Harvard Vanguard

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.

Dr K took the time to explain his recommendations as to how we should proceed and why, which I appreciated. When our 2nd IUI failed, he called us to come in and discussed in person why he felt IVF was a better route for us at this point. I am glad we listened. He was confident that we would get a good number of eggs and he was right. He also explained what we should expect, and I felt prepared about everything going into the IVF cycle.

Don't be afraid to ask him lots of questions.

We started with 2 rounds of timed intercourse using clomid, both resulting in negative pregnancy tests. On the third try, we changed to femera and IUI, which resulted in a positive pregnancy test, but unfortunately ended in early miscarriage. On the 4th try, we repeated the same treatment, although Dr. K expressed IVF was a better option. However, we felt since it "worked" with IUI it could work again, so wanted to try that one more time. When that didn't work, Dr. K called us to come in and explained again that IVF would be a better route for us. So we agreed. We had to take a month off, but it was smooth sailing after that. Dr. K monitored how I was reacting to meds and adjusted accordingly. Because I ended up with 29 eggs retrieved and high estrogen levels, Dr K wanted to do a "Freeze all cycle" to improve our chances of implantation/transfer success. Again we had to take a month off, but then I had an easy protocol for the transfer. It was femera, a trigger shot, then a week later did the transfer. I asked Dr K if I could avoid the PIO shots and we did crinone (progesterone) suppositories instead. The transfer procedure went well, but it was not performed by Dr K. (The doctors rotate at our clinic for actual procedures)

We had a high deductible insurance plan, so we paid for everything out of pocket until we hit that amount. Then everything was covered. We have a lifetime max fertility policy of up to $25k.

Dr K felt we should do a single embryo transfer and gave his reasons for wanting to do so (although I can't recall them all now), but he felt strongly about it so we agreed.

I felt very listened to and respected by Dr. Kovalevsky. He always gave me time to gather my thoughts and ask all of the questions I could think of. He respected my wishes and adjusted my treatment accordingly, so I felt like I had more control over what was happening with my body. He is a straight talker; he was always very clear and easy to understand.

Be prepared for your appointments so that you can ask questions. He is very willing to answer any questions and adjust your treatment accordingly.

We used an antagonist protocol. I talked to Dr. Kovalevsky about lower doses, and he agreed, since my test results indicated I would be a good responder. I was prescribed 250 units of Gonal F and 20 units of HcG dilution. I went in for bloodwork and an ultrasound every other day, and I responded well to the protocol. We did not have to make any adjustments to my dosages. I also took 0.25 mg of Cetrotide. We used 10,000 units of HcG as a trigger shot, since my bloodwork and ultrasounds did not show a risk of OHSS. I took my trigger shot on Day 9, with my retrieval on Day 11. They retrieved 10 mature eggs, which produced 4 embryos after ICSI.

My medications came to approximately $600. My appointments with Dr. Kovalevsky had a $40 specialist copay. My egg retrieval and embryo transfer at Boston IVF came to $9,400. Freezing an extra sample of sperm was $325. I was fortunate that my insurance completely covered my IVF costs. Total cost to me and my husband was about $1,000.

Due to my age and health, we decided eSET very easily. Dr. Kovalevsky talked about the additional risks incurred with multiples. My insurance also set conditions on how many embryos could be transferred, so we would have had to do eSET regardless.

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).

I feel that Dr. Obasiolu is knowledgeable and has switched our protocols based on our results after each treatment. He is kind and caring. I have run into Dr. Obasiolu at the clinic when I was not scheduled to see him and he remembers both mine and my husbands name and takes time to chat with us to check in and see how we are doing. I work in healthcare so I do know that this tends to be the exception and not always the norm with physicians.

Don't expect him to be mushy or coddling. He is very factual but he is positive and honest with his patients.

Cycle1 was estrogen priming and then gonal-f and menopure. Cycles 2-3 coenzyme q-10, gonal-f and menopure Cycle 4 coenzyme q-10, lurpon and gonal-f, assisted hatching and embryo glue For the above cycles a day 3 transfer (except cycle 1 due to freeze all with no viable embryos) with estrodial patches and crinone after transfer Cycle 5 (pending) coenzyme q-10, lupron, gonal-f, meonpure with baby aspirin after retrieval, assisted hatching, embryo glue, pio and estrodial patches.

All covered by insurance. Have only had to pay copays for medications (average $300 per cycle) and $500 for embryo glue per cycle (to date only used for one cycle)

Based on my age he encouraged multiple embryo transfer and the fact that out of all embryos only 1 has made it to freeze.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Honest and blunt when delivering us facts. Open to some supplements and acupuncture in addition to the IVF process. Compassionate after my miscarriage. Very knowledgeable of pcos. Covid-19 has complicated my experience.

Do your research and ask questions. He’ll provide answers but you need to ask questions.

Frozen embryo transfer protocol: Day 5 ultrasound, Letrezole days 5-10, ultrasound and bloodwork until trigger shot, baby aspirin and crinone 1x day until transfer and continued through pregnancy test. Due to cramping and blood test for progesterone in early pregnancy they increased crinone to 2x day. Ultrasound at 6 weeks showed that the embryo was smaller than it should be. At 8 weeks there was no further growth or heartbeat and it was deemed a miscarriage. D&C performed.

Lucky to have insurance coverage for IVF.

Strongly advised single embryo transfer.

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.

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