Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine

I spent 3 years trying to get pregnant.  I truly believe that if I had gone to Dr. Sharara at VCRM in the first place I would have been pregnant long ago. I am so grateful to him and his team for everything they did for me.  They made a tough situation so pleasant; I honestly never minded my visits or my treatments.  I strongly recommend you consult with VCRM when considering your options.  My only regret not going to him sooner and believing there was nothing else to try because the two previous fertility clinics were a cookie cutter approaches to a complex medical problem. They actually told me “this is all we can do” - Dr Sharara is extremely competent, well-researched and highly regarded among his peers. I am a science person. I investigate and read everything I can get my hands on and talk to numerous experts prior to making decisions. I ask more questions than most people which can annoy some medical practitioners who like to believe patients know nothing. Dr Sharara is different and welcomes those questions and has answers. He is current on the latest science and honest. You deal with Dr. Sharara and his amazing nurses.  Jo is absolutely the best!  She literally would sit by me and hold my hand after procedures and watched me to make sure I was ok.  At no point was anyone ever confused about who I was, what protocol I was using, and what needed to happen.  And my protocol was totally unique to me and my situation.  Dr. Sharara would even work with me to figure out how to do things in parallel so we could save time (he knew I was older, and I had been trying for a long time). But he is careful and thoughtful about his approach.   - Dr. Sharara did tests that no one else even asked about or bothered to do. He focused on my health -- diet, supplements, sleep, even my husband's health. Dr. Sharara’ s tests identified problems that were not identified in the other two clinics.  He was reachable by phone and takes time to explain things thoroughly. He advised me of the option to do PRP on my ovaries to help with egg quality and referred me to Dr. Tabbarah for a minor surgery to remove some polyps in my uterus -- after both those were done, I got pregnant on my own on the first try!   -And you know what was great, when I got pregnant on my own after that, Dr. Sharara gave me a huge hug and told me how happy he was for me.  The other places, when I asked about trying stuff on my own, they said, "if you want to, sure, but that doesn't seem to get you much."   He obviously loves his job and wants to help people and that shines through the whole time. Having used 3 different fertility clinics over the years I can say without a doubt that if I had gone to Dr. Sharara at VCRM to begin with my life would have been much different.  I have summarized my experience below so you can judge for yourself. The big factory experience (2 very well know, highly advertised fertility clinics in the NOVA area): - They have a different person for everything (billing, client care, doctor, etc.).  They bounce you around from person to person so that no one ever really has to take accountability for anything. - One clinic made numerous mistakes with my medicine, with my protocol, and the doctor would stress the importance of timing and then change my procedures around his vacation schedule. -They tell you the protocols are customized for you, but then admit that there are only 2 they use.  They are antiquated and they refuse to even discuss any newer procedures. - Both places told me it would be "easy" for me to get pregnant, and after every failure they told me "I was dealt a bad hand" -- how is that for science?  A bad hand, really? -You sit in a waiting room for hours for monitoring, often to have them forget you were there.  Your time is not important to them, even though you pay an unbelievable amount of money for the poor patient care and failed fertility treatments. In summary, this would not have happened without Dr. Sharara’s medical and wholistic knowledge.

Listen to what he says, ask lots of question -- he will make sure you are comfortable and understand all options. Be ready to focus on your health.

Dr. Sharara use PRP on my ovaries. This is a newer procedure. It isn't new in the medical world but it is new in fertility. He used it to help with egg quality. Two months after I did PRP I got pregnant on my own. That was after trying for 3 years and several failed IVF procedures. He also had me on a very healthy diet and taking lots of supplements. I think the combination allowed my body to produce an embryo good enough to implant. So far I have a healthy pregnancy.

I had some insurance coverage but the out of pocket were clearly explained and it honestly didn't feel like a rip off like other places.

I have experienced three pregnancy losses, and to date, no medical reason has been identified. When sharing our story with Dr. Sharara, we felt no compassion or empathy for our losses. He was very fact-based, which I appreciate, but when it comes to this topic, this type of attitude can be perceived as cold and uncaring. He didn't even offer the opportunity to ask him questions during our consultation. He reviewed my historic blood work and made several assumptions about my period, diet, and lifestyle, and when I tried to correct his assumptions, he wouldn't listen. He spoke so quickly that I didn't have a chance to ask him to explain certain things.

He ordered (18) new labs. Some of which I understood to be just a check for a more recent/accurate information, but several others he didn't explain. He also ordered several other tests that were more inline with difficulty getting pregnant (ie. check if Fallopian tubes were blocked) instead of our recurrent pregnancy loss experience.

Dr. Sharara was in-network with our insurance. He wanted to run a couple tests that were not covered by insurance.

Dr. Sharara works as a "one-man" operation. He isn't available on weekends, and he is frequently out of the office for conferences and vacations. If your treatment cycle happens to fall when he is out of the office, you will have to wait until your next cycle to pursue treatment. I was tired of waiting and being postponed, so I chose to go elsewhere. Your level of treatment also depends on what kind of mood he is on the day that you see him. Spoiler alert... he's usually snarky.

Dr. Sharara does do a little more diagnostic testing than other places. This would really be the only thing good about this office.

The overall strategy was not catered to my specific needs, they were a canned set of treatment and nothing special.

Ultrasound: $480; IUI with injectables: $2,800; IVF: $13,300; FET: $4,500.

He will only transfer one embryo at a time.

Dr. Sharara is brilliant, experienced, warm, kind, caring and gave me so much hope when I wasn't feeling so strong. I have never been treated better or have been in better hands from any doctor in my entire life.

Just 1?! If I had to pick, I would say that Dr. Sharara has the knowledge, experience and skills to give you control of your infertility situation and together, you will get through this.

From day 1, there was a plan in place. I went through several screenings, including detailed blood work and blood screeners, a HSG and a hysteroscopy. I found out I had hypothyroidism (which a began taking a prescription for) and a vitamin D deficiency. I also found out from the hysteroscopy that I had cysts along my uterine wall (that could have been caused from all the hormones I had taken for IUIs prior to finding Dr. Sharara). With those there, I wasn't getting pregnant. I underwent surgery soon after. All of this was done between the end of June 2018-July 2018 (quick!). My husband also went through a screening that not only analyzed the amount of sperm he produced, but also the functionality. This CAP test gave him a CAP score. We then had a percentage of us conceiving naturally (which was very low and most likely not going to happen). Being 37 years old, I felt I wasted enough time with other doctors and my husband and I, along with Dr. Sharara made the decision to go forward with IVF.

Since Virginia is not an IVF mandated state, IVF is not covered for any practice under insurance. The costs of my procedure included: medications anesthesia trial transfer egg retrieval ICSI egg transfer

I ended up with 1 healthy embryo after genetic screening so I did not have the option.

He was thorough, specific, responsive, and positive when my husband and I met with him. I have full confidence in his medical abilities. When potential surrogate complications came up, and when we were applying for grants, his bedside became a bit curt/dismissive, as if he has plenty of people who will pay full prices for all aspects, so why should he deign to do anything differently / put forth extra effort / cater to those with financial hurdles? That said, during the traditional procedure process, he was excellent.

Go in for treatment already signed up with a surrogacy agency, and you'll have a great experience.

The treatment strategies and protocols he described were in line with the ones described to occur at other clinics. His rationales made sense, and I know he has gotten results.

The costs were in line with the other clinics in the area. The helpful aspect of Viriginia Center was they were able to itemize everything and provide a comprehensive total. Other clinics seemed to have asterisks everywhere, and it was hard to gauge a final number.

He prefers single embryo transfer, and his rationale / the nurse's explanation was convincing.

Dr. Sharara is a truly amazing Doctor and person. My husband and I are so grateful to him- we went from having no hope, and thinking we would never be able to have kids, to being now on our way to be the parents of three! After a long road of miscarriages, problems and infertility- we finally found Dr. Sharara. From the first appointment he was finding solutions, and ready to get started-he understood what an emotional time it was for us, and made it known that he would not give up. I came out of every single appointment smiling, even the ones where he bore bad news, because there was never bad news without a new solution, and a new action. His knowledge and progressive ways are remarkable, and he is extremely thorough in every aspect of treatment, from diet and lifestyle to specific doses of medication, when many doctors are not. On a personal level, he is incredibly kind, attentive, and respectful. I was ushered into the appointment room as soon as I arrived to every single appointment, and greeted with kind words. With his support and the support of his wonderful staff, we had our first amazing miracle- our son. And again today, we are pregnant with twins!! I cannot thank them enough. I would recommend Dr. Sharara to anyone hoping to conceive, without a moment's hesitation. He is the best.

Trust his method, and listen to his advice about diet, it really helps.

I was definitely educated on the trade offs, and he was reluctant to transfer more then one. But at my insistence, we ended up transferring two.

After several months with a well-known, and well-advertised regional fertility clinic my husband and I found ourselves increasingly frustrated with their lack of transparency, and their inability to provide real answers. Like everyone struggling to conceive, we wanted a baby, but we also wanted to understand the why and how behind our infertility. That’s when we went to see Dr. Sharara. It was by far the best decision we could have made. He provided comprehensive answers with respect to the causes of our infertility, in a no-nonsense and straightforward manner. In our first meeting he took the time to listen to our experiences, and understand why we were there. He reviewed our previous test results, and explained things our prior provider had never mentioned. He immediately put his finger on what he felt was the problem. He didn’t promise us miracles, but he did promise us a clear path forward, and alternative paths if need be. His cautiously optimistic style left us feeling confident that we were not being sold a bill of goods, and irrespective of the outcome, we were receiving the best care available. We knew then that we had found our doctor.

I came to VCRM for a second opinion because I didn't agree with the course of action from the first specialist. Dr. Sharara immediately changed my lifestyle, to include diet and exercise while adding a thyroid treatment. I ended up pregnant as a result, which saved us from more invasive treatments.

I lost a lot of trust in the medical system during fertility treatment. Dr. Sharara restored quite a bit of my trust in respecting my slow approach to figuring out what was wrong.

I had pcos so our protocol included going on a no sugar diet, scaling back HIIT workouts, and taking a thyroid pill as well as metformin. I did the diet exercise for about 3 months and the meds for about 1 month before getting pregnant.

Fortunately, my insurance covered my testing, but that was it. We hit the deductible with Dr. Sharara but had we needed additional treatment, that would have been out of pocket.

After 1 year of trying and 1 year at a local fertility factory, we found Dr Sharara. He addressed previously undiagnosed issues and although we were ready to start an IVF cycle, he helped us conceive naturally. We welcomed our daughter in October.

Run, do not walk to make an appointment. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Dr Sharara is amazing.

Because our previous practitioner had missed several things, Dr Sharara had to start from square one. He started us on the PCOS diet and supplements, as well as thyroid medication, with the goal of doing IVF. While monitoring ovulation to determine next steps, we conceived naturally within 2 months.

Dr Sharara accepted our insurance and helped us maximize our benefit. Additionally, we were able to use our FSA for many of the office visits and charges. Dr Sharara also was less expensive than another fertility factory in the area.

N/A

Dr. Sharara was warm and approachable and at the same time a man on a mission. He was busy, but you knew that he was busy trying to make his patients happy. The entire team felt like a big family. I trusted him and have no regrets to this day.

Because he is a man on a mission, he moves swiftly. As a patient (and frequently an infertile one), you are stressed and emotional and wanting to go slowly through the steps. It helps to just ask him to slow down and talk you through it

While we had done natural cycle IVF, this was our one regular IVF with all of the drugs and procedures that you would expect. Dr. Sharara had exhausted every other option through thorough testing. It was as low stress as you'd hope and successful. While the patient always deserves credit for a positive attitude, he was an exceptional doctor

Not cheap!

I love that Dr Sharara is caring and compassionate, but more importantly, he is very very thorough. He performs several tests to insure a healthy pregnancy, prescribes the necessary vitamins and nutrients based on blood tests (I had a lot of deficiencies that other doctors did not check for) and checks for genetic issues that may cause miscarriage. He is extremely thorough and explains everything step by step.

Go in feeling comfortable

He did a trial transfer, Lupron prior to guided ultrasound transfer

4500 embryo transfer, 15000 IVF

None

I cannot say enough nice things about Dr. Sharara and his staff. My husband and I visited the practice after months of failed attempts to conceive and were met by a knowledgeable, concise, and comforting professional. Through their advise, we were able to conceive naturally within two months. Sadly, nature had other plans and Dr. Sharara gently coached us through a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy. We decided to use IVF and ultimately lucked out after one round. We felt so well taken care of and valued by everyone, from Mary and Trisha at the reception desk to Jo and Lily in the back. We were sad to move on from VCRM but with good reason! Can't recommend them enough.

Trust him and follow his advice closely.

In total, I think $30k

He is very meticulous, checks for everything. He is always doing all the ultrasounds and procedures. He re-evaluates treatment if something does not work out. He has good bed side manner. I had a really good experience with him.

He is the best in the dc area. Don't wait to see him!

Dr Sharara is exceptional in his field, this is evident by the custom approach and program he has given me and each of the 9 people I have referred over the last 6 years to him, all of which have had successful IVF pregnancies. Dr Sharara is a perfect blend of intellect and honesty and compassionate medical care.

Be honest about your diet and lifestyle as he creates a custom approach to your specific needs and issues but he can only do this if you disclose everything fully.

Dr Sharara gets results. He is the best out there. He is not the best at explaining results or details of every visit. He may not have the warmest bedside manner, but at the end of the day he gets results and to me that is the most important thing.

Go to Dr. Sharara. You will have the best shot at a baby.

He encourages good nutrition, supplements to boost egg quality and then a personalized protocol.

Self pay $16,000 Medicine $6000 Tests $3000

Dr. Sharara is the best Doctor I had in my life. I had a chronical case of endometriosis and pregnancy chances were very, very small and narrow. I had several IVF cycles in other fertility clinics where treatments were depersonalized and attention was mediocre. Then I met Dr. Sharara who from the very first appointment was a world away from previous experiences. His approach is holistically, building an individualized diagnosis, exploring causes and providing right and customized treatment options for you after thoroughly discuss it with you. He was able to uncover details about my condition that other doctors had missed. He basically changed my life!!! My first transfer was successful and my daughter is a 2 years old miracle of life. Then I decided for a second transfer of one of the frozen embryos and my second transfer was also a success, I am 37 week pregnant of a boy! . Dr. Sharara made the such an impact in my life… always realistic but showing us to keep faith and hope that the unreachable might be possible!!!

Definitely go for it!!! It would be a great experience

IVF treatment with pre-test finding the problems

Dr. Sharara and his practice, Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine, was referred to me by my OBGyn after years of not being able to get pregnant. I am infinitely grateful because he, along with his wonderful staff, is absolutely amazing! First, Dr. Sharara is brilliant. He applies years of his research and teaching into his practice. My husband and I always felt as if we had options and the decisions we made were always encouraged by Dr. Sharara and his team. Second, his team truly cared for me every step of the way. The process can be exhausting, both mentally and physically, and I literally had a family at VCRM that held my hand through each milestone. They became my support system. Finally, the experience was incredibly educational and professional. I learned more about my health, my body and my strength than I ever thought possible. I actually became healthier through the process. In addition to all these high points, Dr. Sharara and his ENTIRE team are extremely thorough, punctual and respectful. I'm indebted to everyone at VCRM for everything they've done to help me and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone!

Dr Sharara is highly intelligent and knows what he is doing. He tells you things as they are and he’s compassionate and non judgmental. During my tests, I was happy that I was able to speak to him through the whole process. At other clinics, I’ve had to talk to a tech or a nurse instead of the doctor. Dr. Sharara has met with me at each appointment and genuinely seems to care about my success. His demeanor is kind and he is always professional

Go see him, the sooner you start the better

I am going through the diagnostic testing currently. Dr Sharara does day 3 sonogram and labs, HSG, sonohystogram, hysteroscopy. He is very thorough and discovered a uterine polyp that Shady Grove completely missed.

His costs are very reasonable for the area. I believe 1350 for an iui cycle with clomid, 2200 for an iui cycle with injectables

No experience with that

We have had 2 successful pregnancies with Dr Sharara, he and his staff are fabulous! He is no nonsense with everything, we never felt pressured to proceed on anything until we were comfortable and he is always professional. We highly recommend him to everyone we know going through fertility struggles. We went with one of the other large groups first and it was a disaster, our experience was horrible and was ready to give up...until we met Dr Sharara!

Do everything he says and follow all of recommendations for the best success.

His costs were a little higher than the large group we ha seen previously but were in-line with what we found to be local rates in our area.

For the first transfer we went with 2 eggs, 1 implanted and we have a beautiful son. The second transfer we went with only 1 egg on the advice of Sharara we were concerned with my own health and our own desire to have only one more child.

Dr. Sharara is a baby making genius. He is honest, thorough, competent, highly intelligent and downright amazing. He will absolutely let you know the truth of your specific situation. He is thorough in his exam of you and your personal scenario. you will not be let down.

Be honest and follow the instructions given exactly.

There was quite a bit to do. I definitely did the ERA testing to ensure timing was as impeccable as could be.

The costs were competitive in nature. Each scenario is unique and has its own set of costs involved.

Do what is best for you. I have transferred one at a time and two at at time. It all depends on what you can handle and what Dr. Sharara thinks is best.

Dr. Sharara is knowledgeable, direct and compassionate. He took the time on the front end to understand what are issues were and came up with a game plan to address them. As we discovered new issues, he adjusted the plan. His thoroughness is unmatched and I truly believe that we would not have gotten pregnant without his expertise.

Do exactly as he as says.

IVF resulting in one live birth.

$20k- out of pocket IVF

Dr. Sharara was extraordinarily helpful. He did not judge our situation or second guess our decision to use a surrogate. There was no pressure to take different routes of treatment. We fully trusted all his decisions and knowledge of the process we were going through. We couldn't be more happy with our time with him.

Be patient, bring a lot of questions, but trust the doctor and his decisions. He is incredibly knowledgeable. Do not bring Dr. Google into the room. You are paying Dr. Sharara for a reason. He knows best.

We didn't have a normal treatment protocol. I came to VCRM because my husband and I had spent almost the last decade at Johns Hopkins Fertility trying to get pregnant and it wasn't happening. Eventually it was determined I could not have children. So we got a surrogate and lawyers and started looking for a clinic that would help us. VCRM did not hesitate with that help. We went through our consultation, the medical clearance for the surrogate, then two rounds of transfers with donor embryos. The second round worked and now we are about 10 weeks along with a little baby girl.

Consultation: I cant remember Medical Clearance for Surrogate + ERA: 6k or so total. Medicines for Surrogate: $100-500 depending on what was being ordered. Adopted Embryos: $11,500 each - genetically tested. Sonograms after transfers: $585 each (2 total)

At first, I wondered why we weren't transferring multiple embryos at a time, but in the long run eSET saved us quite a bit of money. I trusted the doctor's decisions and recommendations.

Dr. Sharara is very prompt; if you have work, school, or children to attend to, this is invaluable. I always was given the opportunity to ask questions and feedback was always thorough and honest. Dr. Sharara would explain his logic any time testing was needed and also would explain how any abnormal test results that came up could affect fertility. I never went into a test or procedure feeling like it didn't serve a very specific purpose or like I didn't know what the outcome would be if something came up in testing.

Prepare to move quickly. I had seen another fertility specialist prior to Dr. Sharara and it took months to get any kind of feedback from them, only to be told they didn't know what the issue was and to just keep trying. Dr. Sharara gave me a list of tests and when we'd do them during my first consult, I literally had all my testing done and had a diagnosis less than 3 months in. And even that was delayed because the radiology center didn't have an appointment available for my HSG during the first cycle I could have done it.

Somewhere around half of Dr. Sharara's patients come to him after going somewhere else first without any luck—that was my husband and me. At our first clinic (I'll leave them unnamed), I always felt they weren't doing enough, that it was a fertility farm, next one in, next one out. I remember begging for a list of recommended vitamins I should be taking, and they just said the prenatal. We had three failed cycles with them. We needed more care. We needed a personalized approach that would leave no stone unturned, and that was Dr. Sharara and his team at VCRMed. He put me on an aggressive vitamin protocol, tested my thyroid and found it was slightly hyperactive and put me on Levothyroxine, found a unique genetic abnormality that makes me not absorb regular folic acid and put me on methylfolate, he told me to sign up for acupuncture for stress. He is a 360-degree doctor who leaves no stone unturned. Too long, didn't read? Two words: Miracle Worker!

Listen to him! He knows what he's doing!

Having been at a fertility farm before with a line wrapped around the ultrasound room and blood-draw room, VCRMed was an absolute dream. I picked appointment times that worked for my schedule and never once waited. Signed in and went straight to the US room. So appreciated this after my first experience.

We were in our early 40's and had been unsuccessful in getting pregnant naturally. We tried several different routes before moving forward with IVF. Saying thank you to Dr. Sharara doesn't seem like enough. He made our dreams come true and was very knowledgeable and thorough. He is an expert in his craft and I would recommend anyone wanting to get personalized care and sucessful results to go to him immediately. Don't wait

If you under the age of 35 and are not ready to have children, go see Dr. Sharara and use his service to freeze your eggs. Although we were successful after many years and lots of money, I don't wish the process on anyone. Give yourself the peace of mind you deserve.

We tried 2 protocols. The first one was unsuccessful. My eggs died before the afternoon. The second protocol with lifestyle change including higher quality vitamins, reduction in exercise, caffeine, alcohol and meat worked for us.

$4500 for Transfer. Does not include meds or lab work

We agreed with our doctor's approach that transferring no more than 2 embryos was the best. He was not in the business of making herds of children. We opted to transfer one embryo.