Center for Advanced Reproductive Services (UCONN Medical)

Strengths: Lots of doctors, close off the highway so it’s easy to get to, have financial and insurance people there to work with you. Weaknesses: Lots of patients so it’s very very busy, some front staff are a little confused sometimes

Always very kind and compassionate and treated my wife and I like any other couple (we’re a same sex couple)

Kathy could not be a better nurse. She has taken us under her wing and shown us such care and compassion. We’ve been working with her close to 3 years and we’ve developed a strong bond with her. We feel like she’s almost family.

Sometimes he was a little too gentle and hopeful given our complicated situation. He cares so much and just wants the best for his patients. He gave us a number of different options and we’ve had many follow up appointments over the past 3 years.

He can be a little optimistic even when we were very burnt out, sad, and frustrated. As a scientist myself, I understand the statistics behind things, and sometimes I wish he could sit with my anger and disappointment rather than be super positive. We might not ever get a baby, and sometimes there’s nothing science can do about it. That’s an important and honest thing to acknowledge.

Our first pregnancy ended because our son had a fatal genetic disorder. We got pregnant right away, so this was a rude awakening to infertility. We did pgs testing on the remaining embryos and found 4 of the 5 had genetic issues. We tried two cycles of IUI with my wife but had a chemical pregnancy and then a negative outcome. Tried to transfer the final healthy embryo but it didn’t take. We did an exploratory uterine surgery on my wife to see if there was a physical reason for the lack of pregnancy. We didn’t find anything. She did a cycle with her eggs and we got 2 genetically normal embryos. Transferred one and it didn’t take. In the meantime, we tried a retrieval cycle with my eggs again, but we only got one embryo and the genetics were inconclusion. We’re waiting to start another transfer with the remaining healthy embryo.

Sometimes it took so long that I’d be there over an hour waiting and my whole day was thrown off schedule.

Insurance covered most of our procedures. About $1,000 for freezing, $1,400 for transferring my embryo to my wife, and $150 a quarter for storage of embryos.

The clinic was wonderful; from the front desk staff, the phlebotomists, nurses, financial team, doctors....everyone was just wonderful, compassionate and kept information confidential. There was one doctor I had a terrible experience with, I informed my doctor of the situation and I never saw that one doctor again- thankful for my doctor who fully understood this particular situation.

Dr. Engman was wonderful, as well as his entire staff. Phone calls were returned so quickly- regardless of how trivial my questions may have been at times. He always knew the details of my particular cycle when he walked into the treatment room. All procedures, updates, etc. were explained in full and expectations were set.

Darlene, even though she's no long with the clinic, was such a constant during our treatments. She walked us through every procedure, every medication. She educated and answered questions, she never treated me like my questions were silly. Amanda was such a change in attitude that my husband and I needed. After our failed medicated cycles and failed IUI moving onto IVF was a really hard transition for us. I thought of IVF as the "LAST CHANCE" and Amanda was so patient during our initial consultation and explained that this was the next best step. She walked us through all the paperwork explaining decisions we needed to make. Leading up to and after all the IVF procedures she was irreplaceable- checking in on me, making sure I was up to date with all information and returned my calls so quickly. She knew I was concerned about my TSH levels and was sure to test them and adjust my medications appropriately. When we were testing for Beta levels- I could tell in her voice that she was genuinely happy for us. When we graduated from the clinic she sought us out to say goodbye and it just made my heart so happy.

Dr. Engmann is not only an incredibly compassionate doctor, but also an incredibly patient (with all my questions), kind (you could tell he always wanted the best outcome), and knowledgable of every cycle and situation we were in. If there was an issue with treatment plan, or medications he reacted so quickly. Dr. Engmann calmed my nerves and relieved my anxiety during appointments. I will never forget when we were prepping for our transfer, he came in to speak to my husband and I and told us the embryo was "perfect". I cried and he put his hand on my shoulder to reassure me this was going to be a good day. During the transfer he and the nurse walked me through every step of the way and showed me on the screen where the embryo was placed. When we had our viability scan he could tell we were extremely nervous, and he immediately went right into the ultrasound- no small talk...just straight to the point. We we "graduated" from the clinic I cried happy tears for the first time in his treatment room and I'm forever grateful for Dr. Engmann and his compassion.

Trust him. No matter what you "google" or read on your Facebook forum, he knows what he's doing and he has your best interest in mind.

Morning appointments depended on the number of patients who were also there for monitoring. It was really nice to see most of the same faces and know that you weren't alone. The monitoring procedures themselves were relatively quick and painless. I liked going in the morning because I didnt have to take more time out of work.

We were lucky to have fantastic insurance, our costs were mostly copays. Totaling somewhere in the ball park of $3,000.00

We trusted Dr. Engmann's decision as to if he'd transfer a single or multiple embryos. Thankfully, we had a "perfect" embryo and only had to transfer one.

They have a number of qualified physicians there and a strong lab. They have some of the highest success rates in the state and multiple locations so you can go to wherever is most convenient to you. They follow national guidelines though so they will not try any of the new outside of the box treatments... such as immune treatments, etc. They tend to do similar things... hysteroscopy, ERA testing, PGS testing, etc. that they rely on as next steps when IVF has failed. However I think there is more testing that can be done that I had to ask for (Sperm DNA fragmentation, MRI for adenomyosis, immune testing/medications, EFT testing, etc.). I did end up having to go to an immune specialist to get further answers to try something different after 5 failed cycles and 3 miscarriages (1 of which was a PGS tested embryo).

I did feel like they truly cared about me. I just felt like they kept trying to do IVF as a solution rather than look for root cause for my problems.

Amanda was fabulous. She is responsive on the phone and also replies to emails which can sometimes be more convenient for the patient if we are at work, etc. She's compassionate... she has cried with me and laughed with me. I truly felt connected to her and that she cared about me as a patient and person.

Dr. Engmann always prefers to see his patients for scans, transfers, etc. I think he truly cares about his patients. I think he maybe didn't always think outside the box for other things we could try (could have been restricted due to the clinic) such as immune testing or testing for endometriosis. I went unexplained for 2 years without a diagnosis and we just keep trying IVF and kept failing. I feel like we should have spent more time at the very beginning trying to figure out root cause. He has good bedside manner and doesn't sugar coat things if they don't look right.

Sometimes he can be a bit clinical but he is very factual.

My 2nd retrieval was an antagonist protocol with menopur and gonal f. I cannot remember what the first one was (just gonal F). I also used HGH in my 2nd retrieval. I had a better outcome in that I had more PGS normal embryos that cycle.

Sometimes it is very busy there. They say they start blood draws at 7:15 but I have been there and they often don't start until 7:30... There is always a long wait but that is just due to the volume of patients and only 1 person who does blood draws.

We had $20,000 of insurance money which lasted us about 1 year (3 IUIs, 1 retrieval with fresh transfer, and 1 FET). After that we were self pay and opted to do a financial share program which cost us $20,000 for 6 cycles (3 fresh and 3 FET). However costs for anesthesia, cryo, PGS, etc. were not included in that so that was an additional cost.

He definitely prefers eSET. He feels strongly against multiples. He advised us to transfer 1 many times.

Was able to get an appointment fairly quickly. Office was very Organized. All staff was approachable. Everyone was professional. The environment was warm and welcoming. There aren’t any weaknesses I experienced.

I loved being a patient at CARS. Always felt like every member of the office cared about me and my journey. Every person in the office had empathy and was genuine.

Chelsea - IUI nurse, amazing. Tony - IVF nurse, even more amazing

I always felt comfortable. Doctor DiLuigi is smart, kind, empathetic, easy to relate to. I never waited long, never felt the office was overbooked, was able to get the time I needed with her. It was a great experience.

Be open, ask questions.

Round 1 IUI - 75 mg clomid, another 75mg Round 2 IUI - HSG and 150 mg clomid, trigger Round 3 IUI - 150mg clomid and trigger Round 4 IUI - 150 mg clomid and trigger Round 5 IUI - 150 mg clomid and trigger Month 6 rest Month 7 - IVF, 17 eggs retrieved, 10 fertilized normally, 2 fertilized abnormally, 6 made it to day 5, 1 transferred (successfully), 5 frozen - drugs used centrotide, gonal F, HCG trigger, progesterone in oil injections

Easy and as efficient as possible given there were times when many people would need to be seen. I never waited more than 15 minute and there were times when the waiting room was PACKED.

Fairly reasonable. My insurance did pay for a portion of the treatments so my out of pocket expenses were not as significant as I thought they would be. Monthly IUIs cost around $200 out of pocket. My IVF cycle cost about $3000 out of pocket & $4000 for meds out of pocket.

I wanted 2 embryos transferred and Dr. D said no. She was very kind in how she explained that 2 embryos would be risky, and given my age and medical history, she felt 1 was the best course of action. She was right.

I was very happy overall. The only drawback was driving to Farmington instead of Hartford for bloodwork/ultrasounds needed on weekends. Otherwise, they were very efficient and made the process very easy.

I felt that Dr. DiLuigi really cared about me and making it work.

Toni was absolutely amazing. She was caring, took her time to explain everything, and was invested in my well-being and success.

I was so happy with the support and treatment I received. She was extremely thorough during the initial appointment and I felt that she had a good plan to help us achieve our goals. She performed surgery to remove polyps in my uterus before we could even start and she always put my anxiety at ease. I trusted in her ability to create a successful outcome (which she did!). I was disappointed that she didn't perform the actual retrieval and transfer, but was equally impressed with her team of doctors and it made sense to ensure the timing worked out. I would absolutely recommend Dr. DiLuigi and CARS for anyone undergoing fertility treatment.

I decided to conduct DNA testing on the embryos before transfer, which I would highly recommend. It's expensive but increases chances dramatically and helps avoid the potential heart break of a miscarriage if the DNA isn't right. Because the eggs had to be frozen to do that, my transfer was done on a natural cycle. Although I had to wait an extra month, it was so worth it and I avoided another round of painful shots since we did it naturally. I just followed the recommendations of the team and it all worked out!

It was pretty efficient. There were a couple days that were very busy and took up to an hour to complete bloodwork, but for the most part I was done within 10 minutes.

Amanda

The doctor recommended I do a single transfer and DNA testing since at my age she would have had to transfer 2 if I didn't do the test. We wanted to avoid multiples and increase chances of success, so that was the right decision for us.

Strengths of CARS are it's success and experience and reputable doctors. Some weaknesses are that some people I know felt like things skipped through the cracks at times so you have to be your own advocate. It's also pretty busy so wait times during IVF cycling could be long but after hours and return phone care was always very responsive.

He was so incredibly caring and empathetic throughout my treatments, and he performed the surgical removal of both my Fallopian tubes and treated me for an ectopic pregnancy, he made me feel calm and cared so much.

Vicki was very responsive and friendly. She seemed a little all over the place at times but was very nice to work with.

He was so knowledgeable and caring and compassionate. He was so patient with us as we always went to appointments with a full list of questions. He explained everything well. We went through a lot with him: 2 surgeries to remove my Fallopian tubes, one of which was emergency. He was so caring and comforting, I knew I was in great hands and it was actually sad to leave him after getting pregnant.

Don't be afraid to bring a list of questions to appointments

Original diagnosis after ectopic and identifying tube blockage was trying to conceive naturally for 4-6 months before removing blocked tube. After removing blocked tube, recommended action up to us but felt natural conception was possible and repeat ectopic was low. Unfortunately repeat ectopic occurred and caused emergency Fallopian tube removal. After that IVF was only option. He recommended freeze all with PGS to maximize success, as well as Lupron trigger due to higher risk of OHSS.

Wait times were pretty long at times but I was always able to be seen by my primary doctor even on weekends if he was on call. All doctors and staff were excellent so t didn't matter who I saw.

I spent about $15k out of pocket On top of maxing out my $20k lifetime infertility insurance benefits to have HSG, sonohysterogram, surgical removal of left Fallopian tube at same time as hystetoscopy, along with second emergency surgery to remove right Fallopian tube after ectopic, followed by IVF with PGS and successful FET.

I was very happy with his approach to single FET

This clinic is the only one I've been too, so I don't have anything else to compare it to. So far I've been going there almost a year and I haven't made it to an egg transfer yet, but I'm assume that's because of my own low ovarian reserve and poor response to stimulation. But other than some significant snags with understanding my insurance coverage that actually did effect my treatment plans (they have a financial dept dedicated to being a liaison with your insurance company, but it's not foolproof), my experience with the clinic has been good. Egg retrievals are pretty much a breeze. HSG, which is supposed to be potentially really painful, was fine and just merely uncomfortable--and Dr. DiLuigi was super understanding about my anxiety and coddled me through the whole thing:)

I had/have a good relationship with Dr. DiLuigi; while it's not always easy to get an appointment, when I do meet with her in person or on the phone, she takes as much time as we need to go over everything in as much detail as I want and answer any questions. She assumes a level of intelligence and has always confirmed that I know what I'm talking about when I come to her with questions/requests based on my own research. She has a positive attitude without over-promising. I enjoy interacting with her more than a couple others on the clinic's staff (both doctors and support staff). (Though I have no MAJOR complaints about them either.)

My IVF nurse has spent a ton of time on phone calls with me and calling me back, so in that regard she's amazing and I don't know how she does it. That said, she doesn't have quite the level of knowledge that the doctor has, so it's difficult to try to communicate with the doctor through her as an intermediary sometimes, when I'd prefer to just speak with my doctor.

While it's not always easy to get an appointment with Dr. DiLuigi, when I do speak with her in person or on the phone, she always takes as much time as I need to understand everything and ask questions. She has a positive attitude without over-promising.

I've tried IVF cycles with 4 different protocols so far: Lupron/birth control pills/microflare (+ injectables), Clomid (+ injectables), Femara (+ injectables), and estrogen patch (+ injectables). I'm a "poor responder" so I've only gotten one embryo so far (and it failed PGS). Still trying.

It's a well-oiled cattle call:) There are morning hours for cycling bloodwork/ulstrasound (so everyone cycling that week has to come in between 7:30 and 9 am, about every other day, and it's first come, first served). There's a long wait sometimes, but it generally works pretty smoothly. I'm an hour away from the clinic though, so I do lose a lot of sleep during those weeks trying to get there at the crack of dawn. It's also important to note: The clinic has a New London location, however its main office is in Farmington. So only very rarely can you do your cycling blood work and ultrasounds in New London; it's a very bare-bones office with only one nurse who is not always available (and there's no doctor there). So if you're in southern CT and think this clinic is nearby you...it's not really. You'll be going to Farmington or Hartford most of the time.

If you're not covered by insurance, they offer a "discounted" self-pay plan. I think it's about $19K for IVF (not including meds) and $500 for the most basic IUI (including meds). My insurance does cover my services, however because of a high deductible and some optional meds I chose (growth hormone, DHEA, CoQ10), I've still ended up paying about $9-12K/year out of pocket.

They offer ESET but my insurance doesn't have a policy on it, so technically I'm not using it. (Though I'm only transferring a single embryo anyway.)

All the staff was very nice and caring. I really appreciated how everyone always said hi or good morning. Even when I did the blood work they were very nice and caring and we're pretty quick getting everyone in and out so we could get to work on time. I appreciate how they open the doors at 630 even though they didn't start the blood work until 7. Atleast we didn't have to wait out in the cold or bad weather. I like this location alot. I had a better experience here compared to Yale. Thank you

He was extremely caring and so kind and made me feel like I will be pregnant and what I needed to do to get there. He also explained what was going on with me and what the best options would be. He was honest and really listened and took his time with us and didn't rush us. From all the dr's I saw he actually was wiling to help me get pregnant and I am so grateful for that. He knew the meds I needed and what worked for me.

Kathy was extremely kind and caring and always answered all my questions. I know sometimes I seemed worried and had so many questions or concerns and she always was there for me and I was so grateful. Everytime I saw her in the office she always took her time with me and helped me with figuring out how to pick my egg donor and always gave me great advice and was always happy to see me. She made me feel that I was in good hands with Dr b and the while staff. Everyone was amazing and so caring

I really had a great experience with Dr benadiva. He was very kind and understanding and caring. He answered my questions he let us know what the best options were and didn't lie to us. He treated us good and I was very happy with my results. I really appreciated him taking my records from other dr's and how I didn't have to repeat alot of my testing that made me happy. I liked where the location was and just all the friendly people and staff. He took his time with us and didn't make us feel like we were rushed. When my first embryo didn't take he felt bad and made me feel confident on the 2nd embryo I had frozen. He didn't do my first transfer and he did my second and I felt so confident and positive and he felt very good about that embryo and it worked and I am pregnant. Thank you

That he is smart and knows what he is doing and to trust in him.

When I did my first embryo Transfer I started with lupron injection and then I added baby aspirin and estrogen patches and then progesterone injection. My second one I just did estrogen patches, and then progesterone injection and still on the patches and progesterone until I'm about 12 weeks.

I only had 1 embryo ready at my first transfer.

The clinic itself moved to a new and beautiful office at the tail end of our journey. The staff is always helpful and patient with anything I needed. You will wait sometimes to see the doctor, or to get blood drawn... But it is only because the staff really does take their time with each and every patient.

He knew all our medical history before even walking into his office. Dr. Nulsen first asked us what our expectations were, and what routes we wanted to take. He was knowledgeable and very kind as we discussed different plans. I had done a lot of research beforehand, and he was patient (and willing) to answer any of my questions.

Deb and the other nurses were amazing. They always made sure I was okay (physically and emotionally) and I never felt like an after thought. Each call I made they responded right away, and made sure I was at ease as the protocol progressed.

Dr. Nulsen was always warm and devoted to our best interests. He gave his best advice as a medical professional, and we completely trusted he opinions. Never once did we feel rushed. He took the time to answer all questions/concerns until I was completely at ease with our next steps for treatment.

Trust his expertise. He loves his work and he knows how to do it well.

After two failed IUIs with 50 mg of Clomid, we decided to go right to IVF. Dr. Nulsen felt we would have success with the antagonist protocol, and started the next cycle. I was young with regular periods so he didn’t feel we needed the longer protocol. Follistim, Ganirelix, and Pregnyl were used for medications. Followed by PIO injections after the retrieval. The Follistim injections were the easiest to handle myself, but the Ganirelix seemed to burn a bit. The PIO injections were painful towards the end with so many different bruises that popped up after 13 weeks. He was surprised that I did not produce more mature eggs during the retrieval, but my AMH levels were on the lower side.

Monitoring was done first thing in the morning. You had your blood drawn, and then you proceeded to the other area for monitoring. It was on a first come basis. Some days you waited a while, and others you did not. I felt it was efficient as it could be given the time sensitive nature of the protocols.

Our deductible was pretty high, and that was due before we started IVF protocol. They were able to chunk it into smaller installments throughout the length of our treatment. The billing office was incredibly helpful in all areas. Especially when dealing with insurance. Our representative was incredibly knowledgeable, and gave us the best advice. We paid out of pocket for our deductible and all medication. We were reimbursed for some of the medication through insurance months later. At the time acupuncture was not offered at the clinic, and we paid separately for that off site.

UConn has a firm approach on how many embryos to transfer based on age and diagnosis. I was younger so it was advised for only a single embryo transfer. I completely agreed. His goal, and mine, was only to create a singleton pregnancy.

Strengths: Early Hours, open almost everyday of the year, great staff and physicians Weaknesses: They list the New London location as a office location without any caveats, however the hours and capabilities are very limited in New London and the doctors are only in the office their twice a month. This means that a patient like me who lives in South Eastern, CT has to drive an hour each way to Hartford or Farmington for 90% of appointments, including cycle monitoring appointments. This makes it extremely difficult for patients who work full time and are trying to juggle the stress of a job, with the stress of an IVF cycle.

Dr. Diluigi and her team were kind, easy to talk to, encouraging, and set realistic expectations. They acknowledged all of my fears and concerns and made the most challenging year of my life a little more bearable.

Dr. DiLuigi's nursing staff is top notch! I looked forward to my daily calls with Toni and truly felt she was whole heartedly routing for me throughout my journey. She was profession and kind while making sure I felt like a human and not a number.

Dr. DiLuigi was extremely kind and encouraging. As a patient she made me feel very comfortable. I always felt like I could ask her anything, and would get an honest response. I felt that there were times where she definitely went above and beyond for me.

Be blunt and don't be afraid to ask questions. She will answer them.

Monitoring appointments were on a first come, first serve basis. Often patients (myself included) would get there long before the doors open to stand in line in order to get in and out as quickly as possible and get to work on time.

Our one full IVF cycle with meds, monitoring, retrieval, ICSI, labs. anesthesia, etc. cost about $20,000. IUI without meds was about $450

Dr. DiLuigi made it clear that as a practice they prefer to do eSET, however every patient and case is different and in my experience she felt comfortable (as long as we were completely OK with the prospect of multiples) with transferring 2 embryos on Day 3.

Mornings at the Center can be crowded, but it's a good reminded that you're not the only one going through this. Everyone there is clearly very interested in helping you have a child. I never felt that one of the staff wasn't genuinely concerned with my situation, even those who weren't directly involved in my treatment.

Dr. Benadiva always took the time to answer my questions. Not just 1 or 2...I mean 35-45. I've come to his office on multiple occasions with a book full of questions. And he's gone through each and every one with me.

Glorimar was a great nurse. Very knowledgeable and organized. Also explained procedures in very clear detail.

He's a quiet man with a singular focus--to help you have a baby. He's going to explain his steps, his procedures, his expectations, and his concerns. He's going to explain what you can realistically expect. But he's not going to be your shoulder to cry on. That doesn't mean that he's not compassionate. It's simply that his goal isn't to comfort you temporarily. It's to help you realize your dream of becoming a patient. So, if there are setbacks, don't expect him to dwell on them. He's going to keep pushing forward as long as you are still willing to.

Don't be put off by his reserved manner. Know that he's already working on a plan.

We skipped Clomid as I had tried that with my OBGYN. He tried Letrozole first but I didn't respond. Then, 3 IUI+injectibles. Then ICSI + PGS + eSET. Postive pregnancy test after my first frozen embryo transfer He started with the less invasive techniques first. Because of my PCOS, he recommended ICSI to help with fertilization and PGS to make sure we transferred the best embryo. He recommended eSET as he's had tremendous success with PGS and didn't want to risk multiples.

I have a pretty flexible work schedule, so the monitoring appointments weren't too bad for me. Most were on a first come-first serve basis, but some were scheduled for specific times. Just depended on what needed to be monitored.

It was expensive. Not because of the Center per se, but because of my insurance. They covered 50% of my IVF procedure, but I had to pay for PGS myself. I also had to pay for some of my meds myself because I reached my lifetime cap on fertility meds.

Both a strength and a weakness--This place is almost always packed. I know they've implemented new strategies to reduce the morning congestion, which do seem to be working. Everyone working here is really nice and clearly dedicated to helping you have a child. I never once felt like someone I interacted with didn't care about what I was going through.

Dr. Benadiva took the time to answer my questions. And I don't mean 1 or 2 questions...I mean 40. We sat in his office and went through every question I had--on multiple occasions. I really liked that his answers were straightforward, too. He never tried to sugarcoat things for me. He saw that I had a problem and he made it his business to fix it.

Glorimar was a great nurse. Very knowledgeable and organized. Returned my calls in a timely fashion and provided very clear instructions.

He's a quiet man with a singular focus--to help you have a baby. He's going to explain his steps, his procedures, his expectations, and his concerns. He's going to explain what you can realistically expect. But he's not going to be your shoulder to cry on. That doesn't mean that he's not compassionate. It's simply that his goal isn't to comfort you temporarily. It's to help you realize your dream of becoming a patient. So, if there are setbacks, don't expect him to dwell on them. He's going to keep pushing forward as long as you are still willing to.

Don't be put off by his reserved nature. He's already working on a plan.

We skipped Clomid as I had tried with my OBGYN. I started on Letrozole but didn't respond. We moved on to injectibles + IUI. After three failed IUIs, we moved on to ICSI+PGS+eSET. BFP after my first transfer. The rationale was to try the less invasive techniques first. I have PCOS, and have had 3 miscarriages. Dr. B felt that there was a problem with my egg quality, so he recommended ICSI to help with fertilization and PGS to ensure that we transferred the best embryo. He's had tremendous success with PGS so he recommended eSET to avoid multiples/pregnancy complication.

I have a very flexible work situation, so the monitoring appointments weren't really an issue for me. Most were on a first come-first serve basis. Some were by appointment. It just depended on what needed to be monitored.

Expensive--but not because of Dr. Benadiva. It's just the nature of fertility treatments. My insurance stopped covering some of my meds so I had to order them online from overseas.

It's an excellent clinic. The staff is amazing. Everyone cares deeply from the receptionist to the girls taking blood draws to every nurse and ultrasound technician

Dr. Engmann is an amazingly kind and compassionate brilliant Doctor. He cares very deeply about his patients.

Amanda is an amazing nurse. So kind and compassionate and always takes time to talk to me and comfort me when needed

Dr. Engmann is a very kind and brilliant dr. We conceived our son under his care when I was 42 years old. Our son was diagnosed with cancer at 13 months old and passed away at 17 months old. We are presently trying to have another child and Dr. Engmann has been so compassionate and kind and gentle with us. My age is a huge factor at this point and Dr Engmann has been very understand. Conversations have been difficult as we have had failed cycles. He wants to be hopeful but realistic at the same time.

Any one would be lucky to have him. He is truly one of the best doctors I have ever met.

We have used atagonist protocol, micro dose lupron. We did PGS testing and got 2 chromosomally normal embryos at 44 years of age but the transfer was unsuccessful. We have done 4 egg retrievals since losing our son to cancer to try to get chromosomally normal embryos with my own eggs. I produce a lot of eggs at 45 years old. We've retrieved 12 eggs in the 1st cycle, 26 in the 2nd, 24 in the 3rd and 30 in the 4th cycle.

We've spent over $50,000 for 5 egg retrievals which led to 3 embryo transfers. This resulted in 1 full term baby.

The Center has numerous locations. While I usually went to Hartford, I went to the Farmington location on weekends or occasionally during the week. The support staff is all great to work with, and the locations are clean and as inviting as such a place can be. There are numerous doctors in the practice, so you will not always see your main doctor. While this can be seen as a drawback, it also means that monitoring goes more quickly as there are often multiple doctors and nurses working at a given time.

While I didn't usually see Dr. DiLuigi directly, when I did see her she was also kind and completely up to date on our treatment plan.

Marie was amazing! She is the person who I saw most often at the clinic, and after four cycles I really felt like I got to know her and she me. She is compassionate, straightforward, and just a pleasure to be around. She made difficult appointments tolerable and was always available to answer questions. She ALWAYS returned phone calls, even if she couldn't get back to you until 6pm.

I selected Dr. DiLuigi because she was the only female doctor at the Center. She was always pleasant, compassionate, and honest about our treatment options. At first I was bothered by the fact that I didn't see her often (during one of our four cycles I didn't see her at all). When I did see her, however, she was completely aware of our treatment status, and this made me feel good about the fact that she was following our journey even when she didn't see us at appointments.

Don't expect to see her all the time. She is available for meetings and consultations, and you will see her occasionally for monitoring or procedures, but understand that you will often see her support staff or other clinicians.

Dr. DiLuigi diagnosed me with PCOS at our initial consultation after giving me an ultrasound. We used injectable medication (Follistim) and a trigger shot (Ovidrel) for all of our cycles. The first cycles we did timed intercourse, and the other three included IUI. We were on the calendar to start IVF, but our final IUI was successful!

Our insurance covered the majority of our fertility care. The office offered different payment options for those without insurance, but I am not familiar with those.

This clinic provided us a full educational regime of procedure explanations, multiple diagnostic procedures, and online resources to help train us in medicine use (which shots are in skin, which are inter muscular). They were upfront in recommendations, and we chose to follow (inter muscular medicine verses vaginal suppositories; single egg implantation of day 5 hatches, not drinking through treatment, etc.). It all proved successful. Cost is high, but insurance was happily accepted. Lots of shots and vaginal ultrasounds, with partner welcome in most visits, including the day we saw her heartbeat for the first time. Calls returned in a timely manner!

Dr. Schmidt had a warm, positive attitude in each visit and procedure.

Before the very detailed regime of fertility drugs, Marsha was great at keeping us organized. When news wasn't good (low numbers after implantation) Marsha said it wasn't great, but not impossible, and recommended we relax in the two days before our next blood test. Indeed we did have a late bloomer, that did keep multiplying (and is now a toddler). Marsha was the perfect mix of realistic but warm.

Schmidt utilized visuals to help explain procedures, and had a very personable manner. At our initial visit and exams, he said "let's get you two on your way to having a baby!" in a way that felt believable (and ultimately proved to be).

A corny joke or two? This isn't a bad thing; it's good to be treated by a human.

After diagnostics showed we had unexplained fertility, Dr. Schmidt preceded with treatment right away. We were surprised to start IVF right away, and expected to go through other treatments first, a la "see if this works first," but later were relieved that we did what we did. It was nice to feel like the Dr. was taking our case seriously.

Insurance covered the majority of treatments (diagnosis, extraction and implantation, monitoring visits) except for embryo freezing.

High volume practice. I was at first very overwhelmed by the number of people I would see in the waiting room, but they got you in and out. However, it felt very lonely in the waiting room. We all knew we were there for the same reason, but no one talked or looked up from their magazine. Wish more opportunity was provided to network with others while going through the process.

Very attentive, took extra time with me. When I saw another doctor in the same practice for one visit, i was very upset by the way I was handled. Talked to Dr. B nurse and she got Dr. B right away and he told me to ask to see him every time.

Nurse Debbie was amazing! As well as all the other staff we came in contact with. They were in constant contact and returned calls on the same business day.

Very attentive, compassionate, thorough. Honestly, I almost felt like he tried to not get our hopes up and was very realistic. At each internal ultrasound, he would say things like, "they aren't growing as fast as we would like", or "we many only have a couple viable, so we may need to do another cycle." On day of retrieval he got 12 eggs and 10 fertilized!

Dr. B knows what he is doing! Our first meeting with him, we didn't get the warm and fuzzies, but he was honest!

I can't remember the names of the drugs we used, but I do remember that after receiving a positive pregnancy test, he had me stay on progesterone for 16 weeks as a precaution.

It was almost all covered by my insurance so I can't be sure. I know one cycle of medication cost $8,000 and I paid $70 in copays.

It was explained to us and they showed us the microscope pictures that all embroys were of excellent quality. They let my husband and I decide if we wanted to transfer 1 or 2. Two being the best chance to get pregnant but knowing the risk that we could have twins. We had twins!

Ot was very clean and always had different events going on like support groups, yoga, heath and wellness nights. Theybalso always had coffee that was a major.plus for my husband.

He was very down to the point and kept us well informed about each step of the process.

Glory was always on point and very informative. She always called back and answered all my questions without hesitation. Also another person have met a few times but i forget her name today (6/23/16) she was wearing blue scrubs with chanel earings really made me feel great. Once I was done with my ultrasound she came back in and gave me the biggest hug and congratulated me. Since my first ultrasound was ify. You could tell she was so excitied for my.husband and I and that she really cared about what was going on. Thank you so much for that.

Dr. Benadiva was very informative and let my.husband and I know each step he wanted to take in our treatment plan. He and his staff were always able to answer all of questions and concerns at all times.

He is very well educated and knows his stuff.

We started with test on my husband and then tested me. We started started with making sure my tubes were open and then he started with the least invasive procedure IUI. We did this for about 3 cycles with the injections at home. 3rd time was the charm.

My insurance covered

I feel as though they all treated me as though I as the only one there trying to get pregnant. Meaning I felt important each visit.

The staff always greeted me as though they remembered me, (even if they didn't) and I was always treated with complete respect.

Amazing, kind, informative.

He was 100% concerned with my age and the time frame I had. He also spoke very realistically regarding my chances of success. I completely respected this candid conversation. No promises, just words of advice and explicit directions to follow regarding the procedures.

To do exactly what he says and don't waist time. If it's something you want, follow the plan.

I first saw Dr. B in the summer of 2016. I ended up getting pregnant on my own soon after the appointment and miscarriage a couple months later. Due to depression from this, I didn't call Dr. B again until Jan. 2017. He understood, BUT explained to me that I had NO time to waist seeing I was 43 at the time. He instantly prescribed me Clomid for when I started ovulating and told me to schedule an IUI as soon as the time came which was in Feb 2017.

I have a big insurance deductible so I paid at least 2500k out of pocket.

Clinic itself is wonderful.

I'm sure he's great and has done well with patients, but I felt like a number. Office visits while few and far between felt rushed. Instead of trying to tweak something he went right to IVF. After HSG no other tests to find out why were preformed.

Glori is the best. She makes him a good doctor.

I felt he gave more care and consideration to the students with him, than to me and my husband. The patients! I'm not shy, I know how students learn but when my legs are in stirrups I'd like to be spoken to, not spoken at.

Ask him to slow down. Either when speaking or in treatments.

First IUI he went with Clomid because I'd used it with my OB and that resulted in a pregnancy(subsequent loss). After 2 failed IUI's I asked about either changing med or at least increasing the meds. Nothing was changed. Then he suggested IVF because my husband sperm analysis kept coming in with great numbers. Made me feel like it's all my fault. Probably true, didn't need my doctor to insinuate that.

Paid specialist co-pay for appts. My insurance pharmacy wouldn't approve IVF meds. My insurance did cover clomid.

He explained why he recommends single embryo transfers and I agree.

Wonderful, helpful clinic. Everything runs smoothly and you never feel like just another patient! Doctors and nurses are helpful and make sure you understand all procedures and next steps before you leave. Lab runs very efficiently as well!

Dr. Benadiva is very thorough in his explanations and takes the time to make sure you understand the IVF process.

Deb is a wonderful asset to the team and really makes the patient feel comfortable and always available.

Dr. Benadiva is wonderful! He is responsible for 4 successful IVF cycles in my family alone. I have had one failed IVF cycle, but look forward to our second with Dr. Benadica as he has put together a revised plan that looks to be promising!

None!

Monitoring and labs had flexible windows and run very smoothly

Organized and detailed. Clearly all staff knew what they were doing and made it easy to go to one place for all needs. Given that fertility treatments can be time consuming its great to only have to go to one location which is efficiently run to get individuals out and onto their day in a timely manner as many of us work.

Caring

- Straightforward - Detailed - Strategic My experience as great given that I was not certain I would able to have children with my husband due to his issues. Given his advanced age, Dr. Benadiva worked through solutions that helped us get pregnant twice, for which we will always be grateful.

Listen

Efficient well oiled machine.

Largely covered by insurance. Out of pocket for 2nd fresh cycle was ~$11K given we did not meet income requirements for reduced costs. FET was ~$5K using HD plan.

This was my best experience have any doctors office or clinic. It was like a family and they are so kind and caring and invested in the outcome that you feel like you have nothing to worry about because they have it all under control.

The care and treatment was so personal and kind. It felt like a family at the clinic with everyone rooting for you!

They are so invested in you and your outcome. They are always available when you call and are willing to answer any questions you have.

We had so many trials and tribulations during the course of the four years of treatment, and he was there every step of the way and showing care and compassion towards us! I've never had a doctor have a such a personal investment in me as he was.

Don't worry if he seems very serious yes, he is excellent at what he does and takes it seriously but can also joke and have a sense of humor.

We did a combination of patches and injections the second time around which was now and we are pregnant. Previously we did injections with no patch and it was unsuccessful with only three eggs to retrieve.

I never felt like a number. He or any member of his team were there to answer any questions I had.

Everyone was fantastic.

I very much appreciate upfront and honesty. This was not the time I wanted any false hopes or my doctor to tell me what I wanted to hear. I really appreciated Dr. Benadiva's bedside manner. I never felt uncared for but he was always matter of fact.

He shoots right from the hip. If you need coddling throughout the process, Dr. Benadiva isn't the doctor for you, but I 100% appreciated that about him. I went in and wanted to get pregnant. I wasn't trying to make a friend. I wanted to be told exactly what I needed to do and I'd do it.

Started with Levothyroxine and my dose was adjusted several times. I was on 150 Menopur, 300 Gonal F, Ganerelix and 1 ML PIO injections. I am currently 8 weeks 3 days with twins.

Insurance covered our ivf

Due to my age, transferring two embryo's was suggested. I went into this knowing I wanted to transfer two as this maybbe our only shot.

Strengths: Their open 363 days a year, value our overall health incorporating programs like yoga at the center. Veronica on Dr.Schmidt's team is one of their strongest assets, she's gone above & beyond for us! Weakness: The long waits for morning bloodwork & ultrasounds, understandable but still long.

I have always felt a personal connection & investment from Dr. S. He has never rushed a phone conversation or an appointment, always answering every question we both had.

Marsha is very thorough with her communication.

Despite not having a positive pregnancy yet, we feel 100% comfortable & confident in Dr. S. hands. He has a bed side manner that I thought didn't exist anymore, always going above & beyond to make sure we are comfortable with our treatment.

Don't wait, call & schedule your appointment ASAP as this process takes time!

Well oiled deli counter line.

Small waiting room in a somewhat confusing building. But once you're in, the rooms are clean and well-lit and the clinicians make it all worthwhile.

Dr. Benadiva showed up (on his day off, a Sunday) to personally conduct my egg retrieval. He was so caring and helpful throughout the process. It was as if our challenge was his as well.

The nurses were efficient, caring, and always willing to explain how to give injections.

Dr. Benadiva cares so much. He was always there for me, with personal phone calls even over the weekend to update me on my embryos. He knew from the beginning that I was unlikely to conceive but he tried his hardest and was my greatest cheerleader.

Ask your questions again and again and again and don't worry, Dr. Benadiva is incredibly patient. He will explain everything as many times - and in as many ways - as you need it.

no memory of this.....sorry

Compassionate team of drs and nurses. The financial department is also good. Main weakness is communication. There are also times where I feel like I have to advocate for myself when talking to the nursing team.

Dr. Nulsen is a kind and compassionate doctor. He would always return my phonecalls when I requested for one. I felt that he always had my best interest and I felt that he really wanted me to succeed. He was comforting even when delivering bad news and he encouraged me to continue on.