Caperton Fertility Institute

I have followed Dr. Caperton from his clinic he shared with Dr. Thompson to the new practice, Caperton Fertility, so I can describe both clinics. At the previous Clinic, the location was in the basement of a hospital which was a bit odd. While it felt private it also felt very dark and like a cave, but that did not bother me too much. The new Clinic is state of the art. Lots of windows and light. The lobby and waiting area is designed to make you feel at home, which it definitely accomplishes. It alsmost has a spa-like feel instead of a medical clinic. Now I will tell you that at first these superficial things did not necessarily sway me, as I feel like the doctor and Staff are more important than the shiny Office. But I do think the new Office helps you relax a bit more and decreases some anxiety you may have. All of this to say, don’t let the fancy new Office be a turn off to you. The Clinic is big, but don’t let that scare you away thinking that the doctor won’t have time for you or won’t have time to answer questions. They take as much time as you need and always tell you there is no rush and are available for questions or concerns.

Dr. Caperton has a large Clinic but always remembered who I was and took the time to answer questions candidly. I never felt like he was too busy to answer my questions—no matter how small or silly the question seemed. His staff is the same way—very caring and helpful. They are very invested in helping you achieve your goals.

The nursing staff is fantastic. They are friendly, approachable, caring, and knowledgeable. I felt like they became my cheerleaders and support system through this process. They answered any questions I had or were able to find the answers for me. They were always very supportive and positive—even when I sometimes was not optimistic. They were genuinely excited for my successes as if we were friends instead of in a professional relationship capacity.

Dr. Caperton was always available to answer questions I had. He was receptive to concerns and was willing to explain why his plan was a better idea than yours if that was the case. He was still willing to go your way if that was a safe plan and your wish after hearing him out. He always took the time to make sure I was comfortable with the plan and procedure, without feeling like I was being rushed. While he has a good bedside manner and can treat you delicately if need be, I don’t feel like he ever sugarcoated things. He was honest about the potential for risks and the potential results. Personally, he is charming and funny which helps put you at ease.

Don’t judge a book by its cover—he is good-looking which for some people can be off-putting or make you think he is just a pretty face or arrogant. He is good at what he does and I felt comfortable working with him and have been a patient for 7 years now. If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask them—even if you think they are silly or dumb questions. He will take the time needed.

I first decided to start with trying IUI using donor sperm. Dr. Caperton suggested this approach as it was the least invasive and least expensive. These cycles involved using Clomid because I have PCOS. The first two cycles produced no pregnancies. The third cycle produced a pregnancy which I carried to full-term. He caught a thyroid problem very early on and remedied it which I was extremely grateful for. After that, I tried 7-8 more IUI cycles before deciding to switch to IVF. He was willing to let me continue with IUIs but I decided that if I was going to keep spending all that money, I might as well go the IVF route with hopefully better chances of success. I completed one IVF egg retrieval cycle which produced 20 eggs. 5 of those made it to the embryo stage and were genetically sound. The genetic testing done gave us information about the quality of the embryos but also the gender of each embryo. I completed one frozen transfer with one embryo which produced a negative pregnancy test. Next frozen embryo transfer cycle I chose to put 2 embryos in. Because of a uterine anomaly I have he was more Inclined to take a conservative approach and only put one embryo in, but allowed me to put 2 embryos in explaining the risks. My pregnancy test came back positive this time. I started off with 2 embryos and 2 heartbeats. Around 11 weeks I lost one, but successfully carried the second to full term.

My health insurance does not cover any infertility costs. This meant I was considered “self-pay” and because of that, the Clinic offers you a discount. My IUI cycles ranged from $600-1000 including the IUI transfer, and ultrasound(s)—some of those cycles warranted more than one ultrasound. My IVF retrieval including one transfer, genetic testing, and all required medications cost around $16-18K, with my insurance covering some of the medication cost, and applying for a discounted pharmacy to begin with.

Dr. Caperton takes a more conservative approach. He will likely not be willing to put an excessive amount of embryos in because as he told me they are more interested in success of healthy babies rather than quantity of babies. I appreciate this because in the end you want a healthy baby, not 3 babies who may have health issues, right? He is not closed to hearing your arguments about wanting to put more than one in, just don’t expect him to agree to putting in more than 2-3 depending on your medical situation. I was able to select which embryo(s) to put in. In other words, if you have both male and female embryos you can choose which to put in. This can be disconcerting for some, or exciting that they can predetermine which gender they put in.

This review is for Dr. Capertons new clinic since Reproductive Med of NM has closed Weakness is making some patients not feel like there is compassion for their situation. And they seem to charge more if you have insurance than if you were paying out of pocket. Strength is that Dr. Caperton is knowledgeable

Did not feel like interactions were personable. And seemed like there is a lack of compassion. Felt like high priced treatment is suggested first.

Great

Very knowledgeable but has a demenure that can appear cocky. Seemed like the clinic is after high priced treatment. Often felt like there was not good explination or rushed visits without clear indication of next steps. A lot of visits told need to loose weight before treatment. Then would try weightloss and so much time passes he would want to start process all over again with preliminary testing

Be prepared with the questions beforehand that you want to ask and ask for clarification on things you dont understand before he leaves the exam room. Be your own advocate and be clear about the treatment method you want

Clomid then suggested IVF. Negative results on clomid.

Used insurance however if I didnt have would have been at least $10,000 paid so far and have not had iui or ivf yet...