RBA

Dr. Toledo was upfront when things were not going as well as expected. He laid out a clear plan of what our next steps were and provided us with sound and logical information. He always was kind and open to discussion regarding what we were comfortable with.

He is a great doctor who cares and wants to help in any way. He is also very open to what your wants and needs are and bases his recommendations on that information.

We decided based on how many embryos were produced if we were going to genetically test them or not. If there were 3 or less embryos, we were not going to test them and take our chances. We ended up with 2 embryos so we did not test them and transferred 1 embryo in July 2018 that resulted in pregnancy and ended in a miscarriage at 8 weeks. Looking back I wished I had gone ahead with genetic testing. We are now testing the remaining embryo, not on Dr. Toledo's recommendation but because I have had 2 miscarriages consecutively and cannot fathom going through that process again.

$14000 for first egg retrieval, additional 6-8K for meds, $4k for transfer.

Dr. Toledo and my husband and I decided for eSET due to the fact we have had a previous successful pregnancy (my 2 year old) and that multiples for me could be high risk since I am a petite person and complications could be high if I had multiples. Also we discussed that we knew we wanted 1 more child, but we were not sure if we wanted a total of 3 children.

I saw Monica Best beginning of January 2018 after switching clinics. We had a wonderful first consultation where we went over everything that took place during my previous cycles as well as what she would suggest we do moving forward. Before being able to start treatment I ended up pregnant with what ended up being a molar pregnancy. Dr. Best handled this horrible situation with care and compassion but always made sure to tell me the risks involved and 6 month monitoring during this process. After my HCG hit negative we were able to begin preliminary testing for an egg retrieval cycle with protocol suggested. This was as far we got before she left the practice.

She is no longer practicing at this clinic but if you find her at another clinic she is amazing! The best choice of doctor in the Atlanta area.

For treatment of Molar pregnancy I had a next day D&C followed by weekly blood draws until my HCG hit negative followed by monthly negatives for six months to ensure HCG did not rise again. We also performed an SHG and routine genetic testing as well as infectious disease screening before starting an IVF cycle.

Dr. Brahma is soft spoken and will answer any question asked. She can move through the material quickly as I'm sure she has many patients to get to and this material is routine for her. She was clear in her concerns at the beginning. We met with her twice in person and once by phone for the entire cycle process beginning to end.

Take notes and when you are unsure what she is saying speak up, right then, to ask her to elaborate. Also, every visit seemed to feel somewhat 'cut short' as her nurse would knock on the door and saying something along the lines of 'they are ready for you when you are' as if to very politely say 'Times up". Just know that will happen. I do wish our appointment times were longer.

I was on the highest dosage of medication allowed as my AMH is low and 'egg age is older then my biological age'. We built a probe through Cooper Genomics for PGS and PGD testing to look for cystic fibrosis.

We built a probe through Cooper Genomics to PGS and PGD testing for cystic fibrosis. The cost for that was $4,500 and $1000 for up to 8 embryos. The probe is kept to be used for any additional cycles/embryos. Medication was ~$5300 Single transfer was $4500 Multiple transfers (until a live birth) was $6000 (The is PER retrieval) Overall we gathered our out of pocket costs to be $35,000. Ours was more because of the extra genetic testing and lack of insurance paying. There is no discount for paying cash for a cycle.

She stated that single embryo transfers are more successful so multiple transfers were not common in their facility.

The first time I met with Dr. Straub, he was compassionate yet blunt. Blunt due to the issues my age may play a role in success of any fertility procedures. I understood that. The last time I met with him was after the failure of my procedure. He was extremely encouraging, as my body did everything it was supposed to do to prepare with the help of the fertility drugs and we had a great looking embryo. It was the "flip of a coin", as he put it, whether the pregnancy would happen. Because everything set up so perfectly, he is completely on my side in taking 1 more chance.

He's a good guy. You can't go wrong choosing him to be your physician.

I started with Lupron injections. Then, patches and internal suppositories were added. These were simply to control my cycle and prepare my uterus. I was lucky as I had no apparent side-effects of any of the medications. The results were excellent as my uterus did everything it was supposed to do in the expected time frames.

My costs for embryo transfer were ~$6000 + medications. Insurance covered the cost of the initial consultation and the FemView (maybe?).

We never discussed multiple embryo transfer. I'm not sure that is even a consideration due to my age.

Dr. Shapiro is one of the most personable, attentive, kind and energetic doctors I have ever been treated by. Any time my husband and I came to see him or just came to the clinic for other visits, he would always make sure he remembered us by our names and gave us the warmest greeting. He is extremely attentive and will spend all the time we need at each appointment we had with him. We have never felt rushed and always felt very comfortable asking any questions we might've had for him while he was always very graceful answering all of them. He is one giving soul who takes mission trips often, dedicated his time to much research and is an amazing world of knowledge, and I wish all medical professionals had the same attitude about their patients, as it means so much to us, especially in case with fertility treatment us patients get very vulnerable and experiencing so many new emotions. If I ever had a question for him I would always get a call from him very soon. Any time I was at the clinic and bumped into him he would always make sure he acknowledges me and always gives a moment for some encouraging words. So having such qualities as kindness, attentiveness, being highly knowledgeable in the sphere, having fine bed-side manners, and a great sense of humor, make an outstanding medical professional in my book! Hands down Dr. Shapiro is on top of the list for me!

Trust him he is one great fertility specialist!

Given that my husband and I are both healthy and have no reason to not be able to conceive on our own, Dr. Shapiro first recommended to go with IUI, and try it a few times before we consider IVF. He seemed very rational and considered of our situation and always tried to be very frank and honest with us. Never have we ever felt that he is not invested in our journey. It always seemed that he is also concerned with our financials as well, since he mentioned that IVF is a very costly treatment and lets stay away from it as we can. After two unsuccessful IUI treatments my husband and I have decided to go with IVF. Dr. Shapiro was very supportive of that. Every time along the way whether it was IUI or IVF he was extremely informative, has had multiple consultations with us to make sure every detail is covered. At the current moment we are kind of half way in IVF treatment, and only yesterday I had the eggs extracted for fertilization. Once again the preparation period, including ultrasounds, blood work, genetic consultation, nurse consultations and more, was great and made us feel that we do have a fantastic team of professionals that are guiding us and "thinking for us' to some degree which was a very comforting feeling since it al was very foreign to us. So the path to the surgery was not as draining as I was expecting and have heard it would be from outside parties, online research, etc. and again the reason being that I was very well informed and guided and felt a lot of support from my doctor whom I trust and his team. He had assured me that I would have great response to the medications / shots I was using leading to the egg retrieval and that was the case. He was pretty excited on the day of the procedure to inform me with the outcome. Aside the psychological burden we experience as patients, the process was very well orchestrated and organized which relieved me of so much stress. Dr. Shapiro has so far exceeded my expectations and I would recommend him in a heart beat!

I was given a range of 25-30,000 for the IVF treatment.

Dr. Shapiro had mentioned to us that many patients do in fact transfer multiple embryos for many different reasons. We did not feel that he was steering us to one or the other direction and what he did is inform us of all the potential results / consequences of a multiple embryo vs. single embryo transfer. After he had heard our story and realized our situation he was very much focused on our personal situation and our needs.

From the moment my husband and I met with Dr. Shapiro, there was an instant connection. He treated us like real people. Real people going through a not so great time in our lives. We never felt rushed to leave the office when talking with him. He always made sure that we knew the course of action being taken and why. If there was something I or my husband didn't understand, he would explain it again in a different way. If something didn't work to his liking, he'd tweak the protocol. If he was stumped as to why we couldn't get pregnant, he would schedule an appointment with us, bring food, and make sure we went through everything with a fine toothed comb. He'd even text or call to check on us during retrievals, after transfers, or while waiting to things to happen. My experience with Dr. Shapiro has been one of the best when dealing with a doctor.

Trust him. He knows what he's doing!

For the retrievals, I was put on Gonal F, low dose HCG, and Lupron. Each was tweaked after each round to try and get the best possible number of eggs. For the transfers, Estrace, Crinone, and estrogen patches were used each time. After each failed transfer, the protocol was also tweaked. Part of this was due to my having a thin lining. With the tweaking, my uterine lining continued to thicken each time.

Our insurance did not provide payment for services. The cycles cost around $14,000 and embryo freezing/genetic testing cost around $2000 for a package, unlimited for 6 mo. I believe. This has also changed a bit since new ownership.

None. Completely trusted him.

Dr. Best was always very thorough and friendly. She had excellent bedside manner and seemed to want the best. My only negative was sometimes the plan was not communicated effectively and I was unsure exactly what was happening with my eggs after retrieval. There was a necessary change in our plan, but I wasnt informed of the plan until I was in pre-op for egg removal which made it very stressful.

Be upfront with your concerns and needs and she will try her best to accommodate you.

We did egg retrieval with a frozen day 5 transfer. 10 eggs were fertilized, 5 frozen at day 1 and 5 grown to day 5. Only one embryo survived. I was unable to do a fresh transfer due to hyperstimulation. The embryo transfer resulted in a live birth.

The ivf was around 5000, medications about 6000, and sperm donation was about 1000. Office visits were about 1000 out of pocket.

She encouraged a transfer of 1. There wasnt an option for 2 due to only one embryo surviving but i was educated on why they prefer only 1 at a time.

I've Dr. twice. The first time was the initial consultation, he described his treatment plans to us in an effective way. The second time I met with the Dr., I express my incline to move forward to IVF after 3 failed letrozole cycles, he did went over the procedure and the types of medications that I will be on. After the appointment, he told me to contact the clinic when my period starts or when I want to start IVF cycle.

He is receptive to your opinion about the treatment plan, so do your own research and tell him how to proceed with the plan

He prescribed me to 3 cycle of monitored timed intercourse with letrozole. I did that but didn't get pregnant. Next option is to do IUI if I choose to, but I decide to go straight to IVF due to the fact with he won't change my medication to injectable due to high risk of multiple. So right now, I'm waiting for my period to start to do IVF, the treatment for IVF is: minimal dose of FSH, and ganirelex for about 10-12 days with monitor. I will be trigger with either HGC or Lupron, more likely Lupron since it has a lower risk of ovarian hyperstimulation. If it is Lupron trigger, then we will do a FET.

Every is out-of-pocket for me. It is around $600 for a cycle with monitor. This consists of the first Ultrasound in the beginning of your cycle, blood work. Then you have another mid cycle ultrasound to determine if you are near ovulation.

He will do a simple embryo transfer because the clinic has a high success with it.

He seemed like a well vetted doctor who was current on his knowledge. He was a good listener, efficient, and concerned with the the things we mentioned as concerns. It seems like he's really honed his craft. He and his wife used the clinic themselves which helped make him relatable.

Don't wait. Modern medicine is a beautiful thing. Dr. Toledo can help you conceive.

He suggested some initial investigative work including an HSG, SIS, a semen analysis for my husband, and extensive blood work for both of us including some genetic testing. He recommended 3 rounds of IUI with femara with progesterone supplementation after ovulation. A baby aspirin per day through the first trimester. Continued metformin and thyroid hormone supplementation. Trigger shot if needed to stimulate egg release. If all that failed he would move to IVF.

Not cheap and not covered by insurance mostly.

N/A

He is very knowledgeable and not afraid to move on to a more aggressive treatment quickly. I feel like our money is well spent and we are not wasting time and money on tests and procedures that are a waste of time.

Expect the appointment to be more of a no nonsense business discussion. His bedside manner in not all warm and touchy.

We did one round of IUI with Clomid at 50mg. We had a low response to this and learned of MFI. We switched to IVF and I took Gonal-F 150 and Ganirelix. We had 27 eggs retrieved, 26 were mature, 22 fertilized (ICSI and conventional), 15 embryos made it to 5 day blast. We froze all to prevent OHSS. We decided then to do PGS testing and had 6 normal embryos make it out of that. I just went in (today) for my first frozen transfer and now am waiting for the results.

IUI was $1,500; IVF with PGS was $13,830; unlimited FETs (until we bring home a baby) was $6,500

Dr. Best makes sure she takes time with each patient. She even has a sketch pad that she illustrates exactly what the fertility issues are. It was nice for my husband and I to see from her perspective why we were experiencing infertility and would need IVF.

I would have to say that it is difficult to get an initial appointment. We had to wait 3 months for the schedule to open up; however, we are so glad we were patient and waited. She was exactly what we needed in a doctor for our infertility journey.

Dr. Best first listened to everything we had already tried with other doctors. She explained that she wanted to complete some diagnostics of her own to see what was going on. She asked that we both get physicals, and she performed an HSG and an SHG on me. She was able to see that not only do I have uterine fibroids, but I also have hydrosalpinx on my fallopian tubes. She then explained that the fallopian tubes should be removed. We shared our concern to ever conceive on our own, and she listened to us. She shared her medical opinion, and ultimately let us decide our course of treatment. For now, we are going to have the right tube removed and attempt to conceive on our left side with some more fertility drugs, while we attempt to save up for IVF. She was very real about percentages and results experienced in the office with this treatment plan.

I was not covered for any treatment under my insurance. I paid: $250 at inital appointment $98 for second appointment $196 for SHG $1,000 for HSG $121 for consultation meeting Quoted: $14,500 for 1 cycle of IVF and $5,000 for medications.

Dr. Best explained that she would allow us to decide to transfer one or two embryos based on what we were comfortable with. She said she would not transfer more than two at a time, since there are risks with multiples.

Dr. Toledo has an incredible bedside manner. He really understands what his patients are experiencing emotionally and knows how difficult infertility can be. He made me feel like I was a partner in deciding what treatment options we would pursue. Because my condition turned out to be so unusual (unexplained thin uterine lining that does not respond to hormones/drug therapy and makes carrying a baby highly unlikely) I did a lot of research on my own. I would bring different possible treatments options to Dr. Toledo and we would discuss each one. He made it clear that he was willing to try anything so long as it wasn't dangerous. I also made it clear very early on that it was very important to me that he didn't "sugarcoat" my diagnosis. Dr. Toledo respected my request and always discussed matters with me as an equal - not as a superior. On top of all that, he is a very optimistic person and makes it very clear that he will not give up on you.

Keep a list of questions as they arise and bring them to your meetings with Dr. Toledo. He will answer all of them. Do your research ahead of meeting with him so you can work with him to develop a plan/protocol that is right for you - he is great at creating customized protocols based on your specific needs as a patient. And be your advocate. At one point early on in my treatment I felt like a protocol wasn't right for me and one of the nurses was discounting my concerns. When I spoke with Dr. Toledo he listened to me, understood that I knew my body better, and worked with me to deviate the treatment so it was better suited to my body.

I had an antagonist protocol for my IVF cycle. I was on Gonal-F, Menopur, and Ganirelix. The doses were very light and this was done because I have PCOS. Dr. Toledo listened to my concerns about the possibility of developing OHSS and monitored me closely to ensure this didn't occur. But I was also concerned about using a Lupron trigger (and not an HCG one) - I had read that eggs may not mature as much with a Lupron trigger. But a Lupron trigger is often used with PCOS patients to lessen the risk of OHSS. Dr. Toledo monitored me carefully and after 10 days of stimming allowed me to trigger with HCG. For my retrieval we had 24 eggs (15 were mature), 14 fertilized, 5 made it to day 5 blasts, and 3 tested normal in PGS. I did not have any complications during or after egg retrieval. Unfortunately I have been unable to transfer any embryos (yet) due to my thing lining. But Dr. Toledo has worked with me to try at least 4 different frozen embryo transfer (FET) protocols to try to develop my lining. None have worked so far but he continues to work with me and present new strategies.

IVF cycle (freeze all with genetic testing) - approx. $14,000 FET unlimited transfers until live birth - $6500 My medications were about $4000 for IVF and FET but those were not through the clinic (purchased through specialty pharmacies). I also had a hysteroscopy performed by Dr. Toledo. It was approximately $2000 (not covered by insurance).

I have not made it to transfer yet. However, Dr. Toledo has strongly encouraged that if/when I do I transfer just one embryo, particularly because mine are PGS tested. I get the impression that I could push for two and he would consider it but he has not said that (and I only want to transfer one).

Dr Brahma is a wonderful doctor, she explains processes in great detail and will listen to all my concerns and answer all my questions. Never have I felt rushed when meeting with her. She takes all the time that I need to make sure I'm comfortable with the information she's provided. An opportunity I feel Dr Brahma could add to her amazing practice would be to consider more protocols. Especially for DOR patients that don't respond to aggressive stims. There has been a lot of new research and she is aware of it but she sticks to standard protocols. I totally get that when its the first round, but after they fail, why not try something new? The other opportunity I see for Dr Brahma would be to consider more alternative therapies. She does agree with acupuncture but not Chinese herbs. She does not agree with using any supplements that may have desiccated organs. She doesn't suggest any dietary changes.

Do your research about whatever you're diagnosed with. As great of a doctor Dr Brahma is, you still have to advocate for yourself. Ask all the questions you need to feel comfortable. She will answer them and tell you if she agrees with them or if they aren't procedures she would suggest immediately. She is a great listener and provides sound medical advice.

Clomid - I ovulated too early then had cysts for months and months after Lupron, Follistim, Menopur - Only had two follicles, canceled IVF Estrogen, Ganirelix, Follistim, Menopur - Only had two follicles, demanded to proceed and both were retrieved and fertilized. - did not achieve pregnancy HSG - Showed Polyp, had hysteroscopy that removed polyp and endometritis Femara, Follistim, HCG - IUI failed Femara, Follistim - breakthrough bleeding, cycle cancelled Moved on to Donor Egg - Transfer 4/11/17 (next week!)

25k for an IVF, 18k for Donor Egg. Once I got insurance they filed everything thru them and I did not see the prices

I can't say enough nice things about Dr. Toledo. I feel so well cared for and my husband also lijrs and trusts him which is really important in the field. I feel like he genuinely wants us to succeed with every cycle. And he's never pushed me to do something that I wasn't ready to do. We started out very conservatively with my first few cycles and only moved to IVF after all other methods proved unsuccessful.

Plan ahead! He can be hard to get in to see. Usually he has a pretty long wait to get an appointment, so plan to schedule your appointment a few months before you actually want to be seen. Make notes or talking points ahead of time and try to think of questions ahead of time to get the most out of your time with him!

First few cycles were tuned intercourse with femara. Then we moved on to follistim and femara for 1 cycle with timed intercourse. The next month we planned femara + follistim again but we were going to do and IUI. I ended up over responding to the meds that cycle so I was converted to IVF and had a fresh transfer. After a negative pregnancy test that month, we are planning a real IVF cycle next month.

Dr. Best had to remove my Fallopian tubes. It was one of the most difficult periods in my life. She was very kind and compassionate about the situation. I had to trust that she knew best. Fast forward to one beautiful toddler and current pregnancy with TWINS! I guess she knew what she was doing! We are forever grateful for her. Not only would we recommend her to others, WE HAVE. We are donating our remaining embryos, and Dr Best will be the doctor.

Enjoy the journey, and learn more than your friends know about reproductive health.

For retrieval, Gonal-F, Ganirelix and luepron (for trigger). For both transfers estradiol patches, progesterone oil and low-dose aspirin.

It was great! 50% discount for vets

Dr. Shapiro truly cares. It feels like my disappointments are his disappointments. He wants us to succeed. Even if my dream is not what he would dream for his life he wants to be able to help me get my dream. He is honest and straightforward.

Say hello to everyone in the office. When you are nice and friendly, the staff gets to know you. Then you feel like everyone is rooting for you.

I have a very high AMH with out PCOS. We used 225 Gonal F to stimulate and get as many eggs as possible. The first 2 days I had a somewhat slow response. But then my estrogen started rising very quickly. We decreased the Gonal F to 175 and then down to 50. We had to trigger at day 10 because I already had many big follicles. We used Ganarelix to stop ovulation. I started it on day 4. We did not use Menopur because Dr. Shapiro believes it will decrease the number of eggs without increasing egg quality. We triggered with Lupron 80mg so I would not hyperstimulate. We got 36 eggs, 30 mature, 17 fertilized, 8 made it to day 5. 3 were PGS normal. We did 2 natural FET because I have a perfect uterus with perfect cycles. Both ended in a negative. We did one medicated FET with an endometrial scratch because it couldn't hurt and maybe it would help. And oral estrogen, vaginal cream progesterone, Lupron to stop from ovulating, medrol because it can't hurt and maybe it can help.

Everything costs extra! Except genetic counseling is free.

Because the lab has to stick a needle into the zona palusa to get the sample for PGS, it increases the risk of the egg splitting so Dr. Shapiro encourages eSET. He also stresses the risks of multiple pregnancies.

Dr. Toledo is very kind and does not make you feel like a number. He was also open to trying new things and did not dismiss my ideas. I liked that I always saw him and felt like I had continuity of care. My only gripe would be that he would quote prices for treatment that were half of the actual cost.

Make sure you call the billing office to confirm costs of all treatment.

I have RPL with a second trimester loss, so I was prescribed lovenox for possible clotting disorders for which there are no tests, crinone, metformin for PCOS, thyroid medication for hypothyroidism, baby aspirin, folate for MTHFR, and prednisone. He performed two hysteroscopies in which he found a septum and polyps following use of estrogen after the removal of the septum. He thought the septum might have been the reason for our 2nd trimester loss. I also did two rounds with Femara IUIs that were unsuccessful. He then recommended IVF with PGS as I have not been able to get pregnant in the last 15 months despite treatment.

For IUI it was around $550.00 for the actual insemination, but you needed at least two ultrasounds that were around $245.00 a piece. If you trigger, they require 2 back to back inseminations.

He recommends a single embryo transfer for my age and the first cycle.

I never expected to find a doctor so openly compassionate and caring, but Dr. Brahma was all of that and more. She was easy to contact and easy to talk to. She spoke of my infertility in ways that made it easy to understand and sought out treatment for me and my partner that would get us as close to a successful outcome as she could. We always felt welcomed with her.

She is a sought after and busy doctor, so it may take awhile to get in to see her initially, but she is definitely worth the wait.

We initially had my partners semen tested and found that due to male factor infertility, we would need to move on to working on him first. We then saw a doctor for him, he underwent a biopsy and medication to improve his sperm count and motility. We then tried clomid to induce ovulation in me for an IUI cycle, but I didn't respond. We then tried clomid and injectible medication but the she was unhappy with the time it was taking for my egg follicles to mature and was worried that even with my partners improved sperm, the chance of success with IUI would be low. She then suggested IVF. We began planning for that, but found out during planning that I had been diagnosed with a rare visual impairment. With this diagnosis, we decided to pursue using an egg donor. We spoke with 2 counselors and chose our donor and then had the eggs fertilized with my partners sperm. The eggs that survived to day 5 of maturity were then frozen. We then began our frozen embryo transfer cycles. The first cycle I was put on antibiotics, estrogen, baby aspirin, and progesterone in oil injections. The transfer was a success and I found out I was pregnant 10 days later. Unfortunately, I then miscarried at 5.5 weeks. After the miscarriage, a SHG was performed to make sure my uterus was clear and we moved on to the next transfer cycle. This cycle I was on estrogen, baby aspirin, folgard, prescription folic acid, progesterone in oil injections and lovenox to rule out any possible blood clotting issue. That transfer was a failure. The third transfer she decided on a more aggressive approach and I was on 20 days of antibiotics then estrogen, baby aspirin, folgard, prescription folic acid, progesterone in oil injections, crinone and lovenox. This transfer was successful and I was released from Dr. Brahms's care at 9 weeks pregnant.

We had decent insurance coverage so most of our office visits and routine procedures were mostly covered. The largest expense was the transfer cycles that were out of pocket and all together cost about $22,000.

Dr. Brahma had a strong opinion on eSET. She felt that the risk to the unborn child and mother were too great to risk a pregnancy with multiples and that transferring more than one embryo did not give us any statistical advantage in becoming pregnant. To her, the risk was not worth the reward and I agreed.

He’s very straightforward and doesn’t leave any detail out. Very through in his meetings with us. We knew exactly what to expect. He showed compassion when things didn’t turn out quite like we hoped.

Don’t let his straightforwardness turn you away. He really cares and will do all he can to help you have a baby.

All along the way Dr. Slayden and his nurses told us what to expect. We did a egg retrieval in the summer and two transfers in fall and winter. Each and every time all aspects were explained and time was given for us to ask questions. During heartbreak they were compassionate and told us we would keep trying until we had a precious baby.

I can’t remember the exact costs of our treatments, but there weren’t any surprises. They would let us know what was expected and provide payment option. We were blessed to be able to pay for our treatment without any assistance. No hidden figures at all. Everything was explained very well.

He suggested we transfer two at a time. The first transfer resulted in a failed cycle. The second transfer resulted in a precious baby girl.

Once again, she has probably the best bedside manner I've ever seen in a physician and I'm around doctors all day in my profession as a physician assistant. She is kind, gentle, warm and calm. She was frank but kind and always honest with us. She spends more than ample time with her patients explaining the procedures, risks and probability of success. I can't recommend her enough. In fact, I've recommended her already to many friends.

Prepare yourself mentally for the cost, which while it is ridiculously expensive, is well worth it

We attempted IUI with clomid for 3 cycles without success and then proceeded to IVF. We completed one cycle of IVF with successful egg transfer and initially 6 embryos created using ICSI. Unfortunately only 2 embryos survived and we were recommend to implant both on Day 3 so we did a fresh transfer with the 2 embryos and 1 implanted successfully. We gave birth to a completely healthy baby girl 3 months ago :)

The IVF cycle was $14500. I believe each IUI cycle was $1500 and we did 3. The mediations cost us around another $1000.

Our doctor initially recommended we only do a single embryo transfer but on the day of transfer a different doctor was on call and he and the embryologist recommended since our only 2 embryos were not looking great that we proceed with 2 and in the moment we said yes. I'm glad we did, otherwise may not have had the success that we did

Extremely intelligent and a thought leader in the space. Sometimes his explanations were too complicated but I was fine with that, i got the gist and more importantly knew what he new. The first consultation was over 75 minutes and he laid out a plan and prediction at each step. His analysis at each step was accurate and with each step I gained more confidence that we would have a baby after 2 years of infertility treatments. Not only do I think he finally cracked the case on my infertility but but also that confidence was new and I think changed the outcome.

Take notes. He is so smart and fast and it's helpful to have notes to refer back to.

About $12k total for 1 IVF cycle but they broke it up so smartly that for our January cycle we were able to get medicine in December for the cost of $0 because I had met my deductible. I had a $5000 credit for IVF from work and then magically we got a $2000 refund at the end. Out of pocket we only ended up paying about $4k for this IVF cycle!

I wanted 2 with hope of having 1 baby. Dr. Shapiro strongly, very strongly, said one was enough and had enough medical evidence of why 1 was better that we listened.

Dr. Straub seemed like a great choice at first. He answered all my questions and explained everything thoroughly even drawing diagrams. But when it came down to it he was just to cut and dry. My husband (who had a varicocoele and subsequent surgery)...his doctor said we definitely had options as far as treatments, but Dr. Straub made it appear like IVF was the ONLY way to go. When asking if there was anything else to investigate on my end he was a bit flippant and said he could always find more tests to do. I was going to go ahead and do IVF and after try to look at treating any underlying issues, which I honestly felt he was overlooking due to the fact his goal is to get a baby and the way to do that was IVF regardless of any other issues. I ordered and received all the IVF drugs, but I couldn't go through with it because I just didn't feel comfortable with the decision and his pushiness of IVF over anything else. I should be at peace with my decision and happy to be starting to get somewhere on our fertility journey and maybe finally get our baby. Also after reading versions blogs on infertility and others experiences with egg retrieval I learned that some retrieval cycles are aborted for various reasons, which he never even mentioned as a possible outcome. He was very natter of fact about the process...not optimistic, or giving false hope....but more like this is how it goes...only that is the case when everything goes exactly according to plan.

Do not expect to get any emotional support from him.

I first met with Dr. Straub to assess if I had any issues contributing to our infertility. My husband had a varicocoele and subsequent surgery to correct it. There was originally low motility with 20% acrosomal defects. The surgery improved his numbers and his specialist (within the same practice) said the numbers were good enough for various treatment options. Dr. Straub had me complete bloodwork and a FemVue. Everything turned out normal. I am on thyroid meds and that was ok. My AMH was low normal so he suggested IVF based on some low sperm results (bad sample). Even after a new sperm analysis with good numbers...still pushing IVF, and was flippant when I asked if anything else to look at on my end (due to husbands doctor reporting an increase of 10% natural conception to now 60% now after surgery...but still no success) I wonder if there isn't some underlying issue on my end...but It seems Dr. Straubs goal is Baby, not treatment. I was supposed to start IVF (the drugs are in my fridge) but I did not feel confident or happy about the decision. I will now be transferring to another Dr. Within the practice.

Luckily we do have insurance coverage, which it has been suggested to me was the reason behind him pushing IVF so hard

Dr. Shaprio is smart, well-read/educated, compassionate, and trustworthy. He is an excellent communicator and by all appearances just a quality human being. It was SO refreshing to come to him after our nightmare of an experience at our last clinic. He made me feel hopeful and confident. Even if we hadn't been blessed with our daughter, I would have been thankful to him for the opportunity he gave us (letting me try what I wanted to try, thereby erasing all doubt about what "could have been if only...").

See him sooner rather than later!

All three of my previous pregnancies had followed the use of a Z-pak. Although research says there should be no correlation, I knew in my gut there was so he treated me with both a Z-pak and Flagyl. Also, I strongly suspected my losses were related to some undiagnosed immune issue and begged to be treated with Lovenox. He agreed there were likely immune issues that the scientific community had not yet even identified, much less produced a test for, so he treated me with Lovenox. I am now the proud mommy of a beautiful 14-month old!

I was very fortunate to have insurance coverage that covered a lot. I think I paid ~$3,000 to RBA (plus some for meds that insurance didn't cover).

Dr. Slayden makes a good first impression. He is friendly and comes across very personable. I now realize, he is a good salesman. Many of the facts and numbers he gave us were confusing. He used a bunch of metaphors that really downplayed what we were going through. ("If we were playing football and I were the quarterback, here's what I would do...") This is a turning point in our family, not a football game. My husband and I consulted with Dr. Slayden after 3 consecutive unexplained miscarriages. We were looking for options. Dr. Slayden explained to us that IVF with genetic testing was our best option because he felt 99% sure that genetic abnormalities caused our miscarriages. Dr. Slayden all but guaranteed us we would find success through IVF. After running all of the tests, he compared my chances to that of an 18 year old. My husband and I were thrilled. We completed the egg retrieval, genetic testing, and embryo transfer without success. Dr. Slayden called to tell me the pregnancy test was negative and said, "I'm ready to try again." I had JUST found out our time (6 months), money ($25,000), and emotion (inexplicable) had been wasted. I was not ready. We decided to take a break to let my body and our bank account adjust from the whole ordeal. When we were ready after a few months, Dr. Slayden suggested we try a natural/non medicated cycle. We first did an endometrial biopsy (I'm not exactly sure why). Unfortunately, we tried for 2 months- but my cycles were inconsistent so we weren't able to do the transfer. Each time, Dr. Slayden suggested we move to a medicated cycle. My husband and I weren't sure why the change of treatment plan was so quick. We felt very confused about what our best option was. For 5 months after our first transfer, my cycles remained inconsistent. Most were upwards of 35 days. I spoke to Dr. Slalyden about this and he casually said, "That is common since you have PCOS." He had NEVER mentioned PCOS in any of our communications. I questioned him and his reply was, "You COULD have PCOS. It can develop over time." He then told me he thinks I should move forward with a surrogate. That was so absolutely confusing since he always seemed so confident in our chances of success through IVF on my own. His reasons for why he said that was even more confusing...I can't begin to explain it here. He scheduled me for some blood-work and the resulting diagnosis is I "may possibly" have PCOS. That diagnosis is frustrating in itself, aside from the fact I certainly thought we would have tested for something so common prior to this point in my treatment. Especially something that can be treated without IVF. My husband and I are now more confused than ever. We did all of the initial work to make as many embryos as possible and now they are 'owned' by Dr. Slayden and RBA. We feel very helpless and it seems like our only option is to move forward with another medicated cycle. There is no change in the treatment plan although our first attempt was unsuccessful. I now "may possibly" have PCOS. We aren't sure if a surrogate is a better option. We are out of money and our patience is running thin.

Research other options.

Egg Retrieval Protocol: Birth Control with start of cycle for 25 days (regulate my cycle) Ultrasound and Blood-work Gonal F after BC for 5 days (produce eggs) Ultrasound and Blood-work Gonal F and Ganirelix for 5 more days (produce eggs and then ovulate) Ultrasounds and Blood-work every-other day Egg Retrieval Surgery (39 days after staring BC) Frozen Transfer Protocol: Lupron on Day 21 of cycle (not sure what the purpose is) Estrogen Replacement on Day 1 of next cycle (prep body for pregnancy) Begin Baby Asprin, Progesterone, and Medrol (prep body for pregnancy) Decrease Lupron, increase Estrogen Antibiotic for 5 days prior to transfer (in case of infection) Ultrasound and Blood-work (determine if lining is adequate for transfer) Embryo Transfer (approx 30 days after starting Lupron) Negative Pregnancy Test 7 days after transfer

I was always able to go first thing in the morning to get my ultrasounds and blood-work done. I rarely had to wait more than 10 minutes. The ultrasound tech is efficient and knowledgeable.

$14,500 egg retrieval $3,000 medication (not paid to the doctor) $3,000 (approx) genetic testing (not paid to the doctor) $4,000 transfer cycle $1,000 medication (not paid to the doctor) $500 yearly for frozen embryos

I just started the egg preservation process. My first appointment was great. Dr. Toledo really took the time to explain everything to me. I had signed up for an free education seminar on egg preservation they offer. The seminar includes free AMH testing. The staff said I couldn't do this and that I would have to pay for that lab test since I was already an established patient. They only offer this free screening for non practice patients to draw in business. I spoke to the practice manager, given that insurance pays for NONE of this and I'm paying >$13,000 for all this, you would think I could take advantage of some free screening. After going back and forth they allowed it but when I went in to the office they made me feel like I was a "problem" patient. I had a slew of other lab work done and was never called with results. I had my follow up with Dr. Toledo this week. When I sat down with him he was under the assumption I was aware of my results and the conversation was a little awkward. That being said he explained everything thoroughly and discussed all my options. I had asked for a copy of my blood work which they couldn't give me right away. Someone from medical records had to follow up with me. It's my own blood work, not sure why they couldn't just give that to me.

Be prepared to take advantage of his time and knowledge. I had really done my research and had a list of questions. Take notes of what he tells you and just keep track of all documents. I think he's great but I'm feeling a little apprehensive about the business and financial side of this process. That being said I'm still in the middle of it.

$8000 deposit $ 3-5k foe hormones $labs $ office visit