How was your experience with Geoffrey Sher at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas)?
I think it's going to be difficult and a bit long to put this into words, but I'm going to try.
For me, Dr. Sher is the most knowledgeable professional in the IVF arena, today and since decades ago. I think perhaps in all the United States and surely must be one of the best in the world, it is incredible the amount of practices that are implemented today in IVF thanks to him. You just have to do a bit of online research to be amazed. But I do not want to talk about this, but about my own personal experience with him. I was very surprised when we arrived that he had taken the time to study all our history previously, (before I had gone with Dr. Bruce Shapiro also in the Las Vegas area, and I had asked to transfer all my file to Dr. Sher ). I was even more surprised as he tried to correlate my history of infertility and my particular medical conditions (PCOS, insulin resistance, tubal factor, among others), to explain in a natural and scientific way my failures in previous attempts. He did what a Doctor rarely does and took a lot of time explaining how one could try to overcome each of the obstacles, I think I learned more in that consultation than in all the time I've been reading, researching and trying to conceive. My only regret is not having met Dr. Sher before, for example before trying to use Clomid, which by producing large amounts of eggs caused also a large increase in free testosterone, and not only produced poor quality eggs that had difficulty to reach my uterus through my only blocked tube -which was believed by another doctor to be healthy because it was permeable to some grade-, but also caused the fall of half of my beautiful and abundant hair. Dr. Sher sent me a list of all the articles in his blog related to my situation, and asked me to read everything before starting the cycle, so I did and it helped me a lot to be informed and not to be anxious during the process. I love that every time we see each other, even if he is not looking at his computer, he always reminds me by my name and also my husband. As he told me himself once, he was going to take care of me during my treatment as if I were his little sister, and he really has always made me feel that way.
If I have to mention his weaknesses, there would be only two:
1) Hopefully it will be less time before the initial consultation with him could be obtained, although in reality it is worth the wait, since the doctor and his team are in charge of compiling exhaustively all the tests, images, medical history, that you have listed in the initial questionnaire sent to you by mail. In this part it is important that you'll be equally thorough, and as the form says, be very detailed, because the Doctor will take all this time to investigate and more importantly, analyze the history of each patient, in order to determine the best way to approach your treatment.
2) I wish the Doctor was not about to retire, I still can not believe that he will retire in mid-2019, I hope I can conceive before that date because I do not want to see any other doctor than Dr. Sher.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Geoffrey Sher at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas)?
Book your consultation with him as soon as you have the first thought, just take the phone and dial the number because it will pass time before you get to see him and he is worth every minute you are going to wait. You'll have time to do all your research online later, and if in the end you decide you don't want to see him, or you'll go with another doctor (which I personally think will be a mistake), just be polite and nice and cancel within the timeframe you're given to do so.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Geoffrey Sher at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas)?
My husband and I had to wait 2 months to meet Dr. Sher in our initial consultation. It was worth every minute we waited. When we arrived we realized that the doctor already knew every detail of our medical history by heart, he called us by our names with total spontaneity, and he made us feel like he was a father who knows his children, and knows that he can help them in their need. Moreover, he wishes with all his heart that our success is also his success. He explained in detail why I have failed on past attempts, was honest about the implications of all the factors that condition my fertility, and offered me a comprehensive treatment to address each one of them. He offered me his telephone number in the first consultation and every time we see each other he reminds me that I am only one call away, at any time. He remembers my name and my husband's, and that is important for us. It tells me that this Doctor really loves his profession and feels passion for what he does, and that makes me trust him. When he has had to call me by phone, he is always punctual and never makes me feel that someone else is waiting for him. I do not know if one day we will be parents, I just know that when that day comes, it will be thanks to Dr. Sher.
Describe the protocols Geoffrey Sher used in your cycles at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas) and their degree of success.
Dr. Sher what is called the prolonged coasting method for me to cycle, to avoid Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). In my first IVF cycle with him, he suggested toinitiate a long pituitary down regulation protocol (using Lupron) coming off a birth control pill (BCP). Then stimulated with 450U of Folistim for two days and reduced the dosage to 300U daily thereafter, adding 375U of Menopur, and I also had 8U of Omnitrope to help my eggs grow and to improve quality. I had 8 follicles that were between 15 and 22mm. At this time “prolonged coasting” was stopped and I was administered a “trigger shot” of 10,000u hCG.
2 mature eggs were retrieved and 2 others were retrieved but weew not fully mature, they were let grow for some hours and them all there 4 were fertilized correctly but 3 of them stopped growing around days 3 and 4. Only one beautiful embryo made it to blastocist and had been frozen. I'm still waiting on PGS results for next week, but it looks great and I'm positive it will be healthy and highly graded. I am already preparing for my next cycle, as we want as least to have some more to try transfer. I was going to do it on December but we moved it to October, since I'll be coming out of BCP and I already got my period, doctor recomends to let ovaries rest for at least a month, so we'll be doing that. For next cycle my doses are going to be increased, and we are keeping the same protocol. which is expected to continue protecting me against OHSS, but we hope for better results with the adjusted doses considering I'm heavy overweight right now. I'm following the fertility diet too to help my eggs, alsod using CQ10, prenatal vitamins with only Folic Acid (No DHEA for now, read Dr. Sher's explanation here: https://haveababy.com/fertility-information/ivf-authority/dhea-and-ivf-harmful-in-certain-cases), as I have high insulin/insuline resistance, which makes my testosterone to be higher already. Completing with Metformin 500 mg twice a day to try to keep that insuline resistance under control.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas). (Assigned nurse: Kimberly Ealy)
Kim (as well as all the other girls on Dr. Sher's staff) is what we call an angel on earth. She will get back to me in less than 5 minutes when I email her, and when they are cycling never later than end of day. She has never not replied to me or call me back when asked or promised. She sends my prescriptions to every pharmacy she knows and gives me tips on how to maximize my savings with each one. She provides me with on time updates about my progress, is on top of everything and well organized, and is always making sure to point the full half of the glass instead of the empty one. She is very knowledgeable and aproachable too, as well as the Doctor, and is always crossing her fingers for me and sending baby dust my way.
Describe your experience with Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas).
The clinic is conveniently located near my house and my work and
and to me it's a cozy and warm place, it does not have pictures of babies on the walls, I think I read in an interview that it is a symbol of the doctor's respect towards people who have not yet been able to achieve it and have had traumatic experiences. I love that every time I go, there are couples with their babies coming and going. The clinic is clean, spacious and everything is well organized. Maybe it does not have the appearance of being a brand new and ultra-modern place, like other offices I've visited, but I think that Dr. Sher's office feels more like a home and a place where they care a lot more about people, in contrast with those other places that I have visited that look brand new and ultra-modern, but had made me felt they are cold and only care about $$$. A great strenght is they offer something to snack whenever you have to go for tests early in the morning: they have bars, oatmeal, pastries, Honest juice, etc.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Geoffrey Sher at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas).
I was insurance covered, insurance also pays my medication for 2 cycles. I paid $1,752 for Biopsy and anesthesia on egg retrieval and $1651 for inmune testing.
Describe Geoffrey Sher's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Nevada Fertility Center (FKA SIRM Las Vegas).
He'll let you pick sex if you want to, and would transfer up to 2 embryos. Has educated about the risks of multiples.