David Saffan

Dr. Saffan shows he cares his patients. On several occasions he called late in the evenings or on weekends to check in on me. He explains the procedures, risks, and makes recommendations based on specific situations. On all but one occasion, I've felt positive about the direction I was headed after speaking with or meeting with him. I've been seeing him for almost 2 years, and I've learned that he is an eternal optimist. I struggle with his seemingly endless optimism sometimes.

Be prepared for data-driven analysis. He will make his decisions based on the data. Also, if he seems overly optimistic, question why.

Dr. Saffan is invested in his patients. He often goes out of his way to make sure they are looked after. He has called me several times late in the evening and on weekends to check in. I've learned to be proactive when it comes to care at SGF though because it is easy to feel like a number there. I set up face-to-face meetings with Dr. Saffan when needed.

For my first IUI, I was put on Follistim. This resulted in pregnancy and miscarriage. Dr. Saffan then recommended IVF. We jumped right into that after waiting a month. I was put on birth control for less than 3 weeks. I was put on typical medications. The cycle was converted to IUI due to only 1 follicle. After a negative test, I went right back into round 2 (no birth control). This had the same result. I took time off then went back to a Clomid cycle to see how I would respond. Same result on a side with no tube so we did TI. I took time off then started another IUI cycle with Follistim. My response was better than any other so it was converted to IVF. 6 eggs were collected. 1 day 6 embryo that didn't take. I took more time off then went for another IUI, this time with Menopure. It was unsuccessful.

Danielle Kelly was great. She was a great communicator, and she had been through infertility herself so she could relate. Mary Hartman is okay at communicating but has failed to show compassion on numerous occasions. At one point, she told me that I had children (I do not). Another time when I asked about my 2 embryos, she told me "They've been thrown away".

I wouldn't be at the clinic if it wasn't for their doctors. The clinic is updated, and the now has an IVF facility. The front desk is typically a mess and sometimes doesn't answer the phones. Most of the non-nurse, non-doctor staff, not all but most, treat you like a number. My financial advisor is nearly impossible to reach. You have to be proactive and stand up for yourself in an office that sees so many patients.

Each monitoring appointment is about $200-$300 but was covered by my insurance. IUI was covered with insurance. One cycle of IVF is about $11,000 not including medication.

While I was one average patient in a very large clinic and usually didn’t see my own doctor for procedures, I still received care that I felt was thoughtful and individualized. I appreciated having Dr Saffan direct my care even if I didn’t see him in person very often. I knew that that would be the case in a very large practice so I didn’t mind. When I did see him in person, each visit made me like him more and more. If my initial consultation appt made me feel like a number, bu the end I felt like I had truly received individualized care unique to my needs. I appreciate his dry humor and very matter of fact manner, and I felt he respected my level of knowledge and health care professional background

Keep seeing him— he grows on you:)

Dr Saffan gave me honest answers and didn’t sugarcoat anything— I appreciated his candor and dry humor and really came to enjoy having him as my doctor. While I would have liked to be able to email him directly, it was obvious any time I had questions that my nurses were consulting with him before answering me. Even tho I wasn’t an unusual patient, I felt like I received good, thoughtful care with attention to my particulars.

38-39 years old thruout treatment. Perfectly healthy with great lab numbers and using donor sperm as a single mother by choice. Polycystic ovaries but not pcos. Ovulation induction with clomid and trigger for iui x3, then tiny dose clomid and a bit of Gonal F plus trigger for iui #4. Chemical pregnancy. Then letrozole plus Gonal F plus trigger for iui #5. Just Gonal F for iui#6. On to Ivf: down regulation with bcps. Stimmed with Gonal F plus menopur, add cetrotide, trigger then egg retrieval. 19 eggs, all mature, 15 fert with icsi, 9 blasts sent for PGS. 4 normal. Pregnant after first FET and delivered a healthy baby boy!

I disliked how my first nurse, Perri, delivered bad news — as soon as I said hello on the phone I could hear her tone as she started speaking. She left the clinic and my next one, Toni was much better and I appreciated her compassion and willingness to find answers to my many questions. Other nurses I interacted with were fine for the most part, with an occasional dud. Kim was fantastic also

Shady Grove is a huge practice but there are plenty of advantages to that— yes, it’s big but it’s a well oiled machine. Lots of resources. There is always someone to talk to, always another doc or nurse available, always another location to go to and many locations to be able to get appointments that work for your schedule. Fantastic support groups for free, I highly recommend attending. I met some good friends at my group! Who else would have a support group just for single women??? A practice large enough to have seen the trends and the need for this! I appreciated all of that. Downside would be that I mostly saw my doctor at just a few appointments and not for procedures. But I expected that and wasn’t surprised. Some people are more used to having ‘their’ personal doctor for visits or have a different expectation for fertility treatment. One drawback I experienced as a single woman was very surprising-- some of the staff not being familiar with instructions for someone using frozen donor sperm. This was true for my experiences during both iui and ivf. I learned the hard way to ask repeated questions until I had confidence in what I was being told. I found this problem very surprising for such a large practice as I clearly was not the first woman doing this here! And I made sure to voice my concerns.

Huge. Costs were huge. But I received m, with much gratitude, a professional discount as I am an RN. And the discounts at their preferred pharmacy were significant also. It was super to have a specific person to reach just for my financial and insurance needs, who could tell me a lot more about my insurance coverage than my actual insurance could. For six iuis and an ivf package and medication and all the little things, over the course of a year, I spent around $30K. I had some insurance coverage for some of the iuis and for a few meds.

I knew eSET was strongly supported by my clinic and had read about it and the results, numbers etc. I was fine with transferring one embryo so it wasn’t much to discuss. Dr Saffan recommended eSET but it wasn’t an in depth discussion because I was in agreement and understood the risks of multiple pregnancies

I got pregnant on my third IUI in 2011 and have a beautiful 4-year old boy. So in 2014, we went back to try for baby #2 (unsuccessful but I have no regrets). Dr Safran ALWAYS made time for me. He came into one of my regular monitoring appointments where I normally would not have seen him to express how sorry he was in person over a chemical pregnancy I had just had and to tell me he's looking over everything to do some things different. Even after I was done treatment and I got pregnant on my own, and my regular ob wouldn't see me yet, I got an appt with Dr Safran to confirm the pregnancy, and then a few days later, confirm I lost it. Also, I got pregnant on my own again and when my regular ob was so not gentle about telling me I'm miscarrying, Dr Safran saw me, and went over everything, and told me the possibilities and most importantly to not lose hope. I have so much respect for Dr Saffan, his nurses, the techs, the front desk, everyone there.

You're in wonderful hands! Dr Saffan is knowledgeable, and kind, and is straight with you. He makes time for you.

I got pregnant on my third IUI in 2011 and have a beautiful 4-year old boy. So in 2014, we went back to try for baby #2 (unsuccessful but I have no regrets). Dr Safran ALWAYS made time for me. He came into one of my regular monitoring appointments where I normally would not have seen him to express how sorry he was in person over a chemical pregnancy I had just had and to tell me he's looking over everything to do some things different. Even after I was done treatment and I got pregnant on my own, and my regular ob wouldn't see me yet, I got an appt with Dr Safran to confirm the pregnancy, and then a few days later, confirm I lost it. Also, I got pregnant on my own again and when my regular ob was so not gentle about telling me I'm miscarrying, Dr Safran saw me, and went over everything, and told me the possibilities and most importantly to not lose hope. I have so much respect for Dr Saffan, his nurses, the techs, the front desk, everyone there.

In 2011, we did three IUIs and I got pregnant on the third. In 2014, I did four IUIs (one chemical pregnancy), and each time, the medication was upped and he always asked me how the medication made me feel and if I had any questions or issues with the plan. In 2015, I went back for one IVF but I had only one egg. They could not do the egg transfer with one egg. So it would either be canceled, or I had the choice to convert to IUI. I did the IUI. If I had not exhausted the funds from my health insurance, I would be there now with Dr Saffan. I know my age and my weight are factors and as a Christian, I believe God has His own plan for me so again, I had no regrets of not making baby #2 there.

Jill Davidson was the nurse who called me on 8/29/11 to tell me I'm pregnant! Sonia Parker was amazing! I cried and cried not knowing what to do after my fourth failed IUI in 2014 and she gave me the BEST advice and I felt so relieved after talking to her. Sarah Conron was my nurse for my IVF--->IUI in 2015. However, in 2016 when my ob was blunt and insensitive that I might be miscarrying, I called Sarah, gave her all the facts, and she got me in 2 days later with Dr Saffan. She kept in contact with me during my miscarriage and called me a week after she knew I was having a d&c done at INOVA Fairfax just to check on me. The nurses are AMAZING!!!

Everyone there just felt like family to me. The front desk was responsive, my blood draws were fast, the sonogram techs were patient and always warned me that there may be pressure here, or this may be uncomfortable, to tell them if it was, the needle injecting class was easy and made me less nervous, just everything about Shady Grove Fertility made me feel like it would all be okay. I even saw a therapist there after my four failed IUIs in 2014, and I went to the acupuncturist in 2014 and that was amazing!!! Oh, and I did a weekend course in 2011 to help me de-stress and I loved it!

I had a great insurance at the time so I really only paid copays.

He performed one IUI insemination. I rarely saw him during my monitoring appointments.

Despite not seeing much of him, I do believe he, as well as all of the nurses and technicians at Shady Grove, have my best interests at heart.

During the consultation, Dr. Saffan, provided much more attention and gave sufficient explanation compared to my OB. He quickly went through the information and I had to ask clarifying questions to make sure I got everything. I felt less connected during the first consultation. After my miscarriages, I went back and he was much warmer and welcoming. His tone was very reassuring and gave me hope after a rough year.

To preface, I was originally diagnosed with unexplained infertility, so how it was perceived to me was each IUI cycle is almost a shot in the dark since they don't know the cause for the infertility. The first IUI was just with Clomid and then Ovidrel for the trigger shot, followed by progesterone. The second time I was switched from Clomid to Braville. Both did not result in a pregnancy. After two miscarriages, I am in the middle of the 3rd IUI treatment and took Gonal f instead of Clomid or Braville. Dr. Saffan also recommended I take FABB (folic acid supplement) and baby aspirin, stating that he usually recommended those supplements to those that have had miscarriages.

Chelsea is amazing. She responds quickly to emails and listens intently to my needs. When we go over the cycle's schedule, she is thorough and explains everything clearly. I feel more human with her than anyone else I've encountered during this process. She makes you feel like she's giving you her entire attention and support. I love it!

They are very organized and have a strong routine. For example, bloodwork and ultrasound monitoring is always done first thing in the morning. They do seems quite busy. I had to schedule my 3rd IUI with the Fair Oaks center because they were completely booked up. I have yet to be able to go in and out with a monitoring appointment. Instead I usually have to wait 20-30 minutes before they see me. I find it beneficial going in as early as possible when monitoring.

My health care covers 50% of the costs associated with IUI procedures, which including medication, monitoring appointments, and IUI itself.

I met with Dr. Saffan in 2013 feeling a little nervous about being single and exploring the possibility of single motherhood. He listened and made me feel at ease. He explained the process of first exploring if I had any fertility issues. He never made me feel like I was too old and respected that I'd obviously thought a great deal about taking on this journey and he was not condescending. Once we found out that I had no know issues, he explained the approaches we could take to move forward. He answered my questions patiently and gave me time to think about what was next. Having lost my father suddenly years earlier, I found it helpful when he said how he would advise his daughter in this situation. That may not work for others but it did for me because it showed he listened to me during earlier appointments. Once I made the decision to move forward with IUI using donor sperm, I saw him several times. When he noticed during the process that things needed a boost because he was not seeing the numbers he wanted to see, he explained that as well and adjusted the meds. When I had my first ultrasound after the positive result, he was there and was excited for me that the process and treatment worked so well for me. I was happy and sad to move my care to my OBGYN after 8 weeks but Dr. Saffan came in, congratulated me, and made me feel fortunate to have him and his team by my side during the process.

Make an appointment and see him. Bring all of your questions because he will take time to answer them and make you feel heard.

Dr. Saffen and his staff were very caring and compassionate. As a single woman over 40 exploring getting pregnant using a donor, they made me feel comfortable and cared for. They explained things throughly and kept me informed. They helped erase any concerns I had about going through the process alone because I felt they were right there with me.

It's been three years so I don't remember. Definitely drugs that you took vaginally, injections, and one big injection that I administered myself days before the IUI. He said that since they found no fertility issues, they were going to give me enough medicine just to boost my egg production given my age. I was allergic to one medicine so they switched it. Unfortunately I can't remember any what I took.

At first, I was assigned to another nurse who transferred to another office when I got my cycle and started the process. The new nurse was Sarah and she was very professional. She was initially neutral in tone when we spoke and when she called with test results, changes to the plan, etc. I would say she was all business. When she called to tell me I was pregnant, I could hear the excitement in her voice, which I appreciated since she would be one of two people that know I was pregnant for weeks. She gave detailed information, called me back immediately if I had questions. After my son was born, she encouraged me to stay in contact and send pictures.

Friendly, caring staff. Helps you sort out all of the finances associated with treatments. Easy scheduling.

Most of the costs of my IUI were covered through insurance. I paid out of pocket for some meds and the donor sperm. Maybe $3000 total out of pocket expense.

I only got to work with Dr. Saffan in the initial diagnosis phase before we had to move away, but I feel like the was very thorough and went through explanation of all of the medical tests that needed to be done and why. After results for each test came in he sat down and explained them to us with patience and understanding, letting us ask questions but not letting us get overwhelmed all at once. In hindsight I would have liked one more test to diagnose my endometriosis earlier on but I understand that it is not an industry standard.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, he is does not shy away from anything you might want to know. If he thinks it will overwhelm you more than inform, trust him.

Dr. Saffan was the first doctor we went to about our infertility issues. He was very honest and open about expectations. He answered all of our questions and took his time with us in the initial visit and subsequent visits. He was kind but to the point and fact driven. He was one of the best doctors I had.

My initial diagnosis that I knew I had was PCOS. Dr. Saffan ran hormone tests, HSG, genetic testing, as well as the usual pre-pregnancy blood tests. He presented the genetic testing well, which I can attest to because it is my educational background.

Its a huge network and they have all of the latest resources and technology. I wish I had had the opportunity to stay in the area and complete my treatment at Shady Grove. I felt safe and taken care of there.

We had good insurance through Fairfax County. The mayority of the procedures were covered through the insurance. The financial advisor was excellent in pulling our benefits and showing us what would be out of pocket, which was very little.

Dr. Saffan came across right from the beginning as experienced and practical. He was kind and compassionate without ever condescending. As a patient, I was looking for a doctor who would tell me exactly what to do and he did. He was accessible when we had questions and maintained an even keel through ups and downs.

Dr. Saffan was compassionate, direct, and thorough. I felt like he knew my case, he knew me and my husband, and he wanted us to succeed.

If insurance had not been a factor, Dr. Saffan would have steered us directly to IVF. As our insurance did not provide coverage for IVF without first undergoing 3 cycles of IUI, he took us through that process. First we did a basic workup to rule out anything obvious. Then, we did 3 cycles of IUI, all of which were unsuccessful. We took a short break to do further testing and identified a blood clotting factor that we addressed in subsequent treatment. We took a class to understand all the processes of IVF and underwent our first cycle. We had a great embryo and did a single embryo transfer, which Dr. Saffan preferred and recommended to avoid multiples. We had a positive pregnancy test and heartbeat, but lost the pregnancy at 9 weeks. After a short break, we did another IVF cycle with the same drug protocol as the first cycle. This time there were two good embryos, so Dr. Saffan recommended transferring both. The cycle was successful for both embryos and I delivered healthy twins.

I have a really hard time with blood draws, which is awful for fertility treatment. All of the nurses were very patient and supportive and the one or two who were best at getting my blood made an extra effort to help me out.

The clinic was easy to interact with, pleasant to visit (or as pleasant as possible under the circumstances), and well organized. I appreciated that different types of visits were concentrated at different times of day. I could get in very early in the morning for blood draws and never ran into pregnant women.

Dr Saffan was realistic in regards to our chances of getting pregnant with our own eggs, and let us be the guide in how quickly we proceeded to more intensive or alternative protocols. He never pushed us to move forward if we weren't ready.

If you're looking for someone that is warm & fuzzy, Dr Saffan probably isn't the right doctor for you. But if you're looking for a doctor that is going to work hard to help you reach your goal and be candid about your chances and his recommendations, I would highly recommend Dr Saffan.

Dr Saffan was always available any time we had questions about the procedures or our path forward. He was caring and compassionate but was always blind and did not sugar coat things.

All of the nurses that I dealt with in my 3yrs of treatment were personable and compassionate.

Shady Grove is a large fertility clinic and I think that a lot of people might feel like a number vs getting personalized service; however, I never felt that way. Yes, the waiting room was always crowded, but they had a very good system in place to process everyone quickly. The staff all knew me and I felt like I mattered.

Monitoring appointments were a well-oiled machine and I was able to schedule first thing in the morning so that I was never late to work.

The majority of our costs were covers under our medical insurance so they wouldn't be applicable to most people - we were very fortunate that we didn't have to fully pay out of pocket.

I think Dr. Saffan thinks about his patients individually, weighs the pros and cons of each course of action and recommends a treatment plan that is cautious but moves couple forward in the right direction. I think his is honest, compassionate and patient. I appreciate all of these qualities in him and will continue to work with him until we find success.

Dr. Saffan always answers my all of my questions, and does so thoroughly and considering my feelings and wants in any decision regarding my care. He seems just as invested in our success as we do and encourages us to push ahead.

Chelsea is absolutely amazing! I couldn't have asked for a more competent, caring and responsive nurse.

The strength is surely the staff as they manage the office well, typically getting me in and out as soon as possible with any visit and seemingly having a standard/protocol they use to attend to each patient effieciently. Additionally the location is very accessible. The weakness I would say is financial. I have had 3 financial coordinators in 2 years and it just makes the whole process of IF difficult in having to juggle with so many individuals and constantly re-verify information. Also the cost of care at Shady Grove is higher than others in the area but I value the team so much I wouldn't leave.

I had some insurance coverage for my cycles so the cost is not horrible in comparison to what the national average is but it is still very expensive. Between 5,000-10,000 a cycle.

I honestly felt like Dr. Saffan treated me as he would his own daughter. He's a little rough around the edges, but he seemed to genuinely care about getting me pregnant. I couldn't imagine going through everything we did with a different doctor.

Don't let his monotone way of talking turn you off! He's a super nice guy who is willing to think outside the box when it comes to your care.

I never had to remind Dr. Saffan who I was or what my story was. I felt like he was truly invested in my care.

We did too many cycles to remember all the specifics! But I very much felt like a member of Dr. Saffan's team rather than just a patient he dictated to. My questions and suggestions were taken into consideration at every stage.

Sarah is like a member of my family. I always knew I could call or email her and get a timely, thoughtful response! Since graduating from the clinic, we've become Facebook friends to stay up on each other's lives.

There are pluses and minuses to a large clinic like Shady Grove Fertility. The negative is there can be long wait times and the waiting room is huge and constantly full. But despite the clinic's size, I never felt like a number. I never felt like I wasn't getting customized care. And I loved that I was assigned a dedicated nurse who answered all my questions -- no matter how crazy!

I have no infertility coverage, so everything beyond diagnostics was paid for out-of-pocket.

It was explain in my comments earlier. He was very good in diagnosing my situation and told me he had really good feeling about me. I'm not sure what else to say and I don't want to keep repeating myself but I'm forced to type 200 characters.

Stay positive and hopeful and follow his instructions completely.

I always felt like he was aware of my history and my condition. I also believe after the first resulted negative pregnancy. He knew exactly what to do for my 2nd cycle which resulted in a positive pregnancy and live birth. Most of all, after our initial consultation and testing, he told me "he have a good feeling about me". The was the most positive thing a doctor has ever said to me.

I do remember taking clomid and also doing shots. The 2nd time, I had to do the shots more frequently.

She was very good with following up with my care. Especially with showing me how to administer the injections. She always kept me informed on what was going on during my cycles.

I thought they were good with providing cheap option for the prescription drugs. I thought even, though you had to pay out of pocket for the whole cycle (in uninsured, they could have offered to break that up into 2-4 payments).

1600 per cycle, plus the cost of prescription drugs

no comments. This did not apply to my situation.

He was straight to the point and did not sugar coat anything. He was invested when we saw him in his office but only ever heard from the nurses once we stepped out of his office. We never saw him in the office unless we requested an appointment with him.

Get all your questions together prior to the appointment because once the appointment is over, it is hard to get ahold of him again.

Only had contact with him twice in the span of 5 months

He suggested us to go straight to IUI which was fun with me, that’s what I wanted. When it was time for the procedure we found my husbands numbers were extremely low so the procedure was unsuccessful. Second cycle the same exact thing happens with low low numbers and he suggested we move to Ivf

Toni was very responsive and caring. She was easily reachable via email.

This clinic is clean and very fast. The office is open early and can get you in and out very fast. Wait times are short and everyone you see is smiling. They have plenty of rooms for personal conversations and they have pads and wipes to clean up after your appointment

I spent about 2500 for 2 IUI cycles including medication

He is a straight shooter.... he will tell the truth and give you all the info to make your decisions. He spoke with me and my husband and explained all of my challenges and how to overcome them. In the end I had to readjust my diet and loose weight to have a better result for another possible IUI

Please be willing to hear the truth.

He spoke to me yet I am a complicated case. He handled himself well.

I forgot I am so sorry

Very good and communicable

It was welcoming and friendly and soothing. I was comfortable and welcomed. My husband was uncomfortable but when we came in to the office a lot of his concerns eased. I had to come back multiple time alone and it was always welcoming. The staff was great they got to know me by name.

My insurance paid for most of my expenses so all I had to pay for was my copay and medicines

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