MCRM Fertility (First Fertility Network clinic)

The clinic and staff are very well run and wonderfully caring. The only real issue we have had was with billing, and they were still very understanding it just took a bit of time to straighten things out. Part of this was because of miscommunication and misunderstanding, but as I said, they were still very patient. The clinic has "offices" on 2 seperate floors, so its necessary to know where you are going, but if you show up on the wrong floor, it isn't a difficult thing to fix. They work really well to accommodate you and your needs, we live over 2000 miles away and they do phone consults and order some of the pre- testing done nearer to us.

Strength would be the compassion and working with each person individually. They have great success rates because Dr. Ahlering knows what he is doing. They are very busy so sometimes they don't return calls super fast but they never forget you.

I think they’ve gotten so busy, they forgot about the personal aspect of all this and how daunting ivf can be. You really have to seek out answers to questions. After failures, it’s hard to get an appointment any sooner than 2 weeks out. After a failed transfer, the sooner the consultation, the better. Trust me. They have great technology though that as far as I know, no other clinics have, especially in regards to sperm selection. They will work with you financially, particularly after failed cycles.

The biggest strength of the clinic is that they have a patient support specialist. This really made this clinic stand out above others to me. They organize patient events and gatherings. She also manages a Facebook page for patients which allows patients to connect. They also coordinate a cycle buddy program so you have someone to connect with during the IVF cycle. They are amazing with their patient outreach. Occasionally it does feel a little disorganized since they cycle all of the patients at the same time so it gets pretty chaotic and it can be difficult to get in touch with someone once the phones are turned off after hours. They have an emergency line for after hours but some questions are better off not considering it an emergency!

In December of 2016 my husband and I saw our FIRST specialist. We left the appointment feeling hopeless! The doctor was rude.. he showed no enthusiasm... there was no detailed plan. They made us watch a video in a small dark room, by ourselves! It.Was.AWFUL! A year passed. Then, after talking with a high school friend, (and MCRM patient!) my husband wanted a second opinion. I sent an email to MCRM on MLK day 2018, not expecting a call back because the office was closed. Within 30 MINUTES someone was on the phone with me, getting everything scheduled! And let me tell you, I JUST KNEW!! I KNEW it would be different! I KNEW they cared! I KNEW we had found our clinic! We met with Dr. Ahlering on 1-30-2018 and, for the first time in YEARS, we felt HOPEFUL, EXCITED, and so very THANKFUL! MCRM has different technology and Dr. A showed us, in detail, the difference in his lab as compared to others. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. We knew there were no guarantees. But, when you feel supported in this journey, it makes all the difference!! There were times during our cycle that I had to advocate for myself and be assertive but the nurses were always quick to call me back and answer all my questions!

The clinic is small but quiet and easy to navigate. When we first visited they gave us a tour and all the procedure rooms are on the ground floor while the offices are on the second. It’s comfy and cheery with babies from previous cycles lining the halls!

I liked that all procedures are done in the same clinic and you don't have to go multiple places for labs or other services. I also liked that the doctor was involved in even the more "routine" visits. I liked the location and the environment of the clinic. I also really liked that they ran on time!! I didnt like that there seemed to be a breakdown in communication regarding the financial and insurance areas of the clinic. They failed to mention that some services they were performing would not be covered by insurance. I ended up with an unexpected bill (over $1000) afterward! That was my major concern with the clinic.

They are so busy - so they are occasionally running behind. They offer early appointments which I appreciate because of my work schedule. You likely won't see Dr. A all that often but the rest of the staff is great and I always feel well taken care of.

The clinic was nice. It was in a nice location in Chesterfield. It was sometimes hard to get through to a real person when calling the office. The front desk ladies were nice. However, they didn't always know what was going on so I would have to tell them what I needed at my next appointment.

You will have to stay on top of them for communication and clarifying any questions you have.

Sometimes they seem unorganized. Messages or notes don't always get passed from one person to another and communicated well. The front desk is courteous and kind. The lab is excellent about answering emails and questions.

This clinic is a team. They work like a team, behave like a team, and communicate so well with each other. They have a large client base, which is the only weakness, but they are worth the wait. We have waited longer than expected in the waiting room because they have ran behind, but I've seen first hand the care they take with their patients, and how their attention to patients can be a bit of a set back (time wise).

MCRM is a good place to go to if you don't want to feel like just a number at a clinic but an actual person that matters. I felt like everyone at MCRM truly wanted me to get pregnant, have a good pregnancy and a healthy baby(ies). However, I also think that they have experienced rapid growth in clientele during the past year and so, and getting on the transfer schedule may take a month or two wait. Also, mistakes have been made in regards to my care, but most of them were quickly resolved.

Strengths- I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for my appointment, most of the staff were extremely polite and positive, I usually got email responses from my coordinator within 12-24 hours. Weaknesses- I found that MCRM's accountant, Dena was quite unfriendly and hardly ever returned phone calls or emails, in the very beginning I was told that my chart had a note that said I was to only see Dr. Ahlering for ultrasounds (due to some medical concerns) and yet there were times I saw a nurse or the other doctor.

There are many strenghts and very few weaknesses. I would say the one thing to be sure and ask about would be possible side effects for stims and the best way to do the PIO shot for transfer.

The clinic seems to be a well-oiled machine. They do a great job of seeing several girls a day during cycle week. They work from sun up to sun down on retrieval days. My nurses during retrieval are always very kind and helpful. They are a great team!

The staff was very nice and always greeted you with a smile. The only thing I would point out is sometimes a question might get lost in the portal. After a couple of days I would contact them directly and ask to speak to someone that could help

Strengths- Technology, offices are beautiful, ratio of staff to patients is good, good communication at MCRM (not Dr. Nilson), more affordable than most places. Weaknesses- Poor bedside manner by both Ahlering and Nilson, the set up of seeing Tulsa patients when the doctor is in St. Louis, poor egg retrieval protocol. Overall, they just treat patients like a number and I felt like my retrieval was an assembly line.

They are quick to schedule and are available for phone appointments. I lived 3 hours away from the clinic and they were easy to schedule and very accommodating for travel. A new patient would want to know that the staff and clinic is unassuming and welcoming.

The clinic offers high quality almost luxury care. It is one of the most expensive in the area but they accept most insurances. They have a lot of availability and are flexible with patient schedules. I do wish they were open until 5pm or open at 7am to help with the work day.

The financial services team can be a weakness at times. They once randomly charged me for a procedure I never had. They apologized profusely though and immediately fixed it! Strengths - Great Covid protocols, great communication, wonderful people, amazing facilities

Only weakness is the clinic in Tulsa is new. At first, they didn’t seem to have everything worked out, which is understandable. They are great now! Very smooth appointments and easy to get someone on the phone to help you if needed.

Dr Ahlering is WONDERFUL and a joy to work with but in our case someone dropped the ball and did not follow up for months. Initially we took this as a sign we shouldn’t move forward but after contacting the office to ask for clarification they called right back and got the ball rolling for us again.

The clinic is not a one size fits all which I found to be very beneficial. Their instructions on what to do as far as shots and medicine go are very thorough and easy to follow. I wish that ultrasounds after pregnancy would be covered with the total price package because it’s already so expensive.

As we are new to MCRM the process has been overwhelming, but the one positive in this whole process has been the amazing staff at MCRM. After interviewing several doctors and using FertilityIQ to determine who we wanted to move forward with the MCRM staff has gone above and beyond for us even before we paid a down payment. The MCRM clinic provides you a amazing report to help you decide what packages are best for you and how to make decisions moving forward. No matter what clinic you decide you must be an advocate for yourself!