How was your experience with Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
The doctor is wonderful, she is very kind and easy to talk too. She always explains each step in detail and is quick to answer all my questions. She preformed my embryo transfer and also did the IUI, but did not do the egg retrieval. I like her as a person and as a doctor and feel very comfortable speaking to her about my situation and asking her questions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Ask to speak directly to her when they call you. As I stated earlier the nurses handle the majority of the phone calls and regular visits which I understand, but she seemed much more compassionate and involved then the nurses, and I think asking to speak with her directly would make a patient feel more comfortable and confident with whats happening.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
When I am speaking directly to the doctor I feel like a human, however most of the time I do not actually see or speak with her, I communicate mostly with nurses. My nurses have been changed on me twice with no notice and it leaves me feeling very unimportant and like I need to re-explain my entire situation. I don't feel like I have a great connection with my clinic as I hear a lot of other women do. There have also been quite a few times where they call me and seem very short and have no sympathy. I feel like the money aspect is more important to them then actually getting results and that is incredibly frustrating.
Describe the protocols Asima Ahmad used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I started this process with medication and trying timed intercourse which did not work. We then moved onto one IUI cycle which also failed, and the doctor recommended moving right to IVF because IUI's didn't seem very likely to work with my situation (I have PCOS). I then started the IVF cycle and had the retrieval done and we got 17 eggs, 6 of which turned into embryos. I had a fresh transfer done which unfortunately failed as well. I have had 2 cancelled IVF transfers now one due to a change in insurance and the second one cancelled because my body quit responding to the medication and my lining wasn't thick enough. After that I went back in and had a consultation with the doctor and we are going to try a different medication protocol using only injectables and then doing the frozen transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Yes, but it has changed multiple times.)
The receptionist was so rude and short with me every time I called that I ended up putting in a complaint. She now seems more pleasant but I'm sure its because she got talked too. The nurses are nice but when I am called with results it seems rushed and there's not much emotion. And as I have stated my nurse has been changed on me multiple times with no notice and that is very frustrating. This situation is so hard mentally, emotionally, physically AND financially; no woman should have to deal with a rude or crabby staff member.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The best advice I can give another patient starting this process is to be your own cheerleader. Voice any and all questions and concerns, no matter what they are. Call them 20 times a day if that's what it takes. This is your body and your baby, you have every right to know exactly what is going on and why its going on. After all, you're paying an arm and a leg for all of this so speak up. The center itself is very clean and pleasant, the staff is nice, but you have to speak up for yourself because they can be very short. I wish they would work on making a better connection with their patients and call them for more then just mandatory results and to remind them to pay their bill (I think that is so sh*tty.)
Describe the costs associated with your care under Asima Ahmad at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I've spent about $5,000 so far. I don't know an exact amount.
Describe Asima Ahmad's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
For my situation my doctor has so far recommended only transferring one embryo at a time. She told me I have a very high risk of conceiving multiples and she wanted to cut down on that as it can be dangerous for myself and the babies. If this next frozen transfer does not work I will have some tests done and then we will discuss transferring 2 embryos.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
There was one appointment I went in for, for ultrasound and bloodwork to monitor before my upcoming transfer, and no one ever called me with the results. I had to call them myself the next day and whoever answered the phone sounded annoyed and didn't seem to think it was a big deal. That made me very mad. Also with my last IVF transfer that was cancelled, I still cant believe how unsympathetic the nurse was about it. After taking all the medication and going to appointments every week just to have her call two days before the transfer and say "yeah sorry we have to cancel." like it was no big deal, it was really hard. I was so frustrated that the nurse didn't even seem to care. They really need to learn how to make better connections with their patients. It's not like they only see us once every few months or once a year like a regular doctor, we are there EVERY week, for months or even years and spend thousands of dollars there, they least they can do is show compassion. That is my biggest complaint with this place.