Mark Payson

Dr. Payson is dedicated and knowledgeable. I trust him because he was very realistic during the treatments. He will always look optimistic even though something did not give the final result (i.e. viable embryo). When I finally got pregnant after my first set of IVF, I had a miscarriage, but Dr. Payson saw the good things and he designed a plan to continue the treatment. Thanks to all his guidance and work, I was able to get pregnant again and give birth to a healthy baby in my forties.

As a Patient, you have to be on top of your treatment, diet, daily routine, meds and what your insurance covers. There is some work in the hands of the patient and a successful treatments depends on it.

The protocols designed for me included growth hormone to improve the quality of my eggs. For each IVF cycle, I was able to produce between 12 and 20 eggs, and between 8 and 12 resulted fertilized.

Monitoring appointments were performed in the mornings, that time was very convenient for me to be at the office on time. Drawing the blood and ultrasounds took about 30 mins or less; when the clinic was crowded they usually let you know the waiting times. They use an advanced equipment for ultrasounds and surgeries. The operating room is pristine and the clinic is warm in general.

Dr. Payson is patient and is happy to explain things a few different ways to help you understand the what is going to happen and his treatment plan. I always felt informed and included in the decision of our treatment plan. He was willing to entertain my outside research and discuss what may or may not be a good option given my background and past treatments. With Dr. Payson I've always felt like I've had a true partner in my IVF journey.

Be candid with what you are wanting, what your expectations are. He will take it all into consideration but sometimes you have to ask or speak up. Ask questions if you don't understand why he is choosing something, he will always take the time to make sure you understand and are comfortable with what the plan is!

First IVF cycle we started dosing at what it was from 'the factory' in our previous cycle. After Day 3, we he quickly bumped up the dosage. Our dosage was 300 gonal, 150 menopur, and cetrotide with an HCG trigger. Of the ~12 eggs retrieved (I only have. ovary) we got 4 embryos to go for testing but only 1 came back normal (can't complain because that embryo is my bouncy 10 month old!). My second cycle we did same course of action which resulted in ~19 eggs but when we went to do ICSI all eggs disintegrated which had never happened before. He took my files to several other doctors across the country to examine what may have happened, we didn't get to a great answer besides sometimes bodies do weird stuff. In our final cycle we decided to play it safe with half going for ICSI and half to conventional insemination (none of the ICSI fell apart this time) and we had added omnitrope to our meds. We're awaiting CCS results but we sent 16 embroys for testing so we're hopeful!

~$9500 for a single IVF cycle, not including meds.

I originally contacted Dr. Payson because I thought I might not be ovulating after 4 months of trying to get pregnant and I wanted to confirm whether I was or not. After an initial consult, Dr. Payson had me come in for bloodwork and immediately jumped into a timed intercourse cycle with no search for whether I had been ovulating or not and if not, what might be causing it. It was not until after three unsuccessful timed intercourse cycles that Dr. Payson even bothered to get back in touch with me to discuss the cycles and next steps. During this time I had been doing my own research and, after my third unsuccessful cycle, sought out a second and third opinion. Both the second and third opinion doctors thought it was highly likely that I might have PCOS given my clear lack of natural ovulation and polycystic ovaries. When I asked Dr. Payson about PCOS during our consult after my three failed cycles, he said there was no way I had PCOS because I am thin and do not exhibit the typical outward traits. He simply said that the next step was IVF or I could continue timed intercourse if I wanted. He demonstrated a complete lack of initiative to find out why I was having trouble conceiving and ovulating. It ultimately turns out that I do have PCOS. Luckily my new doctor insisted on finding out if there were any diagnosable reasons for my infertility and lack of ovulation before proceeding. Besides fertility, PCOS can have ramifications for life, including potential diabetes. It was also peace of mind to know that there may be a cause and that potential lifestyle changes could help a bit (even if not substantially, being empowered with that information made the process much smoother). There is another fairly common reason for infertility and lack of ovulation (I cannot remember what it is called) that a simple blood test can determine. If someone has this, a procedure is required to fix it or no fertility treatment will be successful. My new doctor discovered in all of the records sent over from CCRM that this simple test was never completed for me so we needed to interrupt my current fertility cycle to test for it. Luckily I was negative. However, just knowing that likely or simple to fix issues were causing my infertility but that Dr. Payson never tested for them or even considered them was completely infuriating. During my timed intercourse cycle, there was never any explanation of what exactly was going on, never any adjustments of the medicines that were prescribed, or anything else. In addition to my initial consult, my new doctor has already called me four times (not during scheduled appointments but to provide information, check-in, let me know what the next steps are and why she prescribed certain medications). I am still in the middle of a cycle with my new doctor but I feel like a human with her and like a valued patient. I appreciated that she was willing to look deeply into what was the cause of my infertility because the answer could affect treatment and also my life in general.

Avoid CCRM at all costs. I know there are many positive reviews and I'm sure that patients who have a successful outcome are likely to rate a doctor and clinic highly and the reverse as well. However, I have still not had a positive outcome at my new clinic and it is still considerably better. Go to CCRM if you have an easily-diagnosed infertility issue, or are trying to conceive with a donor. Do not go there if you would like any inquiry into your infertility or any explanations along the way.

For all three cycles of timed intercourse, I was prescribed 5mg of Letrozole daily for 5 days, was then seen for bloodwork and ultrasounds every few days, and then prescribed Ovidrel for my trigger shot. During one of my cycles, my follicles failed to grow to the needed size so the 5mg of Letrozole was prescribed for an additional five days. The medication dosages were never altered nor was any rational for using them (vs any other medications or lower or higher dosages) used. Similarly with timed intercourse, no other options were discussed until after three failed cycles at which time IVF was recommended, although additional cycles of timed intercourse were not ruled out.

With my insurance, timed intercourse was $300 per cycle. This seems reasonable (and I'm sure the costs for it without insurance is substantially more but it is at other clinics as well).

I can't say enough great things about CCRM and Dr. Payson. We sought fertility treatment after 2 miscarriages and it was found out early on that my husband and I were both carriers for the same genetic disease (Dr. Payson said this is very rare) so he recommended IVF. Although the process took a little time (had to build a probe for our genetic condition prior to retrieval) the staff at CCRM kept in touch throughout the whole process answering all my questions. Dr. Payson is very through and an expert in his field, my husband and I knew we were in great hands and never once questioned anything throughout the IVF process.

If you have questions make sure your ask, Dr. Payson is more than willing to answer, since I am in the medical field I didn't have too many questions and trusted my doctor completely

Priming with BC, Stim: Gonal/Menopur, Suprresion: Cetrotide- 10 days of stim prior to egg retrival

Most of the time my monitoring apts I was in and out in less than 30 minutes, occasionally I had to wait a bit longer, first you usually get your blood drawn by Mark who is amazing then you get called back for ultrasound check

Luckily majority of ours was covered by insurance, I do think their prices are higher than other clinics but they have great results

Dr. Payson at that point did most of our ultrasounds and all of our procedures. He was accessible and supportive and we benefited greatly from his guidance and confidence that we could conceive. He was patient and kind and answered all of our questions in full. Overall we could not recommend him more highly!

I would say to come prepared with questions to the appointment. We found Dr. Payson to be incredibly knowledgeable and responsive and pretty spot on in his predictions.

Dr. Payson used a standard antagonist protocol for us, while our previous clinic had recommended a microdose Lupron protocol that did not work well.

My insurance only partially covered the cost of treatment, but it was worth it as it lead to our son. I think the costs were in line with or slightly higher than other local clinics.

I think he preferred eSET but we only had one embryo so I don’t know.

I chose Dr. Payson after a failed egg retrieval at another clinic. During my second opinion meeting with him, he came across as very knowledgeable as well as compassionate. I’m glad I moved to his care because my experience with him was excellent. During treatments he was always open to suggestions and always explained why or why not my suggestions would work. I also liked how well he listened to me during all my appointments. Even when he was extremely busy, he made sure he listened to everything my husband and I had to say. His bedside manner was also excellent and I felt genuine compassion during and after my procedures.

If you have questions for him, feel free to ask them and discuss the pros and cons of everything. Sometimes he’s in a hurry but he always makes time to listen.

I did the antagonist protocol with clomid. Fertilization was through ICSI and we PGT tested all the embryos.

After insurance coverage: Around $6000 per retrieval cycle with ICSI and PGT. Around $3000 for transfer cycle.

Dr. Payson made it clear that they very much preferred doing single embryo transfer because of all the risks that were explained to me.

Dr. Payson is humble, funny, and a brilliant doctor. He is also realistic and will give you the facts, though I think he tires of my endless demand for statistics. I always feel like I am in very good hands, medically, and he puts up with my endless questions. He always responded to my emails in a timely fashion (with a phone call) and took his time during our consults and phone calls to fully explain everything and answer our questions.

Go to him!

I have PCOS and a history of an idiopathic case of Asherman's syndrome. For my retrieval I did the antagonist protocol and over-responded, so he reduced the drugs as we went. Because my estrogen was so high, I triggered a day before he might have triggered based on follicle size. He still retrieved a record 64 eggs, 54 of which were mature and 37 of which fertilized. Of those, 23 made it to blast and 13 were genetically normal. For my transfer, which no one ever thought would work since I have such a thin uterine lining, I took 3 estradiol pills per day, one as a suppository. My lining got to 5.5mm if he squinted hard enough. It was a big shock when the pregnancy test came back positive!

We are lucky to have really wonderful insurance, so the cost to us is very minimal.

Dr. Payson is a big proponent of single embryo transfer, which was what we wanted anyway.

After switching from another local RE clinic in the northern Virginia area, CCRM and Dr. Payson were a breath of fresh air. The clinic is comfortable, the staff is kind and personal. Dr. Payson is smart, keeps up to date with research, is conservative in his treatment approaches and presents a realistic picture of what to expect. Unlike other area clinics, Dr. Payson was always there for my appointments and treated me kindly and like a person rather than a number.

To bring all the questions you may have, he can sometimes be a bit quick as he is very busy but he will always take the time to answer all of your questions and concerns honestly.

I switched to Dr Payson after 4 failed IUIs with Letrozole at a different clinic. We quickly decided to do IVF with standard treatment protocols. I did Gonal F and Menopur followed by the addition of Ganirellex. Doses were adjusted as my blood work and ultrasounds showed needing. Dr Payson was always the one to call with treatment updates and saw me for all of my ultrasounds through the retrieval. We retrieved 11 eggs, all were mature but unfortunately only 1 made it to Day 6 blastocyst. He is concerned I may have an egg quality issue and we have reviewed changes we may make in future cycles because of this. We currently have the 1 embryo frozen and will attempt to transfer when deemed safe due to Covid-19.

I am a self-pay patient and opted to do the CCRM Assure program which if you meet certain parameters allows you up to 6 retrievals and transfers and holds a money-back guarantee if you do not have a live birth within 2 years. Because of this the cost without medications is 24,500.

Dr Payson is VERY conservative and only does single embryo transfers except for extreme cases. We felt comfortable with this after talking with him and his reasoning (risk of miscarriage, risk of multiples, etc).

Dr. Payson, overall, is a very knowledgable doctor. As the director of the practice, you can tell his time is constrained and sometimes rushed. He does a good job of discussing the statistics and potential outcomes of each option. I do think he needs to do a better job of acknowledging all fertility options and not just actively steer people toward the IVF option - the more expensive option. IUI is a totally viable option for some, and a good first-line treatment, he made it seem like a waste of money. Which may be true, but it's worth a shot for couples with unexplained infertility.

Let patients be the ultimate decision, provide the information and recommendation. You need to honor the patient's decision.

Clomid, Trigger, IUI - that's the basic treatment protocol. We were unsuccessful after two attempts. I do think there needs to be more of a debrief and what could be done differently between each cycle. It seemed like a treadmill you just got back on with no conversation about what could be done differently to hopefully get a different outcome.

IUI - $2,200 per cycle + medicine

We came to Dr. Payson almost ready to give up after 3 failed IUIs, and 3 IVF cycles which produced 1 failed transfer at another local clinic. We noticed a huge difference immediately in how we were treated at our consultation- our situation was reviewed and we were given hope that despite our "unexplained" diagnosis and challenges producing quality embryos, Dr. Payson was confident he could get us there, and asked us to "trust his labs". I also appreciated his sense of empathy about how taxing the process can be. Our first round with Dr. Payson produced the worst retrieval we had had yet, but he was open to hearing me out about what protocol worked better for me previously and completely switched things up in the second round. From there, we had a very successful retrieval which ultimately resulted in a successful transfer and resulting pregnancy.

He can be dry and blunt, but he is very smart and provides excellent care. He is not "warm and fuzzy" (or really every laughed at my jokes!), but know going into it that he has your best interests at heart.

My first protocol was the "modern" shorter protocol used in most common IVF cycles. I had a terrible response. He was open to switching me up to the "old school" Lupron Long protocol which ultimately gave me the results I was looking for. He said he was stumped as to why it worked for me, but I appreciated that he was open to trying it.

$12,800 out of pocket for an IVF round. There were cheaper "packages" if you agree to buy 3 rounds up front. Not sure what a transfer costs as it was covered by my insurance. They do accept Progyny which is a special supplemental coverage some employers offer (I had to pay out of pocket after my Progyny coverage was exhausted).

Yes, Dr. Payson would only transfer one genetically normal embryo at a time for me given my age (36). He would not entertain putting in more due to the risk of multiples.

He always kept me well informed on the procedures. Realistic expectations were discussed in great detail. He gave the impression that he truly does care. My husband loves him. They would joke around and I think that helped my husband a lot to see the human side of the doc.

Relax and know you are in good hands.

I was suppressed with birth control for a few weeks, then I started 225 Gonal-f and150 Monupur. 250 Ganirelex was used for 5 days prior to the trigger shots of Lupron. 22 eggs retrieved, 16 eggs matured, and 9 eggs fertilized.

My insurance is going to cover $5000 but the rest is out of pocket. Meds were around $7000. $6000 for my husband's semen aspiration. So far, $6000 out of pocket and expecting at least $12000 more out of pocket expenses before I'm done with the first IVF round.

I haven't got there yet.

Dr. Payson can sometimes need a minute to "reset" and remember my exact case when he comes in the exam room, but once he does he's fully engaged and on top of every detail. His initial projections for me were slightly optimistic - it took us two cycles to reach what he hoped to accomplish in the first cycle - but he's been open about his thinking/planning/adjusting for my cycles throughout and willing to take my personal weighing of risks/benefits into account when making decisions about how aggressive to be in the treatment protocols. When I miscarried after my initial transfer he was very empathetic and talked me through all of my options for resolving the pregnancy and how each option might impact the timing and possible success of my next transfer.

Ask questions - he's better at providing information in response to questions than in proactively offering the information. He's always given me full, respectful answers to any question I ask, but if I didn't ask him anything I might know almost nothing about my treatment or what's coming next.

I don't remember enough of the terminology to describe the protocols accurately. I know that I did a more classic protocol in prepping for my first egg retrieval and then moved to a protocol more typically used for poor responders for my second retrieval. The second retrieval produced almost twice as many mature eggs as the first.

I paid out of pocket - zero insurance coverage. The clinic uses a global fee for cash patients. My egg retrieval cycles were approximately $14,000 each. Each transfer was $4,600. My medications (I was a poor responder) ran approximately $6-7000 per cycle.

My doctor (and the practice as a whole) have a very strong preference for eSET. To bypass biopsy/testing or to transfer multiple embryos you need to sign specific consents saying that you're going against their recommendations.

I felt in good hands, and very comfortable with Dr. Payson. He clearly explained his plan for me, and put me in touch with very qualified people that could handle my genetic issues. After having a previous bad experience at another clinic, I really felt at ease with Dr. Payson and CCRM. He explained everything very clearly, and it was obvious that he had taken the time to read my lengthy medical history. He also treated me with compassion and tried to make the process as simple as possible.

If you have a harder case or unique issues I'd really encourage you to seek out a second opinion here. I have felt in very good hands and like this process was made possible for me because of Dr. Payson and CCRM.

I felt like the protocols were unique to each patient here and my needs were really taken into account. My AMH was a little low so my protocol was 300 Gonal-F, and 200 Menopur per day. I haven't completed my cycle yet, but things were well explained to me, and if things need to be changed protocol wise I'm confident things will be tweeked. This is a very anti cookie cutter type clinic. Also when I was initially offered Follistim but found Gonal-F would be cheaper out of pocket the nurse was quick to allow me to change which was nice.

around 18k per cycle cost which includes CCS, additional fees for PGD, initial visit and testing around $1,500.

eSET is the option here.

He was a little dry personality wise, but I felt he still had a good bed side manner. He explained everything, he modified treatment as necessary and it worked. He was the director of the program at Walter Reed and seemed very knowledgeable to me. I never felt like he didn't care.

Give him a chance even if he comes off a little bit stand off-ish.

I really don't remember everything and I did she several doctors.

All monitoring was done early in the morning. First come, first serve.

Because I was in the military I only had to pay for the actual embryo/sperm lab related work that was done by the ART institute of Washington. This cost was about $5000 per IVF cycle, plus I had to purchase sperm from an outside clinic for each IUI and IVF cycle. All procedures and Medication was free.

Because of my age and smaller number of eggs it was recommended we implant 3. I was nervous about that, but the explanation provided seemed reassuring to me.

Dr Payson is knowledgeable. He provides thorough explanations. His manner is patient and attentive. I went to him for a consultation and my experience was a very positive one. I don’t have any more to say and think it’s very silly that this form requires a minimum number of characters, which I apparently have not reached yet.

The clinic is in the process of becoming part of insurance networks but was not at the time I went for a consultation.

I froze my eggs five years ago. Based on my testing, Dr Payson recommended trying IVF with my current eggs before using the frozen ones because if the frozen ones were not successful, It would be several months later and the chance of success with my current eggs could be reduced.

I paid for all appointments and tests out of pocket

Dr. Payson is a very skilled doctor. He is competitive and ambitious in a good way. We were dealing with unexplained infertility. When he reviewed my records from my previous clinic, he honestly told me that he had never seen a protocol like what they had put me on there, and why that protocol concerned him. Every time I went on stims, I responded very quickly in my E2 levels. Dr. Payson diligently monitored me personally to ensure that my levels would be at an appropriate level. He was very good at answering questions, and I always felt like I was in very good hands. Dr. Payson could have done my retrieval on a Monday, but decided that a Sunday retrieval would be in my best interest, so he opened up the clinic just for me on a Sunday morning. Diligent, thoughtful, competent, and kind, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dr. Payson to anyone. You can tell he is someone who really loves his job.

He won't give you false hope or tell you things just to make you feel better. I appreciated his candor and honest assessment, but if you need a very, very soft touch, you may find it off-putting.

We didn't have the opportunity to work with him as much as we would have liked because for one he's very busy and then this COVID-19 thing hit... we'll see what happens. I'm currently looking into a fertility clinic in Barbados.

Do your homework; understand that no matter who your doctor is you may not get the answer or results you want and be ready to spend a lot of money on tests.

He was very thorough and knowledgeable.

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Dr. Payson is not only a very good doctor but also a very nice person. I always have many questions for him in each appointment and Dr. Payson always listens to me and answers every single question. When I am worried about something related to my treatments, he tries to help me feel better.

Dr. Payson is a nice doctor, so ask him all the questions you have.

Very knowledgeable and thorough. See him at every visit and makes you feel comfortable. Always had a great plan and is very experienced. High recommend Dr. Payson and the CCRM clinic to anyone going through infertility and wanting help.

Make appts in advance.

Prefers to transfer single

We were extremely pleased with Dr. Payson, his treatment plan, bedside manner, and of course the final result from our cycles. We had a very good friend going through fertility treatments the same time as us with a different clinic and doctor. When she got disappointing results, we encouraged her to switch to Dr. Payson and CCRM (which she did) without reservations. We met with several fertility clinics and doctors before deciding to go with Dr. Payson. We were won over with both his candidness of what it would take to get our miracle baby and his willingness to use more aggressive and innovative treatments. I have no doubt we would not have our daughter without Dr. Payson and his aggressive treatment plan with medication and treatments like HGH and calcium ionophore when we did not get result we wanted with our first cycle. Dr. Payson is a straightforward communicator and doesn't beat around the bush, but when we got disappointing results he was very empathetic and turned to discuss next steps and moving forward, which we appreciated. He has has a good sense of humor, which when going through the long and generally not enjoyable process of fertility treatments, was a nice distraction at times. Dr. Payson was very present throughout cycles, performing all my procedures, sharing and explaining all my results, and oftentimes doing my monitoring ultrasounds as well. I distinctly remember in our first meeting and throughout our treatment, Dr. Payson continued to reiterate that he only needed one good embryo to get us our baby. At the time we were definitely skeptical, but as I sit here writing this next to our newborn, Dr. Payson certainly was proven correct!

Be prepared for Dr. Payson to straightforward and candid about you and your treatment plan. But trust that he knows what he is doing and absolutely has your best outcome in mind. And be prepared that this is a journey, so try not to get disappointed after the first round. Dr. Payson is very willing to change course as needed to try for better results for the next cycle.

Dr. Payson started us with what I think is a pretty standard regime (Follistim, Menopur, and Clomid) for the first cycle. In the first cycle, they were only able to retrieve 4 eggs, with only 1 developing to a Day 7 embryo that ended up not being genetically normal. For the subsequent cycle, Dr. Payson added in HGH to help increase egg quality. Given our embryos were also slow to develop, he also added in calcium ionophore after fertilization to help more embryos develop and more quickly. The second cycle gave us 2 embryos, one of which was genetically normal and went on to become our daughter after a frozen transfer. I also appreciate that the CCRM lab routinely waits until Day 7 for the embryos to develop. While not used as often given they have a lower likelihood of begin success, most of our embryos were Day 7, including the one leading to our daughter. I would encourage those who only have Day 7 embryos to not be discouraged and use our experience as an example of a successful transfer!

CCRM was not the cheapest option, but was in the ballpark of the other clinics we explored. And we were looking for successful results rather than the most economical option. Our costs were approximately $52,000 for three retrievals and the frozen transfer cycle and $15,000 for associated medications for all the cycles.

Dr. Payson was quite clear from the beginning that he would only transfer one embryo at a time and also heavily encouraged us to have our embryos PGT-A tested so we would ensure we were transferring only genetically normal embryos. He explained his rationale for both and we had no concerns with this approach.