How was your experience with Michael Jacobs at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami?
Dr. Jacobs has a kind, calm demeanor. He is not exactly warm and fuzzy, or super personable, but gives you a sense of trustworthiness. I'm fine with that. When I have raised concerns, he has listened to me. He doesn't push for specific treatments, but lays out the options for you and then tells you his preferred course of action. Ultimately, I have felt like I have had a good amount of freedom and amount of information to make my decisions about my body and health.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Jacobs at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami?
Dr. Jacobs seems to be pretty conservative. He will test for as many things as possible and it may seem like overkill but every time I have done a test that I felt may not necessarily be needed, it yielded some information that became important in my treatment. If you do feel concerned about something, let him know and he will absolutely advise you if there is leeway.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Jacobs at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami?
From my first consultation with Dr. Jacobs, the staff was nice and attentive. They got me in to my first appointment within a week or two. At my first consultation Dr Jacobs reviewed with me in detail the diagnosis protocol we would take so that I knew what kind of tests we would be running and the possible course of action based on my situation. He's the kind of doctor that writes everything down for himself on a notepad to get a feel for his patient. Then he transcribes everything to the computer. Its a little old school, and I like it because as he's writing down I can tell hes paying attention. Anyway, he also explained in detail what he was doing during my first intravaginal ultrasounds, counting the follicles, measuring stuff, etc. I felt informed, and that's important to me. When I mentioned I had a short window of time before I had to travel for work, he made sure to get his staff to process pre-authorizations, etc in time for my upcoming cycle so that I didnt have to delay my first IVF cycle by 2 months. I also asked for no birth control pills if possible and he said thats Ok, we just had to abstain or use condoms. Overall, I feel like he listens to my concerns and then gives his professional opinion and I respect that.
Describe the protocols Michael Jacobs used in your cycles at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami and their degree of success.
I am doing IVG with PGD (PGT-M) due to a genetic disease that we do not want to pass down to our children. I am under 35 with very good AMH levels and I dont have ovulatory problems, so Dr. Jacobs prescribed a conservative protocol for stimulation meds. I am so far taking 75 iu Menopur in the AM and 150 Gonal F in the evening. These are low doses because Dr. Jacobs feels that based on my levels, I will respond well to these doses. We will see how it goes in the next 5 days and adjust if needed based on my next scan.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami.
There is one nurse who bruises me every time she takes blood. She needs coaching on this. Other than that, everyone is competent and communicative. I don't like leaving a voicemail on the nurse line, but the upside is that they do always call back within the day.
Describe your experience with Fertility & IVF Center of Miami.
I love that they have two locations - one in Miami Beach at Mount Sinai and the other at Baptist Kendall. I go to the one closer to me but the Kendall clinic is larger, so if they do not have availability at Mt Sinai, I can usually get in to the Kendall clinic. Dr Jacobs goes to both clinics, so that flexibility is great. I am not sure, but I get the sense that this clinic is one of the higher priced clinics in Miami because I have seen lower prices at places like University of Miami Health System. However, I feel comfortable with Dr. Jacobs, so have chosen to stay at this clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Jacobs at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami.
I have not received full bills yet but I expect IVF (1 Egg retrieval and 1 FET) + PGD + IVF Medication to come to about $30,000.
Describe Michael Jacobs's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami.
Dr. Jacobs has a strong preference for single embryo transfer in my particular case. I am not sure if that's his preference always. I asked about putting in two and he said we could talk about it once we have embryos to consider but he is very much partial towards a single embryo.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami?
- Lost paperwork
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility & IVF Center of Miami.
I had a lot of back and forth with insurance paperwork regarding pre-authorizations for treatment and medication. This was partially the insurance's fault. The clinic did what they had to do, but I had to do a lot of the leg work and constantly call the clinic to tell them what the insurance had said, etc. It was a lot of back and forth but the clinic staff did resolve it.