Laura Reuter

Dr. Reuter explained everything (other than the medication; that information was explained by the nurse). I truly felt like she cared about our outcomes, my feelings, and everything in between. She told it to us "straight up", but with as much love as possible.

The egg retrieval will be more painful than you expect. You are under sedation when it takes place, but I was not aware that I would be sore/ in pain the next day.

Dr. Rueter was very kind during every step. She explained all the choices we had during our first meeting, and then accepted our choices for what direction we wanted to take. We have had early complications during our 2 positive IVF cycles. Dr. Rueter was very compassionate and willing to do anything that she thought would put me to ease and help us with our chances of a successful pregnancy.

Due to specific male factors, we knew we would have to either use IUI or IVF. The chances with IVF were higher, and we went with this course of action. Dr. Reuter was a little surprised I think, but supportive. 8 eggs retrieved, 6 progressed to 5 day maturity, 2 came back with chromosomal abnormality meaning we had 4 for implantation. First implant was unsuccessful. Next 2 implants resulted in pregnancy. Each time only 1 embryo implanted.

I always had plenty of time with the Shelly. She called when she said she would, replied to my phone calls, and gave me suggestions when we were having problems with insurance covering RX.

With fertility treatments, everything can change in a day. Most times, I was in and out of the clinic promptly. Sometimes a lot of people would end up needing to come in on a Monday, schedule any visits you can on a non-Monday. You should be aware that you will be there for an hour each time; usually because you will have blood drawn, an ultrasound, and a consultation. I feel like for all 3 of these things to get accomplished within an hour is good timing for any doctors office.

Our insurance covered most of the charges. We did have co-pays for visits and medication. Some medication was hard to obtain (due to our insurance) and we paid out of pocket. Even with coverage, we still paid over $2000 for each IVF cycle/implant.

Since we did PGS testing, the clinic / Dr policy is to only do eSET. We ha no issue with this.

She's highly knowledgeable so I never doubted her skill or expertise. She answers questions thoroughly and doesn't rush patients through appointments. IUIs were done by nurses but we did need her to do it at one point so she came in and helped. Also, when I had a bleeding scare after I conceived she was on-call and talked me through it. Thankfully it turned out to be nothing! Now the cons. Apparently I had PCOS during my first round of treatments but she didn't tell me that. I was surprised to find out I have PCOS as I try for my second child. If I'd known that I would've modified my diet, tried different supplements, and otherwise try to minimize the effects of PCOS on my own. Another thing is she's kind of a fat-shamer. She always comments on my weight while I'm there and while I understand obesity impairs fertility I never get any advice other than "eat less." I'm obese, so clearly I'm aware it's a problem. I'd rather leave weight conversations to my PCP. Last con: she's very conservative with treatments. Again, I understand, the risks of multiples is high. But I wish she'd be more okay with twins if they happened. I don't particularly want to experience a multiples pregnancy but I wouldn't avoid doing an IUI with 3 or 4 follicles because of that concern.

Make sure you come with your questions. She will listen to your concerns and will address everything you ask. Just make sure you're prepared so you can take full advantage of the appointment.

She always takes time to answer my questions, which I really appreciate. She makes sure I understand what's going on before our appointment is over. I like that she doesn't make me feel rushed. She also asks about my son, who I conceived under her care, and I like that she remembers.

I did 3 cycles with Clomid to start. They yielded 2-3 good-sized follicles with each cycle so I understand why she wanted to keep trying. Statistically you're likely to get pregnant in the first 3 IUI cycles without further intervention if you're relatively young and healthy. I didn't get pregnant, so she did an HSG to see if I had any tube blockages and the ramped up the medication to Femara + FSH. I didn't respond to Femara well and only had 1 follicle. That cycle failed. I did one more IUI with all FSH and that resulted in 2 large follicles (1 20 mm, 1 22 mm) and I got pregnant. I'm trying the same protocol again this month and hope it works!

I'm not a fan of nurse Shelly. She's impatient, kind of cold, and hard to talk to. She does make me feel rushed when I see her and I don't like that. But she follows Dr. Reuter's directives so I go with her when I have appointments.

It's a nice office. There's an accupuncturist right next door who works with the clinic so I think that's really cool. The office staff is really friendly, and remember me by name. The waiting area is nice. The location is kind of inconvenient but there's not too much they can do about that. I also live far away so that's the primary issue here.

$800-ish for an oral-medications cycle, $1500 for a FSH cycle.

If I were older and only had one shot to get it right, I'd be okay with eSET. But at age 35, if I had to do IVF I would transfer 2 embryos. The likelihood of both implanting isn't that great and I would rather risk twins than not have the procedure work at all. She said there's a 75% chance of getting pregnant with eSET but it's also prohibitively expensive for those not covered by insurance.

We were diagnosed with unexplained fertility, and my husband had borderline low sperm count and motility. It was suggested that we go straight to IUI but because of financial reasons we asked to start with medicated cycles and times intercourse. Dr Reuter was very understanding and agreed to this treatment plan. We went thru 3 medicated cycles, then went on to an IUI. During those 4 cycles I think I only talked to Dr Reuter 2 or 3 times (initial consult, HSG test, and during one ultrasound). Although I didn't talk to her often, her staff was excellent. After those 4 cycles we had to take a break due to person reasons. We came back a year later and started again. When we had our consult, she came in with an IVF binder and told us that was our best option since it's been so long. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It's like she wasn't giving us a chance and was maybe tired of treating us. She told us to think about it and have a decision by the time we did the first ultrasound. But, after my first ultra sound she found some polyps that needed removed so we couldn't start trying for about 6 months after my surgery. In that time, my husband started seeing a urologist (Dr Kovac) to try and better his numbers. We did this after doing our own research and talking with other people in online support groups. I wish Dr Reuter would have mentioned it to us, or told us that was an option. When we went back to Dr Reuter after those 6 months, she was very impressed with my husband's numbers and suggested IUI instead of IVF. Our 2nd IUI (5th cycle total) resulted in a positive, but after a few blood draws it was discovered to be a chemical pregnancy. Dr Reuter actually called me to give me the news, and was very warm and caring when we talked. We had a consultation a few weeks later and she said that she wanted to make sure my body and heart had healed from the loss. I loved that she cared about my emotions, and was understanding of them. She suggested that we continue with IUI. We told her that we had enough money to do 2 more, and that IVF may want an option for us financially. She was very understanding and never made us feel bad about our finances. *We're currently in the middle of our IUI cycle*

Be open and honest about how you are feeling, and ask lots of questions about things you don't understand.

Although I didn't talk to Dr Reuter very often, the rest of her team was always very nice and made me feel comfortable. Dr Reuter was no different. When our only pregnancy ended due to a chemical pregnancy, she actually called me to break the news. She's always gentle and caring.

3 medicated cycles with timed intercourse (5 days of Letrozole + Ovidrel Trigger Shot).. 2 IUI (5 days of Letrozole + 3 days of Follistim injections + Ovidrel Trigger Shot)... Current cycle > IUI (5 days of Follistim injections + Ovidrel Trigger Shot).. All cycles were accompanied with blood work, a couple ultrasounds to monitor, and progesterone suppositories. All cycles resulted in negative pregnancies, except previous cycle that resulted in chemical pregnancy.

Shelly is the one I talk to about my treatment during my cycles. She is also the one that performs the IUI, which I surprised about. She is always nice and helpful, but always seemed in a rush. I'm sure she is busy, so it never really bothers me. The ladies at the front desk are always so nice too. Minnie, the lady that takes blood, is the sweetest most caring person in that office! I love her! The ultrasound tends are also really nice. I always ask questions about what they are looking at and not one of them seemed bothered by it. They always make me feel comfortable during the exam.

Clinic is clean and nice. I always feel comfortable there.

Insurance covered all of our blood work and ultrasounds (except copays). IUI is $525. We got our injectables from MDR or of California. Follistim 300 is $245 and one Ovidrel shot is around $80.

I felt like I was given high quality medical care by Dr Reuter and her staff. She was kind and caring in all of our encounters. Unfortunately after being treated for almost 2 years by Dr Reuter she still did not give me a formal diagnosis and I suffered 2 miscarriages and no living babies/successful pregnancies.

I feel like you need to be clear with what you expect from her treatment. Not only did I want to have a baby, but I wanted to know why I was having a hard time having a baby since I had conceived my daughter without fertility treatment. She focused her attention on getting me pregnant and not so much on figuring out why I wasn't getting pregnant.

She seemed genuinely concerned about my emotions, my only complaint was that she was not always timely in returning my calls or reaching out to me. For example she didn't call to check on me for several days after I had a D & C following my successful FET. My baby had a heartbeat at 7 and 10 weeks but at 12 weeks had passed. I would have thought she would have wanted to consult with me immediately and check to see how I was doing. Instead I had to call her office to request to speak to her. I'm not sure how much of this was her control or simply information being passed around in the office before it got to her...

I first had 3 cycles of timed intercourse with letrozole and a trigger shot and followed with crinone gel. -all of these cycles were unsuccessful. I then had 3 IUIs with letrozole and a trigger shot followed by crinone gel. -all of these cycles were unsuccessful. I got pregnant naturally on an "off" cycle between IUIs and was given crinone gel. Sadly I miscarried around 8 weeks. I had one egg retrieval where I took folistim. Of the eggs retrieved 9 fertilized and 5 made it to 5 day blasts. I then had my first FET transferring 2 eggs. I became pregnant with one baby. I was taking PIO injections daily. Baby was doing great and had a high heart rate at 7 and 9 weeks. However at my 12 week appointment the baby had passed and I had a D & C that evening. I waited 2 months and then had another FET with 2 eggs. Sadly neither took. I took a few months off and was preparing to use my last frozen embryo, but on the day of my transfer the embryo did not survive the thaw.

Shelly was good at returning calls and giving training on different medications and treatments.

Facilities are very nice, easy to get to and comfortable. Weakness would be the time it takes to communicate back and forth with your Dr.

Facility fee Procedure fee Consult fee

I transferred 2 each time. My Dr said 2 was all she would approve given my age and the risk of having more than 2 babies.

She was very knowledgeable and quirky. The only negative was sometimes I wanted her to explain more. I didn't get to talk to her very often. I usually had to speak with her nurses.

Be patient. Do your own research and ask LOTS of questions at your first appointment, so you'll have enough information to make choices about how to proceed with your fertility treatment. As someone with unexplained infertility, we had quite a few options. Doing my homework helped us understand the process and the risks.

She was very nice and even gave me a hug at our last visit when we saw our twins on the ultrasound!

We did two rounds of IUI with injections. No luck with those. We could have done another IUI, but I was frustrated because we didn't have any problems with eggs/sperm, so we went on to IVF. We chose not to do ICSI even though it was recommended, because we wanted "nature" to take its course instead of having someone pick the best sperm. First IVF fresh cycle went well, but ended in a chemical pregnancy. Medication costs were higher than expected because my body needed help producing more follicles/eggs. Just know that YOU will be expected to order more medicine, not your doctor. That surprised me. Second cycle was frozen cycle with our final two embryos. We now have beautiful fraternal twin girls!

Shelly was nice, but I felt like she was in a hurry to get off the phone with me every time she called me with an update. She would always answer my questions, but I wanted her to be more patient at times. I'm sure she was very busy, so I didn't let it upset me.

Midwest Fertility is a large office. They communicate well, and worked well with me when I needed to be "fit in" to the schedule. It is clean and everyone working at the front desk treated me with respect and understanding. I am glad I chose Midwest.

IVF "shared risk" plan was $20,500, which included two fresh IVF cycles (if needed) and unlimited frozen cycles. Medication for IVF (one fresh one frozen cycle) was around $5,500 total. I don't remember how much we spent on IUIs. Ultrasounds were about $600 each when they weren't included in the "shared-risk" plan.

Dr. Reuter was very professional. She took everything seriously and explained everything to us upfront. She explained all our tests and how hopeful our course of treatment would be. In the moment, I often thought she was a bit too professional and only told me things about each test or the next step. Never much more, but after I went through the experience, I understood and was completely grateful of how she is as a doctor. There are so many scenarios and what ifs, that I would have worried myself even more than I already was. She took all that and didn't let me fuss over things that may not matter. When I had a miscarriage, she was the one who told me that I did get pregnant, so that was very hopeful. While I was devastated, I kept going back to what she told me and it helped get me through and still have hope.

I have personally referred 2 people to her and they have since had successful pregnancies. I always told them to call the office if they needed ANYTHING! Sometimes we just need to know things are ok and they can help calm the nerves.

Dr. Reuter was calm and patient with me when it was often a difficult situation. She explained things so my husband and I could clearly understand. From our first consultation to our last visit we knew exactly what to expect. We could call anytime we had a question or concerns. After I had a miscarriage, she told me the positives of the situation, even though the situation was devestating at the time and then personally called me a couple months after to check on me and see if we would like to try again. She and everyone else in the office was genuinely just as excited when we finally were able to conceive!

I only really remember our "goal" was 1 baby.. Dr. Reuter had my best interest in mind through the entire process and I was closely monitored. I ended up with twins, which I was ever so grateful of.

Nurse Shelley was fantastic. I saw her every appointment and she was always available to help clarify any questions or concerns we had. The other ladies who did ultrasounds and helped with tests were also amazing. They were a great team and I was their focus at my appointment.

The office is clean, modern and comfortable. I appreciated how personal and private it felt. Anytime I called, they were quick to get me through to my nurse or have someone call me back. We knew what to expect and what was happening when we arrived or before we left. They were curtious and understanding with a smile on their faces.

During our first meeting, Dr. Reuter explained to me the treatment process and some general things about the female cycle. She was very cold and mechanically cited some facts. I did not have the feeling she was interested in me or my personal story at all. When problems occured, I got to talk to her on the phone once. Within the first few minutes, it became clear that she had no idea who I was or had ever looked at the lab results of my blood and hormone tests etc. She was unapproachable and did not care about my case.

Go to a different doctor.

Because I barely saw Dr. Reuter. I came in for treatment and I was never asked how I was doing or feeling. The nurses were cold and I felt like I was not treated like a human being.

Her treatment strategy was always the same: Force patients to get expensive blood work and ultrasounds done of which the results were never really discussed or ever mentioned again. Then give the patient some treatment options and have the patient (who has not studied medicine and cannot properly weigh her options) make a treatment decision. She never made a treatment decision for me.

Before one of the IUI attempts, one of the nurses came in and said I had ordered the wrong sperm. This had never been discussed with me and she basically contradicted what Dr. Reuter had told me a few weeks earlier. Big confusion, I still do not know what the problem was. For the nurses I was just a number. They did not care about me.

One sperm sample, I had bought from a sperm bank came out way below the numbers the sperm bank had guaranteed. So, I needed a motility report from the clinic's lab director in order to get a refund from the sperm bank. After long back and forth, I got to talk to the lab director at the clinic. He told me that I had no chance for a refund, because the sample originally had enough sperm count and motility. However, after the lab had washed the sperm, it had lost over 80% of its sperm count and more than half of its milliliter amount. The lab could not explain this. After that my trust in that clinic was gone and I switched to a different one.

I think an ultrasound was between $350 and $375. An IUI was about $300. A consultation was about $300. The costs for blood tests were the most- about $3000 and some of the tests were redundant, since I already had brought in documentation about the tests and their results. Things like blood type do not change after all.

Dr. Reuter is very knowledgeable, thorough and is comfortable with aggressive treatment which I appreciate. She will share details if she knows that is what you want, but doesn't seem to do that naturally. She listens to your concerns and adjusts her style based on those. Overall, I have been very pleased with Dr. Reuter's care.

Make sure that she understands your expectations and the level of communication/detail that makes you comfortable.

As long as I see Dr. Reuter or her nurse I feel like I get very personal care. Unfortunately, there have been times when I have seen other nurses in the office and haven't felt as much like a human.

I began treatment with Letrozole and IUI. The first round of treatment produced 1 follicle, but was unsuccessful. Our next round of treatment we moved to Follistim 100 IU, we still got 1 nice follicle, but the cycle was unsuccessful. The next cycle we moved up to Follistim 150 IU and got 3 mature follicles and some smaller ones. The cycle was unsuccessful and I actually probably overstimulated because I ended up with a cyst and had to take a break for a month. This cycle we are doing Follistim 125 IU and will see how that works.

Shelly is great. She takes time to explain things, answer all of my questions and really listens.

We are still waiting to undergo egg retrieval and IVF (my husband has to undergo a separate procedure from a urologist first), but during our initial visit with Dr. Reuter, she gave us a lot of good information and options for treatment that would be best for us. She mainly addressed me and not my husband, which made him feel uncomfortable and not part of the process.

Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you need it.

She directed most questions and statements to me, even though my husband was there as well. My husband asked questions, but she mainly just talked to me instead of addressing his questions.

Shelly is great at responding to phone calls and in answering questions in a timely manner.

They are very easy to work with in terms of appointment times and scheduling. They see patients as early as 7 am! Nothing but positives so far. They allowed my husband to collect a semen sample at home, which was really helpful for him. The staff is all very courteous and professional.

We have not gotten to this portion of treatment yet, but she said that she prefers single embryo transfer, especially for our first IVF attempt and for my age (I will be 30 when we do our first cycle).

She was very detailed in her care and made us feel very at ease despite going through something so stressful. After meeting her during our consultation/second opinion, I really believed if anyone was going to get us there, it would be her

Felt like Dr Reuter really cared about helping us start our family. The whole atmosphere at Midwest was wonderful

I would take vitamins daily. Fermera, an ultrasound to check follicules, then the trigger shot, and then the iui procedure.

Loved everyone one there. All very polite and made us feel very welcome and comfortable during a stressful time

I really loved all the staff. Everyone was always upbeat and compassionate. I felt comfortable and full of hope at each appointment which I did not feel at the first clinic/doctor I met with. I felt valued

Each iui was about $700

She is kind and explains things well. Over time, it was easy to see her compassion shine through. She seems to sincerely care about explaining things and about positive results. She is a wealth of knowledge and she seemed to put our whole picture together well.

Give her a chance beyond the first visit. While she may seem informative, one can miss the compassionate side of her.

She is so kind and patient. Her staff is excellent.

I will be on menopur, gonal-f, and cetrotide. I'll do a 10,000 hcg booster. I'll then be on estrace, PIO, etc.

Very responsive and helpful. They were definitely on our side!!

I didn't have much of a say in which of the 4 doctors we saw, but it seems that they are all excellent. I would choose this clinic!!

Our consultation (initial) was about $270. Our second consultation was $85 (and much more informative). IVF costs about $14,000-$16,000 before meds.

She was a strong proponent of a single embryo transfer because of improvements in IVF and the hope for a healthy single pregnancy.