Nova IVF (Ivy Fertility Network clinic)

As mentioned in my previous responses, both doctors were looking at my age as a big factor to the treatment being successful. But as we got to know each other they started to see that the course of action that they first saw was not it and maybe we needed to change course or medication- which we did. Once we switched the medication we saw a difference, was not everything for it was one little step forward. Dr Shah does have compassion and showed that after I broke down in the office visit. This journey is very difficult and being a Latina undergoing IVF, you can find your self alone. Our culture does not speak about IVF or believe in treatments like this. But having someone to comfort us and reassured that they will be transparent in every cycle we do. I recently had surgery that Dr. Shah recommended and even that decision, she helped me feel confident and sure that this would be another right direction.

To not be afraid to ask questions, even if it’s asking again and again. This is not an easy step in life but they really do care and will take the time to talk to you and explain it again and again without hesitation.

At the beginning of the cycle we started with 5 days of birth control, then it was followed by an ultrasound to see if we can move forward with the pills and injections. I was taking Clomid and had to two injections for a consecutive 7 days and was brought back in for ultrasound. They would measure the growth of the eggs and if they felt like i needed a couple of days they would ask me to continue the medication and was brought in. The first round, we did not enough big of eggs and we decided that we would not move forward with the retrieval. We waiting a month and did another round the same, we did switch one of the injections. We were able to grow 2 large enough eggs and even though the chance was very low I wanted to see if the retrieval would work. We only had one valuable egg and decided a fresh transfer. Unfortunately we were not successful. This past June I had my last fallopian tube removed and we hope to start a new cycle, which possible changes to the protocol.

IVF in general is very expensive but they are willing to work with you and what helped us the most was they did not charge before being seen which makes it more intimate and it assures us that they are here for us and not for the money right away. They would talk to us and break down treatment cost and was always willing to work with us.

I did wish they explained more on why they decided to do a fresh transfer instead of doing our original plan of egg freezing and transfer. They did say that this would also be about the same success rate but probably would ask to discuss this matter more next time.

We cannot say enough good things about Nova and the team. When we started our journey with IVF, we were so lost, scared, confused and really did not know where to start. We made many appointments with doctors and had numerous consultations. After much research, we pretty much had our mind made up with a particular doctor but we were waiting to meet with them. However, when we met with Dr. Shah, our minds changed quite fast. We felt this sense of calm, compassion and understanding with Dr. Shah. This never went away throughout our whole process and it allowed us to place trust and faith in Dr. Shah and her team. Her knowledge and the way she delivered information to us as patients felt genuine and as if she were giving the same recommendation to her family member. Dr. Shah was so patient with the many questions over and over, even the same questions over and over. She could not have picked a more suiting career for the amount of compassion she has. She recommended a conservative approach when we miscarried which we really appreciated. She was also open to changing FET protocols when I mentioned that I hated the way I felt on Lupron for my first FET. She took our personal needs into consideration and tried to make it as easy as possible. Another trait that stands out is her confidence. I felt horrible after my egg retrieval and it might have been partially to OHSS. I was so nervous and anxious. I think I called her everyday for 5 days and she was so patient but continued to tell me, “I promise you will turn the corner in a few days. You will wake up and feel like a new person.” I heard this everyday for 5 days and sure enough, I did. After that, I let go of the reigns and placed all faith in Dr. Shah.

Just schedule a consultation even if you have no intention of choosing Nova. She gives you an immense amount of hope in one of the hardest times. You will not be disappointed if you choose Dr. Shah. This is already an emotional roller coaster and she makes it 10x easy.

Before starting stims, we triggered with Hcg. It was then followed by stims with FSH and Letrozole once daily for 10-12 days. I believe I started Ganirelix 4ish days before retrieval and then a big trigger of Lupron 12 hrs before my retrieval. My husband took antibiotics for 2 days before retrieval and I took some the day before. The days mentioned above are not exact as I don’t recall the specifics however the IVF Coordinators walk you through each step. We retrieved 27 eggs, 22 fertilized and 15 day 5 blasts. We did a freeze all cycle. No ICSI used.

Egg Retrieval, freeze all and storage, and 1 FET $17, 000 Medications for egg retrieval 3k-7k through pharmacy. Look for cheaper options. They are out there. Check pharmacies in Europe that will ship. Just make sure the clear the meds with your doctor Additional FET 5,000 per transfer.

Dr. Shah will give you her recommendation but leave the decision ultimately up to you. We did two single embryo transfers. We were offered to do multiples but she recommended we do one.

Dr Shah was empathetic from the beginning and wanted to understand our past process to get to this point, including being compassionate about past miscarriages. She cares a lot about her patients and was clearly rooting for us during the entire process. I also trust her and Dr. Schmidt’s knowledge of the latest advances in the field.

Don’t hesitate to go for a consult - she will take good care of you !

Did a natural transfer cycle. Appreciated hearing about the different transfer approaches and being given the choice to choose based on my situation. She recommended PGT testing due to my age, which we were planning to do.

15-18k initial consult plus egg thaw, creating embryos with ICSI, pgt testing, around 5k transfer

eSET strongly encouraged

He was thorough and kind. Hopeful. He cared to spend the time in the consult with us. Though we did not see him more than the one time, he left us in good hands. He allowed us to ask all of our questions, and we had a lot.

Come in knowing some of what you hope for in the process.

They decided for us to be on clomid for both of the IUIs under his care. The first time they did an ultrasound to make sure there were no cysts. They also drew blood the first time to test my hormone levels. After measuring the size of my eggs that developed, the first time they decided day 14 and the second time day 13. I only had 1 egg develop the second time, but they didn’t want to give a chance for two more to develop big enough to risk 3.

$2,500 which includes the price of purchasing clomid and the HCG on our own. There were tests outside of this that were required as well prior to treatment, and those cost a lot.

None

We appreciate the level of care Dr. Schmidt has shown us. He personally sat with us and called us to give us our results and his thoughts on how to proceed next. When we were expecting to get a call from the nurse we instead get a call from Dr. Schmidt himself. His words and his calming nature makes us feel confident and comfortable with our journey in his hands. No matter the outcome we want to know we are in good hands and we know we are with him as our doctor.

The long wait list is worth it ;)

We have not yet proceeded with IVF treatments.

I don't remember in detail actual costs, but roughly 2 cycles of IVF is about $25K.

We have not yet proceeded with IVF treatments.

As I said before, I absolutely love everything about Dr Shah, from her bedside manner to her expert knowledge and ability to explain things in a very easy way. She is extremely professional and without any hesitation I would HIGHLY recommend Dr. Shah and the Nova team to anyone looking for fertility treatment. Nova, and in particular, Dr. Shah is your doctor.

Ask to be treated by Dr. Shah, she'll take good care of you and give you the best treatment.

Hormone medication for egg creation Hormone medication for embryo transfer Hormone medication for sustaining the pregnancy (in the very initial stage)

Covered by insurance

I went with single embryo transfer as it had a lower probability of resulting in twins. Dr. Shah presented all the facts, and my partner and I took it into consideration when making the decision about single embryo transfer or multiple embryo transfer.

Dr. Schmidt is one of the most caring, compassionate doctors I have ever met. Because I'd had previous IVF cycles at another clinic, he was very thorough in reviewing my chart and customizing my protocol, making recommendations based on what had happened in past IVF cycles. He always made time to answer all of my questions and explain the rationale for his recommendations. During procedures, he talked me through each step.

At the time of my consult, I was 37 and had been through one fresh IVF cycle and two FETs (transferring a total of 5 embroys) at another clinic and none had resulted in pregnancy. We had a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility". Because of this, Dr. Schmidt recommended PGS and ERA testing to see if there was something else going on to explain why I wasn't able to get pregnant. I'd had mild OHSS in a previous IVF cycle at another clinic, so in my retrieval cycle at NOVA, Dr. Schmidt altered my meds (FSH/Ganirelix and Lupron trigger, rather than FSH/Menopur, hCG trigger at my previous clinic) to minimize risk of OHSS. He retrieved 21 eggs, almost the same as with my previous clinic (22) but without the uncomfortable OHSS symptoms. 15 embryos made it to blastocyst stage, and after PGS testing we had 9 normal. Following retrieval, I had a cycle where we did an ERA to assess the receptivity of my lining, and then an FET cycle (eSET) which resulted in pregnancy and my healthy, full-term baby. I saw Dr. Schmidt for an initial consult in July 2017 and was pregnant by Dec 2017 with my daughter.

$19,400: two cycle IVF plan (included two egg retrieval cycles and any FETs needed within a certain time frame... we ended up only needing one egg retrieval and one FET) $9625: PGS testing of 15 embryos $1335: ERA test

Dr. Schmidt told us that in our case he would only do eSET, since our embryos were PGS-tested. Had we had multiple failed FETs, I'm not sure if he would have done multiple embryo transfer or not, as it never got to that point and we never had to discuss it.

Dr. Schmidt called us personally to give us updates after each egg retrieval. Although the nurses typically did routine monitoring appointments, I was always given the option to book the appointment such that I could see Dr. Schmidt if I preferred. He answered all my questions by email/phone really quickly, and when we hit a huge roadblock in our treatment we were able to get into see him in-person pretty quickly. He was always incredibly encouraging and supportive while never guaranteeing a particular result. He was also really open to trying new approaches and hearing our point of view regarding the course of treatment.

I know the wait list is long and daunting, but if you are able to hang tight until you can get in, it's definitely worth it. We cycled at another clinic while waiting, and it turned out to be a big mistake (also the wait list can often go quickly since people drop out).

Dr. Schmidt used a luteal phase protocol for all four of the cycles I did, and it worked really well in terms of getting a good number of high quality eggs/embryos. I was prescribed Follistim and low dose HCG (rather than Menopur) and that worked really well. He used a dual Lupron/HCG trigger which helped get us more mature eggs. For the last embryo transfer that was successful, he recommended Neupogen based on having good clinical results with it.

We did a multi-cycle plan that was more cost effective than other clinics in the area. They did everything they could to minimize excessive costs for us. We are incredibly grateful for this.

Dr. Schmidt was pretty strongly in favor of eSET even though we had had multiple transfer failures before. Once I became pregnant, I saw the value of that - a twin pregnancy would have been really risky and hard.

Dr. Schmidt was wonderful. He did his best to make our experience successful. Although he was not able to provide us our dream results- having babies with my eggs and my husband's sperm. We both feel he did his best. We're currently on our 6th IVF cycle (1st donor cycle). We're hoping and praying this will bring us our miracle baby.

Be patient. Ask questions. Don't worry about sounding too demanding. It's your body, your life, your happiness!

AMH- 0.4 FSH- 16, 23.5, 25, 4 Used Menopur, Lupron, Ganirelix, Clomid

We purchased the 3-cycle plan, which costs approximately $20,000 that is excluding medication. For each cycle, the medication ranged from $3,000-$6,000. We went through 6 cycles total (including one donor cycle) so we've spent a pretty penny on our IVF procedures.

We had 3 frozen embryos, which were grade A- and C+. We decided to transfer all 3 embryos with the hopes that one would implant. Our doctor says it was a 50% chance that one will implant if we transferred 3 embryos. That helped make our decision to transfer all 3 embryos.

He is warm and engaging. My husband and I always felt like he had all the time in the world to answer our questions. We never felt rushed. Sometimes his verbiage would go over our heads so we didn't always clearly understand the information. We saw him for all major points (retrieval and transfers) which we appreciated. He personally called to give us embryo updates as well. All around he exudes confidence and compassion.

Ask questions even if you think they are dumb.

For IVF we did a luteal stimulation protocol which was less medications than traditional IVF. I found it to be pretty easy on my body. This is what NOVA explained about it: Luteal stimulation has several benefits. After ovulation occurs progesterone levels rise in your body. It is these natural progesterone levels that will keep you from ovulating during the cycle as we want to time your ovulation with the egg retrieval. This increases the response of ovaries as we do not have to add any negative feedback (or medications) to suppress the ovaries to prevent ovulation. An added benefit of this protocol is that your estrogen levels remain lower than in traditional IVF so it minimizes the discomfort and risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). This protocol makes it a freeze all protocol. We froze 10 embryos and are preparing for the transfer this coming month.

We did a package which allowed for 2 retrievals, unlimited FETs, one year of embryo storage. It was 20,000. No hidden costs.

She never allowed us to get discouraged. She was confident in the direction of the treatment, which ultimately gave us the confidence to continue. When we experienced a miscarriage, she seemed as heartbroken as we were but continued to encourage us and helped us to get through it. When we eventually got pregnant with our twins, it was the happiest moment of our lives and we were proud to have had Dr. Shah be a part of it with us. We've never had a more genuine and caring doctor.

Believe in her confidence!

Our strategy from the beginning was to get pregnant without IVF. She believed that we were both young and healthy enough to do it on our own, but for some reason it just wasn't happening. We planned to do 3-4 IUI treatments. After the third treatment, we got pregnant but had a miscarriage. At that point, we knew we were on the right path. We took a couple of months off to deal with the heartbreak of the miscarriage and started up again with the same strategy in mind. We were pregnant with twins after a couple of months.

I felt cared-for and informed. Dr. Schmidt is honest about outcomes and progressive in his treatments. He was reasonably reachable for questions and explained treatments/guidelines/the science thoroughly.

Get on his waiting list as early as possible! Attend a seminar, I don't know if he still does this, but I was able to get an initial appointment right away because I had attended one of his informational seminars.

My initial hormone levels were very good for my age (41). He started me on birth control pills to regulate my cycle, then Letrozole to stimulate ovulation, and a trigger shot. I got pregnant on my first IUI, but miscarried. He then suggested I move to injectables to make the most of limited time. I was hesitant, but agreed. Second IUI failed to create a pregnancy. Third IUI with injectables resulted in a live birth.

I don't remember.

He is very nice. I met mostly with Nurses, but never felt like I couldn't speak with him directly (which I did on one occasion). He handled by egg retrieval and embryo transfers personally. In both cases he explained clearly what was to happen without ever sounding patronizing. When he checked for baby's first heartbeat and found it, I got overwhelmed with happy emotions. He was sweet and left me to weep happily in the room on my own for a bit, no rush.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. He will never make you feel bad for asking, and always makes himself or the right nurse available to answer them.

Can not recall cost of egg harvest. Frozen embryo transfer is 4500$. Annual cryo embryo storage is $600. There is also an annual storage fee for leftover sperm which I don't recall. Medication is not paid through them.

He will not allow a pregnancy of more than 2 at a time as he feels it is too risky to mom and baby's health. If you opt to transfer more than two, you must sign a waiver that, in the event of 3+ implantations, you agree ahead of time to terminate all but two.

Dr. Shah is wonderful. As an obese woman I am used to doctors not taking me seriously or blaming everything on my weight. Dr. Shah never makes me feel that way. She is always open and honest about treatment and answers all the questions I have. I trust her completely.

Write down your questions before appointments so you remember to ask them all.

Started with an egg retrieval: Lupron, FSH, HCG trigger. My AFC was 14 but only retrieved 2 because my ovaries were hard to reach. They both fertilized and were frozen on day two. We opted not to do genetic testing. Then we did two IUIs that didn't work. Then we did a timed intercourse cycle with Letrozole that also didn't work. Then we did an FET which didn't work and are about to do a second FET with our last embryo.

Costs seem to be on par with other clinics in the area.

Dr. strongly encouraged single embryo transfer

1. Does not go into details unless asked 2. Does not call with updates at times 3. Not always open to new approaches. I wanted to try a natural cycle but was told that was not an option. My only option is medicated cycle. 4. Seems very compassionate 5. Knowledgable about his discipline

Be patient.

Retrieval #1 Folliculatr phase stimulation. Used BCP for 3 weeks. After that started Follistim BID as well as micro hcg and Ganirelix. Triggered with Novel 2, 000 IU and Lupron. Retrieved 17 eggs and ended up with 9 embryos. Retrieval #2 Luteal phase stimulation. Started stimulation medication after ovulation. Used Follistim, micro hcg, and Ganirelix. Also used Letrozole oral tablets. Retrieved 10 eggs with 4 embryos.

Always fast and very informative, however only ever saw the PA or nurse practitioner.

Initial cycle 20, 000 ICSI 1,900 Embryo transfers 4,900 PGS testing 6,750

Single embryo transfer is safer for mom and baby since the end goal is to take home baby.

He is the greatest doctor I have seen. Over my 8 year journey I have seen many doctors and I have never felt more comfortable or trusting of a doctor. I know that he is the doctor for me and he will do all that he can to figure out my issues. I feel very confident in him and his office!

Go see him! Worth the waitlist and the money!

Antagonist protocol using birth control, Gonal F, HCG, Ganirelix and a trigger of either Lupron or Novarel. I have done one retrieval with Dr. Schmidt, 2 frozen transfers, and am in the process of another retrieval with the some protocol as last time.

Fortunately for our 2017 rounds we had Progeny insurance through my husband's employeer.

I went to Dr. Schimidt after my last clinic basically gave up on my body, suggesting I get a surrogate. He told me that this was absolute nonsense, there was no reason I couldn't carry to term. And he was right. He pointed out several areas where my last clinic failed me, and corrected each one. I was fairly stressed out by the time I came to Nova, but Dr. Schmidt was a very calming presence. He focuses on getting the protocol just right for each patient and doesn't waste time on extraneous issues like acupuncture, special diets, etc. He is also able to course correct nimbly, when needed.

Get on the waiting list ASAP. It took 8 month to be seen, but it was worth it.

He used a novel protocol that employed both a moderate dose of FSH and Femara. At first I was wary of this, as it was very new at the time. But the quality of my eggs and embryos was outstanding. At a previous clinic a high dosage antagonist protocol resulted in poor egg quality, high embryo attrition, and two failed transfers.

He has a flexible approach and ultimately leaves it up to the patient.

We began a search within the bay area for a fertility specialist. As far north as San Francisco and as far south as Los Angeles. We interviewed only two Doctors and the second was Dr Schmidt. We knew we would likely only have one shot with the amount of eggs I made. Meaning when fertilized, all embryos would be used and placed in my uterus and none would be frozen for later. Anyone reading this DREAMS of the phone call my husband and I got at 2:05 pm one day after implantation and a subsequent pregnancy test. "Congratulations! You are pregnant!" Dr Schmidt told us over the phone. When I went in to the office for a check up the following week the kind nurse who assisted the partner of Dr Schmidt said "I knew one of the embryos the compactor was the one." She had been literally mother hen-ing my babies for me. Tears. I don't know why I couldn't get pregnant without Dr Schmidts help. I may never know. All I know if I am grateful for him and his team and the nurse who looked after my babies and helped my husband and I get pregnant. Our daughter who we think cleared the way for our two other healthy children are absolute gifts and continue to teach me to be patient and present and appreciate what is right here and now in front of me. The mystery, miracle and subsequents joys in my life happen on their own time and it's almost never right when I want it and that's ok.

Go to see him first.

Dr. Shah was an incredibly thoughtful and insightful physician. Her bedside manner and her approach to treating the delicate nature of infertility treatment is unparalleled. She really cares about her patients and will spend extra time explaining everything to them. She also has a calm demeanor and never lets her patients lose hope.

You are in great hands and Nova IVF clinic is absolutely incredible.

They were a great team and held our hand through the whole process. I recommend them to everyone. Nurse team was great and supportive . Overall they are amazing and have so much knowledge. Even the on call nurse was efficient and called back right away . Very professional all around from when you first get there till they hand you of to you Obgyn.

They amazing and so supportive you want to go through there clinic.

I took drugs before retrieval. Gave myself shots and then had to take medications during the process. My DH took antibiotics for 2 weeks prior. They retrieved the eggs and then 3 days later they implanted while I took shots.

$23,000

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Schmidt and his Nova clinic. He exudes caring and confidence and I put complete faith and trust in him. His SAART numbers back him up as he has excellent results. His clinic is small because he is the only doctor but that means a very personalized experience. Someone always answers the phone. The front desk staff knows all the patients. The atmosphere in his office is soothing. His embryologist is excellent and they have worked together for many years.

He has a long wait list now so get on it! But the reason his wait is long is because your treatment will be very personal with Schmidt directing things and you seeing him frequently.

Dr. Schmidt and the Nova team were the best I've encountered in the business. It is definitely hard to book them as they have a long wait list but the wait is worth it. Dr. Schmidt is attentive, diagnosed our problem right away and had a solid plan. I knew I was in good hands and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Even though they are out of network for my insurance, I still went with them and the staff helped me get some reimbursement back from my insurance. The only improvement I would ask of them is their communications. It was fine and I wasn't overly anxious throughout but I know some women want every single detail of their labs and scans and ASAP. They would sometimes be a few hours late in calling me back with the results. I didn't care that much though. I would recommend Nova to anyone who is considering IVF.

Put yourself on the waitlist ASAP.

He had an amazing energy and was very positive. He listened to my concerns and was considerate of my feelings. I was always happy to go to my appointments because Dr. Schmidt would make me feel like I could conquer this obstacle. He was very honest about my chances which was helpful.

I would just tell anyone who goes to see him that he is a remarkable doctor who uses state of the art treatment. He will exude positivity and confidence. Just go in there an ask your questions, voice your concerns but also allow him to do what he is excellent at.

He is kind, knowledgeable and compassionate. We always felt cared for and comfortable with each step and level of skill being provided.

Call immediately as there can be a wait to get in.

We had insurance coverage but he waived some fees since we had to do more than one egg retrieval

It is my first time of IVF cycle and not completed yet. I basically just follow what the doctor told me to do. I would like to set expectations before the treatment and they often say the doctor will decide based on this experience. Now the information is not complete and he will know better next time when blablabla. Then I have to hold my question until the next visit. But I would like to know first different scenarios that they failed to tell the patient in advance.

The waiting list for Dr. Schmidt is very long. We don't have a chance to get the first consultation and make an appropriate evaluation first.

13,000-14,000 for one time frozen embryos transfer IVF.