Bala Bhagavath

Dr. Bhagavath was knowledgeable and organized. I only ever wanted a constant plan and backup plan, which he always provided. He would explain everything thoroughly and answered any question we may have had. I have heard that to others he may come off as too blunt or too realistic, but this is exactly what I wanted. I needed to know the reality of the situation and he would always explain without being too harsh. He was always consulting with other doctors trying to find the best course of action. I always trusted his opinion.

Dr. Bhagavath is extremely knowledgeable and will work hard to help you achieve a pregnancy.

Dr. Bhagavath always knew everything about me - my numbers , my issues, my past. He never showed up to an appointment without knowing what happened to me. He was blunt when it was needed but was a helpful ear as well. He always made me feel like he was trying everything he could to achieve a pregnancy.

IUI Cycle - Injectables - Gonal to stimulate - the rationale for doing an IUI cycle with me was to see how I responded to injectables. IVF Cycle # 1 - Antagonist protocol - This protocol was used because even though I had a DOR during my IUI cycle I responded extremely well to the medicine. This cycle resulted in 14 eggs , 8 mature , 5 fertilized. 2 embryos were transferred on day 3. Negative pregnancy test. IVF Cycle # 2 - Microdose flare protocol - This protocol was used because the previous cycle resulted in a negative pregnancy test. This cycle resulted in 11 eggs , 6 mature , 5 fertilized - freeze all cycle. 3 embryos were thawed and transferred a month later on day 3. Negative pregnancy test. IVF Cycle # 3 - Antagonist protocol - This protocol was used because it resulted in a good number of eggs in my first cycle. This cycle resulted in 12 eggs , 7 mature , 6 fertilized. 3 embryos were transferred on day 3. Negative pregnancy test. IVF Cycle # 4 - Antagonist protocol w, Human Growth Hormone - This protocol was used because poor egg quality was attributed to my previous failed IVF cycles. This cycle resulted in 14 eggs , 9 mature , 9 fertilized. 3 embryos were transferred on day 3. Positive pregnancy test - singleton ended in miscarriage at 9 weeks.

My assigned nurse was an extremely nice and caring individual. With that said I had problems with her organization. She would make mistakes often; forgetting to send in prescriptions, forgetting to provide me with needed information or failing to complete things in a time sensitive matter.

I was pleased with Strong fertility clinic as a whole. The staff was always friendly and helpful. The other doctors at the practice were always wonderful. I felt comfortable with every one of them. One thing that I find amazing about Strong is that once a week all of the doctors meet as a team about EVERY single patient who is doing an IVF cycle. The doctors go over all of the information about that patient and give their opinions about protocols and next steps. This made me feel like I was getting the best care I could possibly receive. The nurse practitioner was also amazing; fast and extremely knowledgeable. She would be able to put your mind at ease in a minute and would make sure you felt completely comfortable and have all your questions answered before she would leave the room.

This clinic operates with IVF packages: (they let you start with one package and pay the difference between packages if your cycles result in failure) Packages Package 1 $6500 Includes 1 oocyte retrieval and up to 2 transfers (one fresh transfer and one frozen transfers, or 2 frozen transfers). Package 2 $10,800 Includes 2 oocyte retrievals and up to 3 transfers (either fresh or frozen). Package 3 $14,700 Includes 3 oocyte retrievals and up to 4 transfers (either fresh or frozen). Services Included in Price Injection teaching visit, single trial transfer, office visits during the treatment cycle beginning with the baseline ultrasound, all ultrasounds for follicular monitoring, oocyte retrieval, surgery fees associated with oocyte retrieval, anesthesia associated with retrieval, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), fertilization and culture of the oocytes, sperm preparation, assisted hatching if needed, embryo preparation for transfer, embryo transfer, and post-treatment consult (done within 4 months of completed treatment).

I was pleased that my Dr. would transfer more than 1 embryo. I wanted the best chance at achieving a pregnancy. My Dr. explained all risks associated and in the end would consult with me and make an informed decision.

I loved working with Dr B. He thoroughly explained every step and our chances of conceiving and was open and honest if he didn’t think something had a good chance of working if we wanted to try it anyways. He seemed invested in his patients and was happy for their success and disappointed if something turned out negatively.

Trust the process.

Personal phone calls from my doctor with good or bad news. Always responsive to my emails with questions. Took the time during appointments to answer questions and explain everything to me.

With having PCOS, I had to stim slow and steady to avoid “frying” my eggs. I produced a lot of eggs during my IVF egg retrieval but not all were good quality, which is to be expected with PCOS. He recommended we do ICSI since my husband also had low sperm count and low motility. All of our 24 mature eggs fertilized and by day 5 we only had 5 embryos to freeze. We had to do a “freeze all” because my progesterone shot up and Dr B explained how that could increase any risk if I did get pregnant from a transfer. So we let my body and hormones get a rest and prepared for a frozen embryo transfer. I had thin lining issues and my first transfer got pushed back about 5 days due to an increase of estrogen and it ended up working out last minute.

Most were good communicators and able to work with last minute scheduling conflicts since you’re needing to be seen almost daily but don’t know exactly when until you are seen. Good with follow up calls and detailed information with your results and next steps.

Strength: usually timely, never had to wait too long to be seen, not overbooked. Detailed plans, happy to answer any questions and provide more information. Weakness: could be slightly more organized but not a big weakness of theirs.

Quick, efficient and detailed.

We were very fortunate and had some insurance coverage. We still had to pay thousands of dollars but it could have been worse.

He recommended we transfer one embryo at a time. We did not listen to his advice and of the two transfers we did, we transferred 4 embryos (2 each time) and both times had a singleton pregnancy.

He is very up front about what he thinks is the best course of action and explains why. I had laparoscopic surgery to remove endometriosis and provided all the risks and reasons why it was advised. He does talk a little fast sometimes but if I ask him to repeat it’s not a problem.

Keep an open mind and trust that he has your best interest at heart.

Dr.B always reviewed my case thoroughly and made sure to give me all my options. He does not leave out details that might be scary as he wants me to be fully informed.

I underwent laparoscopic surgery twice (one exploratory) for endometriosis. It was done to improve my chances of conceiving and worked once. He upped my dose of letrozole when needed and it produced great follicles.

The staff at Strong Fertility Center is truly amazing. They make every effort to keep you informed. Some of the staff even went above and beyond to help sort out a medication prescription issue with my pharmacy. They answer any and all questions without making me feel silly. They make me comfortable that I am in the right hands.

They are on top of everything. I am always well informed of appointments, procedures and medications. They work tirelessly to help on this journey to hopefully become a parent. They are professional and really caring.

The most costly thing was my surgeries. Most of the procedures/labs/office visits were covered by insurance.