Eric Widra

I believe Dr. Widra is very experienced, but I did not feel that my treatment protocol was particularly individualized and he did not have any interest in trying to uncover what could be causing infertility/miscarriage. As a result, I had several concerns with my treatment protocols that he did not address and our outcomes were different from what he had led us to expect. He also very rarely communicated directly with us and almost all interactions were handled by his nurses. I also felt that because we were likely to have a positive outcome eventually, my case was not prioritized and my treatment timeline was longer than necessary.

Ask as many questions as possible, and if something he says does not feel right, don't be afraid to raise it. I felt that he was not comfortable with having his treatment protocols questioned, but he was willing to explain his reasoning or make changes if you were persistent.

We did two medicated cycles with letrozole and timed intercourse that were unsuccessful. At the time, Dr. Widra thought I could have PCOS and it was unclear whether IUI would make a difference. Later, our diagnosis was "unexplained" and we did an IUI with letrozole that led to a pregnancy and miscarriage due to a chromosomal abnormality. This was my second miscarriage and at that point we asked to go to IVF with genetic testing. Dr. Widra agreed this would likely be the most efficient treatment. For my first cycle I was on fairly low doses of gonal-F and Menopur because he still thought I could have PCOS, but I ended up getting a fairly low number of eggs. We did a freeze-all cycle with PGT-A testing. After the retrieval we were encouraged to do a FET immediately, even though we had been very clear that we wanted to bank embryos for future pregnancies and we did not have enough embryos to achieve that. We ended up doing a second egg retrieval with higher levels of gonal-F and Menopur, which led to more eggs being retrieved but fewer making it to the blastocyst stage. The successful embryos were frozen and underwent PGT-A testing, and then we proceeded with a medicated FET that was successful.

My health insurance (Cigna, employer sponsored plan) covered all infertility treatment up to $25K after the deductible was met. Without insurance, the cost of each round of treatment without medications would have been between $15-18K. The clinic also offers shared risk and special rates for multiple rounds of IVF, including a refund if you do not have success.

Dr. Widra had a strong preference for eSET, and we agreed. He said that particularly since we were doing an FET with tested embryos that eSET was the best option.

Dr. Widra is blunt and this is what you notice first and foremost about him. However he is compassionate in his own way and he is extremely knowledgeable. He is also a leader in a large practice. If you you are looking for a straight shooter with a strong research background, he is your guy.

Don't be afraid to push back and ask questions. He is flexible and understanding but because he is a bit intimidating it can be a bit hard. But I think he respects and appreciates when you are your own advocate.

First cycle (fresh) : Vivelle patch, then Cetrotide injection, then pre eval, initial Dosing: 300 IU Gonal-F and 150 IU Menopur (2 vials), monitored follicles and finished with HCG Trigger injection. Retrevial two days later (7 eggs--> 2 embryos) and then 5 day transfer of 1 fresh and froze the other. Estradiol/Estrace and endrometrin during TWW. Negative preg test. Second cycle(ERA and FET): Estradiol/Estrace 2mg tablets 3 times a day, then lining check, then Progesterone in Oil 1 ml every third day, then 2 endometrin inserts 2x a day. ERA test showed late stage receptivity so timing of oil shots was shifted by 12 hours. Transfered 1 week ago and waiting for preg test.

In total for the fresch cycle, including meds, with 50% insurance we initially paid about $6000 for the first cycle. We were later reimbursed some of it due to a higher payout of the insurance. For the ERA and FET we paid I think around $2000 including meds with insurance.

Strongly recommended against multiple transfers.

My husband and I found Dr. Widra to be compassionate, but also frank. He didn't sugarcoat anything, but I certainly never found him cold. When trying for my first, we went through a number of retrievals and transfers and I appreciated feeling "known" despite being at a very large clinic that has a reputation for being a factory. I am detail oriented and Dr. Widra always took the time to answer my questions, whether in person or on the phone. While much of my communication was with my nurse, if there was difficult or sensitive information to deliver, he always called me himself and I never felt rushed off the phone. We ended up doing PGS testing and when I became pregnant, Dr. Widra told me to call him if I ever had any questions. We were indeed told at one point in my pregnancy that we should consider an amnio to rule out chromosomal abnormalities. At this point it had been a few months since I saw Dr. Widra, but I called him and he returned my call within hours. We went back to Dr. Widra when we were ready to try for our second, and unfortunately we did not have success. After two cycles, he recommended we move on to donor egg. While we weren't (aren't) ready to do that, I appreciated his honesty about how he views our situation.

That he may not be the warmest upon first impression, but you should not take his frankness for a lack of compassion.

I began with fairly low doses of menopur and bravelle, 75 and 150, respectively. But that cycle did not produce many follicles. In my subsequent cycles, I was using higher doses -- around 150 menopur and 300 bravelle. I did two antagonist protocols: bcp followed by stims, with cetrotide added when the follicles got to a certain size. While these yielded a decent number of eggs, Dr. Widra thought we might be able to get more with estrogen priming, so we did that for my last cycle when trying for my first. When trying for my second, we started with estrogen priming since that had yielded the most eggs when I was trying for my first. However, that did not result in many eggs, so Dr. Widra proposed a micro-dose Lupron protocol.

I found monitoring appointments pretty easy because there were multiple locations I could go. There were often multiple women waiting, but that didn't negatively impact my experience. I knew that the earlier I went, the less time I would have to wait. Very occasionally, I would be taken to a room and then had to wait for 10-15 minutes, but usually once I was taken to a room, I was seen within a few minutes.

I was part of shared risk, both times. That meant I paid an upfront fee (~25,000) that covered up to 6 cycles and I got my money back if it didn't work.

Dr. Widra had a strong preference for eSET given that we were exclusively transferring 5 day embryos. I appreciated this approach, given that it is safer for both women and babies.

He was straight forward and direct. I felt like i could ask questions that i had and would get an answer. He is personable. I liked that we were able to access him as needed, and could get on his calendar for check ins. He's not overly verbose. I would have liked to be more informed around why he's making the decisions he is making as it pertained to protocol decisions.

Ask direct questions. Communicate your overall family planning needs

Antagonist with Birth Control Pill priming x2 Antagonist with Estrogen Patch/Cetrotide priming x1 rational is unclear that wasn't discussed with me. We switched to Estrogen Patch to to belief that BCP might have been suppressing me

$25.6K USD - 2 cycle freeze all embryo banking w/ PGT-A testing $29K Shared Risk program, subsequent refund received due to lack of results

none

Dr. Widra was always pleasant, kind and compassionate, and every appointment I had with him felt judgement-free. I felt like Dr. Widra cared about my well-being and truly wanted to help me reach my fertility goals. I communicate in a very matter-of-fact fashion, and Dr. Widra was able to take my fertility vision and put it into a medical protocol that made sense to me and was appropriate for me.

Just be yourself and be honest with your goals.

I am a single mother by choice. My fertility numbers were good enough to start with an unmedicated IUI, so that's what we did. I had one IUI that didn't take (not uncommon). I have since changed course because of my desire to have multiple children so I will be undergoing egg freezing. Dr. Widra was very open to this and immediately set a new protocol in action to determine the best course of action for my changed goals.

My insurance covered a lot of it, so fortunately I haven't paid a whole lot. I've only gotten one IUI done thus far though, so my costs will increase as I have more fertility treatments.

n/a

I'm still in treatment with Dr. Widra. It has been a frustrating process for things outside his control. However, he has been the best at the worst times, meaning when things have gone off course he has been attentive and sympathetic.

Don't expect to see a lot of him or have him at all your monitoring. However, his approach is great and he is amenable to your perspective and feedback.

We tried iui but I ovulated before we could actually do the procedure (due to monitoring problems related to fibroids). For ivf, I did a course of birth control, then follistim and menopur, then added in ganirilex.

I paid for a 2 package ivf with pgs testing. I think it was about 24K

Not applicable yet

I chose to consult with Dr Widra because he had a high rating when I was doing my research and it mentioned that he stayed true to the facts and numbers. We appreciated that because he gave us a good idea of our odds. He was great at breaking it down and explaining the steps that he even made drawings to make sure we understood. After our first miscarriage, he called and explained that this happens and there is no way to really know what caused it. HIs tone was calm and hopeful so we decided to give it another go. That second attempt was also unsuccessful and unfortunately, he started suggesting using a gestational carrier due to my low AmH. It was great that he was direct and up front but I also realized that we never looked at maybe treating the cause first before doing our second attempt. He knew about my endometriosis and it showed on my MRI, he said it wasn't going to affect my chances of pregnancy but after two failed attempts, I wish I asked for a second opinion.

If you want a straightforward treatment, he is great and very step by step. If you have a more complicated case that requires exploring alternative options, maybe even combining eastern or holistic treatment then I recommend trying someone else.

My FET protocol: Birth Control Pills - 21-day pack (1 - 2 packs) Del Estrogen (4 mg = 0.2 ml): 0.2 ml IM every third evening (#1 vial) Progesterone in Oil (50 mg/1 ml): 1 ml IM every night (#3 vials) I used the same protocols for both FETs and both resulted in positive pregnancy but we miscarried at around 5 weeks or so. My egg retrieval protocol: Initial medication dosing for the first three nights: PM: Gonal-F 225IU and Menopur 75IU (1 vial) Gonadotropins for 10 to 12 days with monitoring every 1-2 days Midway thru stimulation, once follicles are of appropriate size continuing gonadotropins and beginning Cetrotide/Ganirelix Once sufficient follicles >18mm we had Lupron trigger injection We retrieved 10 eggs, 5 embryos survived and were sent for PGS testing and only 3 survived. 2 embryos where successful FETs. I also unfortunately had a really bad reaction after my egg retrieval which left me in bed for days, I was nauseated and just weak. I was given anti-nausea meds and was told that people can have varying reactions and that this is normal

I remember getting a bill from the insurance company for around $10K

he said that due to my condition, pregnancy would be high risk so he strongly suggested to transfer only one embryo at a time

I often got the feeling that my case was too complicated. I was made to feel like I was a set of illnesses, rather than a patient that was trying to conceive. It was very unclear after the first visit what I was supposed to do, as clear instructions weren't really given. I felt like just another number, and I really didn't feel confident in the care I was receiving. I didn't try switching doctors, it felt like that would achieve similar results. Instead I switched clinics.

Go in educated on your possible options, things are explained very quickly so you'll want to try to familiarize yourself with some terms if possible. Also bring a notebook and pen so you can take good notes. If you're using this practice expect it to feel like a cattle call, and don't expect much personalized attention. Be your own best advocate.

I did not get to the point of a cycle as it was uncertain what option the doctor felt was best to use. I could have proceed with donor eggs, or waited to see if they could figure out my case. If I proceeded with my own eggs an antagonist protocol was mentioned, with BCP to start. It was a frustrating experience as we hadn't even done my day 3 labs yet, and already I felt very dismissed.

Initial visit and initial testing were covered though i never made it to the initial testing. I want to say my husband's SA was around 300$. The shared risk cycle would have been 22,500 plus medication and a banking cycle was an additional 7500$ or so plus medication cost. Though to be honest how the financial counselor laid out the expenses was very confusing and she kept giving me different numbers.

eSET was preferred in general, but if you were using a surrogate a double embryo transfer was okay but unadvertised.

Eric is a smart doctor. And you'll see him for your until consultation to devise a treatment plan. But he's not a warm and fuzzy doctor. Neither is he's hands on, nor especially client interfaceing until things don't go as initially as planned. We barely saw him over the course of our three IUIs. He did not perform any of the monitoring appointments or procedures. Due to the clinic's large size, those tasks were performed by whichever doctor was available at the time. However, once we moved onto IVF cycles - we saw Dr. Widra more frequently. Still however, the procedures were completed by available daily doctors (not Widra). We finally got to experience Dr. Widra in a more hands-on and compassionate way after I began to experience unexplainable RPL of chromosomally normal embryos/fetuses. He took the time to meet with my husband and me as often as we felt we needed to come in and consult with him, and have him reassure us. He was not initially responsive to the additional testing I wanted to have done (Leiden V) or putting me on additional medications. But after the second miscarriage, he was amenable and willing to accommodate my requests. Through these difficult times he has been thoughtful, caring and respectful.

Make sure he's the right personality fit for you. If you're looking for someone who will be overly supportive and involved in every way (complete every procedure, call you directly with monitoring appointment information, hand holding) that's not how he or the clinic operates. But if you're comfortable with a more formal manner, direct, thoughtful and respectful manner - then he'll be a good fit.

Diagnosed with PCOS and unexplained fertility issues. Completed 3 rounds of IUI with Clomid and ovidrel. Resulted in good egg stimulation for all three cycles but only one chemical pregnancy. He was not open to changing protocol as I requested to include metformin and femerra. Moved onto IVF. Egg stimulation and retrieval: Cetrotide 250mcg Gonadotropin FSH ( Gonal F 450 iu pen x 3) and 75 IU FSH&LH ( Menopur 75 iu vials x 15) Lupron 2 week kit with 1ml luerlock syringe, 27 g ½ “ needle - “Trigger” subcutaneous. Zithromax 1 gram - taken evening before egg retrieval Resulted in 18 eggs retrieved. 8 made it to 5-day blocyst; 5 remained after PGD testing. Froze all embryos. #1 IVF and FET Round: Birth Control Pills Prenatal Vitamins: 1 daily Del Estrogen injection (40 mg/ml; 1 vial has 5 ml; 6 mg = 0.15 ml): 0.15 ml IM every third evening Progesterone in Oil injection (50 mg/ml): 1 ml IM every night Resulted in pregnancy; SPL/miscarriage at 6 weeks; misoprostol abortion. Diagnosed as carrier of Liden V. Round #2 IVF and FET: Lovenox injections 40mg daily Prenatal Vitamins: 1 daily Del Estrogen injection (40 mg/ml; 1 vial has 5 ml; 6 mg = 0.15 ml): 0.15 ml IM every third evening Progesterone in Oil injection (50 mg/ml): 1 ml IM every night Resulted in pregnancy; SPL/miscarriage at 6 weeks; d&c abortion. Fetal tissue chromosomally normal. Diagnosed with PCOS and unexplained fertility issues. Completed 3 rounds of IUI with Clomid and ovidrel. Resulted in good egg stimulation for all three cycles but only one chemical pregnancy. He was not open to changing protocol as I requested to include metformin and femerra. Moved onto IVF. Egg stimulation and retrieval: Cetrotide 250mcg Gonadotropin FSH ( Gonal F 450 iu pen x 3) and 75 IU FSH&LH ( Menopur 75 iu vials x 15) Lupron 2 week kit with 1ml luerlock syringe, 27 g ½ “ needle - “Trigger” subcutaneous. Zithromax 1 gram - taken evening before egg retrieval Resulted in 18 eggs retrieved. 8 made it to 5-day blocyst; 5 remained after PGD testing. Froze all embryos. #1 IVF and FET Round: Birth Control Pills Prenatal Vitamins: 1 daily Del Estrogen injection (40 mg/ml; 1 vial has 5 ml; 6 mg = 0.15 ml): 0.15 ml IM every third evening Progesterone in Oil injection (50 mg/ml): 1 ml IM every night Resulted in pregnancy; SPL/miscarriage at 6 weeks; misoprostol abortion. Diagnosed carrier Liden V. Diagnosed with PCOS and unexplained fertility issues. Completed 3 rounds of IUI with Clomid and ovidrel. Resulted in good egg stimulation for all three cycles but only one chemical pregnancy. He was not open to changing protocol as I requested to include metformin and femerra. Moved onto IVF. Egg stimulation and retrieval: Cetrotide 250mcg Gonadotropin FSH ( Gonal F 450 iu pen x 3) and 75 IU FSH&LH ( Menopur 75 iu vials x 15) Lupron 2 week kit with 1ml luerlock syringe, 27 g ½ “ needle - “Trigger” subcutaneous. Zithromax 1 gram - taken evening before egg retrieval Resulted in 18 eggs retrieved. 8 made it to 5-day blocyst; 5 remained after PGD testing. Froze all embryos. #1 IVF and FET Round: Birth Control Pills Prenatal Vitamins: 1 daily Del Estrogen injection (40 mg/ml; 1 vial has 5 ml; 6 mg = 0.15 ml): 0.15 ml IM every third evening Progesterone in Oil injection (50 mg/ml): 1 ml IM every night Resulted in pregnancy; SPL/miscarriage at 6 weeks; misoprostol abortion. Diagnosed as carrier of Liden V. Round #2 IVF and FET: Lovenox injections 40mg daily Prenatal Vitamins: 1 daily Del Estrogen injection (40 mg/ml; 1 vial has 5 ml; 6 mg = 0.15 ml): 0.15 ml IM every third evening Progesterone in Oil injection (50 mg/ml): 1 ml IM every night Resulted in pregnancy; SPL/miscarriage at 6 weeks; d&c; fetal tissue chromosomally normal. Round #3 IVF and FET: Metformin 3 pills daily w/ meals Lexapro 10mg daily Lovenox injections 40mg daily Prenatal Vitamins: 1 daily Del Estrogen injection (40 mg/ml; 1 vial has 5 ml; 6 mg = 0.15 ml): 0.15 ml IM every third evening Progesterone in Oil injection (50 mg/ml): 1 ml IM every night Result: TBD

Year 1: For 3 IUIs + shared risk IVF package + out of pocket meds + medical deductibles = ~$50,000

At first I was frustrated at my doctor's unwillingness to implant multiple embryos. But after he explained the potential risks and long term effects of the babies (developmental issues, under weight, early term, etc) I began to understand and agree with eSET.

I almost never saw Dr. Widra. He has a protocol and wants no part of answering your questions or making any changes to that protocol for your preferences. He hated that I did research and had my own opinions. There are still questions he hasn't answered that his nurse promised he would call and answer. The one time he did call he only wanted to talk about the good news from our retrieval even though i had been pressing to have a conversation about the transfer protocol. When things when wrong he never cared to discuss why or what could be done differently or to resolve the issue.

If you don't want to understand why decisions are being made or to have any input in your care, or to ever see your doc (which honestly didn't matter to me as long as i got the info i wanted) i suspect he would be a fine choice. But if you want information I would probably choose someone else.

I started with birth control which resulted in a cyst that we spent weeks watching grow (thankfully a PA suggested i push for a trigger shot to get rid of it!). After that i was on gonal-f 225 and 1 vial of menopur. After the first monitoring appointment they added cetrotide (1 injection) and doubled the menopur. I stimmed for 14 days (I think) then did a lupron trigger. My progesterone was too high for a fresh transfer so we had to do a freeze all. For the frozen transfer they tried birth control again, it didn't stop me from ovulating, which thankfully happened to coincide with our monitoring appointment and i got the natural-ish cycle i wanted. I did have to do progesterone suppositories (Dr. Widra refused to do the transfer without it and i was willing to give in since it was at least not the PIO injections).

You scheduled a generally time (I think they were done in 15 minute increments), you sign in and then it was a first come first serve for bloodwork and ultrasound. It was generally pretty well run and was usually timely (only once was it particularly long - a little over an hour) most times i would be out in under 30 minutes.

I was lucky enough to have insurance coverage so the rate i paid was the rate negotiated by the insurance company.

he suggested a single transfer especially since we were PGS testing but wasn't pushy about it.

Dr Widra is very business - like and straightforward. He is not warm and fuzzy, but provides ample time and explanation for everything. He i s knowledgeable about his field and talks to help patients understand. He always checked in and checked up on me after procedures or to review results. I did find however, that I wished for some more individuated protocols tailored to my specific situation. Or the willingness to try something new or different.

Feel free to push back and suggest other options if you have them. Know that you are going to get straightforward treatment and respect, but not warm fuzzy hugs from Widra.

We started with IUI using Clomid, then added a Gonadotropin, then Ovidrel trigger. None of 5 times I tried the IUI worked. Then for my first attempt at IVF, we did an Antagonist Vivelle Protocol with Vivelle, Cetrotide, and Gonadotropin. Towards the end of the protocol, we were not seeing many eggs being produced so we changed the IVF to an IUI cycle which was unsuccessful. For the next cycle, I did a low dose minimal stimulation protocol with Letrozole, Cetrotide, and Menopur. This also resulted in only 2 eggs being produced. Both fertilized and we implanted both embryos. We did not test these as Widra said there were no options, so no need to test. This cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy that quickly failed. For the final IVF cycle, I did the same low dose minimal stimulation protocol and only had two eggs, and only was was able to be retrieved. The egg fertilized, was implanted, but resulted in a negative pregnancy test. The rationale for using the low dose stimulation was that with the converted IVF cycle I had taken more medications and it hadnt produced more eggs.

All in all, the costs were about $10,000

Dr. Widra was kind and direct, responsive. Sometimes hard to book appointments due to his busy schedule. He made himself available when there were urgent situations where we needed to be in touch. we would definitely recommend him.

He is factual and clear- if you need a lot of hand holding and warm and fuzzy he may not be who you want (although he is definitely warm and kind).

We started straight with IVF - due to my age at the time (42) we agreed not to 'waste' time IUI. I did one egg retrieval- we transferred 3- negative pregnancy test with none viable remaining to freeze. We then met with him to discuss next steps- he said we could try another round of egg retrieval- but given my age and odds- we decided to go to donor eggs. We had 9 embryos- did one transfer and Imiscarried at 6.5 weeks, then we did another transfer which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. The next transfer we transferred 2 embryos which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. We then did PGD on remaining 5 embryos since Dr. Widra felt the results seemed unlikely- came back that only one was chromosomally normal. We were scheduled for another transfer but the morning of the transfer it was cancelled bec. embryo did not survive the thaw. we then discussed options I had adenomyosis? in my uterus that were detected before my first cycle- we retested to see if it got bigger- it did. We talked about options- surgery, try again without surgery and we decided most likely scenario for live birth is gestational carrier. moved forward with new donor and gestational carrier.

it was a lot

With my eggs- we transferred three embryos given my age. With donor eggs we transferred one because of his urging- but he allowed two when we weren't getting pregnant. Given costs and complication with gestational carrier he allowed us to transfer two embryos.

I went through 9 cycles of various treatments with Dr. Widra (the last two of which resulted in ongoing pregnancies spaced two years apart). During my 7th cycle, I had an ectopic pregnancy that eventually ended up rupturing (not the fault of Dr. Widra or Shady Grove fertility). Dr. Widra called me from out-of-town to express his disappointment about the ectopic pregnancy and then called me again when he learned that I had emergency surgery to deal with the ruptured ectopic. That really impressed me. Additionally, Dr. Widra always treated me well and like a human during office appointments and monitoring appointments. I never felt like he didn't care. Also, Dr. Widra never cancelled one of my cycles. Even if it looked like I might be maturing too many follicles (during timed intercourse cycles), Dr. Widra would adjust the medications and I was able to trigger with every cycle. I can't say enough good things about my experience with Dr. Widra and Shady Grove.

It can take some time to get an appointment with Dr. Widra, so if you want to start treatment in May, think about calling for a May appointment in Feb or March. In my experience, thought, this was only true for initial appointments; once I was undergoing treatment, I had appointments with Dr. Widra that we scheduled only a week or two out.

My treatment for my first child was primarily dictated by the requirements of my insurance company (which provided coverage for IVF, but only if I tried a certain number of timed intercourse and IUI cycles first). But within those requirements, Dr. Widra first had me go through 2 cycles of timed intercourse with clomid and progesterone suppositories, and then switched me to injectibles (Bravelle) and progesterone suppositories when I had vision issues with clomid (I wasn't taking a high dose). Then I went through 4 cycles of timed intercourse with injectibles to fulfill my insurance requirements, and an IUI cycle with injectibles (Bravelle) and progesterone suppositories again to fulfill insurance requirements. The IUI resulted in an ectopic pregnancy that Shady Grove quickly treated, but still ended up rupturing and requiring emergency surgery. After that point, I was finally allowed to proceed to IVF, which produced two 5-day blasts (using Bravelle, menopur, HGH, estradiol, and endometrin) . One was using during that first cycle (and resulted in my son) and the other was frozen for future use. I did end up with over-stimulated ovaries, but I don't think this was the result of Dr. Widra being too aggressive with treatment (as I didn't end up with dozens of retrieved eggs), but is just something that happened. Shady Grove treated me with a blood thinner and an outpatient procedure to drain fluid. A year after my son was born, I went through a frozen embryo transfer with Dr. Widra using the embryo that was produced during my previous IVF cycle (as well as a combination of endometrin, PIO injections, and estradiol injections). This cycle was also successful and (fingers crossed) my daughter will be born in May 2016.

8 (including one IUI and one IVF) of my 9 cycles were covered by insurance, and I never had any cost or billing issues. My 9th cycle was paid out-of-pocket, but the fees were fair for the procedure and I was able to participate in a research study that lowered my costs (without degrading my care)

He is defensive and not open to listening to his patients. The whole time I had to push him to try something different. One cycle I called him a couple of times to let him know I felt the cycle was not going well, and he told me he thought it was going fine. I ended up with only one embryo. The next cycle he increased my meds I got four embryos. If he would have listened during the first cycle then I may not have need a second cycle.

Do not expect him to be proactive.

IVF and frozen eggs and genetic testing of embryos. He insisted on doing frozen cycles until I pushed him into freezing the eggs and genetic testing of embryos. I did not want to continually go through miscarriages, and I had one previously. Not sure why he would have ever suggested fresh IVF cycle for anyone over 40.

Shady grove is fairly efficient with appointments and flexible. They have improved their scheduling and monitoring hours by opening up additional clinics to help with traffic.

All costs at shady grove are fairly uniform across.

Dr. Widra is a matter-of-fact communicator who tries to present a balanced view of options with accompanying benefits and risks. He is not very warm, but he's jovial and seems to care about his patients. Dr. Widra is very very busy, and as his patient, I felt rushed in communicating with him.

Know that even though he's not the warmest and seems very busy/rushed, he does care. Be prepared to have your primary relationship be with the nurses.

I had very positive experiences with Dr. Widra. He does not have a "warm and fuzzy" personality, but he is still very sensitive. He conveys information and options in a very clear, direct but yet very compassionate way. When we went in for an 8 week sonogram after our first IVF treatment, he found that there had been a miscarriage. He handled the situation extremely well, and made us feel very supported and comforted.

Dr. Widra has a more direct style, though he is still compassionate and sensitive. Also, he does not give out his email address (as some REs do) so all your questions will go through a nurse.

My wife and I were clear that we wanted to get pregnant with IUI and if it wasn't going to happen, we thought we would accept that. It took almost 2 years to get pregnant the first time and Dr Widra respected our wishes and did not once attempt to push us into a different course of treatment, even though his #1 objective as a reproductive endocrinologist, is to get women pregnant as quickly as possible. I continue to be very grateful for that.

he treated us honestly and respectfully - like adults who don't need to be coddled - and while we certainly had some challenges, we now have 2 healthy kids. I'm not sure what else I can say. So much of this journey is out of our control.

As I mentioned previously, we were patient with wanting to get pregnant with IUIs. I had 2 miscarriages before my daughter was born. I was given choices on how to conclude the miscarriages. Those choices were respected. After each, some test was proposed to see if there was an identifiable reason. There wasn't. And eventually I got pregnant.

2 IUIs per cycle at $395 each, I think. My insurance did not pay for IUIs. Bloodwork, D&C, HSG we're all covered.

Dr Widra is an experienced professional, willing to take older women who normally have a slower chance of success. I found this aspect in him and in his clinic worthy of recognition because I went to another clinic before where you can sense that the doctor was not willing to sacrifice his success rates by taking a woman over 43. He was very clear on my expectations and agreed to accompany my desire to become a single mother at an old age (44 years old). He and his team are on top of the latest research and he doesnt set unrealistic expectations.

Prepare yous questions in advance and ask him all you want to ask, and also, he is available by email if needed to respond any questions you might have.

We did an IVF cycle and then we decided to follow up with IUIs because at 45 years old the success rates were similar and the cost and impact on the body was more manageable for me with IUI than with IVF (and IVF was covered by my health insurance)

Dr. Widra was frank and straightforward while also being patient and understanding. He cited studies and had ample evidence to support the decisions we made. We felt well cared for working with him. He was clear and concise which appealed to me and my husband.

Ask questions when you need to.

I'm afraid I don't remember the specifics here.

I was able to schedule for a general time, and was usually seen reasonable close to that scheduled time. If running late and I needed to get to an appointment elsewhere, they were able to accommodate my needs.

We did a two-for-a-discount cycle, though we didn't end up needing the second cycle. We received some financial aid, I think the total without medication for this was $15,000.

He was very helpful in explaining the process. the nurse is also very helpful. I do think that they don't have as much time to spend on patients due to the number of patients they see each day. It is a little difficult to schedule appointment son weekends with the Rockvile Office

IF you need to speak with the Doctor himself make appointment sot see him yourself. After the first session you will be communicating with your assigned nurse.

I haven't done that yet

He was very open about probabilities of pregnancy at 44 years old, and he explained that given good hormonal results that we could try a few times with PGD to see if there are any viable embryos. I found him quite honest.

ANTAGONIST

18K covered by health insurance

I always felt Dr. Widra was providing the best possible treatment recommendations. His recommendations were always grounded in empirical data (% chance of success / risks / outcomes). He was available either through appointment or over the phone to address any concerns or answer questions. We had a very positive experience.

Express what you are looking for and what you are comfortable / uncomfortable with. I believe he listens and takes that into account very well.

Clomid + IUI

~2,500/IUI

Dr Widra was candid and direct, which I greatly needed after seeing another doctor (with another group) who was always vague. Dr Widra showed me stats and talked me through everything in a clear manner.

Ask as many questions, Dr Widra is very open.

Given that I had low ovarian reserve he focused on producing as many eggs as possible and was very attentive during monitoring to adjust medications as needed.

Monitoring is a pain, and they have a ton of patients, but it was managed well.

I had a good insurance, but the staff was exceptionally knowledgeable and knew how to maximize insurance.

NA

Dr. Widra is smart and I really liked him. He was sometimes serious but I prefer my doctor to be serious and understand what he is doing than be cheerful and not know what he is doing. One thing I didn't like about him was his preference for singleton versus having twins.

Do not be bothered by his not so cheerful personality

$20,000

I already did. Dr Widra preferred singletons and would always advise you so. I was very upset that he seemed relieved when one of the two heartbeats we had seen previously was no longer progressing.

We wanted a physician who is an expert in his practice and experienced in diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Widra fit this description perfectly. He fully explained the course of treatment, gave us clear expectations, and met every predicted outcome - successfully.

He knows what he is doing, you are in excellent hands.