Shady Grove Fertility

Shady Grove is massive and I worried I'd be just a number with them. It's not the case. The entire staff is compassionate, helpful and caring. I also believe their size allows them to be cutting edge and have vast experience and expertise. Nothing seems to surprise them - probably because they see it all. I also love that they have a Wellness Center onsite with acupuncture! I participate in the Shared Risk program which gives me peace of mind. It's a wonderful option and is not something I've seen available at many other places. An exception to my high praise is the billing department. To be clear, I don't mean the financial counselors - April Jackson was wonderful. The billing department is unresponsive and challenging to work with. I had a really bad experience with them working with my insurance that caused me a lot of added heartache I didn't need. I mentioned this to my nurse, Shawn, and financial counselor, April, and they helped me escalate it to a senior person on the team to help get resolution.

Dr. O'Brien is the second doctor I've worked with. With the first, I felt like a number. I was worried that might be the case at Shady Grove as well given the size of the clinic. It couldn't be more untrue! I'm out of state (I live in NC) and feel more connected to Dr. O'Brien than I ever did the doctor I worked with close to home. She's incredibly generous with her time and perspective. After my first transfer failed, she called me and we spoke for 20 mins. After the second failed and another retrieval was needed, she did the same. She was patient and answered my many (many) questions. I've had a lot of complications and challenges - a canceled cycle, DOR, slow response to meds, I can't follow the normal FET protocol (allergic to PIO), my lining doesn't thicken as it should. She is innovative and unflappable. She always has a solve to help us get past the hurdle. I truly believe she wants me to be pregnant almost as badly as I do. Her belief in me and in our cause helps keep me going when I struggle to believe it myself. She's straight forward, honest, caring and persistent. With her on my side, I have hope that this will work. (And now I'm crying!)

All of the nurses at Shady Grove are fantastic. Shawn has been amazing. I live out of state and she's patient and helpful with ensuring my orders are sent to clinics when I need to monitor and letting me know if results aren't in yet, etc. She's very attentive and answers all of my (many) questions promptly. She delivers bad news with compassion and shows genuine excitement with good news. For instance, when she called to tell me my two embryos were PGS normal, I think she was as happy as I was! You can't fake that. I'm grateful to her - she helps keep me sane in this mess of a process.

I gush about Dr. O'Brien every chance I get - and I don't have a baby yet! She's a wonderful doctor. She's generous with her time and knowledge, she's innovative and persistent. She's also very honest and open with sharing her thought process. She advocates for her patients. On many occasions, I've been in for monitoring and end up getting a surprise visit. When my first retrieval attempt canceled, she came in and told me herself - and helped me feel ok about it. The next time around, I saw her in the hall and she pulled up my results to review them with me in real-time. She's taken time out of her day to call me to discuss next steps (answering all of my questions for 20+ minutes!) and never makes me feel like I'm not important. She's even emailed me with updates or to let me know she'd call at a certain time. I feel so lucky to have found her!

Don't be afraid to ask questions - she'll answer thoughtfully and thoroughly! She is very transparent so that does mean she shares a lot of information and detail. The first time I spoke with her (phone consult) it was a little overwhelming but now that I know her and her style, I greatly appreciate that.

Retrieval attempt 1 - microflare. I took microdose Lupron for several days and then added in Gonal-F and Menopur. With only three follicles leading, she decided to cancel because she felt my ovaries could do better. Retrieval 1 - estrogen priming. This started with estrogen patches for several days. I added other meds later (forget the details!) and then Gonal-F and Menopur. The doses were pretty high, especially of Menopur. Towards the end I was taking 5 vials! Also added in Cetrotide to help extend the cycle and allow more follicles to grow. I ultimately had 6 retrieved, 4 mature. Retrieval 2- microflare - after the first cancellation on this protocol, she lowered the microdose lupron dose to ensure my follicles didn't grow too fast. This also allowed for lower doses of Gonal-F and Menopur. We were hoping for 8 eggs but only got 4. Lucky for me, 3 fertilized and became AA embryos. One has been transfered (fresh) and resulted in chemical pregnancy. The other two were PGS tested and are normal.

The majority of my first IVF cycle (actual procedure) was covered by my insurance. Dr. O'Brien did a lot to help ensure I was able to maximize that. Now I am doing Shared Risk which is EXPENSIVE - but it's worth it for the peace of mind. If you qualify, it's a great option if there's a likelihood that you'll have to do multiple retrievals and transfers.

Shady Grove is a large practice and it is a business. They do their best to provide the best care but by nature because it is such a enormous practice you are constantly dealing with different people for all parts of the process. It would be easy to feel like a number but I actually don't. I think it does force you to realize you and your partner are in charge, and you must consistently speak up for yourself at every step. They appear to follow science to the enth degree and for that I respect them.

Dr. Widra has many patients and isn't focused on day to day care. That being said, it's clear he knows who we are and the circumstances of our case. When we have worked with him directly he has not rushed us and been patient to answer all questions. Lastly, he has weighed all of our factors carefully as well as our financial planning, and helped us make decisions accordingly.

Carrie is sweet, knowledgeable and typically available. She is our main POC and translates/communicates all information about our protocol. She has endless patience and is a treasure trove of information. She seems to always act on our behalf and has been a true reliable source of comfort and data. For monitoring, we see a revolving door of nurses and other medical staff. They are all nice, some more helpful than others, but haven't been dissatisfied with any. Just know that you really never have a singular person your dealing with on any given day, except our main nurse.

Dr. Widra is blunt and this is what you notice first and foremost about him. However he is compassionate in his own way and he is extremely knowledgeable. He is also a leader in a large practice. If you you are looking for a straight shooter with a strong research background, he is your guy.

Don't be afraid to push back and ask questions. He is flexible and understanding but because he is a bit intimidating it can be a bit hard. But I think he respects and appreciates when you are your own advocate.

First cycle (fresh) : Vivelle patch, then Cetrotide injection, then pre eval, initial Dosing: 300 IU Gonal-F and 150 IU Menopur (2 vials), monitored follicles and finished with HCG Trigger injection. Retrevial two days later (7 eggs--> 2 embryos) and then 5 day transfer of 1 fresh and froze the other. Estradiol/Estrace and endrometrin during TWW. Negative preg test. Second cycle(ERA and FET): Estradiol/Estrace 2mg tablets 3 times a day, then lining check, then Progesterone in Oil 1 ml every third day, then 2 endometrin inserts 2x a day. ERA test showed late stage receptivity so timing of oil shots was shifted by 12 hours. Transfered 1 week ago and waiting for preg test.

In total for the fresch cycle, including meds, with 50% insurance we initially paid about $6000 for the first cycle. We were later reimbursed some of it due to a higher payout of the insurance. For the ERA and FET we paid I think around $2000 including meds with insurance.

Strongly recommended against multiple transfers.

It is a little slow and hard to get someone on the phone. However they do a great job managing all aspects of the process. I personally think their business office is amazing as they do all that they can to try and help you figure out the best way to pay for everything.

He is very matter of fact so while you are very much treated like a human he is incredibly detached in the way he speaks to you. You aren’t a number, everything is tailored to you and he’s very well versed on your case but it’s going to be very clinical.

Dr Tidey’s lead nurse provides all of the compassion and love that Tidey cannot. She is amazing and makes you feel so calm, supported and taken care of. The whole staff is amazing but our nurse knew our name, knew what was going on and always knew the best way to care for us based on the visit. As for the coordination she was also amazing. She is the perfect blend between Tidey and his nursing staff. She is calm, steady, compassionate but also firm and educational. She has to go over all of the information and patiently answers all questions and does an amazing job holding your hand while also making you feel like you’ve got it and you can do it!

Dr Tidey has an awkward bedside manner. He is a little socially awkward and more comfortable talking about the process and the procedure than he is making small talk and putting you at ease. He is very throughout and puts so much care into every decision and suggestion he makes. He puts his patients safety first and is very direct about what your options are. He doesn’t sugar coat the options and is very direct when making his suggestions about your car. He does a great job balancing your right and need as a patient to make your own decisions with not allowing you to spend too much time wasting money and time doing expensive treatments that aren’t going to work. In a truly emotionally overwhelming moment his direct and balanced insight and medical treatment is exactly what I needed.

Be prepared with your questions because he’s not going to over explain things unless asked. He will explain everything but he’s not “chatty” so it will be direct and brief.

I came in with unexplained infertility and so he had us try colomid and timed intercourse. After doing that for 3 cycles he told us that it was time to move along. He said we could keep trying but didn’t want us to spend all of our money and emotional currency on a potentially dead end treatment. We did 3 IUIs and none of them worked. I was on the fence about a 4th round and Tidey told me it would be a waste but he didn’t stop me and ultimately allowed me the choice. Ultimately I agreed with him that IVF was the best option. It was so hard for me to hear but he clearly explained to me while it made the lost sense. He suggested that we do both genetic testing and ICIS given my history of miscarriage. We ended up determining that I had bad egg quality and so out of 18 eggs retrieved 3 made it and only 1 was viable. We implanted that one and gave birth 9 months later.

IVF meds- $5000 IVF treatment- $30,000 IUI- $900

He doesn’t suggest multiple transfers the first time around. He has concerns about the health of the mother. Said he would honor our decision but wasn’t excited about multiple embryo transfer.

Shady Grove Fertility knows what it is doing. I am sure they churn out patient after patient every day. To some people this may make you feel like you’re just a number to them but for me it was a comfort because it meant they knew what they were doing. I never had anything but a kind interaction with everyone who worked there and the nurses there are above average. I had trouble getting blood drawn and they were so patient and kind to me every time I was there (which was sometimes almost every day for weeks at a time).

Dr. Chang was very matter of fact about treatment and odds but was a kind person which is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted information that was not sugarcoated.

When we met our nurse, Dew, I have to say that we were underwhelmed. She was very matter of fact without, it seemed, much emotion or compassion. However, I am so glad we gave her a chance because she ended up being a great advocate for us. She was hyper organized, quick to respond to my phone calls or emails and always had a kind word to say for both our negative and positive pregnancy tests. She helped us find cheaper prescriptions and had any resource we could ask for. Dew really made this journey easy for us and I hope she is able to do the same for many more people hoping to conceive.

Dr. Chang was a great doctor to have for pcos and male factor infertility. He gave us both things to work on for about six months before retesting my husbands semen to see if we could improve our odds without further treatment. When that wasn’t the case, we moved forward with IUI and ultimately IVF when it became clear that we needed to do ICSI. He was very matter of fact about odds, treatment and protocol. He adjusted as necessary during cycles and had a kind bedside manner before and after our egg retrieval. We had a successful pregnancy on our first frozen transfer and we plan to transfer our remaining embryo this year. If that does not work we will not hesitate to use Dr. Chang for another round of ivf to have our second baby.

Ask a lot of questions at your consultations and appointments. He will answer everything thoughtfully.

Clomid for one IUI cycle (adding extra days of Clomid for further follicle development) with ovidrel trigger (negative pregnancy test) , Letrozole for one IUI with ovidrel trigger (negative pregnancy test- male factor), IVF cycle with menopur, final-f, endometrin and a lupron trigger. 20 eggs retrieved, 16 mature, 9 fertilized, 2 made it to blast. 1 fresh embryo transfer resulting in live birth, 1 embryo frozen.

We are very lucky to have good insurance so our coverage was excellent. We mostly paid copays and for some of our medications. Many of the tests were not considered “fertility” and fell under regular insurance coverage so they didn’t eat into our fertility coverage.

He strongly suggested single embryo transfer due to risk to mother and child with a multiple pregnancy, no added odds of getting pregnant if you transfer multiple and also due to our non-advances ages.

The clinic is definitely busy, but they were able to schedule my follow-up appointments in a timely manner. It took a while for the initial consult though. The nurses and staff were friendly and seemed knowledgeable regarding their jobs. There was a little miscommunication when I became an outside monitoring patient and they had trouble figuring out where my results were and where they were going.

Dr. Katz was friendly and talked to me like a real person.

Jenna was very friendly and compassionate. She would call and explain things to me and answer any questions I had. We did have some times when we were playing phone tag and I had a little difficulty getting in touch with her.

Dr. Katz was friendly and explained things well. He did seem kind of rushed at times. He did seem to want what was best for me, and was not worried about if I would stay a full patient with his clinic.

He has an accent and talks kind of fast, so if you don't understand, ask him to repeat himself.

Dr. Katz was helping me determine if we should move our embryos to his clinic in Maryland or keep them in KC and just do outside monitoring with Shady Grove. He explained the pros and cons well, and genuinely seemed to want what was best for me. We ended up keeping our embryos in KC and performing an ERA test and doing outside monitoring with Dr. Katz. During the ERA test, he had me on oral estrogen 3x/day and then progesterone in oil for 6 days prior to the biopsy. The test results were that my lining was normal receptive 6 days after beginning the progesterone.

Consultation was covered under my insurance. The ERA test/biopsy was $595. My ultrasound appointment as an outside patient were $295 (which was quite a bit more than the $187 my clinic in KC said they charge).

NA

The clinic for the most part is ok. It’s clean, they have convenient appointment availability, and you are in an out. I would say it feels kind of like an assembly line with ladies lining up back to back. It’s not a warm feeling and the vibe feeling more like a commercial business than a doctors office.

It was just like I was another number at this clinic and with this doctor. My individual case was not taken into consideration or seriously. My voice and concerns were not heard. When I asked questions or voiced my concerns, I was ignored.

The first nurse I had was very good (Helanie). However, she left the location and after she was left, the nurse I got was random. Once Helanie left, the nursing experience went down. The replacement did not take time to know my situation or where I was in the process.

I had one office visit with Dr. S and one telephone visit. Each time, it ended with me in tears. It was mostly because of his lack of compassion...if you need that from your fertility doctor, you will not get that from him. My husband was ok with his bluntness and lack of bedside manner, but it just elevated my already sensitive feelings. He made me feel worse than what I was already feeling due to my problems with infertility. He is also quick to jump to IVF which was also a problem for me. He never gave me a diagnosis which also troubled me since he was so quick to “prescribe” IVF. I can’t say it was anything I liked about him because I only had 2 visits with him. And those 2 visits were not pleasant. Nurses and other doctors completed my IUIs and I’m only allowed to communicate with him through his nurse. The nurses are not much better and blow off my questions I asked about non-invasive treatment options.

Don’t look for compassion...he is very blunt. So if you need that compassion, you will not get it from him.

Dr. S ordered the “regular” initial treatments for us. Without having a diagnosis for our infertility. He suggested 3 rounds of IUI with Clomid. After the 1 failed IUI with Clomid, when I went for the 2nd IUI, I had developed cysts (detectable via ultrasound). He then advised I skip that cycle and try another IUI cycle the following month. Since I don’t have any fertility diagnosis, I didn’t want to keep taking Clomid since my body was not reacting positively to it, so I asked him if I could do an non-medicated IUI. He complied and I did a 2 and 3rd cycle of non-medicated IUIs. Both failed and the of course the next treatment option recommended is IVF. Instead of trying to figure out what our issue is or at least taking the time to rule out issues, IVF is suggested. I just think it would be wise to attempt to find our issue so the IVF has a chance of being successful. I realize someone couples have unexplained fertility, but that means due diligence was given to find a diagnosis. I’m so confused how they would continue treatment on me not ever attempting to see if they can find my issue.

My insurance paid 50% and I would have to pay the other 50% at the end of each visit.

The Virginia Fertility Associates merged with Shady Grove Fertility in Jan 2019. We have notices a huge change for the worst since the change. My phone calls I have been put on hold much more often and much longer. I waited over an hour and a half to be seen for an appointment that I had had scheduled for over a week. Thankfully I did not have to return to work afterwards or I would have had to leave and wait another cycle to return for this specific appointment. It has also taken 3-4 weeks to get a copy of our receipts to submit to FSA which prior to 2019 we could get in a week or two. With Shady Grove taking over, I now feel like a number and not a human in regards to the clinic. If we didn't have the rapport with Dr Steingold we would switch to VCU's fertility clinic.

Our initial consultation was over a hour long. A lot more thorough and helpful than I ever anticipated. I know he has many patients on his caseload but at he then beginning gf each appointment he reviews my chart and remembers exactly where we left off. Dr Steingold always takes the time to ensure we have understanding of our plan of care, answers questions and he and is team returns phone messages in a timely manner. I have never felt rushed.

Dr. Steingold's nursing team is outstanding!!! I know they are super busy during the day. I am a nightmare patient because I can't answer my cell phone during the day at work. They always returned calls within a few hours of leaving a message. They were very helpful, supportive and compassionate with our previous procedures and ongoing care.

Dr. Steingold has been an excellent source of knowledge and support in a very difficult time for our family. He is always professional however very personable and compassionate. My husband and I feel he truly wants us to succeed in our journey to parenthood with the least invasive options.

Not necessarily Dr Steingold but all fertility patient's, be forthcoming with your personal goals, timeline and plan of care up front and through out the process.

I have done two IUIs. Each with 2.5 letrozole for a few days at the beginning of my cycle. The first cycle the initial vaginal ultrasound was completed during my period. In the second cycle the vaginal ultrasound was completed mid cycle as monitoring to plan the date of the IUI. Both IUIs I used an OTC ovulation kit and called in the clinic after I received a peak test. With first IUI I had costochondritis and odd swelling of my leg calf. My PCP worked me up for these. Assumed they were from affects of letrozole as I had no other changes in meds or lifestyle. Both issued resolved. No issues with second IUI. After two unsuccessful IUIs I had an HSG. Preparing for third IUI now.

Consultation: was covered by insurance- copay $30 Monitoring Ultrasounds: covered by insurance co pay $30, bill ~$40 IUI: Sperm wash- $200, IUI- $300 HSG: covered by insurance ~$80 Letrozole: Covered by insurance first cycle .28 cents, second cycle $1.25

The clinic does feel like a factory. At the smaller clinic I went to for the first cycle it was more intimate and everyone knew you. You could reach out to a number of different people if anything went wrong or you had questions. And some of the staff had experienced fertility treatments themselves so they spoke to you in a way that was healing and understanding. Shady grove has good results and Dr Levens is a good doctor so I am willing to deal with being a number in the system of the larger operation if it gets us closer to our goal and I continue to speak up for myself.

Dr Leven's was very empathetic toward my husband and I and was always there when it was important. He counseled us during a traumatic early loss which required methotrexate to resolve. I did, however, feel that the larger Shady Grove operation made me feel more like a number than a human compared to my previous clinic. But Dr Levens made it worth staying.

We had two nurses. The first nurse seemed unavailable and annoyed with my questions and follow-up. At one point when the lab did not run all of my tests and I needed to go back, my nurse would not rerun the script for the tests I needed, as the first one was outdated. She said I could just cross off the labs I didn't need instead of her generating a new script. I took this as either laziness or maybe patient overload. I got to the lab and told the phlebotomist that my nurse told me to just cross of the labs I didn't need and she looked at me dumbfounded that any nurse would tell their patient to do that. She said it was a legal document and I couldn't just cross off tests and that she would need to draw the blood for all of the tests again. When I told Dr Levens about this he assigned me to a new nurse. The new nurse, whom I'm rating here, I don't feel has always provided sufficient explanations of the process and seems to always tell me what I can't do instead of being on my team and helping me to make it happen. I've had to go around her to schedule appointments. And when I was waiting for directions on my trigger shot, and was told by clinic staff that it would be sometime that evening, I waited and waited and no one called that evening even as their closing time approached. I called the helpdesk line 5 mins to closing and they told me my nurse was out on leave and they'd get another nurse to call within 10 mins. And if they didn't call within 10 mins to call their desk line back. Well, no one called in 10 mins and when I called the deskline back it was no longer functioning because it was after 5- their closing time. At this point, I was in a panic thinking the entire cycle was ruined because I wouldn't have done the trigger shot on time. I wrote Dr Levens asking what to do and he wrote back right away, and someone called shortly after. No one explained the process to me nor did my nurse give me a heads up that she was on leave and who to contact or who would be reaching out and when. I also didn't get the sense that she understands the gravity of what women go through every day in this process and feels more annoyed than empathetic when you are trying to make difficult decisions and sometimes you change your mind. Part of this I believe is the way shady grove is structured and the number of patients each nurse covers. I have heard this isn't the case for all of the nurses, but it has felt like it for me with the two who have been assigned to us.

Dr Levens spent a lot of time with my husband and I during the few consultations we had with him. He answered every question we had and was empathetic to the difficult time we were going through. I built trust for him over the process of our IVF cycle since I saw that he intervened when it was important to do so and made sure to call or email during critical times.

Dr Levens is a good doctor and wants to do best for his patients. He is open to listening if you want to try something new or tweak your protocol within the parameters of what is safe and reasonable. Make sure to advocate for yourself and speak up when you feel necessary.

We did one IVF cycle with Dr Levens. He did an antagonist protocol with the highest doses of Gonal F (450) and a medium dose of Menopur based on my AMH and FSH. He also had prior information from my first cycle we undertook at a different clinic with a different Dr (GW) and tweaked my protocol based on the outcome of my first cycle. The one thing that I asked him about and he rightly investigated was sperm factor issues. The first clinic did not follow-up on the male side after our embryos stopped growing after day 3 on the first cycle. Dr Levens recommended a sperm DNA fragmentation test for my spouse and it came back with a large percentage of fragmentation even though his standard test parameters all came back normal. The DNA fragmentation test is not a part of the standard work up for men during their fertility testing. We were coached on a number of things we could do to try and improve it. We think some of those things helped. We got better results with Dr Levens in terms of the number of 5 day blasts we ended up with vs the first clinic (4 vs 0). We have yet to achieve a viable pregnancy but I have no doubt he will do everything in his power to try and help us get there.

We purchased the shared risk program at $22k and medications are all out of pocket costing $5k each fresh cycle.

Dr Levens recommends the appropriate number of embryos for transfer based on age, embryo quality, and past cycles. He recommended a transfer of two embryos for our FET (to happen in a few months) after the first round with one embryo ended in a chemical pregnancy and I am turning 37.

The clinic does not always communicate between team members between the doctor's office and front office staff. The practice has 5 doctor's that are a part of the fertility group, so it is rather busy. They are working on making this more smooth, though, by implementing an electronic system soon. The clinic is on the fourth floor of a medical building, with the sperm lab on the 3rd floor. This makes IUI cycles very easy for us.

Dr. Shah was always conversational and accommodating during appointments. If my husband or I expressed concern or discomfort, he was there to help and reassure.

The nurses are very accommodating and helpful. They are not overly friendly, but are available for answering questions. The nurses are very, very busy in the office, so we don't spend much time with them.

I have had two IUI rounds with Clomid and injections with Dr. Shah, and we are planning our third. The most difficult aspect of the process has been making sure we get the appointments that work for our schedule and for the doctor. Dr. Shah has hours available on the weekends to accommodate menstrual cycles, which has been a big help for us. There have been times where we needed to come in later in the day, which has also helped my husband and I with scheduling. Dr. Shah has been the only physician we have had, making the experience consistent for each visit. He has made my husband and I both feel comfortable during the process. Dr. Shah is a very technical speaker, he is rather blunt, and direct with the information he provides. This approach has been great for my husband and I because we appreciate knowing all of the details as we go along. We like to hear technical terms and we appreciate direct language for what is to come. We have grown thick skin through the process of infertility and have decided we want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly no matter what. Dr. Shah has supported us through each step.

I would advise evaluating your schedule to know what times of day you will be available for treatments. It's best to determine whether you will have flexibility in your work schedule or not at the outset. Dr. Shah is in high demand, so scheduling can throw some curveballs.

We used/ are using clomid and ovidrel for our IUI cycles. We have been advised that IVF may be the most effective since age and sperm count is the biggest factor for our infertility (I am 34, my husband has low sperm count). My insurance, however, allotted 4 cycles of IUI, so we thought we would try IUI before taking the financial plunge for IVF.

They have a quick process to get patients in and out. Following up with your financial counselor is a MUST because we’ve received incorrect and delayed information as well as other patients we know at SGF.

I had to ask more questions and do more research on my own about a lot of pieces of the Ivf process. And when asking a question, my nurse made me and my husband feel like a burden or a nuisance for asking. We had to follow up a lot to get any insurance items submitted properly and timely, received and required correction of deposit amounts, had to call in and follow up on our own medicine cause the nurse was so delayed and we would’ve missed our protocol.

Requires follow up and wasn’t forth coming with information without us asking numerous questions. Simple questions confirming whether or not to continue other injections when starting Cetrotide. When asking questions, I dreaded calling because I felt like a bother to be invested in my cycle and results.

He’s very knowledgeable but can seem to be in a rush at times. We only saw him once during our IVF cycle and it was based on our request after having a significant decrease in anticipated embryos. We believe our stim medication was not properly adjusted and monitored, which impacted the amount of mature eggs to be fertilized because we triggered early due to my estrogen level being so high. He knew it was high but didn’t see a need to decrease it significantly until the end. He called us though for our embryo updates because the counts were so low. Out of 27 eggs, 15 mature, 9 fertilized, 1 viable embryo.

Be up front with any and all questions you have and stand firm with having him explain. He will answer, just may appear to always be in a hurry.

Started with 112.5 Menopur and 75 gonal-f 9 days. Estrogen levels were over double the entire time - gonal-f was reduced to 75 on day 5 and again to 37.5 on day 7. Started Cetrotide AM on day 7. Estrogen levels were concerning so we had almost daily bloodwork and ultrasound appointments but they didn’t modify until halfway and again at the end. We were planned to use a dual trigger of HCG and Leuprolide but with the risk of OHSS with my estrogen, Dr. Change switched to Lupron only. We were scheduled for a fresh cycle and due to lack of modification and up front monitoring, we were required to freeze all and pay additional money for a frozen transfer. During monitoring appointments, we were always told “looks good”, “you might trigger or start another injection early”, “ no issues” but changing our plan and having significantly higher hormone levels could have been better avoided.

Monitoring is in the morning for nurses to call in the PM with results. You’d wait in the main waiting room, get called for blood draw, wait in another area for an ultrasound room to open. Very consistent and smooth process.

N/a

It is a large clinic. Sometimes it feels like a factory, however the staff knows you and interacts with you pn a human level. No one talks in the waiting room. The medical assistants are very personable. The nurse practitioners in monitoring are great.

Felt like numbers in the beginning. As we transitioned from iui to ivf to reciprocal ivf we got to know him more. He tries to do our procedures when possible. Says hi and comments on our cycle when we see him in the hallway. He really treats us as humans.

Effie is a wonderful nurse and great communicator. We started with her on our 9th cycle of treatment. Our first nurse was Alana. Her comminication was lacking.

He is very personable and knows us as patients. He is kind and compassionate. Serious, but also has a sense of humor. We appreciate that he has done many of our procedures. He calls after procedures and after big tests like beta tests.

Let him know what youbare thinking. Ask for his opinion.

Natural iui, 3 cycles. Medicated iui with clomid 3 cycles upping dose each time. 1 iui with clomid and gonal f. One ivf microdose lupron, had 6 embryos, but nothing made it to blast. 2nd ivf did estrogen priming. Had 16 eggs retrieved nothing made it to blastocyst, but transferred 2 that were almost blastocysts. 3rd ivf did lupron stop protocol. Had best response yet. 18 eggs retrieved. 2 made it to blastocyst. Had freeze all due to higher prpgesterone. Switched to reciprocal ivf. First retrieval for my wife was estrogen priming. Had 8 eggs retrieved. 3 fertilized and 3 made it to blastocyst. Preparing for my wife’s second retrieval in the coming months. Planning lupron stop.

$50,000

He discussed eset in the beginning. After nothing made it to blast in first and second cycles transferred 2 in 2nd and 3rd cycles-because they weren’t blasts on 2nd and because I was 38 for the 3rd cycle.

Shady Grove Fertility operates like a well-oiled machine. Their process for out-of-state patients is pretty seamless, and they really work to streamline the number of visits for those who live far away. They did get a few of our appointment times mixed up during our visit, which meant we were left sitting in the lobby for an extended period of time and my husband had to do his SA while we were supposed to be meeting with a social worker, but that was the only hiccup. While not a hugely important factor, their Rockville office is gorgeous. We also visited Fredrick and Towson, both of which were nice but not on the same level. I do wish Towson had onsite wellness (acupuncture, etc.) like Rockville, but they were able to refer me out to a local clinic. The donor coordinator team was on the ball - very communicative and gave lots of personal attention when needed. One frequent criticism I hear is that their financial department is difficult to work with, but that was not our experience.

It was clear that Dr. Bromer was always cognizant of our specific situation; he wasn't giving blanket/general recommendations when he spoke to us.

Vivian was always pleasant and to-the-point. There were a few small admin-type mix-ups, but nothing that affected my protocol. She was quick to respond to questions and always kept me up to date on my donor's status.

I was personally looking for a doctor to be realistic versus optimistic but also to offer his point of view on the best option for us (own eggs vs. donor). I vetted four clinics and he was the first to deliver on my expectations. He called us several times while he was on vacation to personally review some unexpected setbacks and his recommendations for moving forward. He was willing to consider my thoughts on how to proceed; he offered an expert opinion but was not overly prescriptive. He is kind, compassionate and invested in your success. Aside from a new patient consult, in-person consult and various phone conversations, we had much more interaction with our nurse than our doctor.

Be up front on what you're hoping he can help with.

Since I am a donor egg recipient, my protocol was related to an embryo transfer only and was pretty standard (Lupron, progesterone, estrogen). I responded well to what he prescribed.

We participated in the shared risk donor program in which we were one of three recipients (so we shared the cost). The total was about $26K.

N/A

You do not see the doctor enough. For as much as these procedures cost, you'd think you'd see your doctor at least once during your monitoring. But you don't. You see other doctors who someones come in to help you understand your monitoring. The billing department is literally impossible to deal with. It doesn't matter if you contract says specifically what they will and won't cover based on your fee, if they have another list (a list you haven't been provided) that says your fee doesn't cover a particular service - even if that service seems completely logical to the IVF process (not something special), you will be charged extra. That said, their shared risk program is pretty amazing if you think you have a chance of not getting pregnant on your first try. Keep in mind, though, that the shared risk program does not cover the injection class (even though it is not stated in the contract that it is not covered, and since it is held at the clinic by clinic staff, should logically be covered by the shared risk program). Also, meeting with your doctor after a failed IVF cycle under the shared risk program to discuss next steps (also seems like a necessary visit that should logically be included in the cost) is also NOT covered in the shared risk program. So basically, you pay your $20,000+ and still have to pay extra to see your doctor throughout your failed attempts. That's super annoying. A strength, though, is that they do have very good medication specialists to figure out your medication coverage through insurance. My first fresh cycle with Shady Grove was with a different health insurance, so it wasn't covered. However, my insurance changed and they have been appealing my insurance denials, and winning! So, if I need to go through another fresh cycle, I will probably have much smaller payments for medication. Fingers crossed. Their care coordinators are great and incredibly responsive.

We first starting meeting with Dr. Sagoskin a few years ago but my husband really didn't like his bedside manner. I kind of didn't care, but he did somewhat treat us like a number in our first consultation with him. Plus, Shady Grove is quite expensive so we tried a different doctor/clinic for our first round, which proved unsuccessful. We decided to come back to Shady Grove and meet again with Dr. Sagoskin. It was like he was a different person. He was warm, he answered all our questions, we didn't feel rushed. He was great, and has been great when it comes to the side of making us feel "human" since we started seeing him again in 2018.

Initially I was no pleased with the nursing/care coordinators in Dr. Sagoskin's staff. They seemed annoyed by questions or overwhelmed by patient load. At one point I was foisted off of one care coordinator who abruptly left the office for another one in the Shady Grove family, and I had no one helping me, which was super frustrating because I was starting my first fresh cycle with Shady Grove in two weeks. Finally, I got frustrated and worried about some medication issues I was having and went straight to the clinic without and appointment, requesting to see Tina (as she had been my sort-of contact without actually having been assigned my case.) She took care of me, she was kind and patient. She got me some samples when I ran out of medication and she listened to me when I told her how scared I was about all the costs running up. I had spent so much money and didn't know what to do. She helped. Then she gave me her direct number and told me that she was officially adding me as her patient, that way there would be no more confusion. Tina has been amazing.

Overall, I like him. If someone were to go to Shady Grove, I'd recommend him. My problems are more with how the clinic is run as a whole (which as a founding doctor of the clinic, I guess means that I disagree with Dr. Sagoskin's approach in that regard.)

Write down all your questions beforehand. Do not leave until you've had them all answered. He is willing to answer, but you have to ask.

Egg retrieval treatment protocol included birth control for almost three weeks. Then we did 900 IU Gonal-F plus 150 ml of Menopur everyday for 12 days as I have a slightly higher FSH and a middle of the road AMH. The Menopur was increased to 225 in the last three or four days because my follicles needed a little extra boost to get to the desired size (they were kinda stuck around 18mm-20mm). Cetrotide was given at day 5 or 6 for the rest of the stimulation cycle to keep me from ovulating. HCG was used for the trigger, and I took an (crazy) antibiotic the day before my retrieval. (That thing was terrible and gave me the worst stomach cramps and diarrhea.) Egg retrieval resulted in 8 eggs, of which only 6 were mature. 5 eggs were fertilized, but only 2 made it to day 5. I began using Endomentrin progesterone inserts 3 times per day, the day after the retrieval through the transfer and up until the pregnancy test. I also took Estrace (Estradiol) daily. One embryo was transferred, and the other was frozen. The fresh transfer resulted in a negative pregnancy test 13 days later. The frozen embryo transfer treatment protocol: I began with birth control for two weeks, after which I began taking Estrace (Estradiol) three times per day. On day 16, after they checked my uterine lining which was 12mm, I began using 1mL of progesterone oil once every three days. I also started Endometrin inserts twice daily. On day six of injecting and inserting progesterone, I had one frozen embryo transferred that used assisted hatching. That was yesterday so I will have to update in 13 days as to the results.

The costs for diagnosis were pretty expensive, especially since some weren't covered by insurance. Many were, but most weren't. And if you lapse by three years, you have to redo everything. Semen analysis is $150/time. My husband has had to do this four times. The female diagnosis (mock embryo and HSG were...$800(?) with Shady Grove). The medication costs for egg retrieval were nearly $6000. The Shared Risk Program was $19,500.

He has told me flat out that he will not transfer more than one embryo for me. I do not know his stance on multiple embryo transfer in general, but he said that I was too thin to chance having multiples. (I'm not that thin. I'm 5'7" and weigh 140lbs.) This is one of the few issues I've had personally with Dr. Sagoskin as this wasn't even allowed a discussion.

The team here is very good. Patience, understanding and effective. Your comfort and emotions are always taken into consideration. Making sure that you're comfortable and you understand is always key.

Doctor Garde is one of the most patient and understanding doctors I have ever meet in my life. She is so nice and always loving and caring, more then willing to help or get me help. I could not have made a better choice in a doctor ever. There are no words to describe the kind of doctor Dr.Garde is I'm more then happy to call her my doctor. She is a true blessing.

Daniell Kelly is the best ever ❤️❤️ I was so sad when I got my new nurse I cried. I will truly miss Danielle Kelly

Doctor Garde is wonderful I can't believe how understanding and patience she is with me. I'm a strong person and even Dr.Garde has a was of bring the best out of a tuff day. She is always very good at coming up with a plan and always making sure me and my husband are comfortable. She is very good at listening concerns and always will to try and coming up with a solution. There are no words to describe her she is one of the best doctors I have ever had. Doctor Garde is truly my blessings and I can't wait to continue our journey. I truly believe that if any Doctor can help me with having a little angel it would be Doc.Garde.

Be honest, trust her judgment and everything will just fine. Trust that she always has your best interest at heart.

I'm a self pay so paying was not a problem. I was always told how much my next appointment payment would be. Most of the time it's a estimate price.

Weakness- financial dept. you have to stay on top of them. The dr who came up with your protocol probably won’t be the one doing retrieval or transfer. Strength- my nurse, dr. Malik and all who work there.

They have so many patients, everyone is put on the same cycle-for controlled cycles. The person who did your consultation, came up With your protocol isn’t the one who does the egg retrieval or transfers.

Bet good nursing care. She always informed me, answered any questions i had

Great bedside manner. Calls after a procedure (iui and failed transfer). She is pregnant and going on maternity leave so my care will be handed off to another doctor. She did perform my iui, but I was under the care of Dr. greenhouse. When he passed then she took over my care.

Microdose Lupron with birth control. I was on bcp for 2 weeks, had sono and blood after bcp. Then started Microdose Lupron 20 units BID, 3 days later I started Gonal F -450 and Menopur 150 at night. I stimmed for 12 days. I had no follicles on the left and 4 on the right. At my last sonogram they counted 7 follicle on the right. I had a cyst that was seen at day 5 monitoring. At retrieval they got 5 eggs, all 5 fertilized with ICSI. 1 out of 5 didn’t fertilize normally. Day 5, day of fresh transfer: 1 5 AA blastocyst, one was a day 4 and the other 2 they were watching. The ones they were watching didn’t make it to freeze. This cycle was a failed transfer.negative pregnancy test.

I have coverage through insurance right now. 500 deductible and 200 for medication

The Annapolis office is very welcoming. The front desk staff have learned my name and always greet me when I come in for an appointment. The wait time for monitoring is usually reasonable, but can sometimes be 30+ minutes past your appointment time if the clinic is very busy. The phlebotomists are very friendly and talkative. The ultrasound techs do a great job of explaining what they see on the ultrasound, and always offer to refer you to the monitoring nurse if you more questions than they can answer.

Dr. McKeeby has been extremely compassionate during our fertility treatment. He has been readily available to meet with me, unexpectedly, when issues have arose during monitoring appointments. When my fresh transfer was cancelled due to OHSS, Dr. McKeeby called me personally to provide an update on our embryos. He always says "hi" when he sees me at the clinic for monitoring appointments, and treats me as an individual at follow-up appointments.

Jackie has been extremely helpful throughout this process. She always returns my phone calls within the guidelines stated on her voicemail, and is very responsive to questions/concerns. She calls promptly with updates from monitoring appointments and answers all questions. She is obviously very knowledgeable. She has called to check-in when we have gone through difficult times.

Dr. McKeeby has a bit of a unique personality. He was very welcoming when my husband and I attended our consultation in March of 2018. We felt that he took a detailed history, asked a lot of questions about our desires/goals, and allowed us to have input on what treatment would like. Dr. McKeeby is very knowledgeable about the science aspect of treatment and was able to explain our treatment options in detail. He was able to provide us to with statistics for success and gave us a recommendation, based on what was our best chance statistically. He also took into consideration our insurance and financial situation. We have, unfortunately, experienced a lot of unanticipated setbacks throughout treatment. We have had several FET cycles cancelled, for various reasons, but Dr. McKeeby has always been extremely compassionate in breaking the bad news to us - He always explains why the cancellation is necessary, and is always ready with a new plan. He has been very proactive and has never suggested that we try the same plan twice - if it doesn't work the first time, he makes changes or suggests something new entirely. Although we have not had success yet, I have been extremely satisfied with Dr. McKeeby and his management of our treatment.

For our IVF retrieval cycle we used Gonal-F 150IU, Menopur 75IU (increased to 150IU on stim day 7), Ganirelix, and a Lupron trigger. We used this protocol, which is pretty standard and low-dose, because our diagnosis is MFI and Dr. McKeeby did not anticipate any issue with follicle growth. For our 1st FET cycle we used oral Estrace 2mg, taken three times daily. Vaginal Estrace was added, due to thin lining - this cycle was cancelled. For our 2nd FET cycle we used a stimulated FET protocol, with Gonal-F 150IU and Ganirelix to prevent ovulation. This protocol was chosen due to prior difficulty with uterine lining - cycle was cancelled due to high follicle count. For our 3rd FET cycle we used Delestrogen .2 ML, every other day - cycle was cancelled due to ovulation. For our 4th FET cycle we used Delestrogren .2 ML, every other day and Estrace 2mg vaginally, twice daily - this cycle resulted in pregnancy, but pregnancy was not viable. For our 5th FET cycle we used the same protocol as the previous cycle, but lining did not respond the same and cycle was cancelled. Four our 6th FET we are using another stimulated FET protocol with Menopur 112 IU - this cycle is in process.

Our treatment is covered by insurance. We receive a 5% discount, based on income, for all expenses not covered.

Dr. McKeeby has recommended an eSET, due to our ages and quality of our embryos. We are agreeable.

The clinic has multiple locations that make it easy to schedule appointments for all services. The offer in house procedures and work to get approval from your insurance company. You are also assigned a financial person who makes sure you know what is and is not covered ahead of time. As far as weaknesses, there have been times that information has not been properly relayed which is why it is important that you advocate for yourself in your treatment.

Dr. Yazigi took time to listen to my concerns. At consultations and follow up appointments he would go through all of my medical history so that we could make the most informed decisions together. He factored in my desires for treatment and what would get us the best outcome. He didn't mind calling me for additional consultations or questions.

Since I have been with SGF I have had four nurses. Rebecca was my nurse for my first round in 2016 and I loved her. When I came back I was originally assigned to Kristin who soon left for an alternative job. I then was transferred to Kelli and was with her for six months before she took another position. I am now assigned to Tina. It has been hard to have stability and effects some communication by being shuffled from nurse to nurse.

There were times after monitoring appointments that the chart was not read completely or marked incorrectly that lead to weird instructions from Dr. Yazigi that I had to follow up on. Otherwise, he treated me with respect often referencing his own daughters which gave me confidence in his opinion when we had decisions to make.

Allow him to explain things to you as you go but also do your own research and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself.

When I first saw him in 2016, I was treated for anovulation and was put on 100 mg of clomid with a trigger shot. I was a slow responder but after continual observation I did respond and had a positive outcome that resulted in our son. I came back in 2018 to grow our family and started with a similar protocol but no longer responded to clomid. We upped the dose without change. We then switched to femara in which I responded and got pregnant on the second cycle but miscarried. We started femara again a month post miscarriage but did not have success leading to a hysteroscopy to check for scar tissue. No scar tissue was found and Dr. Yazigi said we may be partially unexplained. He recommended moving onto IUI but since we were out of pocket we decided to pursue shared risk IVF instead.

For timed intercourse, monitoring was covered by my insurance after copays were collected. I did pay for medications out of pocket. Shared risk IVF is costing 24,500 including PGS testing.

I have not yet gotten to this point but I think eSET will be what is recommended due to my age. I am comfortable with this decision.

Shady Grove feels like an institution, and that carries pros and cons with it. I call it the "Bank of America" of fertility clinics, in the sense that they dominate the local market here. That said, while I usually prefer a more intimate, personal approach, I decided to stick with them because I love my doctor and nurse, and because I think they get results (even if I haven't yet been successful). Also, because they are larger, they are able to offer additional resources like support groups (the one that I attend has been invaluable).

Dr. Moon has been warm, friendly, and empathetic throughout my treatment, from my initial consultation through my most recent IUI. She shared her own experience with infertility very early on, and established a good rapport with me, which was important to me as a single mom by choice. When I broke down sobbing in her office, she never made me feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. I put a lot of stock in bedside manner, and Dr. Moon has absolutely exceeded my expectations since day 1.

Robin has been great--extremely responsive and easy to get in touch with, very warm and friendly and helpful. I've always felt like she's in my corner and I could ask her anything.

I've been a patient of Dr. Moon's for about three years, and have seen her about seven times: once for an initial consultation, again for a second consultation two years later, three or four times during my monitoring for my four IUIs, and most recently for another consultation after my IUIs were not successful. Every time, she has been warm, empathetic, and helpful. I really appreciate how she writes out the details of my protocol--the protocol itself and the medical explanation behind it--on a separate sheet of paper so that I can take it home with me. While I saw her only occasionally during my monitoring, I never expected to see her every day, as my clinic is large and the nurses are very capable. When she broke the news that I have low ovarian reserve, she showed a lot of compassion, even when I got very emotional in her office. She also encouraged me to explore options (donor egg and donor embryo) that I wouldn't have considered; clearly, she cares about getting me to my end goal of a baby. I have referred multiple friends to her. While I haven't yet been successful in getting pregnant, I consider this a fault of my eggs, rather than Dr. Moon--she's not a magician! I feel lucky to have a doctor who is so supportive, particularly since I'm a non-traditional patient (as a single mom by choice).

Also , it's helpful if you look through the clinic's website before seeing her, as it has a lot of good information on it; with a bit of background, you'll be able to ask informed questions and make the most of your time with Dr. Moon.

Based on my initial testing, Dr. Moon diagnosed me with low ovarian reserve. She indicated that if cost was no object, she would recommend that I go straight to IVF. Because I have no insurance coverage for fertility treatment, cost is an object. She said I could try a few IUIs, and then decide to go to IVF, or then go to donor embryo. I appreciated that she didn't try to push one protocol over another, and left this very personal decision up to me. In terms of IUI natural versus medicated, she indicated that medicated IUIs would cost more and have a higher risk of multiples, without much of a payoff (ie, they would only raise my chance of a successful pregnancy by a few percentage points). After I did a first IUI completely unmedicated, she suggested that I use a trigger shot (Ovidrel) for my second IUI; I appreciated that she was looking at and thinking about my protocol and what would be most successful. I did three more IUIs, unmedicated except for a trigger shot, none of which were successful--but based on Dr. Moon's initial prognosis, I didn't really expect them to be. I did the IUIs because I needed to give using my own eggs a shot before I moved to donor egg or embryo. Dr. Moon understood and supported this decision. After four unsuccessful IUIs, she recommended that I move to another protocol, and I concurred.

I had insurance coverage for most of my diagnostic procedures and consultations, and for none of my actual fertility procedures. I paid $1200 for each IUI (actually, I paid $1140, as I had a 5% discount through their discount program).

N/a (though I think she usually recommends single embryo transfer).

The process of fertility treatments can be super overwhelming. There's so much information provided but SG wants you to leave understanding it all. They provide verbal and written instructions with the option to call at any time. They also provide video resources for additional support. The only challenge for us was have to drive out of town so frequently due to limited services provided at the Hagerstown SG office which made things complicated with work and time off. I'd love to see more opportunities available in the Hagerstown office.

Dr. Bromer is kind, gentle and positive. He doesn't provide false hope but is genuine and truly works hard to help get the best outcome for each family.

Jamie Dean- very thorough and quick to respond to patient portal emails and phone calls. She was available to answer my many questions and super helpful in a crunched timeline.

Dr. Bromer quickly and easily established a rapport with my husband and I! He has a happy and genuine personality that keeps the mood positive during a very emotional time. We have been thankful for his straight forward and thorough professional oppinions. He tends to encourage couple's to slow down for optimal outcome rather than rushing to treatments that haven't been fully thought through. We love Dr. Bromer!

Take his word and trust him because he truly wants to see you and your spouse become parents it just may take time to come up with the best plan for you and your family!

We were referred to Dr. Shin (urologist) to further asses male factor complications. We worked thoroughly with Dr. Shin for almost 8 months . Dr. Bromer continued to keep up on our file and check in. We are about to begin IVF after egg retrieval and a male microdissection due to azoospermia, with donor sperm as a backup to insure IVF is completed. Dr. Bromer and Dr. Shin have worked phenomenally together and with us!

$1900 for shared risk program, $8,500 microdissection, $1200 varicocele repair, $120 clomid, $3,000 genetic testing for me and my spouse, $1000 for donor sperm, this doesn't include thousands for copays for consultations, follow-ups and blood work.

Good wait time. I never felt like I had to wait a long time for any appt. Staff is so helpful and encouraging. I feel like it’s such a big organization but they really try to make you feel important.

Staff is warm and welcoming. Dr. Bromer validated my concerns and gave me intellectual, researched evidence to back up any answers to questions that I had.

Very kind and encouraging. Very organized and helpful.

Dr. Bromer seems to be highly intelligent in his field. He does not “sugar coat” anything and he doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear. He is honest and has research and scientific reason to back up his methods. I was highly skeptical to use any fertility medications. He respected my choice and now that we are about to start IVF and I was worried about all the meds, he definitely eased my mind and made me feel confident about our chances with IVF as well as the safety of the medicine.

Ask a lot of questions. He is honest and will give you a medically researched answer. Do not expect a warm and fuzzy guy. However, you should expect someone who cares about the best way to give you and your spouse the baby you want.

IUI with clomid was suggested but I refused meds and he very honestly told me that was fine but after so many IUIs it was time to possibly change protocol. Now after four failed cycles, he has respectfully advised us and with confidence- IVF is the best next step. We are getting ready to begin that soon.

Regular co pays for office visits. Their IUI cost is reasonable without insurance and the shared risk IVF program is great. You basically pay the amount that 2 cycles costs and then you can do up to 6 cycles and back out anytime if need be to get money back if you don’t get a baby.

I've loved the facilities, rockville and Annapolis. I've never had to wait that long at every appointment. Because its so big they work like a machine and are very organized and efficient when you are there. They are very knowledgeable and current with knew technologies and studies.

I know he has lots of patients and he's always been super compassionate and positive. Eager to find a solution.

I haven't particularly loved my nurse at Shady Grove. My nurse at UNC fertility seemed to work around the clock. The nurses at shady grove check out and do not communicate via email or phone past 4pm (mon-Fri).

He gave us a realistic expectation, that it would take a few transfers to get a sticky embryo. We've had two transfers and still lost them both. One thing I struggle with is getting a thick lining and he changed up my medicine protocol unlike my previous doctor who just kept doing the same drugs and said I had a naturally thin lining. Dr. Mottla was able to get my lining at a 9. We've really enjoyed working with him.

Shady grove is a huge practice and the doctors are spread thin; however, when you are with your Doctor they give you 100 percent attention. I recommend CCing him on every email back and forth with nurses.

Efficient well oiled machine. We live in Raleigh so I would fly in and out same day and they always accommodated me. I was also able to do some monitoring at my GYNO locally and my doctors worked very nicely with them.

We paid 30,000 for a package that includes 2 retrievals, as many transfers as we want and covers some PGS testing. Some tests are partially covered by insurance or we had to pay our deductible. Our medicines are very expensive and not covered through insurance and one thing that does frustrate me is that they over prescribe.

I haven't found a doctor that is pro multiple embryo transfer. Everyone has said its too dangerous.

Shady Grove runs like a well oiled machine. I love that the surgical bays are so clean and organized- trust me, I’ve been to some truely shady fertility clinics (pun intended). The teams for retrievals and transfers are military like in their processes- it makes me feel safe and secure as a patient, that my proceedure is in good hands and that they’re transferring the right embryos. They’re always stopping to match names and procedures.

We didn’t get to talk to or email with Dr levy apart from the initial consultation and strategy changes after a failed cycle. But we had a dedicated nurse who was very much available by phone and e-mail for all of our questions and concerns. To us, it didn’t matter because we got two babies (singletons) and that’s all that mattered after not getting the same results for years of treatment before.

We both called and emailed and always got quick responses.

Dr. levy saw us after we’d failed several courses of treatment and we thought we were ready to move on to donor eggs. He encouraged us to try with him again. We had our best cycle on record for a freeze all, and he studied MY DATA and saw that my lining didn’t respond on using traditional FET drugs so we used injectibles instead- boom- two Singleton babies later, we cannot be more satisfied with our doc. They see a million patients there and even though we didn’t see our doc a ton, I know he was carefully looking after me.

As an out of state patient, be prepared for a long stay near the clinic before the IVF for monitoring, this means days off of work and hotel costs.

We used a fresh cycle-frozen embryo transfer because my lining responded better to IVF drugs, but we transferred a genetically tested 5 day embryo.

Oye. I think we paid 25k for two cycles of IVF plus including all FETs for the embryos created until we took home a baby. We did two IVFs and 2 transfers to get our “take home baby”. Then we had frozen embryos left and only had to pay for FET for our next baby. Storage costs were about 500$ for embryos and 300? Maybe for sperm, yearly.

If your lining isn’t good and you transfer more than one, you lose a chance to try to prep the lining a different way. Plus Dr levy was a huge proponent of single embryo transfers because it was safer for mom and baby.