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Rachana Garde
Shady Grove Fertility
Available Lines of Communication
Doctor email
Nurse email
Nurse email
Direct line to nurse
Not available by personal cell phone
Medical SchoolU. of South Carolina
ResidencyBarnes-Jewish Hosp
FellowshipDuke
Fairfax
8501 Arlington Blvd., Suite 500
Fairfax, VA 22031
703.876.0735
Woodbridge
13580 Groupe Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22192
703-680-1770
5 assessments
7
Age
43 - 46
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Unexplained
7
Dr. Guarde is excellent in person and on the phone, and very relatable. My concerns are that she never informed me in advance when she would be unavailiable.....she was on vacation or otherwise not working during two of my three "own egg" transfers, which was very upsetting to discover in the moment... She was always very supportive, but I feel like almost too gentle without providing solid recommendations for the next step, ie when to move on to donor egg.
+ Read more
Age
43 - 46
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Unexplained
7
How was your experience with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. Garde is very personable and relatable, and is the only woman that practices at the clinic I was at. In hindsight she was a little too optimistic and her hopes for a pregnancy with my own eggs ended up costing me a lot more than I thought I would expend to get pregnant, finally only having a viable pregnancy through donor egg (and two separate donors at that). I only saw her in person twice, once for my initial consult and once during an early ultrasound with my first pregnancy. The rest of the time all comms came through the nurse. I did have several phone calls with Dr. Garde to discuss the outcome of my miscarriages and the way ahead. She was always very supportive, but I feel like almost too gentle without providing solid recommendations for the next step, ie when to move on to donor egg.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Ask her the hard questions, because she will not tell you unless you ask. If you ask, she's very forthcoming.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. Guarde is excellent in person and on the phone, and very relatable. My concerns are that she never informed me in advance when she would be unavailiable.....she was on vacation or otherwise not working during two of my three "own egg" transfers, which was very upsetting to discover in the moment.
Describe the protocols Rachana Garde used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility and their degree of success.
I did 3 cycles using an "antagonist" protocol, each with increasing doses of menopur and gonal F. My first cycle rendered the most eggs and embryos, but none of the cycles ever ended up producing a PGS-testable "blastocyst" and so embryos were implanted without testing, resulting in miscarriage or BNF. First cycle implanted 3 embryos resulting in week 11 miscarriage. Second cycle implanted 2 embryos resulting in week 7 twin miscarriage. Third cycle implanted 2 embryos resulting in BNF. Dr. Garde never explained the rationale behind the protocol or the increase in dosage or why she didn't want to use a different protocol. After the third cycle I moved on to donor egg.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Ashley (forget last name))
Ashley was very caring and supportive when providing the results of my blood tests.
Describe your experience with Shady Grove Fertility.
Shady Grove Fertility is very much a baby making factory that is interested in outcomes and not so much the care and treatment of the individual. But they get results....they just might not be the results you hoped for (pregnancy via donor egg instead of your own eggs) and the way you hoped (seeing your doctor verses the "on call" doctor).
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility.
I was a self-paying patient (no insurance coverage) and was provided a 25% discount for being active duty military. First 2 cycles were purchased as a group for ~$17000 (with discount) and 3rd cycle was purchased separately for ~$12000.
Describe Rachana Garde's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Shady Grove Fertility.
We discussed very early on my desire for a singleton, but was convinced that due to advanced age that more embryos needed to be implanted, and my decision was helped because the embryos were not of freezable quality, so it was either implant or destroy, so I did the multiple embryo transfers.
What specific things went wrong at Shady Grove Fertility?
- Lost appointments
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to convey critical information
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10
Age
39 - 41
Treated
2015 - 2017
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
6 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor
10
Dr Garde is my primary RE. She may not perform every IUI or Egg retrieval, but she gets the information and makes the decisions and either she or her immediate staff contact me...She is very thorough and takes the time to explain the options and processes involved...She answers my questions in a down-to-earth manner and makes sure we understand what's going on and why.
+ Read more
Age
39 - 41
Treated
2015 - 2017
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
—
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
6 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor
10
How was your experience with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr Garde is my primary RE. She may not perform every IUI or Egg retrieval, but she gets the information and makes the decisions and either she or her immediate staff contact me. She works for a clinic with multiple offices and RE's.
She is very thorough and takes the time to explain the options and processes involved.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Be open about your situation and ask questions. Oh and take notes.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
She answers my questions in a down-to-earth manner and makes sure we understand what's going on and why.
Describe the protocols Rachana Garde used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility and their degree of success.
First 2 IUI's were with clomid. No pregnancies.
Next 4 IUI's were with FSH and trigger shots. 1 pregnancy ended in miscarriage due to genetic problem.
ER-rationale- age factor, need to move on from IUI.
2 egg retrievals. Both using FSH. 1st-2 embryos that were PGS tested as abnormal. 2nd-3 embryos have been sent for PGS testing. Awaiting results.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Andrea)
Nurse is very helpful and responsive. The rest of the office is as well.
Describe your experience with Shady Grove Fertility.
Strengths
Multiple locations with varying hours. Open every day. 24 hr nurse line.
They don't allow children, so that makes it more comfortable.
Weaknesses
On weekends I go to a different location, so it's not as personal as my primary location.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility.
IUI's were covered by previous insurance.
Insurance no longer covers infertility.
Multi-cycle IVF pkg with ICSI and Assisted Hatching = $21,500. Does not include meds or PGS testing.
Describe Rachana Garde's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Shady Grove Fertility.
No comment
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10
Age
33 - 34
Treated
2009 - 2010
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IVF
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage
10
She [Dr Garde] always took plenty of time when me. I never felt like I was rushed. She answered every question I had and I never felt like a question was ignored....We traveled from another state because having a singleton was very important to us. Dr. Garde understood that. We did two cycles with her and she always adjusted the protocols as needed along the way.
+ Read more
Age
33 - 34
Treated
2009 - 2010
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 3 Docs
Treatment
4 IVF
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage
10
How was your experience with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. Garde was easy to talk to and she really attempted to get a feel for what was important to US.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Travel as far as you need to to see Dr. Garde!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
She always took plenty of time when me. I never felt like I was rushed. She answered every question I had and I never felt like a question was ignored.
Describe the protocols Rachana Garde used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility and their degree of success.
We traveled from another state because having a singleton was very important to us. Dr. Garde understood that. We did two cycles with her and she always adjusted the protocols as needed along the way.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Mary)
Every time we called Mary, she picked up the phone herself. We never had to leave messages with voicemail or with a receptionist. We had ONE nurse and she was easily accessible. That meant a lot to us.
Describe your experience with Shady Grove Fertility.
We traveled from out of state because we wanted to be at a clinic that helped people achieve singleton pregnancies. We felt that other clinics downplayed the risk of carrying twins (not just higher-order multiples). They were very used to working with out-of-state patients and we appreciated that.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility.
Another reason we chose this clinic is because they had one of the most generous shared help plans in the country. We did misunderstand the plan (our fault) and did not use it the first cycle (although we had an income-based discount). If we had had a full understanding of the program, we would have ended up saving ourselves the cost of that one cycle.
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8
Age
26
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Unexplained
8
She [Dr. Garde] is a wonderful doctor, we dont see her much but when we do she gives all the information and answers any and all questions. Shes very polite and kind. She draws pictures to help us understand and stops along the way to make sure we dont have any questions...We used Clomid for 5 days, had 3 fertilized, this was expected. Then did ovidrell to trigger, then performed an IUI. Everything was perfect in terms of lining and eggs just unsuccessful
+ Read more
Age
26
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Unexplained
8
How was your experience with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
She is a wonderful doctor, we dont see her much but when we do she gives all the information and answers any and all questions. Shes very polite and kind. She draws pictures to help us understand and stops along the way to make sure we dont have any questions
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Ask questions
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
The office talks to you about your job, in specific they ask questions. They pay attention to us like people. They laugh and have fun.
Describe the protocols Rachana Garde used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility and their degree of success.
We used Clomid for 5 days, had 3 fertilized, this was expected. Then did ovidrell to trigger, then performed an IUI. Everything was perfect in terms of lining and eggs just unsuccessful
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Andrea)
The nursing office at Shady grove is very welcoming. The nurse who takes your blood etc its wonderful! She talks to you shes gentle we love her. Our primary nurse is a little more busy so we dont see or talk to her much unless getting results.
Describe your experience with Shady Grove Fertility.
Shady grove is a wonderful facility. They have support pages, they work with you financially and emotionally. The provide everything they can to you in order to help you on your journey, they have a ton of offices so you can go to different locations if needed.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility.
For our first iui we spent 1800 not including medications which were a little over 200.
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7
Age
32
Treated
2014
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
7
Understanding, patiently explained all treatment options, warm personality!
+ Read more
Age
32
Treated
2014
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$500K
Occupation
Marketer or PR
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
7
How was your experience with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Understanding, patiently explained all treatment options, warm personality!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
She splits time between the Annandale and Woodbridge offices and isn't frequently available in Annandale. If it is important to you to actually SEE your doctor frequently, I'd recommend the other office location or selecting a different doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rachana Garde at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. Garde was able to explain my fertility issues and options for various treatments. She primarily works in another office (Woodbridge, I believe), so I often saw her colleagues instead.
Describe the protocols Rachana Garde used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility and their degree of success.
Each cycle we added another element: Clomid only, Clomid + IUI, Clomid + Injectables + IUI
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Sara)
The nurse would call the same day as any bloodwork and provide me an update on the results, including the actual estrogen, progesterone levels. Would help clarify next steps, including making appointments on my behalf.
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