Laurence A. Jacobs

Dr. Jacobs is compassionate and honest. He takes challenges headnon and always does his best to remedy the situations. He has a gentle demeanor but he is very knowledgeable in this field. He will answer your emails at all hours of the day, and can always set your mind at ease. He is truly a wonderful doctor with a wonderful purpose in life.

Just go and see him, you never know what miracles he has up his sleeve.

He was very thorough and tailored his treatment plan exactly to my needs. I did not feel like a number, I felt like a person, and he was so compassionate and determined to make me a mother.

For egg retrieval, Gonal F 225 units nightly along with Menopur 75mg powders, I did two powders. Added in ganirelix around day 6. Triggered with 80 units of lupron. For frozen transfers, I started with lupron and birth control, followed by estrogen patches, crinone and progesterone in oil. For my second successful transfer, we did the ERA biopsy. From those results we adjusted my protocol and did ganirelix, estrogen patches, crinone, progesterone in oil and a short course of steroids. I continued the crinone, estrogen patches and progesterone in oil until my 10th week of pregnancy.

Very thorough, quick and to the point.

Front desk staff is just ok, except Nora, she is awesome! Ultrasound tech Vita is the best!! Weaknesses lie in time management and scheduling. Allow yourself extra time for appointments, because they tend to get backed up quickly.

Well oiled machine, very thorough

Don’t remember specifics, but we have paid roughly $10,000 out of pocket with some insurance coverage.

I’m all for the single embryo transfer just because I know multiples carry many risks. Dr. Jacobs always recommended only a single embryo transfer for me every time.

He is very straightforward without being rude and cold. He has experienced fertility struggles as well so he understands. I’ve always felt that he treats us as he would his own family. He is in the business of making babies and you can feel that from moment one.

Make a list of questions. He will answer them all!

Dr Jacobs too the time to meet with us, explain what he was doing and made sure our questions were answered. And how we could get in touch with him even when we weren’t at the office. Also, the direct line of communication with the nurses are so important!

I have unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss. Both my husband and I did a whole slew of genetic testing, as well as checking out my uterus, ovaries and egg reserve and quality as well as sperm testing. It was found that I’m a carrier for 2 auto immune disorders, deficient in vitamin d, and my progesterone tends to be low. We’ve chosen to try on our own, with medication. Baby asa daily Vitamin d supplement daily Prednisone twice daily Progesterone once daily upon ovulation Lovenox injections upon positive pregnancy test

I love that FCI has a patient portal. With having a full time job and not always being able to make a phone call it’s been such a stress reliever to be able to send a quick message when I have a question or need.

The staff differs by location and some locations are definitely more empathetic, understanding and easier to work with than others. For the most part everyone is welcoming and encouraging. I do wish there was better communication with their billing department

Still under care.

He is very compasionate. He always make sure to explain every aspect of the process or procedure and includes some humor which breaks the tension and helps me feel more comfortable vs. crying. He always is reminding me that he is always just a email away. The is very knowledgeable in the field.

Don't be affraid to ask questions or reach out.

When we have had failed cycles he always make sure I am aware of next steps by meeting in person or phone, if my time does not allow for an office visit. He is alway about making sure I know what his next step and thoughts are. He always reminds me that heis always available via email for any questions or concerns may have.

I already have a daughter about to turn three and I am in my mid 30s. Thus we started with femara, 1 cycle, BFN. Then tried 2 IUIs, with femara and tirgger of BFN. Then another cycle of femera prior to IVF procedure, to not waste a month. Then tried and antigonst protocol, got 16 follicles, 8 eggs, 6 mature, 3 started to develop all arrested prior to blast. Then tried flare protocal and 5 days in LH surged and cancled cycle. Current on day 11 of antigonist cycle. 375 follistim, 150 menopur, ganerelix.

They are amazing always kind and attentive to your needs. Always respond to my emails promtly.

My only complaint is sometimes I feel there is a disconnect when your in a IVF cycle as you work with a different team to manager you rmeds and cycle. The onl other weekness I see is that my Dr. only has certain days in the hosptial to complete the procedures so I feel they adjust my hormones to work around the days the Dr. is in the opperation room.

Very efficient. I was in and out normally in 15 to 20 mins.

I can only recall what I paid after insurance not actual rates

Dr. Jacobs was a great doctor, but we rarely spoke out saw him. It was always his staff we would speak to or see. He was compassionate and understanding. He was very knowledgeable but sometimes felt he was arrogant and a bit condescending.

Get a second opinion.

I did 2 iui in 1 round. I was on clomid and 2 trigger shots the day before iui day 1. During the tww, I was on oral progesterone and estrogen that was inserted vaginally. It resulted in no pregnancy.

The nursing staff was nice. I didn't deal with a specific nurse. The communication was truly lacking. I didn't know what was going to happen next after each appointment. I think, in part, that was because there wasn't just one individual I was dealing with.

The individuals were always friendly. However, the office was always so quiet and I think they over did the "compassion" to the point I felt ashamed to be going to the office. I never felt comfortable talking in the waiting room or even looking at another person. I felt I had to keep my head down and stay to myself. The clinical staff were always very nice and efficient. However the business practices of the office were horrible. I was charged for services and medication I didn't receive. I tried to get my records sent to another doctor's office for continuity of care because my insurance required it and they refused to send the records until I paid for them. This is not the standard of practice for continuity of care, being someone that has worked in the health information management field for 20 years. My insurance wouldn't cover anything until I had a second opinion. The 2nd doctor couldn't do anything without the records & the office would not send them the records. I had to pay quite a bit of money to obtain my records, myself. Due to the unprofessional manner & delay to my treatment, I left the group.

I was charged 3- $55 charges for calling a prescription into the pharmacy. One round of IUI - 2 treatments cost approx $1300.

Dr. Jacobs is a warm and friendly for a doctor. He jokes while providing specific information. I research a lot of things and he tends to answer my questions before I have a chance to ask. When I miscarried, he adjusted his schedule to have an emergency conversation and follow-up as it was unexpected. We are sticking with him for our second year (and 4th egg retrieval) as I expect better results this round vs another clinic.

Dr. Jacobs will advocate for you if there is an issue with insurance denials or if you cannot reach your nurse. I would not go to him directly unless it's a protocol question that was missed in your meetings with him. His assigned nurse should be the first point of contact. We had go through PGD and PGS testing after he suggested we both have carrier testing done prior to our first IUI. This would be information "just to have in our back pocket." Well, turns out we both carried the same genetic mutation, which resulted in us by-passing IUI and jumping straight into IVF to do everything in our power to avoid having a baby with our mutation. He potentially saved us a lifetime of hospital visits or an extremely early funeral for our baby.

With Dr. Jacbos himself, and his nurse, Cindy, I was treated like a human. I was responded to quickly and my protocol was specific to our situation. I was able to have back and forth dialogue and conversations that were positive and hopeful.

After my initial baseline, the results yielded less than optimal amh, fsh, and ovarian reserve levels. I was bumped to the highest follicle stimulating hormone regime, with the antagonist protocol. My resting follicle count was 8. I stimmed for just over a week and produced 6 eggs at retrieval. Of those 6, none made it to blastocyst. The second round, he added Letrozole to the mix and by that point I had been taking myo-inositol and coq10 for a couple months (at Dr. Jacobs suggestion). We did the same antagonist protocol, this time yielding 7 eggs retrieved. One made it to Day-5 Blastocyst and was biopsied and frozen for PGD/PGS testing. Discouraged, we met with him to discuss our blast numbers. He told me he would try a less-common protocol, called micro-dose lupron, but warned me I may see poorer results, and if my hormone levels got out of whack too quickly or my response was even lower, he would cancel before retrieval so my insurance wouldn't recognize a 3rd retrieval. We would then have to resort back to the antagonist. My third retrieval with the MDL protocol yielded 16 eggs at retrieval, and 4 made it to Day-5 Blastocyst and were biopsied. Of the total 5 biopsied embryos, 2 were genetically normal with PGD/PGS. We did two transfers. The first one did not take, negative beta. I had an endo scratch prior to my second transfer. The second transfer resulted in a positive pregnancy. Unfortunately, that pregnancy ended when I miscarried at 10w3d. At this point, I am cycling again with the MDL protocol in the hopes that trying again will yield a take-home baby as it is clear I can get pregnant.

Cindy is amazing. Hands down the best communicator. I probably emailed her a dozen times a week and never got a response any later than a couple hours. She will not, however, answer the phone. Email is best. And I am more comfortable putting everything in writing so I can look back as needed. I have actually never met her face to face but I don't care. She is fabulous.

Overall, the clinic is efficient, organized, and friendly. I visited the Buffalo Grove location for my weekly monitoring. The phlebotomist and ultrasound tech are super nice and explain things as you need if you speak up about concerns or questions. The receptionists at the location are hit or miss. Some seem like they would rather be working elsewhere, some are obviously new and uninformed, and some are magical. However, there are some very specific issues. The aParent IVF financial coordinator, Cindy Tracy, is an absolute nightmare to work with. If you are required to do PGD testing, your default lab is with Reprogenetics. They contract directly with Global Genetics (the genetics team within aParent) so Global Genetics hikes up their rates to make a substantial profit. My first year with them, I just said yes and opened my check book. The second year, after reluctantly returning post-miscarriage, I wanted to speak with Cindy directly to see if there was any wiggle room in pricing since I was a return patient, second year veteran, etc. Email after email, phone call after phone call...nothing was ever returned. She only responded if I copied Dr. Jacobs...which was my last resort. Dr. Jacobs started contracting with a second lab, and it put Cindy's team in a bind since they couldn't price gouge anymore. The second lab bills the patient directly so there are no hidden fees. Without haggling anything I am saving four weeks of set-up time and $3,000. aParent IVF, Global Genetics, and CryoVault do not contract with insurances and are not recognized with NPI numbers. You will not be reimbursed for anything, even if your specific situation is medically necessary. An explanation regarding this type of information would have been extremely necessary when trying to budget for the year. One more suggestion to the financial team at aParent. FCI is willing to bill the biopsy portion for their patients, and should advocate to do so. This fee is $2,000 each retrieval and IS covered with insurance if the clinic makes the request. It is so much harder getting a claim reimbursed, if at all, when the patient pays out of pocket. Why do we have insurance if the clinic won't help?

I bought my own individual insurance through BCBSIL. Illinois has infertility coverage mandates. My yearly premium is $4,560. My deductible and max out of pocket is $6,500. Medications not covered with insurance is $150. PGD/PGS testing is $4,985. Freezing is $1,200 for the first round, $800 for the second. In 2016 I paid $14,800 for three retrievals, two transfers, and genetic testing (not including insurance monthly premiums). In 2017 I plan to pay $12,835 for one round, and another couple thousand for additional rounds.

Dr. Jacobs suggested single embryo transfer with PGS/PGD tested embryos as they are typically stronger less abnormal than non-tested. We agreed as we would like to avoid the risks associated with multiples if possible.

He’s good. He’s a bit dry. But he speaks very clinically not like others who are more candid. He says his part and then at the end he asks if you have any questions, which are a bit hard to remember after the fact. He explains things well but more clinical and detailed. He puts together almost like a PowerPoint to help you understand.

Ask all questions! Bring some with you, write them down if you have to because there will be more questions that come up along the way and during his initial talk. He is good at helping you understand what’s next, but does not give anything extra.

Felt like a number because no one knew what was going on there. They would book and double book appts and others were getting called before you when you were there way before them. Nothing made sense.

Super compassionate and helpful. My nurses that were assigned to me worked fully with me to get everything straight and in place, however, twice they switched nurses and didn’t tell me and then I’m emailing who I thought was my nurse and the email never went through. The lack of communication was definitely noted and frustrating.

The biggest issue I had was feeling like a number. At the buffalo grove office they kept taking more and more and more patients and never added more appointments. They double booked and took at least an hour to get ultrasound and blood work. When it got to be standing room only in the waiting room I left, enough is enough. I want to feel like a patient not a number. Not to mention it’s hard enough for all of us to go through this and try time after time to get pregnant and the ones that were pregnant the front desk would celebrate with them in the front lobby. That’s VERY hard for someone still working to get pregnant to see. Though happy for them you feel heartbreak of your own.

Hard to tell, I had insurance and deductibles to meet for procedures and meds. But I can say that procedures like freezing sperm are far more expensive than other clinics and that’s out of pocket!

He is in line with the rest, given your age and history. First time he advised he wanted to transfer 2 embryos, we asked for just one.mand he complied. Otherwise have always transferred 2 if we had them, if not then one.

I do believe that Dr. Jacobs knows what he is doing but I did not have any success with him. I did 3 IUIs and 3 IVF cycles, one which was canceled due to my body not responding to the medication. My results for my IVF cycles were not very successful my first round I got 8 and only 1 made it. My second round got canceled days before retrial and my 3rd round I got 9 in which 3 made it. I did a frozen transfer and did not have success. I then did another round in which the nurse asked me, "Dr. Jacobs wants to know why we did not do a fresh transfer." I was appalled! Isn't this something the dr. should know!! He was the one who told me he believed in frozen transfers with better success rates. When I first arrived at this this office I was feeling very optimistic, over a year of treatment and no success, I left and went else where and am happy I did.

Book your apts. early, he is hard to see!

Dr. Jacobs always sat across from us at his desk with his leg up. He talked a lot and I felt like I interrupted him to ask him questions (not sure he liked that). Sometimes I felt like he was a bit cocky but I do believe that he knew his stuff. When he is finished talking to you, he calls in his nurse to handle the rest.

3 IUIs with clomid- no success 3 IVF rounds- no success. Goal F, Lupron, Estrace, Menopur, Ganirelix

The main nurse I had was amazing but left the office.

This place is too busy! I always felt like a number in the waiting room, at times I had to wait 45 minutes to 1 hour for my apt! Often time you cannot get an apt early in the morning for the people who have to get to work this is important! They allow you to show up right when they open and then you wait and try to get in (which works sometimes). At the Lindenhurst office the staff would be stuck in traffic and you would be waiting on them to arrive. The waiting rooms are always full! The staff is overworked and the equipment is old. As they are all nice, I feel as though they were frustrated at times too as they were short staffed.

Cattle call for sure! The offices are always PACKED! It is so hard to get a time that is needed as the offices are short staffed for all patients. The equipment is old and need to be updates as my technicians would sometimes have to shake the machines!

Not sure as my insurance helps cover the cost.

Dr Jacobs had age play a factor in how many to implant.

Dr. Jacobs not only is great at his craft but he does have compassion. He responded personally to all of my questions when I emailed him and he hugged me tightly after my miscarriage and said he would do everything he could to get me through this.

To ask him any question you have, to email him, to really feel comfortable and trust in his craft.

Doctor Jacobs took the time to email me back whenever I needed.

Dr. Jacobs primed me with estrace because birth control does give me migraines, I am not quite diagnosed DOR but I do need strong levels of medications. 300 Gonal F and 150 menopur. Typically I stim ten days. Also come day 6 ganerilix is used. After my second Ivf (first was elsewhere) and low fertilization rate, doctor Jacobs was honest and believed it wasn’t an egg issue and a sperm issue. Doctor J was correct and all eggs fertilized the next cycle. Hard pill to swallow but he knew his stuff. I was also on 600 of coq10 for egg quality and ovisital.

Cindy is quick to respond to each of my emails, if she cannot fully answer something she will tell me and then I will confirm with the doctor.

Even when full they will double book so I do not have to drive far to another clinic and I do appreciate that. The staff is talkative and it does help when I am nervous. They know you by a name basis too when you go in.

By appointment and I could go right in and leave within that ten minutes of being there.

9500 for a freeze all cycle, 1200 to freeze and 3500 to transfer

Dr. J did let me transfer two my last cycle, both did implant however I did miscarry at 9 weeks. We will only transfer one this next upcoming cycle.

He is warm and friendly and will answer any questions you have. He will listen to what you want to try and is happy to give suggestions. He didn't just push ivf on us even tho he told us it was our best option. He is honest and will tell you how it is.

Go ready with a list of questions.

Dr Jacobs is a warm and friendly man and he tells you how it is. He is happy to go along with your ideas and does not force his upon you. He will be honest in what he believes is best but also is realistic if couples cannot go straight to ivf.

First off I had to keep my cervix open and clear after a hysteroscopy for cervical scarring. Then we moved into iui as we didn't feel ready for ivf.

I sometimes felt stupid for asking questions and asking a lot of questions. Fertility is very complicated and I sometimes felt guilty for asking what they thought was an obvious question

Reception staff are great. Always greet you warmly. Never seem to be kept waiting, always running on time. They fit you in when you need o be there and will work to your schedule. Call backs are always done in a timely fashion too. Lab girls are awesome too, friendly and chatty. Ultrasound tech super nice as well. Always willing to answer any questions and share with me what's she sees on the ultrasound. Explains it too. This means it's not so much of a shock when I get my results from the nurse later on that day.

I have good insurance so I was only paying a copayment.

He really took the time to get to know us. He listened to our concerns and he helped us make the best decisions for us. He always gave his advice and suggestions but said that in the end, it was up to us...all he wanted was for us to get our family.

Trust the process. Dr Jacobs is the best of the best!

He took the time to email us directly multiple times during the process and during every appointment, he never rushed us

We did a medicated iui( our choice) prior to going to ivf. After our iui was unsuccessful, we went to ivf. During my first retrieval, I had 1 embryo make it to freeze. Dr Jacobs gave us the option to transfer the 1 or do back to back retrievals. We chose to do back to back and in the 2nd retrieval we were able to get 3 more embryos make it to freeze.

Helen was there from start to finish. Every time I saw her, she greeted me with a hug. She would email me with all of my results and just to let me know that ‘I was doing great’ and providing so much support. She was a advocate for me and when I was struggling during the process, she listened to me cry and helped me through.

The office was always warm and welcoming and I really felt like they all cared. The billing department was a little challenging. Bills were paid but they didn’t always post on their end right away.

$12000

We had lots of set backs and unexplained infertility. Dr. Jacobs always explained all of our options and what our next course of treatment was. He seemed to share some of our feelings with set backs and wanted us to succeed with a live birth-not just as a doctor but as a person.

Ask lots of questions if you don't understand something. He explains everything and he's very scientific with his explanations which can be confusing; however, if you ask more details-he's great at breaking it down so you can understand it better and make informed decisions.

Dr. Jacobs is very to the point but kind and compassionate too.

Marcia was excellent! She ALWAYS showed compassion and explained everything in detail. She was always available to answer questions.

I was not as thrilled with his office staff. Very cold and impersonal at the Buffalo Grove facility. At one point they got me and another patient confused and almost proceeded with a test for the wrong thing. Another time, after our 3rd failure with IVF an ultrasound tech said "Wow, I can't believe you're still trying" and not in a good way. I called Marcia, Dr. Jacob's nurse coordinator, and she was very apologetic. It still was very hurtful though, without any compassion or thought.

I had good insurance but after everything was done-we ended up spending about $25,000 of our own money.

I didn't have many embryos to transfer so we didn't really have much choice.

I am still going through treatment with dr Jacobs but he is always very compassionate and you can tell her really loves what he does. He is very detailed in explaining procedures and what to expect. He is straight forward and will tell you if he thinks something will not work and if he thinks it will. Very honest and trustworthy man.

Be honest with him and he will be honest in return

He spoke with me and my husband and told us exactly what to expect with our treatment and what about options were.

She called me with all of my results and answered my million questions and emails. Very reliable and prompt. Fertility is a very sensitive and stressful situation and she understands that and is very accommodating

Really have no complaints about this office, other than wish they had weekend hours. The staff is very friendly and it is easy to get appointments, they also call peomptly with results. They explain every test and why they are doing it.

During IUI there were some bills that I didn’t understand and no one in the office could provide me with an answer but they do give you a financial advisor to contact

He made the entire process feel like a miracle . He was very informative and answered all my questions . I would recommend him and have to anyone having issues . He walked me thru step by step on what could or couldn’t happen and now I have twins

Trust him

I felt like I was his only patient and he keep in contact with me the entire time

I honestly don’t remember the exact treatment / drugs I had a set schedule I followed

I honestly called and talked to her once a week, she was amazing

I went to Lindenhurst before Jacobs and I disliked the female doctor and her nurse . I felt like I was just a number . Then I tried the same group just different doctor and I’m glad I did. Not everyone sees things the way you do or gets your struggles they was you do but Jacobs team made me feel like they got me and were there to hold my hand the entire way. So I would say if you don’t like the doctor just try another one or interview them to see who best fits you

My insurance wasn’t great but they help me with some free samples when available

I could not be happier with doctor Jacobs. In fact, he is no longer in our insurance network and we are going to pay out of pocket just to be able to continue to work with him. We saw another doctor prior to seeing doctor Jacobs, had two rounds of IUI and two rounds of IVF & both failed. Our first round of IVF with doctor Jacobs was successful.

Just do everything he says because it works.

Dr Jacobs always took the time to answer my questions and I always felt heard and never rushed. He is very thorough in explaining his plan and thoughts. He even hugged me after my transfer, which I felt was a very warm gesture.

I don’t remember, it was 3 years ago.

Everyone was very compassionate and helpful.

The clinic is very well organized and knows what they are doing. I never had any problems making appointments and getting what I needed done. I honestly cannot think of any weaknesses we were very satisfied with the service provided by the clinic and will be going back very soon.

At the time, I had very good medical coverage which covered almost all of the cost. I no longer have that coverage.

Doctor Jacobs recommended we only transfer one embryo to help ensure I had a safe pregnancy.

He fully answered all of our questions and explained things in great detail. He was always available and answered email promptly. We had a bad experience elsewhere and felt so welcome and in such good hands worn Dr. Jacobs.

Ask him any questions you have he is very honest

Dr. Jacobs was very easy to get in touch with and he really got to know us and remember us over the years.

It’s been a few years so I can’t remember all the specifics. My husband has make factor and he also took meds which helped during our cycles

Easy to get a hold of and very helpful with all of my questions

Easy to get a hold of, honest. Easy to schedule appointments. Good hours. Friendly people. Billing department isn’t always the best with some errors but quickly rectified and taken care of. Rates are very comparable

Not sure it’s changed as it’s been a few years

We always transferred 2 embryos we have no insurance coverage so we’re ok with a possible twin or triplet outcome

Dr. Jacobs is extremely knowledgable. He's always up on the latest research and shares the information with his patients. I always feel well informed and understand why we are taking the recommended steps. The only issue is to be prepared to wait when you go. Because he takes time with each person there can be a wait to see him. I never feel rushed when I'm in with him though.

He's great! Don't vibe afraid to ask questions.

I love Dr. Jacobs and especially the nurses at the clinic. Dr. Jacobs is very warm. When I went in to discuss trying for #2, the first thing he wanted to do was see a picture of baby #1. He walked me through the process, and took time to answer all of my questions. He also took me seriously when I felt something was wrong, when my regular OB/Gyn did not (he ran tests and diagnosed me with PCOS)

I love Helen. She is warm, friendly, and compassionate. She's also very responsive to calls and emails.

My experience with Dr. Jacobs was a success. It was such a success that my husband and I have chosen to go back to him for our second child. Dr. Jacobs has a kind heart. He listens. He has seen it all. He understands that we all want to have a child as soon as possible, but takes the time to explain each and every step, and his reasoning. I would highly recommend him.

Know your medical history! He cares about small details.

I distinctly remember taking a picture with Dr. Jacobs before going into the room for my transfer. He knew how important it was to me that this procedure be a success. He answers emails!

I had many set backs and she knew it was going to be hard to tell me. She took the time to call me and understood when I was upset.

Dr. Jacobs is very thorough and gives you hope. He is very compassionate and treats you like a member of his family. We have had a very difficult road and he always makes you feel like he is in your corner.

The clinic is great so ask questions and tell them what you need.

He is amazing and very caring.

We did letrozole because I was ovulating late or not at all. We also did IUI once.

Elena is the sweetest person. She is amazing.

Great clinic! They genuinely care about you and understand that everything going on is important to you. They are great with communication and are readily available when you need something. They are very busy, so it is best to book in advance.

Mostly covered by insurance

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