Bruce Bateman

I really like Dr Bateman although, I wish he were more forthcoming with information. I don't always know what questions to ask and would rather be overwhelmed with information than not having enough. Sometimes I think my doctor holds back information or details because he is being compassionate. Even though this is an emotional roller coaster of a process, I would prefer for my doctor to be open and divulge as much as possible.

Do your research and ask all the questions you possibly can.

We started with IUI and had four failed attempts. The suspected cause was my PCOS and my partners sperm motility. We moved on to start the IVF process middle of this year and currently preparing to transfer one normal PGS tested embryo. We are hoping transfer will be scheduled for early November!

My insurance doesn't cover infertility treatment so everything is an out of pocket expense for us. Each IUI attempt cost around $400 (4 attempts totalled approximately $1,600). We are doing a special "success or refund program" through our clinic. Cost of the program is $26,400, medications so far have been $3,100, pgs testing $3,950, anesthesia $450, and egg storage is $155 quarterly.

My doctor strongly suggested single embryo transfer due to the additional risk of a multiple pregnancy. At first I was really hoping to get pregnant with twins but after talking with my doctor and doing research, I would prefer to have a strong healthy pregnancy with one instead of adding any additional complications.

Bruce is a sweet, gentle man. He is methodical and explains his treatment plan clearly. He always offered tissues when I cried and showed compassion when treatment was different than expected or we faced hard stuff. He is smart and thoughtful.

Be patient.

My first round of treatment with Dr. Bateman was in 2014. I started with a consult in September. I took Progesterone to get a period and then we did Clomid 100mg in October. I didn’t ovulate. I did Clomid 150mg in November and ovulated on day 17. We did an IUI on day 18 and I got pregnant. I delivered a healthy baby boy in August 2015. We started treatment again to try for another child in February 2018. I had a consult in February. After the bloodwork, I started on Levothyroxine 25mcg for a underactive thyroid. TSH level was 2.5 and they wanted it below for decreased risk of miscarriage. I then started with Letrozole 7.5mg for 5 days (day 5-9). We did this because I had been ovulating on Clomid with my primary OBGYN and had done one IUI in their office. I produced follicles and took a trigger shot and ovulated. We did an IUI. I didn’t get pregnant. In March, we did the same Letrozole treatment on 7.5mg for 5 days (day 5-9) and I triggered and ovulated and did another IUI. I didn’t get pregnant. In April we moved back to Clomid 150mg on days 3-7. I produced follicles, triggered, and did an IUI. I didn’t get pregnant. In May and June we didn’t the same thing with Clomid days 3-7, trigger, and IUI. I didn’t get pregnant. We took off July-September for work trips and a vacation. In October, we resumed Clomid 150mg and I produced too many follicles (6-8) and Dr. Bateman said it was too many to proceed. Too high a risk of multiples. So we shut down treatment and I took Prometrium to bring a period. When I got my period and had my ultrasound, my ovary had a large cyst. I was prescribed Loestrin birth control for two weeks. At my next ultrasound, in November, ovaries looked fine. I got a period, and started 100mg Clomid days 4-8 and then two days of Gonal-F shots. I produced follicles, triggered, ovulated, and did my 6th IUI. I didn’t get pregnant. In December, we did 6 days of Gonal-F shots of 87.5 units each. I produced follicles and triggered and did our 7th IUI. I got pregnant and had good numbers for both of my beta HCG blood tests. I carried to 11.5 weeks and then miscarried in March of 2019. I saw Dr. Bateman in April for a consult and we decided to wait for a period and do another HSG test to check my tubes and uterus. Waiting on my period now.

It’s expensive! IUI cycles with drugs were about $800. Shots for the Nov/Dec. cycles were $500-700. Clomid was about $30. Thyroid meds are $4/month. Ultrasounds were $80-180.

Dr. Bateman was always realistic with my husband and I. He never made any promises he couldn’t keep. When I had bleeding early in my pregnancy he had me come to the office right away to make sure the baby and I were both ok. He even called me a few days later to check on me.

If you ever have any questions along the way, ask them. Dr. Bateman will never get mad or annoyed for asking too many questions. He wants you to feel involved in your own care.

Clomid- no negative results, but no pregnancy. Gonal F- no negative results, pregnancy Lupron- no negative results, pregnancy Estradiol- no negative results, pregnancy HCG- no negative results, pregnancy

For fertility medications, egg retrieval, genetic testing, and embryo transfer we paid at least $26,000.

Dr. Bateman advise my husband and I that because our infertility was due to a sperm based issue we should only implant one embryo at a time.

Dr. Bateman's level of expertise is bar none. He explained everything to my husband and I in detail and we were always prepared for the next step. Struggling with infertility is a very emotional journey and Dr. Bateman was with us ever step of the way displaying compassion, empathy and understanding. After seeing multiple reproductive specialist, we know what a blessing being Dr. Bateman's patient is and wouldn't entrust our care to anyone else.

You can be vulnerable with Dr. Bateman--he is so supportive and will be with you every step of the way.

My husband and I underwent thorough testing/screening processes with Dr. Bateman prior to beginning our treatment and to explore our options. We were then diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Dr. Bateman suggested we start with Gonal-F and IUI first and if that didn't work, we would move to IVF given the number of years we were trying to get pregnant. Dr. Bateman then prescribed me Synthroid due to research showing that my TSH level could result in a miscarriage. We also did genetic testing with Dr. Bateman to ensure we had all the information we could prior to beginning treatment. I then used 150 IU of Gonal-F on days 5-7 and went for blood testing and an ultrasound on day 8. A couple days later we did the trigger shot and went in to Dr. Bateman's office for the IUI. To our excitement, we got a positive pregnancy test a few weeks later. Three year and a beautiful daughter later, we are seeing Dr. Bateman again in hopes to give her a sibling.

Never knowing what to expect and never anticipating we would be in that situation, I never felt alone. Which is ironic considering infertility makes one feel quite isolated. No one in either of our families has infertility issues. Our infertility was always unexplained which added to the frustration. Dr. Bateman's clinic is a top notch facility. Knowing what we've tried and how long we've been trying prior to IVF, our doctors and nurses came up with a plan and stuck to it. We understand we are blessed and could not be more thankful for our miracles. Dr. Bateman is by far the most compassionate doctor we have ever met and is such a great mentor for such a sensitive subject.

Listen to your doctor.

As the spouse I was my wife's nurse through the treatment. Going back to 2013 there was several medical procedures conducted to ensure she was healthy for egg retrieval and pregnancy. During the egg retrieval she was closely monitored for "overstimulation." Once the correct day was targeted, we were called in for retrieval. The eggs were fertilized and at day 3 were not ideal for transfer so we opted for 5 days. On our first transfer, 2 embryos were used, one of which took resulting in a single birth. The following times, with vitrified embryos, single embryos were used each resulting in single births. We plan to discuss options of remaining embryos in the months to come.

$20,000 shared risk program + $5,000 medications

I felt they were rationale and we adhered to the doctor and nurse's recommendation to avoid multiple births.

He is so very kind. He will continue to explain the procedures and talk through all of your options. I never once felt like I was being forced to make a certain decision. He was supportive of us along the way. We appreciated his candor and sense of humor.

Don’t be afraid to ask him any questions, especially if you are uncomfortable. He is very open and honest and never laughs at any questions.

Due to the fact that the majority of my family has not had any problems getting pregnant, Dr. Bateman started us off, after an HSG test shows my ovaries weren’t blocked, with letrozole medicine and timed intercourse. He adjust the dosage of my hypothyroidism medication as well. After 3 cycles of just letrozole and timed intercourse, we decided to progress to IUI’s. Toward the last IUI, my husband was referred to a male fertility specialist. His testosterone was found to be low and he was put on medication. We decided to stop treatment at that time due to the fact that we can’t afford IVF which is the next procedure we wanted to pursue.

Cash pay IUI was $395 then I had to pay $89 for an ultrasound visit following my cycle. Before we did our first IUI, our diagnostic tests were covered by insurance.

When I started my infertility journey in 1999, things were very different. The current treatment of that archaic time was to cut out a wedge of my ovary to “kickstart” it. With Dr. Bateman everything he recommended was researched-based and progressive. He never recommended fertility drugs like Clomid, I did 14 cycles of that in 2000. He read my medical history and knew I did not need to go back to that stage. When the IUI did not work, he was the one who said IVF with ICSI was needed due to my husband’s inconsistent sperm counts and motility. When the two fresh embryos did not take when a colleague put them in, he recommended assisted hatching. This cycle, four years later, Now includes assisted hatching in its basic costs. Every “setback” was seen by him as another step. He never once made me feel that a baby was not just around the corner. He kept hope even when we were stressed and losing faith. His calm manner was contagious.

Don’t do a fresh transfer, let your body go back to equilibrium.

Skipped Clomid because of my 2000 records. Started with prelim tests to check for causes of infertility. No blockages in tubes, good egg reserve, high thyroid, PCOS, low sperm count and motility. Did IUI because we requested. Did egg retrieval protocol with Gonal F and frequent ovary checks. Egg retrieval followed by fresh transfer. ICSI and 2 fresh 5 day blasts used. Three additional blasts frozen on day five. Unsuccessful Frozen Embryo Transfer using assisted hatching at age 38. Twins. I think same meds last time as this time. Frozen Embryo Transfer age 42. 16 days pregnant. Medications this time were birth control, estrace, lupron, progesterone in oil and progesterone suppositories. And thyroid meds.

My insurance paid for testing until I got a diagnosis. After that, we paid around 500 plus meds for the IUIs. We were approved for the $20k shared risk program, but at the last minute went with the $12k procedure which included egg retrieval, ICSI, and transfer. The following FET cycles cost $2850. Meds for the egg retrieval ran about $3K and about $700 for the transfers. Costs have changed since I first went; for example, assisted hatching is included in the price now. My first FET was $2500 with $650 added for AH. Now everyone pays the $2850. In reality, the only thing that slowed down our journey to parenthood was money. I took us right at a year to save the money for the four months of treatment (2IUIs, 1 fresh ICSI IVF, 1 frozen ICSI, AH, IVF) we ended up doing.

I was 38 and had been seeking fertility treatments for 14 years. By the time we were recommended to Dr. Bateman, we were serious about having at least one. We were counseled about multiple births and selected 2 for the fresh and 2 more for the frozen. He gave us guidelines, but the final choice within those guidelines was ours.

Dr. Bateman made sure I understood every procedure to the fullest and what was happening at each interval of IVF. He made sure to answer questions and took time and was never rushed. Even during my egg procedure when I was extremely scared and anxious he personally came in to calm me and made sure I knew I was in good hands and he personally checked on me after, not just sending in a nurse. I always felt he cared and wanted his patients to succeed with treatments. I never felt that this was just a job to him but he truly cared about me.

To trust in him and his experience. He is there to answer questions and to help.

Dr. Bateman was WONDERFUL! He provided me with verbal and written information at each visit re: my treatment plan and what to expect. He created a safe environment where I felt comfortable expressing myself and my concerns. He looked at every detail of my health record to explore why my husband and I were not having successful attempts. He told me several times throughout, "we are going to have a baby" (my husband and I).

Trust in his judgement and ability to provide the best care possible. He is dedicated to helping those in need achieve their dreams of having a child.

I had 4 IUIs in total while receiving care at the fertility clinic. My first two were with Clomid, only. The third we tried Letrozole and lastly I used Letrozole and Injections. My body responded appropriately to all medications used. My husbands sperm count and motility was excellent, Unfortunately, there was no true explanation as to why we were not getting pregnant. Dr. Bateman explained there are sometimes things inside that we cannot see without surgery. He felt we would be better candidates for IVF after 4 failed IUIs.

I had to pay for my IUIs, medications and ultrasounds out of pocket as VA is a state where fertility treatment is not covered under insurance plans. I paid close to $3000 for my care.

This does not apply to me.

My husband and I were dealing with male infertility primarily and wanted to know and learn absolutely everything we could about our situation. Dr. Bateman was great at explaining things, but doesn't sugarcoat - which we really appreciated. We wanted facts and to know straight up what our various options were. Dr. Bateman doesn't come across as especially warm, but each time I see him he smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. He also has an endearingly dry sense of humor.

Respect and trust his knowledge on the subject. I would often read blog posts of things and think I understood them - but let him explain the entire process and trust him.

Dr Bateman is the best! He cares for every patient and really wants to help. He's candid but in a kind and compassionate way. He makes you feel like you are his only patient. On multiple times he returned my calls after business hours to explain things or just to calm my nerves.

Choose Dr Bateman - he will be honest and a support for you as you go down your path.

We elected and we're accepted to the shared risk program. It's $20,000 and includes freezing embryos, all visits, retrieval, etc. This doesn't cover medication. It's a program where you bring home a baby or you get your money back.

We are going to do single embryo transfer because the odds of success are the same just the odds of twins increases.

I saw all the doctors at the clinic but Dr Bateman did my egg retrieval and implantation and I fully trusted him. He knew what he was doing and he had an excellent bedside manner. He didn't mess around but you could tell he really cares about his patients.

If you have questions, ask them. Fertility dotors sometimes assume that you know what to expect because they do it everyday. At first I thought I wasn't getting enough information but it was just because I wasn't asking questions. Dr Bateman will spend time answering your questions and making you feel better about the process.

I used gonalF, cetrotide, pregnyl during my first IVF cycle. But I had a bad reaction to the cetrotide and we had to stop the cycle because my estrogen dropped significantly. The next cycle I used the same medications except I did Lupron shots twice a day instead of the cetrotide. That ended up working.

Frozen egg retrieval and transfer was around $10,200. Not including medications.

I only had one embryo to transfer so this wasn't a topic of discussion.

I would recommend Dr. Bateman over again. He started the fertility clinic in Charlottesville and has years of experience under his belt. He was always very knowledgable and helpful when I asked questions. I also appreciated his understanding in one of our meetings when discussing all types of interventions during IVF (ICSI, assisted hatching). My husband and I were part of the shared risk program and as a result it required us to comply with clinical recommendations. Dr. Bateman and I had a discussion about assisted hatching, pros/cons. I told Dr. Bateman I wanted minimal intervention and he understood my wishes and allowed me to choose that for our second cycle of IVF despite the recommendation to proceed with assisted hatching. I appreciated him listening to my needs and comfort level. I did proceed to get pregnant, but miscarried in the first trimester. In the end our outcome wasn't ideal, but I was appreciative of Dr. Bateman listening to me as a patient and honoring my request.

Be engaged in the process and take ownership and ask lots of questions until you understand the process, especially the medication! It is a lot to take in and keep straight and you deserve to understand everything along the way.

The monitoring appointments were never an issue for me. They were always very accommodating to meet my needs. I never had a conflict. Any lab work had to be completed by 2pm because of their lab. So I could not come in the afternoon for lab work. However, that wasn't an issue for me but I could see that being a problem for some. Ultrasound appointments they try and schedule first thing at 8am when they open so I could get in and out. If I couldn't come in the morning, they were always able to accommodate me when I could come. I have no complaints with the scheduling here.

Let's be honest, infertility is one of the hardest things a young couple can go through. It can have so many ripple effects. Infertility can make one feel very alone. Dr. Bateman and his staff never let us feel alone. We felt we had someone in our corner the entire way and we were all working toward our goal of having a family. I cannot say enough good things about this state of the art facility and their incredible team members. Dr. Bateman specifically has a heartwarming and endearing quality which only added to our experience and instilled our confidence in him with our most precious gifts.

Listen and trust your doctor. At the end of the day, what will be will be and you cannot change it. This center has your best interests at heart. This condition (infertility) will cause you to question everything but it is relieving to trust in someone who shows as much compassion and care as Dr. Bateman and his staff.

Blood work to check eggs, blood work to check male health as well Check uterus/tube (hysterosalpingogram) Sperm specimen Birth control for 10 days to regulate and "control" the cycle Lupron/FSH/Gonal-F Follistim or Menopur. (injections to belly) for ovary stimulation Daily ultrasounds at clinic around ovulation to localize peak egg period Egg retrieval (21 eggs received) Ferilization (7 embros) Day 5 embro development (2 embryos implanted from fresh cycle) Embryo implantation (first time we did 2 from fresh cycle - 1 implanted resulting in 1 single birth; thereafter only 1 embryo used for vitrified embryos due to a reported higher success of implantation. Each time resulting in successful singl implant) Estrogen supplementation (oral meds) Progesterone shots continued up to 14 weeks gestation (injections to backside) Blood test 2 weeks - Beta levels, Recheck 1 wk for doubling Ultrasound at 7 weeks, and again at 9 weeks Release care to local OBGYN for pregnancy monitoring

$20,000 shared risk program. We would get money back if it did not work after 3 fresh cycles. Approximately $5,000 additional cost of medications.

After first pregnancy and deciding for additional children, single vitrified embryos used for transfer. Only on first fresh cycle were 2 embryos implanted resulting in single implantation.

Dr. Bateman was attentive to my questions, any and all of them. He explained any thing that I needed clarified. Dr. Bateman showed compassion, but also gave me the medical information I needed. The office was welcoming and well organized. My husband was included in conversations as well.

Patience is hard, but a necessary part of the process. Keep moving forward, the clinic is highly successful and gives good information along the way.

Initially, I had surgery due to endometriosis, followed by some attempts with Letrizole. Afterwards trying Letrizole with IUI. This was done twice. Then IUI with injectibles, followed by ivf.

The success or refund program is costly, but an insurance of sorts. The information is available is available from the clinic.

Due to additional risks with multiples, this clinic always recommends a single transfer.

Dr. Bateman is an honest doctor who tells you everything without sugar coating. I appreciated that he explained in detail our options, risks and course of treatment. Dr.Bateman is always available to answer questions, and very flexible with your schedule.

Be prepared to hear the truth no matter how upsetting it can be and he is not going to sugar coat it.

We saw Dr. Bateman for recurrent miscarriages. We did numerous tests.

I had to pay $40 specialist copay. Everything else was covered by my insurance

When I was told that I only had two eggs to retrieve, Dr. Bateman was realistic with his expectations but also gave me hope with stories of women who only needed one egg to conceive. His bedside manner and reassurance was very comforting. He held my hand when I was upset and explained everything in detail. He is an older doctor so I think that it is easy to stereotype, but he certainly knows what he is doing.

Ask lots of questions, whatever they may be or how silly they seem.

The 9 IUIs that I tried between 2007-2010 included clomid and injections. These resulted in one chemical pregnancy and one ectopic pregnancy. Unfortunately, the ectopic came after we had our best results with 5 potential eggs.

15,000, but additional 25,000 with IVF after that

We did not get this far.

Dr. Bateman takes a conservative approach. We had to ask for additional interventions in order to have a more aggressive treatment plan.

I did 2 cycles of Letrozole/Femara combined with IUI. I added a trigger shot. RMSCVA doesn't necessarily do ultrasound monitoring during IUI cycle (they ask you to do OPKs at home). I asked RMSCVA to add two things which they didn't recommend for me: 1) mid-cycle monitoring because I didn't want to waste a cycle by missing ovulation, and 2) a trigger shot in order to better time IUI. First cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy and second cycle was a negative.

He’s sort of quiet whereas I’m chatty. So that’s a little awkward at times. But he’s warm and friendly and I really feel like he’s “in my corner” and wants this to go well. We’ve only done 1 cycle and not many eggs were retrieved or frozen unfortunately. I’m eager to consult with him to see if he wants to change protocols for the next round or.not. My friends gave me glowing reviews of him before I met him, which was very encouraging.

Be sure to ask all your questions. He won’t overwhelm you with information but will gladly answer your questions.

I’m doing the EggSafe30 program which is $14,000 for earlier or 30 eggs frozen or 5 cycles. That doesn’t include medicine which is about $2500-3000 per cycle so far.

The only downside is he no longer performs endometriosis surgery, therefore I need to see another physician in the office. But I feel quite confident I'm receiving the best care. Whenever I've seen him, he makes sure I know what action we're taking and the next steps. He's very thorough and takes the time to explain everything.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are no wrong questions, and he takes the time to walk you through the process.

I'm currently seeing Dr Bateman. He has adjusted, increased my clomid dose, and we are planning to utilize IUI soon. Before continuing treatment, I will see another physician in the practice to have surgery for endometriosis.

Kind and caring. He did not sugar coat facts. He told us stuff about our labs that our prior doctor didn’t or missed helping us discover that some of our fertility issues were also related to my husband

Ask questions. No question is stupid and dr Bateman and his staff have the answers.

Prepaid ivf cycle cost about 20k not including anesthesia fees and medication costs but that included 2 egg retrievals, ultrasound, lab work and as many embryo transfer as needed to bring home a live birth

Due to my age he recommended 1 embryo transfer at a time and felt there would be better success

He was very open to answering questions and discussing procedure and medications in detail. He was realistic about the possible outcome of procedure. We were able to get appointments in a reasonable amount of time. He was very thorough while remaining compassionate. We look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Bateman.

Come prepared with your questions

Clomid cycle day 5-9 and IUI

$865 IUI procedure plus tests and visits leading up to visit $400 HSG test $319 lab work

He is like a friendly grandpa rooting for you. He has many years of experience. He can be very facts first which can be offputting at times but he is also sentimental and daring. He has been there to whip away my tears and hold my hand. Even though we have had no success yet we are very hopeful!

Be prepared to get a lot of information that you may not understand

Started right away with clomid 50mg, then 100mg, then 150 mg, then 200 mg with trigger shot

The costs have been very reasonable.

No questions were asked that I didn't offer and no suggestions were made besides everything I could look up on Google. He just went through bloodwork, HSG, drugs, sperm sample. Nothing felt specific to me. He would come in and say he read the chart and knows all about everything each visit. I had to call back every month to ask the nurse what the next step was.

Do your own research and bring lots of questions because extra information will not be offered to you.