Delaware Institute for Reproductive Medicine

Overall the clinic seems overworked and understaffed. During my monitoring appointments on the weekend, every one looked tired and run down. They didn’t seem happy. The clinic does batch cycling. So everyone is stimulated at the same time. It’s such a stressful time of a woman’s life, the staff really needs to be mindful of how they appear to us.

Dr. Russell is the only physician in the clinic which has 2 locations. My appointments were never on time as scheduled and he never seemed to read my chart before meeting with us. He is stretched way too thin for the volume of patients he sees. There’s no way for him to have a good grasp on every patients situation when he is the only one running the show.

Celina is amazing and was the main reason that I stayed at the clinic for 2 cycles despite our poor outcomes. She is compassionate, and treats you as though you are the only patient there even if she has a waiting room full of people.

Dr. Russell is overtly confident. Which was great in the beginning because we needed hope. However as things failed over time, he had no real answers. There was a lot of false hope given with nothing left in the end. His main focus is on protein and how the diet will cure your eggs. I found this to be completely void of actual fact as I did everything he told me and still has no viable embryos. He is pompous and makes very brash statements. He doesn’t think before he speaks. I wish I had done more research before choosing his clinic.

Do your research. Check his SART scores and success rates. He will tell you what you want to hear but doesn’t produce results.

He uses follistim 300 and microdose HCG 50 pretty frequently. Then introduces ganarelix later.

PGS testing was $3,000 For up to 8 embryos. The transfer and retrieval were covered under insurance but we still had approx $6,000 in out of pocket costs including copays and deductible. The injections were so costly. We spent thousands of dollars on the medications.

He was willing to transfer more than one embryo - I think especially if they are not PGS tested so quality was unknown.

It is a small clinic so you always see the same familiar faces which is great. I've trusted any treatment that has been suggested. They communicate all details very well so you're never left wondering what your next steps will be and why.

The office is on the smaller side so you got to know everyone who worked there. You would see the same individuals at each appointment so they all get to know you and your story.

The nursing staff is great and always there to listen to your fears and concerns. They go above and beyond to make you calm and comfortable. They were amazing for my egg retrieval when I just couldn't stop crying from nerves (and probably hormones too).

Dr Russell is very straight to the point, but provides all of the details and information necessary. I prefer this over someone who talks around in circles and just tells me what they think I'd want to hear. He's cautious but ready to move forward as long as you are.

He is extremely straight forward and prepared to hit the ground running as long as you are. After a year of trying on our own, I was happy to have a doctor like this. Minutes after our first meeting with him, I was getting blood drawn and an ultrasound (both things that I was on board with). He doesn't force any next steps on you.

We did 4 IUIs total. The first two I only used a trigger shot for timing. The next two we used clomid as well as the trigger shot. We moved onto IVF and my shots included menopur, gonal-F and cetrotide. He retrieved 25 eggs with 13 mature. They were concerned that I'd have Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and quickly put me on medication to avoid OHSS, which worked. We had 5 embryos to freeze and opted to do testing which resulted in only one normal embryo. Because we only have one embryo, Dr Russell is being cautious and I am currently in the process of a mock cycle for the transfer. I've been on estrace and will start progesterone shortly to confirm that the timing would be perfect for a transfer. I appreciate that he is doing everything possible to ensure that this embryo implants when we do the actual transfer.

I switched insurance plans through the process. Our IUIs were out of pocket with my previous insurance but IVF has been covered by my new insurance so far. We chose to do genetic screening that my insurance did not cover so that was out of pocket. I've never seen another doctor to compare prices of the IUIs but from talking to other women, the costs seems comparable.

At this practice, you do everything in one place which makes it more convenient especially when you have to dedicate so much time traveling back and forth through the IVF process. The hours are flexible and the start at 7:30a which makes it easy to get back to work in a good timeframe. You never have to wait a long time, even with the number of patients that come in. They are super efficient. You even get your instructions via a phone voice mailbox and through the online patient portal. They make things super convenient and are always available for questions, which is important when you going through IVF.

Dr. Russell and his team show genuine empathy and a caring nature. I never felt like a number even with the number of patients that come to his practice. They always greeted me by name and have taken the time to get to know me.

The nursing staff have always been available to answer questions. They are also very knowledgeable. After my retrieval, Dr. Russell had to travel the next week for a conference. The Physician Assistant gave me her cell number to contact her with questions or concerns. I had to reach out to her on two different occasions over the weekend and she was very responsive. During one of my visits, I mentioned to one of the nurses that I wanted to find another GYN because of my lack of trust. She took time out to call me with names of GYN practices that specialize in handling advanced age pregnancies. She even shared with me her experience clearly understood why finding a provider that is knowledgeable and empathetic is important to me. The nursing staff always greets me and ask me how I'm feeling. Even the phlebotomist are super friendly. Everyone makes you feel super comfortable.

Prior to being treated by Dr. Russell, by GYN tried treating me with a course of fertility medication and over prescribed one of the medications, which led to distrust. He also did not explain scar tissue was a possibility after he removed my fibroids. The best thing he could have done is recommend me to Dr. Russell. Dr. Russell and his team have been nothing less than phenomenal! Dr. Russell is extremely knowledgeable and has been very dead on as my diagnosis and properly treating me. I have full confidence in him as he has restored my hope. Now we have two healthy embryos that are awaiting transfer. Instead of moving directly into the transfer, he is doing a mock cycle first to check my uterine lining to ensure it is prepared before implanting my embryo. Many doctors would not have taken the time to do this. He also strongly suggested genetics testing which I thankful we did as there were some abnormal eggs. We are taking the safe route of having one embryo implanted and will later implant the second after our first success pregnancy. I have a friend who went through 3 unsuccessful cycles of IVF with another local provider and is now with Dr. Russell and has raved about the notable difference including Dr. Russell and his team addressing proper nutrition. Dr. Russell has given us HOPE in process that has been very emotional, physical, and financially draining! We are confident that once the transfer occurs we will see are healthy baby in 9 months!!

Please be flexible with your schedule and patient in the process. All the steps that have to be taken can be overwhelming, but don't hesitate to communicate all of your concerns because the staff are always available to answer questions even after hours.

During the initial injections of hormones, I had to inject a total of 300mg of follistim twice daily. Initially my body did not respond, so he increased the dosage to 600mg and instantly my body responded. My body actually responded to well and I ended up going into hypo stimulation and then my medications were reduced and Dr. Russell moved me directly into egg retrieval to avoid any complications. After stopping the hormones before the retrieval, he was able to successful retrieve 53 eggs and I did not end up having any complications from the hypo stimulation. My ovaries healed with no problems.

I never had an issue getting an appointment. On the day of my monitoring visits, I was always seen in a reasonable timeframe. Things ran very smoothly and efficiently.

Total for IVF procedure including genetic testing $16,000 about $3000 for each IUI procedure (twice), about $4000 in medication cost.

Dr. Russell is a strong advocate for single embryo transfers because of the risk factors involved with multiple. He explained that years again, they did not have the technology that they have now, so they implanted multiple embryos. He explained that multiple embryo transfers can also increase the risk of premature birth. Based on his success rates and his years of experience and research here in the US and abroad, I am fully confident that the single embryo transfer is the best option, especially with all that we have already invested. Why take the additional risk when you don't have to...

I can't honestly think of any weaknesses. The staff is very dedicated to their job and getting the patient what they want (a baby/babies). They're compassionate, understanding and willing to go that extra mile. There have been days where I wanted to give up on trying to conceive, but the staff has made me feel that this is possible.

Dr. Russell and his team from day 1 has been extremely helpful with helping my husband and I through this infertility journey. They take the time to sit and talk with you. I highly recommend DIRM to anyone experiencing any type of infertility.

Charlotte as well as the rest of Dr. Russell's team are so compassionate, informative, and willing to make your visit the best that it can possibly be. Charlotte is an amazing coordinator / person! We are very pleased we chose DIRM!

Dr. Russell explained everything to us about our infertility journey, he helped us understand the positives and the negatives. There were times when I was disappointed when we received news that we weren't pregnant, after knowing my lab and lining numbers were looking good. I later realized that this journey is trial and error, I've learned to be positive through out this. I don't blame anyone, I just never realized how much of an emotional roller coaster ride this would be. Dr. Russell and his team are amazing, caring, knowledgeable people. They have really helped me through some difficult times, I can't say enough good things about them!! :-)

Be patient, think positive, have faith, ask questions. Know that you're not the only one going through this journey and there are support classes if needed.

The financial part of this process has been hard for me to swallow.

Dr. Russell transfered 1 embryo at a time. He informed that if I had multiple miscarriages, then he would consider multiple embryo transfers at once.

The office has quick and convenient scheduling and the online portal is easy to use. Dr. Russell Is amazing. We have No complaints thus far, and are looking forward to completing our treatment with his clinic with the support of him and his amazing staff.

Dr. Russel was amazing when we met with him for a second opinion and treatment planning. He was blunt and direct in providing us information and provided us with our best options for conceptions and made my husband and I feel very confident about the treatment we would receive from him.

Every one within the practice that we’ve had exposure to has been amazing. Dr. Russell definitely surrounds himself with a stellar team.

Loved Dr. Russell’s blunt delivery of information and the confidence he had in delivering info about our best options for conception and treatment moving forward. I appreciated his honesty and lack of sugar coated information about my diagnosis, test results, and treatment plan.

I wouldn’t have any advice to give other than he is definitely worth seeing. His approach and attitude are amazing.

Dr. Russell first advised that despite my diminished ovarian reserves, we could have great success using clomid, he also informed us given the low ovarian reserve numbers and probably quality of remaining eggs IVF using my own eggs wasn’t the best option for us as it likely wouldn’t yield us a child, but that he felt fairly confident with fertility drugs and clomid we would likely have success. However due to being a genetic carrier for fragile X we discussed that we would have to weigh potential risks versus benefits. He offered IVF using donor egg as an alternative giving the best results for us to have a child, which is ultimately the route we opted to go with.

We are told the cost of or donor egg treatments will be $25,000. I also receive a discounted rate because of my employer.

No thoughts/comments yet as we haven’t started the transfer process yet.

Easy to communicate with. Billing department is great. We understood how our money was being applied. Warm, friendly staff. Doctor is in it to help patients have success. Happy to have found the practice.

Felt like as much of a human as possible. The staff is very comforting. The simplest things like holding my hand (while my husband held the other or during egg retrieval when he wasn’t in the room or the few appointments he couldn’t make) really helped me feel better.

Everyone is great.

Dr. Russell really cares. I had much better results when I switched to his care from another practice. Even being the only doctor at his practice, I believe I saw him at every one of my appointments. I didn’t see a doctor nearly as often at the practice I went to prior, even though the practice had multiple doctors. Dr. Russell even reached out to me on his cell phone after hours. At the practice I went to prior, I couldn’t even communicate directly with a doctor online.

Make an appointment with him if you haven’t already.

Used estrogen 2mg, 3x a day for about a month before starting stim meds. Added progesterone twice a day the last week or so of estrogen. Egg retrieval-clomid 50 twice a day for the first 5 days, 100 low dose hcg, and follistim twice a day. I forget the total but I think it was around 375? 400? Maybe up to 450? Added cetrotide a few days in. Lupron trigger. Resulted in 12 eggs, 11 mature. More than double the mature eggs retrieved at the practice I used prior to Dr. Russell’s.

We had insurance coverage. We had a coinsurance and we were told of the exact amount and how it was calculated long before it was due.

Haven’t transferred my embryos yet.

Make sure you do your research before choosing this clinic. Dr. Russell has knowledge in the area but is a bit old school at times and if you are a difficult case I don’t think he is willing to think outside of the box & change protocols.

All patients are put on the same schedule for monitoring & retrieval week. I had done 2 retrievals prior to coming to Dr. Russell & I don’t feel as though he tried to change my protocol in anyway except adding higher doses of low dose hcg which did not work & I did 3 retrievals with him using the same protocol! Frustrating!

Angie is awful! Very unorganized, talked fast when leaving messages, no explanation of why if any changes to med dosages. She showed no compassion any of the times I met with her.

I came to Dr. Russell for a second opinion and he talked a good game. He led us to believe he could do a lot more for us than the previous clinic we came from so we switched to him partly because of his confidence & knowledge and also because a friend of mine worked in his office. We did back to back retrievals only weeks apart (no month break in between) in order to batch embryos for PGS. I asked if this was wise to do without giving my body a break and I was instructed that it was perfectly fine. Well my first retrieval we got 12 eggs and ended up with 2 blastocysts. The next cycle only weeks later we only got 5 eggs which resulted in only 1 blastocyst. Ultimately after PGS testing we only had 1 normal embryo. We transferred the normal embryo which resulted in a positive pregnancy test. Unfortunately the pregnancy did not progress normally which resulted in a miscarriage (which we were told he had never seen before with a PGS normal embryo) after this we were on the fence whether to switch doctors but decided to give it one more chance with him. My last retrieval with Dr. Russell resulted in 9 eggs of which we got zero embryos/blastocysts. We were told by Dr. Russell that something was intrinsically wrong with my eggs. We then decided to switch doctors for our 3rd opinion which we ended up with amazing results! No issues with my eggs! First cycle with the new doctor resulted in 11 eggs, 9 mature, 7 fertilized & 6 blastocysts of which 4 were PGS normal!

Do your research & don’t always believe the statistics he throws around. I believe he gives false hope with his percentages.

Same protocol for each retrieval, follistim 300-375 twice a day as well as low dose hcg in high quantities. Ganirelix/certitide added when needed. First retrieval resulted in 12 eggs with only 2 blastocysts. Second to retrieve all the following month resulted in 5 eggs and 1 blastocyst. Final retrieval resulted in 9 eggs & no blastocysts/embryos. I truly feel my eggs were fried or there was lab error with my last retrieval.

We paid out of pocket for many procedures after our insurance benefits were exhausted. We switched insurance carriers the following year & the financial department did not check benefits so we assumed we had to pay out of pocket. Upon switching to a new clinic they checked our benefits and we indeed had some benefits. I had to contact Dr. Russell’s office to be reimbursed for the treatments I had paid out of pocket for, in which case we were reimbursed thankfully!

This clinic is very efficient. I was seen on time 95% of the time. There are a lot of people who work there so you won’t remember names. The Milford office is much smaller and I would go there when I can.

When Dr. Russel had bad news about my first egg retrieval (no embryos) he called me himself to give me the news and told me what the next steps were.

The nursing staff is wonderful! One of them saw me at the hospital before an OB appointment and greeted me by name even though I didn’t remember hers.

Although his bedside manner is kind of blunt he does have compassion when things don’t go he way you had hoped. If bad news has to be given he calls you himself. He’s clear about what steps need to be taken and WANTS you to get pregnant.

He tells it like it is and don’t expect hand holding through the process. He IS compassionate but expects you to do exactly what he says so you’re successful.

High protein diet and vitamins for better egg quality. Clomid and low caffeine/sugar for my husband because of male factor to see if that makes any difference. It didn’t but the suggestions were helpful. Menopur, ganirillex, and follistim injections for eggs as well as estrace and progesterone suppositories. Progesterone injections for and post transfer. Transfer of 1 embryo resulted in live birth of baby boy.

Because of our insurance we paid much less out of pocket. This was all laid out for us by the billing department. We had a 20% copay per visit and paid about $2500 for retrieval.

The staff is amazing and always warm and welcoming. They schedule appointments around your schedule and call when they have results to help you feel better. If you have questions they never let you leave until you feel comfortable.

Both Dr. Russell and his staff were amazing during the entire process. Always greeted me with a warm smile. Even when times were tough, they were there. I had so many questions, and they always took time to answer every one of them.

Everyone greeted you with a smile and always remembered your name. They were excited when you had good news. They shared moments with you!

Dr. Russell is very up front about what you need to be the most successful, but that is what I liked about him. I wanted someone who was going to help me have a baby, I wanted to know what I could do to make that happened. He was always caring and compassionate.

Go in there prepared to laugh, he likes to make his patients smile and lighten the mood. He will do his best to make your dreams come true!

I liked that he gave numbers and best outcomes, he always remained positive. It was always "when" you get pregnant. When a treatment was needed, he would give details on why and how it could increase my odds and give me the option.

Jennifer in billing always help me navigate with my insurance and helped me with billing.

Huge strength is that it is a small clinic and that you always see the same faces and you always see the same doctor. Be prepared to be patient because there is only one doctor performing the procedures and answering questions your appointments may not always run on time.

Every person in the office was incolved in the IVF process was on the same page. They knew my name and my husbands name. They greeted us warmly and were genuinely excited for each of our successful rounds.

Friendly and knowledgeable! They are still friendly and remember my name when I see them out in public😀

Dr. Russell is extremely smart and knowledgeable which to the a sensitive person can be off putting. However, my husband and I found comfort in that he was the best person to achieve our goals of having a family. When we walked into his office at the ripe old age of 38 wanting to try for a third child he actually smiled and said that we have done it before we can do it again. As result we now have three beautiful children.

Don’t expect warm and fuzzy from Dr. Russell but do expect results. And in the end I would rather hold my children’s hands than a doctor’s l.

I don’t remember the IUI however with IVF we had one unsuccessful round and after that round Dr. Russell changes the medications and added a nutrition component which worked on all 3 successful rounds after.

Insurance covered first three rounds and $25 copay for each visit

My first two children had two embryos transferred which resulted in single births however with my third child because we did PGS we choose to do a single embryo.

Very organized, and compassionate staff. After many years of working with them I learned they work hard to make sure, you are informed and have everything you need. There is always someone to contact if you have questions or concerns.

The clinical staff was terrific Dr. Russell explained everything as we went through the process.

Extremely caring and supportive.

He was blunt, and took time to explain everything when questions were asked. He is not warm and fuzzy, but I didn't need that. He has a dry sense of humor, but I promise it's there. I would use his services again if needed. Over the years I worked with him for our infertility needs, I came to realize he does actually care, for his patients.

He dosent sugar coat things, so don't expect him to hold your hand. However he is extremly professional and great at what he does. He is very intelligent when it comes to clinical expertise.

High protein diet. Hormone injections, suppositories, oral meds. Staff was supportive on how to administer meds and purpose of meds.

9,000 for retrieval procedure. About 10,000 grand for meds.

This clinic is great for a personal experience, the receptionist greats you by name and is always friendly. Because it's a smaller clinic and they are so helpful with each patient, at times you may spend more time in the office than originally planned.

Both the staff and doctor are personable and friendly, ease my mind and explain everything in detail.

The staff is very friendly and kind. They make every effort to show compassion and ease your mind during each visit.

He is knowledgeable and willing to help in any way he can, both medically and financially. He is often quick to leave the exam room, but the nurses take over and hold your hand through the process. I feel confident in his ability to guide me on this journey.

He is to the point, he will do his best to get answers and then advise on the most successful treatment options. He is willing to go at your pace, regardless of what it may do to his stats.

We started slow with natural intercourse/ovulation monitoring then worked our way up the Clomid latter. He is willing to be more aggressive, once we are ready.

The costs were lower compared to other researched clinics.

They prefer eSET after PGS testing. They are willing to transfer multiple embryos if patient has had previously failed transfers.

The clinic did not prevent babies from cooming into the office. I think this is a real struggle emotionally for patients to deal with. They also never told me about credits on my account unless I asked.

He had his own practice, so besides the nurses, he was not visible unless it was a procedure. He was in and out not much conversation.

The nursing staff did there job and ran a smooth operation.

He was detailed in one procedure I had with him. Not much else to say as I did not see if often. The nurses were my primary care for my appointments. The Dr. seemed to have a lot going on. He was very busy most of the time.

Understand that he will be there fir you during big procedures only. His ties are cute.

He knew I was not able to do ivf due to finances. So we just went through the process of taking injectables and Clomid. I have pcos, so the results were not as expected. My spouse was never treated for his morphology and we were unaware of his problem during my 5-6 cycles of Clomid.

I was under diagnostic so most things were covered, only had a copay

Everyone I saw was very nice. Sometimes the wait was long and the hours are not always convenient. They do not allow children in the Waiting room which is great. Dr Russell goes fast so take good notes.

He takes time to explain everything.

I saw Celina the most and she is great! Always takes the time to answer all my questions.

I am in the middle of an ivf cycle now. Waiting to see if any of my eggs make it to blast. Dr Russell was very concerned for me during egg retrieval since I am a Coumadin patient. He met with me several times to discuss risks and how he wanted to proceed.

Take really good notes because he goes fast.

I used Clomid, gonal f, menopur, ganirelix and hcg trigger.

Monitoring appointments are in the morning. Sometimes it's hard due to work.

It's expensive. All things infertility are.

N/a

Patience is a virtue. Scheduling can be wonky. But everyone is so nice and understanding. They see a lot of tears and are there for a shoulder to lean on. Seeing these people three to four times a day you develop relationships with them.

Individualized care.

The entire staff is wonderful but the individualized care from the assisted reproductive and ivf staff were above and beyond.

Dr Russell and his staff take their time and communicate well. His PA Lauren is wonderful as well and we enjoy seeing her. We see her every time and dr Russell infrequently but that is ok, he is the one who makes the decisions and sends out instructions after each visit.

Be patient, he is very sure he can get you pregnant but sometimes it gets your hopes up for a quick pregnancy.

Used the latest techniques and technology. Office is clean but could use a facelift. Only bad side is waiting for appointment sometimes can be longer than 15 mins and they only have morning hours most days. It worked for me and I felt like I received excellent care.

The staff was very caring

Medical assistants, nurse practitioners and physicians assistant were all wonderful

Helped me understand my infertility issue. Explained the procedures. Willing to have consults if I had questions. listened to my questions and concerns. Came in on the weekend to see me. Only bad part was wait time sometimes.

He has a lot of experience. Trust his judgement and advice.

My insurance covered my treatment fortunately but I reeebr there was a flat fee that covered the visits and insemination if my insurance wouldn’t cover it. It was cheaper than other places I looked at.

Small waiting room, no children allowed in waiting room, friendly from the moment they walk in the door. They are pretty fast at getting you an appointment. They make sure any questions you have are answered quickly.

Takes time to talk with you and does procedures himself

Dr. Russell has helped many people, including people I worked with, achieve their goals of having a baby. He has helped me with understanding all aspects of my treatment. His team have been very helpful in making sure I understand costs and procedures.

Get to know him, he is great!

So far each iui is $250