Arlene Morales

Dr Morales is a straight-to-the-point woman. She does not sugar coat anything, but still has the skill to show compassion. She is detail oriented and as many times as she has met new clients, she still managed to make us feel like we were her only clients. I've heard others say her bedside manner was cold, but I didn't find that to be true at all. My previous doctor treated us like a number and didn't care when our IUIs failed, Dr Morales was honest and kind. We appreciated her bedside manner and found it to be honest.

The only thing I wished I had asked was what her failure rate was. I wouldn't expect her to offer that up, but I wish I had asked. Prior to our experience I had never met anyone who had a failed IVF experience and as we came close to that end I was shocked. A couple of years later when friends of ours underwent IVF and had zero embryos I was in shock again. I had never heard of that happening, but of course should have known better and asked.

Dr Morales had reviewed our file before our Consultation and as we discussed our options she was already prepared according to our specific needs and contents of our file. She addressed our concerns honestly and while being blunt she still showed compassion to our situation. She was extremely detailed oriented and kindly entertained and answered the page of questions and concerns we had. Throughout the duration of our treatment she spoke to us by name, always made eye contact, asked personal questions that were specific to us and genuinely showed sadness and concern when things didn't look good with our embryos. After our miracle embryo took she did a happy dance with us in the office to celebrate. She checked in with me during each blood draw and even made a personal call after I was no longer under their care and was transferred to my OBGYN.

I began by taking Progesterone + Estrogen/Estrace (2mg) 2x/day prior to and through my cycle. After my cycle ended I took Follistim (300IU) and Micro hCG (10 IU) for one week. After a blood draw at week 1 I took the Antagonist = Ganirelix 1x/day while being monitored. For Egg Retrieval I took HCG (3333 units) as a subcutaneous injection + Dostinex (.5mg) tablet daily for 7 days. Day before egg retrieval I had no injections or medications. Morning Day of egg retrieval I had no injections or medications. Evening of egg retrieval I began - Progesterone (400mg) vaginal capsule 2x/day which continued through first week of pregnancy. I also started Doxycycline (100mg) 2x/day for only 5 days + Estrace (2mg) tablet 2x/day + Aspirin (81mg) 1x/day + Dostinex (.5mg) 1x/day After positive pregnancy test I continued the Progesterone for a week.

Top notch doesn't even begin to explain the nursing staff. From the front desk to the phlebotomist, to our nurse at each visit and the nurses in the O.R. they were kind, compassionate, attentive and professional. We were greeted by name by each nurse we interacted with, I had various nurses checking in on my at blood draws, the nurses in the O.R. were EXTREMELY patient when I was emotionally a wreck. The nurse we had at the embryo transfer was a rock for us as we dealt this shocking news. A handful of nurses did a happy dance with us when we got a positive pregnancy test and the nurse who called to tell me about our positive pregnancy test cried with me over the phone. We couldn't have been more impressed with the nursing staff.

The only thing I can think of that wasn't ideal was the wait to get in for a consultation. We waited maybe two months to get an appointment, but once we we decided to move forward we had no issues getting appointments. We both liked that they offered early a.m. appointments as we could go before work. We also appreciated they offered free parking and had a cozy waiting room. But I think we the fact that they were an all encompassing (had their own lab, could do all blood draws on-site, did egg retrievals and embryo transfers under the same room) was incredible. Results came back quickly, the entire staff was on the same page with our record and day-to-day details. We found their costs to be honest, up front, and they even gave us tips on where to get the discounted or less expensive meds. Really no complaints.

Clinic Fee $4500 + Surgery/O.R. (egg retrieval & embryo transfer) $6000 both due at start of agreement. Anesthesiologist for egg retrieval $460 and was paid directly to the anesthesiologist on the day of retrieval. We also chose to do an updated blood/hormone panel for me which cost $700. Our insurance helped with some of the over-the-counter medications ($6 for Aspirin & $6 for Estradiol). Injectables, needles, alcohol pads, progesterone, trigger shots, and other medications cost approximately $7000. Our insurance paid half of the cost for the egg retrieval so we were reimbursed roughly $1500 if I remember correctly. Had we need Cryopreservation for embryos it would have been $1100 and embryo storage would have been billed $65 monthly or $600 annually.

My husband and I had decided we only wanted a single embryo transferred and since we had both been diagnosed with Unexplained Infertility Dr. Morales fully supported that decision.

Dr. Morales is very smart and experienced. She explains things and seems to know what she is talking about and backs up the information with recent research. She speaks very fast and uses medical terms that I don't always understand so a lot of the time I leave feeling confused or overwhelmed. I don't feel she takes patients situations case by case and treats everyone the same as she has her own agenda in mind .

Be prepared with your own questions to ask and do research before hand to know what to ask for.

She and her office are very busy. When I meet with her it is always very rushed. She has very little bedside manner.

Every time I go it seems I have a different nurse. For my first cycle I had a care coordinator that I mainly spoke to via phone or email and did not see her often st the office. This cycle I have a new care coordinator and she is new to the office, and seems inexperienced. My last appointment I saw someone different. It makes it difficult when it seems there are so many people involved and no one really knows you or your situation other than what is written in the chart. The clinic I was at before I had one care coordinator and mostly one nurse that I dealt with for all of my care.

For the most part everyone is nice and friendly . I have never had any problems getting appointments and for most appointments I am seen right at my appointment time. There is a lot of staff which is good, but at the same time makes it confusing as to who is your main point of contact for questions or concerns. With so many people being involved in your care, it can feel at times like you are just a number and no one really knows you or your case.

I did a single embryo ivf transfer with a donor embryo. I think her reasoning behind doing one is because I only had two. The first one failed and I am about to two the second transfer. Hoping for better results.

My initial impression was not a good one with her running 90 minutes late for my first assessment. When she finally came in she was very frazzled. Then when I returned for follow up with my husband she was again all over the place and did not even introduce herself or acknowledge him for the first 30 minutes. Those are minor compared to the fact that she gave us inaccurate information on my husband’s SA results that essentially should have made her stop with all of our IUIs and proceed with further testing. She did not recommend he see a urologist and when I suggested it could not give any recommendations of who to see. Instead she continued to go on with IUIs and was ready to jump right into IVF when all 3 IUIs failed which we now know would have also been wasted since my husband has some abnormalities that need to be addressed by a male infertility urologist. We are with a new RE now and still trying to sort out what our best options are to maximize success vs Dr. Morales who was ready to just go through all the motions without considering what would give us the best likelihood for success.

Make sure you ask lots of questions and rationale for why she is doing things. Also, get a second opinion.

The front desk made frequent errors as did the doctor who often would say the wrong medication that I was taking, the wrong cycle day I was on and the wrong IUI cycle we were doing. Even when she was directly looking at the chart.

I was on letrozole 7.5 mg for all 3 IUIs which worked for me produce 1-2 follicles. We had to cancel 1 cycle because my husband had high WBC suddenly. She said this would not be a problem if we were doing IVF which I now know is false. The high WBC damage the DNA so would have been a huge issue if we were doing IVF.

I did not like that there was always a new nurse. I had a difficult time ever getting through to speak with someone. They would send me to their voicemail and it could take days for a response. For our first IUI they wrote the wrong date for the trigger which luckily I caught within hours of almost giving myself the injection too early. The nurses are very nice but both my husband and I had a difficult time with many mistakes by the nurses

I do think that everyone was nice but in the world of infertility I think that is a bit irrelevant. I liked that I saw the doctor every time but in retrospect I was rushed through and she was so frazzled I was surprised she even know who I was. Knowing what I know now through interaction with our new RE my top complaints are with Dr. Morales not explaining the importance of certain tests or the rationale behind them and that she was not up to date with what to do for male factor problems and did not refer us appropriately to someone who was more knowledgeable on this issue. The front desk was very disorganized with paperwork, billing us too much on several occasions and forgetting to have us sign papers that then required us to return for additional visits just to sign. The nurses were caring but with a new face each time they didn’t really know our situation.

We did have coverage for IUIs so with copays and meds it came out to about $200 per cycle. We had 3 IUIs and 1 cancelled cycle plus one frozen sample for my husband so in total around $1,000

Dr. Morales made this experience so great for us! I had all the confidence in the world with her and the team. She reassured me on occasions when I was worried, joked with me to lighten the mood and was our biggest cheerleader. She guided us through the process but never pressured us to do any test or procedure etc we did not feel comfortable with. She showed genuine care and compassion to my husband and I and I will be forever grateful for her.

Trust the process. Dr.Morales knows her stuff and is always working with your best interest at heart.

Everyone from the front desk to the ma's to nurses and especially Dr. Morales made us feel so special and loved. We developed a close relationship with a lot of the staff at FSMG!

I was on injectable hormones to stimulate follicles for egg retrieval. Based on tests Morales had me relatively high on dose which we ended up increasing even more over the course of two weeks as my follicles were "sleepy" after egg retrieval we did a FET due to my progesterone being a little too elevated.

The ivf coordinator Martha was amazing. She is the first nurse we met and went through lots of the logistics of ivf with. She herself has been through the process so it was very comforting to hear her story. She was so thorough in explaining doses, how to give yourself a shot and what to expect. All of the nurses I came across throughout the process were great and very helpful and caring.

Very comfortable office. By the time you are released from their care it feels like home!

About 13 grand

For our purposes and only having 4 embroyos we decided one at a time was best for us.

Dr. Morales was always very honest about my diagnosis and treatment options- something I valued. In a process that can be very frustrating and leave you feeling out of control, it is nice to have a clear plan of action! Although it is clear Dr. Morales has many patients (the clinic was typically pretty busy when we were there), I saw her every single visit... for every ultrasound, every procedure, every consult, and never felt rushed or brushed aside.

It is scary.... but go to that first consult, listen to what the doctors have to say, and ask lots of questions! We cancelled our initial consult a couple of times because we were so nervous to hear bad news. But the more we learned- the better we felt!

I felt that Dr. Morales took the time to make sure I understood all of the treatments and reasons behind each treatment decision. The entire staff was always warm, remembered my name (and my husband's name) and truly become good friends.

The nursing staff was great! They answered all of our questions, even calls and emails quickly (emails we especially valued). They are also wonderful patient advocates - always looking for the best value on medications, making sure if anything could be covered by insurance that it was, etc.

Although a bit tricky to find the first time, the clinic is great. Very nice, clean, and inviting. The front desk staff (who will remember your name after your first visit - it's amazing!) always has a smile on their face and is ready to greet you. Great coffee in the waiting room too!

I was pleasantly surprised to see the doctor (not a nurse or medical assistant) for every monitoring appointment. It was also nice they started them so early in the morning (7:00 AM)

I've been very pleased with Dr. Morales as a patient. She is clear, kind, and thorough. She is very knowledgeable. She makes you feel that you can trust her and the information she is giving you. She understands the concerns and is willing to slow down to explain things as much as needed.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, or to ask Dr. Morales to explain something again until you understand. There is a lot that is confusing, and she is willing to explain it if you ask.

Dr. Morales talked to us like we are smart people. She was straightforward and told us what she knew we wanted to know.

I'm still in the process of being treated by Dr. Morales. We have not gotten to the treatment phase yet.

Dr. Morales' nurse who worked with us was very kind and explained things thoroughly.

The financial manager is very good and the best person to talk to about the finance portion of things. Come with questions. Be prepared to listen and learn. Recognize that you will likely leave with even more questions, but rest assured you will get them answered! Be on top of your insurance coverage and payments! Keep copies.

50% of our diagnostic procedures were covered by insurance; the rest of the costs were paid out of pocket. 50% of treatments are also covered by insurance.

I have not experienced this yet.

Dr. Morales seems up to date on the newest practices, especially when it comes to genetic screening and various genetic diagnostic procedures -- this is one of the reasons we chose to go to her. I trust her competence with all the decisions we've made and procedures we've had done. She has also let meetings go long after we've had failures and are going over results and next steps. All that said, this is a busy practice and she is on the move. When you come in for an ultrasound, it is friendly but quick and in small talk Dr. Morales may mix up a few personal details (not important to treatment -- but things like "How was your trip to Europe?" and I'm like "What trip?"). If you are looking for a doctor to ponder the meaning of life with at each appointment, you might prefer a different practice.

I consider the practice as a whole to be run extremely well. From the receptionists to the MAs to the nurses, I feel that everyone there quickly got to know me as a person and it was actually very pleasant being around the office/clinic and interacting with them. Dr. Morales' manner is a little scattered, though she very clearly cares about our outcome. I would consider that the practice as a whole is very well staffed and personable.

I have worked with several of the nurses and they all knew our case extremely well, were easy to get in touch with, happy to answer questions, good at explaining things and very personable.

She really took the time to cover everything with you, really listened when she asked about how you responded to medications. She really wants to get to help you expand your family. She will also tell you exactly what will happen (if you do IUI/ IVF treatments and what to expect after them.

She will tell you the truth. She wants to help you achieve your dreams.

She took the time to get to know us, answered any and all of our concerns, and would explain everything in details. Plus she has a great sense of humor!

She recommend IVF to begin with (due to the length of time we've been trying); we wanted to start with IuIs first. She did as we asked, and would look at one cycle vs the next to see how the numbers would change (follicle size/ how many developed and on which side). She also asked about side affects from the medications clomid vs. letrezule.

All of the nurses are fantastic. They cheer with you when you succeed (if you lost some weight); helped you when the tests were negative. Very caring.

Make sure to bring your new patient forms filled out before hand-they are very long and it's easier to have them completed beforehand.

Insurance did not pay for any treatment. They always made you aware of the costs upfront.