Shruti Malik

Dr Malik is a very methodical, practical doctor. She approaches things with a level head vs. being emotional and lays out multiple paths that you can consider (including the risks and benefits of each). I had a few other fertility specialists that I knew in other states that I got second opinions from, and she always welcomed that other feedback/insight and never felt overly protective of doing things "her way" if I felt strongly about doing something else. When our IVF egg retrieval went poorly (we retrieved eggs but discovered poor egg quality and did not get to the blastocyst stage), she came prepared with a new treatment plan for us to adjust with this new data. Ultimately IVF is a long process and each new test / result is a new data point to customize in the future. I felt like Dr. Malik was in it for the long haul with us. We did get spontaneously pregnant after our failed IVF cycle and Dr. Malik made sure to be the one to do our ultrasound at 7 weeks. She also made sure to be our doctor on days where I needed certain procedures done since she knew my chart the best. Overall, I felt like she was very invested in our journey and I trusted her. Even though we got spontaneously pregnant, I would have felt comfortable going forward with another IVF cycle with Dr. Malik despite the first one not going well because I felt like she had a customized plan as a next step. Would definitely recommend her to others.

Do your own research and ask questions - Dr. Malik will lay out all the facts but for us she relied on us to make the final decision on how to move forward. This allows the patients to have control over the situation but I think it's good to understand a bit on your own before going into appointments.

I can't compare costs to other clinics but their financial team gave me a full breakdown prior to every treatment / procedure so I was 100% clear on what my costs would be

Great bedside manner. Calls after a procedure (iui and failed transfer). She is pregnant and going on maternity leave so my care will be handed off to another doctor. She did perform my iui, but I was under the care of Dr. greenhouse. When he passed then she took over my care.

Microdose Lupron with birth control. I was on bcp for 2 weeks, had sono and blood after bcp. Then started Microdose Lupron 20 units BID, 3 days later I started Gonal F -450 and Menopur 150 at night. I stimmed for 12 days. I had no follicles on the left and 4 on the right. At my last sonogram they counted 7 follicle on the right. I had a cyst that was seen at day 5 monitoring. At retrieval they got 5 eggs, all 5 fertilized with ICSI. 1 out of 5 didn’t fertilize normally. Day 5, day of fresh transfer: 1 5 AA blastocyst, one was a day 4 and the other 2 they were watching. The ones they were watching didn’t make it to freeze. This cycle was a failed transfer.negative pregnancy test.

I have coverage through insurance right now. 500 deductible and 200 for medication

Dr. Malik is straight forward and honest. She gave me my chances of being successful with IVF using my own eggs and let my husband and I make our decision to use a donor egg. She has been supportive and welcoming to anyone who has come to my appointment with me. Her honesty and warmness has kept me at my clinic.

Be prepared with questions because she will answer them ALL! She will make sure of it!

So far we have done a mock transfer and I am waiting for my next cycle to start so that a mock medicated cycle can be done. Stay tuned!

Estimating currently at $26,000

She was great and very detailed during one on one consultations, however, during treatment cycles she was MIA and we never heard from her directly. When she did call, we often would hear her typing in the background which often felt like she wasn't really paying attention.

Advocate for yourself. Just because they recommended something doesn't mean you have to go through with it. Stick with your gut.

She was very pleasant and sat and talked with me . I did but feel rushed fir the consultation. However I asked her before I got started if they could do just my blood work and testing for another site I was doing the ivf from and she assured me that they could. I later found out they they could not. Which was extremely heart breaking

Make sure she knows exactly what she is saying is correct information.

I was ordered to do a saline sonogram

I am not sure

Dr. Malik went through the same initial presentation as another Shady Grove doctor, complete with hand drawing of uterus and fallopian tubes. She has a nice "bedside manner" even though she never actually participated in any of my procedures.

Speak up if you think something is not going well.

We did 3 cycles of IUI. First I was on Clomid, the emotional side effects were terrible for me and I was quite angry about how I felt while on the medication because it basically put me into a panic attack state for a couple of days. With this feedback the next two cycles used Femara instead. We did 3 cycles of IUI and none of them worked.

I had insurance that covered up to 6 rounds of IUI when I saw Dr. Malik.

She was the third doctor that we worked with on my infertility issues. Unlike the first two who immediately said that I was unable to conceive naturally and recommended IVFs instead of IUI. Dr. Malik listened to us and agreed to try a round of IUI after it was determined that we would not qualify for the clinic’s IVF package plan.

Be a strong advocate for what is the best for you. Dr. Malik or the clinic may not agree with the initial request but she is always willing to work with the patient’s request.

We use fertility drugs (bravelle and hsg trigger shot).

Approximately $1,000

N/A

I had a bit of trouble with my IUI procedure (my fault as my cervix is fussy). Dr. Malik didn't hesitate and gave instructions in order to get it done! She said don't worry, we'll get it to cooperate and sure enough it did. Again, I didn't feel like a number, but rather a patient. It was the first time that my husband met her and he to took to her personality and demeanor. That sealed the deal for me! Whether we end up succeeding or not with a child, I'm glad that I'm under the care of Dr. Malik.

Be ready to let her know exactly what's going on and don't hold anything back! The more you tell her, the better!

I have a fussy cervix and it takes doctors a while to find. Sometimes they get frustrated and have to call other doctors in to help. Dr. Malik was a pro, found it and made it work. Although the IUI was unsuccessful, at least I know that I have a doctor who puts in the work!

HSG test, day 3 bloodwork, IUI procedure

I really enjoyed working with Dr. Malik. From the very first appointment she outlined the options available to me and we created a game plan. When our initial plan did not work, we discussed a change in course and she listened to my concerns. I had 2-3 virtual appointments with Dr. Malik. She called me after major milestones and conducted my egg transfer. I had no issues with the practice's set-up (i.e. most day-to-day communications occurring through nurses and inseminations occurring with NP/other physicians). Even though I did not see or speak to Dr. Malik every single time I was in the office for misc. appointments I always knew that my questions via the portal would be answered quickly.

Be honest with her about your wishes. She listens and will respond accordingly. If you don't tell her, she can't help you.

I am a single mother by choice and my initial tests (Fall 2020) came back fine so we started out with unmedicated IUIs. I wanted to avoid pumping my body with meds if possible. I had planned on stopping the journey if I was unsuccessful after 3 IUIs. The second IUI resulted in a chemical pregnancy. After the third IUI I re-evaluated my options with Dr. Malik and decided that I did in fact want to keep going. I even decided that I would attempt a 4th IUI. If that was unsuccessful then I would switch to IVF, which I did. With the first stim cycle the objective was to have me on the lowest level meds possible. Sadly, my body did not respond to the meds so the cycle had to be cancelled. I was an emotional wreck and knew I only had 1 more cycle in me. Thus, I asked that she max me out to the highest level of meds that was safe to give me the best chance. She agreed and we did that for the second stim cycle. My body did respond and we ended up with 3 embryos. 1 was transferred fresh and 2 other were frozen.

$200-$250 per IUI $20K IVF procedure $7-10K IVF meds

Dr. Malik's position was that it best to transfer one embryo at a time due to the medical risks associated with multiples pregnancy. I was fine with this as I had no desire to have multiples.

Dr. Malik was amazing every step of the way during both IVF processes and procedures. I felt that I was always aware of what was coming next, even the first time around. I would most certainly recommend Dr. Malik and her team to anyone having pregnancy difficulties.

Go in with an open mind. There are all kinds of factors that go into getting pregnant and all kinds of reasons why you're not getting pregnant. Take all the Tests. Take in all of the Results. And, ask lots of questions!

Our issues were on the male side. We did the Egg Retrieval with the injection of the sperm into the egg to fertilize the egg. We ended up with 2 Very Highly Rated Embryos that way and both lead to successful pregnancies.

Dr. Malik and her team were completely upfront about the costs involved and what our insurance covered and didn't cover... Anytime we had a question about the finances, they were very quick to respond!

We only did single embryo transfers because we were advised if we did transfer multiple, it was a risk for multiple babies (I was 38 the first time, then almost 40 for the second), so my age was higher risk too, or one could cancel out the other and end up with no pregnancy.

We had a great experience with Dr. Malik through our infertility treatment journey. She heard our issues with great patience and made honest/valuable recommendations. We initially saw a different Dr at SGF but later moved under Dr. Malik's care. She performed couple of minor surgeries and all went great. I was able to conceive in October of 2019 through IVF and delivered a very healthy baby in June. I would definitely recommend Dr. Malik.

If you are serious about having a baby, please see her ASAP.