NewLIFE Fertility (First Fertility Network clinic)

He was very cold and uncaring the first time we met. He made some rude comments to me when I was upset and going through my history of miscarriages. He would also make make you feel dumb for asking legitimate questions. He did seem like a decent doctor as far as being knowledgeable in his field, but I did find some contradictions with his treatment plan and my new clinic's treatment plan. I very much felt like a number and that he was pushing IVF before we exhausted other options.

If you have a thick skin go for it, for me it was worth it to switch clinics.

Testing

Dr.Ripps broke down everything detail by detail and gave us all options to choose from. We never felt we were pressured into doing one treatment or the other. Some fertility clinics will push IVF immediately just because it makes them the most money, however, not this clinic. Dr.Ripps and his staff are truly in this business because of their compassion and fight to give hope to the ones battling infertility. It is very evident to see this during each visit.

Don't worry or be anxious, they will ease your worries and stay by your side through every step and every question you may have along the way.

We are in the middlemof choosing the best treatment for us. We are candidates for all treatments, IUI and IVF. At this time we are praying to see what will be the best choice for us. We are looking at our financial approach to it all as well. Praying and seeking the best journey for us. We have had 7 mo the of Clomid cycles in the past (before ever knowing dr.ripps) under the care of my gyn and husband urology. He took Clomid as well. Turns out, after meeting with Dr.Ripps I never needed the Clomid, gyn only prescribed it because we were desperate. Dr.Ripps says I have plenty of eggs to work with without any fertility meds. We are facing low motility count on S.A.. that's the only factor we face at this time. Total sperm count is good. Just the motility a little slow. So, we have not technically tried fertility meds, etc under our fertility doc Dr.Ripps.

We have paid for ultrasounds and labwork so far, most of this preliminary has been covered mostly by Insurance. Not sure on specifics, but all copays and costs have been about $600 Total. This does not include IUI or IVF, we have not yet decided which one we will choose.

I have not actually seen Dr. Ripps yet. I have only seen the nurse practitioner who was amazing! She explained everything in detail, and knew who I was the moment I walked in. If i had any questions she answered them and if she didn't know she got back to me in a timely manner. She treated my family as if we were part of her own family.

You will hardly see him but the other staff us amazing.

We did an IUI with the help of medicine. I was on birth control, letrozole, gonal f, and hcg trigger shot.

Iui with insurance costs around 350 not including meds

I think it should be up to the patient. If they understand the risk and still want to proceed than that should be allowed.

Dr. Ripps took the time out to explain everything to me and my husband during every procedure. He was very caring when I had my surgery he went out personally and got my husband to bring him back to me and explained what happened and what the outcome was.

To just trust Dr. Ripps he knows what he is talking about.

Dr Ripps works with several locations within this clinic, so it was rare and infrequent that we were in touch with him personally. I always seemed to feel he didn’t share the same urgency as we did with our situation - that he felt our push to begin more intensive treatment methods wasn’t originally something he supported. Dr. Ripps has a great bedside manner and seems like he cares about your successes. However, there were several times when my husband and I left the clinic with unanswered questions. Some of the prescribed treatments and procedures left us in the dark as to what was going on. This in part is a testament to the communication between him and the nurses at the office location where we were patients. Dr Ripps also mentioned to us, after a year as patients in his office, that he knew of some abnormalities in my scans since I became a patient with him, but he didn’t view those abnormalities as dire, so he never mentioned them to us. That certainly created doubt in my mind, because I felt we should have been made aware of anything and everything that could be a cause to impact our fertility.

Be prepared with questions when you schedule an appointment with Dr Ripps! Since it is few and far between that you will actually meet with him, any questions you have are better answered in person. Also, understand that he leans on the cautious side of things - meaning, he generally doesn’t agree when patients come to see him with a sense of urgency, or who are looking for quick results. Dr Ripps advocated for my husband and I to attempt to conceive with timed intercourse and light meds to assist. If we hadn’t pushed for us to begin IUI/IVF (more intensive treatment), I am confident he wouldn’t have us on that path still today, over a year into our treatment.

We began treatment with Dr Ripps in 2019 after a miscarriage And over a year of TTC on our own. Our new patient initial consult was with a NP, not Dr Ripps himself. We were sent for testing (a dye test to determine if my Fallopian tubes were open and also a scope test of my uterus). Both tests supposedly yielded normal results. Subsequently, we were advised to begin a trial cycle using meds to see how my body would respond. Roughly 5 months after my new patient visit, we began a cycle of clomid and timed intercourse. This resulted in a negative pregnancy test. We were told cycles were scheduled every other month, and on our second round we were prescribed stronger medications. We were told not to try that month as the medications produced too many eggs and therefore a high risk of multiples. Cycle was cancelled. We tried a third cycle of medications and timed intercourse that was unsuccessful, when we pushed to begin IUI. That was completed by a nurse at the Mobile location, yielded negative results. We were then scheduled for a second IUI, however the medications were again too strong and we were told to go home and try on our own, without using the trigger shot. However, then we received orders not to do this and to abstain. At this point, it was already too late. This resulted in a chemical pregnancy. Finally my husband and I pushed to begin IVF. I was told I was a high risk of OHSS and was told to order two different trigger shots (would take a specific one to manage OHSS if needed), and was instructed not to do the specific OHSS shot, but proceed with the normal shot. Egg retrieval yielded 29 eggs, 17 embryos. However, I also ended up with severe OHSS and was told I could not proceed with fresh transfer. We completed one frozen transfer the month following, resulting in a negative pregnancy test. Going into the second frozen transfer cycle, I was told there were abnormalities with my lining and I needed further testing. Two subsequent transfers were cancelled in order to repeat the same scope testing I completed as a new patient a year ago. Also was a called in for a saline infused sonogram, which was not able to show Dr Ripps anything. Ultimately was told I needed to go under the knife for an exploratory procedure to determine if I had uterine lining damage from a miscarriage prior to us being patients with Dr Ripps. At that point, I became skeptical because I felt that potential damage should have been something they discovered during initial testing, when at that time I was told there was no damage. Ultimately sought a second opinion upon scheduling the exploratory surgical procedure

We paid a deposit of $5,500 for our first IVF treatment (supposed to include the retrieval and one transfer). Our transfer was cancelled due to OHSS, and we never saw a dime of that back. In scheduling our first frozen transfer, we paid $500. Each IUI was $350, and diagnostics were a $250 co-pay

I requested 2 embryos be transferred for subsequent transfer procedures after our first. It was difficult to even get Dr Ripps to review that request, as it has to go through the nurse, who relayed the message to him. He then considers and relays the message back to us through the nurse. We ultimately never got consent to transfer multiples. He is very much an advocate of transferring one embryo in most conditions

I would say overall he was a great doctor. He was very blunt into the point and made sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into as well as what our test results had said. I wish I had seen him more than just for the consultation and then again to go over the results of all of our labs but I know that he is working at two or three different clinics and can’t be there all the time.

If you’re going to the mobile location don’t expect to see him a lot but when you do talk to him he will be very honest and blunt with the information he gives you

The only thing that was prescribed to me was vitamin D3 500 mg as I guess my vitamin D was low on my blood results but other than that the first few visits we’re just getting blood drawn and transvaginal ultrasound and they did do a testicular ultrasound on my husband. They then sent me to the Pensacola location to have my HSG and hysteroscope procedure done in one day.

It was really expensive but they were able to get insurance to cover some of the blood test

I do not. We have not made it that far yet

He gave very concise and important information. He took the time to explain tests, drugs,and procedures with me. He was always willing to listen to concerns my husband or I had. He was very sympathic to my personal fertility struggle and very attentive to my mental and physical well being.

To ask questions and listen to the advice he gives you on your own health.

We only tried IUI and hormone injection therapy because he felt I would get pregnant pretty quickly as he could find no imbalances or blockages that could be causing my infertility making him feel that I just needed to increase my chances by taking hormones so I would produce more eggs and performing an IUI in case something was hindering the flow of the sperm through my cervix. But unfortunately it still never worked.

He gave clear and concise information. He was very through with the testing and diagnosis of what was the cause of my infertility even though no explaination could be found. He was answered all of my questions knowledgeably and listened and sympathized with any concerns I had.

To ask questions and voice any concerns you have.

We decided to try hormone therapy to increase my ovulation and IUI procedures. I wasn’t open to IVF at the time and he thought the IUI was the better choice in my case since we could find no reason for me not to be able to get pregnant. Unfortunately they did not work and after a year we had to quit because my mother became sick and my husband and I had to take care of her.

My insurance covered my meds and half the cost of the IUI procedure so I ended up paying $900 a month.

Dr Ripps came across very knowledgeable and kind. He was thorough in explaining what he saw in my test cycle, and he seemed confident but not arrogant. I did communicate more with the nurses regarding my care which was different than I expected, but Dr Ripps spoke with us each time we changed to a different method of treatment.

Trust the process and don't be afraid to ask for clarification until you feel comfortable with the plan of action.

We tried femara plus trigger shot without success. Moved to femara, trigger shot and IUI without success. Then injections (follistem) trigger shot and IUI without success. Then we decided on IVF and were successful on our first transfer.

Dr Ripps strongly preferred one embryo transfer and explained the reasoning very thoroughly.

He seems to have the same practiced speech every time I saw him, and wanted to push toward $$ IVF immediately, but he was nice and explained things thoroughly. I didn’t see him outside of my initial consultations.

Go in having done your own research.

Timed intercourse with Femara and injections. There seemed to be no rationale between which injections were chosen, but Femara was chosen because of the “better” side effects vs. Clomid. I have not been successful yet, but do not think that has to do with the clinic. They monitor the cycles well.

Insurance covered most items, outside of prescription copays

Dr. Ripps traveled to different facilities so he was not always available to talk to and answer questions. His staff and coordinators were awesome. We never felt like we were missing anything with his absence.

Just stay positive and if you have any questions, ask them.

The first IUI was unmedicated and was unsuccessful. The second IUI was medicated with Letrozole and a "trigger shot," and was also unsuccessful. All of her labs were normal and we thought both would result in a pregnancy.

The costs were general co-pays for check ups. The IUI procedure cost $350 each time.

N/A

Dr. Ripps is very kind and considerate. At each visit, he spent a great amount of time explaining things and we never felt rushed. He has helped us out tremendously and would definitely recommend him to anyone in the future.

I would recommend doing your own research before your appointment in order to have a better understanding for when you do meet with him

The cost is quite competitive. He definitely doesn't charge an outrageous amount.

He was a very personable person. I have also seen his partner Meghan Delaney and she is just as good as Dr. Ripps. They both have been very involved in the treatment. They treat me like a human rather than a number on a list.

I would be put on birth control (because I do not have a regular cycle on my own) and then take femera for ovulation and then use trigger shots. I did this in our timed conception trials and also for our iui cycle

$700

Dr. Ripps is extremely patient, kind and trustworthy. He has a lot of experience and doesn’t waste time. We felt he was very thorough in testing and this helped us to avoid wasting our time and money on treatments that weren’t going to yield success. He was very encouraging from the start and very welcoming. He explained everything so we could easily understand what lied ahead in our treatment protocol.

Ask questions and listen to the information/instructions provided! He will be there with you every step of the way, but expects you to read and learn from the pamphlets and packets of information provided. Being prepared helps your appointments to be more efficient.

We had the option to do a stimulation approach to encourage a higher number of eggs due to lower ovarian reserve, but we chose to do a normal approach to avoid having too many leftover embryos. This worked out perfectly for us. We had exactly what we needed to achieve pregnancy. We used menopur, gonal f, and cetrotide.

When we were educated on the process, it was made clear that a singleton pregnancy is safer and transfer of 1 quality embryo was the goal. We ended up with only 2 embryos at day 5, and 1 was ahead of the other in terms of growth. It was encouraged that we consider transferring both for the best chance of achieving pregnancy. It was explained that both weren’t expected to implant, but we understood the possibility. We had a singleton pregnancy. It seems they typically encourage single embryo transfers, but it is absolutely a case by case basis; we really appreciated this!

Dr Ripps was extremely knowledgeable, professional and compassionate. He gave information in a straight forward and honest manner. We never felt rushed or pressured through the process and are so thankful for his expertise and assistance in helping us grow our family!

Ask questions and rest assured that you can be confident Dr Ripps will do his best to help you!

We used menopur and gonal for our cycle. Dosages were adjusted based on response. We had 7-8 follicles looking like they’d give us eggs. 5 were retrieved and all were mature. By transfer day, we had 2 left.

My husband and I both attended the appointment to decide the course of treatment. Although ivf was an option it was not presented as the only option. I did not feel he was pushy at all. He is very factual, candid and to the point. He also was able to joke around and laugh with us. I was happy with the treatment plan.

I feel like he will give you the best options and if that is ivf, then he would direct you to that immediately.

I did IUIs first with femara. Protocol for first egg retrieval was 75mg gonal-f. I did not respond that cycle for egg retrieval and did timed intercourse which was unsuccessful. For second egg retrieval, we used gonal-f, Menopur and one other I can't recall. Egg retrieval was successful with 18 eggs retrieved that produced 2 embryos.

My insurance paid for diagnostic testing: hsg, genetic testing, saline us. All costs of the cycles were my responsibility. IUIs were $1200 I think. Egg retrieval was $8700 for all monitoring and procedures. Each transfer will be $2700.

They only transfer one embryo based on age. I am ok with this as I do not desire multiples.

Dr. Delaney is approachable and typically lighthearted, but she does double-down when it comes to clinical care. She takes great care to make decisions that are best for me, even if they aren't the ones I would gravitate towards. She always explains things and makes sure I understand. She doesn't get caught up in medical jargon.

She's definitely an empathetic person. If you're looking for someone who will keep you at arms length (might be someone's cup of tea!), then she isn't the dr for you.

Overall, our goal has been to stimulate 3-4 follicles per cycle. I've been prescribed increasing doses of Femara - starting at 7.5mg the first cycle and 10mg the last two (including the current one). The first IUIs were relatively textbook, with an increased number of follicles each time. The third has been downgraded to timed intercourse due to a high risk of multiples. Here is a breakdown of the follicles from each cycle: First IUI: Came into this cycle off of birth control. Took Femara 7.5mg for 5 days. I only had one follicle this cycle - 32mm. My lining was 7 in trilaminar. I was given a trigger shot with an IUI 24 hours later. This resulted in a negative Beta test. Second IUI: This cycle started straight from the last IUI with no birth control or estrogen pills. Took Femara 10mg for 5 days. This resulted in one 19mm, one 17mm, and three 14mm follicles. My lining was 7 in trilaminar. Due to their size, Dr. Delaney approved the IUI despite the number. I was given a trigger shot with an IUI 26 hours later. This resulted in a negative Beta test. Third IUI turned Timed Intercourse: Came into this cycle off of birth control. Took Femara 10mg for 5 days. This resulted in one 22mm, one 20mm, one 18mm, one 16mm on my right ovary and a 13mm on my left. My lining was 9 in trilaminar. Because of the size and number of follicles and the increased size of my lining, Dr. Delaney didn't feel comfortable proceeding with the IUI. I was given the trigger shot with instructions for timed intercourse over the next 3 days. I am currently a week and a half away from a beta test for the results of this cycle.

My insurance covered the costs for diagnostic care with the exception of the hysteroscopy. We pay a dr visit copay each time we see Dr. Delaney. Each IUI cycle is out of pocket and covers all of our monitoring and blood work. Medications are covered by insurance with just a copay, and the trigger shot is out of pocket.

I have only met with him once so far. I am about to start the actual process so I am sure I will see him more now. I am waiting for a schedule to be emailed to me so that I will know when to start the fertility medications.

Make sure to read all the handouts because he expects you to have read them.

I know they did blood work and did a vaginal ultrasound and some other tests to determine if there were or would be any problems with pregnancy. I found out I have low ovarian reserve.

So far about $300 but again I have not started the cycle yet. I plan to do the March IVF cycle and was told the cost would be around 17k with medications and all.

They seem to be for just one embryo transfer at a time but I plan on doing the genetic screening to determine the embryos that would be the best to use. Multiple embryos could led to multiple births which has a lot of extra risks involved.

We met with Dr. Ripps once for the initial consultation via Zoom. He reviewed my previous records and covered the clinic's process. He showed us via a graph my chances of conceiving if we did IUI, IVF, and TI. I felt all my husband’s and my questions were answered. We ended up doing IVF due to my AMH dropping and the next time I saw him was during egg retrieval and transfer in the Pensacola office.

Prepare ahead of time about the process of infertility

ANTAGONIST IVF PROTOCOL is all I remember

Medication cost was higher than I expected. I did get my med list late but was able to shop around different speciality pharmacies. IVF cost on par with what we were quoted.

Due to the embryo quality, Dr. Ripps asked about doing multiple embryo transfer. I signed a form stating that I give permission for 2 embryos.

I've never met dr. Ripps only dr. Delany and she is no longer there. His nurses in panama city help me the most. I think dr. Ripps should be more present. It is a great office over all though. I recommended a friend there and she did get pregnant. So that's a plus.

Listen to them. Follow directions. Communication is key

We have done clomid, letrazole, injections, trigger shots, and iui with all of the above. No positive pregnancy test.

300 a visit because my insurance does not cover fertility treatments. IuI was 950 a cycle.

Dr. Ripps was very honest and open with the facts on statistics and recommendations for our best outcome. He didn't entertain options outside of his recommendation too much, so that was a question mark leaving the office, but he allowed us to try the IUI before the IVF regardless of his recommendation to go right to the IVF.

He will be straightforward with the facts and statistics and not sugar coat his expectations of the outcome. It is refreshing, but be prepared for honesty!

It was quick but kind, not like I was a number, but a person.

Mostly all covered by insurance other than the actual procedures.

Dr. Ripps is very confident in his practice and clinic. He was confident that we would get pregnant easily with treatment and we fully trusted him. After multiple IUIs we were no closer to our baby and decided IVF would be a better option based on his recommendation. I never saw Dr. Ripps during my IVF monitoring until the day of egg retrieval. Also, Dr. Ripps never reached out after our failed transfers and I only heard from him when I called with questions. His ego needs to be knocked down a few notches and he needs to limit the number of patients he sees so that everyone can receive the appropriate care from him.

Understand that we will only see the nurses or nurse practitioners during your treatment and will not see Dr. Ripps unless you have an egg retrieval, embryo transfer, hysteroscopy or surgery.

Each IUI used Letrozole. Progesterone was added after first IUI resulted in pregnancy and progesterone levels were low but was not given for subsequent IUIs or pregnancy. 1st and 2nd IUIs were on 5mg Letrozole. 2nd IUI was cancelled due to no follicle growth. 3rd IUI Letrozole increased to 7.5mg. 4th IUI Letrozole increased to 10mg at my request. Egg retrieval used 150 FSH, 150 Menopur, Lupron trigger and cabergoline (to help with OHSS). 1st embryo transfer used birth control, Lupron suppression, baby aspirin, prednisone, metformin, progesterone in oil, estrogen patches, doxycycline. 2nd embryo transfer used Lupron depot to increase suppression, birth control, Lupron suppression, baby aspirin, prednisone, metformin, progesterone in oil, estrogen patches, doxycycline, platelet rich infusion to help uterine lining be more receptive.

Diagnostic testing was covered through my insurance and I paid $40 co-pay for each office visit. Each IUI Letrozole cycle cost approximately $1000 plus the cost of medication. The IVF cycle cost approximately $19,500 which included monitoring ultrasounds, bloodwork, egg retrieval, anesthesia, ICSI, Lab fees for embryo development, short term cryo-preservation plus the cost of medication. Genetic testing of embryos cost $4500 for up to five embryos. This did not include the cost of the PGTA testing that was performed by the genetics lab. Each Frozen embryo transfer cost $3600 which included the thaw process, Lab fees, monitoring Ultrasounds, bloodwork, and transfer procedure. Platelet rich infusion cost $350. Beta hCG pregnancy blood test cost approximately $115.

I met with Dr. Ripps twice. The first time via zoom and I left that meeting feeling great about him and my future treatment. The second appointment was in person. He was very detailed oriented and went through a lot of data with a PowerPoint. It was very informative but not necessarily specific to my case. He seems very knowledgeable and competent but he made me feel stupid for asking questions. He also made his prices seem much cheaper than they are. I left that second meeting wondering if I picked the right doctor. I had way more embryos make it to blast with the egg retrieval I did with him. He did order a different med protocol than I did for my first egg retrieval (with a different doctor) so that could be a reason why.

Make sure to read the pamphlets before hand so you don't get too lost when he's going over his presentation.

I did IVF with embryo freezing and genetic testing. For the egg retrieval I did gonal-f 150iu/day and menopur 225iu/day. Got around 16 eggs, I think all of them fertilized, 7 made it blasts. I think that says good things about the clinic's lab.

Between $15,000-$16,000 for an egg retrieval. ICSI is included (they do it for all of their patients). Short term embryo storage (around $2000 if I remember...which seemed pretty expensive to me) was included in the price of egg retrieval. That also included the monitoring. I can't remember how much a transfer is but I think it's under 5,000.

He does educate you on the trade offs of 1 or 2 embryo transfered in the pamphlets but we haven't really talked about it yet. We haven't planned for a transfer yet but I'm guessing he will suggest 1 embryo since we are doing genetic testing.

He is very patient friendly meaning that he makes you feel comfortable. He allows you to ask questions and actually encourages you to. He explains everything in a way you can understand it. He provides you will information via the screen as well as paper handouts so you have something to refer back to when you get home.

Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and ask any question no matter how silly it may seem.

I have only had tests and procedures done with Dr. Ripps at this time. He had a consultation with my husband and me to explain that during January and February cycles we would have several tests done to check our reproductive health. I had blood work done to check for generic carriers and my hormones levels. I had transvaginal ultrasounds done during my cycle to count follicles and check for ovulation. Then, I had a test done with saline water and bubbles to see if my tubes were tied. I have been diagnosed with low ovarian reserve. I had a laparoscopic procedure scheduled to check for endometriosis but that has been postponed until after COVID19.

So far most of our cost has been covered by our insurance but when it isn’t we are sent a bill pretty quick, but also we are informed ahead of time if their will be an expense on our end.

I do not have any experience.

Overall Dr. Ripps is very experienced professional. His strengths are being thorough and confident in his job. He is very thorough with assigning diagnostic testing and labs. He covered all bases to determine the issue of fertility. His confidence was very reassuring when the fear of unknown is looming. To my husband it kind of came of as arrogant, but I appreciated his certainty. During all the tests and procedures he was present for he made me very comfortable and informed me of what was to be done and expected. His weakness would be availability. He has multiple clinics in the panhandle so his schedule is very tight, I had to wait 4 months from my initial consultation to the “plan meeting” to determine course of action. Also, during the plan meeting it felt very rushed like it was on a time constraint.

Set up an appointment now! Even if you’re unsure of your fertility status, get your name on the books. It’s better to cancel an appt then wait months. Also do some research before the initial appointment. I’m in the medical field so I understand most medical terminology but my husband did not. I felt it was very helpful to research things on social media (Facebook groups or Instagram influencers), and friends that have experienced infertility. For me google did not have most the answers I was looking for.

For my IVF cycle they started me off on birth control to take control of my cycle. Then after my baseline monitoring was done I was started on a high dose of stimulating medications due to my low AMH/DOR. I was dosed 225IU of Menopur and 225IU of follistim. I was on stim meds for 8 days. I had 3 very large follicles (22-26mm) and many other small follicles (14-16mm) So it was a battle of making sure my large follicles didn’t grow too big, and the smaller ones could catch up. Once the stim process was done, I triggered and set up the egg retrieval. The egg retrieval yielded 7 follicle: 2 cysts and 5 eggs.

The cost of my care was completely out of pocket. My health insurance did not cover anything. Consultation appointments were $200-300. Each lab were anywhere from $30- $150. The clinic offered to send out some labs to the cheapest testing site since they knew I was paying out of pocket. For the IVF process the cost was $10,400 and that including the cycle ultrasounds, labs, cyroperservation of the embryos, anesthesia and the embryologist.

My doctor told me initially that due to my age and guidelines I was only allowed to transfer one embryo. He did not want to risk the chance of having multiples. He did talk about it again on retrieval day that if I had embryos that graded low we might transfer 2. But only if I did not have 1 good scoring embryo. I ended up with 1 4BB which he thought was good enough to just transfer one.