like my last clinic spoke to me like I was dumb all the time. Dr. Arroyo assumed I was knowledgeable and engaged with any research I had done and never dismissed it. We had good conversations and we felt very confident that we made a good choice to move clinics. I had a very tricky schedule as I had moved to Canada before transfer. He was very good about arranging phone calls and making a protocol easier for travel. He is warm and always seemed happy to see us.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Trust that he is part of a larger, highly successful team. He knows the latest research and is open to talking through your ideas. You have a voice in the path ahead. He is an interlocutor, not an authoritarian.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Dr. Arroyo is a good mix of understanding and straightforward. He sat with us and looked at our results and talked to us about a treatment plan for my situation. At my last clinic most women were on the same protocol with a dozen medications. Dr. Arroyo showed me why I didn't need most of them. I spoke to him more in my six months at this clinic than I spoke to my previous specialist in 2.5 years. He called regularly as we organized moving embryos from another clinic. He attended most of my ultrasounds and helped me understand how things were progressing. He knew exactly who we were and what our details were at every visit.

Describe the protocols Armando Arroyo used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

This was my third frozen transfer (not PGS tested embryos). We debated another stim plus PGS of all, but I wasn't up for it. I had a lap/hysteroscopy before and that could explain success. I did a longer estrogen protocol than I was used to. My lining wasn't great so we gave it an extra week. I was on progesterone suppositories and shots (only ever 3 nights) up to 10 weeks pregnant. My previous transfers at another clinic I was on a dozen medications, many out of pocket and thousands of dollars. It was great to have fewer meds to keep track of. I made the process less stressful. We had two frozen day 3 embryos. Transferred 2 and now 19 weeks with a singleton!

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Jill L)

The main nurse, Jill, was wonderful. First, there is one main nurse! At my last clinic, you saw a new person every visit. This clinic offers a single contact person which makes things MUCH easier. Jill knew exactly what our plan was and was always quick to get back to me to help organize meds etc. I "graduated" from the clinic at week 8 and she continues to email to check on us every three weeks! So lovely!

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

This is a new clinic with a great staff. Abby at the front desk is cheerful and Mel is a wonderful embryologist who spent a bit of time to assist with moving my embryos across town and then prepping them for transfer. The blood and ultrasound team is also small, so you see the same faces often and they are all very good!

Describe the costs associated with your care under Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF.

I am very fortunate to have excellent insurance. My co-pay for visits was 20$ They did not recommend anything not covered by my insurance.

Doctor

Armando Arroyo

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Syracuse

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 36 - 37

1 IVF

Other

Income $50K - $99K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

You will have a wait when seeing Dr. Berger, however this is a positive thing as he does not rush any patient in his office. I appreciate the time he takes to complete a thorough evaluation/consultation which is individualized to the patient. ... I went into this experience knowing little about the IVF process and Dr. Berger put my mind at ease, being patient with answering any questions I had while in his office.

Boston IVF Quincy is easily accessible. The lab-work, ultrasound run right on time in the morning which is wonderful for anyone that needs to get to work. The Quincy lab tech is fabulous and the front desk staff always helpful. ... Monitoring appointments were very convenient they were set up in a window. ... The strengths of the nurses are that they always get back to you same day when you leave a message. The weaknesses are that the nurses are not consistently assigned to your case.

How was your experience with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

I would highly recommend Dr. Brian Berger. I went into this experience knowing little about the IVF process and Dr. Berger put my mind at ease, being patient with answering any questions I had while in his office. He gave me a course of treatment/plan that he recommended but did not pressure me into it, allowing me to weigh out my options and do my own research which was very important for me since I am a self pay patient.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Dr. Brian Berger was very thorough at each visit/consultation. We never felt rushed while in his office and truly felt like our medical history was important in creating a plan for success.

Describe the protocols Brian Berger used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I believe i was on a FSH protocol, slow controlled stimulation, I stimmed for approximately 15 or 16 days, and due to risk for hyperovarian simulation syndrome I triggered with Lupron and had no issues. I had 24 eggs retrieved, 16 fertilized and 11 embryos that made it to blasts/freeze at day 5/6.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

The strengths of the nurses are that they always get back to you same day when you leave a message. The weaknesses are that the nurses are not consistently assigned to your case.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Boston IVF.

Monitoring appointments were very convenient they were set up in a window.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Berger at Boston IVF.

I am self pay, IVF with medications and frozen transfer with PGS testing roughly 22,000

Describe Brian Berger's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

N/A have not had transfer yet

Doctor

Brian Berger

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Shore

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kim L. Thornton Boston IVF

2018 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 40 - 41

1 IVF

Prefer not to answer

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

She [Dr. Kim Thornton] is very straightforward, and with time being of the essence, that’s what we need! She explains the process very thoroughly and answered all of our questions. Even after our first failed cycle (we didn’t make it to transfer) she quickly sat with us (within 1 day after finding out no transfer) and went through the next course of action! Even went so far as to collaborate with other Drs with in the practice to see if they had similar cases to ours! Overall I’m happy with her and am still holding hope that I’ll have a live birth!

The nursing staff [at Boston IVF] is great! Dawn took the time to sit with us and go through all of the procedure steps and anytime I had a question she was very quick to respond to me...Boston IVF is great in the way that they have offices all over. I mainly go wot a Worcester but have been to Waltham and Lexington for ultrasounds and blood work. They also have in-house acupuncture which is great. Weaknesses, their financial coordinators are VERY quick and only give you information if you ask for it. I found out after my first cycle that self pay clients could apply for a discount (income based) which would have really helped to know before!

How was your experience with Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF?

I wasn’t sure where to start on the IVF journey. It’s very overwhelming, I filled out an online contact form and received a call from Boston IVF and they paired me with Dr Thornton. Other may not have left the best reviews but I personally think she has been great for us. She is very straightforward, and with time being of the essence, that’s what we need! She explains the process very thoroughly and answered all of our questions. Even after our first failed cycle (we didn’t make it to transfer) she quickly sat with us (within 1 day after finding out no transfer) and went through the next course of action! Even went so far as to collaborate with other Drs with in the practice to see if they had similar cases to ours! Overall I’m happy with her and am still holding hope that I’ll have a live birth!

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF?

If you want someone to give you hugs and kisses, Dr Thornton isn’t the one for you, but if you want an honest approach she definitely won’t sugar coat the process.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF?

I definitely felt with the small Worcester office Dr Thornton knew it was me there To meet with her. She always talked to me not at me which I appreciate.

Describe the protocols Kim L. Thornton used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

When I first met with add Thornton I was 39 turning 40, my husband had a failed vasectomy reversal. She initially suggested we go back to the office who did the reversal to see if we could retrieve sperm from him. Once that procedure was complete we moved very quickly. We started with Gonal-F and Menopur and then added Cetrotide. Trigger was done and then egg retrieval. Once retrieval was done I started on Endometrin 3 times a day.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Dawn )

The nursing staff is great! Dawn took the time to sit with us and go through all of the procedure steps and anytime I had a question she was very quick to respond to me.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Boston IVF is great in the way that they have offices all over. I mainly go wot a Worcester but have been to Waltham and Lexington for ultrasounds and blood work. They also have in-house acupuncture which is great. Weaknesses, their financial coordinators are VERY quick and only give you information if you ask for it. I found out after my first cycle that self pay clients could apply for a discount (income based) which would have really helped to know before!

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF.

Costs were pretty high! I am self pay meaning insurance doesn’t cover anything for the cycle. All pre blood work was covered but once the cycle started I obtained a loan for $15,000 and paid $1000 out of pocket on top of that. That included medication

Doctor

Kim L. Thornton

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Worcester

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kim L. Thornton Boston IVF

2018 - 2019, Unsuccessful

Age 41 - 42

2 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

European

Income $50K - $99K

Teacher

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

During our initial discussion with Dr. Berger we felt he really listened to us, asked us very detailed questions and follow up questions, and thoroughly went over options and potential treatment plans. He generally just had amazing bedside manner. We’ve done two retrievals (about to do our third), and the follow up meetings with Dr. Berger were lengthy, he went over every single detail of what went wrong and what went right, and gave us plenty of tome to ask all our questions. We never felt rushed during our meetings.

The monitoring appointments [at Boston IVF- South Shore] were fast! I was always done with the ultrasound and blood draw within 20 minutes of arriving at Quincy or Waltham. Also, I live on the Cape, and Boston IVF has an arrangement with a local Ultrasound clinic. I was able to do monitoring Monday-Thursday on the Cape, I had to go to Quincy on Friday’s, and Waltham on Sat & Sun.

How was your experience with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Every experience we’ve had with Dr. Berger has strengthened our trust in him. He has great bedside manner, thoroughly explains every step of the process and his reasons behind his decisions for our treatment. He also doesn’t sugarcoat anything, which is appreciated.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Do as much research as possible and learn the lingo. There is a lot of new information, it can be overwhelming to try and follow a conversation at first. Be your own advocate and always bring a list of questions.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Describe the protocols Brian Berger used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I did not do Birth Control priming, instead I was put on Estrogen pills twice a day for 10 days before my period. On day 2 of my cycle I started Gonal-F and Low Dose HCG. My first cycle started with 325 of Gonal-F and 20 of Low Dose HCG, Cetrotide was added around day 9 to slow the growth of the leading follicles. I stimmed for 13 days total. They retrieved 19 follicles, 15 were mature, 6 fertilized, 2 made it to day 5 and one was transferred. The other embryo stopped growing later on day 5. I didn’t get pregnant from this round. Round 2 used the same medications, but upped the dosages to get larger follicles. My starting doses were 450 of Gonal-F and 40 of Low Dose HCG.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Meghan)

Meghan was our primary nurse and Stephanie was our nurse about 30% of the time. They both were great. The office has a policy to return all phone calls if they are left before 4pm, and I loved that.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

The only negative I have with Boston IVF is the lack of direct communication with Dr Berger. We have done 2 IVF cycles and have only talked with Dr. Berger 3 times. All other appointments and communication have been with Ultrasound techs or the nursing team. This hasn’t actually been a problem for us, everyone has been great to work with, but it could be a big negative for some patients.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Boston IVF.

The monitoring appointments were fast! I was always done with the ultrasound and blood draw within 20 minutes of arriving at Quincy or Waltham. Also, I live on the Cape, and Boston IVF has an arrangement with a local Ultrasound clinic. I was able to do monitoring Monday-Thursday on the Cape, I had to go to Quincy on Friday’s, and Waltham on Sat & Sun.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Berger at Boston IVF.

I live in Massachusetts and my insurance covers IVF coverage. So I only had to meet my yearly $2000 deductible, and pay $50 copays for office visits with the Dr. My prescription copays added up to about $300 per cycle. We are electing to do PGS testing on the embryos, costing $3700 for 8 embryos.

Describe Brian Berger's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Dr. Berger strongly recommend we only transfer one embryo and we agreed.

Doctor

Brian Berger

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Shore

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Unsuccessful

Age 31

1 IUI

1 IVF

Other

Income $100K - $199K

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

We loved each and every experience we had with Dr. Lannon. If I were to give any constructive feedback I would say that between starting meds for the retrieval and the actual retrieval we mostly only spoke to his nurses. We completely understand that he is extremely busy, and I know that for every monitoring appointment and blood test he was assessing my results, but hearing from him would have been supportive.

I really enjoyed our clinic [Boston IVF- South Portland]. The support staff was very helpful. I will say that the billing department was extremely disappointing. This is a very sensitive experience for people, and I did not feel like their billing employee gave any empathy, patience, or understanding. I understand that this at the end of the day is a business, we felt like if we didn't completely pay up front that issues would arise, also their was inconsistency in how we were communicated with. Bills that came from the actual Boston, Boston IVF location were almost threatening, notes left at the end of the bill (which I still have for proof) would have comments like "PAYMENT IS SERIOUSLY OVERDUE" which is obviously something we are more than aware of.

How was your experience with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Go into an appointment where you will be speaking with Dr. Lannon with structured questions you would like to have answered. I wish we had done that because I sometimes left feeling like I had wished I had written everything down versus trying to remember it all in my head.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Dr. Lannon took extensive time to speak with us in our initial consultation, as well as our consult to begin IVF treatment. Throughout the process he was always reachable, and felt very supported by his staff as well. More importantly, once we found out the transfer had failed. He went out of his way to call us within hours of my blood test results to simply see if my husband and I were okay. Dr. Lannon has truly helped my husband and I to approach the IVF experience with a sense of humor, and know that we are in good hands.

Describe the protocols Benjamin Lannon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

For our egg retrieval we used FSH's such as gonal f, menopur, and cetrotide. After each monitoring Dr. Lannon would tweak my meds based on the ultrasounds and blood tests. We had a pretty "simple' retrieval experience, they got 14 eggs, we did not need ICSI, and 4 made it to Day 5 maturation. He transferred the best graded embryo for a fresh transfer, a 4AA.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Barbara)

Barbara is one of the nurses that supports Dr. Lannons patients and I could not be more thankful for the empathy and sensitivity she showed us each and every day during our retrieval and transfer process.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

I really enjoyed our clinic. The support staff was very helpful. I will say that the billing department was extremely disappointing. This is a very sensitive experience for people, and I did not feel like their billing employee gave any empathy, patience, or understanding. I understand that this at the end of the day is a business, we felt like if we didn't completely pay up front that issues would arise, also their was inconsistency in how we were communicated with. Bills that came from the actual Boston, Boston IVF location were almost threatening, notes left at the end of the bill (which I still have for proof) would have comments like "PAYMENT IS SERIOUSLY OVERDUE" which is obviously something we are more than aware of.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF.

So the egg retrieval and transfer were 9,400. Medications for retrieval were 3,000. Testing prior to starting the retrieval (genetic) were 1,100.

Describe Benjamin Lannon's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

As we were set on only transferring one embryo, we are not very sure on what Dr. Lannons stance is on multiple embryos transferred. We do know that he is comfortable transferring two but I am not sure past that amount.

Doctor

Benjamin Lannon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Unknown Success

Age 36

IVF

Poor Egg Quality

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

European

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

I feel that she [Dr. Luzzo] is very polite and kind. I also feel like this whole industry is in it for money....We had discussed if we could possibly get supplemental insurance but she told my husband and I we don’t have 6 months to wait due to my egg quality/quantity.... I also felt a little rushed in the office going over our diagnostic results. Overall I do like her and she is kind...she busted I get genetically tested for fragile X and the whole genetic testing panel along with my husband. Then from there I will begin medication for egg retrieval depending on payments.

Awesome secretary. Very pleasant to talk to in person and via phone. [Boston IVF] Has never been hard to get an appointment. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. The phlebotomist does an outstanding job taking blood- probably the best I’ve had. She is very sweet. The finical advisor is very helpful and has been working to try to fight our insurance company to pay for IVF. Even though they won’t she hasn’t given up. I don’t have anything bad to say about the clinic itself.

How was your experience with Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

I feel that she is very polite and kind. I also feel like this whole industry is in it for money. So I have a hard time separating myself from this. Our insurance covers absolutely nothing for IVF. We had discussed if we could possibly get supplemental insurance but she told my husband and I we don’t have 6 months to wait due to my egg quality/quantity. So where do we come up with all this money?! I’m sure she’s correct but is she just saying this for the money too. I also felt a little rushed in the office going over our diagnostic results. Overall I do like her and she is kind. Just bitter in general over this whole process and not being able to afford it.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

Come prepared with any questions you may have.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

The whole team that works with Dr.Luzzo is very kind and friendly. I feel like the staff is more personable than the Dr.Luzzo even though she is very nice.

Describe the protocols Kerri Luzzo used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I have yet gone for egg retrieval trying to figure out where the money is coming from. She busted I get genetically tested for fragile X and the whole genetic testing panel along with my husband. Then from there I will begin medication for egg retrieval depending on payments.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

Nursing staffs been great and very compassionate. Only had one nurse via phone tell me I could have been having multiple miscarriages because I breast fed my child once every 24 hours. Which was no accurate at all and she should have never said that. Otherwise everyone has been pleasant and calls me back the same day with any questions or concerns I have.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Awesome secretary. Very pleasant to talk to in person and via phone. Has never been hard to get an appointment. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. The phlebotomist does an outstanding job taking blood- probably the best I’ve had. She is very sweet. The finical advisor is very helpful and has been working to try to fight our insurance company to pay for IVF. Even though they won’t she hasn’t given up. I don’t have anything bad to say about the clinic itself. Oh wait besides the parking lot haha -the spaces are so tiny it can be difficult to park or back up.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF.

Egg retrieval $12,000 PGS testing 3/4 eggs $3,800.medications thousands. and transfer $7-$8 thousand and the dethawing of embryo after pgs testing $1,000-$1,200. If need another egg retrieval it would be $12,000 again. So one round of IVF with fertilized egg and pgs testing $25,000. If needing more than one egg retrieval add $13,000 more into that.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to order appropriate test

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

Went to redo my FSH and AMH levels and they forgot to order my AMH levels so I had to go back the next day. Which is a 45 minute drive for me.

Doctor

Kerri Luzzo

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

North Dartmouth

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Unknown Success

Age 37

2 Embryo Freezing (cancer)

Cancer

PCOS

European

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

David Ryley Boston IVF

[Dr. Ryley] was great to work with, very thorough and very honest. He tried to make a little too much small talk for my husband's liking, but I found him very calming and very professional. When our first round of eggs from our egg retrieval turned out to be abnormal he was very sympathetic, he asked if we wanted to move on and didn't pressure us to do another round of IVF and egg retrieval. He did explain what they would do differently to help us get a better outcome.

I was diagnosed with cancer and told to speak to someone at Boston IVF to help preserve my fertility and give my husband and me the best chance to have a baby after treatment. Dr Ryley's office fit me in so quickly and were so helpful in this process....It's a very big operation with multiple offices, which is great because you can go to the one closest to your home for early morning ultrasounds, but if you need a weekend appointment you can only go to one specific clinic in Waltham, MA.

How was your experience with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

He was great to work with, very thorough and very honest. He tried to make a little too much small talk for my husband's liking, but I found him very calming and very professional. When our first round of eggs from our egg retrieval turned out to be abnormal he was very sympathetic, he asked if we wanted to move on and didn't pressure us to do another round of IVF and egg retrieval. He did explain what they would do differently to help us get a better outcome.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Ryley at Boston IVF?

I would tell a prospective patient that he will give you a lot of information. Lots of statistics, probabilities, timelines etc.. If you're not someone who likes a lot of data it can be overwhelming, but its also important to know what the process looks like and what the chances are.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

I was diagnosed with cancer and told to speak to someone at Boston IVF to help preserve my fertility and give my husband and me the best chance to have a baby after treatment. Dr Ryley's office fit me in so quickly and were so helpful in this process. Within a few weeks we were applying to oncofertility programs to receive reduced cost medications and undergoing IVF. After our first round of egg retrieval all of our eggs were abnormal, and Dr. Ryley was so nice and comforting about it. It made em feel like he cared about our journey as people and not just numbers and success for Boston IVF.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Heidi Atherton)

Heidi was an amazing nurse to work with. So generous with her time and always available for questions. I cam to the office on the first day of shots and she sat with me while we went over the steps and as I mimed multiple times how to go through the process. she also made herself available to FaceTime with me that evening so she could watch what I was doing and offer assistance and answer questions. She seemed to put in a lot of time working with me to find oncofertility programs that would allow us to receive free or reduced cost medications.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

It's a very big operation with multiple offices, which is great because you can go to the one closest to your home for early morning ultrasounds, but if you need a weekend appointment you can only go to one specific clinic in Waltham, MA. And with the main office being in Boston parking can get really expensive, it costs $4-$7 to park at one location, and if they're running behind it can be even more. Though every office has a coffee machine - a small perk so you can spend your morning coffee money on parking and get free coffee in the office. Because of my cancer diagnosis they worked really hard to get me in quickly so that we could start right away, I believe I called on a Friday and saw the doctor the next Wednesday.

Describe the costs associated with your care under David Ryley at Boston IVF.

Because of my cancer diagnosis a lot of our treatment was covered by insurance or medication grants. Most of our routine payments were copays, or partially covered by insurance. We did opt for two items not covered by insurance: the ICSI procedure (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection -$2,500) and the PGTA (preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy - approximately $3,900 - final price dependent on the number of eggs retrieved).

Doctor

David Ryley

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

David Ryley Boston IVF

2018 - 2019, Unsuccessful

Age 36 - 37

3 IUI

6 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Uterine Fibroids

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Unexplained

European

Marketer or PR

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

I see Dr. Berger as a remote patient--he is in Boston and I live in NY. I went to him for a second opinion after positive referrals, and liked him so much we stayed with his office despite the difficulty of added coordination being in separate cities....I have a very low AMH and low medication response. The most recent cycle and the one that yielded the most success (12 eggs, 6 mature, 4 fertilized, 3 PGS normal, 2 transferred thus far, 0 implanted), consisted of: estrogen patch priming protocol, stim Gonal F

Boston IVF is a very well-run facility. They are flexible with remote patients, helping to coordinate outside monitoring, etc. The staff is compassionate and helpful. Like any large clinic you will be seen by a number of different doctors for retrieval and transfer if doing IVF....The nursing team was very responsive and kind. There are a few different nurses working with Dr. Berger and I can usually get the answers I'm seeking. They also allow email communication, which is extremely helpful

How was your experience with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

I see Dr. Berger as a remote patient--he is in Boston and I live in NY. I went to him for a second opinion after positive referrals, and liked him so much we stayed with his office despite the difficulty of added coordination being in separate cities. We have not had success yet, but we have had more positive progress than we had at Weill Cornell, and better understand the course of treatment and possibilities for us. He is more willing to change protocols than my previous doctor, trying for the optimal response given my low AMH.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Ask about changes in protocols if you are unsatisfied--he is very willing to discuss.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Dr. Berger is very patient and considerate. He is empathetic. While most of our calls open with him saying I wish we were discussing better news, it feels genuine each time. You can tell he is very committed to his patients.

Describe the protocols Brian Berger used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I have a very low AMH and low medication response. The most recent cycle and the one that yielded the most success (12 eggs, 6 mature, 4 fertilized, 3 PGS normal, 2 transferred thus far, 0 implanted), consisted of: estrogen patch priming protocol, stim Gonal F (600 for 6 days, 450 2 days, 375 2 days), 50 low dose HCG (10 days), cetrotide (4 days).

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Meghan)

The nursing team was very responsive and kind. There are a few different nurses working with Dr. Berger and I can usually get the answers I'm seeking. They also allow email communication, which is extremely helpful especially when traveling and unable to call during working hours. During active treatment cycles, there seems to be a trend in the time of callbacks with "news" - early calls are positive calls, the bad news comes late in the day. That may not be the case, but it usually pans out.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Boston IVF is a very well-run facility. They are flexible with remote patients, helping to coordinate outside monitoring, etc. The staff is compassionate and helpful. Like any large clinic you will be seen by a number of different doctors for retrieval and transfer if doing IVF. Some have greater success than others when doing retrieval (as is likely common with all procedures). Comparatively, being at Weill Cornell in NYC for 3 years prior where I felt very much like a number vs a patient, and had a hard time communicating with my doctor, Boston IVF was welcome change and despite not having any success yet still feels like a step in a more positive direction.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Boston IVF.

I was seen for monitoring at a clinic in NYC, Columbia Fertility.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Berger at Boston IVF.

IVF Egg Retrieval/Freeze/ PGS= $7,750 + $3,900 (freeze) then $4,000 for future transfer (plus meds) Donor Egg is $12,000 plus medication and donor agency fee’s if you are using an agency ($7K to 15k could be more)

Describe Brian Berger's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

I don't think we spent enough time on the pros/cons of single vs multiple. The thinking initially was that because they were PGS normal, implantation was more likely, so if transferring 2 you should really want twins.

Doctor

Brian Berger

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Unknown Success

Age 30

Donor Sperm

Male Factor

Other

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Dr Lannon wants to try a few rounds of a natural IUI cycle. If that doesn’t work we will regroup and look at a medicated cycle. For now I am just using ovulation predictor kits and will go in for an IUI when it’s a positive. ... I was previously diagnosed with uterine scaring by a different doctor. Dr Lannon questioned those results and wanted to take another look with a saline infused sonogram.

Their [Boston IVF] scheduling is a little weird to me. I have had 2 appointments and both have been changed to earlier in the day. I am lucky to have a flexible job but that might not work for everyone. It’s almost like they don’t even ask you if the time change will work they just kind of tell you. ... Tammy [nurse] was very knowledgeable and took time to help me understand things.

How was your experience with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

At our consult he explained things so clearly and made things easy for us to understand. This whole process and journey to get here has been confusing on so many different levels. When we left our consult we felt a way we hadn’t felt in 4 years...hopeful. You are his patient but he makes you feel included and heard.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

He gives you a ton of information, try to record your consult. The next day when things settled in my brain I wrote down a ton of questions to bring to my next appointment.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

I was previously diagnosed with uterine scaring by a different doctor. Dr Lannon questioned those results and wanted to take another look with a saline infused sonogram. At the consult he said “ I want to take another look, well you and I can look together” it just made me feel included and that he wanted to make sure I understood what was going on. During the procedure he explained every step and showed me on the monitor what we were looking at. The best news, his assumptions were correct and I was previously misdiagnosed!

Describe the protocols Benjamin Lannon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I haven’t started treatment yet but Dr Lannon wants to try a few rounds of a natural IUI cycle. If that doesn’t work we will regroup and look at a medicated cycle. For now I am just using ovulation predictor kits and will go in for an IUI when it’s a positive.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Tammy )

I had a lot of questions after my consult. Tammy was very knowledgeable and took time to help me understand things.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Their scheduling is a little weird to me. I have had 2 appointments and both have been changed to earlier in the day. I am lucky to have a flexible job but that might not work for everyone. It’s almost like they don’t even ask you if the time change will work they just kind of tell you.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF.

Shockingly my insurance covered our consult. I just had $25 copay. If you pay upfront rather than them billing your insurance they only charge you half of what the cost is that is billed to insurance. I know my insurance doesn’t cover procedures or treatments so I opt to pay upfront and take advantage of the discount,

Doctor

Benjamin Lannon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Successful

Age 40

3 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Unexplained

Prefer not to answer

Income $50K - $99K

Operations

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

I started ivf at 40, at no point has Dr Murphy ever made me feel like having a baby is an unattainable goal for me. She is smart, well respected and one of the most genuine and compassionate docs I have ever had. I couldn’t imagine going through this with any other doc by my side...My biggest issue is a lack of mature eggs. Dr Murphy switched up my trigger to a double after my first retrieval only resulted in 2 mature eggs despite having 10 measurable follicles. The double (lupron and HCG) have definitely improved my outcomes.

Amy [nurse at Boston IVF] has been wonderful. I always feel like I’m talking to an extension of Dr Murphy when I talk to her. She returns my calls quickly and always has an answer ready for any of my questions...Many people say Boston IVF is like a “factory.” My experience has been the total opposite. I feel so well cared for. Even when I had my miscarriage, I had already been released to an OB but asked if BIVF would do my follow up care and they didn’t hesitate to take me back as a patient immediately despite that not being standard operating procedure. I will never regret my decision to go to this clinic!

How was your experience with Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF?

Dr Murphy is by far one of my favorite doctors. She is compassionate, honest and truly cares about her patients. Every nurse I have seen at varying clinic locations comments on her incredible bedside manner. I started ivf at 40, at no point has Dr Murphy ever made me feel like having a baby is an unattainable goal for me. She is smart, well respected and one of the most genuine and compassionate docs I have ever had. I couldn’t imagine going through this with any other doc by my side.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF?

She is only in the South Shore office one day a week so appointments can be hard but I have found her main office in Brookline to not be a challenge at all!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF?

Dr. Murphy truly cares about her patients. She has celebrated our successes and grieved our failures right along with us.

Describe the protocols Lauren Murphy used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I have been using Menopur, Gonal and Cetrotide. My biggest issue is a lack of mature eggs. Dr Murphy switched up my trigger to a double after my first retrieval only resulted in 2 mature eggs despite having 10 measurable follicles. The double (lupron and HCG) have definitely improved my outcomes.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Amy M)

Amy has been wonderful. I always feel like I’m talking to an extension of Dr Murphy when I talk to her. She returns my calls quickly and always has an answer ready for any of my questions.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Many people say Boston IVF is like a “factory.” My experience has been the total opposite. I feel so well cared for. Even when I had my miscarriage, I had already been released to an OB but asked if BIVF would do my follow up care and they didn’t hesitate to take me back as a patient immediately despite that not being standard operating procedure. I will never regret my decision to go to this clinic!

Describe the costs associated with your care under Lauren Murphy at Boston IVF.

I have been very fortunate to have good insurance. Just wish I could afford PGS!

Doctor

Lauren Murphy

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Shore

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Consult

Age 34

Male Factor

European

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Dr. Pauli was clear, direct and provided us with information that we needed to plan our treatment. Dr. Pauli presented treatment in a clear and straightforward way and was pragmatic about the course of treatment. Dr. Pauli laid out the process clearly and gave us some options. He was open to our preferences and laid out benefits and drawbacks to all potential courses...will take time, but he is also efficient and sees a lot of people. I did not get the feeling he was trying to move us along, but I came with a lot of information already, and my husband wanted to get his head around the process more. He got flustered and didn't remember some questions he had previously. Don't be discouraged that he is not initially the warmest doctor. He was pretty flat, but he is clear, direct and thorough, which at this point I value more than warmth.

Grace [nurse at Boston IVF] greeted us by name and was so kind. She met with us after and seemed willing to go the extra step to get us information we had requested around financing and potential for remote monitoring at an office closer to us, as we are self pay. She explained next steps to us, and was supportive and patient with all of our questions...We have been quoted: 8,450 IVF...The office we were seen at is a transitional space for the clinic. It was an older space within a hospital that has nice ambiance. I initially questioned whether or not we were in the right place because the suite is shared with another service within the hospital. We waited for awhile to be seen and then to meet with the nurse. Everyone was kind, but it does not seem that any department has an idea about the workings of other aspects of the operation. That makes some sense, but was confusing when we had questions about billing as a self-pay client. Everyone is knowledgeable in their area though, and it is easy to find the person you need.

How was your experience with Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

Come to your appointment prepared with any questions. Dr. Pauli will take time, but he is also efficient and sees a lot of people. I did not get the feeling he was trying to move us along, but I came with a lot of information already, and my husband wanted to get his head around the process more. He got flustered and didn't remember some questions he had previously. Don't be discouraged that he is not initially the warmest doctor. He was pretty flat, but he is clear, direct and thorough, which at this point I value more than warmth.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF?

Dr. Pauli took time to meet with us and review the specific of our case. He asked a lot of questions and made recommendations based on our preferences and his experience. He did not rush us through and left room for any questions. He was patient and considerate. He was not overly friendly or warm, but delivered information clearly and thoroughly.

Describe the protocols Samuel Pauli used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Dr. Pauli mentioned that some of my levels are in the borderline range, and he might aim for a more aggressive protocol for stimulation. I am not yet sure what this means i terms of medication dosages.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Grace)

Grace greeted us by name and was so kind. She met with us after and seemed willing to go the extra step to get us information we had requested around financing and potential for remote monitoring at an office closer to us, as we are self pay. She explained next steps to us, and was supportive and patient with all of our questions.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

The office we were seen at is a transitional space for the clinic. It was an older space within a hospital that has nice ambiance. I initially questioned whether or not we were in the right place because the suite is shared with another service within the hospital. We waited for awhile to be seen and then to meet with the nurse. Everyone was kind, but it does not seem that any department has an idea about the workings of other aspects of the operation. That makes some sense, but was confusing when we had questions about billing as a self-pay client. Everyone is knowledgeable in their area though, and it is easy to find the person you need.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Pauli at Boston IVF.

We have been quoted: 8,450 IVF 4400 Frozen transfer 3700 Pre-implantation genetic testing 1200 ISCI upward of 5k meds

Describe Samuel Pauli's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Dr. Pauli was cautiously open to multiple embryo transfer when my husband asked, but standard us eSet and he saw no reason to deviate given our health history and age. He would potentially consider based on quality of embryos.

Doctor

Samuel Pauli

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Gloucester

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of