She [Dr. Davies] is sensitive, kind, compassionate, and encouraging. ... Every time I had a failed cycle, she herself called me, as opposed to the nurse. When I had a successful cycle, she met with me as well. And she did every IVF procedure herself, which was very comforting. The only thing I might say that I wish she would've done differently would be providing more blunt, straight-forward, factual information after a failed cycle.
Weaknesses [of Davies Fert & IVF Spec] would be their scheduling system. Even though they take appointments, they see patients on a first come first serve basis. So basically, 40 women could have a 7AM appointment. So, what happens is all those women line up in the hallway and are seen in the order in which they arrive. This makes mornings VERY difficult with work. You really do need to arrive extremely early for your appointments.
How was your experience with Susan Davies at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists?
Dr. Davies is exactly the type of Dr I could ever ask for while going through fertility treatments. She is sensitive, kind, compassionate, and encouraging. Every time I met with her she sat with me for as long as I needed, was understanding of my confusion and questions, and was just such a sounding board for my husband and me throughout this scary process. Every time I had a failed cycle, she herself called me, as opposed to the nurse. When I had a successful cycle, she met with me as well. And she did every IVF procedure herself, which was very comforting. The only thing I might say that I wish she would've done differently would be providing more blunt, straight-forward, factual information after a failed cycle. For example, after my last failed IVF cycle I met with her and asked questions like, "I know that on average it takes 1.9 IVF transfers to be successful. Is that number because most often it's successful on the first try but sometimes it takes on the 3rd? Or is it most commonly successful on the 2nd try?". Her answer was something like, "Yeah, it's all over the board, you just never know." I also asked her about my progesterone in oil process during that failed round, because it was incredibly painful and I worried that it wasn't dispersing properly in my body. I asked if that could've potentially caused issues and she said no. Now...that may be true but they never tested my progesterone levels. And this time around (my successful cycle) the PIO has been WAY better, so I still wonder about that. All that being said, I absolutely adore this woman and would never want to see a different doctor for my fertility needs.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Susan Davies at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists?
Prepare to arrive to morning monitoring appointments VERY early. Even though they "make appointments" they see patients on a first come first serve basis.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Susan Davies at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists?
The staff at Davies' office is like family. Georgette at the front desk knows me by name, knows my mom, and my husband too. She remembers who I'm friends with (who have been seen by their clinic in the past) and asks about them. The clinic is very small and I have never once felt like just a number. The nurse and nurse practitioner know my situation well and are always responsive to my needs. Even though I only met with Dr. Davies herself a handful of times, she never made me feel like she didn't remember me; in fact it has always been the exact opposite.
Describe the protocols Susan Davies used in your cycles at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists and their degree of success.
For the IUIs, I took birth control and Letrizole, with a Lupron trigger. For IVF, I used the antagonist protocol. I stimmed with Menopur, Ganorelix, Lupron, birth control, and on my successful cycle, added in Ecotrin. Then of course Progesterone in Oil and Estrodial before transfer and afterwards. I believe they used this protocol because I have PCOS.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer and Aanal)
Aanal is the nurse practitioner and is absolutely wonderful. I believe she may have her hands a little full, but she handles it well. Aanal is kind, compassionate, patient, and smart. I absolutely loved being under her care. She didn't always respond as quickly as I would've liked, but again she is the only nurse practitioner at the office and I'm sure has her hands very full.
Jennifer is the nurse, who took my blood, did a lot of my consults, etc. She is good at her job and is thorough. I didn't feel the warmth from her that I did from Aanal, but she was good at her job and that's all I can ask for.
Describe your experience with Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists.
The strengths are definitely how they treat their patients. While going through such sensitive treatments, I believe this is the most important factor of a clinic. The quality of care I received was above and beyond. I plan to visit the clinic often, and was so sad when I "graduated" because they truly feel like family.
Weaknesses would be their scheduling system. Even though they take appointments, they see patients on a first come first serve basis. So basically, 40 women could have a 7AM appointment. So, what happens is all those women line up in the hallway and are seen in the order in which they arrive. This makes mornings VERY difficult with work. You really do need to arrive extremely early for your appointments.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists.
A cattle call with a line around the corner seems like an appropriate way to describe it, unfortunately. This only happened on very busy monitoring days, but women lined up outside before the doors to the building opened, and then lined up in the hallway until clinic doors opened.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Susan Davies at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists.
My insurance (BCBS HMO) covered this process 100%, aside from PGS testing, which was about $4,000.
Describe Susan Davies's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists.
For both transfers, she strongly suggested I transfer only one embryo. She said that because I am young and have not done many transfers, I should continue transferring 1 until the time was right to try 2. After the first unsuccessful round, I wanted to transfer 2 and she respected my decision but was very clear about the risks. I ended up changing my mind and transferring only 1.
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Davies Fertility & IVF Specialists
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