Harvard Vanguard

My fertility clinic experience is a little bit different as the majority of my treatment was done through my primary care physician's medical group, Harvard Vanguard, but my IVF procedures (egg retrieval, FET) were done at Boston IVF. This set up provides its own unique challenges, with my insurance company dealing with multiple entities, including genetics lab Igenomix. If my insurance allowed, I would keep all of my care, monitoring and procedures in one place because it can be a bit overwhelming.

Dr. Obasiolu sees a lot of patients, particularly after Dr. Jill Attaman left the Harvard Vanguard practice and he absorbed many of her patients. I feel that he cares about me as a person and as a patient and frequently takes the time to review my chart and information before an appointment, which allows us to move forward instead of reviewing old information, which I appreciated.

Christine French is far and away the best part about working with HVMA's fertility department. She is exceptionally kind, impressively knowledgeable and a fantastic resource for her patients. She always went out of her way to be helpful, to answer any questions and to provide a shoulder to cry on when needed. This journey has not been an easy or successful one for me and she has been my rock at the doctor's office. The other nurses, particularly Tracy, are very kind and helpful. Scheduling can be a challenge but nothing worse than other doctors' offices.

I really like Dr. Obasiolu and feel that he is competent and informed about infertility diagnoses and treatments. I have a genetic condition that requires PGD/PGS testing of embryos and felt that he explained that process very well. He is very good about answering any questions asked. My biggest issue (and one that is perhaps not unique to Dr. Obasiolu) is that I feel he was not upfront or forthcoming about success rates with IVF. With my first egg retrieval, I had 11 eggs retrieved but only 6 were mature and only 1 made it to day 5. I was shocked and extremely disappointed that only 1 of the 11 retrieved fertilized and grew to a day 5. Luckily, that was normal with PGD/PGS testing but it did not result in a successful pregnancy. When discussing the transfer, I asked what the odds of success were with transferring a healthy and genetically normal embryo and was told about 40%. I know these aren't numbers that people want to hear and are not unique to me but I wish the doctor had been more candid about the chances of success because I felt really let down at every step in this process.

Ask questions! Dr. Obasiolu is great at providing answers when asked but was not always forthcoming about information or statistics.

Because I suffer from migraines with aura, I was started on Estradiol patches before proceeding with my IVF cycles. Both times I started with Menopur and Gonal-F pens, then adding Cetrotide as an antagonist. In preparing for FETs, I was prescribed Estrace in increasing doses and progesterone in oil. For my second IVF egg retrieval, my dose of Gonal-f was increased and my nurse recommended adding CoQu10 to help with egg quality, which seemed to work.

I am incredibly lucky that Massachusetts mandates insurance coverage for fertility treatment when certain conditions are met. That being said, co-pays and out of pocket expenses add up very quickly. In addition, despite my genetic testing being pre-approved, I continue to fight with my insurance company for reimbursement for $13,000 in PGS/PGD testing expenses. Fertility medications under my insurance were about $1,000 for egg retrieval medications and $200 for FET medications. There were also co-pays for all diagnostic testing such as HSGs, hysteroscopies and sonohysterograms.

My doctor, in conjunction with my maternal fetal medicine specialist, advised against multiple embryo transfers due to my high risk pregnancy status. As we have used PGS/PGD, the best quality embryos were selected for transfer. First transfer failed, still waiting on the second one.

HVMA has multiple locations throughout Massachusetts, with two labs open on weekends. Although this can be a good thing, only one location is really convenient for me and I sometimes found it difficult to get early weekday ultrasound appointments at my location because it seems to be a popular site. If you have an inflexible work schedule this can be a challenge. Also, bloodwork needs to be done prior to 8:45 a.m. to allow the specimens to be picked up by courier.

Dr. Skiadas has been informed and up to date on all of my treatment and results during my appointments with her. I felt that she carefully put together an IVF retrieval protocol that was tailored to me. Although most of my telephone contact has been with her nurses, Liz and Caitlin, I have always felt both that the nursing staff had spoken to Dr. Skiadas and also that were very familiar with my case.

Caitlin and Liz are the doctor's primary nurses and they are both excellent. Whenever I called with a question or concern, I received a prompt call back. They both also did an excellent job of keeping me informed throughout the retrieval cycle, which decreased my stress and anxiety. I have always been impressed with the Harvard Vanguard nursing staff, including the incomparable Chris.

Although I have not been seeing Dr. Skiadas that long, I have been incredibly impressed with her. Having been through two previous egg retrievals and three failed transfers of PGD/PGS tested embryos, I feel that she worked really hard to put together a new protocol with aggressive monitoring that, so far, has yielded positive results. It was very clear to me that, prior to our initial appointment, she had carefully reviewed my previous cycles and results to find new treatment or tweaks. I had lots of questions about how to do things differently and different tests we could try and she took the time to fully respond to all questions that my husband and I had. She was very supportive of my desire to do some outside testing. Dr. Skiadas explained all of the risks and odds of success at each step of the process, something that I felt in the dark about prior to meeting with her. Although I really liked my previous doctor, I never felt truly informed about important factors to me, such as the rate of fertilization with ICSI, how many embryos can be expected to make it to biopsy, etc. Dr. Skiadas provided me with all of the information I was looking.

Dr. Skiadas seems to be a very popular doctor so make sure to always schedule a follow up appointment right away. So far I have to say that the initial delay in seeing her has been worth it!

Dr. Skiadas turned my retrieval protocol on its head, using Gonal-f and microdose Lupron with a 37 hour HCG trigger, each twice daily. I had daily monitoring and my doses were adjusted frequently. Because of my good response to this protocol, Dr. Skiadas had concerns for OHSS so she added in Cabergoline and Cetrotide post-retrieval, which was very effective.

Luckily, my insurance covers most of my fertility care and treatment so I paid co-pays for office visits, procedures and medications after meeting my deductible. I did not have to pay for monitoring bloodwork or ultrasounds. I paid out of pocket for PGD/PGS testing through Igenomix ($6k - $9k per time for both).

The clinic itself has very advanced ultrasound machines. The waiting rooms and offices at Kenmore were on the small side, but clean. Getting to Kenmore can be a challenge due traffic via car or public transit, so add atleast 20 minutes to your commute time just to be safe.

Dr. Obasiolu was always concerned about me and my husband's well being as well as the diagnostic care for treating our infertility.

The nursing staff overall went above and beyond listening to my concerns. If they couldn't answer a question right away, they let me know when I could expect an answer.

Dr. Obasiolu was very upfront that we would need IVF with ICSI to have a chance at becoming pregnant. He took the time to explain the procedure as well as a timeline for the medications I would need to take during the cycle. Dr. O was supportive of us when we had setbacks. We also appreciated that he referred my husband to a urologist that specializes in Male factor infertility. Sometimes the communication between him and that office was slow and required a couple of follow up phone calls, but that's the only negative for me. Both Dr. O and my husband's urologist came up with a plan for my husband's MFI. Dr. O warned us that this treatment plan may not work for my husband, but over a year later, his sperm count became high enough that we could finally start our cycle in 2018. I received a very detailed protocol for the IVF/ICSI cycle that with the help of Boston IVF has resulted in my pregnancy.

Dr. Obasiolu will let you know honestly how well a treatment plan may or may not work. We really appreciated his candor, but some people may find this difficult. When we had a change in our insurance plan and my husband's hormone therapy was slow to work, he discussed other ways we could start a family, such as donor sperm with IUI. I appreciated having other options to consider, but he was respectful of our final decision to continue my husband's hormone therapy. We are grateful that as a result we will have a biological child.

My husband was on Androgel prior to starting treatment. He was taken off that and started HCG. He was on that for 8 months when our insurance finally allowed him to add Menopur and Gonal F to increase his pituitary function. His urologist also recommended anastrozole to decrease estrogen production. He was on this combination of meds for about 18 months. Throughout this time, he had SA's done and his last one was high enough that we could schedule IVF/ICSI at Boston IVF. My husband didn't have to schedule a microtese surgery bc his hormone therapy was that successful. In July 2018, Dr. Obasioli gave me a very detailed protocol. I was put on estradiol to make sure my estrogen levels were low enough to start stims. I injected Menopur and Gonal F to stimulate the follicles. I also had to take cetrotide to prevent early ovulation. The dosages for Menopur and Gonal F were increased every couple of days until I was instructed to take my HCG trigger shot. After the egg retrieval at Boston IVF, I had to take progesterone cream to thicken the uterine lining in preparation for the embryo transfer. Our treatment plan resulted in 2 embryos. One was a 3 day IVF transfer and the other is being preserved. We are thrilled to expect our first child in April 2019.

The office visits I think were about $185 each and billed afterwards. Copays for ultrasounds were $35. The copays for the meds were pricey at $150 each.

Dr. Obasiolu recommended that we only transfer one embryo bc we are healthy and under the age of 35. He was concerned that a multiple transfer could result in twins or more.

The Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine at Harvard Vanguard is a large practice, with offices in several locations. That contributes to a lot of positives with respect to convenience - generally being able to schedule diagnostics (ultrasounds, labs) and basic procedures (IUIs) at a time and location of your preference. It can, however, at times lead to it feeling a bit like a factory. While my experiences with the medical team have always been positive, I have dealt almost exclusively with the nurses and by phone rather than in person. They have always been warm, professional, and thorough. But if you want a more one on one experience or a lot of time with your physician this may not be the practice for you.

All of my interactions with Dr. Skiadas, the nurses, and the medical team have been positive. However, Harvard Vanguard is a big operation and can, at times, feel like a machine. There are definite (for me) upsides to that in terms of ease of scheduling (for US, for IUI, etc.) and convenience of multiple locations. The size also means that you're one of many patients and so for the most part my interactions have not been directly with Dr. Skiadas but rather with the nurses. Personally, that hasn't bothered me. I feel like I have always been able to get questions answered and the team is responsive. And when I have had interactions with Dr. Skiadas she is warm, clear, and straightforward.

Both Caitlin and Liz are warm and compassionate and great communicators. They have been readily available for consultation and follow up questions.

Dr. Skiadas is clearly knowledgeable, compassionate, and understanding. I have chosen to try to become a mother on my own (SMC) and have never felt anything but support from her. Her approach has been clear and honest, and progressive relative to what has happened. Again, while I have primarily interacted with the nurses and other members of the medical team, rather than Dr. Skiadas, that hasn't troubled me and so far the convenience offered by the large practice has been a plus.

Because of the nature of the practice, and the opportunities to interact with Dr. Skiadas directly tend to be more limited, I would recommend being prepared to ask all your questions in those consultations if it's important for you to get answers from your RE. The nurses have also been very available to answer questions, but some patients may feel strongly about communicating directly with their physician.

Dr. Skiadas' plan and preference was to do three natural cycles of IUI. The first cycle I did was completely natural and I had a short luteal phase and early period (less than two weeks post-insemination). After that, Dr. Skiadas added a progesterone suppository to the next IUI to help maintain a pregnancy if indeed fertilization and insemination happened. IUI's 2 and 3 were natural, and 2 was with a trigger shot. The 4th was with Clomid and a trigger shot and progesterone, the 5th (due to a cyst being present) was unmedicated but with trigger and progesterone. And the 6th was with Clomid, a trigger shot, and progesterone. Cycles 1-5 did not produce a pregnancy. I am currently in Cycle 6.

To date (after 6 IUIs), I have had to pay a co-pay for IUIs and for the HSG test, as well as a copay for medication (Clomid, progesterone). Labs and ultrasound monitoring were covered by insurance.

Our family goes to Harvard Vanguard in Wellesley for EVERYTHING. Pediatrics, primary care, fertility. You name it. They are awesome. We always receive the best care possible. I am FUSSY and I love them.

I am a difficult case. Dr Lee has never given up on us. We have a beautiful 3.5 year old daughter and are trying for our second now. I have had an ectopic, a miscarriage but we will continue to try. i am confident we will have another child with Dr Lees help. Her nurses, Tracey and Kristine, are awesome. I would (and have) recommended Dr Lee to family and friends. If you do exactly as she says you will end up pregnant. You can not miss appointments though. The timing of everything in fertility is critical.

Tracey calls me at every stage of the cycle once the cycle begins. she is thorough, clear and concise with instructions. she has also provided a shoulder to cry on when things do not go as planned.

I have PCOS and do not ovulate regularly. my egg quantity is good but the quality is not great. With Dr Lee's help I have a 3.5 year old daughter and we are trying for our second. I have had an above average amount of bad luck (ectopic, miscarriage at 8 weeks due to trisomy at chromosome 20) but she and het team have never given up on me. We have changed the protocol overtime over the course of our 4 cycles (starting cycle 5 today) over the past 5 years and I have received the best possible care. Dr Lee has come in early (before the office opens) to meet with me. She has changed HER schedule to make sure SHE could perform procedures HERSELF to make sure I am getting the best care possible. She is very scientific and somewhat blunt. thats her style. But if you follow her instructions EXACTLY you will end up pregnant in no time. I have full faith in her and would (and have) recommended her to anyone that asks me about my experience with infertility. She is awesome.

She is a little scary, blunt. Not a warm and fuzzy personality. Until you get to know her. She is at the top of her game and a leader in her field so just do exactly what she recommends. she is the doctor that other doctors go to when they need advice on challenging cases.

My first cycle was successful (live birth- my daughter is 3.5 years old now) but i had hyper stimulation and was on bedrest for 8 weeks. following the birth of my daughter we have varied the protocols. at 40 my egg quantity is good but the quality is bad. we have changed the protocol, letrozole this time around, to try to get fewer but better quality eggs.

BCBS has been great. Deductibles, office visits co-pays and recently the out of pocket cost for the PGS

Dr Lee tries to find a balance between success and limiting the chances of multiples. the risks are much much higher with multiples. expect her to always be conservative in this dept.

Fabulous— multiple locations are helpful!

I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Skiadas. She was compassionate to my unfortunate struggle , but was also Very honest about expectations. She always had a plan and my trust in her never waivered.

Fabulous! Always got a call back in a timely fashion. Nursing (and reception) was super well organized. If they didn’t know the answer, they would ask my doctor and always get back to me. This is a hard and emotional process— they were always fantastic without exception.

If I had to do this process 1000 Times, I still would only choose Dr. Skiadas to coordinate my care. She performed several surgical procedures on me and I trusted her judgement and clinical skills above anyone else. Every time I had a procedure done at the hospital, all of the nurses would say “oh, you are so lucky to have Dr. Skiadas”. I could not agree more. Not only did she work to surgically improve a problem that is quite rare and not well understood, she also was always there to answer question and provide guidance and emotional support along the way during our visits. Once my issue was surgically improved, we did several rounds of Ivf. And— while it was certainly a long road— I have a beautiful baby to show for it. I could not be more grateful for dr. Skiadas. I feel like I owe her the world.

Wait for her no matter how long it takes. She is the only doctor I would ever see. Trust her process— it works!

I had multiple surgeries in the operating room prior to starting Ivf with dr. Skiadas. She performed all of my surgeries and the entire process was seamless. Once my uterus was improved, we did an IUI which was successful but ended in miscarriage. She was so compassionate during this time and helped me recover both physically and emotionally. We then did IVF and had an unsuccessful transfer x 2. The third one worked and I have a perfect little baby to show for it.

She strongly recommended single transfer.

I had a horrible experience with New England IVF upon dropping off my partners contributions. I called Dr. Lee's office and the entire staff was very helpful, compassionate and understanding. Dr. Lee called the lab and called me back herself to reassure me that everything was handled properly. My retrieval and transfer went well. The doctor and nurses were excellent and very supportive. One of the nurses even gave me a hug as I left my transfer! Upon the loss of the pregnancy, the nurses and Dr.Lee were very understanding and caring in life changing situation.

She took the time to listen, explain my situation and answer questions. However, I would have like more information on the actual process as this was our first time. I did not know all the questions to ask. Upon implantation, the office follow-up was comprehensive and then when I lost the pregnancy, Dr. Lee was very supportive and emphatic.

Very helpful in answering my questions and calling me back promptly.

Dr. Lee was very cautious about any supplements other than prenatal vitamins. I was advised to stop all supplements that I was taking under the guidance of my acupuncturist. It seemed a little odd not to take Vita C, D,DHA/EPA, etc.

For first timers, ask her what you should know that you don't know or haven't asked because you don't know what to ask.

Plan described below is exactly that a plan. It may vary based on blood work and Ultrasounds Overviewof situation: 40 years old, no previous children, partner had a Vasectomy 10+ years ago, low egg reserve, Hashimoto's and high prolactin Plan: Estrogen Patch - every other day - Just beginning cycle with estrogen patch and post transfer Gonal F 300ml x2 a day for 20 days - extremely long stim cycle as my body was not responding. Never added Menopur Ganirelix - 5 shots Novarel - trigger shot ICSI and assisted hactching Doxycycline- x2 a day for 4 days around retrieval Medrol - One pill daily beginning the day of retrieval and ending the day of embryo transfer Crinone once a day from transfer to loss of pregnancy

Cash Pay - No insurance Dr. Lee - $750 IVF New England - $12,900 Meds - $7500 Sperm Retrieval - $1900 Sperm Analysis - $1200 Other (Pre-IVF appointments, ultrasounds and Labs) not included in numbers above

I felt that burlington office was nice, but the schedule was inflexible. I thought it was confusing to have to go to other locations. I went to Welseley only because I didn't want to drive into Boston.

Jill Attaman was too busy for me. Even her staff commented several times on how busy she was. Also they are merging with Boston IVF, so I felt I was always being shifted around.

At the Burlington location it was Chris. She was lovely but all by herself so it was often left leaving messages. I often got routed to the Wellesley location to speak to others to. It was very confusing who to call. Then on weekends it was to call Kenmore location to, which was odd and very hard to get through.

Jill Attaman was very nice. However, I felt like I wasn't given any attention. I felt confused who to call and ask questions to. She only has one nurse at the Burlington location. I felt like she didn't care and didn't answer my questions easily. I'm not sure if them merging with Boston IVF was playing a role in this.

Ask questions, and ask her to be direct.

We did Gonal F, which is very expensive. There was one other injection to but I can't remember. We did the trigger shot and the retrieval in Lexington. We did genetic testing this time which is costly. Unfortunately the three embryos that did test came back all abnormal.

This part was the nightmare! We were denied from Blue Cross Blue Shield. They denied me on an old test from another doctor I was not seeing. The very information they denied me for was from a past cycle they approved. Jill Attaman although supported me I feel should could have worked harder to help appeal the decision. The cycle was incomplete because we did the genetic testing . We had no transfer, which would have cost more. When I paid for the cycle the accountant said I was all Set but the transfer was never paid for and I thought it was because she said I was all paid in full.

Again, some conflicting instructions coming from Boston IVF and the doctor's office/nurse, which led me to lose confidence in the whole practice.

There were a few instances of miscommunication/misunderstandings at Dr. Lee's office, which made me lose trust in them. It also made me feel like they either lack basic management/coordination skills or simply have too many patients handling at once. It was my first cycle ever so naturally in the beginning I was blindingly trusting they were doing everything right, but then I felt I had to double check and double confirm instructions, since I had little confidence in them.

Conflicting instructions among the nurses, lack of communication on critical information -- which caused a cycle to get canceled.

I found Dr. Lee to be a little misleading more than once. At first she said insurance would probably cover my treatment because my tubes are blocked but then the next time I saw her, she'd done a complete 180 and reversed her stance saying the probability of that happening was low because my husband had had a vasectomy, which she knew from the beginning. There were other incidents (too long to describe here) that made me lose confidence in her practice. She also didn't explain to me at all from the very beginning that she would not be doing all my procedures -- egg retrieval, egg transfer -- which would have perhaps been a determining factor in picking her and her clinic for my first cycle.

Assume nothing and double check and double confirm every piece of information coming from her office. Also, the proverbial "ask a lot of questions" -- but many people don't even know what questions to ask! Just do a lot of research on IVF cycles and potential protocols and don't be afraid to question or second-guess her.

I was never explained the rationale for the protocol Dr. Lee decided for me, but it was a patch antagonist protocol. It yielded an amazing amount of eggs: 10 were retrieved. But only 3 of those were fertilized.

We paid about $22,000 total for one cycle.

I did not get a good education on the trade offs between multiple embryo transfer vs. single.

The staff in the office truly treated me as a person. Not just my doctor and nurse, but everyone (untrasound tech/receptionist/lab staff) knew me by name. They really went out of their way in terms of scheduling for ultrasounds to accommodate my work schedule which was critical for me.

Dr. Lee knew both my husband and I by name and the details of our history. Even early on in my treatment when I was in the office for ultrasound/blood work and I happened to see her she remarkably knew exactly who I was and what stage in the cycle I was in.

Tracy is very knowledgeable and caring. She always kept me informed of what the next steps were and what each of my results meant. I knew she was truly rooting for me and was so genuinely happy for me when I was successful. I always felt supported by Tracy and all the staff at the office.

After reading some of the more critical reviews on this site, I am struck by the fact that it could not be more different than my experience with Dr. Lee. I could not be more happy with my experience with Dr. Lee and would, and have, recommended her to anyone struggling with infertility. Not only did I find her to be incredibly knowledgeable, but I always felt she was fighting for me and in my corner. Dr. Lee goes above and beyond for her patients. By way of example, after receiving some particularly disappointing test results, I was devastated. Dr. Lee could tell how upset I was and had my husband and I come in for an office visit (fitting us in during her already booked schedule) and talked everything through with us. The compassion and empathy she showed us helped us get through the most difficult time in my life and has stuck with me to this day. Dr. Lee also appealed my insurance company’s decision to require several IUIs prior to authorizing an IVF cycle and really fought for me. Unfortunately my insurance did require prior IUI’s, and I then developed cysts. During one particular cycle when I had a promising number of antral follicles but also a large cyst, Dr. Lee talked with me about draining the cyst in an effort to take advantage of the fact that I had more follicles to work with than any prior cycle. Dr. Lee drove out to IVF New England in Lexington, extremely early in the morning before her already full schedule for the day, in order to perform the procedure herself. Ultimately, this was the cycle that worked for me. Due to Dr. Lee’s knowledge, care, and ability to adapt treatment as the cycle unfolds, I was able to successfully convert that IUI cycle to IVF and now have a healthy 10-month-old son! These are just a few examples of what sets Dr. Lee apart from other doctors. Undoubtedly she knows her “stuff” so to speak, but I found her personal care and her willingness to go above and beyond (almost certainly at the expense of her own personal time) to be unmatched. As all infertility patients know, the journey is so extraordinarily sad but Dr. Lee’s encouragement kept me and my husband hopeful. I sincerely felt that she was rooting for us, would not give up on us, and when we were successful, truly shared in our over-the-moon excitement. I will forever be grateful for her treatment and care and would highly recommend her.

Insurance

I liked that the IVF patients had early appointments so I could do the ultrasounds and bloods tests before work. They are very busy though and getting in for the first appointment took a long time. They also have several locations that you can go to in combination during a cycle, so I could pick whichever location was most convenient on any given day.

She always took the time to make sure if we had any questions, that she tried to answer to the best of her ability. We didn't feel rushed at appointments. We felt like she genuinely cared about us.

After we met with Dr. Attaman and agreed on next steps, the nurses then met with us separately to review the next steps in detail and answer any specific questions about the drugs I had to take or the process and next steps. hey were very thorough an understanding and took as much time as we needed to get our questions answered.

Dr. Attaman was great to work with. She was kind and compassionate, and due to all our trouble conceiving, she was thinking about us and always searching for other options or second opinions from her peers if she didn't know what the best next steps were. She occasionally called me directly to review test results.

We started with 2 IUI's, then moved onto IVF. She allowed us to gradually try increasing doses of the fertility drugs rather than jumping in to the highest levels. She didn't push us to do more expensive (and not covered by insurance) testing, but offered them as an option for our consideration. In the end we conceived naturally on a month between IVF cycles.

Our insurance covered just about all of our treatments and testing, and fertility medications. Co pays varied but were not too expensive.

HVMA Wellesley is organized, clean and efficient. The ultrasound tech is caring and funny, and news is shared efficiently. The online option for communication is excellent.

Dr. Lee and the nurses remembered personal information about me and recognized my particular case. Every cycle was evaluated from the start and tweaked based on what we had learned during the previous cycle.

Tracy has been doing this for a long time, she's seen it all. She has a great sense of humor and is warm and caring. She's happy to answer any and all questions that come up.

Dr. Lee is very smart and very straightforward. She is not warm and fuzzy but she is as accessible and logical as they come. She's one of the more conservative RE's, as far as I can tell, but her rates speak for themselves. She gets the job done.

In 2013, we did 3 clomid/IUI cycles that resulted in negative tests. We then did one IVF cycle using Gonal F/Menopur that gave us 4 mature eggs. We did a 3-day transfer of 1 (the only one that remained at the time) that resulted in a healthy pregnancy and birth. In 2015/2016, we did 3 IVF retrievals and 4 transfers. The first was a Gonal F/Menopur cycle that resulted in 8 mature eggs. We had only two medium-grade embryos on Day 3 so we transferred one and did not get pregnant. The second was a Gonal F/Menopur cycle that resulted in 13 mature eggs. We were required to freeze all post-retrieval because my progesterone was high during the medicated portion (meaning that my lining would not have been receptive to a transfer). All but 1 embryo failed to make it to Day 5, we transferred the one high-quality embryo remaining and did not get pregnant. The third retrieval cycle we switched the protocol to a Gonal F/Lupron medicated cycle. 22 embryos were retrieved and 5 high quality Day 5 embryos were frozen. I overstimulated on the new protocol and once again had to freeze all, this time due to high estrogen. We then did an FET of one frozen embryo that did not result in pregnancy, but had 4 frozen embryos remaining. We then did an FET of two frozen embryos that resulted in a twin pregnancy.

We have great coverage under BCBS MA and paid 10% of all fees until we reached $1,000 out of pocket, after which BCBS paid 100%. We paid 10% of prescription drugs costs.

Dr Skiadas is great. The nurse manager is good. The nurse coordinators are painful and provide the wrong information which is very challenging in an IVF cycle where one misstep can cost you an entire cycle.

Dr. Skiadas herself took time to answer questions, check in with me during a loss, and was considerate. I had lots of technical questions which she was patient with. The only reason I didn’t rate her the absolute highest was the nurse staff which were often poor communicators

The first nurse miscommunicated my menopur dose. That was just the start..... The second nurse didn’t communicate my trigger accurately. Also had issues with the blood work in the lab

Dr. Skiadas is compassionate, caring, and I felt she was truly interested in getting me pregnant. She was patient with questions. I enjoyed seeing her during visits. I wish I saw her more during treatment

Come armed with questions, information about who will communicate with you and how, and how you can reach her personally if there is a staff communications issue.

Textbook antagonist protocol with a traditional hcg trigger. There was a miscommunication along the way and the nurse increased my menopur along the way, yet my Doctor hadn’t recorded it. I’m convinced this is why I had so many eggs and a mild case of OHSS. She did not recommend ICSI or PGS due to my age and the severity of my husbands MFI. When we did a second cycle, I did antagonist again with a lower menopur dose, CoQ10 for my husband and I both, thyroid meds for me, ICSI due to low fertilization rate the first time around, and PGS due to a loss.

I used insurance so we only paid for PGS

She wanted to transfer more than one due to my age, but my insurance required an eSET for the first attempt. It just worked out that each time I did a cycle and transfer, I had one embryo remaining and insurance did not allow banking.

After I was told that they could do nothing more for me, I actually reached back out to them about natural cycle fertility treatments I had heard about since my body was unresponsive to the fertility treatments, I was simply told they did not do that and that was all. I was crushed.

I was devastated by the results of the treatment. We initially started treatments with my husband being the problem and discovered along the way that I was also the problem. After three failed attempts, each going worse than before, we were told that the process would never be successful for us. I was devastated, but also I was extremely concerned for my health as a woman. I felt like she offered no attempt at answering any of my legitimate women’s health concerns, but instead offered info for adoption or surrogacy.

They were very nice, but when I began to get horrible results, I felt like I needed more compassion and support than I was given.

I was devastated by the results of the treatment. We initially started treatments with my husband being the problem and discovered along the way that I was also the problem. After three failed attempts, each going worse than before, we were told that the process would never be successful for us. I was devastated, but also I was extremely concerned for my health as a woman. I felt like she offered no attempt at answering any of my legitimate women’s health concerns, but instead offered info for adoption or surrogacy.

I hope you have no unforeseen or rare situations that arise.

Attempted a “fire” round of fertility drugs in an attempt to be as aggressive as possible to get my ovaries to produce eggs.

I had excellent health coverage and it cost almost nothing.

However, I think that the worst thing about our overall experience may actually have been our interactions with Dr. Obasiolu's clinic infrastructure and his ancillary staff. Everyone with whom we interfaced was (at best) rude and (at worst) actively obstructive to our care. We would call with questions about certain medications, and we would be blocked by nurses who did not know the answer but would refuse to contact a physician to obtain the answer. We dealt with nurses who forgot to call in time-sensitive medications, such that we had to spend hours on the phone ourselves, frantically pleading with pharmacies to rush us the requisite meds. This all occurred 3 years ago, and as I am typing this, I am actually becoming tearful and viscerally upset - it was such an awful experience, through and through, and I am still feeling emotional about it years later. We would not wish our experience in this clinic on our worst enemy. I was so overwhelmed and scared by the whole process that I did not appropriately self-advocate - and as a result, we wasted a whole year and suffered through a lot of emotional grief that likely was unnecessary. I don't mean to imply that our subsequent experiences with IVF were a picnic - they also were quite stressful - but having a physician that we loved and trusted through the journey made the experience so much better.

I do not think that Dr. Obasiolu is a monster, so my intention is not to vilify him as a person. But the impression that we received from him was that he did not care about us (beyond our insurance payments to his practice) - essentially, he barely knew us, and his bedside manner was terrible. In the spirit of full disclosure - my husband and I are both physicians, and I specialize in pediatric palliative care - so bedside manner and communication is extremely important to me. Dr. Obasiolu barely remembered our names, let alone our medical histories. He rushed through every visit, rarely making eye contact with us, and his body language was similarly rude. He seemed disinterested in our answers, and he appeared to be spending very little energy/thoughtfulness on reviewing our medical information and/or putting together a treatment plan.

Even worse than his suboptimal demeanor and professionalism, we now also retroactively question his medical fund of knowledge and treatment planning. Despite a year of "testing" and "treating" us (which included a failed IVF cycle), he never diagnosed either my husband or myself with any issues. Within a month of seeing our new physician, however, we learned that my husband had anti-sperm antibodies cross-linking his spermatids, entirely impeding their motility. Because we had such trouble communicating with Dr. Obasiolu (and there was such tremendous lack of transparency with every step of the process in his clinic), we don't know whether or not he did ICSI with our IVF. Without ICSI, there is no way that my husband's sperm could have successfully fertilized any of my eggs, and the entire cycle would have been a waste of money (not to mention a huge strain on our emotional reserve). After we switched to our current physician, we also learned that I was underproducing a specific hormone precursor, and I was started on a supplement for this. Who knows if this made a difference or not (although we did have a successful IVF cycle with our new doctor) - but we were so appreciative of the thoroughness and thoughtfulness that our new doctor applied to our case. He demonstrated a comprehensive and sophisticated fund of knowledge regarding the synthesis and metabolism of hormone precursors that we very much doubt Dr. Obasiolu had. Neither my husband nor myself pretend to have a nuanced understanding of reproductive endocrinology, but we trust our current physician implicitly, and this physician has pointed out to us (in a kind and professional way) a number of medical errors that Dr. Obasiolu made in our treatment plans.

Mostly covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, as mandated and the state of Massachusetts.

My clinic was very professional and understood all my needs as a patient. They worked with me on getting the proper treatment and care. They were always there to give me advice and support when I needed it the most.

Dr. Obasiolu and his staff were so helpful and caring to me during my entire process. He explained everything to me and I was able to receive the best care and treatment. Having him as my fertility specialist has changed my life in so many ways.

The nursing staff was helpful and kind through out my treatment.

Dr. Obasiolu explained everything to me during our first visit. He helped me to understand what IVF was and the entire process. He walked me through every step and always said I could come and see him when I needed to. He made me feel very comfortable as his patient and I never left his office unsure of anything. He made sure he answered all my questions and that the other nurses took care of all my needs.

I would just say to explain everything to him and make sure you ask questions.

The treatment strategies were just to follow his instructions and follow the instructions when administering the medications he prescribed to me during my treatment.

My insurance covered most of my cost except for genetic testing.

We talked about my embryos and he made the best selections.

The Kenmore and Burlington locations are great. Only hitch at Wellesley is that the waiting room is shared with OBGYN. It's hard to hear people excited about their early pregnancies while you wait for your infertility appointment.

Everyone in her practice treats me and my husband well. They asked questions about our life and always seem familiar with our case when we call.

Tracy, in particular, is fabulous. Calls back quickly with results, explains things clearly, and answers questions. She never makes me feel rushed.

Dr. Lee presents as a scientist, not a social worker. She's a problem solver. She presents options and explains pros/cons. The only challenge has been wait time on the phone and for an appointment - although ultrasound appointment options are great.

Be prepared to be educated and given choices, not just told what to do.

Lots of testing, then Letrozole for follicle stimulation and Ovidrel to trigger. We've varied the dosage based on my response to try to get the right number of follicles. The first cycle produced too many, the second we got the dose too low. This cycle looks good so far!

My insurance covers some, but it's been a couple thousand out of pocket so far. This was expected, and they had me check on my coverage before starting.

N/A

Dr. Skiadas and her team are great; I have heard nightmares about her colleagues (one in particular). Stick with Dr. Skiadas and don't see one of her colleagues in the event she is unavailable for something.

Dr. Skiadas is amazing. She really seems to care about all her patients (both me and my spouse), and always remembers (or is really good at writing notes and reviewing before the next appt) personal details about me and the conversations we had. She is respectful of our goals and desires, and always asks for our input.

We had a few hiccups with nursing staff not totally being on top of the treatment plan (assuming we were following a standard course when Dr. Skiadas had recommended some uncommon changes). They were all very kind and supportive, just maybe didn't spend enough time reviewing charts before making calls.

Dr. Skiadas is very skillful as a physician and a wonderful, warm person. She is incredibly knowledgeable, but won't hesitate to consult with colleagues if a situation arises that she hasn't treated before. She was appropriately aggressive and didn't try the same thing that failed too many times. She truly seemed to care.

It is worth the wait for appointments to see her; don't settle for another doctor at the practice!

Insurance copays.

She recommended a single embryo transfer based on my age and other factors, but was very patient as I asked her about a lot of statistics, the possibility of a selective reduction if we transferred multiples, etc. She never judged but gently advised what she thought was best.

Harvard Vanguard is convenient because of its multiple locations in boston and cambridge. This is helpful for blood work and ultrasound. Harvard Vanguard is part of IVF new england. There are not a fertility clinic in their own right.

She followed a standard protocol for all the treatments I had. Without considering my endometriosis (which she denied I had) or my AMH levels.

Nurse stuff are doing most of the work. They were all good and efficient.

Sadly I did not have a good experinece with Dr. Lee. She is a straightforward doctor. She dosen't show passion for her patient. She does not consider the patient's symptoms but will follow a standard procedures. This might not be entirely her fault, be due to the Harvard Vanguard standard procedure and luck of flexibility. She is fast and direct. For some this might work.

To challenge her assumptions. Be informed and prepared ahead.

Despite of my clear symptoms of endometriosis. Dr. Lee diagnose us as unexplained. This wrong diagnose lead to 3 failed IUI which could have been avoided if she would send me directly for a Laparoscopy. (Where I later find out the poor state of my tubes). It also lead to 2 failed embryo transfer. Since the protocol was not adapt for a patient suffering endometriosis. She didn't use a suppressive protocol but a standard antagonist protocol without the use of the pill in the first phase.

All costs were covered by the insurance.

Can be difficult to schedule appts at the time/place I needed. Lab services are quick with good hours. Ultrasound tech and support staff at Burlington HVMA are wonderful. Friendly scheduling coordinators

She was warm and friendly. Helped with appointments and her nurse was very helpful and prompt.

Easy to talk to, very knowledgeable and experienced. Warm and personable. Able to answer all my questions

Professional, warm, friendly, knowledgeable, easy to make appt with. Listened to my concerns and made adjustments based on age and prior retrieval cycle.................................... .

Have your questions and concerns ready. Explain your goals and expectations so that she can personalize your treatment

We are also doing PGS testing, so it was requested that she increase dosage to account for low number of normal embryos last cycle and she was agreeable. Gonal F 300, menopur 300, cetrrotide, hcg and lupron trigger. Retrieval is in 2 days so no results yet

Usually right on schedule. Could be difficult to schedule ultrasound at preferred center on some days

High med copays, high deductible. Other costs covered by insurance

Prefers single transfer and options/risks were explained

Transfers and retrievals are done at Boston IVF, I didn't realize that at first, but it's fine. Otherwise I love that they're part of a larger health care network so you have multiple locations that you can use and transferring to an OB within that network is easy.

She was very straight with me about what was happening, what the odds were, etc and then actually let us make the decisions

Everyone I spoke to were very compasionate and answered my many, many questions

She was very compassionate and understanding. Was patient with my issues, I'm not great at this. Let me make informed decisions about everything, did not try to sell me any procedures, made us feel like it would be fine if we quit at any time.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, she'll give you an accurate answer.

Natural frozen cycle (the BEST IVF treatment I've ever done). She also did a lupron protocol for the egg retrieval and used high does CoQ6 during stimulation that resulted in a lot of viable embryos.

Covered by insurance

She will only transfer one unless there's a reason to do more. In my case we did genetic testing on day 5 embryos, no reason to do more than 1

Convenient location, convenient appointment times. Attached to a clinic that provides other services. Parking was good. Overall the staff was professional but they seem to have too many patients to really care about your personal care.

Patient load is too high. Had to learn a lot on my own. Felt like follow-up wasn't great.

Sometimes nurses were very caring but I had other incidents where I felt they treated me like a number and just weren't responsive to my feelings.

Dr. Skiadas is sweet and seems caring but her patient load is too high and she is never the doctor that attends the retrieval or the transfer, she just sets the protocol. I also felt she could have provided more information and assistance early on and after my insurance ran out I felt abandoned and hopeless.

Just be aware she does not handle your retrieval and transfers. You also need to speak up and advocate for yourself if you have questions and concerns.

I felt it was very random and specifics weren't discussed too much. I felt so naive through the first cycle and wish I would have known more.

Insurance covered 90% of my costs.

The front desk staff was super helpful and there were several locations so I was able to get my appoitments in when I needed them. They also sent me to more local clinics whenver possible so I could avoid a nasty commute

She and her nurses were genuinely invested in our success. They were SO excited to call and tell me I was pregnant. They squeezed in ultrasounds before office hours if they couldn’t get me in when I needed one based on my cycle.

They were simply amazing. They explained everything very well and were so sweet and helpful. I felt like they were 100% committed to helping me

To be honest I think I only saw her once or twice. She was nice and knowledgeable but I didn’t get the majority of my info from her. She did explain the tests that I was getting and next steps but she was not overly friendly or talkative, which is fine with me

Ask as many questions as possible

I only used letrozole for 2 cycles. I got pregnant both times but the first time my numbers dropped quickly.

Everything was covered by my insurance. I just had to pay copays

Extremely organized, thoughtful and thorough. They have a patient system that you can log onto to get various test results, see upcoming appointments and most importantly ask questions of your providers. If it is an emergency, make sure to call. They are very responsive.

Dr. Skiadas is thoughtful and kind and takes her time with us, always. She is sympathetic when she needs to be and hopeful when she needs to be. She is great at explaining the facts in a way that we can understand and is always empathetic of what we as the patients are going through.

I find HVMA to be extremely organized and well run. The nursing staff overall are wonderful, however, when you get reassigned, sometimes it is not seamless. You have to make sure you ask questions, clarify all timelines and treatments and double check med levels. Usually they are spot on, but make sure you are your own advocate.

My experience with Dr. Skiadas, although we have not been successful yet in having a child, has been positive. I do not think that I could have made it this far without someone so intelligent thoughtful and caring.

None.

IUI and first round fully covered. Subsequent rounds I had to pay for the screenings and monitorings.