Janis Fox

I really like Dr. Fox personally and she was very candid on the statistics for success as well as other options. She won't actively put herself in our position and say what "she" would do which I sometimes want her to do, I understand these are very personal decisions and she tries to give us all of the information we need to make the decisions. She is very sensitive to our individual situation and it feels like she is personally committed to us becoming pregnant and having a successful pregnancy.

She doesn't sugar coat but she's very smart and experienced. She'll answer anything you ask, just make sure you ask! It's sometimes hard to get a hold of her outside of normal appointments and she often runs behind so our appointments didn't run on time.

She is very personable and we were able to establish a personal connection quickly. While she states the facts (which are hard to hear), she acknowledges that it's a hard message and I feel like she feels bad when we don't have a successful outcome even though our chances are low.

I did 2 patch protocol cycles and 1 micro dose Lipton cycle. I am currently doing my 3rd patch protocol. In both protocols, I was on the highest dose of medication (4 menopur in the morning) and 300 of final-f in the evening. This was because my test results showed a diminished ovarian reserve. The first cycle we had 7 follicles, 5 eggs retrieved and fertilized and all transferred. The 2nd cycle we had 7 eggs retrieved 2 fertilized and both transferred. The 3rd cycle took much longer for stimulation (30 days Vs 12-14 for the first two) and resulted in 3 eggs, 1 fertilized and 1 transferred. All were a negative result. This current cycle Dr Fox and team decided to give us one last chance on the patch protocol since my stimulation was materially better. We are self-pay and while a significant burden we were willing to spend the money on a 4 th cycle before deciding potentially to do egg donation.

It's sometimes hard to get in touch with the team which can be frustrating. As I have been interacting with the nursing team for a while now, I know each of the personalities better. They are all very compassionate and try to share in your excitement or sadness.

Nothing runs on time and it's very difficult to get someone to pick up a phone. You often are on hold for a while or > 5 hours (or a day) will pass before a returned call. "Customer service" is lacking but the medical care is great. The receptionists are very nice and act like they remember me, which is well received.

11k

Dr. Fox is a wonderful doctor who cares deeply about her patients and helping them achieve the families they dream of. I liked that she explained all of the medical things I was going to experience. I also liked that she didn't just follow protocol when it came to testing, but also her gut. She also looked out for my financial and psychological well-being.

She has a strong Long Island accent that if you're not used to, takes a little getting used to. Be as open as possible with her so she can use all the information in your treatment.

Dr Fox spent time getting to know me as a person, not just someone who was trying to get pregnant. She listened to my questions and concerns and set the treatment in a way that made sense for me. Not just for her success rate.

I LOVED Kathy. She was attentive, caring and able to explain all of the medical stuff ot me. She always called me right away with test results and spent as much time on the phone as needed. She was my cheerleader through the whole process.

The clinic is part of a major teaching hospital. So, the couple of times there were emergent issues, I was treated by a fellow and not the doctor. That said, the fellows are amazing and talented. There is always someone available 24/7 which was really helpful when I had issues off-hours. Also, if you're paying out of pocket, procedures are more expensive because the hospital charges more than free standing clinics.

The monitoring appointments for ovulation/IVF were early in the morning before they opened up ultrasounds to others. It interrupted my morning routine, but it was early enough that I was able to get to work ontime. The window was big enough and there were enough rooms that I didn't have to wait long. The ultrasounds after I got pregnant were scheduled at my convenience.

All of my expenses were covered by insurance except the co-pay

She did want to transfer 2 embryos on my first IVF cycle. I wasn't willing to risk twins and so we had a pretty emotional discussion. Ultimately, though, she listened to me and my needs.

We saw Dr. Fox for a second opinion regarding ongoing fertility issues. After out first visit with her, she made us few confident in the approach she would use to hep us concieve.

She runs late at times, but it is worth the wait. She spends as much time as needed with you. We never felt rushed, and we always had a lot of questions!

Dr. Fox took her time with us, thoroughly answered all question and made us feel that she was personally invested in the outcome of or treatments

She did some Initial testing Amd blood work that she felt was not done previously, and then we proceeded with an egg retrieval using a different medicine and protocol. After my retrieval, we proceeded with PGS testing, at which time 2 eggs came back normal. I then had my first frozen transfer, which resulted in a negative pregnancy. We met with Dr Fox again to review my case. I then had a battery of tests looking for uterine abnormalities, including polyp removal. I did a prep cycle to see how my uterus responded to the medicines in my protocol, and when she was satisfied with that I had another transfer, which has resulted in a pregnancy. I am currently 16 weeks

There were some nursing changes happening At the time of our treatments, so we never had one nurse that we consistently talked with. That would be my biggest complaint with my experience at Brigham. I did get timely call backs however.

Not having a consistent nurse assigned to My case is my biggest complaint

She was very warm but I didn't feel like she was completely up front with me. Miscarriage is a common outcome, and it made it harder for me to handle it when she a) didn't warn me that sometimes embryos don't develop heartbeats and b) acted like it was surprising that it had happened.

1) She told me that she couldn't promise to be on time for appointments because at a fertility clinic there are all kinds of unexpected results, like "people getting pregnant." I know from experience that nothing special happens when you get pregnant, and certainly nothing that would cause a doctor to be an hour late. 2) When I miscarried she told me that she was shocked and "hadn't seen this coming." At the time it was mildly comforting, but now that I have been through more cycles I know that this is extremely normal. In retrospect it made me feel as though something terrible had gone wrong when really it's just par for the course. And I can't believe she was truly shocked given how common this is.

The "Intro to IVF" class they make patients sit through it s total waste of time. They have designed it for their own convenience rather than the convenience of patients. Poorly planned and executed.

I prefer frank information rather than sugar-coating - with the appropriate level of compassion. Janis Fox worked well for what we were looking for in a provider. She provided the right balance of information and next steps.

Be open about what you are looking for (how much information) and what your concerns are - ask the questions.

Dr. Fox payed attention to my career/interests and knew that I had an interest in (and some background in) medicine. She provided clinical trial information for us when she presented her recommended approach.

Due to my insurance monetary limitations, Dr. Fox recommended going straight to IVF (and presented published trial data to support the recommendation). This worked great for us and allowed us to stay just under the lifetime maximum that we had.

It was extremely helpful to have one specific nurse to interact with and made the process much more comfortable.

If you are the kind of patient who just wants to be told what to do without understanding the 'Why' then maybe she'd be a good fit. Personally, I found her unwilling to answer questions about what we were doing and why. She showed little care for how traumatic the infertility process can be.

BWH is a wonderful clinic, but wait a little longer to get in with one of the other doctors.

Janis Fox didn't seem to care about the outcome of each cycle. She didn't talk through test results or explain clearly what next steps were.

Dr Fox's nurse was amazing and was a big reason I stayed with Dr Fox as long as I did. She was amazing at keeping me on schedule and was so kind when she had to break bad news to me. When I made the decision to switch doctor, the nurse was wonderful, helpful, and walked me through the process.

Monitoring appointments were quick and efficient. They opened very early which made it very convenient for work.

She was the right mix of compassionate and practical. She noted my interest in medicine and provided full explanations for her proposed plan.

Ask lots of questions and be honest about your wants.

The entire care team treated me like a person and were incredibly supportive. The nursing staff was always available and compassionate. Each doc has one primary nurse so you get to know them. The social workers were also fantastic and provided excellent support and advic .

She was extremely supportive and gentle in her communication. I felt comfortable calling with any questions... Even if I had asked before.