Jeanne O'Brien

We were hoping for 8 eggs but only got 4 [at Shady Grove Fertility]. Lucky for me, 3 fertilized and became AA embryos. One has been transfered (fresh) and resulted in chemical pregnancy. The other two were PGS tested and are normal...Shawn [nurse] has been amazing. I live out of state and she's patient and helpful with ensuring my orders are sent to clinics when I need to monitor and letting me know if results aren't in yet, etc. She's very attentive and answers all of my (many) questions promptly. She delivers bad news with compassion and shows genuine excitement with good news. For instance, when she called to tell me my two embryos were PGS normal, I think she was as happy as I was! You can't fake that. I'm grateful to her - she helps keep me sane in this mess of a process.

We were in the shared-risk program [at Shady Grove Fertility-Rockville] that was about $25,000...There isn't a single weakness that I experienced at Shady Grove. My entire experience exceeded every expectation that I had... I could not say enough positive words about Jessica Buggs! She was kind, hard working, sensitive, and made me laugh often throughout a hard time of trying to conceive...was there for every need with a smile and a calming presence.

Shady Grove seems like an excellent, well run facility. Since they are so large, they seem to have everything down to a system but without making one feel like a number. The facilities in Rockville are modern and clean, and our day-long visit was well organized and efficient...there are about 3 support staff members on my case- nursing, donor selection, and general coordinator, and they are all knowledgeable, communicative and helpful...

they [Shady Grove] accidentally thawed my husband's sperm without telling us but continued to charge us the storage fee. This was huge and they didn't see it as a big deal. When male infertility is the diagnosis and we felt the sperm at the time was good enough to freeze-its a big deal!...My biggest criticism with the clinic is their financial department. They are so money grubbing its disgusting. I have a $5K balance after one cycle because of course they collect all the money up front without factoring in all of the insurance available. They never told me about this balance they owed me. I noticed it after one follow up visit and asked why they hadn't refunded me. They explained they assumed I would just use it towards my next cycle. First off, I didn't have another cycle planned at the time And secondly, they didn't connect the dots and realize that my insurance covered most all of the treatment so I would never owe them $5K for a cycle...Since then I have burned through all of my insurance benefits, but this was not the case at the time. Also they didn't explain when I would owe the money so I checked out at an appt early on in my first cycle and the Finance person told me I owed thousands of dollars It caught me completely off guard.

My out of pocket expenses at SGF were no more than a few hundred dollars (co-pays)....maybe $600 including the out-of-pocket counseling service required of patients using donor sperm. I paid about $2000 for PGS testing and another $900 for the donor sperm. Medicine cost me under $200 total. The greater majority of my medical expenses were covered by insurance....I am someone who wants to know all of the details and have a thorough plan. Dr. O'Brien was sensitive to this and always took time to explain test results and their implication on next steps/my treatment plan. I know I have only scratched the surface in describing just how wonderful Dr. O'Brien is, but she is nothing short of spectacular. My mother and I have been singing her praises to anyone who will listen. I love Dr. O'Brien and am so grateful for the amazing gift she has given me. Words cannot do justice to the love and appreciation I have for her. She will always have a special place in my heart. If I could remain under her care until the birth of my baby, I would without hesitation.

When there were administrative mistakes, they [Shady Grove Fertility] made excuses instead of apologizing for their errors. Sometimes you had to wait too long in the waiting room, there were times it seemed like they forget about me. This is for blood work and ultra sound work there. This was distressing as I had a full-time job I needed to be at. ... Our first nurse had more compassion and we felt more a connection with her.

Shady Grove is a big clinic, so yes you sometimes feel a bit like a number, but if you find the right Doctor and Nurse, the long road of infertility suddenly doesnt seem so dark and lonely...Ask questions. You'll feel better knowing all the answers. And trust her when she says she'll make it work. She doesn't give up :)...While my nurse, Effie often called with day to day results, Dr OBrien always followed up with a phone call if the results were something important. She was very respectful of my feelings (and since I was on lots of hormones there were LOTS of feelings) and she always stayed hopeful...

she [nurse at Shady Grove] was prompt and responsive. She answered all my questions. Kendra Noll was the care coordinator. She is outstanding. When I first called for an appointment at Shady Grove she spent nearly an hour on the phone with me. It was like talking to an old girlfriend. Her compassion and understanding and patience are remarkable...Roughly 30K for IVF, PGS, and 100% guarantee.

It is very expensive to do this process and Shady Grove is one of the more expensive places. It also can feel like a baby factory at times....IUIs with donor sperm and meds were roughly $1500 a procedure with insurance. Ivf with icsi was $15500 with no insurance....[Nurse] Shawn is amazing. She's very kind, patient, and compassionate. She took time to explain everything to me, and always answered all of my questions of which I had many. She was also very kind and compassionate when I had unsuccessful are you eyes time and time again and very encouraging for the process of IVF.

Our experience with Vivian Oseni was absolutely wonderful. She always made you feel Luke you were her only patient. She was very sensitive, kind and compassionate. She was "my rock" many times when she'd call with negative news. There is nothing I would change about my experience with Vivian. I recommend anyone going through fertility treatment to request her as their nurse...There is nothing I would change about my experience with Shady Grove Fertility. We had an exceptional experience with our clinic. From the receptionist, lab technician, sonorgrapher, nurses and physicians, everyone makes you feel they are 100% committed to supporting you and helping you be successful. One thing very different about Shady Grove patients compared to other clinics is that Shady Grove patients have a great understanding about their condition and treatment because the staff provides so much information in person and on their website about treatment, conditions, education, and support groups. The most special thing about Shady Grove is the genuine understanding and compassion. A lot of Shady Grove staff have also experienced infertility, so they truly know what you are going through on this fertility path. The genuineness of all staff sets this clinic apart from all other clinics. You are not just a patient or number to Shady Grove. You are part of the Shady Grove family from your very first appointment.

They [Shady Grove Fertility] have a lot of people coming in and out of there. They make things as quick and painless as possible. It is great to be able to do all of the procedures in the same building with the same people. I think they could make you feel like less of a dollar sign, if anything.... We had two or three different nurses. They kept quitting, so it was hard to keep tract. The one I remember, I believe her name was Effie was very sweet and helpful.

the billing department, and admin staff [at Shady Grove] treated us like a number. We were often overbilled without explanation...Our nurses were great...we have had a positive experience. However there were occasions where the admin staff provided information that was incorrect. For example we received a bill for storage costs for a frozen embryo. This was a shock to us as we did not actually have any embryos that were able to be frozen.

Shawn [nurse] was knowledgeable and informative regarding the IVF process but I felt she didn’t exhibit compassion. Especially for someone new to this process. I felt more like a number to her and not a person...The staff [at Shady Grove] are nice and helpful. Also the clinic is clean and newly renovated. There’s a lot of space in the waiting room. There’s a pharmacy in the building which makes it easier to pick up prescriptions medications...

Christine [nurse at Shady Grove Fertility] is the best, she answers all my questions promptly and is very compassionate person...24500 for the multi cycle program, I was not approved for the risk free program, roughly $7000 for the medications...It is not the best place for people who need their hand held, going through IVF is tough and difficult,...there are a lot of people working there so don’t expect to see the same face every time

Shady Grove is a big clinic which means that it has way more in the way of resources and experiences to help support you as a patient. You don't always see the same doctor, but you also don't have to wait for a long time for appointments... As a working professional, appointment wait time is really important to me. You can always reach someone when you have questions and their helpline nurses are phenomenal. Shady Grove has the infrastructure to provide a comprehensive patient experience.

Shady Grove is nationally recognized for a reason. They have top notch technology and everyone who works there is really wonderful. A weakness might be that it is so big that you end up seeing many doctors throughout your treatment, but that is also a strength because the doctors can rely on each other for advice when necessary.

Shawn [a nurse at Shady Grove Fertility- Rockville] is the best! She's easy to get in touch with, answers all my questions, and helps us understand our treatment schedule.... I was failing to ovulate, so she [Dr. Jeanne O'Brien] prescribed Clomid and Ovidrel to not only grow follicles, but ensure the egg(s) were released as well. Follicle growth was monitored via blood work and ultrasound

Shady Grove is definitely a large practice with many moving parts. I think they do an excellent job of getting patients seen on-time and quickly. Sometimes, it is hard to get someone on the phone but messages are returned...Dr. O'Brien took her time with us at each appointment. She is very knowledgeable and willing to break things down into what we know and don't know...Dr. O'Brien will always take the time to answer your questions. She will not rush to the next appointment. She provided a great deal of information about each treatment option and was honest about the chances of success and expectations.

They [the staff at Shady Grove] are compassionate, but I still don't feel like I get all the answers I want. I'd like more explanation as to why they did things and how to strategize a new protocol for better results. Perhaps more testing, etc....My nurse is typical. Not overly compassionate, but helpful enough. I don't think she goes above and beyond, to her I think it's a job, but she is competent.

The clinic [Shady Grove Dertility-Rockville] itself is very clean and organized. They have packets and folders packed with resources and relevant information. All the staff I did meet were very friendly and kind. It’s nice to know that their staff also use the services offered for family building. :)...Care coordinator.. she was very reassuring. She told me and my partner about how her children were conceived from the help of Dr. O’Brien’s treatment and care. So that was very reassuring.

[The Shady Grove Fertility clinic is] very efficient and coordinated. There’s a wide range of availability for monitoring visits, so it’s easy to go before work. The clinic is clean, professional, with cutting edge technology, but its very expensive as an out of pocket patient. Make sure you have good insurance coverage or have saved money, because treatment fees are due up front...$1800 for IUI out of pocket