Monica Best

My husband and I opted for assisted reproduction after an unexplained miscarriage and inability to get pregnant again. Dr. Best listened to our story with compassion and took copious notes on our issues. She ordered every test in her "arsenal" to try and help us figure out what was going on. She explained the results of the tests and then explained our options (IVF v IUI, etc). I can honestly say that I enjoyed every appointment with her and actually looked forward to seeing her (something I can't say about most doctor visits). She kept my hopes up and was there for me during the difficult moments as well. She is a model doctor.

To be completely open and honest with Dr. Best about your fears and expectations and concerns. I had concerns about having a trisomy baby due to my age and Dr. Best reviewed with me how we could handle such a situation if it arose. She also had referrals to other doctors I could speak with (MFM's). If money is an issue, let her know and she will try to work out a treatment plan within your budget.

Dr. Best is one of the best doctors I've ever worked with. From the first moment we met with her, she was warm, she listened, addressed our issues and explained our options in a very clear and concise manner. She has called me on weekends and I even have her cell number (though I try not to use it!)

I can't remember the exact protocol used, but the first egg retrieval produced a disappointing three eggs so we banked those and did another retrieval that resulted in 12 more eggs! Using ICSI, we then created 12 embryos which we froze until I was ready for a transfer.

Julie was my friend, psychologist, nurse and cheerleader through the process. I had zero understanding of this process and had never even given anyone an injection. She taught me how to inject the meds and how to make it less painful. She gave me samples when I was running out of meds and she was just awesome to work with.

There are honestly no weaknesses with Dr. Best or the Marietta office. Everyone there is spectacular. The main office in Sandy Springs is busy so you feel a bit more like a number, but everyone there was kind and easy to work with. Probably my only big complaint is the cost, but I think that is pretty standard when it comes to IVF. It's not cheap!

We spent about $40,000 for two egg retrievals, three embryo transfers and this includes medicine.

This was something I agonized over quite a bit. Dr. Best was good at showing me the ASRM standard for number of embryos transferred due to age, but she listened to my concern about multiples and helped me reach an informed decision each time on how many embryos to transfer.

I’ve never felt more comfortable with a dr. She told me at my first visit with her to put all the stress on her and for me to relax and I’ve honestly done that for once. I trust Dr. Best because she knows what it’s like to have infertility problems and I know she’s going to help us start a family! She’s very patient and answers all questions and I always leave understanding what our next step is.

Make sure you have your past history all printed out, it helps to have it there to look at when you’re going over what’s next.

Dr. Best has been through IVF herself and took the time to share with me how she understands going through infertility. She made me feel comfortable through the whole process. She’s actually the only doctor that found the issue with my husband and I because she took her time and didnt rush through the testing!

I did two IUI prior to Dr. Best so when we went to her I wanted to try timed intercourse to see if my eggs would even respond and they finally did. We did clomid 100 and a trigger shot and both cycles I had 4 and 6 follicles!! We didn’t get pregnant unfortunately because we later found out my husband has a morphology issue so we are seeing the male specialist now and hoping to improve sperm quality and then go back to iui or ivf!

All nurses are very caring and helpful! They always email me back if I have questions within a few hours!

Strengths: great success rates, many offices so it’s convenient, very knowledgeable drs and nurses Weakness sometimes it can take a little while to get an appt bc they are busy. The sperm freezes have to be done at one location in Atlanta and the latest you can do it is 9 am so that is inconvenient if you live for away like we do. (1.5 hours)

Consult is $250, hsg was around $700 I think, sperm freeze was $650, ultrasounds around $200, husbands ultrasound was $510, IUI is around $1700, IVF starts at $14,500

I haven’t gotten this far yet.

Dr.Best has been a God sent! This is not easy to go through at all! This is such an emotional journey for my husband and I. She has a heart of gold and is always there to answer any questions we have. I feel like she's my cheerleader that's right by my side.

Make sure your paperwork is completed. Make sure your knowledgeable in what your insurance covers for fertility. Go in to the office with written questions. Have an idea of what you're willing to spend. Discuss all questions and be open and honest with your doctor.

The staff is always so helpful and takes their time with you. I didn't feel rushed at all.At every appointment they give me their time and answer all my questions.I never feel rushed! I feel like they really care.

I went for ultrasounds and labs. I took Letrozole. I injected hormones for a few days. Once my follicles were of normal size I had the IUI done.

I love these girls. Always answering all my questions. They always got back to me in a timely manner. They always made sure I understood all I had to do. They gave me an outline of EXACTLY what I had to do step by step. I NEVER had to stay on top of them, or ask what was next. I always knew.

The whole staff is amazing. From the beginning, you're filling out paperwork through their website. That helps by the time you see the doctor on saving time. You meet one on one with the doctor and go over EVERYTHING. You leave having a game plan on what you're about to do. The staff is very caring and positive. You leave having hope on what's about to happen.

I pay out of pocket. Insurance does NOT cover this. That's ok. We feel that Dr.Best wouldn't have us try anything that wouldn't work. I don't feel like they want my money. I feel like they want to help bless us with our miracle.

Dr. Best makes sure she takes time with each patient. She even has a sketch pad that she illustrates exactly what the fertility issues are. It was nice for my husband and I to see from her perspective why we were experiencing infertility and would need IVF.

I would have to say that it is difficult to get an initial appointment. We had to wait 3 months for the schedule to open up; however, we are so glad we were patient and waited. She was exactly what we needed in a doctor for our infertility journey.

Dr. Best has also had to undergo IVF to have a child, so she shares her own story with her patients and makes them know that she understands their same fears and worries.

Dr. Best first listened to everything we had already tried with other doctors. She explained that she wanted to complete some diagnostics of her own to see what was going on. She asked that we both get physicals, and she performed an HSG and an SHG on me. She was able to see that not only do I have uterine fibroids, but I also have hydrosalpinx on my fallopian tubes. She then explained that the fallopian tubes should be removed. We shared our concern to ever conceive on our own, and she listened to us. She shared her medical opinion, and ultimately let us decide our course of treatment. For now, we are going to have the right tube removed and attempt to conceive on our left side with some more fertility drugs, while we attempt to save up for IVF. She was very real about percentages and results experienced in the office with this treatment plan.

My nurse, Julie Morin, always communicated back to my husband and me within the business day, either by phone or email encrypted system. She always listened to our concerns, and even went to bat for us at the hospital when they were refusing to complete a test on me, because I was experiencing spotting. She explained that it was fine, and they needed to do the testing. If we hadn't had the test done, we would have had to wait one more cycle to have testing done. We appreciated her being an advocate for us.

Strengths: Clean State of the Art Technology and Equipment Kind nurses, technicians, and doctors Weaknesses: Takes a long time to get scheduled Front office staff at Kennestone location is a little unprofessional. Twice when were there for appointments, my husband and I both heard the receptionist talk about another patient with a nurse and complain that she was needy and annoying. It was really embarrassing to think that they might do that to us when we leave after an appointment. I never heard that at the Piedmont location though.

I was not covered for any treatment under my insurance. I paid: $250 at inital appointment $98 for second appointment $196 for SHG $1,000 for HSG $121 for consultation meeting Quoted: $14,500 for 1 cycle of IVF and $5,000 for medications.

Dr. Best explained that she would allow us to decide to transfer one or two embryos based on what we were comfortable with. She said she would not transfer more than two at a time, since there are risks with multiples.

Dr. Best had to remove my Fallopian tubes. It was one of the most difficult periods in my life. She was very kind and compassionate about the situation. I had to trust that she knew best. Fast forward to one beautiful toddler and current pregnancy with TWINS! I guess she knew what she was doing! We are forever grateful for her. Not only would we recommend her to others, WE HAVE. We are donating our remaining embryos, and Dr Best will be the doctor.

Enjoy the journey, and learn more than your friends know about reproductive health.

Dr. Best’s bedside manner is INCREDIBLE. At times, infertility is a subject that can be difficult to understand. Dr. Best explained it in the simplilest terms, always made me aware of the next course of treatment/testing, and has done it with a posititivity & patience that I’ve never experienced with any other DOCTOR that I’ve patronized (regardless of practice).

For retrieval, Gonal-F, Ganirelix and luepron (for trigger). For both transfers estradiol patches, progesterone oil and low-dose aspirin.

Dr. Best’s medical team are awesome! Amanda and Julie were extremely knowledgeable, and always assured me that everything was ok when I felt like I was missing an appointment or a dosage or treatment.

Their strength is that they are available to their patients, no matter the time. I normally got sad because I knew after I graduated, I wouldn’t receive the same quality of care as RBA. A weakness would be their sudden turnover, and what I feel is a lack of knowledge from the newest employees. I know that the veteran employees have been there long enough to have processes down to a science, but I feel there is a need for a more thorough on board process.

It was great! 50% discount for vets

Dr. Best was the first doctor I saw regarding infertility. I went to my initial consult alone. I felt like a deer in an open field on the first day of hunting season at that appointment. I also felt very dumb. Something is wrong, but I have no idea what and I am sitting on the other side of a desk with a woman in a white coat, who is looking at me with the most gentle eyes and kind smile, and I just want to crawl in a hole and hide. The things that we talked about and the ways Dr. Best educated me are things that I still remember, fondly. I was hellbent on freezing my husband's sperm, he has a chronic disease that is half of why we needed IVF, and she was very nicely explaining that, yes, that's fine, but we really want embryos. Embryos equal babies. She was very knowledgeable and well read on current literature/studies/research, which is very important to me.

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Dr. Best is a warm and caring woman. She was transparent about her own fertility struggles, which she didn't need to be. This is almost reason enough to see her for treatment, she understands this both medically AND personally. How many doctors can say that?

We only met with Dr. Best maybe three times total, and did not pursue treatment with her/RBA. We learned that the work up/diagnostic testing was covered under my husband's insurance at Emory. After further research, we also learned that the cost of a fresh IVF cycle with ICSI was dramatically less expensive at Emory. Dr. Best/RBA wanted my husband to see a urologist for his junky sperm. This would not be covered by insurance. When we discussed this at Emory, they said, (paraphrasing), "who cares, we know it's bad, let's make you a baby."

I don't remember anything about the nurse (Jamie? Jessica?) who drew my blood.

RBA has two offices, I think. I went to the one in Atlanta for the thing where they shoot saline into your uterus, and all my other appts were in the Kennestone Outpatient Pavilion in Marietta. I can't speak to the overall strengths or weaknesses of the clinic, in either location.

When we got pricing sheet for RBA, everything was listed "a la carte". It was nearly impossible to follow, a lot of it because we were still (blissfully) unaware of all the medical terms and meanings and also because it was so extensive. Because our insurance offered ZERO coverage for anything done, we got bills immediately, had to pay a lot of money up front for things, and just were not prepared. My husband was the cooler head, for sure. I was very much, "just take my money and make me a baby, I will pay anything". It was insane how much money we paid, and we hadn't even gotten to the actual baby making part yet! This is the biggest reason we did not pursue treatment with RBA.

I came in as a PCOS patient not knowing if I would ever be able to conceive and came from a clinic where I felt as if I my opinion did not count. Dr. Best was very easy to communicate with and listened from the consult moving forward. During our first cycle she made very clear to us the risks and possibilities that could arise which made us feel both hopeful and allowed us to keep realistic goals in mind. We did manage to get a BFP on our first letrozole/trigger shot/IUI cycle, unfortunately this ending in early miscarriage. This has no bearing on Dr. Best, it was just nature doing what it had to do. But just knowing we got our BFP first try, let's us know she has us in the right direction. Thank you Dr. Best.

The wait time for an initial consult may take longer than you like, but with a bit of patience I promise it is worth the wait. She is very patient, kind and sensitive to your situation and you will not regret your decision to be treated by her.

Dr. Best has the best bedside manner of doctors I have seen on my fertility journey. She is direct and gives you realistic expectations while being able to relay the information in a manner delicate enough for the issue at hand. For this alone I am grateful for.

I had originally done an HSG with a previous provider, so Dr. Best wanted to do an SHG just to make sure all was well with my uterus itself and we also cofirmed my AMH levels. After clearing the HSG AND SHG she decided to treat me with a combination of dexamethasone, Letrozole days 5-9, trigger shot and baby aspirin. I came in for 2 ultrasounds about a week after my last letrozole pill to confirm follicle size. We did IUI 36 hrs after trigger shot.

The nursing staff was very quick to respond to any questions or concerns I had and they were also sensitive to my situation.

I mainly went to the Lawrenceville and Sandy Spring locations. I went to the Marietta office once (Dr. Best's main location). My experiences at Sandy Springs have been mostly well save for some issues with the billing here, they informed me I was not covered for something when I clearly was which was a huge frustration. After calling my insurance company they reached out to the billing at the office and cleared this up. My only issue with the one appointment I had at the Marietta office is they were a little late returning from lunch, my appt was right at the time they are to return from lunch and I waited in the hall for about 15mins.

My insurance covered most of my expenses. Without insurance I believe a letrozole/IUI is aprox 1000.00 per cycle.

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Dr. Best is a warm and welcoming doctor. She is very insightful and wants to go over her action plan in detail. Once she has her plan she is on a mission. My low ovarian reserve count and my husband's klinefelter syndrome didn't stop her as it would most doctors I believe.

Do your research and know your options. Dr. Best will let you know but it is better to go in there with the knowledge already so you aren't lost when she is talking terms and procedures.

Dr. Best took the time to attack the plan at need. However, my husband and I both felt that a lot of information was given at once with little take home information.

Dr. Best wants to do two cycles of Egg retrievals then for my husband to have a sperm extraction procedure. After this, we will then fertilize then send off for genetic testing.

The nursing staff for Dr. Best were able to assist when needed. The satellite offices appeared to not communicate as well with one another.

Our clinic was Reproductive Biology Associates. My husband's doctor was Dr. Michael Witt while I saw Dr. Monica Best. The two offices appeared to function as satellite offices. The only weakness I saw regarding the clinic was the communication between offices could have been better in regards to doctor's notes, medical files and procedure plans.

Estimated total costs: $52,000

Dr. Best does have a strong preference to only selecting one embryo to transfer compared to multiple. We have expressed wanting to place two embryos in our first trial and she expressed that it does not raise our chances of pregnancy.

Dr. Best is a deeply compassionate and skilled physician. She was familiar with my treatment history before our first visit and had immediate recommendations to improve the chances of a successful pregnancy for our next cycle. I work in healthcare, she is by far one of the best physicians I have worked with and she made me want to do a better job with my own patients.

Trust her. She is spectacular. If you have questions Dr. Best or her staff will make sure you are taken care of -ask them anything.

I saw Dr. Best after an extremely negative experience with a previous provider. She was thorough, compassionate, & extremely positive. Transferring my care to her allowed me to heal and look forward to my next cycle with hope. She is an amazing physician and all around incredibly decent human being.

Lupron down regulation before frozen embryo transfer, Progesterone in oil supplementation during luteal phase versus vaginal progesterone. Successful pregnancy was the result.

Julie was an awesome resource during my cycle. She was prompt in replying to my questions and able to answer detailed questions. I am grateful for her!

Travel, Medications, Cycle fee