Shady Grove Fertility

We switched to SGF after a not so great experience with another clinic in Pittsburgh. We had heard so many wonderful things about Shady Grove and were so excited and full of hope to start treatment with them. Dr. Bromer is friendly, positive, and honest, but also to the point which we appreciated. He took his time with us at our initial in person consult. Prior to this, wewere even given a free of charge phone consult before scheduling our first office consultation since we lived 2 hours away from the clinic. Both times he was very knowledgeable, kind and answered our questions about treatment, PGS testing, ICSI, and medication protocols.

If you are a self-pay patient as we were, don’t be afraid to ask questions about the financial options offered. You will meet with a financial advisor at SGF as well, and she is awesome. But we went with the “shared risk” plan and probably could have gone with the “multi cycle” plan to save some $. Hindsight is 20/20, but be sure to ask questions about chances of success based on your particular situation or diagnosis before making that big decision!

I was treated with a high responder antagonist protocol. I believe the reason for this was that I don’t have any diagnosed fertility issues (although I *may* have some underlying problems, read below) and Dr. Bromer was confident that he could retrieve eggs. I am in a same sex marriage, which was the primary reason my wife and I chose IVF to start a family. However, I also have a substantially sized endometrioma on my right ovary which was likely getting in the way of IUI success and most likely points to endometriosis elsewhere, although I’ve never had the lap surgery done. As far as the treatment plan goes, I was on birth control for 18 days prior to starting 150 IUs of Follistim/Gonal F daily (after my first follicle check this was increased to 175 daily) and 75 IU Menapur, daily. I started Ganirelix 1x per day once follicles were >14mm. Triggered with Lupron. The results were: 16 eggs retrieved, 15 mature, 13 fertilized and 8 made it to 5 day blastocysts. Of those 8, 6 were PGS normal.

Our treatment was not covered at all under insurance. We chose the shared risk program ($22,500) through Shady Grove which included 6 stimulated cycles and unlimited transfers until 1 live birth. We also added the PGS testing for 5,000 for a total of $27,500. We became pregnant on the first try, after 1 retrieval and 1 transfer, so we overpaid! BUT, we probably wouldn’t have changed our decision. Hindsight is 20/20, but I think we would have gone with the shared risk plan ultimately for peace of mind and not knowing if we would have failed transfers or not. To help compare the other plans available...1 cycle at SGF is $10,500. With PGS it’s 14,000. The “multi cycle” plan allows for 2 stimulated cycles with unlimited frozen embryo transfers for $18,500 or $23,500 with PGS.

Shady Grove Fertility in general has a strong stance on only transferring 1 embryo in most circumstances. Personally, we were totally on board with this.

As unexplained infertility patients, it was really a bummer that we didn't find any answers or did any extra tests to have a more accurate diagnosis. Although I really appreciated that we went into the IUI cycle in full immersion, trying everything from the beginning. I wish there was more interaction with him, also if it was just via email

expect no special treatment

we did day 3 to 7 of letrozole since I already tried clomid with my OBG with no success. It follow with Gonal f on day 7 and 9 and then we went in for blood work at day 11, when they realized I had too many mature follicles. The dr who saw the result (no Swelstad), called me and explain that there was a high risk of multiple pregnancy, so it was protocol to stop the cycle. If we decided to go ahead and have timed intercourse (IUI was out of the pics at this point), we should have consider the possibility of selective reduction in the future. We agree that that wasn't a problem and went ahead. We are now in the 2 weeks wait

we didn't pay for the first appointment, only for the meds (around $300 +/-), second ultrasound and blood work ($150 +/-)

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.

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.

He is very good at explaining the process, the good, bad, and ugly. He makes sure you leave his office understanding everything. Several times he called us himself after hours to check in on us whether it was after our retrieval, when I got OHSS, and after each of our losses. He is hard to schedule with because he is sought after which makes booking difficult but when you are able to see him, the wait is worth it.

Schedule now. Don’t wait too long because his appointments fill up fast.

Lupron Antagonist Protocol. I produced 30 eggs. We did ICSI due to make factor. He suggested a frozen transfer due to me showing signs of OHSS, and my medical history. When the second transfer ended in another m/c, he suggested uterine septum removal before doing next transfer. This resulted in successful pregnancy. He made sure to do a extra ultrasound because initial HR was low. At this time he was realistic with us and therefore, we knew our chances. Thankfully it was successful and next an revealed higher HR.

We were lucky. Our treatment was covered partially by insurance. So our max OOP was $3500. However, their financial department is one of their worst departments. They are very wishy washy and not clear as to what you need to pay and what your paying for. We actually overpaid by a couple thousand and had to be reimbursed but I had to fight to get them to send the check and finally had to speak to financial manager. The coordinator I was assigned was terrible and I felt like I was constantly fighting to get in contact with her. When I did, I felt like she didn’t know what she was talking about and certainly wasn’t making things very clear.

He actually works with NIH to prevent cases of negligence where fertility doctors are allowing transfers of 3 embryos (for example) and having sextuplets. He is advocate for only transferring one (based off our personal history) because we already had high risk factors for pregnancy.

Dr. Kallen is an incredibly talented, kind, compassionate doctor. He is up-to-date on the latest studies and values his patient's input. He takes the time to educate, inform and listen to all of his patients. He works seamlessly with his nursing and clinical staff, which you can tell through their communication. While he has a very calm and serious demeanor, he is incredibly caring and compassionate. When we received less than great news, he was the one who called us personally to share that news. He listened to all of our concerns and worries and thoughtfully shared his thoughts, while never once pushing us in any direction. I fully trust Dr. Kallen and know that I am in good hands.

Look no further! We came to Dr. Kallen as a second opinion and knew we'd found the right doctor upon our first consultation with him. Bring any and all questions and concerns to him and he will guide you through everything.

Since we had had diagnostic testing done at our previous clinic only a few months prior to coming to Dr. Kallen, we did not have to repeat our genetic blood screening. (I was not a carrier for any conditions the test screened for). My husband repeated his semen analysis and completed an infectious disease blood panel. I also repeated a complete blood work up. Prior to beginning our IVF cycle, I had an HSG done, a saline sonogram, and mock embryo transfer. This was our first IVF cycle, and we followed the Antagonist IVF Protocol. This entailed being on an active birth control pill for 21 days which commenced on the first day of my menstrual cycle. A few days before injections were to start, I came in for a baseline ultrasound and bloodwork. Once they verified that my levels were where they needed to be, 3 days later I started my injectible hormones. I began on 225 IU of Gonal F and 150 IU of Menopur daily. I came in 3 days later for my first monitoring appointment and my dosage of Gonal F was increased to 300 IU per day. Monitoring appointments became more frequent and my dosage of both Gonal F and Menopur increased. Once my follicles were large enough, I began Cetrotide and came in for monitoring almost daily. Then we got the go-ahead and exactly 36 hours before egg retrieval, we used an HCG injection. Egg retrieval was successful and we waited to see how many made it to Day 5 blastocyst. Since we were doing PGS testing, our blastocysts were biopsied and sent to the lab and embryos were frozen. PGS test results took about 2 weeks to come back, and in the meantime I waited for my next menstrual cycle to begin active birth control pills again to begin my frozen embryo transfer cycle. After we received our normal embryo results, I also began Estrace oral pills, three times daily. Then I began progesterone in oil injections five days before our frozen embryo transfer. Once the embryo was transferred, I continued both Estrace and PIO until 10 weeks gestation.

There are global fees for procedures. Global fees for IVF is based on maternal age and they have 3 packages - one cycle, multi-cycle, Shared Risk money-back.

Dr. Kallen prefers eSET, as there are now studies that show that transferring multiples does not increase the chances of success, rather the chances of multiples which is risky. He explained the risk of multiples and the probability of an embryo splitting. Due to our age (25 and 26) and this being our first pregnancy, he highly advised going with an eSET. We were planning on doing an eSET anyway.

My husband and I found Dr. Widra to be compassionate, but also frank. He didn't sugarcoat anything, but I certainly never found him cold. When trying for my first, we went through a number of retrievals and transfers and I appreciated feeling "known" despite being at a very large clinic that has a reputation for being a factory. I am detail oriented and Dr. Widra always took the time to answer my questions, whether in person or on the phone. While much of my communication was with my nurse, if there was difficult or sensitive information to deliver, he always called me himself and I never felt rushed off the phone. We ended up doing PGS testing and when I became pregnant, Dr. Widra told me to call him if I ever had any questions. We were indeed told at one point in my pregnancy that we should consider an amnio to rule out chromosomal abnormalities. At this point it had been a few months since I saw Dr. Widra, but I called him and he returned my call within hours. We went back to Dr. Widra when we were ready to try for our second, and unfortunately we did not have success. After two cycles, he recommended we move on to donor egg. While we weren't (aren't) ready to do that, I appreciated his honesty about how he views our situation.

That he may not be the warmest upon first impression, but you should not take his frankness for a lack of compassion.

I began with fairly low doses of menopur and bravelle, 75 and 150, respectively. But that cycle did not produce many follicles. In my subsequent cycles, I was using higher doses -- around 150 menopur and 300 bravelle. I did two antagonist protocols: bcp followed by stims, with cetrotide added when the follicles got to a certain size. While these yielded a decent number of eggs, Dr. Widra thought we might be able to get more with estrogen priming, so we did that for my last cycle when trying for my first. When trying for my second, we started with estrogen priming since that had yielded the most eggs when I was trying for my first. However, that did not result in many eggs, so Dr. Widra proposed a micro-dose Lupron protocol.

I found monitoring appointments pretty easy because there were multiple locations I could go. There were often multiple women waiting, but that didn't negatively impact my experience. I knew that the earlier I went, the less time I would have to wait. Very occasionally, I would be taken to a room and then had to wait for 10-15 minutes, but usually once I was taken to a room, I was seen within a few minutes.

I was part of shared risk, both times. That meant I paid an upfront fee (~25,000) that covered up to 6 cycles and I got my money back if it didn't work.

Dr. Widra had a strong preference for eSET given that we were exclusively transferring 5 day embryos. I appreciated this approach, given that it is safer for both women and babies.

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.

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.

Dr. Kallen can be seen as a man of few words as I've seen in other reviews, and I agree with that. However, what he says is full of substance and gets to the heart of the issue. He was compassionate when things were tough, and honest about my obstacles. After 2 previous ectopics (separated by a successful IUI pregnancy), he was very clear with me that IVF would be the best option, and that IUI worried him because of the risk to my health with another ectopic. That made me feel more secure making the difficult decision to go forward with IVF even though we get pregnant with one IUI cycle before. I had an extreme curve in my cervix from a previous C section that made the egg transfer extremely difficult. He was honest and said that it would be really difficult, maybe impossible to get into my uterus with the eggs. That scared me, but I felt it prepared me for the possibility of not being able to get the egg into my uterus; a possibility I had never thought of. I could tell he was really focused on figuring it out, coming to my ultrasounds and trying to figure out what was going on. I felt like he really worked hard on helping me as an individual with specific needs.

nothing. He was great and I would highly recommend him.

I think our costs were about 20,000 for one egg retrieval and 2 transfers. Our insurance covered all of this. We got PGS testing free because we were part of a study. The egg freezing was around $4,000 I think, and maybe another $1000 for medications that weren't covered.

I asked Dr. about the idea of transferring multiple embryos. Dr. Kallen said it would not increase my chances, and explained the increased risks of multiples. Using one egg a time would make sure each embryo had it's best shot. This was my understanding of it. He sometimes would say, "If you were my sister, my advice would be..." That made sense to me, and I it made me feel like he was giving me real advice and feedback rather than just numbers and science. He did also mention that I could do 2 embryos if I wanted to, if I would be jumping at the idea of twins.

At first glance, Dr. Johnston is very intelligent and knows her stuff. However, when a doctor tells you any alternative treatments you're doing is not going to help, or it's as if a cancer patient is choosing herbs over chemotherapy when you take charge of your own fertility, they're belittling you as a patient and a person, as if to say it is poor judgement on my part. I think if she had chosen to be more empathetic and compassionate with her words, we might have continued our work together.

If you do not feel supported in your journey and you're given limited options, do yourself a favor and find a new doctor.

In the end, because we were disqualified from the shared risk program, our saved funds could only cover two cycles at Dr. Johnston's clinic. We decided to move forward with a different clinic for treatment.

12,000 per IVF cycle, not including meds, PGS, ICSI, cryo-preservation, OR multi-cycle discount for 18,500 (2 cycles) were what I qualified for, unless I agreed to donor egg IVF and I would have qualified for their shared risk program.

Lauren is supportive, empathetic and professional. We've had three treatment consultations with her. In each meeting, she clearly stated where we were in the treatment process, what the next steps or options were, and any risks associated with procedures. She would check in with us to make sure we understood everything and was able to do this without us feeling patronized. We asked many questions and Lauren always made sure we had as much information as we could before making any decisions. We felt/feel that she gave us her honest opinions and she supported us in each decision we have made thus far. Whether that be opting in or out of genetic testing, choosing to continue IUI after our miscarriage and switching to IVF, Dr. Roth has been supportive of each decision. She has also been quick to respond to any messages or emails we have left with questions. She never makes you feel ashamed or stupid for asking questions, even if they are as silly as "is it okay to dye my hair?" During procedures (we have done multiple IUI's and one fresh embryo transfer with her and will be doing a frozen transfer at the end of October), Lauren talks through the procedure as it's happening. This was especially helpful and comforting for my wife and me. I know my wife would have been asking a million questions if she had not been walking us through it. After our miscarriage, Dr. Roth was sympathetic and gentle about asking when we wanted to proceed to the next step. We have never felt rushed or pushed in a certain direction. She allowed us to make our own decisions about our treatment plan and it does make us feel like we are a team.

Don't be afraid to ask all your questions and voice your concerns. She will listen.

We started this journey without medications. The first two cycles of IUI were natural. At the time we started the process I was 29 and had no health issues that would indicate the need to use anything else. We also used at home Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK) to track my LH level and predict my ovulation window. We used the Ovidrel trigger shot starting in cycle 2. On the third cycle, we started doing monitoring through Shady Grove, meaning bloodwork and ultrasound to track ovulation and introduced 50mg of Clomid to the cycle. After this cycle was not successful, Dr. Roth suggested we do an HSG test to make sure there were no blockages in my fallopian tubes and that my uterus was normal. After getting normal results back from that test, we started our 4th IUI cycle. This cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy. 5th IUI we also introduced an FSH injectable (Follistim AQ, can't remember the dosage). On the 6th IUI cycle, we continued with Clomid and Follistim, increasing the dosage slightly on the Follistim. We were successful in this attempt and found out we were pregnant on New Year's Eve. I made it 14 weeks and had a miscarriage in March of 2019. We used April as a recovery month and did a saline ultrasound in May to confirm that all the tissue was removed and my uterus was clear to try another IUI. We continued with the protocol that we used in the 6th cycle except I used Letrozole 2.5mg instead of Clomid because of a national shortage. This protocol was successful for us so Dr. Roth felt that we didn't change it. After this cycle was negative, we discussed our options with Dr. Roth and ultimately decided to try IVF. I began the cycle taking birth control to suppress natural ovulation. We also used Menopur (75 IU), Follistim AQ (200IU), and Ganirelix (250MCG). We used Lupron (1mL) for the trigger before egg retrieval. After the Fresh Embryo Transfer, I began taking Estradiol (2mg tab) twice daily, and Endometrin (100mg tab) 3 times a day. This transfer was not successful. I have just started taking birth control again for the frozen embryo transfer and will begin Estrace/Estradiol 2mg tab 3x a day soon.

We were lucky in that our insurance covered 6 IUI cycles. However, we had a $50 copay for any visit to the clinic regardless of the type of appointment, and the IUI's were only covered after we met our deductible. Medications were partially covered as well. The HSG test was not covered, and that was $350 up front. The billing for this was a bit confusing because Shady Grove's system was a few months behind, so even though we paid up-front for the HSG exam, they applied that money to other charges on our account. In the course of the IUI treatment, we spent $16,000 (not including sperm). As we moved to IVF treatment, nothing is covered by our insurance. We opted for Shady Grove's Shared Risk Program, which is $19,500.00 plus the cost of medications (so far $2,331.00).

When we asked about the number of embryos, Dr. Roth explained to us that because of my age (30) if we did multiple embryos we would only be increasing our chance of twin rather than increasing the chance of pregnancy. She felt that the odds were good to transfers only one since the rate of pregnancy for someone my age is around 50%.

Dr. Osborne's bedside manner isn't great, but it's not the worst I've ever seen. Fertility clinics seem to be extremely nervous about getting a patient's hopes up, which means they are so neutral that they veer into actually withholding information, and being obtuse. I found Dr. Osborne to be this way. For example, I couldn't get a straight answer from her about nutrition/supplements to before/during egg freezing. Overall I sometimes felt like I was talking to a customer service or sales rep instead of a doctor - she just was unable to be personable.

Come prepared with all your questions, and don't be afraid to press further if you don't get a full answer to a question, or one that you understand.

Age: 38, AFC: 18, AMH: 1.58. Doctor expected ~13 eggs per cycle, of which ~9 would be mature. First cycle was way less successful than expected, so they used the same protocol but increased the dosage significantly. Then 3rd cycle they used a different protocol. First 2 cycles: birth control, then antagonist protocol (Gonal-F, Menopur, Cetrotide, Leuprolide trigger). 3rd cycle, no birth control, estrogen priming instead, then same antagonist protocol, except HCG instead of Leuprolide trigger. 1st cycle: 5 eggs retrieved, 3 mature 2nd cycle: 12 eggs retrieved, 8 mature 3rd cycle: 14 eggs retrieved, 9 mature

$12,500 for an egg freezing cycle: 20 mature eggs or 4 cycles, whichever came first. For 3 cycle, I paid the pharmacy ~$15K. SGF also tried to bill me for blood tests and a consultation with the doctor in between cycles. I was nickel and dimed.

He is a compassionate, patient, soft spoken and hardworking doctor. He gave me hope all along the way even when I was experience loss or complications. He gave me options but respected my decisions based on the information he provided.

Listen, ask questions, advocate for yourself but trust his experience and recommendations.

He reassessed after each miscarriage which led to slightly different protocols, PGStesting and using an implantation protocol (lovenox, baby aspirin, prednisolone).

Approximately $25,000. We were part of a shared risk program so paid an upfront fee. We paid for PGS testing of our embryos and also paid for medications which were not part of the shared risk program. Some medications were covered by insurance.

Dr. Saffan shows he cares his patients. On several occasions he called late in the evenings or on weekends to check in on me. He explains the procedures, risks, and makes recommendations based on specific situations. On all but one occasion, I've felt positive about the direction I was headed after speaking with or meeting with him. I've been seeing him for almost 2 years, and I've learned that he is an eternal optimist. I struggle with his seemingly endless optimism sometimes.

Be prepared for data-driven analysis. He will make his decisions based on the data. Also, if he seems overly optimistic, question why.

For my first IUI, I was put on Follistim. This resulted in pregnancy and miscarriage. Dr. Saffan then recommended IVF. We jumped right into that after waiting a month. I was put on birth control for less than 3 weeks. I was put on typical medications. The cycle was converted to IUI due to only 1 follicle. After a negative test, I went right back into round 2 (no birth control). This had the same result. I took time off then went back to a Clomid cycle to see how I would respond. Same result on a side with no tube so we did TI. I took time off then started another IUI cycle with Follistim. My response was better than any other so it was converted to IVF. 6 eggs were collected. 1 day 6 embryo that didn't take. I took more time off then went for another IUI, this time with Menopure. It was unsuccessful.

Each monitoring appointment is about $200-$300 but was covered by my insurance. IUI was covered with insurance. One cycle of IVF is about $11,000 not including medication.

She was very thorough in her explanation at the initial visit, and optimistic and supportive in our decision to go with IUI. Everyone who would call to discuss things was well informed of our chart/history/plan. She did our final US before graduating from the practice and explained everything well, answered any questions we had, encouraged us to send pictures of my growing belly and baby as the pregnancy progresses.

She had reviewed my chart from my previous doctor, and felt my body responded well to clomid so we did cycles of clomid and ovidrel with IUI. My initial month, I over produced and had 11 follicles so she canceled for too high a risk of multiples. The second month she lowered my dose to where i had 4, and we had a successful first IUI treatment.

Our IUI was 100% covered by our insurance

I am all around disappointed. Honestly, from the start I was a little put off by feeling like a number. It’s the closest clinic to my house, so, I stayed when I shouldn’t have. Dr, Khan did take the time to hear me out most of the time when we had a meeting. But, he was quick to wave off newer studies I’ve found. I let him because he’s the doctor, not me. My test came back with high FSH and possible clotting disorder. Otherwise “unexplained infertility”. I asked if I should take baby aspirin, “it’s not part of our protocol” I pushed back “will it hurt if I take baby aspirin. Since it could help prevent another miscarriage?” “no it won’t hurt anything”. Alrighty fighting for clarity and treatment as an individual and it was only the beginning. One medicated timed intercourse failed. Then I set up for an IUI, our insurance doesn’t cover it, in Northern VA fertility treatment is very pricey. I then went to my primary doctor who ran regular tests and found my thyroid was off (hypothyroid). A few days before IUI I told my clinic about my thyroid levels they “‘made note of it”. Went ahead with the IUI. It failed. I then discovered that my levels were way off for fertility and could be a reason for infertility and early miscarriage. When I brought this up to doctor Khan he said “yes. Your thyroid is not optimal for fertility. If you’d like, go and see an Endocrinologist”. That was the last contact I had with this clinic. I won’t be returning. They took my money and instead of holding off on the IUI that was perhaps destined for failure from the start and waited for my thyroid levels to regulate, they did the IUI. And I had to figure out for myself that my thyroid being off needed to be taken seriously. So frustrating and disheartening. You must be your own advocate. Ask questions. Do your own research!

Do your own research. Be your own advocate. Ask all of the questions. Be persistent. Also, don’t be afraid to go somewhere for a second opinion.

From my understanding for timed intercourse and IUI - its all the same. I did not do any IVF rounds or egg retrieval’s. For T.I and IUI - take clomid or letrozole starting day 3 of your cycle. Then around day 12 you go into the office for blood work and ultrasound to count follicles to see if you’re ready to take the trigger shot (ovadril). Trigger shot and two days later go in for the IUI. Then follow up with progesterone suppositories until negative blood test. Continue them if positive. My lining was thin during my T.I. and I had to take estrogen suppositories until negative pregnancy test.

My insurance covered the medication for timed intercourse. That price was under 70$ for the clomid, ovadril, and progesterone. My IUI was not covered my insurance, $1,800 for IUI then $175 for medications.

We didn’t do this.

I always felt like she cared about the smallest details, and that she had my best interests at heart. She was fully present during our visits. She never rushed or seemed annoyed when I had a lot of questions. She treated me like an educated, informed adult (which is more than I can say for my prior doctor).

Have your list of questions ready, and she will answer all of them!

We did a pretty standard (antagonist?) IVF protocol for a fresh transfer. It was the first cycle we had tried, after 3 failed IUIs at another clinic that declined to let us try a fresh transfer. I did not take BCP because I’ve had bad reactions in the past, and Dr. Nair was supportive of me declining that component. I responded well to the protocol.

It definitely felt a little bit like a cattle call, but a well run one. I went in the morning before work and it was always packed but moved along fairly quickly.

I had really good insurance coverage for the cycle, including meds. I had already met my out of pocket max, thanks to IUIs done earlier in the year, so my IVF cycle cost very little. I paid an office visit copay when I saw the doctor. The most expensive part was the cost for a nurse to help me at home with my injections the first few days (I was nervous!!). And also the embryo storage, which insurance did not cover.

I was happy to do eSET, and Dr. Nair was fully supportive given my age and history.

We saw Dr. McKeeby after our first failed cycle at another clinic. We were heartbroken, financially struggling and still, we clung to hope. He sat with us for over an hour during our first initial consult. He went thru every page (400 pages) of our medical records from our previous facility. When we tried to transfer our eggs from the other facility to Shady Groves lab, he called me personally to tell me the bad news. The old RE did not freeze our eggs appropriately and they would not be viable for thaw. He gave us devastating news, but he was calm and precise about his reasons. I respect him due to his honesty and compassion.

Ask a ton of questions, because he will absolutely take the time to answer them. When you leave all of your medical questions are answered completely, and you understand the treatment plans ahead.

We have not done a cycle with Dr. McKeeby yet, my husband is still on the medications to boost his count and raise his testosterone.

I do not remember specifics as we are have an appointment coming up to sit down in regards to IVF costs.

Overall, she’s been really nice, but at the beginning of our first cycle, they assigned us to a very inexperienced nurse who couldn’t even answer questions on the phone without checking with a colleague. When I called Dr. Timmreck to discuss, she tried to rush me off the phone saying, “I have patients waiting for me” as if I wasn’t a patient myself! But she did reassign us to another experienced nurse. The only other thing she has done repeatedly is bring up my age. I’m 43, and it’s mentioned at EVERY SINGLE appointment I have with her. I know my age! That’s one of the reasons we are there, I don’t need constant reminders!! But overall, since that one phone call, everything has been great. Just don’t expect any unscheduled discussions with her!

Just don’t expect to feel like you’re her only patients. She is very kind and understanding and was supportive after our miscarriage, but Dr. Timmreck does not make it a secret that she’s extremely busy.

First cycle: I don’t remember the dosages, but we did BCP for 2.5 weeks, then Gonal-f and Menopur injections for 14 days, at some point, they added in cetrotide injections, but I don’t remember exactly when. I did a Lupron trigger shot, then egg retrieval and 5 day transfer Second cycle: we had the Gonal-f and Menopur injections with the added cetrotide again, I don’t remember the dosages, but I do remember that this time it went on for 16 days. Lupron trigger and then egg retrieval. No eggs fertilized in this cycle, so no transfer occurred :( Third cycle in progress: we are on day 7 of Gonal-f and Menopur injections. They increased the Gonal dosage so we hopefully can trigger earlier this time.

They have a multi-cycle discount of $18,500 for 2 cycles. This not include the medications which can be another $5,000-7,000 per cycle.

They did tell me that they would only transfer 2 embryos at a time. We only had 2 that were mature enough to transfer anyway, so it was fine.

Dr. Divine, from the beginning, has been honest and candid about my fertility options. Given that I am over 40, she shared the scary statistics without making them feel daunting. Instead, she highlighted all possible options including ones I had never considered (e.g., using donor eggs if mine are not viable). Although she has a direct communication style (think: straight, no chaser), I found her candor to be refreshing. You definitely know where you stand, both with her, and your fertility options. After every appointment, I was clear on what to do next. She has been thorough, rigorous and quick minded I implicitly trust that she will do everything possible to ensure that I have the best possible options during this journey. Given that I struggle financially and, like many, juggle other life stresses, it is a relief to have a doctor and medical team who don’t add unnecessary stress due to lack of bedside manner, incompetence, etc. Overall, I am pleased with Dr. Divine and I look forward to having her continue to guide me through this process!

Ask as many questions as you would like. She is patient and thorough! She’s extremely knowledgeable! She will also guide you to nurses for questions they can address.

I am on round one of IVF with donor sperm. My protocol includes birth control pills and IVF “shots” to include the trigger shot. I have had to increase my Vitamin D. I also elected for PGA testing. Going straight to IVF instead of IUI made the most sense for my age (42)

23,500 for the two round bundle deal. 5,000 for PGS testing, 5,076 for medication. Also approx 2,000 for donor sperm. This is all out of pocket for me unfortunately. No insurance coverage outside of the initial visits

No comments on this actually. She mentioned preferring single and it makes sense to me.