Boston IVF

I would not have had the results I had and the positive experience I had (despite nearly 4 years of various treatments) without the support and expertise of Dr. David Ryley.

If he says he'd recommend moving to more aggressive treatment options, listen and follow his advice right away.

I started with a long succession of medicated (injectables) IUIs and then moved to a series of IVFs with ICSI. I got pregnant several times but some were clinical pregnancies and one was a miscarriage at 12 weeks. As I turned 43, Dr. Ryley recommended I consider egg donation. I did and decided to proceed. The first donor I chose had not previously donated and despite medical tests indicating everything was fine and a total of 27 eggs retrieved, only 6 fertilized and they were all low quality. I had a strong preference for a single transfer but took his advice and transferred 2 fresh, then 2 frozen and got pregnant with one of the last 2. Unfortunately miscarried at 10 weeks. I almost gave up, but did decide to try one more time with another donor who had successfully donated previously. Got more than 30 eggs, 27 fertilized and 2 of these were discarded due to poor quality. I had one transferred fresh and got pregnant and gave birth to my daughter in 2012 nearly 4 years after I had my first fertility appointment.

I think that all told, after insurance, and counting 2 separate egg donors, my cost was a bit below $100K (insurance covered a bunch upfront, but I paid for several IVFs myself and 2 donor egg retrievals, incl. donor and personal medications and 4 transfers)

Dr. Murphy is exceptionally empathetic and extremely knowledgeable. She answers all our statistical questions thoroughly. She addressed our anxieties thoughtfully. And she offered her recommendations on next steps but created plenty of space for us to talk through possible alternative options. Even when I wasn't able to speak to her directly, I could tell her whole team was in close communication. I never needed to repeat myself to an RN. Sometimes, I would email Dr. Murphy a question, and receive a call from the nursing team a few hours later to answer my question. Other times, she'd reply directly. It always felt like she was rooting for us. She even called us at the end of her workday on a Friday evening after we miscarried to just talk to us and say sorry for the loss. It was unexpected and really heartwarming. It emphasized to us how she was our advocate and cheerleader in addition to being our doctor.

Ask for what you need. Don't be afraid to ask any questions. Even if she's not there doing a procedure, she's always aware of her patients.

5 rounds of IUI, some unmedicated, some medicated. One full IVF round including a retrieval with all the related medication. Then 2 rounds of IVF natural cycles with trigger shot. One was a single embryo transfer and the second two embryos. Then a third double embryo transfer with full medication. Prior to the third IVF transfer, we did an endometrio biopsy and mock transfer cycle for additional tests.

We initially transferred one embryo, and then she was comfortable starting to transfer two embryos after that. The reasons felt clear primarily because we had been in this process for 2.5 years at that point.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

I said it before--he is very caring and compassionate and explains everything well. He is smart and confident but also realistic in setting expectations. I have the feeling that he "has my back" and that he truly cares.

The clinic is really busy and it is difficult to get appointments in a timely manner. There is also the question of whether you want to deal with feeling like a number at such a big clinic... I think he's worth it but we'll see.

Gonal F, Monopur, Cetrotide, Endometrin

This first cycle is covered under insurance and Dr. Ryley fought insurance for that. Otherwise, it's about $8k-$10k.

We love Dr. Ryley and we're completely satisfied with our experience with him. He was always honest with what we should expect and clear with what the course of action would be. We always felt that we were in excellent hands.

Trust him and Boston IVF - Stay the course, though it might take a while, and if it is possible for you to get pregnant, Dr. Ryley will do everything he can to make it happen.

I don't remember all the specifics. We had tried ICIs by ourselves and IUIs with a family friend who is an OB/GYN and they didn't produce a live birth. We went to Dr. Ryley after I had a miscarriage. He suggested many tests to make sure everything was working properly, which we appreciated because we wouldn't want to go through more cycles if something was wrong. We then did a few more rounds of IUIs with drugs but they didn't work. Then Dr. RYley suggested IVF- and explained the procedure very clearly. Though it was overwhelming, Dr. Ryley and all of his nurses and staff were very helpful in explaining everything every step of the way. We did the course of drugs for the egg retrieval, got 20 eggs, 4 of which fertilized. One didn't survive, we transferred one and it didn't work, the second one worked, and produced a healthy baby boy. We froze the 4th one for two years and just transferred it 9 months ago and Just gave birth to another baby boy.

The billing dept was very helpful in arranging all of the details for insurance and other than co pays and deductibles, everything was covered.

We didn't want to produce multiple births so we only transferred one at a time. It was more of our decision and Dr. Ryley supported it.

He was great at explaining everything to me and giving me realistic statistics . I felt very confident in his knowledge and the care he provided. He didn’t get more technical than I wanted , everything was at just the right level for me. I also felt like he had plenty of time with me and didn’t feel rushed

He is very trustworthy and I recommend him without hesitation

We used metformin, letrozole and IUI. I’m a single mother by choice so obviously I went straight to iui . We started with ovulation predictor kits but I asked to move to active monitoring . I got pregnant on the 5th cycle. If that hadn’t worked the next step would have been ivf but I didn’t need tha

I paid about 2000 per cycle - 800 for the sperm and 1200 for the iui and montori g. My insurance covered the visits so I only had a copay and it also covered the blood tests and HSG

Dr. Ryley was honest and incredibly positive, even when we were starting to lose hope. He encouraged us to seek a second opinion when we told him we wanted to and also offered to raise our case at the practice's monthly meeting to see if someone else had ideas to help address our unexplained infertility. My only issue is that sometimes he talked a bit fast and details were hard to remember. I wish we had pushed more wrt egg quality, which seemed to be an issue though he assured us it wasn't.

Be prepared with questions and be honest.

Dr Murphy forgot repeatedly what had happened in my history (she forgot about my chromosomally normal pregnancies, about a chemical pregnancy, about the fact that she prescribed and that I took letrozole for one cycle)

Make sure to understand your own course; she is not reliable

The majority of cost was picked up by my insurance; anything that would not be was discussed in advance.

Dr. Bayer shows compassion and goes above and beyond to make sure as a patient you feel his compassion. I have only worked with Dr. Bayer for a few months and his expertise and caring ways have already exceeded my expectations.

Make you come prepared to ask lots of questions because he has a lot of information to give if you're ready and open for it!

David Ryley was a mensch. He seemed to really care about me and my husband. He encouraged us and gave us hope. He added humor to every discussion which really alleviated any tension. One part of the process that we were surprised about was how sick I felt after the retrieval. No one explained that that could happen. Over he is a Great guy!

Make sure to. Ring your sense of humor.

IuI, egg retrieval.

I am still in the process of getting pregnant and have yet to feel the need to look elsewhere for a doctor. Although I haven't met with Dr. Ryley extensively, I do wish he was a bit more involved on a personal level.

He has a Blunt delivery but is trustworthy and results-driven. he can get a little lost in the numbers and probabilities but is still caring. He also adds a little humor to the process.

He's not warm and fuzzy and that's ok.

He did a great job of explaining the process and his approach and recommendations, but also always asking what I was comfortable with and willing to adjust the course to meet my personal needs. He answered as many questions as I needed and made me feel like I was in charge of my care.

Ask lots of questions.

He was reserved, knowledgeable, clearly an expert, but not warm at all. I trusted him, but did not like how negative he was.

Be aware for bluntness, and not a lot of compassion. Also, he does not perform many of the actual procedures.

I think he was great checked my uterus before treatment began found fibroids and removed them

Read about ivf before you go in

The uterine scan was very smart

None my insurance paid

Dr Bayer explains in detail what he knew to be our issue with our 2 known miscarriages. He took the time to explain we could try cloned and gave us the odds of it working. He was very understanding how we felt and truly wanted to be parents. When cloned didn’t work, my husband and I chose to keep trying naturally. Over the last 4 years we’ve endure the adoption option which ended in a disaster with information we were told but didn’t happen. We pulled out of the adoption last year. We then saw another fertility specialist closer to home, he didn’t care as to why we were there, he told me to lose 50lbs and call him once I did. He went as far to say, he’s seen shorter and wider do it do I can if I put my mind too it. I lost 23lbs hurt my back in the meantime and was killing myself to lose. Then decided to go back to see Dr Bayer this year. Upon entering his office we had the typical how are you doings, then lead to say it’s been a very long 4+ year journey for you. How have you been doing with this? He went into detail as options available and told us honestly he felt the best option would be embryo adoption given we had started an adoption process just last year. Dr Bayer leads with his heart, and truly feels what his patients are experiencing. Not once but twice he told us he can help us become parents, our life long dream. I left there with tears of joy and a heart that was full of happiness finally. We started the process in February, found embryos in August and are in the process of waiting for cycles to do the transfer. I can’t thank Dr Bayer and his team enough for all they have done. Dr Bayer has reassured me on more than one occasion, helping couples become parents is “what his team and Garrison” does!! He’s excited for us

Any and all questions you ask, he will answer truthfully and honestly. He’s in this profession because he truly cares for his patients. Highly recommend him

We tried 3 cycles clomid due to being younger and having regular periods at that time. At this time in order to begin the process for my frozen embryo transfer, we have started and finished medications to induce a period. Once that happens I’ll take 2 and 1/2 weeks of estrogen, have an ultrasound and if the uterine lining isn’t thick enough, we’ll increase estrogen and have another ultrasound. If uterine lining is thick enough, I’ll have the transfer scheduled then begin progesterone for 10 weeks there after. Everything needs to be perfect in order for my embryo to attach. There is still a chance of miscarriage

Dr Bayer is part of my out of nextwork coverage so all bills are paid by me until I reach my deductible. That deductible is very high, so that will not happen. His consult was $350 and the cost for the day of my embryo transfer is $4400 that includes 1 yr of storage fees at their facility.

We will do a single embryo transfer as soon as my cycle begins with a followed ultrasound. One embryo transfer is best for me and my baby at this time to ensure a happy healthy pregnancy.

Rita was great. We got a terrible diagnosis/prognosis that was very dismal but then I got pregnant without treatment and had a baby. My 2nd pregnancy was IUI after 3 chemical pregnancies. Rita was lovely and kind and referred me to the domar therapists when I was emotionally struggling. I also really thing the acupuncture from boston ivf was crucial in helping me conceive. Overall, Rita, accupuncture, the nurses, and the therapy services at boston ivf were wonderful. The millions of appointments were awful but that is just part of the process. They were flexible about early morning appointments and things were fast and organized.

We had a dismal prognosis and are coming out with two healthy babies so try not to lose hope. Rita is kind and straight forward. She called me from her vacation when I thought I was miscarrying. She is a very good doctor.

She was very nice and personable when we met for a consultation. Our next appointment after testing was quick and to the point. All communication after that was with her nurses. My first problem with her and what made me lose her trust happened at my first transfer. She changed our agreed upon plan last minute. We agreed on single embryo transfer of a 5 day blast or two embryos if day 3. I showed up on day three and the random dr that was doing my transfer told me we were transferring one. Since I had only two embryos I had assumed one stopped growing. When I asked he said nope it's fine but dr Zimon changed you to one. I was so angry. I hate confrontation and I felt like I was put on the spot and had to defend myself and fight for my original plan. I had a chemical that cycle and had a phone follow up that was very brief with dr Zimon. Cycle two I had the exact same results. Same amount of eggs (I was told 8 but they were wrong, they got 5 again).

I have a low AMH of .8 but I am only 31 so she wasn't worried about egg quality. Based on my AFC of 10 she was very confident that we would get around 10 eggs. First cycle was bcp/antagonist with 225 gonal and 20 HCG. I only stimmed for 6 days, triggering with HCG on day 7. I only used two doses of cetrotide. Retrieved 5 eggs, 3 mature, 2 fertilized, transferred 2, chemical Cycle two we had planned estrogen patch protocol. I went for bloodwork to confirm ovulation then I was to start the estrogen patch for a few days, then add cetrotide before period. I got my period early so on cycle day 1 she had me put on estrogen patch then I started gonal f at 375 the next day with 40 HCG. She didn't send me for a scan until day 5 on which day she increased my gonal to 450 with 40 HCG. Stimmed 6 days again, trigger with ovidrel on day 7. 5 eggs retrieved 2 fertilized (didn't tell me how many were mature) transferred both (excellent grades) and had a negative beta. No follow up because she left the practice.

I have insurance coverage and ended up spending $800 first cycle $1100 second.

She really pushed me to one. I chose two of day 3 transfers. Since I only got two embryos each time I felt good about putting both in.

Dr Berger was open and honest and has given me a lot of insight into my PCOS and how to move forward. I appreciate his candor and explanation. He is patient and kind and understanding when I have question he always makes me feel like they are valid and is thoughrough in his explaining the answers

He’s nice and likeable and will be there to answer any questions you have. He fully explains all the processes to move forward so you are comfortable with the process

Two IUIs with letrzole and ovidrel. Moving on to IVF now

Only cost not covered by insurance is for the testing of embryos

She was perfectly friendly and clear I really liked her and appreciated how she explained everything to us. The clinic was easy and they kept me informed of everything I needed to know and got back to me really quickly. I think dr Zimon did a great job for us and we ended up getting pregnant.

Clomid, letrzole ovidrel and IUI

Most was covered by my insurance

I have nothing negative to say about Dr. Berger. I was very impressed at how smart and knowledgeable he was and how quickly he was to diagnose me and start treatment for me to start feeling better and to start fertility treatment. He was also kind, gentle and patient with both my husband and me.

Try your best to stay relaxed. Be organized and be ready to ask all the questions.

I was diagnosed with pcos and hypothyroidism. He first wanted to treat that and I am starting to feel better with treatment. Next we did HSG dye test, I had no blockages. Dr. Berger wanted to do medicated assisted IUI but I decided to do Letrozole with timed intercourse first because of insurance purposes and Dr. Berger was fine with that. Unfortunately it did not work so we will be moving on with IUI for this next cycle.

So far insurance has covered treatment. We are getting ready for IUI which insurance will not cover. The financial department has been great working with my husband and me. Medication assisted IUI cost $1050 that we did pay and they called us to let us know that they have a military discount. Which was a blessing to hear with Tri care not covering our next step.

Dr. Berger is a brilliant scientist and warm hearted individual. He, however, is not very good at time management. Unless it is the first appointment of the day, it is unlikely that you will be seen before at least 45 minutes after your appointment (if not 60 or 90 minutes later). Frustrating as that may be, it's for good reason. He spends a lot of time with his patients, like my husband and me, after our multiple failed cycles and early pregnancy losses. He always has a plan and customizes it for each patient which of course takes time. He is also the only Boston IVF Doctor who reviews his own blood work and adjusts medications for each one of his many patients.

Don't make plans for after your appointment. He's brilliant but frequently behind schedule.

Alison was kind, patient & detailed. The situations she deals with are usually stressful, personal and potentially painful, but she did a very good job of maintaining professionalism while also being empathetic.

Be patient & don't lose hope!

I didn't have to do much since I used a donor egg, but the prep work towasn't terribly difficult.

No insurance, so very high.

I was only a patient for a few months as my second treatment cycle was successful, so I can't comment on some of the questions like how compassionate Dr. Thornton is or how willing to change treatment course she is -- those didn't come up during our treatment course. What I can say is that in my initial consultation, Dr. Thornton gave me a lot of reassurance that treatment could work for us, got me started on treatment right away as I had hoped, and explained what she would recommend for us and why very thoroughly. I ultimately had positive results after just two months and am forever grateful.

I would recommend advocating for yourself and what you feel is the best for you. Dr. Thornton recommended that we do letrozole + IUI, which did not work during our first month of treatment. I was concerned that the timing of the IUI the first month could have been a bit off and that that could have caused the unsuccessful cycle (we did not use a trigger or do any monitoring). As a result, for our second cycle, I felt strongly that I wanted to try letrozole + timed intercourse instead of the IUI, and expressed that to Dr. Thornton and her team. They were supportive of this change, and that was the month that we were successful. I'm glad that my husband and I trusted our gut instinct about what was best for us, and appreciated that Dr. Thornton and her team were flexible and supportive of our decision.

Both cycles, I took letrozole (I believe the dose was 7.5ish?) CD3-7. This was to help me ovulate strong eggs, and ideally more than 1 to help increase our chances of success. Our first cycle, I had an IUI performed. I was told to test with OPKs every morning before noon starting at CD 15. Once I had a positive test, I was to call and schedule my IUI for the next morning, and my husband would go in and drop off a fresh sample. We did this one time and were unsuccessful. Our second cycle, we used the same letrozole protocol but had timed intercourse once I began testing positive on OPKs. We were successful.