Fertility Centers of Illinois
Available Resources
Genetic counseling
Acupuncture
Mental health counseling
Nutrition counseling
Administration of shots
Coordinating at-home nursing
Selling medication
Providing backup medication
Buffalo Grove
135 N. Arlington Heights
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
847-215-8899
Chicago/River North
900 N. Kingsbury
Chicago, IL 60610
312-222-8230
Glenview
2555 Patriot Blvd
Glenview, IL 60026
847-998-8200
Highland Park
767 Park Avenue W
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-433-4400
Hinsdale
907 N. Elm Street
Hinsdale, IL 60521
630-889-7900
Hoffman Estates
2260 W Higgins Rd
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
815-843-7034
Tinley Park
18210 S La Grange Rd
Tinley Park, IL 60487
708-633-1999
Warrenville
28373 Davis Pkwy
Warrenville, IL 60555
630-305-7576
Crystal Lake (closed)
5911 Northwest Hwy
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815-356-7034
Oakbrook Terrace (closed)
1S224 Summit Ave
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
630-889-7900
Lindenhurst (closed)
2592 East Grand Ave
Lindenhurst, IL 60046
847-356-0483
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348 assessments
9
9
Age
29
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
9
9
My first cycle [with Dr. Allison Rodgers] was clomid. My next two cycles were letrozole. We switched from clomid to letrozole per my request. We are currently moving on to IUI... seems to care about what we want for treatment. She takes what we feel into consideration. She also respects our religious beliefs and doesn't push us into doing anything that we are uncomfortable with...is always willing to answer our questions. She never acts like we are bothering her by asking questions. I wanted to try a different medication and she was open to discussing that option with me.
Orders weren't ordered by the morning I went in [to Fertility Centers of Illinois], but they did the tests anyway and the nurse put the orders in when she came in. One cycle it was confusing as to which protocol I was doing. The doctor said one thing but the nurse said another. I had my nurse confirm with the doctor so we could get it figured out...You have to be really on top of billing. Keep track of all bills and when you make payments. Keep a detailed list! Also, advocate for yourself! If your doctor/nurse isn't in, someone else will need to fill in. If they tell you something that you think is incorrect or your nurse/doctor does it differently, mention it. It doesn't hurt to clarify and ask!
Age
29
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
9
9
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers is always willing to answer our questions. She never acts like we are bothering her by asking questions. I wanted to try a different medication and she was open to discussing that option with me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Go into an appointment with your questions written down. She doesn't rush you and will answer all your questions, but she sometimes talks fast. For me, it was easy to get sidetracked while in our meetings. Writing everything down kept me on track during our meetings and made sure all my questions were answered.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers seems to care about what we want for treatment. She takes what we feel into consideration. She also respects our religious beliefs and doesn't push us into doing anything that we are uncomfortable with.
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
My first cycle was clomid. My next two cycles were letrozole. We switched from clomid to letrozole per my request. We are currently moving on to IUI.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Amber)
Amber was great. She always answered my questions the same day. Sometimes it was later in the day even if I submitted/called earlier in the day. However, she always called/messaged back. She seemed to really care about my questions and if she was ever unsure about anything she asked the doctor and called me back with answers.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
You have to be really on top of billing. Keep track of all bills and when you make payments. Keep a detailed list! Also, advocate for yourself! If your doctor/nurse isn't in, someone else will need to fill in. If they tell you something that you think is incorrect or your nurse/doctor does it differently, mention it. It doesn't hurt to clarify and ask!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I have insurance so it's just been my normal deductible for now until I reach my limit.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Orders weren't ordered by the morning I went in, but they did the tests anyway and the nurse put the orders in when she came in. One cycle it was confusing as to which protocol I was doing. The doctor said one thing but the nurse said another. I had my nurse confirm with the doctor so we could get it figured out.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
32 - 34
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
2 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
10
10
Dr. Rodgers always remembered us and was prepared for every appointment....She is very determined to make you successful. I am one of 4 friends who has used her and we all have gotten pregnant. She takes time with you and is very blunt about her expectations.... Before egg retrievals she did not use birth control but instead waited for natural ovulation before starting estrogen patches and Lupron.
Everyone [at Fertility Centers of Illinois] was very friendly. My only negative would be that when booking appointments they would often transfer you back and forth to other clinics depending on availability and that became annoying to repeat yourself.... I could call the office and most times talk directly to my nurse. We also communicated via email almost daily. She was very present and responded to all emails.
Age
32 - 34
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 3 Docs
Treatment
2 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
She is very determined to make you successful. I am one of 4 friends who has used her and we all have gotten pregnant. She takes time with you and is very blunt about her expectations. She is all business but is also very compassionate.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Make sure you are ready to hear the hard truth. She is willing to do whatever you want for the most part but does not want to waste your time or money.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers always remembered us and was prepared for every appointment. She always asked about our adopted son and remembered his name.
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Before egg retrievals she did not use birth control but instead waited for natural ovulation before starting estrogen patches and Lupron. Then after your period started, the stimulation meds began (follistim, ganirellix, menopur). I then had appointments every 2 days for monitoring. We also did ERA cycles to make sure Lining was receptive before frozen transfers. For transfers we used Lupron, estradiol patches, vaginal estrogen, and progesterone in oil.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Ashley)
I could call the office and most times talk directly to my nurse. We also communicated via email almost daily. She was very present and responded to all emails.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Everyone was very friendly. My only negative would be that when booking appointments they would often transfer you back and forth to other clinics depending on availability and that became annoying to repeat yourself.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
We were very lucky to have insurance coverage for IVF. We were only responsible for our copays until our deductible was met.
Describe Allison Rodgers's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Dr. Rodgers is usually against multiple embryo transfer until several attempts have failed or embryo quality is not ideal.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
In regards to my pregnancy test results, no one called me that day with my results. Come to find out they had me down for a different day so we’re not looking for my results. Thankfully I was able to get the results from my OB that day.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
6
5
Age
24 - 25
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
PCOS, Other
6
5
After the surgery [with Dr. Allison Rodgers], they told me that the eggs were “granular” because they had given me too much medication too fast. Basically they told me that the eggs were low quality because I’d been cooked on high. I am about to start the second round and they have adjusted my dosage. This second round I will have 150 IU Menopur and will start at 175 IU Follistim. It is anticipated that the cycle will last slightly longer.
The front desk staff [at Fertility Centers of Illinois] is sort of aloof. The wait time is always 20-30 minutes, even if it’s just a blood draw!! It doesn’t matter if you are early or late, the wait is always there. Don’t get anxious about it, that’s just how it is. Overall, the clinic itself is not my favorite. If I felt like it was possible to switch, I might, but I like the doctor enough that I will stay...I felt like the clinic did not make good effort to get things covered by insuance. My insurance plan was eventually willing to cover everything, but it ended up requiring me to put in my own pre-certification.
Age
24 - 25
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Ashkenazi Jewish
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
PCOS, Other
6
5
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers has a lot of experience treating patients with PCOS and was fully equipped to handle my condition. My treatment plan appeared to take into account the PCOS and she took over my metformin treatment as well.
It was a little challenging that she chose not to be the treating doctor for my hypothyroidism. My main Endocrinologist still had to order her own bloodwork and adjust medications. During the IVF cycle, when I was already being poked so many times, it was challenging to then have to be poked again separately for TSH/T4 tests.
During consultation visits, Dr. Rodgers makes decisions very quickly. Sometimes I felt like she left me out of the decisions. The decisions were medically sound, but her thought process was not well explained.
I was happy that she was the doctor on call for my first egg retrieval. It was comforting to know that she already knew me. I would have liked her to check back on me post-op before I left. She did call me a day later to give results.
Her explainations about the eggs/embryos were a little misleading. Her words confused me and concerned me, although when i talked with the Embryologist from her office, they were able to describe things a lot better.
Overall, I think Dr. Rodgers is a good doctor and has good follow through with her patients, but could work on improving her communication skills about the treatment.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers’ explainations are not the end-all. If you are confused, ask her supportig staff and they will offer more explainations.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I was assigned to a singular nurse (Stephanie) who handled all of my care. I could shoot her an email and she would respond back the same day or the next day. She was intimately involved with my care and did not seem to be constantly referencing records to decide what to do next.
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
The first cycle included 21 days of Orthocyclen, then baseline ultrasound, then on the first day of my period I started with 2.5 MG Letrozole, 75 IU Menopur, and 225 IU Follistim.
At the first ultrasound they upped the dose to 250 IU Follistim. Later it was upped to 300 IU Follistim and added Ganirelix. They explained that the increased Follistim would help the eggs get bigger.
Monitoring was every other day at first, and then every day. Monitoring on the weekend is downtown at the River North office (over 1 hour away from the main clinic).
36 hours before the surgery I was instructed to take an IM shot of Pregnyl.
After the surgery, they told me that the eggs were “granular” because they had given me too much medication too fast. Basically they told me that the eggs were low quality because I’d been cooked on high.
I am about to start the second round and they have adjusted my dosage.
This second round I will have 150 IU Menopur and will start at 175 IU Follistim.
It is anticipated that the cycle will last slightly longer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Stephanie Crissie)
She responded to emails pretty quickly, but often placed the blame on other people for why paperwork was not recorded correctly or why things hadn’t worked out like planned.
Additionally I felt like she was relatively judgey of my personal life and made me jump through additional hoops when my personal life did not fit what she anticipated it would be.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I felt like the clinic did not make good effort to get things covered by insuance. My insurance plan was eventually willing to cover everything, but it ended up requiring me to put in my own pre-certification.
A boiling point was after I had gotten a denial mid-cycle while my hormones were all crazy where I was basically crying on the phone with the billing department about how they weren’t trying hard enough to get things covered.
After I accused them of not trying to get things covered because they would get more money if I paid out of pocket, they transfered me to a supervisor who was miraculously able to call the insurance to get a peer-to-peer scheduled.
In terms of the clinical staff, I like the main woman who does the ultrasounds, but her backup is a little clueless. The woman who draws the blood leaves bruises, but the backup persom is very good. The other backups seem to make me anxious. The front desk staff is sort of aloof. The wait time is always 20-30 minutes, even if it’s just a blood draw!! It doesn’t matter if you are early or late, the wait is always there. Don’t get anxious about it, that’s just how it is.
Overall, the clinic itself is not my favorite. If I felt like it was possible to switch, I might, but I like the doctor enough that I will stay.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
$1700 for the cryopreservation and storage for 1 year. Additional years of storage are $500. Everything else was covered by insurance.
Semen analysis (at the beginning) was $100.
Describe Allison Rodgers's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My doctor believes that only one embryo can be transfered at a time because it is already a high risk pregnancy.
I have done IVF with Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis for my BRCA1 mutation. She considers all PGD or PGS patients high risk and will not implant more than one at a time.
Since I have depression, my therapist told me to ask if I could do two at a time (because it is anticipated that I will have post-partum depression), but Dr. Rodgers did not think this was possible.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Lost paperwork
- Lost results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
There is an “issue” with their fax machine. They frequently claim they didn’t receive things that had been sent to them. They also sometimes don’t actually send out items they claim to have sent. This is an ongoing issue. It does not appear to matter how well the items are labeled. I had to send the results to my genetic testing at least 4 times.
Additionally, the office always seems to lose letters from the insurance company. They always end up calling me for me to scan and send them a copy of the letter.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
8
8
Age
39 - 40
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
3 IVF, 2 Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
8
8
In the beginning I was more of a number but as time & problems have gone on I feel like I am getting treated more like a human. She [Dr. Rodgers] does have great bedside manner and really cares for her patients....She has been a great doctor for me. I know she cares and tries her best. We have had many setbacks and she is willing to fight with us....First retrieval was an antagonist protocol with 300 Gonal F & 300 Menopur along with Cetrotide.
The financial coordinator [at FCI] is very good with communication and responding. The billing department is sloppy and you don't get good statements especially if you have anything prepaid with them. The clinic does not use HGH...My third egg retrieval I was not told I ovulated on the table and had only 2 eggs retrieved...I could always get an appointment time that was convenient. Some days you are in and out and others they are backed up.
Age
39 - 40
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Accountant
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IVF, 2 Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
8
8
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
She has been a great doctor for me. I know she cares and tries her best. We have had many setbacks and she is willing to fight with us. The negatives are FCI does not prescribe HGH. You do have to be very vigilant in getting your concerns and information to everyone you work with.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Make sure you remind her of important details especially during the phone calls.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
In the beginning I was more of a number but as time & problems have gone on I feel like I am getting treated more like a human. She does have great bedside manner and really cares for her patients.
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
First retrieval was an antagonist protocol with 300 Gonal F & 300 Menopur along with Cetrotide. I retrieved 10 eggs, 8 fertilized and all 8 arrested by day 3 so no transfer. My second retrieval I did a lupron protocol with Gonal F & Menopur doses changing almost daily. I retrieved 11 eggs, 6 fertilized, and 1 embryo had to be frozen as my progesterone was too high for a fresh transfer. My third retrieval was lupron, 300 gonal F & 300 Menopur. I had 16 follicles going into retrieval and ended up ovulating during the procedure. 2 follicles were retrieved, 1 fertilized and I don't know yet if it makes it or not to be frozen. We found out during our second & third retrieval due to an ERA that I am pre-receptive by 12 hours so going forward I always have to freeze embryos.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Stephanie Crissie)
She is good for the most part but I do need to keep on top of details and question potential mistakes at times. I think she care but on an overall basis she seems very overwhelmed and this is getting reflected in the quality and care of her work.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The financial coordinator is very good with communication and responding. The billing department is sloppy and you don't get good statements especially if you have anything prepaid with them. The clinic does not use HGH. Also retrievals at River North you need to stay on top of timing there as you are getting pushed around with many people and your doctor is most likely not there.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I could always get an appointment time that was convenient. Some days you are in and out and others they are backed up.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I am running around $12,000 per retrieval cycle which includes meds, monitoring & retrieval. I do have some insurance but no coverage for meds.
Describe Allison Rodgers's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
We have not transferred anything yet but we have discussed positives & negatives to both.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My third egg retrieval I was not told I ovulated on the table and had only 2 eggs retrieved. I had to call after I was already gone to find this out.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
41 - 48
Treated
2005 - 2012
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
12 IUI, 2 IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis, Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
10
10
We had lots of set backs and unexplained infertility. Dr. Jacobs always explained all of our options and what our next course of treatment was. He seemed to share some of our feelings with set backs and wanted us to succeed with a live birth-not just as a doctor but as a person.... He explains everything and he's very scientific with his explanations which can be confusing; however, if you ask more details-he's great at breaking it down so you can understand it better and make informed decisions.
I was not as thrilled with his office staff [at FCI- Buffalo Grove] . Very cold and impersonal at the Buffalo Grove facility. At one point they got me and another patient confused and almost proceeded with a test for the wrong thing. Another time, after our 3rd failure with IVF an ultrasound tech said "Wow, I can't believe you're still trying" and not in a good way. I called Marcia, Dr. Jacob's nurse coordinator, and she was very apologetic. It still was very hurtful though, without any compassion or thought.
Age
41 - 48
Treated
2005 - 2012
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
—
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
12 IUI, 2 IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis, Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with Laurence Jacobs at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
We had lots of set backs and unexplained infertility. Dr. Jacobs always explained all of our options and what our next course of treatment was. He seemed to share some of our feelings with set backs and wanted us to succeed with a live birth-not just as a doctor but as a person.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Laurence Jacobs at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Ask lots of questions if you don't understand something. He explains everything and he's very scientific with his explanations which can be confusing; however, if you ask more details-he's great at breaking it down so you can understand it better and make informed decisions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Laurence Jacobs at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Jacobs is very to the point but kind and compassionate too.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Marcia)
Marcia was excellent! She ALWAYS showed compassion and explained everything in detail. She was always available to answer questions.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I was not as thrilled with his office staff. Very cold and impersonal at the Buffalo Grove facility. At one point they got me and another patient confused and almost proceeded with a test for the wrong thing. Another time, after our 3rd failure with IVF an ultrasound tech said "Wow, I can't believe you're still trying" and not in a good way. I called Marcia, Dr. Jacob's nurse coordinator, and she was very apologetic. It still was very hurtful though, without any compassion or thought.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Laurence Jacobs at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I had good insurance but after everything was done-we ended up spending about $25,000 of our own money.
Describe Laurence Jacobs's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I didn't have many embryos to transfer so we didn't really have much choice.
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9
9
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Uterine Fibroids
9
9
Dr Rodgers was very helpful and understanding during this process. Still to early to know if IUI worked. But appreciated Doc and her staff. I only wish the protocol was outlined a bit clearer considering the several appts needed. Sometimes I didn’t know why I was coming in for an appt, I just showed up. ... Be encouraged to ask questions ... I was told that since my thyroid was low I’d have to take synthetic hormone
I was told that since my thyroid was low I’d have to take synthetic hormone, i was told it would be called In and it never was. ... Weakness. For 6:30 am appts, if patients have arrived, don’t let them sit in the lobby, open the office doors [Fertility Centers of Illinois] so they can sit in the common area. Or have a sign saying the doors won’t open till a certain time so I doesn’t appear like the staff at the desk is ignoring patients ... Although I hated communicating via email, my nurse was very responsive ...
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Black or African-American
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Uterine Fibroids
9
9
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr Rodgers was very helpful and understanding during this process. Still to early to know if IUI worked. But appreciated Doc and her staff. I only wish the protocol was outlined a bit clearer considering the several appts needed. Sometimes I didn’t know why I was coming in for an appt, I just showed up.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be encouraged to ask questions
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Not sure as this is my first time.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Ashley Z)
Although I hated communicating via email, my nurse was very responsive
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Weakness. For 6:30 am appts, if patients have arrived, don’t let them sit in the lobby, open the office doors so they can sit in the common area. Or have a sign saying the doors won’t open till a certain time so I doesn’t appear like the staff at the desk is ignoring patients
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
High deductible plan$1500
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I was told that since my thyroid was low I’d have to take synthetic hormone, i was told it would be called In and it never was. During my next appt doc asked me about it and I told her no one called it in. Thank goodness next tests showed my thyroid was better.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
5
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality, Immunological
10
5
Dr. Rodgers makes changes to try to give the best outcome. The second egg retrieval we made changes that helped retrieve more eggs. She's open to talking about supplements. She will go to bat for you if medically she thinks it worth perusing. I think she tries to do the right thing for each patient. I'm no just a number. ... My doctor suggested 1 and said we have a good chance if you'd done an ERA and the embroyo is PGT tested.
I travel to FCI so I saw Dr. Rodgers in the buffalo grove clinic and that is where my primary nurse is located, but for all my monitoring appointments I would go to Tinley Park clinic because it was closer to my house. Much less waiting at Tinley park and the staff are very compassionate people. ... Ashley [nurse] typically emails me information and responds quickly by that method. It was a little harder to get her on the phone if I wanted to talk.
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality, Immunological
10
5
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers makes changes to try to give the best outcome. The second egg retrieval we made changes that helped retrieve more eggs. She's open to talking about supplements. She will go to bat for you if medically she thinks it worth perusing. I think she tries to do the right thing for each patient. I'm no just a number.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
She's great at answering questions, make sure you bring some because she doesn't always cover details unless directly asked-why do you think this treatment plan will be better for me, etc.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rodgers is very compassionate. I was concerned about my stimulation (day 11) and not progressing as I'd hoped. My nurse coordinator tried to assure me that Dr. Rodgers was trying to give me the best chance by adding another day on to my stimulation plan. I emailed Dr. Rodgers directly and she called that night from her child's swim meet to discuss my concerns! Wow. She also went to bat for me when we ran into some bumps with our donor sperm. I believe she cares about our outcome.
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
1) Schoyer Ganirelix 175 Gonal F/150 Menopur-increase to 450 Gonal/F
2)Micro dose Lupron with 300 Gonal F/300 Menopur no changes made to stim doses
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Ashley Rupczynski, Stephanie Crissie, Patty)
Ashley typically emails me information and responds quickly by that method. It was a little harder to get her on the phone if I wanted to talk. She was generally on top of things and I believe passed items on to Dr. Rodgers when I asked her input too.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I travel to FCI so I saw Dr. Rodgers in the buffalo grove clinic and that is where my primary nurse is located, but for all my monitoring appointments I would go to Tinley Park clinic because it was closer to my house. Much less waiting at Tinley park and the staff are very compassionate people.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I used Attain $26,600 for two cycle program and FET transfers until one worked. We paid that amount and $10,000 in stimulate medications, $3000 in donor workup for sperm, $1,000 for FET medications
Describe Allison Rodgers's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My doctor suggested 1 and said we have a good chance if you'd done an ERA and the embroyo is PGT tested. I'm aware of the health risks to both mom and baby with multiples and from past failures don't want to waste embroyos. Plus we signed up for Attain so the transfers are covered until one works.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
0
0
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2019 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
—
0
0
When we initially met him [Dr. Kaplan] he took the minimal amount of testing we had done to date at face value (labs for me and 1 SA for my husband). He quickly diagnosed our issue as MFI despite every single one of my ultrasounds having notes that stated both of my ovaries met the criteria for PCOS. He made no mention of this and made no adjustments to my protocol...It is clear that Dr. Kaplan is extremely intelligent but he is more of a salesman than he is a physician. In our initial consultation, he raved about how 'easy' our case was and was so bold as to promise it would not take much to get us pregnant. Unfortunately, in doing so he ignored blatant indicators in both my labs and imaging that I had PCOS. I was put on a generic protocol. Even when the protocol failed and we looked for reasons and potential causes he continued to ignore the notes in every single one of my ultrasounds on the condition of my ovaries.
There is a large staff at FCI and you rotate through whoever is on that day. Some are wonderful (Mimi, Caitlin, Jill) and some were just cold and came across as if you were inconveniencing them asking questions about triggers/labs/next steps...When our PGT results came in the lab tech called with the basic report...However, the only person FCI would allow to discuss those results with me was Dr. Kaplan and he did not have an appointment for 3 weeks.
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2019 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$500K+
Occupation
Business Executive
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
—
0
0
How was your experience with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
It is clear that Dr. Kaplan is extremely intelligent but he is more of a salesman than he is a physician. In our initial consultation, he raved about how 'easy' our case was and was so bold as to promise it would not take much to get us pregnant. Unfortunately, in doing so he ignored blatant indicators in both my labs and imaging that I had PCOS. I was put on a generic protocol. Even when the protocol failed and we looked for reasons and potential causes he continued to ignore the notes in every single one of my ultrasounds on the condition of my ovaries.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Kaplan is not the right physician if the cause of your infertility is still unclear and if you want a protocol that is customized to your unique diagnosis. He does not do much in terms of work up and pushes hard for IVF as the first course of treatment even if underlying issues are still unclear. As a result, the protocol you're initially put on will not be tailored to you. If you feel strongly about using Dr. Kaplan (he is very nice and very warm) I can't stress enough how important it will be to advocate for yourself to do research on testing before starting your protocols. Despite the fact that he agreed with me (wholeheartedly) I had to ask for an ERA with only 1 embryo to transfer, I had to as for PGT testing, I had to ask for ICSI despite my husband's poor morphology. He has a cookie-cutter template and if you want a unique approach you will have to do the research and present it to him.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
As time went on with our treatment it became clear that Dr. Kaplan's drive for a successful outcome was related more so to volume of success vs. % of patients with good outcomes. When we initially met him he took the minimal amount of testing we had done to date at face value (labs for me and 1 SA for my husband). He quickly diagnosed our issue as MFI despite every single one of my ultrasounds having notes that stated both of my ovaries met the criteria for PCOS. He made no mention of this and made no adjustments to my protocol.
Describe the protocols Brian Kaplan used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
When we came to Dr. Kaplan we believed our issue was MFI (poor morphology, good counts, and motility). We moved directly into two medicated IUIs. I am a hyper responder and got 3 follicles each cycle with just 5mg of Letrozole (he is not a Clomid fan).
After both failed we moved to IVF. I did 21 days of birth control, 225 gonalF, and 75 menopur with an antagonist protocol. We did a Lupron trigger because my estrogen climbed very high and my retrieval yielded 40+ eggs. Only 14 were mature, 11 fertilized, 6 embryos and just 1 tested PGT normal. I believe this protocol was far too aggressive for a hyper responder like myself.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
There is a large staff at FCI and you rotate through whoever is on that day. Some are wonderful (Mimi, Caitlin, Jill) and some were just cold and came across as if you were inconveniencing them asking questions about triggers/labs/next steps (Donna in particular). They have a great system for asking questions in the portal and getting a quick response but it was very luck of the draw on how thoroughly your question would be answered. For example, in our first IUI after a monitoring appointment they just emailed me and told me to trigger and call for an IUI on a certain date - that was it. The front desk had no instructions when I called and I had to follow up and ask what the protocol was for the day of (my husband's sample, arrival time, would the Dr be there? - he is not).
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
It's a massive operation. There are pros and cons to that.
Pros: it's easy to get in for a generic appointment (monitoring, imaging, labs), the nurses respond within 30-60 minutes in the portal
Cons: because it is so big and because they take on SO many patients it's clear that everyone who works there is stressed - they are rude and short with you off the bat which just adds to the stress of infertility. Billing is a nightmare and it often feels like the right hand isn't talking to the left.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
When our PGT results came in the lab tech called with the basic report. She was unable to go into any detail (egg quality report, sperm quality report) anything that would have alluded to the underlying cause which I understand. However, the only person FCI would allow to discuss those results with me was Dr. Kaplan and he did not have an appointment for 3 weeks. We had to wait, knowing that nearly all of our embryos were not viable, for 3 weeks to learn about what happened and what we could do next. We lost a month in our transfer as a result
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
5
6
Age
34
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
5
6
If you are looking for a no-nonsense, fact based experience that gets results and don't need someone who is warm and fuzzy to deliver the good and bad news, Dr. Hirshfeld is a good option...I had diminished ovarian reserve and my husband had some motility issues. Dr. Hirshfeld prescribed some vitamins including Vitamin D and CoQ10 for each of us...I believe that Dr. Hirshfeld is well informed and I trusted her care. I wouldn't characterize her as a "warm" person, but rather she is straight to the point which for me was totally fine. I appreciated her direct answers, but I could see how some other women might need a warmer experience especially during such a trying moment in their lives.
She [nurse at Fertility Center of Illinois] spent as much time on the phone as I needed explaining in fine detail all of the next steps so that I could prepare my schedule and make sure we did everything correctly...The office has some issues. They felt unorganized and honestly is the reason I'm taking the time to write this review...we had a few issues with getting appointments set via the scheduler (Frank?) and also had an issue getting our final documents transferred to our midwives office when the time came.
Age
34
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
5
6
How was your experience with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I believe that Dr. Hirshfeld is well informed and I trusted her care. I wouldn't characterize her as a "warm" person, but rather she is straight to the point which for me was totally fine. I appreciated her direct answers, but I could see how some other women might need a warmer experience especially during such a trying moment in their lives.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
If you are looking for a no-nonsense, fact based experience that gets results and don't need someone who is warm and fuzzy to deliver the good and bad news, Dr. Hirshfeld is a good option.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
There is a slight "cattle being ushered through the field" feeling here. When we first came to FCI, I decided I didn't want to overwhelm myself with information from the internet and came to our first meeting(s) with no questions and an open mind. After some time, we felt like we were only being given the amount of information we needed at the moment, and after consulting with some other friends who had been through this process, we decided that we needed to be more pushy and advocate for ourselves harder. That resulted in a well planned out off-scheduled meeting with the doctor that was actually very helpful.
Describe the protocols Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I had diminished ovarian reserve and my husband had some motility issues. Dr. Hirshfeld prescribed some vitamins including Vitamin D and CoQ10 for each of us. I was prescribed Letrozole for 5 days, then after an ultrasound confirming I had a viable follicle I used the Ovidrel trigger shot and then took Prometrium every evening following. We had one unsuccessful IUI, but we got pregnant on the second try. I used Prometrium every evening until I was 9 weeks. I am now 16 weeks pregnant.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Christina)
I was very happy to be under Christina's care. Our first week we were with someone named Marny who was not very organized and was not a good communicator. When Christina took over we were relieved. She spent as much time on the phone as I needed explaining in fine detail all of the next steps so that I could prepare my schedule and make sure we did everything correctly.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
This clinic seems somewhat unorganized. My nurse was really helpful in moving things along, but we had a few issues with getting appointments set via the scheduler (Frank?) and also had an issue getting our final documents transferred to our midwives office when the time came.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My insurance is pretty good so much of my costs were covered. I think I only paid for the ultrasounds and the prescriptions. All in all, with two rounds of IUI I think we spent around $500. After the first unsuccessful IUI I did more research on IVF and that would have been considerably more, in the range of $5K-$8K, due mostly to the prescription drugs.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Lost paperwork
- Lost appointments
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to send your chart to another clinic
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The office has some issues. They felt unorganized and honestly is the reason I'm taking the time to write this review.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
6
8
Age
40 - 43
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
—
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality, Tubal Blockage
6
8
There were times I felt like she [ Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron] was more interested in my partner's fertility chances than my own because my chances of going through a successful egg retrieval were low... However, at a recent appoint in the last 6 months, I felt like she started to "click" with us a bit better and really understood that my wife and I are both going through the fertility treatments as patients who might both conceive and not just a carrier and supporter. We have been seeing Dr. H for nearly 3 years and will stick with her through the remaining pursuit to have a baby.
nursing staff [at Fertility Centers of Illinois] were attentive, responsive and knowledgeable. I felt confident in the information they were providing and knew I would always get a response if I emailed a question... is run very efficiently - this is both a strength and a weakness. The strength part of this is you can get the appointments you need to proceed with your treatments, while also working and living your life. The weakness is that this can sometimes feel like you are just a number they call to perform another procedure. There are also times when things are running behind (30 mins+) and there is no apology/explanation,
Age
40 - 43
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
—
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality, Tubal Blockage
6
8
How was your experience with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Perhaps my opinion is schewed by the fact that both my wife and have each worked with Dr. Hirshfeld to try to get pregnant, and we have not yet gotten a healthy embryo to implant, but I often felt like I was a lower priority than my wife because my probability of producing healthy eggs was lower. This would manifest in time spent focused on my options during a consultation and how quickly she recommended moving on to only my wife attempting egg retrieval. However, at a recent appoint in the last 6 months, I felt like she started to "click" with us a bit better and really understood that my wife and I are both going through the fertility treatments as patients who might both conceive and not just a carrier and supporter. We have been seeing Dr. H for nearly 3 years and will stick with her through the remaining pursuit to have a baby. Despite some of the concerns I had about her interest in my fertility options (as opposed to my wife's), I trust her judgement and appreciate her compassionate approach to the ups and downs of the last couple of years. She also always took the time to explain the processes in great detail, in terms we could understand, was honest about the percentages of success for most procedures and took the time to answer questions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Make sure she understands your family dynamic and that you ask questions if you feel unsure that all options have been explored or offered.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
There were times I felt like she was more interested in my partner's fertility chances than my own because my chances of going through a successful egg retrieval were low.
Describe the protocols Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I started an egg retrieval cycle following standard diagnostic tests and consultation. IUI was not an option because of a blocked tube. My bloodwork and ultrasounds revealed that my estrogen levels were very low and only 1 follicle per ovary reacted to the drugs. Per this info, Dr. H said we could not go through with the egg retrieval.
We are now working to use an egg donor, and I have completed a new round of ultrasounds and bloodwork to prep for this process. I am now on birth control pills to regulate my cycle while determine the egg donor and associated paperwork.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Marni)
Marni and Dr. H's nursing staff were attentive, responsive and knowledgeable. I felt confident in the information they were providing and knew I would always get a response if I emailed a question.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
FCI is run very efficiently - this is both a strength and a weakness. The strength part of this is you can get the appointments you need to proceed with your treatments, while also working and living your life. The weakness is that this can sometimes feel like you are just a number they call to perform another procedure.
There are also times when things are running behind (30 mins+) and there is no apology/explanation, or even acknowledgement that they are running behind.
Efficient, but not always personal. However, when you need to go for an ultrasound and blood work each morning of a week, and you can get the appointment you need before work and are in and out in 30 minutes, generally you can count on FCI to make it happen.
I also find that the nurses and office staff to do acknowledge any person accompanying a patient for treatment. In my case, my wife would be with me for many appointments (or I would go with my wife for appointments), and as the nurse or office staff would call your name to go to the procedure - they would never acknowledge or greet the non-patient. I find this odd, since in many, if not most scenarios, the non-patient is likely a partner or spouse, who feel every bit as much patient as the actual patient through this process.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
We are lucky that we have insurance that covers some of the costs associated with fertility, but only to a point and for so many attempts. I feel that the cost most glaring was tied to the storage of sperm and/or embryos. That was a significant cost for us during this process and it is not covered by insurance. This is especially difficult to get a large bill like that following an egg retrieval that results in abnormal embryos that need to be destroyed (or used in research). Long-term storage of embryos or sperm seems reasonable, but short-term storage while viability is determined seems unfair.
Describe Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
No comments as it is not relevant to my treatment to date.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
8
Age
35 - 39
Treated
2016 - 2020
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 Egg Freezing, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
9
8
Dr. Hirshfeld took the time to listen to my story and address my concerns. She provided facts and research while answering my questions. She adjusted my treatment plan after failed attempts. She was clear and precise. ... Visits with Dr. Hirshfeld were to the point but yet I never felt rushed when in a consultation. She was always willing to explain and answer questions.
Strengths [of FCI]: knowledgeable and kind Weaknesses/Concerns: I was called and told I was not pregnant before I even completed an IUI. The 2nd IUI I had a young nurse being supervised and told what to do performed the insert and messed up on clamp and then said “oh no” when pulling out the cath. Saying some may have come out. ... They [nurses]responded quickly to the email portal and always willing to call back in timely manner when questions needed answering
Age
35 - 39
Treated
2016 - 2020
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 Egg Freezing, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
9
8
How was your experience with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Hirshfeld took the time to listen to my story and address my concerns. She provided facts and research while answering my questions. She adjusted my treatment plan after failed attempts. She was clear and precise.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be prepared with questions; as she can not help you if she doesn’t know your concerns.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Visits with Dr. Hirshfeld were to the point but yet I never felt rushed when in a consultation. She was always willing to explain and answer questions.
Describe the protocols Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I began my journey a few years ago with the hopes of preserving my eggs for future use. I went through hormone shots to increase the number of follicles. And now have 6 eggs in freezer. About a year ago I went back to start my journey to motherhood. At that time my bloodwork came back that my thyroid levels were to high so was put on medicine. She then did the saline ultrasound and told me I had polyps within my uterus. I would then have surgical procedure to have them done. I was given a vaginal pill to thin my lining the morning of the procedure within 1 hr I was having every side effect I could related to that drug. They took me back flush my iv to clear the drug and then put me under. Before the surgery I was told it would be 15mins but 4hrs later i was able to go home. (partially cause of all the allergic reaction). Originally they said they would scrap the fee polyps but when I woke up I was told there were way more then they thought so they performed a full D&C. A few months later I decided to pick a sperm donor and start the iui process. The 4 trials I always took clomid the first 2 were same dosage the 3rd time she up’d the dosage and the 4th she added a hormone shot.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
They responded quickly to the email portal and always willing to call back in timely manner when questions needed answering
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Strengths: knowledgeable and kind
Weaknesses/Concerns: I was called and told I was not pregnant before I even completed an IUI. The 2nd IUI I had a young nurse being supervised and told what to do performed the insert and messed up on clamp and then said “oh no” when pulling out the cath. Saying some may have come out.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
IUI treatments monthly roughly cost me $1500 out of pocket after insurance.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Lost paperwork
- Failed to send your chart to another clinic
- Provided conflicting information
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
8
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2019 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IVF
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
9
8
Dr Rogers always did her best to make the process as easy as possible for us including helping us complete appointments locally as we do not live in the same town as the office. Sometimes medical explanations were too technical which was difficult to understand but she always did her best to explain further when probed. ... Dr Rogers did well to talk to us as long as we needed and we never felt rushed off the phone or out of the office. She always answered any questions we had and even called us personally after our miscarriage.
The billing department is a mess. I would get charged differently each time I went to the office and staff were difficult to get a hold of. Bills were never itemized so it was hard to find out what you were getting billed for and multiple bills were sent for the same appointment. The centers were accommodating to get monitoring appointments in over the weekends or near holidays which was appreciated. It was very difficult to get a hold of staff on the weekend if there was an issue after getting weekend monitoring results.
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2019 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 3 Docs
Treatment
2 IVF
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
9
8
How was your experience with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr Rogers always did her best to make the process as easy as possible for us including helping us complete appointments locally as we do not live in the same town as the office. Sometimes medical explanations were too technical which was difficult to understand but she always did her best to explain further when probed.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I would tell a prospective patient of Dr Rogers to keep asking her questions, she will answer and she is genuine.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr Rogers did well to talk to us as long as we needed and we never felt rushed off the phone or out of the office. She always answered any questions we had and even called us personally after our miscarriage.
Describe the protocols Allison Rodgers used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I used protocols using Gonal-f, Menopur, Ganarelix, Omnitrope, letrizole, progesterone injections, estradiol, estrogen patches, as well as hcg injections. My first cycle produced upwards of 25 eggs with slight hyper-stimulation of the ovaries. The second retrieval focused on egg quality rather than quantity which produces around 15 eggs. Genetic testing was done on all cycles and only 2 embryos on each cycle made it to the 5th day. Only one in each cycle was genetically normal.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Amanda Dutt)
It was very difficult to get a hold of the nursing staff, specifically via the patient portal. Many times staff were irritated with me when my local office did not fax results to them, which was obviously not in my control. Often times when I had questions I was rushed off the phone by the nurses or I was talked down to by staff. It was difficult to get medication protocols with enough notice to order more medication when necessary. Nursing staff were not accommodating when I was out or running low on medication after they changed dosages last minute, even though the amount ordered was given to the pharmacy directly by the nursing staff so the amount was not A mistake on my part.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The billing department is a mess. I would get charged differently each time I went to the office and staff were difficult to get a hold of. Bills were never itemized so it was hard to find out what you were getting billed for and multiple bills were sent for the same appointment. The centers were accommodating to get monitoring appointments in over the weekends or near holidays which was appreciated. It was very difficult to get a hold of staff on the weekend if there was an issue after getting weekend monitoring results.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Allison Rodgers at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
$35,000 for two cycles (retrieval’s, transfers, medication, monitoring, testing)
Describe Allison Rodgers's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I never had multiple embryos available to transfer.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
On 1-2 occasions results were not provided until the next day, however, this was very infrequent.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
9
Age
38 - 43
Treated
2015 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
1 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor
9
9
He is very busy and not very accessible; most communication is done through the nurses [FCI]. But otherwise we had no complaints about working with Dr. Sipe. He was warm, funny, and direct, which was what we wanted. He was never pushy or judgmental, just laid out the options and the odds and left it to us to make the decisions. ...
We weren’t turned off by the high volume of the practice [FCI] and appreciate that they were up on the latest tech and advancements. They certainly have plenty of real case experiences to learn from. It’s far from small or intimate in terms of the experience, but it was fine for our needs. ... very high patient volume. That makes it convenient in terms of lots of appointment slots available, but don’t expect a lot of contact or communication with the doctor.
Age
38 - 43
Treated
2015 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Lawyer
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor
9
9
How was your experience with Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He is very busy and not very accessible; most communication is done through the nurses. But otherwise we had no complaints about working with Dr. Sipe. He was warm, funny, and direct, which was what we wanted. He was never pushy or judgmental, just laid out the options and the odds and left it to us to make the decisions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Take notes during your consult because he goes over things pretty fast and the clinic doesn’t provide a lot of written summaries.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He explained everything clearly and honestly, without sugar coating.
Describe the protocols Christopher Sipe used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I’m not sure what this question is asking. First we tried IUI 2 or 3 times in early 2015, then changed to egg retrieval and fresh embryo transfer. My protocol included intramuscular injections of progesterone. That led to a single live birth. We tried a frozen embryo transfer in early 2020 with the progesterone IM injections, as week as pills, patches and suppositories. Although my lining ended up at 10 mm, which was good, and everything looked good with the embryo after thawing, sadly this transfer resulted in a negative pregnancy test.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
It’s a baby factory, with very high patient volume. That makes it convenient in terms of lots of appointment slots available, but don’t expect a lot of contact or communication with the doctor. We weren’t turned off by the high volume of the practice and appreciate that they were up on the latest tech and advancements. They certainly have plenty of real case experiences to learn from. It’s far from small or intimate in terms of the experience, but it was fine for our needs.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The first round of IVF was covered by my insurance so our total costs including drugs ended up being about $6000. The frozen embryo transfer in 2020 wasn’t covered by insurance. They charged us $2575, not including drugs or out-of-state monitoring.
Describe Christopher Sipe's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The doctor initially told us in 2015 that they’d recommend transferring two embryos, on the day of, Dr.Sipe switched to recommending a single transfer. When we did the frozen transfer in 2020, he again recommended transfer of one.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
8
Age
35 - 36
Treated
2019 - 2020
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
9
8
I loved working with Dr. Sipe because he has a great personality, doesn’t sugar coat things and tells you his honest opinion, and gives you information to help guide you to make a decision. He doesn’t push you one way or another. ... I went through 3 IUI cycles with clomid and they were unsuccessful. ... He is changing protocol for our next retrieval and we will be getting started as soon as the covid restrictions are lifted.
Clinic [FCI] operates mostly on time but sometimes falls behind with appointments. Expect to have a wait just to be on the safe side, some days longer than others. ... The clinic has kept us very informed as far as what their plans are with covid going on. ... Communication is great between their team members but be sure to ask questions during treatment. Their portal communication has been helpful since they have limited office hours.
Age
35 - 36
Treated
2019 - 2020
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
9
8
How was your experience with Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I loved working with Dr. Sipe because he has a great personality, doesn’t sugar coat things and tells you his honest opinion, and gives you information to help guide you to make a decision. He doesn’t push you one way or another.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be your own advocate and ask questions when needed.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Lots of patients being treated at the office and sometimes different nurses would call back with results. But Dr. Sipe always treated us like a human instead of a number in all of his consults.
Describe the protocols Christopher Sipe used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I went through 3 IUI cycles with clomid and they were unsuccessful. He gave me the option of doing another IUI with a 10% chance of success or IVF with 50% chance of success. I chose to go with IVF and had a failed fresh transfer and have no embryos left. He is changing protocol for our next retrieval and we will be getting started as soon as the covid restrictions are lifted. The clinic has kept us very informed as far as what their plans are with covid going on.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Patricia)
Patricia is my favorite nurse at the clinic. She showed compassion, gave me lots of information, and took her time answering all of my questions. The other nurses were good but Patricia is the best in my opinion.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Clinic operates mostly on time but sometimes falls behind with appointments. Expect to have a wait just to be on the safe side, some days longer than others. Communication is great between their team members but be sure to ask questions during treatment. Their portal communication has been helpful since they have limited office hours.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Christopher Sipe at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Costs seemed the same as other clinics from the other ladies I have talked to. I have had no problems with the billing department.
Describe Christopher Sipe's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Dr. Sipe felt that with my age and other factors, the risk of multiples was not worth the benefit of transferring more than one embryo. I agreed with his assessment.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Lost paperwork
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The dosage of clomid was incorrect for my second round of IUI. The doctor had planned on increasing the dose from 50mg daily to 100mg daily, but the Rx sent to the pharmacy was for 50mg. Since it was a weekend, they were not open for phone call questions so I ended up taking the lower dose for a few days until I could call on Monday. I was going to page the on call nurse but I was afraid I would get charged extra for paving on a weekend. In hindsight, I should have paged.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
37 - 39
Treated
2018 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 Egg Freezing, IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
10
10
Dr. Kaplan explains everything very thoroughly. He also has a calming presence to him that helped me feel comfortable. I appreciated how he took my input into account. I had started my cycle before Shelter in Place went into affect. Dr. Kaplan called me and we talked - for a long time - about options (keep going or stop cycle) and he allowed me to feel empowered. Sadly my embryo did not take, and again he took his time talking and checking in. I felt very cared for and in the end felt a lot better about what happened.
The clinic [FCI] was great. They are very efficient and caring. I did not have long wait times or anything. I thought they handled my care during the COVID times very well. I felt safe and cared for. The only minor issue I had was that when they called with results of my embryos, I felt a little rushed and wasn't given enough time to ask questions.
Age
37 - 39
Treated
2018 - 2020
Success with this Doc
No
Race
—
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 Egg Freezing, IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
10
10
How was your experience with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Kaplan explains everything very thoroughly. He also has a calming presence to him that helped me feel comfortable. I appreciated how he took my input into account. I had started my cycle before Shelter in Place went into affect. Dr. Kaplan called me and we talked - for a long time - about options (keep going or stop cycle) and he allowed me to feel empowered. Sadly my embryo did not take, and again he took his time talking and checking in. I felt very cared for and in the end felt a lot better about what happened.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Take your time and ask all the questions. You are not inconveniencing him, so don't rush things.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I felt well cared for by Dr. Kaplan and his team. His nurses were always in contact with me and checking in on me. When my pregnancy didn't take, Dr. Kaplan called and spoke to me at length - helping me immensely.
Describe the protocols Brian Kaplan used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
For my IVF I used shots and medication. I had progesterone shots that I needed help with due to having to put them in my bum. The stomach shots weren't bad. It was all based on my personal information.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Whitney)
Everyone from OVA to FCI- Highland Park are amazing. They are so compassionate and helpful. I could not go through this without them. Its like working with friends.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The clinic was great. They are very efficient and caring. I did not have long wait times or anything. I thought they handled my care during the COVID times very well. I felt safe and cared for.
The only minor issue I had was that when they called with results of my embryos, I felt a little rushed and wasn't given enough time to ask questions.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I was able to setup a payment plan for the egg retrievals and IVF. Medication for egg freezing was paid out of pocket, but I got a group deal. IVF medication was covered by insurance and the clinic helped me facilitate getting those.
Describe Brian Kaplan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
We only did one embryo, but I am going to ask about doing two next time to increase my chances.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
4
4
Age
34
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
4
4
When I did speak with Dr. Rapisarda he was very kind, but could never answer questions or give me the guidance I was looking for...We tried ~5 separate times for an FET and the doctor barely made any changes to my protocal that clearly was not working...was very kind and compassionate. He listened, but he did not give me enough details on my treatment...I had multiple cancelled FET's due to thin lining, and not one time did I receive a call from the doctor.
I always felt like I was bothering the nursing staff [at Fertility Centers of Illinois]. When I called, they sounded annoyed when answering the phone. When I got results, if I asked a question, they sounded annoyed. The nursing staff is clearly overworked...Monitoring was a well-oiled machine, but sometimes long wait times. There were at least 30 people waiting for monitoring each time I went...There are too many patients. You see a different ultrasound tech, blood work tech, talk to different people always. No one knows you and your troubles. The nurses, nor the doctors can truely care because they have too many other patients.
Age
34
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
2 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
4
4
How was your experience with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rapisarda was very kind and compassionate. He listened, but he did not give me enough details on my treatment. On my first IVF cycle, the dr. nor the nurses showed me how to do my injectable meds. I had multiple cancelled FET's due to thin lining, and not one time did I receive a call from the doctor. Only from the nurse, who always gave me the feeling that I was bothering her.
We tried ~5 separate times for an FET and the doctor barely made any changes to my protocal that clearly was not working.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be your own best advocate. Document everything.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I felt like a number because of the clinic, not the doctor. I was treated with the dr for a year and only saw him 3-4 times. When I did speak with Dr. Rapisarda he was very kind, but could never answer questions or give me the guidance I was looking for.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Misty)
I always felt like I was bothering the nursing staff. When I called, they sounded annoyed when answering the phone. When I got results, if I asked a question, they sounded annoyed. The nursing staff is clearly overworked
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
There are too many patients. You see a different ultrasound tech, blood work tech, talk to different people always. No one knows you and your troubles. The nurses, nor the doctors can truely care because they have too many other patients.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Monitoring was a well-oiled machine, but sometimes long wait times. There were at least 30 people waiting for monitoring each time I went.
Describe the costs associated with your care under John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My insurance covered most costs. Out of pocket for ERA test, genetic testing, embryo storage
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
10
Age
31
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
9
10
I wish I had gotten to meet with him [Dr. Kaplan] more frequently, but I always felt extremely confident he knew what he was doing and was putting me on the best possible course of treatment to ensure success. My only complaint would be the limited windows of time he was available each month for procedures, causing longer wait times (~2 months) between cycles than I would have liked. I wish this schedule had been slightly more flexible, but realize this is how they are able to treat so many patients.
Due to number of eggs retrieved, froze all embryos rather than doing transfer right away [at Fertility Centers of Illinois] to increase chances of success...[nurses] Responded promptly to my questions through the online portal, provided detailed treatment schedules and walked me through all the details, very knowledgeable about all aspects of treatments...Very organized, gave me confidence that all aspects of treatment were well managed, online portal made communication easy, multiple locations made it easy to get to. Sometimes felt like a “factory” due to sheer number of people and rigidity of schedules, but still always felt like treatments were tailored to me and never felt like my own personal details were being ignored. Early morning hours made it easy to make weekday appointments that didn’t interfere with work.
Age
31
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Ashkenazi Jewish
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Consultant
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
9
10
How was your experience with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I wish I had gotten to meet with him more frequently, but I always felt extremely confident he knew what he was doing and was putting me on the best possible course of treatment to ensure success. My only complaint would be the limited windows of time he was available each month for procedures, causing longer wait times (~2 months) between cycles than I would have liked. I wish this schedule had been slightly more flexible, but realize this is how they are able to treat so many patients.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
If there’s anything you want to ask or make sure he knows about you, be upfront so you can use the time with him most efficiently.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Kaplan was always very warm and comforting. While we didn’t interact enough to build much of a relationship and I don’t feel like he remembered personal details about me, he had wonderful bedside manner and he seemed to genuinely care.
Describe the protocols Brian Kaplan used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Used ganirelix and menopur for retrieval cycle and Luprolide (sp?) for the trigger shot.
Due to number of eggs retrieved, froze all embryos rather than doing transfer right away to increase chances of success.
Used Estradiol tablets for the first frozen transfer, then after that didn’t work, switched to patches for the second frozen transfer, which worked.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Responded promptly to my questions through the online portal, provided detailed treatment schedules and walked me through all the details, very knowledgeable about all aspects of treatments.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Strengths: Very organized, gave me confidence that all aspects of treatment were well managed, online portal made communication easy, multiple locations made it easy to get to. Sometimes felt like a “factory” due to sheer number of people and rigidity of schedules, but still always felt like treatments were tailored to me and never felt like my own personal details were being ignored. Early morning hours made it easy to make weekday appointments that didn’t interfere with work.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The only part of my treatment not covered by insurance was a $300 admin fee, and I was able to appeal to get this covered under my insurance plan.
Describe Brian Kaplan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Because of my age (31), no prior history of issues or known risk factors, and the fact that a pregnancy with multiples is considered risky, Dr. Kaplan recommended transferring only 1 for at least the first two cycles.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
0
1
Age
36 - 39
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
0
1
No personalized assessment at all. He [Dr. Edward Marut] just uses the same protocol on everyone, in the same order, and admitted to doing so. Never saw him outside of consultations. I do not feel like he set realistic expectations...Do not use this doctor if you require any sort of personalized treatment...you are treated like a number and not adequately prepared for possible outcomes...hearing the news that you have no viable embryos is absolutely devastating
You get treated like you are on a conveyor belt and contradictory expectations are set along the way [at FCI] You have to remind everyone of who you are at all times and absolutely no consideration is given to your personal case. A overly cheerful greeting of "hello how are you today?!" after you are receiving contradictory and potentially terrible news about your fertility is an easy way to make you feel like a number instead of a patient. I received the wrong medication protocol from Ashley and had to remind her that it was supposed to be adjusted.
Age
36 - 39
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European, Latino
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Investment Banker
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
0
1
How was your experience with Edward Marut at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
No personalized assessment at all. He just uses the same protocol on everyone, in the same order, and admitted to doing so. Never saw him outside of consultations. I do not feel like he set realistic expectations.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Edward Marut at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Do not use this doctor if you require any sort of personalized treatment.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Ashley and Toria)
You get treated like you are on a conveyor belt and contradictory expectations are set along the way. You have to remind everyone of who you are at all times and absolutely no consideration is given to your personal case. A overly cheerful greeting of "hello how are you today?!" after you are receiving contradictory and potentially terrible news about your fertility is an easy way to make you feel like a number instead of a patient. I received the wrong medication protocol from Ashley and had to remind her that it was supposed to be adjusted.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Again, you are treated like a number and not adequately prepared for possible outcomes. Everything you do prepares you to have leftover embryos and the staff (from ultrasounds technicians to nurses on the day of retrieval) talk to you as if a batch of healthy embryos is a foregone conclusion. So, even though you know there are no guarantees in this process hearing the news that you have no viable embryos is absolutely devastating. Especially when the staff doesn't adjust their language or treatment towards you as you try to move forward and realize your need for personalized treatment.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to send your chart to another clinic
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
- Failed to consider drug intolerance
- Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
This organization is not very good at communicating with patients or internally. They have a patient portal with email functionality that no one responds to and your online results are not always updated. Nurses to not take your entire case into consideration if you email them so you have to explain your case in full every single time you contact the nurse. You have to reach out to billing multiple times before someone responds to you. I had issues with the office losing records they get from my regular doctor and when I changed my last name during treatment everything got screwed up and it took a few weeks to sort everything out.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
4
2
Age
41
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
5 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
4
2
He [Dr. Brian Kaplan] is charismatic and charming...I was not always sure he remembered who I was, though he was very polite the few times I have directly interacted with him... I feel though unless you have a fairly easy case, easy to stimulate, lots of eggs, good rate of fertilization then he is willing to work with you. If you are a challenging or slightly difficult case, meaning you have DOR, poor eq quality, high attrition rate of your eggs then you should definitely look elsewhere. He seemed to have no added advice or plan of action if you had a poor stim cycle.
FCI is crowded. Runs like a factory. You will likely feel like a number but that was ok with me. I care about the results. The monitor days seem to be pretty efficient with labs and sono. They have hours that accommodate most schedules. They open at 6am... In my second cycle no nurse from FCI called me to tell me when too trigger. I called at least 3 times in which they told me " to calm down, and a nurse will call me to trigger". No one did. The next morning, I finally reach Eileen. She never apologized for this mishap. She wanted me to drive an hour to Highland park to see if I ovulated, which I had. She never apologized, in fact she blamed me!!! I have heard other stories from other women about her. She is terrible.
Age
41
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Black or African-American, Other
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Doctor
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 3 Docs
Treatment
5 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
4
2
How was your experience with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He is very charming. I feel though unless you have a fairly easy case, easy to stimulate, lots of eggs, good rate of fertilization then he is willing to work with you. If you are a challenging or slightly difficult case, meaning you have DOR, poor eq quality, high attrition rate of your eggs then you should definitely look elsewhere. He seemed to have no added advice or plan of action if you had a poor stim cycle.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
If you are older, 40 and over, DOR, this is not the doctor you should choose. He is very sweet, but if you are a difficult case, then I would choose another clinic.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He is charismatic and charming. FCI is a busy clinic. I was not always sure he remembered who I was, though he was very polite the few times I have directly interacted with him.
Describe the protocols Brian Kaplan used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Initially, he started me on OCP, which over suppressed me. That was stopped half way through. The 2nd time, he primed me with Estrogen and Progesterone and that helped my numbers. The Menopur and Gonal were high doses. I cannot recall the exact numbers. 5 eggs from this cycle. The 3rd time, he did Estrogen and progesterone priming, but added Lupron, and same doses of Menopur and Gonal. 1 egg from this cycle. My AFC was 10-11.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Eileen/Aileen, Carmen)
Aileen/Eileen is terrible. She is rude, condescending and snarky. In my second cycle no nurse from FCI called me to tell me when too trigger. I called at least 3 times in which they told me " to calm down, and a nurse will call me to trigger". No one did. The next morning, I finally reach Eileen. She never apologized for this mishap. She wanted me to drive an hour to Highland park to see if I ovulated, which I had. She never apologized, in fact she blamed me!!! I have heard other stories from other women about her. She is terrible.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
FCI is crowded. Runs like a factory. You will likely feel like a number but that was ok with me. I care about the results. The monitor days seem to be pretty efficient with labs and sono. They have hours that accommodate most schedules. They open at 6am.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
All my costs were covered by BCBS AFTER I met my deductible which was $2400 in network.Meds covered pretty much under my insurance.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Lost appointments
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to send your chart to another clinic
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Lost results
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
- Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
33 - 34
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
2 IVF, 2 Egg Freezing, 2 Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
10
10
Dr Ahmad is a very informative doctor that will talk to you in a way that most doctors are unable to. She has an easy going personality but is very determined to assist you with having a great outcome. You will feel this way your first time meeting her. She has a big heart and is very passionate about her work...my husband and I were educated on both single versus multiple embryo transfers. We are currently in this stage.
She [nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois] has been a great part of our journey throughout this whole process. Sahar has such a down to earth personality that is so welcoming that the times I came in anxious into the office she made me feel calm and positive. She is also detailed and organized to the tenth degree...Due to our personal issue Dr. Ahmad and Sahar have and are assisting us with medicine. Their generosity is what helped us be able to move onto the second IVF retrieval.
Age
33 - 34
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IVF, 2 Egg Freezing, 2 Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
10
10
How was your experience with Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Ahmad is like no other doctor my husband and I have ever met. She comes off as very genuine and down to earth. Every time we have met with Dr. Ahmad whether the news was bad or great, we know that she truly did all that she could to give us the best outcome. My first round of shots ended with not being able to go to retrieval due to the follicles not growing at the same rate. Though that news was upsetting, she spoke openly to us and explained why and how we would have a better outcome especially knowing how my body now reacted to certain medicines. The news that she had to present to us was difficult but by her telling us straight forward yet being empathetic made my husband and I proceed further with her. The second round of IVF I made it to retrieval yet after genetic testing all came back abnormal. We talked to her about how upsetting the news was and it was by talking to Dr Ahmad that made us proceed again. We took about a month to mentally take a break, but it was her that made us feel good about trying again. Recently I just had my retrieval with a great outcome of 6 embryos that came back normal from genetic testing! My husband and I are truly grateful to have Dr Ahmad with us throughout this difficult journey that we have been on.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr Ahmad is a very informative doctor that will talk to you in a way that most doctors are unable to. She has an easy going personality but is very determined to assist you with having a great outcome. You will feel this way your first time meeting her. She has a big heart and is very passionate about her work.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Walking into this clinic with my husband was both emotionally draining and made us both highly anxious. Every person that we talked to at the clinic made us feel as if our decision for this specific clinic was the best choice. Everyone was and has been very down to earth and truly genuine. I am very grateful that my husband and I are going through our IVF process here.
Describe the protocols Asima Ahmad used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Per my first retrieval I used Gonal F whereas on this second retrieval I used Follistim which produced a positive outcome of 6 embryos. She watched closely to all my levels, especially estrogen. Estrogen was something that kept increasing and i had to change the units per medicine at times.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Nurse Sahar Kohistani)
My husband and I are truly appreciative of Sahar K! She has been a great part of our journey throughout this whole process. Sahar has such a down to earth personality that is so welcoming that the times I came in anxious into the office she made me feel calm and positive. She is also detailed and organized to the tenth degree. The charts she makes me are so straightforward and easy to read it becomes one less thing to worry about when going through IVF. At times when I worked with other nurses per the downtown location I could not wait to talk to Sahar. Her way of stating information and explaining was different from the others. She is very genuine and empathetic. When going through rounds of IVF it takes a toll on one emotionally and mentally that I can say my husband are truly appreciative of everything she has done for us. From her promptness to answering my questions when anxiety was high to being empathetic when a round failed genetic testing. We are so thankful and blessed to have Sahar as our nurse throughout this whole journey!
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
From the minute you walk into the door you are greeted by Diane who sets the tone for the office. Her positive, genuine personality is very welcoming. Your receptionist is someone you will have to work with every time and we are grateful she is so sweet and prompt. I also met with Patty and Allie throughout my rounds of IVF. At times they were the only two I saw during appointments due to needing an ultrasound and blood work. Both are the most sincere and positive people. For being 7am when I usually see them they are so easy to talk to and at times pretty funny! A personality that you will thank especially for being so early in the morning! All three are such caring individuals that again we are lucky to have chosen such a great clinic. Its an atmosphere that I never thought I would encounter during this process. For all of them, we are thankful!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
During our second round of IVF my husband was laid off. We are still paying cobra for both of us due to his insurance covering some of the costs. Due to our personal issue Dr. Ahmad and Sahar have and are assisting us with medicine. Their generosity is what helped us be able to move onto the second IVF retrieval.
Describe Asima Ahmad's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Yes my husband and I were educated on both single versus multiple embryo transfers. We are currently in this stage.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
29 - 30
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
He [Dr. Alvarez] was very knowledgeable and was able to explain everything at a level that I could understand and ask questions He made sure that I knew what was happening, why and when. He reached out personally to develop plans for continuing IVF in the hopes of a healthy baby...We did 2 IUI next at 50mg clomid. After the second he suggested trying 100mg clomid. After that didnt work he wanted to consult and go over the results. He allowed me to choose between 2 options. We chose 1 more IUI at 100mg clomid. After it failed we discussed IVF and proceeded. He called the day before egg retrieval to go over my levels and discuss what would would happen next. We just had out egg retrieval and have 20 eggs, 11 mature and 8 fertilized.
They [Fertility Centers of Illinois] are very organized and keep the appointments in a timely manner. They are very clear about what needs to happen and when. They return phone calls and treat you as an individual not just another patient...They [nurses] would call every evening after an appointment to go over results and next steps from dr. Alvarez. They would always return phone calls and walk me through any questions I had.
Age
29 - 30
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with Juan Alvarez at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He was very knowledgeable and was able to explain everything at a level that I could understand and ask questions
He made sure that I knew what was happening, why and when. He reached out personally to develop plans for continuing IVF in the hopes of a healthy baby.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Juan Alvarez at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Ask questions, be patient and trust that he is working towards the same goal as you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Juan Alvarez at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He looked at my case specifically, reached out personally and made sure that the goal was a healthy baby
Describe the protocols Juan Alvarez used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
We first started with a testing. Making sure everything was where it needed to be. We then did a monitored clomid cycle. We met and discuss what he saw and what the next steps would be. We did 2 IUI next at 50mg clomid. After the second he suggested trying 100mg clomid. After that didnt work he wanted to consult and go over the results. He allowed me to choose between 2 options. We chose 1 more IUI at 100mg clomid. After it failed we discussed IVF and proceeded. He called the day before egg retrieval to go over my levels and discuss what would would happen next. We just had out egg retrieval and have 20 eggs, 11 mature and 8 fertilized.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Shannon, Annette and Quiana)
They would call every evening after an appointment to go over results and next steps from dr. Alvarez. They would always return phone calls and walk me through any questions I had.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
They are very organized and keep the appointments in a timely manner. They are very clear about what needs to happen and when. They return phone calls and treat you as an individual not just another patient.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
6
8
Age
43 - 45
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IUI, 4 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
6
8
I do feel like Dr. Hirshfeld tries her best to personalize the treatments spend time explaining the processes during our consultations...she did her best to answer all questions I had. My wife however felt as though she didn't really give us personalized attention and that perhaps she didn't have great attention to detail when dealing with us. For these reasons, we almost switched doctors, but ultimately decided to stay with Dr. Hirshfeld because of her nurses and the daunting thought of starting over with another doctor.
[The nurses at Fertility Centers of Illinois were] Very good with answering emails in a timely manner. If she didnt know the answer to a question, she would find the answer for us. She was compassionate, kind, and genuine...FCI is like a baby making factory. It is very easy to feel like just a number there. If you want or need early morning appointments you will be happy here. However if you need afternoon or evening appointments this is not the place for you.
Age
43 - 45
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI, 4 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
6
8
How was your experience with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron is very knowledgeable and also very kind hearted. During consultations, she was very good about explaining things thoroughly and giving the reasoning behind the course of treatment she was suggesting. She always made sure to ask if I had any questions before I left her office. And she did her best to answer all questions I had. My wife however felt as though she didn't really give us personalized attention and that perhaps she didn't have great attention to detail when dealing with us. For these reasons, we almost switched doctors, but ultimately decided to stay with Dr. Hirshfeld because of her nurses and the daunting thought of starting over with another doctor.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Make sure you let her know what you feel you need from her as your doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
It is difficult not to feel like a number while going through treatments at FCI. But I do feel like Dr. Hirshfeld tries her best to personalize the treatments spend time explaining the processes during our consultations.
Describe the protocols Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I went through two IUI cycles because I did not have a problem producing my own eggs. Neither resulted in pregnancy so Dr. Hirshfeld suggested moving to IVF because of my age and the increased success rate with IVF. I took clomid, follistim, and a nu.ber of other drugs I cannot recall right now. I also took some supplements and tried acupuncture treatments. After the first two cycles were unsuccessful, she tweaked the treatment a bit. I believe I did testosterone patches and estrogen patches with the third cycle. This cycle was most unsuccessful. I did not have any embryos viable for PGD testing. So she tweaked treatment again for the fourth cycle. But unfortunately no chromosomally normal embryos to implant.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Marni Z.)
Marni was amazing. Very good with answering emails in a timely manner. If she didnt know the answer to a question, she would find the answer for us. She was compassionate, kind, and genuine.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
FCI is like a baby making factory. It is very easy to feel like just a number there. If you want or need early morning appointments you will be happy here. However if you need afternoon or evening appointments this is not the place for you.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I have blue cross blue shield pop insurance and it was still very, very costly do go through this process. Forty dollar co-pays for ever appointment which was 3-4 times per week at some points in the process.
Describe Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
No comment on this as I was never able to get to the implantation phase.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
9
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
9
9
He [Dr. Alvarez] reached out to me after a failed IUI round to make sure I was doing ok and gave me encouragement that the next round would work. I have never had a doctor do that before! It was extremely kind and welcomed...He has tweaked the treatment plan with each round of IUI or IVF. We did 3 round of IUI before we started IVF. It was our choice to start IVF, Dr. Alvarez didn't try to push that treatment on us. When my husband and I did get pregnant, he genuinely seemed excited for us.
She [nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois] is compassionate and kindhearted. I have reached out to her many times with questions and she takes the time to go over every little detail with me. She responds to her emails and phone calls in a timely matter...Appointments for monitoring are convenient for people who need early morning appointments due to work. You can get an appointment as early as 6:30am and you never wait more than 15 minutes to get in. Most appointments I would be out within 15 to 20 minutes with ultrasound and bloodwork.
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
9
9
How was your experience with Juan Alvarez at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Alvarez took the time to answer my many questions during each consultation. With each failure we had, he always give us hope that the next round will work. He has tweaked the treatment plan with each round of IUI or IVF. We did 3 round of IUI before we started IVF. It was our choice to start IVF, Dr. Alvarez didn't try to push that treatment on us. When my husband and I did get pregnant, he genuinely seemed excited for us.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Juan Alvarez at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
To be straightforward with him, let him know that you want to get pregnant right away, and that to be aggressive with the medication. Ask as many questions as you want, he will take the time to answer all your questions. You will never feel rushed in his office.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Juan Alvarez at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Juan Alvarez is a very caring and straightforward doctor. He thoroughly explained the treatment for IUI and IVF to my husband and I, as we didn't know much about fertility treatments when we started. After our failed rounds of IUI and IVF, he would go over the new treatment plan continuing to give us hope. He reached out to me after a failed IUI round to make sure I was doing ok and gave me encouragement that the next round would work. I have never had a doctor do that before! It was extremely kind and welcomed.
Describe the protocols Juan Alvarez used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Our first round of IVF we used Follistim, Menopur, and Ganirellix to help us get the most eggs. After a failed first cycle, Dr. Alvarez changed our treatment to help us get more eggs to make it through day 5. Our second round was more successful, we had 2 eggs make it through day 5. We are still currently trying to get pregnant.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Tori)
Dr. Alvarez's nurse Tori is amazing! She is compassionate and kindhearted. I have reached out to her many times with questions and she takes the time to go over every little detail with me. She responds to her emails and phone calls in a timely matter.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
FCI has been my second home, I feel like I live there with all the appointments I have had! The staff has always been friendly! The IVF surgery nurses, anesthesiologist, ultrasound techs, and phlebotomist are great. The Chicago office is always busy but I have never waited long to see the doctor or nurse. The nurses call back with the results the same day and are friendly on the phone. Dr. Alvarez is a great doctor!
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Appointments for monitoring are convenient for people who need early morning appointments due to work. You can get an appointment as early as 6:30am and you never wait more than 15 minutes to get in. Most appointments I would be out within 15 to 20 minutes with ultrasound and bloodwork.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
1
1
Age
28 - 29
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
6 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
PCOS, Unexplained
1
1
We did not want to actually proceed with IUIs and wanted to jump to IVF but he [Dr. Marut] was adamant that it would work. I took follistim, had regular monitoring and ovidril as a trigger. All results were negative... If he tried to textbook explain something and we had a question it was like he got angry that he had to answer. Additionally, I felt like I was forced to do 6 IUIs and then was just placed into a generic program for our IVF treatment. Whenever I called to ask about labs and ask for an explanation as to why one level could have been higher or lower it took a significant amount of time to even answer or research.
Appointments that are as simply as blood work and ultrasound take over an hour [at Fertility Center of Illinois-Chicago] because they’re always running behind. It typically takes 30 minutes in the waiting room to be seen. That being said, the ultrasound technicians and lab were all wonderful and very nice. I have nothing negative to say about them or my experience with the staff in that regard!
Age
28 - 29
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 3 Docs
Treatment
6 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
PCOS, Unexplained
1
1
How was your experience with Edward Marut at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He is very clinical and seems like a nice man when you first meet him. I don’t think he actually reviews the patient as a person rather just looks at labs (without taking into consideration existing conditions) and plops patients into programs in hopes that the statistics hold up. As mentioned I feel like I was treated in an inhuman manner, it’s hard to even put into words.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Edward Marut at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be aggressive with your questions and don’t let him manipulate or bully you into IUI or a specific protocol.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Edward Marut at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Throughout I had issues with Dr. Marut’s nurse, Ashley. When I would ask questions she would simply make me feel stupid. This was similar with Dr. Marut as well. If he tried to textbook explain something and we had a question it was like he got angry that he had to answer. Additionally, I felt like I was forced to do 6 IUIs and then was just placed into a generic program for our IVF treatment. Whenever I called to ask about labs and ask for an explanation as to why one level could have been higher or lower it took a significant amount of time to even answer or research. They didn’t know me and I know they didnt really care. I felt like I was a mouse being tested on, poked and prodded regularly without true monitoring or care. It truly felt inhuman but I was blinded by the potential to have a baby.
Describe the protocols Edward Marut used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
IUI 1-3: medications used were letrozole, regular monitoring and ovidril for trigger. This was chosen as it was “typical” to start out. All results were negative.
IUI 4-6: given the first three cycles didn’t work he noted it was typical to do three cycles with injectables. We did not want to actually proceed with IUIs and wanted to jump to IVF but he was adamant that it would work. I took follistim, had regular monitoring and ovidril as a trigger. All results were negative.
Retrieval and fresh transfer: medications used were follistim, menopur, ganirelix, minivelle, crinone. He noted this was a standard protocol. During my last monitoring appointment my uterine lining was significantly thinner but no mention was made. Pregnancy test result was negative.
FET 1: I took birth control for 3 weeks, lupron, minivelle and crinone for this cycle. This was a standard protocol that he felt was suitable for me. Again, my lining was thinner before the actual transfer than it has been at previous appointments but no mention was made. This transfer ended as a chemical pregnancy.
FET 2: I took birth control for 3 weeks, lupron, minivelle and crinone and he added in a baby aspirin for this cycle. This was a standard protocol plus aspirin that he felt was suitable for me. Again, my lining was thinner before the actual transfer than it has been at previous appointments but no mention was made and when I asked it was brushed off and not acknowledged. Pregnancy test result was negative.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Ashley and Torria)
Torria was much better than Ashley. Ashley has sent me incorrect schedules which i had to correct for her with wrong dates and medications, she made me feel stupid, I was constantly asking questions about my care which she never knew the answers to and had to review and research my file, she was cold and not compassionate.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
It is truly a baby making mill. Appointments that are as simply as blood work and ultrasound take over an hour because they’re always running behind. It typically takes 30 minutes in the waiting room to be seen.
That being said, the ultrasound technicians and lab were all wonderful and very nice. I have nothing negative to say about them or my experience with the staff in that regard!
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The monitoring appointments went well, aside from the long wait times. The staff was very nice and the technicians were all lovely.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Edward Marut at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Each appointment required a $50 copay and each round of IUI was approximately $1500. The retrieval cycle with fresh embryo transfer was about $10,000 and the frozen transfers after that we’re about $5000 each.
Describe Edward Marut's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
He was adamant about only transferring one embryo at a time (even though we didn’t do genetic testing) and was rude when we asked to do more than one.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Lost appointments
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Lost results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
There have been a handful of times where after I checked in, I waited an hour before them noticing that they never printed and relayed my paperwork so I could be seen. My online portal only shows a handful of blood test results when I have had dozens of monitoring appointments as well.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
8
Age
40 - 42
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
4 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
9
8
Dr. Kaplan is direct and clearly communicates his opinion. I appreciate that he does not sugar-coat the situation ... He is, however, quite busy. ... Due to my age, diminished ovarian reserve and low AMH (0.6), we went straight to IVF. ... Dr. Kaplan informed us that he prefers to do frozen embryo transfers ... Dr. Kaplan likes to do his own procedures and, therefore, bases your protocol around his set procedure dates each month.
When I did speak with some nurses [Fertility Centers of Illinois], half of the time the experience felt cold ... The other half of the time, the nurses were patient and empathetic, e.g., ... It is challenging to work full time and manage monitoring appointments especially since you may only be given a 1-2 days’ notice that you need to come in. It is frustrating that the nurses call you in the evening to advise on next steps but likely by the time they call, the scheduling team is gone for the day.
Age
40 - 42
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
East Asian
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
9
8
How was your experience with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Kaplan is direct and clearly communicates his opinion. I appreciate that he does not sugar-coat the situation since fertility treatment is too expensive and time consuming to operate under false pretense. He is, however, quite busy. After my failed or canceled cycles, it was difficult to schedule a consultation appointment that wasn’t a few weeks out (by then I would have missed the opportunity to start a cycle the month immediately following the cancellation/failed cycle). In each case, he was able to do a brief phone consult with me the week after, in between procedures (i.e., no specific time scheduled), so I did not need to wait weeks to speak with him. In interacting with Dr. Kaplan it is best to have done your research and prepared all of your questions in advance. The conversation goes very quickly so know what you want to say and what questions you want answered. Dr. Kaplan does not provide an email address which would be helpful but I understand that this would be impractical given the number if patients he sees. Dr. Kaplan likes to do his own procedures and, therefore, bases your protocol around his set procedure dates each month. I appreciate that he likes to do the procedures himself but at the same time it is frustrating having to wait to start a cycle based on his dates. Dr. Kaplan does his retrievals at the Highland Park location since his embryologists are onsite there. Transfers are done either at Highland Park or at his office on Michigan Avenue, which is beautiful. During my initial consult, Dr. Kaplan informed us that he prefers to do frozen embryo transfers to give the body a bit of time to recover from the retrieval. This is an important consideration for those who want to do fresh transfers.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He is recognized as one of the best. As such, he is in high demand and, therefore, may not get to spend very much time with you. Therefore, you will need to interact more frequently with his nurses. If you want an RE that can spend more time with you, perhaps Dr. Kaplan is not the right doctor for you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
When interacting with Dr. Kaplan, I felt like a human, however, those interactions were limited. My primary interaction was with his nursing team who usually interacted with me via email on the FCI portal. When I did speak with some nurses, half of the time the experience felt cold, i.e., they were short in answering my questions or seemed put off when I had several questions to ask or did not answer my questions completely. The other half of the time, the nurses were patient and empathetic, e.g., . After my third cycle when all of my embryos arrested, a nurse called me promptly to address my questions and talk through next steps. Each nurse has a different “bedside” manner.
Describe the protocols Brian Kaplan used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
Due to my age, diminished ovarian reserve and low AMH (0.6), we went straight to IVF. My first cycle was a standard antagonistic(?) protocol with Follistim (300 IU to start), Menopur (150 IU), Doxycycline, and Ganirelex (250). I was also taking a prenatal vitamin from my local pharmacy, and had started acupuncture and yoga at Pulling Down the Moon since I could no longer run as a form of exercise. We considered ourselves very lucky with the first cycle as after 4 embryos retrieved, we were able to transfer 1 PGS-tested 5-day embryo via FET. Unfortunately, that did not result in a pregnancy. For my second cycle, I was put on the Lupron microdose protocol since that is typically used with “poor responders.” This included 40mcg of Lupron BID, 450 Gonal, 75 IU Menopur. However, that cycle was canceled as my body did not respond to it. During this cycle, I also started taking the PDTM Prenatal multi-vitamin with supplements and added supplements Kaplan recommended (CoQ10, pycnogenol, L-Arginine). My third cycle was similar to my first but with a different dose of Menopur - 300. I also took 300 Gonal and 250 Ganirelex. All of my 5 embryos arrested before making it to Day 5. For my fourth cycle, I was on 100 mg Clomiphene, 300 Gonal, 150 Menopur then 250 Ganirelex. I had 5 eggs retrieved, 3 fertilized, 2 made it to Day 5. One came back PGS normal and the other designated as “special considerations.” One of my issues in preparing for FET is my lining not getting thick enough. I’ve had three canceled FETs due to this. One FET cycle I was on Estrace (initially 2 pills am/pm) and baby aspirin then doxycycline, Medrol, and PIO. Another FET cycle I was on delestrogen (0.3ml every 3rd day), baby aspirin, and 5 units of Lupron then Doxycycline, Medrol, PIO. The next cycle was a stimulated FET with 150 Gonal but I ovulated before the FET. I’m currently on another stimulated FET protocol - 5 units Lupron and 150 Gonal.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Initially Ilynne McGovern then Donna Gerbhart )
Ilynne is very knowledgeable and kind. Donna is getting better. I was upset after my initial interactions with Donna since they felt rushed and as if she was irritated by my questions. She has gotten better and seems to have more patience. She now spends more time explaining things and does a better job with answering my questions. In general, I do not understand the various nursing teams Dr. Kaplan has and what the responsibilities for each are. He has his Highland Park nurses which I understand are the IVF nurses and the River North nurses (unsure what they do compared to HP). I was annoyed that their process is not seamless. On one occasion, I was told by one of the River North nurses that I needed to contact Highland Park to receive my protocol. I already feel that I have to be my own advocate, ask questions about the protocol/why certain meds are used because they do not consistently explain this, and to have to sort out logistics because communication is poor on their end shouldn’t have to be my responsibility. It’s also challenging if you have a demanding job to be available for their phone calls since they typically do not have a set time that they call. So if you are in a meeting and miss their call but have questions, you often have to email the portal since they have left for the day and need to wait for a response. I do appreciate that the nurses will let Dr. Kaplan know that I want to speak with him after a canceled/failed cycle. Typically, you are asked to leave a message with his admin, Carmen, who never seems to answer her phone or be prompt with her return call. On one occasion, I had already spoken with Dr. Kaplan (nurses had asked him to call me) the week after a failed cycle before Carmen even returned my call!
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
It is challenging to work full time and manage monitoring appointments especially since you may only be given a 1-2 days’ notice that you need to come in. It is frustrating that the nurses call you in the evening to advise on next steps but likely by the time they call, the scheduling team is gone for the day. Because of the short notice, they often cannot accommodate me at my desired time, 6:30a. I work in the far north suburbs (~1 hour drive in average). I have had to cancel important meetings, work from home, take calls from the car. My work schedule is challenging because of my level and the fact I am in meetings most of the day. This adds a layer of stress with going to appointments and not having my work suffer as a result.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My BCBS IL PPO insurance provided by my employer has different coverage for procedures vs. medications. My lifetime medication max was $15000 which was usurped with my first round of stim medications and didn’t cover the full expense. I have been out of pocket for meds ever since then. For 4 stim rounds and 5 FET preps, I’d estimate I’ve spend $20-25K in medication alone. Most of my procedures are still covered under my insurance so I’ve only had to pay deductible/co-insurance though do not know the amount. I’ve elected for PGS testing for the cycles where it was possible so for 2 rounds that was about $10K including biopsy, testing, and storage.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.