Nashville Fertility Center (US Fertility Network clinic)

Dr. Eblen is a warm and personable doctor. She took the time to explain my abnormal anatomy and was open to helping me get pregnant. She was limited in the knowledge of my abnormality which is expected since it’s rare. She did a fantastic job in removing my polyps. However, she failed to warn me about a medicine side effect before my surgery. I feel like she could have done more research in order to help me since my situation was unique.

You have to ask her to explore all options when deciding on a treatment plan.

I did the all the tests such as genetic test, blood test for hormones and thyroid, hysterosalpingogram, sonohysterography, ultrasounds, and MRI. I learned i have MTHFR mutation. They also found polyps which were removed. The first two cycles, I took Clomid and did timed intercourse. The 4 IUIs - took clomid and then femera on days 5-7, then trigger shot if follicle and lining were the right measurements, and next day was intrauterine insemination.

My insurance covered the tests, most of the medicines, and 50% of the fertility treatments after I met my deductible. The IUIs were several hundreds dollars and husband sperm wash was not covered so it was around $400.

Dr. Montville is a wonderful human being, but I have no faith in Nashville Fertility Clinic at all. Once I had received a second opinion, that MD believed I was on the wrong protocol, medication type, and dosage while at Nashville Fertility. I spent several thousand dollars on medications, only to have a cancelled cycle.

Do your research on clinic data and success rates. Often times, the lab and protocols are much more important than the skill of the physician.

I was on a protocol that used OCPs for priming/suppression and then Lupron. I stimulated with Menopur and Bravelle. After day 7 of stims, I had 0 follicles greater than 10mm. Dr. Montville determined that because I had been on OCPs for so long, I was over suppressed. He wanted me to stay off OCPs for a few months and try again. I did that, but sought out a second opinion in a different state.

Egg freezing was 10K, medications were about 7K

not discussed with this MD

The doctor did listen to our concerns, but as previously mentioned, there never seemed to be any kind of connection. He did order certain types of blood tests, but they don't seem to bother with some testing that should be important. We only met with him one time and while he answered questions, it also seemed like he was rushing us to make a decision to go straight to IVF or do IUI. Definitely felt like they were in it for the money instead of feeling like there was some type of compassion there. We also had to speak to nurses all the time and all communication was through the nurse, which is probably common, but quite frustrating when the whole process is confusing.

Be prepared with questions that you want to know and do not be afraid to ask for testing you want done. Don't expect a touchy feely relationship. If he won't do it, find another doctor. Unfortunately, there aren't many places in Nashville to go to.

I wasn't truly diagnosed with anything, although I had mild endometriosis, which I knew from my gynecologist. He basically said I was old at 38. I had three IUIs with Femara to stimulate more follicles. I never had a problem ovulating, but they wanted more eggs to be there. On Day 12 I had an ultrasound to see how many follicles I had, which were all measured and then I was given an Ovidrel trigger shot. I never felt that the shot worked for me as I ovulated later than the 12-24 hours they claimed and I knew this because I was taking my BBT temperatures. Nothing was ever changed in my protocol. The next day I would have my IUI and then I was to call the office after waiting two weeks to say whether it was positive or negative.

Drugs were paid for separately and for Femara and Ovidrel it was $185 for that out of pocket. I had no fertility insurance coverage. With just the ultrasound and IUI, it was around $800. The doctor's visit was around $485. To get a saline ultrasound of the uterus, it would have been around $700 out of pocket.

Dr Whitworth came highly recommended so I was excited when I was able to become her patient. After our first appointment I was able to see why. She is a great listener, and communicator. She lays out all of the risks and rewards, and takes the time to discuss and review them together to come up with a plan. Her compassion for her patients ia evident in how hard she works to help them succeed.

Be honest with her about any and all circumstances and concerns - she will listen.

We started with Dr Whitworth and after initial testing (resulting in unexplained fertility) she determined we could do IUI. So we started with 3 cycles of that. I was using ovulation tests but that was it. No success after 3 cycles so we moved onto IVF. We used birth control to control when my cycle would start and lupron to suppress ovulation. To stimulate production, I used an FSH. Because of my body’s hormone levels, we knew I was at risk for OHS, so my hormone levels were constantly watched and my medication adjusted as needed. When it came time for retrieval, my hormone levels were VERY high, but that was the only way to get me to produce enough eggs. After retrieval, and as we waited to see how many embryos would form, I did develop OHS. After testing, we ended up with 4 healthy embryos, and decided with Dr Whitworth to freeze them in order to help my body recover, instead of doing a fresh transfer. After about a month, we resumed the transfer cycle. Due to my age and other circumstances, Dr Whitworth recommended we transfer 2 instead of 1. We agreed it gave us the best chance at a baby. We also started Progesterone in Oil shots at this point (or slightly earlier). After our two week wait, we got a positive pregnancy test! BUT before we could have our ultrasound, I had some spotting. Because of previous issues I had before coming to Nashville Fertility, Dr Whitworth brought me in for an early ultrasound. It was then that we discovered that one of the embryos had implanted in my fallopian tube, while the other was in my uterus. Resulting in a heterotopic pregnancy. Amazingly, Dr Whitworth was able to preform surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy and my tube, while leaving the other embryo in my uterus in tact. We continued the Progesterone shots until 12 weeks. At 8 weeks I was transferred to my regular OB. I went into labor on my due date and delivered my precious baby boy!

We were VERY lucky in that my husband insurance covered up to $15,000 of the procedure costs. All in, the cost of our cycle was a little over $20,000 plus some more for medications. We paid approx $5,000 - $7,500 ourselves.

Dr. Eblen is very straight forward. She is so busy that there is very little time for her to answer questions. the IUI procedures are performed by the nurses and you rarely will see the dr.

Have a list of questions ready and be prepared to advocate for your own care. She will not order all the tests needed, so you will need to educate yourself and ask for tests.

She removed a uterine polyp and said that it was the reason we were not getting pregnant. She then ordered 2 IUIs that were unsuccessful with Clomid. She did not additional testing after the first failed iui.

Some fees were covered by insurance, but IUI was roughly $650 without the cost of the medication.

Dr. Eblen was always fantastic - she was very knowledgeable, personable and I looked forward to meeting with her during the long journey to have my second child. She was always willing to work at the pace that I was ready for and I felt safe in her care.

Ask lots of questions - there are things doctors just don't think of that are super helpful from a patient perspective.

I started with Clomid cycles and was able to conceive my daughter on the 1st IUI. I repeated the Clomid cycles 2-3 years later without success, did several rounds of injectible stimulation drugs + IUIs with no success. Finally, I did one IVF cycle - however at a different clinic out of state because the cost was much less.

IUIs & sperm thawing = $400/cycle Ultrasounds = $175/each Bloodwork = $25-100/each Office visits = $100/each

Abby Eblen is a detailed doctor that is attentive to my needs, she was confident in her diagnoses, She showed empathy when it was necessary. She was very respectful and thoughtful. She did elaborate on my diagnoses and my option.

Always go in with confidence regardless what the outcome. Don't give up, ask about option and financial option.

Abby Eblen used birth control to regulate my cycle and suppress any remaining fibroid, she recommend IVF because I had a blocked tube, and PCOS.

26,000

My doctor did encourage me to use supplements to help me build my system to prepare my self for the procedure.

My husband and I are still currently in treatment with Dr. Whitworth. We have male factor infertility and she has explained everything throughly. She keeps looking into what could be causing it and has given us multiple options before IVF which I appreciate.

Write things down and ask questions to clarify before you leave any appointment.

My husband has a severely low sperm count. When we first started he had 17 sperm in his analysis. She immediately started him on several vitamins. He then started 3 months of Clomid. That did not up his count to a usable amount. So now he is on HCG shots hoping to raise it.

Our first consultation was only a copay of 30 dollars and then several sperm analysis thus this point at $150 each time.

I only see Dr. Eblen when a trial has failed. I can’t put the blame solely on her. The clinic is overrun with patients. Unfortunately this means that the care I’ve received makes me feel more like a number.

Be your own advocate. Ask all of the questions you can.

I appreciate that Dr. Eblen likes to give methods a good try, 3 times each. She’s adjusted dosages and medications to try something different. I know her goal Is for us to get pregnant but for one reason or another, things haven’t worked out for us just yet.

In total probably close to $5,000 including all visits and medication.

We have not done embryo transfers with Dr. Eblen yet.

He is very professional and very smart. He has a lot of successful transfers and he is very particular about each detail and I appreciate that. The office itself had a few issues with following through on some things which was frustrating, but that does not reflect Dr. Weitzman.

Make sure you ask a lot of questions and don’t assume they will follow up- be intentional with every step!

Have not completed our IVF cycle at this time.

Haven’t calculated them all and we aren’t done yet. It was well over 12k so far.

He was very adamant about ONLY using one embryo with our surrogate. I valued his respect for the surrogate.

She was very helpful and explained what options I had available. The difficulties were moving to the next step after the initial treatments were unsuccessful. I've only interacted with Dr. Eblan twice since becoming a patient

Have your questions prepared because it's a lot if information to take in. Have an idea of which process you'd like to move forward with. Have someone with you. Going through this process is a lot mentally so having someone with you can help the process go more smoothly.

Understanding how much meds would cost along with the procedure. How much meds to purchase. Ovidrel gonal f pen. 2000

I've completed 2 iui treatments. My next step is ivf

Dr. Montville carefully walked through each step of the process with us. He has a very good bedside manner. During consultations he took the time to answer all questions carefully. I never felt rushed during our visits. He developed treatment plans based on my specific needs and concerns and was open to discussing different courses of treatment if our options changed.

Ask questions when needed.

Unmedicated IUI- baseline ultrasound on day 3, ultrasound on day 14, and IUI completed on day 16. Trigger shot was used after third ultrasound.

$1400 for IUI. $100 for medication.

N/A

I only saw Dr. Weitzman twice, first for consultation and second after the transfer was successful. I felt rushed during those appointments and some details were glazed over with Dr. Weitzman, so I am very thankful I had his nurse, Andie, to advise and guide us during the entire process.

Have your questions written down and ask for further explanation if needed. Don't hesitate to keep asking questions even if he seems like he needs to go.

$31,000 for two medicated egg retrievals, each with ICSI and PGS testing, and one frozen embryo transfer.

We had planned to transfer one embryo, but the thawed embryo was not expanding and likely not viable, so they thawed another and transferred both.

He was very straightforward but kind. Was malleable to not do a 3rd IUI even tho that broke protocol and go straight to IVF. Really understood the time sensitivity and keeps his clinic running like clockwork.

Know a couple steps ahead what decisions you may have to make so you will be better prepared on time-sensitive issues.

He added another medication after i inquired why other patients were using it. I was 31 at the time and my 3rd cycle and that made all the difference. Got us the most eggs and high quality embryos because he was flexible even tho the other cycles had been successful.

$11k for fresh cycle including ICSI $4k for natural FET cycle

Mostly he prefers SET but has been open to us transferring 2 when the embryo quality justifies it

Dr. Whitworth was upfront with me about my poor chance of success with IUI. So she offered another alternative, donor embryo, which was only a $1k more and has a much greater chance of success. She diagnosed me with a damaged tube and surgically removed it because it could reduce the success of the embryo transfer. After surgery she personally called me to check on me.

Ask her to explain what other options you have for conceiving.

I am still on the donor waiting list.

All my appointments have just cost my copay. Blood draws have cost $15. My cost of my surgery to remove a damaged tube was around $100 (Whitworth’s fee only). The donor embryo transfer fee is $8k

Dr. Whitworth did not talk to me about the option to transfer multiple embryos

I wish that I was able to speak with her more than just the nurses when it came to my treatment plans. However, I also wish that the procedures were more closely monitored carefully because I was an outlier who happened to suffer from a mild case of OHSS with low doses of follistim aq. This really frustrates me because it seems as I was then treated as a number than a paying patient, which really ticked my husband and I off completely.

Be prepared to ask many questions before ending a consult with her or you will be highly upset because you will not be seeing much of her but rather her nurse.

Due to my age and diagnosis, I was given the antagonist protocol. However, everyone is different and will be given different protocols.

8000

He's the best. Calms you down, helps you along every step of the way. Changes treatment as needed to help you. He's just been perfect. He is always available to ask questions and can be very comforting during this process.

To come in with an open mind and be ready for what he will say, good or bad.

Lupron daily, gonal f, midur, progesterone oil, ovidel. Was on Lupron for 3 months before protocol started. Then Lupron daily then started the gonal F right after.

Labs were a different fee because they used a company outside of their office. With insurance the fee for lab was 8,000 and the fee for anesthesia was 3,000 and the actual fee for them was 2,000

This is it for me. I need a hysterectomy after this. I would prefer 2 embryos but I've come to the conclusion it's safer with 1.

She seemed rushed, and she didn't act like the questions I had researched to ask her were important or interesting. She also never performed my IUIs.

Make the drive to Chattanooga and see Dr. Rink Murray instead. If that's not an option, then do your own homework because she will not explain or elaborate anything.

I did 4 IUIs. She suggested I do three and then start IVF, but I just wanted to make sure. None of them resulted in pregnancy.

I believe my IUIs cost about $700 each.

Dr. Van Heertum was always very thorough and explained procedures and risks. She was optimistic but also realistic with us. She performed my laparoscopy surgery and diagnosed me with stage 1 endo. She was very straight forward with next steps and provided a thorough IVF plan

Ask any questions you have!

IVF protocol #1 included 150 of Gonal-F, 10 units of microHCG every other day. I only stimmed for 9 days

$15K per egg retrieval not including medications

Will only transfer multiple embryos if you choose to not genetically test

Dr. Whitworth could be compassionate and understanding, but she constantly contradicted herself on why things weren't working for us. When I would "call her out on it" she would just kind of stammer and mumble. After each failure (IUI or IVF) she would want to run more tests. It was incredibly frustrating because we were 100% out of pocket, and I felt like the testing should have been done on the front end.

Keep track of questions/answers and ask what other testing can be completed on the front end.

1. 2 weeks bcp, 150 Follistim morning and evening - added Ganirelix - 2 fertilized eggs 2. Lupron, Follistim, Menopur - 3 fertilized eggs

100% out of pocket for all

Since I was doing fresh, she suggested putting them all back (there were 2 the first cycle, and 3 the 2nd)

Dr. Van Heertum is a fantastic doctor. She is caring, empathetic and compassionate. We always had discussions about our next steps, which was so important for us. When we were ready to move on from IUI, she had our next steps all ready for us. She is willing to adjust plans when things don't go as anticipated. She is also a great surgeon and takes great care of you in the operating room. Highly recommend!

Trust her and bring a list of questions to your appointments!

We paid out of pocket and each IVF cycle is about 13,000 dollars. The transfer process is around 3,000.

We transferred one embryo based upon SART guidelines which takes into account my age and our embryos were PGS tested.

She is extremely knowledgeable and been practicing for many years. She gave us the major details we needed to know when looking at our options. After our first egg retrieval failed and we lost all of our embryos, she had a private consult with my husband and I to discuss what our next steps would be. Our 2nd retrieval produced 3 perfectly healthy embryos we are now waiting to do a frozen embryo transfer with.

To ask as many questions as possible and don’t take things at face value if you’re confused or don’t fully understand something.

We first tried timed intercourse, and then moved to Clomid/Letrozole and IUI, then to injectables and IUI then to IVF.

There were significant costs to do IVF. We paid a huge chunk of money up front but still continued to receive bills which has been really confusing. Our insurance says there are issues with the dr’s office billing.

They prefer single embryo transfers until the age of 35+

Dr. Whitworth is a very smart and compassionate doctor. After a big set back, she has completely given me a personalized treatment for my next cycle. The majority of the time, I didn’t get to see her, unless I made an appointment with her or I happened to come in to clinic the day she was working.

Like any other doctor, you have to be your best advocate.

Le trozo le only, le trozo le and Gonal-f, Gonal-f only with a total of 8 iui that resulted in 2 chemical pregnancies. Mini ivf cycle FSH 125, hcg mini dose, resulted 13 eggs, 1 PGS tested and 1 abnormal one.

$27000

Single embryo transfer is backed up by research

Dr. Weitzman has been a great doctor throughout this process. He is very blunt, which took some time to get used to. However, I really appreciate his approach. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but gives you all the facts and why he comes to his final decision.

Come with questions prepared. He isn’t forthcoming in all the details that you might care about, so come with questions if you want them answered.

Based on endometriosis and DOR I will be on a micro dose of injectionable medications.

He is very candid but warm, eager to listen to questions, thorough, and hopeful. He cut to he chase but not in a dehumanizing way. He showed genuine concern for my outcomes and my comfort, mentally and physically.

Be candid and ask as many questions as you can.

We used follistim, menoour, ovidrel, ganirelix to do an egg retrieval, which was very successful. 4 day 5 blasts were created. One was transferred fresh, which resulted in a live birth. One was transferred frozen a year later and resulted in an ongoing pregnancy

Thankfully my insurance covered most of my drugs. The financial office was very helpful and upfront and knowledgeable about discount programs and ways to manage costs.

We were comfortable with a single embryo protocol, especially with my advanced maternal age.