Rosalind Hayes

We felt very confident in and comfortable with Dr. Hayes from the beginning. She is very kind, intelligent, thorough and caring. We put our full trust in her. However, it was not until we got a second opinion after our second failed IVF attempt (15 eggs total, all fertilized with ICSI, NONE made it to blastocyst), that we realized there was so much she failed to do. Despite asking her if any testing or biopsies etc. could be done to determine why our embryos never made it to the blastocyst stage, she said there was nothing else that could be done, and discussed how our options at that point were using donor eggs, sperm, or embryos or adoption. It was not until we had our initial consult with our new fertility specialist at Cornell in NYC (who also sent us for a urology consult same day for my husband) that we realized how much additional testing could be done, especially on him to determine if any male factor infertility is playing a role. After having our last conversation with Dr. Hayes in November, we were crushed. Needless to say, the consult with the new doctor restored some hope of us having children of our own. They also retested my AMH, which fell from 3.5 to 1 during my time with Dr. Hayes, and it’s back up to 2.7.

Make sure they focus not just on the female but on the male. As a patient you should not have to tell them that but it should be prudent to explore ALL causes of infertility or treatment failures.

Dr. Hayes and her whole staff, nurses included, are very caring and empathetic. You can tell they truly care about you and the work they do.

IUI cycles (done vis local OB/GYN but under the direction/protocols of Dr. Hayes): approximately 3 cycles of clomiphene, 3 cycles with letrizole, and one with injectable (Follistim). All with Ovidrel trigger shot. Rationale for oral meds was my insurance did not cover any of the injectable fertility meds (or any assisted reproductive therapy). For IVF, first cycle was microdose Lupron, Follistim, and Menopur. Second IVF cycle was after AMH was found to be lower at 1 and only five eggs on the first retrieval, so same protocol except Lupron was not microdose, and it was a combo of Follistim and Gonal-F, plus menopur. Doses were a bit higher. Trigger shot of HCG 10,000 units 35 hrs prior to retrieval. First was 5 mature eggs, all fertilized, none made to blast. Second was 10 mature eggs, all fertilized, none made to blast.

They were phenomenal, knowledgeable and compassionate. They were quick to call back and answer questions and went out of their way to help in any way especially when it came to gathering donated medications as my insurance covered nothing.

Strengths - kind, caring, responsive Weaknesses - we would not have said any real weaknesses until we realized that we were told our only options were donor something or adoption ... when there was clearly more testing that could and should have been done.

$8000 for each IVF cycle due at the first appointment. Since we did I not have embryos to freeze or transfer, we were refunded $2000 per cycle. You are only charged for what steps you actually complete. Plus the costs of some of medications, unsure of the total. Many were donated.

None. We did not make it that far though she mentioned single transfer is the way we would go if all went as planned, which we agree with.

I was recommended to Dr. Hayes by a close friend. She always does a wonderful job at explaining the details of my fertility issues to me, even though some of them are very technical. When I want to know more, or I don’t understand something, she helps me understand. She gives suggestions for coping with the emotional struggles of infertility, and discusses how diet and lifestyle changes can make an impact upon the procedures I am involved in. She is encouraging and supportive, and I always am made to feel like I am the “most important” patient she has, when I see her. I imagine others feel that way too!

I encourage prospective patients to listen first - Dr. Hayes has a gift for explaining processes and results in a meaningful and thorough way. I benefited most when I listened first, and then asked questions. I have never felt rushed when meeting with her, and I always felt she was willing to be sure all my concerns and questions were addressed.

Dr. Hayes is warm and kind, but professional. Even when I was a new patient, she treated me as if she knew me well. She was interested in my life, and in the details of it that were pertinent to my decision to start a family. She was supportive of my choices and always reassured me that I was not alone in what I was going through, even though at times, I felt very much like I was.

My first cycle, as best as I can remember, was a standard IUI with donor sperm (I’m single!) and this was done very soon after an extensive surgery to remove endometriosis (in which she beautifully fixed my horribly embarrassing belly button that was botched from a previous endometriosis removal surgery with a different doctor!). When it was not successful, we added Femara to the process, and tried again, also with donor IUI sperm. I think there was one cycle in between that we cancelled because I apparently ovulated very early, and it didn’t make sense to “waste” the donor sperm. Then, we used Femara and added an HCG trigger shot. Unfortunately, though everything seemed to look great (follicles, uterine lining, etc.) the cycle did not result in a pregnancy. I needed a bit of a financial and emotional break from it all (especially because I had no insurance and everything was out-of-pocket) so I returned again several months later. Now, I’m on day 1 of a cycle with Gonal-F and HCG, with donor sperm. I was an egg donor years ago (helped me pay for law school!) so I’m familiar with these medications, and I am hopeful that this will be the process that works! If not, I hope to save enough money to do IVF soon. I really appreciate that we have taken a “gradual” approach, adding things as we go, rather than just “jumping” into IVF from the beginning. I really like that we have given my body the chance to “do this on its own,” if that makes sense.

The office is a small operation, and I have always appreciated that. All nurses I have met are kind and keep everything light hearted and positive. They make jokes, are always upbeat and positive, and if I have a question that is more of a “doctor” question, they don’t guess... they refer me to Dr. Hayes, and I always get an answer soon. The nurses are really helpful in assisting with ordering meds, and making sure we find the most affordable means of acquiring them.

The clinic is in a very large facility. Which, when I had to have surgery for endometriosis, was great, because I was familiar with the building. The office is small, and conveniently located. I also really appreciate that there is a lab right in the building so I can get blood work done right on site! Though I know there is another popular clinic in the Rochester area that is in a “beautiful house” with yoga, a coffee shop, essential oil store, etc., those coming to Rochester Fertility Care should know that it’s fairly “no frills.” But, it is clean, and the simple facility is full of quality staff and amazing doctors. To me, that matters most. Even after I took many months off, I returned to feel welcomed and very remembered.

The costs of my appointments depended upon what I was there for. I believe the ultrasound appointments were $140 at most, and actual insemination may have been $160. Some visits were $60 where I was consulting or just meeting with the doctor.

I have not used embryo transfer, but when I joke about twins, Dr. Ros always smiles and reminds me that the goal is one healthy baby. Of course anything more is a blessed bonus!

I felt that Dr Rosalind was very one sided in treatment options. I brought up a lot of questions regarding ways to increase my fertility naturally, give my body time to work, and it was more of a push forward with $$$ and classes I felt the costs were not spelled out clearly along the way.

Take good notes. Ask questions, multiple time until you an answer. Get real cost breakdowns of every appt and class

She was definitely against tubal removal. And I had to bring up the idea of a separate ultrasound to see how bad the follicles really are.

Cold disinterested. Another day, another dollar.

I felt the clinic was fast ... too fast. Very little wait but then rushed through the appt. And the appsts aren't cheap so I felt I was an inconvenience if I tried to ask a lot of questions . The check out nurse/pant window was very disinterested in explaining charges

Because we felt that were costs were not adequately discussed we only started the process and never followed through. Every appt we had it was a mystery how much it would be $$$. In fact I just got a bill for blood work that I was told was 100% covered

She was amazing, very thurough and took as much time as needed. She was very genuine and approachable! Very professional! Dr Hayes never gave up when I wanted, she always kept me moving forward. When I wanted to stop she was supportive and I finally got a pregnant. She tried different medication variations to find what was perfect for me

Speak up and always ask questions if you are unsure. She will always answer or get you an answer

Everyone in the office new me by name and new why I was there. When I got negative results they were there for me with a shoulder and to pick me back up. When I got pregnant they were just as excited!

The clinic was amazing, from the front end always being on top of appts and squeezing me in when need be to answering insurance questions! Then the nursing staff always getting back to me via phone, or answer medication questions if I was unsure about an injection. Even helping me when my meds didn’t come in time for a cycle

She was extremely conservative with her treatment approach. Given my endometriosis, I felt that we should have been more aggressive. She did not allow me to use injectibles until i tried Clomid for 3 months.

Don’t go to her!

Treatment protocol was by her terms. i couldn’t “skip” any steps....I had to go through the hierarchy she recommended. I feel as if we wasted a lot of time using clomid, etc.

Laproscopy/hysteroscopy/other diagnostic testing Endo found Clomid and IUI x 3 Injectables and IUIx3

They were ok

I would recommend you go in with prior knowledge and advocate for yourself. i trusted we were doing the beat approach for me, but ended up wasting a lot of time. Knowing what i know now, i think we should have done IVF much sooner.

Insurance covered my IUIs. For IVF she is very expensive