Bala Bhagavath
Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)
Available Lines of Communication
Doctor email
Nurse email
Nurse email
Direct line to nurse
Not available by personal cell phone
Medical SchoolU. of Madras
ResidencyMed Col of Georgia
FellowshipU. of Texas Southwestern
Rochester
601 Elmwood Ave
Rochester, NY 14642
(585) 487-3378
3 assessments
10
10
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
1 IUI, 4 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
10
10
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...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.
My assigned nurse [at Strong Fertility Center] 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...the other staff at the clinic always resolved it quickly and efficiently when told about these problems.
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI, 4 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
10
10
How was your experience with Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
Dr. Bhagavath is extremely knowledgeable and will work hard to help you achieve a pregnancy.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
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.
Describe the protocols Bala Bhagavath used in your cycles at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester) and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester). (Assigned nurse: Connie)
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.
Describe your experience with Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
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).
Describe Bala Bhagavath's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
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.
What specific things went wrong at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to convey critical information
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10
10
Age
29 - 32
Treated
2014 - 2017
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
2 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, PCOS
10
10
I loved working with Dr B. [Bala Bhagavath] 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.
One of my frozen embryo transfers [at Strong Fertility] was canceled due to a bad response to the medications. My body stopped responding to the meds so they decided to cancel the protocol and start over with a different drug. Somehow my canceled transfer never got relayed to the lab and the embryologist accidentally thawed the embryo I had originally planned on transferring. My doctor called me with this news and explained what happened and told me this had never happened before and they were able to re-freeze the embryo and he was 99% sure it was fine. I ended up deciding to transfer that embryo and another one for my next transfer and only one stuck. I’ll never know if it was because one was frozen twice and thawed by accident.
Age
29 - 32
Treated
2014 - 2017
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Operations
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
Trust the process.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
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.
Describe the protocols Bala Bhagavath used in your cycles at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester) and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester). (Assigned nurse: Connie)
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.
Describe your experience with Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
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.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
Quick, efficient and detailed.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
We were very fortunate and had some insurance coverage. We still had to pay thousands of dollars but it could have been worse.
Describe Bala Bhagavath's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
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.
What specific things went wrong at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
- Provided conflicting information
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8
8
Age
32 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
6 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, PCOS
8
8
Dr.B [Bhagavath] 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...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.
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.
Age
32 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
—
Income
$0 - $49K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
6 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, PCOS
8
8
How was your experience with Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
Keep an open mind and trust that he has your best interest at heart.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester)?
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.
Describe the protocols Bala Bhagavath used in your cycles at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester) and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester). (Assigned nurse: Connie)
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.
Describe your experience with Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Bala Bhagavath at Strong Fertility Center (U of Rochester).
The most costly thing was my surgeries. Most of the procedures/labs/office visits were covered by insurance.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.