Frank Chang

Dr. Chang was a great doctor to have for pcos and male factor infertility. He gave us both things to work on for about six months before retesting my husbands semen to see if we could improve our odds without further treatment. When that wasn’t the case, we moved forward with IUI and ultimately IVF when it became clear that we needed to do ICSI. He was very matter of fact about odds, treatment and protocol. He adjusted as necessary during cycles and had a kind bedside manner before and after our egg retrieval. We had a successful pregnancy on our first frozen transfer and we plan to transfer our remaining embryo this year. If that does not work we will not hesitate to use Dr. Chang for another round of ivf to have our second baby.

Ask a lot of questions at your consultations and appointments. He will answer everything thoughtfully.

Dr. Chang was very matter of fact about treatment and odds but was a kind person which is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted information that was not sugarcoated.

Clomid for one IUI cycle (adding extra days of Clomid for further follicle development) with ovidrel trigger (negative pregnancy test) , Letrozole for one IUI with ovidrel trigger (negative pregnancy test- male factor), IVF cycle with menopur, final-f, endometrin and a lupron trigger. 20 eggs retrieved, 16 mature, 9 fertilized, 2 made it to blast. 1 fresh embryo transfer resulting in live birth, 1 embryo frozen.

When we met our nurse, Dew, I have to say that we were underwhelmed. She was very matter of fact without, it seemed, much emotion or compassion. However, I am so glad we gave her a chance because she ended up being a great advocate for us. She was hyper organized, quick to respond to my phone calls or emails and always had a kind word to say for both our negative and positive pregnancy tests. She helped us find cheaper prescriptions and had any resource we could ask for. Dew really made this journey easy for us and I hope she is able to do the same for many more people hoping to conceive.

Shady Grove Fertility knows what it is doing. I am sure they churn out patient after patient every day. To some people this may make you feel like you’re just a number to them but for me it was a comfort because it meant they knew what they were doing. I never had anything but a kind interaction with everyone who worked there and the nurses there are above average. I had trouble getting blood drawn and they were so patient and kind to me every time I was there (which was sometimes almost every day for weeks at a time).

We are very lucky to have good insurance so our coverage was excellent. We mostly paid copays and for some of our medications. Many of the tests were not considered “fertility” and fell under regular insurance coverage so they didn’t eat into our fertility coverage.

He strongly suggested single embryo transfer due to risk to mother and child with a multiple pregnancy, no added odds of getting pregnant if you transfer multiple and also due to our non-advances ages.

He’s very knowledgeable but can seem to be in a rush at times. We only saw him once during our IVF cycle and it was based on our request after having a significant decrease in anticipated embryos. We believe our stim medication was not properly adjusted and monitored, which impacted the amount of mature eggs to be fertilized because we triggered early due to my estrogen level being so high. He knew it was high but didn’t see a need to decrease it significantly until the end. He called us though for our embryo updates because the counts were so low. Out of 27 eggs, 15 mature, 9 fertilized, 1 viable embryo.

Be up front with any and all questions you have and stand firm with having him explain. He will answer, just may appear to always be in a hurry.

I had to ask more questions and do more research on my own about a lot of pieces of the Ivf process. And when asking a question, my nurse made me and my husband feel like a burden or a nuisance for asking. We had to follow up a lot to get any insurance items submitted properly and timely, received and required correction of deposit amounts, had to call in and follow up on our own medicine cause the nurse was so delayed and we would’ve missed our protocol.

Started with 112.5 Menopur and 75 gonal-f 9 days. Estrogen levels were over double the entire time - gonal-f was reduced to 75 on day 5 and again to 37.5 on day 7. Started Cetrotide AM on day 7. Estrogen levels were concerning so we had almost daily bloodwork and ultrasound appointments but they didn’t modify until halfway and again at the end. We were planned to use a dual trigger of HCG and Leuprolide but with the risk of OHSS with my estrogen, Dr. Change switched to Lupron only. We were scheduled for a fresh cycle and due to lack of modification and up front monitoring, we were required to freeze all and pay additional money for a frozen transfer. During monitoring appointments, we were always told “looks good”, “you might trigger or start another injection early”, “ no issues” but changing our plan and having significantly higher hormone levels could have been better avoided.

Requires follow up and wasn’t forth coming with information without us asking numerous questions. Simple questions confirming whether or not to continue other injections when starting Cetrotide. When asking questions, I dreaded calling because I felt like a bother to be invested in my cycle and results.

They have a quick process to get patients in and out. Following up with your financial counselor is a MUST because we’ve received incorrect and delayed information as well as other patients we know at SGF.

Monitoring is in the morning for nurses to call in the PM with results. You’d wait in the main waiting room, get called for blood draw, wait in another area for an ultrasound room to open. Very consistent and smooth process.

N/a

Was appreciative of his calling me directly a few times to discuss treatment options at length. He was also good re: being realistic and managing expectations. On my third FET and last he was really hoping for the best but it turned out not to be and we are not in a whole new IVF cycle, which will be my last.

Dr. Chang was very helpful although he like all the doctors are very busy. He did call me directly several times to explain things (eg when I was having a likely chemical pregnancy) and he helped to give the basic facts of the matter. I appreciated him laying out the options when things weren’t looking good and offering new tests to find out more info.

I was on Menopur 75 and Gonal F 225 for about 9 days which was a surprisingly short protocol. Triggered on day 10 and retrieval on day 11. I used the HCG trigger instead of the Lupron and there was a specific reason why Dr Chang decided on that but I can’t recall. They retrieved 19 eggs. 10 ended up fertilizing normally but only 3 tested noramally (PGS) without chromosomal abnormalities. All 3 FETa failed. One of the three was a chemical pregnancy.

SGF is indeed run like a very efficient machine. It’s not necessarily a great impression at first if you’re looking for warm and personalized attention, but I had pretty big change of heart after my 3rd miscarriage (from a natural pregnancy) and I moved from being lukewarm on IVF treatment to aggressively pursuing it. I did appreciate their efficiency.

$22,500 and an additional $3000 for medicines, about $2,500 for PGS testing, and $1400 for acupuncture treatments, approximately $700 for an ERA test (endometrial receptivity biopsy) Everything was out of pocket. My insurance only paid for infertility testing and diagnostics. The year we decided to start IVF, the US Federal government pulled ALL of the insurance carriers that offer IVF treatment off their benefits offerings.

Yes he really thought I had a high chance of success and we didn’t want twins.

Dr. Chang is pleasant, knowledgeable, honest and an empathetic listener. He seems fully aware of the physical and financial challenges patients often experience. He is slightly hopeful while remaining candid. He also doesn't try to push us in a direction we don't want.

While the day to day instructions and details are conveyed by our nurse, Dr. Chang is usually available for questions if requested and called us directly if there was significant news (good or bad). During those calls, he always asked how am I doing--all of which made us feel like our case mattered.

To be honest, it was a bumpy start with our nurse. She's very kind and compassionate, but having worked with another nurse before, we could see that she was not as thorough in giving instructions. There's been much improvement since those initial hiccups, but we still ask for clarification on occasion.

Shady Grove takes great effort to create an environment with compassionate professional care from the front desk folks that greet you at check-in to the medical staff passed in the halls to even how the waiting space is broken up so you don't walk into a massive open waiting room akin to visiting the DMV. When you're having a tough day as many of us do in this process, those things are comforting. We've been with Shady Grove through three IVF cycles and the one area of weakness is the Financial Services team. The Finance team has high turnover, doesn't always lay out costs clearly and at times may take days to respond to your call or message. That said, they are still pleasant to work with. I would suggest doing most communication on finances via email so you have records.

SGF handles monitoring appointments like a well-oiled machine. They do a great job from start to finish.

Two cycles of IVF with PGS testing: $21,500 plus the cost of meds which adds an additional $5,000-$7,500 per cycle.

Dr. Change listened to our concerns and worked with a new plan, as our first IVF with another fertility clinic failed. He was willing to try what we thought would work differently. we tried a fresh transfer rather than a frozen, and we took many supplements that were allowed by SGF to help with egg quality. Overall I felt heard and my ideas taken under consideration.

Don't be afraid to voice your concerns. Dr. Change will listen and will work with your plan.

Although this clinic was very busy, I was always seen in a timely manner, and Dr. Chang called me personally to let me know the outcome of our retrieval.

We did the Lupron Stop protocol, along with menopur and Gonal F. We tried that because my first round of IVF with a different clinic was unsuccessful in growing quality embryos. Our first round of IVF at the other clinic yielded 0 embryos to transfer. This cycle with Dr. Chang at SGF yielded 7 good quality embryos! We transferred 1 embryo which resulted in a successful pregnancy. I am currently 34 weeks pregnant.

Very nice and frequently good with communication and emailed responses.

This is a very busy clinic. With that being said, most all staff members were compassionate and helpful. SGF has a free therapy group that patients can join and meet others in the same situation. That was very helpful. They also have a wellness center with acupuncture and massage. This was a saving grace for me! I was able to do acupuncture often, and on the day of my transfer.

I had insurance that covered 50%. My medication and fresh cycle cost totaled about $6000 total. The cryopreservation totaled $1800 for the first year.

I did a fresh transfer. I at first wanted to transfer two, however Dr. Chang was concerned about the development of OHSS. I am happy he led me to transfer only one embryo. I became successfully pregnant with a single embryo.

Great bedside manner. Kind. Warm. Didn't sugar coat the fact that my husband and I would more than likely have to do IVF multiple times because of our severe infertility issues. My first egg retrieval was done on a weekend that Dr Chang wasn't on call, so his colleague had to perform the procedure. I had a lot of pain after that procedure. My second egg retrieval was performed by Dr. Chang. I had no pain whatsoever afterward. He's so so nice. He's been in the business for many years. If I ever needed to speak with him, all I had to do was contact my nurse. She would notify him and he would call me back.

Come in to his office with a notebook. Have questions already written down in it. Fill in the answers while in the room with him. I did! He's very patient. You can ask him anything regarding fertility.

He's kind and warm. Excellent bedside manner. Super easy to talk to. If I ever needed to speak directly with him, all I had to do was notify my nurse. She would relay the message and he would call me back - every single time.

Microdose Flare Protocol was used twice on me. Lupron, Gonal-F, and Menopur were used. It was unsuccessful. Going with a different protocol next cycle.

Dew was the care coordinator . She's fantastic and almost always responded to my emails or calls so so quickly! Kaitlin is my nurse. She is very caring and helpful. Always responds to my emails or calls almost always same day. Goes above and beyond to help!

It's a new office. Its very large. The decor is nice - very modern. There is almost always someone at the front desk so, finding your way around isn't difficult. Strength is that they are very prompt. I've never had to wait very long. Weaknesses - they are very busy, so I couldn't always get in during the times I preferred for monitoring.

2 IVF cycles with ICSI - multicycle discount - including medication: $30,000

Absolutely loved him! Felt completely at ease. He is a fabulous doctor!!! My husband felt the same way. My experience with him was 100% a night and day difference from my previous doctor. He never treated us like just a number or a money making endeavor. He always spoke to us with kind words and told us we would be parents. He would get us pregnant.

Make it a priority to see him. He's by far the best doctor that we have ever seen. Make seeing him your first choice.

Dr. Chang was so compassionate. He was kind and he listened to all of our questions and made sure we understood everything. He was encouraging as well. We have seen 4 other doctors (rotating schedule at our first clinic) and he was the most caring doctor I have ever met.

We went into a fresh IVF cycle knowing we would do ICSI. We did the normal stems and then added in Menopur to help the quality of my eggs, instead of focusing on the quantity. I feel like this was the change we needed. We went through stems and then found what appeared to be a hydrosalphinx (fluid filled tube) so we went egg retrieval and froze all embryos. I had that tube removed and then we transferred two embryos, resulting in twins.

Dew was just like Dr. Chang in the way of compassion. She was always willing to help us in any way and answer all questions. She was available to us at all times, and if she wasn't available for any reason, she made sure we had someone to contact during her absence.

They are a wonderful clinic and their reviews and reputation are completely true. They are all so compassionate. We had been to one other clinic before coming to Shady Grove and they are so much more than just a fertility clinic. They are invested in helping couples to have a family. Our other clinic was like a nightmare where we were only good for them to make money off of us.

Shady Grove's monitoring hours were in the morning. Yes, there were a lot of people there, and the waiting room was usually full, but you had an appointment time and they had everything together. Blood work first, then ultrasound. They have everything together. You didn't have to wait long.

We were pay as you go, and Shady Grove has a discount program you can apply for. We did the Shared Risk program, which is basically a risk free plan. We got a discount on that and then we applied for pharmacy discount programs for our meds as well. We did have to travel and stay at a hotel while there, but it was worth it.

He had a preference of transferring 1 embryo, but ultimately left it up to us. He was supportive of our decision to transfer 2 embryos after we had suffered 2 losses and the distance of travel for us between our home and the clinic.

He was amazing. Very thorough and pleasant. Listens to me and asked for my opinion and thoughts. Treated me with respect and remembered me when I went back to him for my 3rd child. He worked with me to ensure that I would have the best success and respected my wishes even when he didn’t necessarily agree and never made me feel like I didn’t know what I was talking about. He also gave me a lot of professional courtesy bc I work in the healthcare field.

Be direct, speak your mind. Listen to him as well. He knows what he’s doing and he would never intentionally steer you the wrong way.

He listens to me and asked for my opinion and respected my wishes/thoughts on matters. He trusted that I knew what was best for me.

Straight forward IUI using Follistism to grow my follicles to approx. 20-22mm. I get the best results once my follicles are nice and big. My other doctor didn’t thing i should wait that long for my follicles to grow and therefore i had unsuccessful IUIs before i had my successful ones. Ovidrel was used to trigger my eggs. After finding which protocol worked for me, we never steered from it and it resulted in 2 more successful pregnancies that led to 2 more healthy babies for me and my husband.

There was a lot of turnaround with nursing staff. They were all very competent, but each time I went back for another IUI, it was a different nurse. I didn’t really care though bc I had a plan set with a Dr Chang and that’s all that mattered. The nurses just followed our plan and it worked out great.

Very busy office. But it’s most convenient for me. It’s the closest location to where I live. Sometimes I feel like it’s jist all business, but ultimately I got what I wanted from them and that’s all that mattered. The office staff, nursing staff and medical staff made me feel that way. But never Dr. Chang.

100% covered by I Durante. Only paid co-pays.

Dr. Chang is very kind, not super chatty. I had switched to him from another doctor -- they had actually been partners once upon a time and so they knew each other well. My previous doctor, who was more aggressive in treating RPL that had possible immunological causes, told me outright that Dr. Chang would not be in favor of my doing IVIG. I brought him my labwork from the immunological testing that my other doctor had ordered and he was very honest and said, "I don't know I am looking at." He said that he was willing to let me do blood thinning injections, and I had thought that maybe that would be enough, and since I was not super excited about doing IVIG, I was happy enough to try my first round of IVF, after 13 rounds of IUI with 4 miscarriages, without doing the IVIG. Unfortunately I did have my fifth miscarriage with a genetically tested embryo. From that retrieval, I only had one other frozen embryo that did not reveal any results in the genetic testing (perhaps a glitch in the testing, perhaps an indication that it was not a good embryo). As a result, Dr. Chang was more than happy to let me do my second retrieval (I had a package of two retrievals) rather than compel me to use the embryo of uncertain quality. For this round, he did not discourage me from doing IVIG, and so I was super lucky enough for the embryo to finally stick. My son is now three years old. I really liked Dr. Chang as a person, and I know that immune issues in pregnancy have split the RE professional community: some doctors believe it but won't treat it, some doctors just don't believe in it, and then there are RE's out there who really look to immune issues when a patient's history of RPL suggests that it might be present. So I think Dr. Chang is an excellent doctor who just happens to not be in the "immune camp."

If you have had several miscarriages and want to pursue immune testing and treatment, Dr. Chang is probably not the way to go. Other than that, he is a very thoughtful doctor.

Dr. Chang is very compassionate but in a low-key way. Of the three doctors I had, he was the only one who would actually phone me -- it kind of blew me away that he'd call personally instead of getting a nurse to call. The only critique I have of him is one that I knew when I switched: he is not really interested in treating people who suspect themselves to have immunological problems with pregnancy. So he was politely dismissive of IVIG, an immune treatment that was recommended by my previous RE (who I sadly had to leave for financial reasons once I switched to IVF). But other than that, he is compassionate and seemed devastated when he had to tell me he could see no heartbeat for my fifth miscarriage on my first IVF round with him (I did not elect to do IVIG for this transfer).

Because I had had four IUI miscarriages at another clinic, Dr. Chang strongly recommended that I use a genetically tested embryo rather than do an IVF transfer without genetic testing. I fully agreed. For my first transfer, I injected with Lovenox (a blood thinner), which was his concession to my suspected immune issues. I was also happy to do that since I was honestly a little freaked out by the thought of IVIG. After my miscarriage, Dr. Chang was so disappointed with the RPL that he actually requested that the D&C fetal material be genetically tested (again) just to make sure that the original testing was correct (it was). (My OB thought it was a little silly to test it because the chances of the original testing being wrong are very very slim.) Dr. Chang also called the genetic testing company to find out the gender of embryo, as a way to make sure that we had all the right information. For my second transfer, Dr. Chang saw no reason for me to spend the money on genetic testing again. And so we went for a fresh 5 day transfer. I continued doing the Lovenox injections, and I also informed him that I'd be doing IVIF pre-transfer. He again did not seem to think that the IVIG would help at all, but he did not discourage me. Happily, I did get pregnant and for the first time my HCG doubled and doubled ... and now I have a three year old. The credit for my protocol will have to go to Dr. Abbasi of Columbia Fertility Associates, as well as Dr. Victor Priego, a hematologist at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Jessica was amazing! Very personable and easy to talk to, very positive. She was totally organized. I was quite surprised because I had expected to have a "dip" when moving to Shady Grove Fertility, which is so large and seemed to have the reputation of a factory. I had the complete opposite experience, personified by Jessica. She was very responsive to email or phone calls, kept track of all my paperwork, and left me the nicest happiest message on my answering machine after my son was born.

Shady Grove is a very large facility and has so many patients. I totally thought that it would feel like a factory and was quite pleasantly surprised that it was by far the best experience I had had. From the doctor to nurse to the people signing you in at the front desk to the financial people and the monitoring nurses, I never had a bad experience. They were all very polite and kind and did not make you feel rushed. The financial consultants were particularly thorough and kind. I had a different doctor for my transfer, Dr. Doyle, and he didn't know me at all but made me feel like I was his patient. I was floored by the contrast between my expectations and my actual experience.

I had a package of two retrievals, as many FETs as were needed, freezing and storage for a year. I qualified for a reduction in price due to my income, and I think it was a little over $15,000. I used both retrievals, so it was an extremely good deal. I also qualified for some reduced price medication for my first round of IVF.

My nurse Jessica was fabulous, and she said, "Do you want multiples at all?" and I said no. She said, then only transfer one embryo. She said, "It's happened before that someone transfers two, and then one splits ... and they got triplets." I really did not want that to happen!

if anyone can help you - he is the one!

I am not sure how Dr Chang treated other patients but when he learned that I am scientists he made every effort to provide me with data and statistics for every question I had. Additionally when I would get results from any of the tests, a nurse would call to let me know and if I had any questions she was not able to answer Dr Chang would call. When my first pregnancy went wrong, gave me all the answers I needed to deal the best I can with the situation. I am really really grateful for that. He is not someone to cry with you but he is very smart guy who knows his job very well and how to treat his patients.

Started with Vivelle patches and cetrotide and afterwards we did Gonal F/Menopur and the final shot was Lupron not HCG which would have been too much for me. I remember that one of the nurses commented that everyone in the clinic is giving HCG and she was asking me 10 times if I am sure the I needed Lupron. I was responding very well to treatment and if I got HCG I wold have likely ended up in hospital due to hyper-stimulation. First pregnancy lost due to trisomy (we biopsied the embryo to learn what went wrong. Would recommend this over waiting at home the embryo goes out on its own. This helped me tremendously to deal with the pregnancy loss. Second cycle we got out twin girls. I carried them full term and they are happy healthy kids and I am well too.

She took her time to explain everything I wanted to know and was very caring and personal

we had to pay for medication and IVF cycles out of pocket but doctor's visits were covered by insurance so I would not know the precise sum. I would guess that it was between $20,000 and $25,000 for both cycles with meds. We also got a discount for the cycles because we paid for multiple cycles from once.

Dr. Chang was thoughtful and professional and I hold him responsible for my two children. He was patient with me. Accepted my input in the plans for my care. He tried to help me have realistic expectations and I felt he was personally involved in my care.

Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself or disagree with him. He is open.

In preparation for my IVF cycle, he suggested I have my tubes removed. I had my tubes removed by an oncologist who did a lot of surgeries and had removed a large cyst from my left ovary. I had some sort of infection following the surgery and had to be admitted to the hospital. Dr. Chang called to check on my personally. I didn't expect that kind of care. I felt he really cared about me.

She was amazing! Every step of the way. Super patient with me. Willing to put up with questions. I still remember the day she called me with the news that I was pregnant. I felt she lived it with me. That she was excited as I was that i was pregnant. The same thing when I had a failed cycle. I heard the sadness in her voice as well. She truly cared.

Explained in details the options for infertility treatment and procedures. Didn't try to rush any treatment on us.He advise try on our own for 6 months with natural way without any medical interventions.

He is a good doctor

I have undergone 2 medicated IUI using Clomid from day 5-9day, with blood work and US on day3 and monitoring on day 11/13 ovidrel injection and IUI followed with progestin for 14 days .

Dew used to provide the details about plan of treatment in detail and explained very well over the phone and email.

SGF is good clinic with all the latest treatment availability. They have SOP set and you pass from blood work to US and you are out from the building in 30 mins while undergoing monitoring, which is great. Appointments starts from 7:30 in morning.

I underwent IUI 1 cycle is 2500 with meds. IVF shared risk 22,000 for up to 6 cycle excluding meds and other procedures.

I haven't undergone yet.

Dr. Chang was always very straightforward & knowledgeable. He was always very responsive when I wanted or needed to speak with him directly. He was factual sharing pros & cons of each situation/option.

He doesn't tell you what you want to "hear". If gives you the facts based on his recommendations in a very straightforward way, giving pros & cons of the different options.

The nursing staff that i have worked with during my time at Shady Grove have been amazing. I have had a few different nurses based on different reasons. All have been great communicators as well as very compassionate.

With the larger clinic when working with the clinical coordinator &/or financial teams I they do not seem to have the same amount of compassion or sensitivity. I have not been happy with my experiences. I feel like a "number" that pays the bills.

I've purchased an IVF package which had multiple items included.

He always recommended a SET, for the health of the baby/myself. Many doctors want to do more to help with their "stats"; however, Dr. Chang always strongly recommended towards what is the healthiest pregnancy/baby.

After being treated by several doctors in different clinics, Dr Chang's expertise rised above all! he went straight to the point, avoiding unnecesary tests and treatments. I recommend him 100%

Write down everything. Given his expertise, he may not be as accesible

timely and precise