Valerie Shavell

Dr. Shavell is very nice and soft spoken, easy to talk to. We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility though and given a packet of pre-determined steps with none ever working for us. Our care is really left in the hands of nurses, we never hear from the doctor or see her during/after procedures and ultrasounds unless we want to pay out of pocket for another consult.

You're just one of many. She is kind and knowledgeable but don't plan for her to actually be involved in your care unless you're doing IVF.

HSG that came back normal, 3 rounds of clomid, 4 rounds of Femara in attempt to see if any of these things would produce more follicles to increase chances of pregnancy. I was already ovulating on my own and ended up with multiple follicles twice. Also went on estrogen and progesterone to thicken lining when Femara thinned it. No success from any treatments.

Expensive, my insurance doesn't cover most of it. Ultrasounds are frequent and usually cost $175-250 depending on limited or complete (although even when charging for complete ultrasound the cervix isn't evaluated and a VERY fast sweep of the uterus is performed that's not very diagnostic). IUIs were around 700 each time, the HSG was probably closer to 1000 but I can't remember the exact numbers for sure. Consults are over 100, and then another 50 every time I talk to a nurse in the clinic after ultrasounds.

Not to that point yet

Dr. Shavell has been a supportive, knowledgeable, and honest physician. After being with my OB for fertility treatment, it is refreshing to be with an RE that is confident in her procedures and uses my personal data, blood work, and ultrasound information to make informed decisions about my procedures and next steps. I truly recommend Dr. Shavell to any person looking for their next options in starting a family in the midwest region. My only regret is not visiting this office sooner!

After working with an OB for 5 medicated cycles, Dr. Shavell makes sure you have a fertility panel done (bloodwork, ultrasound, possible HSG test) before starting treatment. This was extremely helpful knowing what my numbers were to these tests and helped me understand my body a bit more. The more information, the better; which is what you will get with Dr. Shavell!

When I first began seeing Dr. Shavell, she ordered a fertility panel of bloodwork and an HSG test to see if my tubes were open. Most bloodwork was normal except AMH (very high) and my TSH. My husband also had a semen analysis done which came back normal. I was put on metformin and levothyroxine. After, we began with 5 mg femara. I had no response. She upped me to 7.5 femara. Again, I had no response. I was then put on 10 mg of femara. I responded well and grew 1 mature follicle per cycle. I did this 3 times and did the HCG trigger shot when my follicles were considered mature. After three negative pregnancy tests, we decided to move to a more aggressive approach as 3-4 cycles per medication is the norm. We are currently doing 10mg of Femara, 37.5 iu Gonal F, and the HCG trigger shot. I also use progesterone suppositories 3 days after trigger shot. We have also included an IUI with this more aggressive approach. We have 2 more cycles with this approach before our last option is IVF.

Each visit there is a cost associated with it. Some are covered by insurance where I have a discounted portion to pay (ultrasounds and doctor's visits) while others are not covered at all (IUI, medications): Ultrasounds ($23) IUI ($600) Meeting with a nurse ($23) meeting with a doctor ($180) HCG trigger shot ($90) Femara ($5) Gonal F ($420) Progesterone ($50) HSG ($1200) Various bloodwork combined ($800+) Levothyroxine ($4)

I have not received information on this yet.

We liked her right away. At our first visit she seemed very intelligent and committed to do everything in her power to help us have a baby. She explains things in great detail which we found very helpful. Her compassion and bedside manner has only improved over the years that we have been under her care.

Take notes at your appointments.

The first round of IVF we used the antagonist protocol and obtained 4 eggs, 3 embryos were created with ICSI. The second retrieval she changed the protocol to the long protocol and 9 eggs were obtained and 7 embryos created with ICSI. I was on 450mg of Gonal F per day for 14 days.

They were very accommodating to my schedule. Sometimes I had to wait a little bit but it usually went very well.

Blood draws are $115. (Progesterone/estradiol) Ultrasounds about $300-350 FET about $4,000 without additional add ons. Egg retrieval/fresh transfer about $9,000 without ad ons.

She did not have a preference and did educate us on the risks of multiples with transferring two.

We had to cancel an egg retrieval which was so disheartening after finishing half of our shots/medications. She personally took time out of her day to call me and apologize for the situation even though it was not any fault of her own.

Be open minded through the process as things change often. Be more prepared to talk to all of the staff and nurses and ask many questions. You truly don't talk to the Dr often.

We decided to do a full IVF cycle. My body decided to produce one very large egg (many other small eggs that just would not be able to catch up) which resulted in having to postpone our IVF. After 3 failed IUI attempts and 2 additional rounds of femara that also failed, it was so heartbreaking! We just started our 2nd round of IVF. We will be doubling all of our dosages for injections and taking a stronger approach. Nothing like watching your dreams being crushed 6 different times. Still we remain positive and continue on. We are definitely praying for a healthy miracle.

We have personally spent over $25,000 and counting for fertility treatments. It is extremely overwhelming financially when you're constantly getting a bill for treatment plans and services. It hits harder after a failed attempt where you have to pay for more injections or medications. IVF and fertility are extremely expensive at this center. It is our closest option for being able to make appointments on a regular routine basis.

We thought it best to do a multiple embryo transfer after much discussion with our Dr. This next month feels like a standstill for time.

Dr. Shavell has always honestly and thoroughly discussed my treatment options with me while demonstrating kindness and compassion. I was impressed by how thoroughly she reviewed and understood my particular infertility history prior to my initial consultation. She keeps in close communication with me and has always made me feel I could speak openly with her about my treatment plan.

Dr. Shavell has a very gentle and patient bedside manner. She has a way of putting the anxious mind at ease and is very accommodating to any special needs.

Overall we had a great experience with Dr. Shavell. She has a very calming personality which is a huge positive for those undergoing something that is already anxiety-provoking, such as fertility treatments. She is thorough, knowledgeable, and always took the time to speak with us. She answered all questions no matter how big or small. We left every appointment feeling like we knew what was happening. Anytime we didn't get the result we wanted, she immediately came up with a plan of action which left us feeling confident, and in the end, got the result we wanted.

If you are looking for a doctor who is calm, warm, sympathetic, and attentive, Dr. Shavell would be a great fit for you. Her quiet nature is immediately calming and reassuring. If you prefer a doctor who is a little more firm or hard-lined, she would not be a good fit.

We tried a natural cycle for our first IUI. Actually, I miscalculated my ovulation and when we went in for our mid-cycle ultrasound, we learned that I had already ovulated and it was too late. Dr. Shavell reassured us that we could try again the following cycle, which we did. She had me come in earlier, and quite often throughout the week, to track follicle growth to ensure we didn't miss the window of opportunity this time. I was prescribed the trigger shot (Ovidrell) to administer at midnight on a Saturday so that we could do the IUI on a Monday. Dr. Shavell was the one to perform the IUI. It was a simple and quick procedure. Unfortunately we did not get pregnant from that try. A few months later we tried for the 2nd time with similar protocol - ovulation tracking through an OPK in the mornings and then tracking follicle growth via ultrasound as the time grew closer. There was no need for a trigger shot this time; I ovulated on a Thursday morning and went in right away for the IUI (which was performed by a nurse, not Dr. Shavell). The nurse inserted a mesh plug after the procedure. Two weeks later we got our positive result!

We used all of the money from our wedding to cover our costs, so we did not have to pay out of pocket. If I had to do an overall estimate of the total cost, it would be about $10,000.

As a patient, I would highly recommend her. She is well educated and compassionate. She has an awesome bed sideanner and you truly feel like she is listening. She also has so e a great job of trying to figure our case out by tapping into the knowledge of her partners and other fertility clinic.

When you do get time with her, ensure you write down all of your questions before hand so you don't forget anything. She is great but you don't get a ton of one on one time with her.

Round 1 -Egg retrieval and fresh transfer using Gonal F, Menpur, and Cetrotide. - chemical pregnancy Round 2 Frozen embryo transfer using Lupron, Estrace, Progesterone. - negative Round 3 - Frozen embryo transfer using Lupron, Estrace, and resistant uterine protocol of ibuprofen, Xanax, prednisone. - negative Round 4 - Frozen embryo transfer, stimulation cycle using gonal. Thought was that I responded better to stimulation rather than suppression - negative Round 5 - Did an Endometrial Receptivity test prior to frozen embryo transfer. Showed I needed 12 less hours of prednisone if following previously used stimulation protocol. Negative Round 6 - Full retrieval with PGS testing of embryos followed by a frozen embryo transfer with previously suggested protocol from ERA. Negative Round 7 - yet to transfer. We are on our second round of testing through Yale doing the Endometrial Function Test. First round showed potential endometriosis and that I was taking too much progesterone. With this second round of testing we are treating the endometriosis by doing 2 months of Lupron prior to testing month. We are also adjusting estrogen and progesterone doses.

For all treatment thus far, we have spent almost $80,000.

Dr. Shavelle has always been very honest about how many embryos are recommended. It seems that the office has protocols as to how many they are willing to transfer in which situations.

When we met with her the first time, we were impressed by her professional manner and knowledge of the process. She was very good at answering the questions that we both had, as well as making questions of us. She made us feel hopeful about our ability to be able to eventually conceive and made us feel like we had many options and possibilities yet to pursue. She has a very calming demeanor, which for me was maybe a little too clam. Where I definitely appreciate that you need to exude peace in what can be a stressful situation in people's lives, I personally love when doctors can make you feel like they understand the particular situation that you're in and still express an upbeat fun attitude. That being said, she was very nice and gentle with the way she talked and discussed different treatment options with us.

Be prepared to feel like you have a wealth of possibilities that you gain from her knowledge. You'll definitely feel like your being cared for and helped, but don't expect an excess of laughter or jokes. She seems to be very calm, steady and even keeled.

After our consultation visit, she decided to do some more lab work that we hadn't previously had yet...testing the ovarian reserve, my thyroid levels and a couple other things that I can't remember. She also decide to increase the dose of Clomid that I had previously been taking from my OB/GYN. (Which is where we started out in this process.) We went from 50 to 100. She also had me schedule a mid cycle ultrasound to measure the developing follicles and thickness of the uterine lining. By upping the dose, she was hoping to stimulate a better response from my follicles than what I had been getting on just the 50. I was also told about the trigger shot ovidrel, and used that to push ovulation. The first Cycle like that we did with just timed intercourse. The next cycle she bumped my clomid dose up to 150 because it still wasn't helping the follicles to develop any sooner or bigger than it had at the 100. That definitely worked. At the next middle ultrasound, I had three good sized follicles instead of only one small one. We moved on to an IUI that cycle...still with the Ovidrel. A nurse in the office actually performed the IUI, not the doctor herself. That both of those cycles ended with a negative pregnancy test. We are currently coming to the end of our third cycle with this Doctor and office. This cycle we did all the same things, 150 cComid, Ovidrel, IUI. (Just one follicle this time, but still on the bigger side.) The only thing that changed this time is that during the mid cycle ultrasound it was noticed that my lining was on the thinner side, so I was prescribe esterase tablets to take vaginally to help thicken the lining. I started taking them cycle day 12 and am still taking them now on cycle day 19. I was advised to take them until I take a pregnancy test..which will be soon. That being said, we don't know the results yet of this current treatment cycle.

My insurance only covered half the cost of ultrasounds and lab work only if it was done somewhere else and then sent to the Fertility center. The fertility center has been super helpful in letting me get lab work done at a place covered by my insurance, so that im not incurring unnecessary costs. They also recommended a cheaper pharmacy that I could get the Ovidrel shot from.(It wasn't covered by my insurance.) I went from paying $170 for the shot to $90. The ultrasounds cost me about $100 after the insurance and the IUIs that I've done were each $600 out of pocket.

Dr. Shavell was very thorough from the very first consultation. There was a lot of information to take in but it provided me with everything I needed to know and to further research myself. Any questions resulting from my research and conversations with others in similar situations were always received positively and answered appropriately no matter how silly some questions may have sounded. She was more available to the nurses than me, however. She did not conduct the 7 IUIs but still communicated with the nurses before starting the next round. Although she was not available to conduct my laparoscopy, she did my pre-op and post-op and made sure I was very comfortable and doing well. Most recently she did my sonohysterogram and mock embryo transfer and was very gentle and calming through the discomfort. She ensured all parts were in working fashion to proceed with IVF in the coming month.

If you feel like you need a face to face meeting, do not be scared to call and make the appointment. It can be difficult playing phone tag with the nurses who have to communicate with the doctors and then back to you. It can be time consuming, especially if you miss phone calls due to work or other daily activities.

The first test I had completed was an HSG. Everything looked perfect with no signs of obstructions. Dr. Shavell mentioned there is some research showing women getting pregnant in the following three months. Unfortunately that was not the case for me. We started a cycle of clomid in December 2017 with a trigger shot of Ovidrel followed with an IUI. A negative pregnancy was the result. We continued with the same protocol for 3 more IUIs. Dr. Shavell provided statistics that show IUIs increasing positive outcomes after 3 IUIs, again they all resulted in negative pregnancy tests. We had a meeting with Dr. Shavell to discuss the next steps. She stated she would like to see my egg quantity and quality response with a protocol of pills and injectables with IUI. We switched to letrozole pills as I started having very bad headaches and long lasting nausea with clomid, and added Gonal F 75 IU daily, triggered with ovidrel followed with IUI. We did this for 2 rounds and both resulted in negative pregnancy tests. However, there was an increase in the number of follicles and size. At this point I could not continue to see negative tests and chose to take a month off. We met again and discussed having a laparoscopy to inspect the outside of my anatomy. We had a good pre-op conversation consisting of laparoscopy information and IVF information. The laparoscopy resulted in finding and removing stage 2 endometriosis. Dr. Shavell wanted to try IUI again now that we found a potential cause. We did IUI with letrozole, gonal f, and ovidrel. Another negative pregnancy test. That was the final IUI. Being that I was provided with IVF information a few months prior, I decided to schedule an IVF consultation in January 2019. The meeting was with an IVF nurse and she provided all the procedures,medication, and protocol information Dr. Shavell wants me to do. I was scheduled for a Sonohysterogram and mock embryo transfer with Dr. Shavell February 7, 2019. Here she wanted to get a better view of inside the uterus to ensure there weren't fibroids, polyps, scar tissue or other abnormalities that would prevent implantation. Everything looked just fine for implantation and the mock transfer went smoothly as well. Dr. Shavell will carry out my egg retrieval and embryo transfer in March 2019.

We do not have infertility insurance, however we do have coverage for monitoring and some procedures such as the HSG and laparoscopy which resulted in significant savings. Ultrasounds performed at one of their smaller locations (Mason) were typically $180 or $75 after insurance. However, if it was one of the Doctors that did the ultrasound as an ultrasound technician wasn't available, an extra $30 was added. If they were done at the Grand Rapids office, regardless of who did it, an extra $30 was tacked on. The bill would show it as a meeting, even though no meeting took place, it was just the ultrasound. IUIs were out of pocket. For the semen wash and the procedure it was $500 per IUI, we did this 4 times. Pricing changed and the IUIs were then $600 per, we did this 3 more times. The laparoscopy was a reasonable and fair price. For IVF, we will be paying $9,867 just for the procedures. This price includes the $1,850 we paid for a case management fee. We have a $8,017 balance due at the end of February 2019.

Dr. Shavell provided statistics on the success rates of single vs. Multiple embryo transfer along with specific criteria as to why a two embryo transfer is ideal for me. As I do not meat criteria for increased high risk pregnancy, we both agreed a two embryo transfer is ideal. She made sure to discuss the possibility of selective aborting if there were more than 2 or 3 developing babies.

I had no idea what to expect at my first appt for a consult. My husband's urologist said nothing was wrong with his sperm so I wasn't sure why we weren't getting pregnant. I also had a very short leutal phase and my own OB said it was only because my TSH levels were off. Dr. Shavell listened to our stories and looked closely at everything we had presented her with. She fixed my leutal phase with progesterone and had given us the blunt info that we needed to see that my husband's sperm was fine but definitely needs some help. She performed my first IUI and she was calm and explained everything. She is great

Make sure you listen, she's soft spoken and calm so you could miss something :)

I take Femara to help with producing more mature follicles I take progesterone 3 days after IUI to lengthen my leutal phase I was just prescribed a trigger shot this cycle in which I'll use in the next few days to make sure I ovulate all mature follicles She has me doing IUI once I get a positive OPK (when I wasn't using a trigger shot) So far IUI's #1 and #2 did not work. I am hopeful for #3, it's all a waiting game.

I guessed that our costs would be a lot higher than they ended up being. I wish they mapped out procedure costs a little better. I have pretty good insurance so that definitely helps with my journey

N/A

Valerie has always been very warm anf compassionate. In the beginning we did state we wanted to do embryo adoption right off the bat and were told to do 3 iuis first, which all failed which was discouraging. We wasted a lot of money and time for it not to work. But shavell has always been reassuring and positive!

She is almost overly kind sometimes, but thats important when dealing with such sensitive topics.

First IUI was a natural cycle and it failed. Second cycle we used clomid and trigger shot, it was very hard to get through my uterus and ended up having to do an ultrasound, that cycle failed. Third cycle was clomid, estrace, and trigger shot with ultrasound guidance, that failed as well. All 3 cycles were with donor sperm. I just started week 2 of lupron shots as we start our frozen embryo adoption cycle.

Expensive! But in Michigan most insurance doesn't over anything for infertility. Ive had 4 or 5 ultrasounds each being between $275-$350. 3 iuis each $550, multiple appointments ranging from $200-500 each time. Medications have been about $900 so far, male factor testing has been almost $2,000, my testing has been about the same at $2,000. We just paid almost $10,000 for embryo adoption.

Valerie recommended a single transfer due to my age but was VERY receptive that we wanted to transfer 2, and we will be transfering 2 hopefully in May

Dr. Shavell is so compassionate she almost comes off as meek in the consult room, which might be good for some people, but I prefer a doctor to be blunt and tell me like it is. She did perform surgery when I had an ectopic pregnancy and she's much more to the point in the operating room so I was happy with that and she did a great job.

I would suggest going into an appointment prepared with lots of questions to ask. I've done a lot of my own research and make lists of things I want to ask her about.

I've done 4 IUI's under Dr. Shavell's primary care. At the Fertility Center you basically see whichever doctor or nurse is available during your procedures though so a lot of these protocols were assigned by other providers. Each IUI cycle started with Clomid cycle days 3-5, midcycle ultrasound ~day 10-12, IUI ~day 13-15. The first two were negative. The third IUI was positive, but resulted in an ectopic pregnancy found at the 6 week ultrasound. Dr. Shavell recommended methotrexate to terminate the pregnancy. That was followed by two weeks of Beta HCG blood tests every few days and my numbers weren't going down. She recommended a second dose of methotrexate over surgery and that was also ineffective. Two weeks later I finally had surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy and my fallopian tube. After methotrexate you have to wait 3 months to conceive and then the first month we could try, I was ovulating on the side my tube was removed from. After many months of waiting, we just did our 4th IUI this week so hoping for a positive result!

I would estimate that each IUI costs around $1000 including drugs, ultrasounds, and procedure. They don't bill insurance for the male portion, which is $350 for the cleaning and storage of the sperm. But they've billed my insurance for everything else and majority of it has been covered by Blue Care Network. I don't think BCN covers anything for IVF though.

I officially got diagnosed with infertility 2014. I seen Dr Dodds. He was witty and nice but for a long time I just progressing and doing the same medications over. On my 5th year I decided to stay at the same clinic but try a woman specialist to see maybe if she had a different opinion. I had a consult with her and she wrote up a new plan for me and was very personable. She could tell I was a little discouraged but made me feel at ease and not embarassed or uncomfortable. My only regret is not seeking her out sooner as my result who knows might’ve been a pregnancy already. All the money could’ve went towards ivf if I had known facts sooner and understood.

Be patient as always. You will love her

We looked at my history since 2014. I did countless clomid/femara cycles. I did a couple rounds of ovidrel and one round of follistim. This time after meeting with her she wrote up a plan to first get new bloodwork on everything. Found out I am a probable candidate for PCOS, have high liver enzymes and high blood sugar. Had me meet with my OBGYN to take metformin to level everything out. Had me do an hsg again, and for two cycles use a higher dosage for femara and do 2 iui’s before discussing ivf again. Although no pregnancy I have never had 2 months in a row with mature follicles so I’m thinking the higher dosage of femara has helped. Moving forward I have another consult at the end of this month about ivf. Not sure what the cost and fees are as I’m a little nervous because we have spend so much money on the other medications and feel hopeless. Hoping I will be qualitfied foe this grant, will be life changing

Dr. Shavell is very caring and considerate. She will do everything that she can to help her patients conceive. She is very empathetic to situations and explains in detail different options to choose from when one doesn't work.

Don't stress and stay calm, everything is very face passed and starts immediately after your consultation. This is to ensure things get to moving and to help you reach your dreams of parenthood as fast as possible.

When we first started our journey with the fertility center, Dr. Shavell had me do blood work and also go in for an ultra sound to check the lining of my uterus and what not. She then proscribed me with femara, I was to take it cycle day 3-7. I was monitored with more ultra sounds making sure I was producing eggs and that follicle sizes were where they needed to be. She stated that we could use a trigger shot or ovulation test to see when ovulation occurred. We used ovulation tests and once I got a positive we were to head to the clinic to preform the IUI procedure. On the day of the procedure my husbands count was unfortunately low but Dr. Shavell reassured me that it only takes one, so we went ahead and tried. We however did not convince but we have been on the course of increasing my husbands count with seeing a urologist and him also being on clomid. We hope to try for another IUI here soon!

My insurance through my work unfortunately is very limited to what it will cover fertility wise. Some medications were covered like the femara along with ultra sounds. However the IUI procedure was not covered but Dr. Shavell worked with us tremendously with that.

Dr. Shavell is to the point, and obviously extremely intelligent and well educated. I'm a person that wants everything explained in detail as I want to absorb all the information I can. I could have asked more questions, but I wish she had approached us without thinking we were as familiar as why she would suggest some of the procedures. I wanted the detailed reasons why. She is very kind, which is very important to me. I have met with her twice, and am scheduled with her in 1.5 weeks.

Ask your questions, she gives you time.

I'm diagnosed with recurrent pregnancy loss after three miscarriages. Dr. Shavell suggested a saline sonohysterogram and a endometrial biopsy. The SHG was to check for scar tissue after two D&C's 7 days apart. The biopsy was to make sure the infection (endometritis) in my endometrium was resolved. Both came back normal and great, thankfully.

Cost has been fine as my insurance has covered appointments and procedures. Thanks to the staff that scheduled the two procedures, she made sure they were scheduled on two different days. Otherwise my insurance only would have covered one. That was a great experience. One negative experience was the Counsyl genetic testing they recommended; I had already had karyotype testing; so, I don't know if it was even necessary, but the MA gave me inaccurate information about being able to cancel the testing when I received an email from Counsyl. Thankfully Counsyl worked with me. I am slightly irritated they do not accept Tricare. My husband is a veteran and in the national guard and soon I will be on his insurance.

does not apply

Dr. Shavell was kind and seemed deeply aware of the stress and emotions that go along with infertility. She always made sure I knew what the next step of the process was and that I was comfortable with it. What I like most is she reminds you that you are strong and capable of handling the stress and struggles of IVF.

She is ready to work for you and make sure you are ready for the work!

Gonal-F, Follistim, Menopur, hCG

ART case management $1850 (deposit to schedule) Follicle Puncture/ Oocyte Retrieval $1795 Culture and Fertilization of Oocytes/Embryos $1570 Embryo Transfer $1060 Abdominal Ultrasound $225 ICSI $1850 Assisted hatching $630 Blastocyst Culture $620 Cryopreservation of Embryo $910 Cryopreservation of Oocytes $910 Time Lapse Photography $805 Embryogen $465 Thawing of cryopreserved embryos $1075 This is the cost breakdown provided to me. Obviously I did not require everything here. My total from this list was $10,065

I was education on risks and likelihood of successful implantation.

Dr. Shavell is very nice. She's a little too soft spoken at times; meaning her demeanor is almost too sympathetic. I want answers, I want to take comfort knowing you (the person I am trusting) has a plan of action specifically designed for me and that we aren't just going through the motions. There were times where I felt she was more focused on me thinking she cared than her actually trying to fix any issues. I also feel she is not very available when needed.

Ask her to give it to you straight. Also, request a full description of treatments with all the why's explained.

After my HSG, I had to have a polyp removed. Then we started on 50 mg clomid because that's the starting point, which I responded well to but nothing came of it. We did four cycles on this with the HCG (Ovidrel) shot. Then we moved onto letrozole and Gonal-F. I can't remember the specific dose of letrozole but the injections were 300. I did not respond as well to the letrozole as we had hoped. I am currently going to do one timed cylce of 100 mg of clomid (back to clomid after under-performance of letrozole) while we wait for insurance pre-authorization. If that is approved (different insurance company than the last round) I will have one last IUI cycle of 100 mg Clomid and Gonal-F 450 injections. IF this does not work, we will immediately be moving on to IVF.

Each IUI is $500 (sperm wash and procedure) plus the ultrasound and office visit. Each visit was a co-pay amount. Hybrid cycle had an extra ultrasound (echogram) which was more than the ultrasound. Medications were all based on what insurance would cover; most of it out of pocket.

Dr. Shavell is super nice and well educated. Our personalities are just very different. She is very, very soft spoken and serious. My husband and I appreciate a more laid back approach. I honestly preferred speaking with the nurses instead of her directly. There was nothing wrong with the way she treated me or anything, our personalities just did not click.

If you don't mind soft spoken, cut and dry, then you will like her.

An IUI procedure was $268 (my insurance would cover in full but I had to submit for reimbursement). My insurance covered all office visits after meeting my $125 deductible. The IVF procedure cost around $8000 in just the center costs - not including medications.

As stated earlier- she is to the point, but caring and “on your team”. She explains procedures well, and seeks to answer any and all questions clearly. During consultation appointments, my husband and I never felt rushed or like we were taking up too much of her time. She didn’t ask too many personal questions outside of the medical/fertility issues, but I believe that’s because she’s very focused on getting you treatment as quickly and efficiently as possible. I fully trusted her.

Come with questions ready to go at appointments, but don’t hesitate to call the office if you have questions after the fact. She and the team are all very helpful.

I did 3 rounds of clomid with ultrasound monitoring appointments and times intercourse. This did not result in pregnancy. Then, after another consultation appointment, I did 2 rounds of Gonal-F injections with IUI (I requested IUI). On the third (and what would have been last round before proceeding to more aggressive treatment) I did injections and no IUI (it was cancelled because follicles were believed to be on blocked side), and I ended up with a positive pregnancy test!

My insurance covered medications and all appointments (including monitoring with ultrasound). The only thing we paid for out of pocket was the 2 IUI procedures ($500 each).

Did not receive this treatment.

I enjoyed having Valerie as my doctor. There was one negative experience when the dosage listed on my prescription was different than what was on their plan. She handled the situation ok by calling me to reassure me the dosage would not affect the results but didn't take the ownership of her (or the nurses) mistake.

Ask lots of questions because she will answer it thoroughly but doesn't necessarily go over everything if not asked. Be proactive of your care because she will be willing to take the next steps if you want.

I don't remember all of it but for the IVF procedure I was put on Lupron to start, then took estrace pills, after the transfer I began IM progesterone.

Embryo retrieval/1 fresh transfer was $10,000. Frozen embryo transfer $2500 IUI was $400

She left this decision up to use. The first time we chose for 2, which she recommended. The second time we chose 1 which she supported. We were given the information that with a transfer of 2 embryos it was a 45-50% chance of pregnancy but they didn't have any statistics for an embryo transfer of 1.

Time with Dr. Shavell is great. I only wish there were more appointments with her(that you were not charged extra for) and not support staff so it would be easier to ask questions directly to her. She definitely listens and addresses all concerns when you are with her. And she is also good at explaining anything you don't understand.

Come prepared with your questions because direct one on one time with her is valuable time.

After failed clomid cycles with obgyn, dr. Shavell ran testing that included HSG, blood tests, ultrasound and SA for my spouse. Determined that IUI was the best next step. IUI #1 was 2.5mg Femara on CD 3-7, ovidrel trigger on CD17 with 2 mature follicles and IUI on CD19, cycle ended on 12dpIUI. IUI #2 was 5mg Femara on CD 3-7, ovidrel trigger on CD17 with 1 mature follicle and IUI on CD19, cycle ended on 12dpIUI. Our next plan of action is a more agressive IUI with either metformin, Femara and ovidrel or injectable meds like menopur, gonal f or follistim and then ovidrel and IUI; since the femara and ovidrel are working but not good enough. My spouse is also on clomid for his male infertility issues.

We have approximately 50% fertility related coverage however 0% of IUI and IVF are covered. So those additionally out of pocket costs were reasonable. $500 for IUI with SA/Wash.

Open and honest in communication. Very informative about treatment plans and adjusting them. Nothing but positive interactions even when the outcome was not what we wanted. Very calming demeanor and bedside manner. Always makes sure to explain every detail in length.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Dr Shavell is always willing to listen and do what's best for you as her patient.

For our two IUIs we only needed 50mg of clomid taken days 3-7. IVF procedure was BCP, then menopur and certotide. Added IM progesterone and retrace. Egg retrieval and ICSI done. 2 embryos transferred on day 3 and two frozen. FET utilized Lupron to suppress and then added Estrace and IM Progesterone. Transferred two embryos. Plan for flare protocol due to now having DOR along with MFI.

IUI was covered by insurance up to 2k. No IVF procedures or drugs were covered under insurance. The total cost for IVF was close to 15k. The FET was under a different insurance and medications were covered. We only paid $60. The FET itself cost around $2500 which was not covered by insurance.

Due to age, 2 embryos were advised to be transferred. The decision was left up to us with all risks explained.

Dr. Shavell’s compassion went above and beyond. Our first transfer was successful. Our FET we lost all of our embryos before transfer and she personally called to break the news. We really appreciated that touch during a devastating time. She made sure we knew what was going on at all times. She was not hesitant to call, for the good and the bad, herself.

Ask questions and don’t be afraid to share your concerns.

Our case was pretty straightforward. My husband had a vasectomy 20 years prior and we wanted more. We originally approached Dr. Shavell about embryo adoption thinking this was our only option. She told us about sperm retrieval and the likelihood of success and we decided to go for it. My husband had a TESE and the sperm was frozen. Then we did what I believe was a standard protocol, with the addition of lovenox because I had some clotting issues in He last. We did a retrieval and a two day transfer, which made me a little nervous as I hadn’t heard of many of them. But it worked first time and we have twins.

She was fine with transferring two, as this was our first time. When we went back to do an FET, she recommended one based on previous results. But she was open to two if hats what we wanted.

My experiences with her were great. You don’t see your main doctor at every visit. A lot of your visitors are just check ups or ultrasounds. Whenever I did meet with her it was always reassuring. I never had to guess what we would do next or worry that there wasn’t a plan in place. If something wasn’t working she made sure to make the changes that were necessary in your care plan. She has a very sweet demeanor and she is very easy to talk to.

Their office is very busy, make your appointment now. I was so nervous to start our journey with their office and I almost cancelled a handful of times. Take the plunge because she is a great doctor!

When I first started going to the office I was started on Femara with an Ovidrel injection to force ovulation. I have a lot of eggs but they do not mature on their own. We tried a few cycles this way but my body was not responding to the treatment. I met with Dr. Shavell again in which she said we should start injectables. I started the highest dose of Femara, Metformin, Gonal - F, Ovidrel and Progesterone. The round that worked started out very slowly because we started at the lowest dose of Gonal - F. I have PCOS and because of that I could hyperstimulate very easily. Through my second vial of Gonal - F I had three viable eggs. We ended up pregnant with twin boys and we couldn’t be more thankful.

I do not remember exact numbers but our insurance did not cover anything fertility rated. All of the appointments and medication cost us in the ball park of 3 to 4 thousand.