Massachusetts General Hospital

As discussed earlier, Dr. Souter’s manner while meeting with her was consistently supportive, educational, and clear. We felt we always understood what our next steps would be, what risks were involved, and what chances we had of success. The only minor issue was how long we needed to wait between appointments to see her, but that’s just a product of how busy she is providing all of her patients with the same quality treatment.

Be proactive in scheduling any future consults. When our second IUI wasn’t successful, we preemptively scheduled our IVF consult to coincide with the third cycle of IUI, just to keep the ball in motion if the third cycle wasn’t successful.

All of our tests came back pretty normal, with the exception of some mild male factor issues (which improved with diet changes). Because everything appeared relatively normal, Dr. Souter suggested 3 courses of IUI with Gonal-F before moving on to IVF. The first IUI resulted in me getting my period before the two week wait was up. The second course was a little odd - my body didn’t respond as quickly to the Gonal-F and appeared to wind up ovulating on its own, so we did an IUI without a trigger shot. I didn’t get my period for 26 days after the IUI, but tested negative for pregnancy. The third cycle went smoothly and I received a positive pregnancy beta test 16 days after the transfer. I’m now 13 weeks along with a healthy baby!

Our insurance is excellent - we only paid copays of $30/visit, including transfers and testing. The medicines were most expensive, at about $300/cycle.

We didn’t get to this point, but because I’m still under 35, with IVF we would have done just a single embryo transfer per IVF cycle.

She was very thorough at intake and checked in after every treatment. She made us feel very comfortable and met with us after each treatment to make sure that we knew what the next steps would be. She explained any and all risks when going through IUI and what the next steps would be if we did not conceive after the third IUI.

She can be a little tough in the beginning, but so very thorough and we felt like she listened to all of our concerns.

Based on my age and how long we had been trying, she recommended that my husband get tested since I had a normal period. His tests came back normal so we decided to go through IUI as it was less Invasive and a good starting point. If after three cycles we did not conceive, we would have moved to IVF. She stressed that she works hard to not have patients become pregnant with multiples as it’s a high risk pregnancy, but we became pregnant with twins. Come to find out we have twins on both sides of the family so that could have been the luck of the draw.

I had great insurance so it was all covered.

We found Dr. Sabatini very caring and knowledgable. At our first several visits, she explained in detail our issues and advised of next steps (IVF) and the process. As we progressed further into the cycle, we were seen by various drs on the staff and that is where we ran into issues. We often left these appts feeling confused/uninformed and that no-one was "managing" our care.

Schedule all appointments directly with Dr. Sabatini if at all possible

Our treatment was IVF with ICSI and PGS testing. We went straight to this treatment due to advanced age and male factor infertility (morphology). Treatment resulted in pregnancy but subsequent miscarriage. Reason for miscarriage unknown.

We had been utilizing Dr Styer and I moved to Dr Souter. Personality wise, I just cliqued with Irene better. My husband liked both. After multiple failed IUIs, I just needed to change something up and moving clinics felt like a huge undertaking. Irene was like a breath of fresh air I needed.

Stay positive!

I don't remember exactly but this was our final IVF shot before I moved clinics. The retrieval went well this time and I knew that the transfer was good, the doctor who did it exclaimed it went really well and felt it had a great chance. This positivity helped me as well thinking things went well.

Our insurance didn't cover any treatments.

MGH had recommendations on how many to use given how many times we had tried and my age. We elected for one both times.

He is an ideal choice for MD. He is kind, warm, patient, willing to sit and talk through options. He is super straightforward and clear with facts and comprehensive in the workup he prescribes to get a full picture of a couple's fertility. We never felt rushed with Aaron, but we were eager to move forward with a treatment plan and he was happy to oblige. He was hopeful and positive and even encouraging when I became pregnant and didn't want to get my hopes up. I would recommend him to anyone--he was really wonderful.

Feel free to be honest with him about your hopes and expectations. Because he is very straightforward and thorough in his explanations he will help to adjust expectations if necessary (I was not optimistic, and he encouraged my optimism) and fully explain the results of a workup to back up his opinions about treatment plans.

I have PCOS, but I ovulate regularly. When my husband and I wanted to try to conceive, knowing I had the PCOS diagnosis, I proactively went to Aaron Styer for a workup as soon as I had my IUD removed. Aaron offered to let my husband and I try to conceive naturally for a while, but mentioned that we might derive some benefit from the use of Clomid (to help guarantee well matured eggs and time ovulation) and a trigger shot to help with timing. We were eager to conceive, so we wanted to start with that. He said that we would try that protocol for 6 months. Before the third cycle of Clomid and the trigger shot, I mentioned that my luteal phases seemed short (~10 days), so he suggested trying progesterone vaginal inserts which I would use every night after ovulation was confirmed 2-3 days after the trigger shot. On our third cycle of Clomid + trigger shot and the first cycle in which I used progesterone, we conceived our daughter. That pregnancy resulted in a live birth.

A few $15 co-pays for MD visits and some small prescription medication co-pays. My treatment and all medication was covered by my insurance.

We never got to IVF, but Aaron Styer had a strong preference for transferring a single embryo for several transfers in women under 35--which he discussed with me, should we have gone the IVF route. He was more open to multiple embryo transfer after subsequent IVF failure or in women over 35.

Dr sabatini took over my care when my initial doctor left. I met with her once via a video chat, never in person and never saw or spoke with her again after that conversation. During my cycle I had to bring up details of the cycle which should have been known and scheduled into our plan which in the end caused complications. The cycle ended in a miscarriage, I never received a follow up call or an appointment. There was no concern from her about my well being, no concern if medically I was ok or to discuss future steps to help make our family

I would not recommend her

I do not remember which medications were used this cycle. There were no complications with the medications

Monitoring appointments were quick. Scheduled time was provided but I would often be seen early

More expensive than previous clinics used. My husband and I are both currently on a payment plan and still owe $4,000

Despite previous failed results we were allowed to transfer only 2 embryos and The remaining embryos were not able to be frozen

Dr. Styer always seemed genuinely pleased to see me/us. Even if I was just there for blood work or an ultrasound and he saw me in the waiting room he'd come by to say hello. He was thorough and his explanations and thoughts on treatment seemed to be thoughtful and based on research.

MGH is a busy clinic and you won't always get to see Dr. Styer for ultrasounds or routine visits, or even perhaps your transfer. If it's important to you that you stick with one doctor, a smaller clinic might be the way to go.

We used an antagonist protocol. After a failed fresh transfer and an FET that ended at 8 weeks in a miscarriage, we asked Dr. Styer about PGS testing for the remaining two frozen embryos. He agreed, and the next PGS-tested FET embryo was a success.

My insurance luckily covered everything except the deductible and the co-pay for the pharmacy costs.

When I see Dr Styer he has a lot of patience, compassion, and answers all questions fully. I wish we had done some of the tests he recently ordered sooner in the process but really that is my only complaint.

He is difficult to schedule time with so be sure you do it far in advance.

Initially Dr Styer wanted me to try IVF but we were looking for the least invasive option. It seemed like it was more our decision than his recommendation that took precedence at that time. Since getting to IVF, he recommended ICSI and he was very familiar with our past as to what he felt was best emotionally for us. Due to insurance/our past history, we tried one embryo (Day 5 transfer) which did not work.

Expensive especially when paying out of pocket.

I have not had a multiple embryo transfer yet but hope to next cycle.

Dr. Souter is direct, no-nonsense and matter-of-fact, which I liked. She's pleasant enough, but not super warm and fuzzy if that's what you're looking for. I saw her a couple times before starting my IUIs, but will not see her again until I have done six unsuccessful IUIs (at which time I am eligible for IVF).

If you want a straight shooter, you'll probably like Dr. Souter.

So far, I have done four unsuccessful IUIs. Given my situation, I have to do six IUIs unsuccessfully before my insurance will cover IVF -- so that is the treatment plan I am currently on. I am doing natural cycle IUIs (no medication) with ultrasound monitoring and a trigger shot.

IUIs are $880 each. My medications and ultrasounds were covered by my insurance, as were my office visits.

She is extremely knowledgeable and friendly and takes her time with you answering all questions. However she ups your anxiety about when I got a positive for a possible genetic issue that was not big deal when I went to genetic counseling. She was also pretty pessimistic about my 15% of getting pregnant. Statistics include both when with issues and women who are just older. Many women in my family got pregnant naturally in their 40's. I just didn't have a partner. I was not surprised when I got pregnant on the first ivf try.

Go to her because she is good but know that she can make you a bit anxious and is overly cautious to not get your hopes up.

Standard ivf - patches, suppositories, and PIO injections.

$10000

She said to transfer two embryos to give me a chance.

As stated earlier, he has a very blunt bedside manner. Generally, I want a competent not nice doctor. I'm not sure he is either, at least if you have DOR. Zero sympathy, zero optimism (even when docs at other clinics were like "I don't even know that you have DOR") .... also, after that first appointment, he disappears

Go with him if you have a straightforward case and not DOR.... do not expect him to have a "hmmm how interesting let's see why this odd response happened" approach

antagonist protocol IVF with no suppression

insurance co=pays only

As the head of the clinic I thought he was fabulous and he was also great to us in the beginning of our process. He explained our issues in detail, explained the risks, and really understood our goals. But as soon as the process started he fell off the radar. I never saw him for any of my check in ultrasounds, he didn't do my retrieval, and then sat on genetic test results for two weeks. I felt like we got sold a personable bill of goods and then was just another number in the pile.

Be aware that you won't see him during the process and that you'll be dealing with his assistant and other Dr's throughout.

ivf with ICSI. I'm sorry I don't remember the details

10000+ with genetic testing

Dr Lippencott was always thorough and detail-oriented, but warm. I always felt like she wanted me to understand all of the possibilities and pros/cons of our decisions, but it really felt like I was a partner in the decision making. She was very accessible (although of course I tried not to abuse this!) and answered any questions fully. I never felt rushed by her. I worked more directly with the ultrasound technologist, but Dr Lippencott would always be available for consultation regarding the plan.

She is conservative--I consider this a good thing in her approach, but it may be something that some people are concerned about. Personally, I felt very comfortable with her--she was not cavalier about risks to either my health or that of my potential children. I'm in the medical field, and have seen severe side effects of fertility treatment, as well as bad outcomes in premature multiples--because of all of this, I felt much more comfortable with someone who tends towards the conservative end. It's also possible that I did not see the full range of what she would be willing to do, as my fertility issues were (thankfully!) resolved with treatments that were on the simpler end.

I had previously done 3 cycles of unmonitored Clomid (1 cycle on 50mg and 2 on 100mg), and only ovulated on the last cycle (2 follicles). Dr Lippincott diagnosed me with PCOS based on my US and confirmed that I probably had not ovulated in the prior year (I had been using urine ovulation tests without ever getting a positive line, until the last cycle of Clomid). With Dr Lippincott, she had me come in for ultrasounds on day 3 (confirm ovulation and how many follicles ovulated) and day 12-13 (confirm if a dominant follicle present). Based on the size of the dominant follicle, I would either come back in on day 16-17 (if it was not large enough to be able to confirm what day it would be mature), or they would estimate the date of follicle maturity from the day 12-13 scan. I would then administer HCG and do timed intercourse. I did this for two cycles. On my 3rd cycle with Dr Lippincott, we decided to add on an IUI; again, I did US on day 3 and day 12-13; because my follicle was still too small, we repeated an US on day 16, did HCG injection on day 16, then did an IUI on day 18. Thankfully this was enough for us!

We were lucky- covered by insurance. We have a high-deductible plan; after the discount from the insurance, we paid ~$200 per US (so $400 per cycle) plus $500 for the IUI. (With the high-deductible plan, until we meet our out of pocket, we expect to pay $150-$200 per doctor's appointment--so don't take this as the amount you would pay if you had a more conventional plan.) Clomid is pretty cheap.

As per my previous comment, Dr Styer provided an exceptional experience for my husband and myself. He always took the time to explain the procedures, options and provide a recommendation. He was compassionate to the situation but not overly coddling. I 100% would recommend him to anyone needing fertility treatments.

Take notes in your initial appt. he provides many options and details on what can be done. It is quite overwhelming in nature and in hindsight I should have taken notes vs remembering from memory.

I had two potential ectopic pregnancies before seeking fertility treatment. Dr styer started with a round of clomid, then two iuis with different drug doses and ultimately moved to Ivf.

I was very fortunate to have insurance cover my entire procedure with the exception of my deductible.

I will say, my first interaction with Dr. Souter was not ideal. She talked too fast, used lots of jargon, and because I had come to her from another clinic (for IUIs) I think she thought I knew more than I did about IVFs, which can be very different. Occasionally her accent was hard to understand. I am in healthcare and was a little lost. My husband was totally overwhelmed! My second meeting with her one-on-one went much more smoothly and she even turned her computer monitor to show me actual numbers and details, something I very much appreciated. Dr. Souter leans more towards pragmatic and blunt and could improve her bedside manner, but I have not doubted her decisions, protocols or care.

Do your homework. Learn about IVF terminology and the process. Bring a notebook to take notes and go prepared with questions since your time with her is limited. Also, do not be afraid to ask for further clarification if you don't understand something. She is very straightforward. If you are overly sensitive (not that I am not...because who isn't?) then maybe think about another doctor, though I don't know who would be best, maybe Dr. Sabatini. Call to ask the clinic.

Cycle #1: OCP/Low Dose Lupron. 21 days of Apri birth control. Lupron injection 10 units x 10 days. Lupron injection 5 units x 10 days. Gonal-f 150 IU and Menopur 150 IU injections x 10 days. HCG injection. Ampicillin, Cefoxitin, Methylprednisolone, baby aspirin (81mg), 50 mg IM injection Progesterone. Valium for transfer. Vivelle dots 2 patches every other day. Personally, I did not respond well to this protocol. I only had 5 eggs, 4 were mature, and only 1 fertilized normally. This was transferred and the cycle was not successful. Cycle #2: OCP/Antagonist. 21 days of Apri birth control. Gonal-f 300 IU and Menopur 150 IU injections x 11 days. Ganirelix Acetate pre-filled syringe 250 mcg x 6 days. HCG injection. Ampicillin, Cefoxitin, Methylprednisolone, baby aspirin (81mg), 50 mg IM injection Progesterone. Valium for transfer. Vivelle dots 2 patches every other day. I had a drastically improved response on this protocol . 18 eggs retrieved (even from my quiet ovary), 9 went on to ICSI, 7 fertilized normally, 4 made it to day 5. 1 was transferred and 3 were frozen. I became pregnant, but unfortunately it was ectopic and I had to have surgery to remove my tube. There is a slight increased risk of ectopics with IVF. Cycle #3: Cryopreserved Blastocyst Transfer. 21 days of Apri birth control. Lupron injection 10 units x 28 days. Vivelle dots varying patches every other day x 24+ days. Endometrin tabs 100mg. Ampicillin, Methylprednisolone, baby aspirin (81mg), 50 mg IM injection Progesterone. Valium for transfer. "Textbook cycle and transfer" with 1 frozen embryo, results TBD.

Dr. Sabatini was incredibly caring when we were under her care. from the moment we met her we felt confident in her abilities and process. In our first consultation visit she explained everything so well to us. She really took the time to understand what our goals were, What we were willing to go through, and then break down our options. I recommended her to another friend who also loved her. Dr. Sabatini is one of the best doctors I have ever had. Fertility treatment is hard and she was incredibly understanding of that and helped make it as smooth as possible.

Trust her!

It has been so long now since my first fresh cycle. I don't know if doctors that their own protocol but I know the clinic has specific protocols that they use. I reacted very well to their standard protocols. For my fresh cycle, I used Lupron, Follistim or gonal-F, menopur, ovidrel trigger I believe, steroids and antibiotics before transfer as well as injectable progesterone and an estrogen patch. My two fresh cycles were pretty long to start which initiated with lupron and estrogen patches. As we neared transfer, I used estrogen patches, progesterone suppositories and progesterone injections.

I had incredible health insurance and only needed to pay a copay for medication. I don't think I ever spend more than $140 per cycle out of pocket.

Due to my age and my reasons for infertility, she recommended eSET which we completely agreed with.

Dr. Tanrikut is highly trained, great at communicating, and personable. When we left our appointments we understood the next steps, both the risks and possible outcomes. There were never any surprises. Further, when we thought of questions between appointments, she was always quick to respond to an e-mail through patient gateway. My diagnosis was unobstructed azoospermia (zero sperm count). My only chance at having children was to undergo MicroTESE surgery performed by Dr. Tanrikut. My anxiety was high on the day of my surgery, but I distinctly remember Dr. Tanrikut in the operating room before they administered the anesthesia; her demeanor, professionalism, and compassion toward me gave me the reassurance that I was in the best hands possible. When I woke up, Dr. Tanrikut was there to tell me the good news that she had found enough sperm for 4 cycles of IVF/ICSI. Though the fog of the anesthesia was still heavy, I distinctly remember tears of joy; a moment I will never forget. Dr. Tanrikut then left me and delivered the news personally to my wife as well. While the success of the surgery was ultimately a matter of whether or not my body was producing sperm or not, Dr. Tanrikut’s expertise in diagnosing the problem, having the technical skills to perform the surgery, and ultimately finding the best possible outcome cannot be understated. Beyond her technical skills, her demeanor and compassionate approach to our care was just as important. She demonstrated a true understanding of the emotional struggles we faced, both for myself and more importantly my wife. A phone call after the surgery, and a personal response to the thank you note we sent after the birth of our child are just two more examples of the long term commitment Dr. Tanrikut showed us. I cannot think of any weaknesses displayed by Dr. Tanrikut during our time under her care. She is truly an exceptional doctor.

I'd say to trust her.

MicroTESE surgery. This was the recommendation after four sperm analyses showed zero sperm.

I do not recall the exact costs. But I remember that they were in line with other providers.

Strengths: MGH has a ton of experience with IVf and some of the best stats in the state. Dr. Souter works with a team of physicians who coordinate each patients care. Weaknesses: Dr. Souter sees a ton of patients so it can sometimes feel like you're just a number. She also seems to rely on standard MGH protocols so much so that she is unwilling to consider each individual patient's situation.

I think Dr. Souter is generally a good physician. I would just caution prospective patients to get a second opinion if you have several failed IVFs because she seems resitant to protocol change.

I did the long lupron protocol for both IVFs with Dr. Souter. I have PCOS and I kept inching towards overresponding with each IVF. I never had good egg quality and none of my embryos made it to blast.

The monitoring here was pretty efficient but there were times where you felt like cattle. Unfortunately I think this just illustrates the ebb and flow of a large IVF clinic.

I was very luck and my IVFs were covered 100% by insurance.

Dr. Styer was great at explaining our choices and supporting us in whatever direction we wanted to go. He was compassionate and professional. He never forced us into anything we were not comfortable with. He respected my decision to transfer 2 embryos. I chose to have him remain my RE after we moved across country and he was great at communicating even over the phone when I could not be there for an appointment. He also watched me very carefully during early pregnancy and made sure I felt taken care of, I had lots of ultrasounds for reassurance.

I would tell them to trust that Dr. Styer is doing everything in his power to have you bring home a baby, in an ethical way.

We had male factor infertility and Dr. Styer recommended IVF with ICSI.

In Massachusetts ART is covered by insurance, so we had few out of pocket costs, only around $2,000. When we were covered and when we no longer lived in MA the cost for a FET was around $4,000-5,000.

He recommended that we transfer a single embryo but I wanted to transfer two on two separate transfers and he allowed us to do that.

Ultimately, I got what I wanted: I became pregnant after two rounds of IUI. For that reason I wouldn't discourage friends from going to Dr Petrozza and I will always feel grateful for his help. However, he did very little to make what is already a horrible experience any more bearable. He came across as fairly cold and detached, which I wasn't completely bothered by. He actually would reintroduce himself at every appointment as if we had never met, which was almost funny. My real difficulty with him happened when I opted not to do a vaccine that he was pushing me to get (something that would have delayed my treatment months, I did after careful consideration and consulting a highly respected infectious disease MD) I was horrified by the way he treated me. He was belittling and not in the least compassionate. Luckily, he didn't remember who I was at my next appointment. I had a friend who had a very similar experience with him. She did say when she went back to see him to have a second child, his bedside manner had improved dramatically, almost to the point where she wondered if he had gotten negative feedback and was making a serious effort to be more personable.

As much as you can, try to go into your interactions with him with your own sense of detachment. As emotional as the process is, try to look at him as a vehicle to get where you're trying to go. Ultimately, he's a surgeon who can perform a procedure that you may need.

Dr. Souter is very direct which I like. She takes the medical care of her patients seriously and is hesitant to start with the most invasive course of action immediately. She also is receptive/concerned with the financial costs.

While she may seem tough, she is there for you when it really matters.

1 unmediated IUi 2 medicated IUI 1 IVF cycle (flare) Low ovarian reserve

Co-pays

They have a chart that outlines how many embryos will be transferred during each cycle.

Dr Styer was compassionate and a nice doctor. He didn't try any alternative protocols like they did at Boston IVF where I retrieved 8 times the number of eggs. I liked Dr Styer personally but he didn't spend the time to try other protocols

To try to investigate other options before suggesting donor eggs automatically

About $15,000.00 out of pocket

I wish they had explained options to me such as embryo freezing a year before my treatment when I first visited for information that would have been a decision I would have made earlier or even that financing was available given I was paying out of pocket and it took me a year to save the 12K

On our first meeting, Dr. Souter explained the entire process very throughly and on each subsequent visit, I felt as though I knew what to expect next. I had even run into Dr. Souter out in public in my hometown (A suburb of Boston) and she couldn't have been more pleasant- she knew me by my first name, introduced me to her daughter, interacted with my daughter (and remembered her name) whom was conceived through IVF with Dr. Souter. I couldn't be happier with her as my doctor. After my failed IVF attempt (the second of three attempts), Dr. Souter called me personally to see how I was doing and to make a plan for moving forward with another cycle.

I think if I were to give one piece of advice to a prospective patient, it would be that having a child is a miracle and no matter how good your doctor is, it might not work. You have to have patience with the process.