Meghan Oakes

She is knowledgeable, compassionate but seems overworked and stretched too thin. Some conversations seemed rushed. I was told we could take treatments as slow as we want but then we’re pressured to move forward with more advanced treatment options before we were ready.

Do research, advocate for yourself, don’t be afraid to ask questions. She is a great doctor but time with her is limited. Many times the nurses try to intercept any issues you have when you want to talk to Oakes.

Didn’t feel like the nurses treated you like a person but Oakes usually did. I was disappointed that she did not talk to me or my husband after retrieval or call me when my transfer failed. The nurse thought she had called me already but hadn’t. Initial consultation was excellent but down hill from there. Always seems like they are rushed and just pushing you through.

We did several rounds of Femara and Clomid, 1 IUI and so far one round of IVF with ICSI and PGS testing. Took Gonal F and Cetrotide for retrieval and estrogen and progesterone shots for transfer.

You speak to a different nurse each time. They sound rushed on the phone and many times call at end of day with results so you have to wait until following day to call them back. Pressured me to move forward with more advanced procedures. Got offended when I ask to talk to Dr Oakes about next steps. They may be just overworked but it makes your feel like cattle. I did really like Suzanne. Most of my interactions with them were via phone but she was very kind.

They are organized however I do not like the open concept. After meeting with the doctor or doing an ultrasound you meet with doctor and a counter in hallway. Anyone passing through can hear what she is saying along with all of the gals at front desk. Lacking privacy. Karen from billing is friendly and helpful. Ladies at front desk are kind of hit and miss.

Generally a long wait, especially Monday and fridays. I drove several hours for appointments and waited longer than my appointment was.

I spent a $3800 for IUI with meds and about $12k for 1st round IVF wth meds and some insurance coverage.

Elected for one do to uterine abnormality.

Dr. Oakes is genuinely a very kind and caring person, I know she wants all her patients to have good results and be able to have a family. Some people like things told to them gently, but I am a person that would rather just be told things more bluntly, even when the truth hurts my feelings. With the last round of IVF we attempted in late December of 2017, I knew I had ovulated even though I was getting the Ganirelix injections. As a patient (who works in healthcare sometimes you know too much) I was very emotional and didn't want to proceed with harvesting my eggs because I felt like it would not be successful and would waste our hard earned money we had worked so hard to save up for this round of IVF. Dr. Oakes encouraged me that my follicles were good and I should at least try to harvest them, and at this point my husband really wanted me to proceed with harvesting as well. They successfully harvested 7 embryos, and 3 made it to day 5 but due to the fact that I had already ovulated I could not have a fresh implant and only 1 embryo met the criteria for freezing. We had that embryo implanted the following month but unfortunately it was not successful. Although my story is not normal and this truly only happens to less than 1% of women, I did take away some valuable lessons. God has a plan sometimes we have a hard time understanding, physicians that specialize in fertility know more than we do about fertility but we should always listen to our own body, and have faith because good things will happen.....you just never know when it will be!

At the Methodist for Women Reproductive Health it is good to know up front that you don't always see your same physician. There are three physicians in their clinic and depending on the day you could see any of the three, this fact does bother some people. I really like all three physicians so it is not a problem for me at all, but it's something I make sure to include when informing any prospective patients I refer to Dr. Oakes.

I first met with Dr. Meghan Oakes in November of 2015 after having a bad experience with a consultation at Heartland in Omaha in August of 2015, I felt like Dr. Oakes took the time to genuinely sit down and listen to all my concerns and hear my story dealing with infertility thus far. She gave both my husband and myself the feeling that she really cared and wanted to help us have a baby or babies in our future.

Prior to being referred to Dr. Oakes I saw my regular OB/GYN who did seven rounds of Clomid with me and six of the rounds we did IUI in his office. So by the time I went to Reproductive Health I was very used to getting my lab drawn and having vaginal US were a normal thing, this is something I thought I would never say. I think for anyone who starts seeing a fertility specialist the most frustrating part at the beginning is the fact that they want to re-run a bunch of tests. My husband didn't think anyone else could possibly need to look at his sperm, although it was a little hard to feel sorry for him when they want to inject dye to see if your tubes are open again (the cramping is terrible even if you only have one tube, I had an ectopic pregnancy six years ago and lost my right tube from a natural pregnancy). Eventually we get down to starting my first cycle of IUI with Dr. Oakes and I call her office with my first day of my period. This starts the process of arriving and getting baseline labs and vaginal US to make sure I don't have any cysts on my ovaries so I can start injections. Dr. Oakes starts me on Follistim SQ, the side effects from the shots to me weren't any worse than the increased hormones similar to that of Clomid. They checked my ovaries via vaginal US every 3 days or so and adjusted the dosage accordingly. I always produced good follicles and once the follicles were ready to release, but prior to ovulation they would have me get an IM injection of hCG and then the following day my husband gave a sperm sample and IUI occurred. I always had some cramping and discomfort after IUI, but not worse than that of menstrual cramps. Then it was the dreaded waiting 14 days to find out if you were pregnant, I always would pray I wouldn't get my period but in evidently it came like clock work. Since we had already tried IUI so many times previously Dr. Oakes suggested that we really should just go straight to the IVF, so my husband and I did our best to save as much as we possibly could and we called her office to proceed with IVF. They started me on birth control the month prior and then the same process as IUI, I called her office on the first day of my period and we got started. A few days later I was getting my baseline labs and vaginal US, then the injections started this time I was getting Menopur IM daily, and going every 2-3 days for a vaginal US so they could adjust my dose as needed. I was producing follicles but not like Dr. Oakes had hoped, she discussed with us that we could proceed and still harvest the 4 follicles I had or I could attempt IUI again and try IVF at a later date. Dr Oakes told us she really felt like the birth control slowed down my follicle production so she didn't want me to do the birth control the following time. My husband and I decided to try the IUI again to save money and hopefully that way when we attempted the IVF again I would make more follicles and it would be more successful. I still got an IM injection of hCG the night before IUI. Unfortunately another failed attempt only this time I was more hormonal and for the 14 days after the IUI the Dr had ordered IM progesterone injections, which made my hips and upper part of my butt very sore! Finally we were trying IVF a second time, of course the last time I was sure it was going to work so this time I had a little more reservations about it but I was excited. My husband and I have dreamed of having a family for 6+ years, and overall I was sure this time was going to be it. They did what they called a cold start, no pre-birth control. I did the Menopur IM injections again, but this time they increased the dose. I felt very aware of what was going on inside me, every little pain or twinge in my belly felt amplified. I was still getting the vaginal US every 2-3 days, by the 9th-10th day or so I was also getting the Ganirelix shots to make sure I didn't ovulate. The next morning I was scheduled to see my Dr. and this was the day I typically ovulated, but the night before I was sure I was ovulating even though I was getting the Ganirelix injections. The next morning we were in Dr. Oakes office bright and early, I went in first to my vaginal US with my husband and the US tech and I told her I thought I had ovulated. She told me she hasn't seen anyone in 30 years ovulate on Ganirelix, she states it happens than less than 1% of women and says I'm sure your fine. She does the exam and is very quiet, takes twice as many pictures as normal and just acts different. I ask her if she sees something, she tells me she will have Dr. Oakes talk to me but I may know my body pretty well. As a patient (who works in healthcare sometimes you know too much) I was very emotional and didn't want to proceed with harvesting my eggs because I felt like it would not be successful and would waste our hard earned money we had worked so hard to save up for this round of IVF. Dr. Oakes encouraged me that my follicles were good and I should at least try to harvest them, and at this point my husband really wanted me to proceed with harvesting as well. They went ahead and still had me get an IM hCG injection that night and come back the next day. They successfully harvested 7 embryos, and 3 made it to day 5 but due to the fact that I had already ovulated I could not have a fresh implant and only 1 embryo met the criteria for freezing. We had that embryo implanted the following month but unfortunately it was not successful. Overall I felt the fertility medications definitely caused me to have some weight gain and the Progesterone in Oil injections just hurt, but if I would have been able to get pregnant it all would have been worth it.

Most of the nursing staff was always very kind and considerate. We really never saw the nursing staff much, they literally would just show us to a room and then we would just wait for the physician to arrive. The most interaction with the nursing staff was over the phone, they always were the ones to call to let you know how to adjust your Follistim or Menopur dosages. I always felt like they took the time on the phone to make sure you got all the instructions completely and answered all questions professionally.

The location of the clinic is very easy to find, it nice that the clinic is separate from the hospital yet there is a hallway that attaches the two buildings. The facility is clean, people are friendly, and they are very upfront about billing. I think it may be a little more expensive than some other fertility clinics but there are a limited number of choices in our area.

The clinic was very well organized. For routine labs and US you are required to report between 7:00-9:00 am and sign in, then they just go first come first serve basis. Typically we never waited more than 30 minutes, many times they had us in a room in less than 15 minutes.

Medications $2000-4000 Ultrasound $225 (times 5-8) Labs $86-225 (times 5-8) Egg Harvest $7850 Frozen Embryo Transfer $4100

Dr. Oakes told us that she would only transfer up to two embryos, although this is something we never had to make a decision about she did give us all the pros and cons of single embryo transfer vs. multiple embryo transfer.

A friend referred me to Dr.Oakes, and I absolutely agree that she is amazing. The first time we met her she sat and talked with us about our history and truly listened to what we wanted. She allowed us to determine what we were comfortable doing for our next treatment. When our second IVF cycle results didn’t go as planned, she called me personally. She was straight forward, but stayed positive for us for future options.

She is not scared it give her honest opinion, so she may tell you something you don’t want to hear. However, she does what is in the best interest of the patient.

After each ultrasound appointment, I was able to talk with Dr.Oakes or one of her partners about the next step. They always took their time and answered all questions. After our embryo report came back less than expected, Dr. Oakes personally called me to discuss our options.

Our first IVF cycle was at a different clinic. When Dr.Oakes reviewed the protocol, she made a few changes. I switched from 75 of menopur and 150 of gonal f to only 300 of gonal f. She also watched my estradiol very close before egg retrieval because I had very high levels the first cycle. I was told to use a lupron trigger, and we gave my body an extra day to let smaller follicles catch up. I ended up with double the amount of eggs retrieved from my first cycle. She also had us freeze our embryo rather than do a fresh transfer because of the high estradiol levels.

Anytime the nurses called, they knew what was going on in our cycle without me having to tell them. They call back within a timely manner, and always answered any questions I had.

The clinic itself is located on such a beautiful, clean campus. The staff is always friendly. I love that when I call a person always answers, not a machine. I was incredibly impressed when I switched clinics and Karen called my insurance company and found a few benefits that I had and didn’t know about. She helped immensely without me even asking.

Monitoring appointments were all done in the morning between 6:30- 9:30. Since I had to commute, I liked that I didn’t have to be there at an exact time. Plus I think it is nice for people that don’t want to take time off of work to be able to go early in the morning. Most of my ultrasounds were done by one of the doctors, and then they would talk with me after about how everything looked and what the next step was. I loved that I saw a doctor every time I went.

Our initial consult visit was $400. Typical monitoring appointments included an ultrasound for $225 and blood work $80-100. I had 3 monitoring appointments and 1 additional blood draw prior to retrieval. The day of retrieval we paid $9,300 which included biopsy for PGS testing. We have not done our transfer yet, but I believe it is between $4,500-5,000. All of these costs were in addition to medications which range widely in cost.

We did not discuss this, and only ended up with one embryo, so it was not an issue.

I don't have any bad things to say at all. She is kind, and friendly, and seems to be extremely competent. I guess the only negative thing I can say is that she does not seem to have any knowledge regarding the financial side of the business. Her office provided a coupon for the injectables which was nice, but there wasn't any info provided for other coupon programs or grants, like what Fertility IQ provides. And we're having a really tough time with the bills from all of this.

Don't hesitate to ask questions.

The doctor has been wonderful. Even though our outcomes thusfar have been disappointing, the doctor has been friendly and open with whatever questions we may have. She has been considerate of our feelings but will also get to the point at the same time.

The injectable I was prescribed was Gonal F 300iu every day for about 14 days total. I started going to my local office that partners with Dr. Oakes' office for blood draws and ultrasounds, and the office would call me with instructions for what I should do for the next few days until my next blood draw and ultrasound. They increased my dose to 450iu early on because the ultrasound only showed a few eggs, and the doctor said that if the increased dose did not help my body produce more eggs then we would quit with this cycle and try for the next because the egg retrieval procedure is the priciest part of the process. The increase in dose helped increase my egg count a little, and around day 14 or 15 my husband helped me to inject my "trigger shot", and within a day or two I went in for my egg retrieval. They retrieved 8 eggs and two of those were not mature. Of the 6 remaining, 5 fertilized successfully. However, we did genetic testing and found out that all 5 embryos were severely genetically abnormal. The Dr. Oakes called me personally to tell me this and she also said that had we not performed the genetic testing and skipped to the implantation, none of the embryos would have survived because they were so abnormal. She has a plan to change up my injectables for our next IVF attempt, but we are trying to save up money until we can afford to do this all again.

I wasn't there enough to learn their names, but their faces were familiar enough to make me feel comfortable. Everyone is REALLY nice. They encourage you to eat their candy.

The hospital is beautiful and new. But it is located in Omaha and we live an hour away in Lincoln, so every time we need to go up there for an appointment its a half-day ordeal. But that can't really be helped. Parking is always easy. There is lots of retail and restaurants nearby.

She gave us a folder full of info at our initial consultation with her that included a run-down of all of the possible procedures and their associated costs. The egg retrieval (aspiration) was exactly $9,300. Up until then we had spent $893.03 in various procedures and tests. The injectable drugs were $980.78 through mailorder, and that was with a 25% coupon provided by the office. The genetic testing was completed at another facility and we have yet to receive the bill, but I know it will be thousands of dollars.

We never got that far into the process.

I think she has a realistic approach, and talked us through our options. She had both of her children through IVF, so I feel like she can relate to our struggle and she knows what we are going through. She was extremely compassionate, especially when we went through an ectopic pregnancy after an iui. I got pregnant on my first IVF cycle and I’m currently 13 weeks along!

Read some fertility books, get to know your body and your cycle. Seek out as much information as you can and go in educated enough to ask good questions!

I feel like she really took the time to get to know my husband and I during our consult and answered all of our questions and gave us advice for the best possible outcome. I had an ectopic pregnancy after an iui that was really hard, and we kept trying which resulted in a positive test from my first IVF cycle.

Day 3 bloodwork and ultrasound, sonogram, 2 rounds with injections with iui. Result was ectopic pregnancy. Did IVF and got pregnant on my first cycle, and have 3 PGS tested eggs on ice!

Very friendly staff. When I call they know exactly what my treatment method is, and they are fantastic at walking me through everything I want to know and answering any questions I have. I’ve called back many times with additional questions and they were always wonderful at telling me exactly what I needed to know! They are also extremely responsive and get back to me within the hour.

I have no complaints and have had nothing but positive experiences during the super difficult process. I wouldn’t change a thing. The doctors and nurses are top notch and I’m so glad that my OBGYN recommended this clinic.

I'm trying to remember, I think the initial consult was an hour and a half and was a couple hundred dollars. The day 3 bloodwork and ultrasound was a couple hundred and the injections were about $4k per cycle. During the consultation I received a price list that was very detailed so you know what the cost is up front. I have united health care and my plan covered about 25% of my bills, which was a pleasant surprise!

Because of my age she initially suggested transferring two, but since we did pgs testing on the embryos we only transferred one which was successful!

Dr Oakes was by far the best doctor I have ever seen. The day we met with her for our first consultation after coming from another Omaha clinic, we knew we had made the right choice in switching. My biggest and only regret to this day is not starting with her. She was warm and compassionate and made us feel so comfortable under her care. She took the time to explain things to us and we saw her at every visit which was huge for us. It made me feel like she was completely invested in our case and also calmed any anxieties I had throughout the process. At 30wks pregnant now, I can honestly say not a day goes by that we don't miss seeing her--her ability to connect with her patients on a personal level is remarkable. While the process itself can knock you down, she's right there to pick you up and keep things moving in a way that gives you hope. She is truly amazing at what she does!

Utilize her knowledge...take it all in and do as you are told! Trust the process and know you are in the best, most capable hands!

Dr Oakes always took the time to answer any questions we had, whether that be a phone call or when we saw her at appointments. She was caring and warm and made us feel so comfortable. We always felt like we were a priority to her. We also saw her every appointment, not just a nurse which was very reassuring to us and made us feel like we were in the best hands. She would take as much time as we needed to go over any questions or concerns we had.

I don't remember the exact protocol Dr Oakes had me on. I know I stimmed a few days longer than in my previous cycles under the care of another physician. I believe I used 375 units of Gonal-F for approximately 11 days, with Cetrotide added a little over halfway through. Retrieval was on day 13. I had 19 eggs retrieved, 7 day 5 embryos resulted, and 2 were PGS normal.

The nurses were always available for questions or concerns, and if they couldn't provide you with an immediate answer, they would either talk to the doctor right away and get back to you, or have the doctor call you. They were also very prompt in returning any phone calls. Overall, they seemed very knowledgeable and were always very friendly.

Strengths: I had always heard that this particular clinic runs more like a business, and to a certain extent, I would agree with that. But only in a positive sense. They're very efficient and they have things running exactly how they need to to get from one patient to the next, all while giving you the best individualized care possible. Weaknesses: none

Monitoring appointments were from 630-9am with no set time. You were seen in the order you arrived. Sometimes the wait was a little long, but we expected it and it didn't bother us at all. We knew we would be seen when it was our turn.

We were quoted up front $25,000 for the overall cost of one IVF cycle, which included retrieval, transfer, storage of embryos, ICSI, drug cost and PGS genetic testing. We ended up spending right around that.

I appreciated that Dr Oakes let you, as the patient, make that decision and didn't seem to judge you based on the choice you made. She gave us the facts regarding single vs. multiple and let us choose.

Dr. Oakes cares about you as a person. She has great bedside manner and listens to your wants and needs. She will answer any questions you have and do so in terms you can understand. While going through treatment, another medical issue arose and she called 3 or 4 different specialists to help my condition. I felt like she truly cared. I trust Dr.Oakes and know she won't just do a cycle to appease me. She wants to make sure its right and that I have optimal chances for a positive result.

Make sure you ask questions while you are in clinic and can ask face to face. Office staff returns calls promptly, but sometimes I just want to talk to Dr.Oakes.

Dr.Oakes listens to your concerns and is genuinely interested in your wants and needs. She knows exactly who you are in you walk into clinic.

Dr.Oakes used the first IUI cycle to judge how my body responded to the FSH injectable. The next two cycles it seemed like we found the optimal dose. She ordered 6 days of FSH and then ultrasound and lab work to check follicle growth. Next, ultrasounds every other day (usually just 1-2 more), then HCG trigger and IUI 36 hours after trigger.

There are some great nurses and some that showed less compassion. The staff returns calls promptly and will answer any questions you may have. If they don't know the answer, they will get Dr.Oakes help.

Very organized and clean. Also very prompt and fast. They have open clinic hours from 6:30am-9 M-F which makes finding a time to get in easy.

You pay for the medication (which ran me approximately $1000/cycle) at the pharmacy towards the beginning of cycle, and then the IUI ($800) at the time of IUI. Ultrasounds and lab work get billed to insurance and we haven't received a bill for that (having been using Dr.Oakes for 6 months).

We have not reached the embryo transfer yet as still giving IUIs a chance.

Dr Oakes is very compassionate, she will continue to switch things up as she sees fit when our first IVF failed. She told me she would let me know if we should give up and not waste our money but she was pretty confident she could get us pregant, with a low egg quality, the first IVF didn't work, we started again the following month and are pregnant with our miracle boy, due in July. No negatives for Dr Oakes, just positive to say.

She is wonderful, carrying and will treat you like family yet get the job done.

Dr Oakes is an amazing doctor. I had first (3 years back) visited with her partner, i was so turned off by her, she was rude and not very compassionate. Dr Oakes is just that. She treated me like someone who mattered and wanted to use us achieved a pregnancy where the previous doctor said he couldn't help us. No baby yet, but we are due in July. Dr Oakes said because of my low egg quality and my age 35 we should start the process all right after, she said that is what she would tell her loved ones. I just can't express enough how wonderful she is.

I was on the highest dosage the first IVF, we had to be on the shots for 18 days which is quite long as my eggs weren't growing. When we decided to do the whole process again, she decided to switch up (one shot in am, one in pm) as well as add two additional shots (am/pm) of lupron. Happy to say, 2nd time it worked, switching up, helped.

Monica was amazing, she really cared about her patients. Took the time to answer all questions, even if same question multi times. I can't say enough good things about her. There were some nurses who were not very friendly, but i didn't work with them very often nor remember their names.

Dr Oakes is amazing, Dr Maud is no friendly but gets the job done. If you can stand that, i like compassionate so i choose Dr oakes. Everyone was wonderful.

It was first come first serve, which i loved. There was no waiting times because they were behind with the previous patient, if you came first, you were seen first.

We spent a total of 38,000 for both IVFs we did, this included medicine of which the first IVF was more expensive because of the long days we had to do meds. We pay for all out of pocket, our insurance didn't cover one penny.

Dr Oakes suggested we transfer two embryos each time, which we did. It resulted in a single baby on our 2nd IVF

My first encounter was the consultation appointment with her, myself and my husband. I remember sitting there across the desk from her discussing my history and our story with her and talking about what she would do as a plan. I remember thinking- she is a real person. She isn’t just another doctor that sees you as a number. She is a humble, genuine person. I remember leaving that appointment with her saying- “I am excited to do IVF with her.” I will never forget I was at the clinic for a follicle check during my injections prior to my egg retrieval and I was just starting to feel an overwhelming sense of worry that IVF may not be the answer for us. That we may still not get pregnant. I hadn’t voiced that outright this particular day however I remember looking up from my planner and Dr Oakes was standing in front of me and she smiled and said, “things didn’t work out elsewhere because this is where you need to be. You’re here for a reason.” And then she proceeded to walk around the corner and give me a hug. I will NEVER ever ever forget that moment. That is the moment I needed. She just has a way about her- confident and matter of fact yet just enough warmth to her that she is humble and genuine- as a nurse For the last 11 years I have worked with a lot of physicians and ones like her are hard to come by.

Be honest and be real with her. Don’t be afraid to say exactly what you’re thinking or how you feel because she will take the time to matter of fairly but warmly tell you what you need to hear in that moment.

I will never forget feeling just an overwhelming sense of worry that IVF may not be the answer for us. That we may still not get pregnant. I hadn’t voiced that outright this particular day but Dr.Oakes could obviously just tell- she looked over at me, smiled and said, “things didn’t work out elsewhere because this is where you need to be. You’re here for a reason.” And then she proceeded to walk around the corner and give me a hug. I will NEVER ever ever forget that moment. And not just her- but the staff. Every single one of them were amazing from the front desk to the phlebotomist to the anesthesiologist to my recovery room nurse. Everyone made me feel welcome. They made me feel like my story mattered and like we were on this path together to get us where we needed to be.

I honestly now (2 years since my retrieval and transfer) don’t remember exactly what I did for injections. I do remember she had me to a depo Lupron injection for my trigger shot as she stated because Inhad so many follicles and my estrogen levels were so high she didn’t want to cause me to have OHSS. I recall starting progesterone injections right away daily and did them until I believe 11 weeks. As far as our egg retrieval I recall her encouraging/recommending ICSI just because we had unexplained infertility with no male or female factors and so she thought it would be best that they manually inject the sperm into the eggs just in case for some reason naturally fertilization was not happening on its own. She did only recommend that we transfer one embryo. We had done PGS testing and had good results. She said with that she felt very confident that I would get pregnant from transferring one embryo that had been PGS tested and was of high quality. As far a

There were only about two nurses that I remember working with during my egg retrieval, transfer and then at the beginning of my pregnancy and they were great!! They were kind, compassionate, empathetic, and professional. They called me back with answers to my questions promptly if they were not available to speak when I phoned in. I will specifically never ever forget the call 1 week after our transfer when we had gone down for my quantitative HCG to see if we were pregnant. The nurse called me with my results and said, You’re going to be a mommy!” Those were the best words I have ever heard in my life and she said them with such warmth- true compassion and excitement.

Oh my goodness. The clinic- Inliterally can’t say anything- not a thing bad about it! Their system is Flawless! They have a first come first serve ultrasound and lab draw clinic In the mornings from 7-9 and it is AWESOME! You walk in- the front desk girls already know you’re coming and show you an ABN for that day and have you sign it( because of course no insurance coverage for any of it). Then you go sit in the waiting room- typically not long after a nurse calls you back to go see the phlebotomist who is great at venipunctures. Then you either go straight from there to an ultrasound room if you need one that day or you briefly go to the waiting room. Then again a nurse calls you back, takes you to an ultrasound room- talks with you about what’s been going on for treatment, etc and then you have your ultrasound with the tech- who is super amazing as well- she too is very knowledgeable about the smite process- not just ultrasound. Then the doctor usually comes in and performs part of the ultrasound and then you get dressed- go out to the desk and discuss the plan and you’re out the door- it is such a smooth process! They really have it down to a science!

Oh my goodness. The clinic- Inliterally can’t say anything- not a thing bad about it! Their system is Flawless! They have a first come first serve ultrasound and lab draw clinic In the mornings from 7-9 and it is AWESOME! You walk in- the front desk girls already know you’re coming and show you an ABN for that day and have you sign it( because of course no insurance coverage for any of it). Then you go sit in the waiting room- typically not long after a nurse calls you back to go see the phlebotomist who is great at venipunctures. Then you either go straight from there to an ultrasound room if you need one that day or you briefly go to the waiting room. Then again a nurse calls you back, takes you to an ultrasound room- talks with you about what’s been going on for treatment, etc and then you have your ultrasound with the tech- who is super amazing as well- she too is very knowledgeable about the smite process- not just ultrasound. Then the doctor usually comes in and performs part of the ultrasound and then you get dressed- go out to the desk and discuss the plan and you’re out the door- it is such a smooth process! They really have it down to a science!

There were costa for ultrasounds, blood draws, clinic visits, meds, egg retrieval, embryo process, PGS testing, frozen embryo testing

She did only recommend that we transfer one embryo. We had done PGS testing and had good results. She said with that she felt very confident that I would get pregnant from transferring one embryo that had been PGS tested and was of high quality.

Dr Oakes is very personable, very knowledgable, and very compassionate. She always presented all of the information to us, gave us her recommendation and the reasoning, and then let us discuss and make our own decision. During our process, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and so Dr Oakes recommended I get a mammogram even though I wasn't 40 yet. I ended up having to get a biopsy, and Dr Oakes called me on a Sunday with the results...a week before the oncologist. We recently miscarried, and Dr Oakes gave us so much compassion and kindness, along with knowledge and a little need humor to help ease our pain and our worries. She performed my D&C and again her kindness and compassion, mixed with her confidence and knowledge reassured us about the process. She had both of her sons via IVF and I think that insight helps.

She's in high demand...we have very few resources and she's great...so if you are headed in this direction, start now.

Whenever I go in, everyone uses my name. Dr Oakes is very personable and follows up via phone when the situation warrants.

We started our process with our OB-GYN, who referred us to Dr Oakes after no success. Due to my age, we had only been going through it for about two years. Dr Oakes had us start with some retesting of levels. We learned that I was no longer producing eggs. I had my right ovary removed five years ago along with a dermoid cyst. That, combined with the PCOS, and my age and weight were all probably contributing factors. At this point we discussed our options. After meeting with Dr Oakes again, where she provided us with a lot of great information and resources regarding using donor eggs, that's the route we decided to go. We went on the wait list and last December, we had 3 donors to pick from. Once the donor egg process started, we did shots of Leuprolode...10 units each morning, in the thigh. We then added Estradiol 2 mg tablets. I started with 2 tablets for 3 days, then 3 tablets for three days, and then 4 tablets a day. And dropped to 5 units of the Leuprolode. Then right before the transfer, we switched to injections of progesterone...1 ml each morning. Once we were pregnant, both the progesterone and estrodiol continued...although we increased the progesterone to 1.5 ml.

Karey worked with us on our calendar, explained each step is the process, got us a couple resources where we could apply for a reduction in the cost of the mess for the donor (we didn't qualify based on income, but did get a 10% rebate from one company), and answered all of our questions. If she wasn't sure, she said so and followed up with us quickly after getting the answer. She always greats us by name. Everyone else in the clinic is great too, from the from desk to the phlebotomist, to the nurses, to the ultrasound tech (who also was extremely compassionate during the ultrasound were we learned of the miscarriage).

Everyone's very friendly and helpful. The one drawback, is in the back area where are the rooms are, sometimes you can hear others because there's an area where everyone stops to talk with the Drs or nurses before they leave...very open and could be disconcerting

Goodness, we are still paying, but they really try to send as much through insurance as possible. Here's the breakdown: Charges related to the Donor: Screening, Lab Work, Ultrasounds - $7366 Retrieval - $5676 Donor Fee - $4000 Medications - $3000 Charges related to recipient: IVF Lab Fee - $3345 Embryo Transfer - $2250 Pathology Fee - $92 I have a really great prescription plan, so all of my medications have been $10 per prescription...so far we've spent about $80. And then each week it's between $200 and $600, depending on the blood draw and ultrasound.

Dr. Oakes was recommeded to us by my OBGYN when she was out of ideas. Our first two visit with Dr. Oakes were wonderful. She sat us down and discussed our history (miscarriages) along with new ideas on how to move forward with treatment. She had new ideas and seemed eager to get started. We left with hope that we had made it to the right place. We started with blood work and shots and were driving 3 hours to the clinic weekly to prepare for IUI. This is when we felt like a number. After the initial consult we only saw Dr. Oakes a handful of times. Even during our IUI procedures we were with other doctors with no prior knowledge of a switch. I felt that she was knowledgeable in her skills but that her numbers were more important than a relationship with us. I'm wasn't looking for a best friend but I was looking for compassion and for the doctor I signed onto work with.

Dr. Oakes definitely knows fertility and she's there to do whatever it takes to get you pregnant. With us, though I was obviously there to achieve a pregnancy, I was also looking to make it past 6 weeks of a pregnancy (which I was unable to do, twice on my own). She believed we needed IUI and IVF and we weren't willing to invest in IVF without first knowing why I was having recurrent miscarriages. We never got the sense she was going to dig into that. Just the sense that she was playing whatever she found to be the best odds.

We felt that their top priority was playing the odds. They were very scientific (which is nice) but I wanted to know more than just the odds. I never felt like they really invested in us as a couple. I never felt that they had in interest in truly figuring out what was wrong with me. They just wanted us pregnant. Pregnant is exactly what I wanted as well but I had also already had two miscarriages with healthy genetic testing. I was afraid to move forward with expensive treatments without first knowing what was happening and I didn't feel that they were going to provide that for us.

We used trigger shots, timed intercourse, and other oral medications for our 2 attempts at IUI. Both were unsuccessful.

This clinic was always very busy when were there in the early mornings for open clinic. This was the time that everyone coming in for routine or weekly blood work and ultrasounds was there. It was always very busy as this time. The nurses were very kind and organized but I did feel as though we were being herded through like cattle. From the time we arrived to the time we left it was maybe 30 minutes. Though they were very efficient with blood work and ultrasounds it typically felt rushed and as though they were trying to see how many people they could squeeze into one morning.

The clinic has wonderful office hours as they open very early in the morning. We were driving 3 hours to complete ultrasounds and blood work and then 3 hours home and still arriving to work between 8 and 8:30am. They definitely know how to move their patients. Their front office workers weren't always the warmest or most accommodating. I certainly never felt like they were excited to see us. Just there to time stamp your chart.

Payment had to be made at each appointment before you could even sit in the waiting room. This included blood work and ultra sounds. This was approximately $150-$200. Our IUI procedures were approximately $1500.00

For religious reasons I was not comfortable with pulling as many eggs and making as many embryos as possible. I wanted to keep the numbers lower and more manageable so that selection was not a choice I would have to make. IVF was only a discussion so I never had to dive too deep into that discussion. I did have 5 follicles during one of our IUI transfers and felt very pressured to reduce if IUI had been successful.

Dr. Meghan Oakes was very caring. She went through all of our history and thoroughly explained everything. She also laid out what steps we need to do next, and she was very nice. My husband agrees also. We felt that she listened to all of our concerns as well.

I would give future patients this advice- be open minded. There are so many options to help conceive a child. It is very overwhelming too.

I was referred to Dr. Oakes and very happy that I was. She is very nice, and very to the point. I felt like my husband and I were truly listened to, and she cares. We have done an ultrasound with water and labs with her so far. Next step is one more round of IUI. If that is unsuccessful I believe we move on to IVF when we have the funds.

As of now- we've only done the ultrasound and lab work. Next we have to attend a fertility 101 class to learn about all the meds and their side effects. After that, we are full steam ahead with IUI once we have the funds.

The nursing staff was very friendly. They made the visit much easier with check in and calmed my nerves.

The clinics strengths are that everyone is so friendly. The doctor is amazing and easy to get in for appointments. I think the weaknesses could be that they close early on the weekdays. The clinic is easy to find, and easy to get a hold of nurses.

Our consult was $400.00 with Dr. Oakes. Insurance covered zero! We have yet to receive the billing for our lab work and ultrasound.

I am unsure of this.

She is very personable and truly cares for her patients. She makes sure to answer all of your questions thoroughly and lays all of different scenarios out for her patients. She made sure to check in on us when our attempts at different procedures had failed.

To make sure you always ask her any questions you have.

Dr. Oakes always made sure we understood what was going on throughout our procedures. She always did her best to answer every question we had and made sure we would be okay after every failed attempt.

First round was supposed to be IVF. 225 of Gonal F with trigger. Didn’t produce enough eggs went to IUI. Failed. Second round of IVF attempt (mini) 450 Gonal F. Tested AMH. Found out my AMH is very low (.45). Peoceded with IVF retrieved 4 eggs. Two embryos made to day 5. Transferred both and failed.

They always were so friendly and very supportive. If you had a question they would do their best to answer and if they didn’t have an answer they would get one for me. They made my husband and I feel welcomed and supported.

Turn around time for a phone call is quick. They are always there to answer questions. The clinic made sure to make you feel welcomed and not a number. They always had a smile on their faces and warmth in their hearts for all of their patients.

They always did their best to get you in as fast as they could.

15,000

N/A

We looked forward to seeing Meghan at our visits. She was honest and gave us all the facts ahead of time instead of sugar coating the process. She was friendly and honest without being harsh. Blunt, but in a good way and she wanted us to make sure we knew that the process can be hard, but that she would work her best to get us what we wanted.

Expect honesty and bluntness. If your situation is difficult (I don't ovulate and my husband has low count and low mobility) she is going to tell you how it is and not sugar coat it. Hard doesn't mean impossible.

She knew our names. She shared her story with us and was very candid about the process. We knew what to expect and she was very good at actually listening and caring about our questions and process.

Very nice women. Respectful of my constant questions. Helped to ease my mind when I would call in a panic about something. Our second round I needed to bring my toddler with and they were very helpful with him.

I loved this clinic. It was clean, quiet, and accommodating. Phones were answered quickly and messages returned promptly. Easily adapted to me doing some testing at another clinic because I lived an hour away.

We paid up front for meds and doctors appointments. We were billed for our genetic testing.

Good bed side manners. Should have done more analysis on my results to come up with a plan instead of trying IUI with a really low dose. With low amh and slightly elevated fsh, would you do a unmedicates IUI with a sperm donor?

Do your homework and ask questions.

Number because she kept asking me to try another cycle and try increasing the dose. AMH wasn’t checked until I added to check it.

First IUI was unmediated and timed based on the size of the follicles and blood work. Second was medicated and started with 75 Gonal and increased to 150 the last 3 days. Just one follicle during that time. Third cycle, 75 hmg and then increased it 150 and then to 225. 2 follicles. Took a shot to delay ovukation and took a trigger shot. AMH was tested after half the cycle was done. After the 3rd failed cycle was recommended a 4th one.

They are pretty good to work with. Soft spoken and answer all the questions you may have. The place is pretty clean and the nurses are very good. It’s a bit pricey if the insurance doesn’t cover monitoring for fertility treatments.

One Monitoring with blood work go $317. 300 to thaw the sperm and 300 for insemination. 400 is the consult.

Fast talking Seemed to be in a rush It took three weeks to hear back from a nurse to go over results. I felt very rushed. I have 3 children now and decided to get my tubes tied which I regret doing so. Kids are a joy and I can not afford IVF. I will be getting married and want to give the my soon to be husband a child.

To research before you go talk to a fertility doctor. And to never get your tubes tied.

The doctor that evaluated me seemed to be in a rush and I felt like I did not get the information that I needed.

I did not get to do the surgery due to after finding out that my insurance did not cover tubal reversal.

I waited in the lobby for awhile before going back to speak to the fertility doctor. The staff were nice but did not have good communication.

Staff were nice Long wait time The process seemed to be rushed and not talked through thoroughly. I think once the clinic found out that my insurance did not cover the procedure they seemed to not have interest in helping me.

9 to 10 thousand

Dr Oakes was very kind and had a direct path in mind. She did take into consideration the path my husband and I wanted to follow. We were successful twice with her, which does help my view on the process.

Be your own advocate. Do your research and ask lots of questions. Get explanations of why she wants to go particular routes.

The way the office is set up, it feels very much like a cattle call. But personally, she treated me like a human.

Very rude and not at all compassionate. But they were good at what they did.

Loved the actual clinic! Even though it is like a cattle call, it was nice to sit in the waiting room with others and know that you’re not alone in this process. I also like going in during an open hours time (before work) vs always scheduling appointments.

They were very reasonable with insurance coverage.

She wanted to try eSET first to see if we would be successful. She would rather me be pregnant with one vs two, as multiples can be very hard on the mom and babies to be.

She was warm, honest and compassionate. She made me feel more at ease and optimistic. I went on recommendation from a close friend who had successful IVF. I felt like I made a new friend who was really knowledgeable after meeting Dr. Oakes.

Know that it's not an exact science and it may take time to determine the best course of treatment.

Dr. Oakes and the entire staff were kind, thoughtful and genuine.

She reviewed my past treatment with me before determining that we should test for tubal blockages. After performing that test she determined that we could try IUI or IVF. We decided to try IUI first because it's less intrusive and costly.

Friendly, personable and knowledgeable.

You'll need to make numerous trips to the office for different testing. They will communicate any needs beforehand as much as possible. They are good about accommodating your schedule as much as possible.

It was over $1000 for each cycle of IUI. The medication was even more due to my estrogen levels.

We agreed to their embryo selection processes.

She is compassionate and a good communicator. She explained that that we have male infertility factor and without ivf we have 2% chance of getting pregnant naturally. She then explained why iui isn't an option for us due to sperm count how it would just be a waste.

She has a very good bed side manner and takes time to answer questions you have and explain what's going on.

The clinic is easy to get a hold of and friendly staff. Always able to answer questions. They were reassuring when I was nervous about seeing a new Dr. There was never a long wait to check in for your appointment or lab drop off

She said as long as we are ok with chance of twins she's totally fine with transfering 2 embryos

Dr. Oakes was kind and thorough. She always took time to explain things and was amazing through the difficult parts. Her partner, Dr. Dougherty was also very succinct & thorough. I always felt like both them, all her staff, and their amazing ultrasound tech genuinely cared & the nurses who drew blood are so good at what they do.

Take notes. The process is complicated.

She's got a lot of patients but always took as long as was needed to talk with me & genuinely wanted to see us with a healthy baby.

The clinic is clean and staff are caring. Appointments are quick and efficient but also thorough. The ultrasound tech is awesome at her job and wonderfully caring. The early hours are helpful to be able to get in and out and back to work.

Efficient and convenient.

My first cycle was about $32k (meds and hotel stays included). This FET cycle will be about $5-6k

Dr. Oakes was always very personable and upfront. She had an amazing bedside manner and my husband and I love her! My husband who hates doctors felt very comfortable throughout our whole IVF process. She explained everything to where we could understand it and nothing over our head! She was always upfront and never sugar coated anything, and during IVF or any Infertility Treatment I felt that was needed!

She will be upfront, if you don't understand something ASK QUESTIONS and she will answer them.

Dr. Oakes took her time to get to know us (my husband and myself). She took time to make sure we understood everything and was always available to answer any questions. Her staff was just as amazing! Their office runs like it should, very professional and to it!

Pleased to have switched to her from a previous provider in another state. She took the time to explain things and it was clear she had reviewed records prior tothe consultation. She had suggestions for changing the course of action but let us have input throughout the process

The facilities were nice, and the staff who work the office were great. Their willingness to check, double check and triple check with insurance to get things covered, even discovering a small portion of infertility treatments was covered through our policy and therefore we could go back and request a refund from treatments done at our previous clinic just goes to show how great they’ve been!