Ohio Reproductive Medicine (Boston IVF Network clinic)

Dr. Williams' strengths are his friendly attitude and his clear explanations of procedures and risks. He was also always willing to answer questions and didn't seem rushed. He always had a smile and a handshake to give, and he was very well versed in current studies and techniques. His one weakness is that after an extended vacation, he had trouble remembering us and our circumstances. This memory lapse was during my 7 week ultrasound to confirm pregnancy before releasing us to the regular ob/gun. Because I was already pregnant, I wasn't too worried about his memory.

Make sure to ask any questions that you want. He can talk quickly, so if you need clarity, just ask. In my experience he's been more than willing to explain anything.

I did Letrozole for 4 cycles with no success. We then discussed IVF. Williams recommended IUI first, but since we had been TTC for 5 years, he was fine with just moving right to IVF. While we were preparing all the paperwork for IVF, we did one round of IUI just to see if it would work. It did not. So on to IVF we went. I did 75cc of Gonal in the morning and 75cc of Gonal and 150cc (I think) of Menopur in the evening for 10 days. I also used an ovulation suppressant for 3 days before retrieval, but I can't remember what it's called. I also used a trigger shot 36 hours before retrieval. On the day of retrieval, i took a Xanax two hours before the procedure. And I took Zofran about 30 min before the procedure. Because Williams was on vacation, Dr. Schmidt did the retrieval. Although I had heard (on this website) that he can be unfriendly or arrogant, he was nothing but warm and kind to me. The nurse gave me a shot of Dilaudid about 30 minutes before the procedure. The only side effect I noticed was dizziness. The retrieval wasn't painful at all. I was very impressed. Dr. Schmidt definitely has had many years of practice, so that was a real benefit. I spent the rest of the day on the couch. I had had a stomach bug earlier in the week, so I needed the rest. He retrieved 10 eggs. 8 fertilized, and 5 made it to day 5 blastocysts. We transferred the best one and froze the other 4. Dr. Londra preformed the transfer because Williams was still on vacation. She was also very friendly, but she was a little nervous because Williams had written in his notes that he had had trouble getting the catheter into my uterus when he has done the practice run. But everything went really smoothly, and she said she had no issues. She seemed very relieved. Again, there was no real pain, and I spent the rest of the day hanging out and watching America's Funniest Home Videos. I read that laughter aids in implantation because it helps your body relax and release endorphins. Ten days later, I did a blood test and got a call later that the pregnancy test was positive. I did another blood test 3 days later, and it also looked great. Three weeks later, I went in to do a 7 week ultrasound with Dr. Williams. He was back from vacation and looking refreshed, but he couldn't remember our names or history. At that point, I didn't really care because I had one healthy gestational sac and I was released to my regular ob/gyn. I also began progesterone in sesame oil shots every day after retrieval until reaching 12 weeks of pregnancy. It was not fun! But my husband got very good at giving them, and it was only a half a milliliter. I always sat on a heating pad afterward to help disperse the oil, and we alternated sides. I tried suppositories after 8 weeks, but they were mostly too messy to use consistently. I took them if I was going to be away from my husband for the night or if my butt was just too sore for another shot. So glad they're over!

We were incredibly lucky that my husband's company provided infertility benefits. We didn't want to use them on the IUI so we paid out of pocket for that. The procedure was $346 for the sperm wash and insemination. The Letrozole I had been taking was $18 per month through a specialty pharmacy. We had to pay a deposit of $1200 for the IVF procedures and lab fees. To the best of my knowledge, that's all we paid to the clinic. The drugs were also covered under our insurance, but only up to $4000, I think. So we had to pay about $1500 over that coverage for all of the medication. I think I paid another $50 for more progesterone when my supply was running low. We also had to pay a deposit and a monthly fee to store our frozen embryos. I think the deposit was $150 or so, and the monthly fee is around $40. So all in all, we spent about $3000 on our various treatments including one round of IVF. I could not be happier with that expense considering what people normally pay out of pocket.

Williams and his nurses were pretty adamant about a single embryo transfer. I am 32 and my husband is 33, so we were fine with one. We also have friends who transferred 2 and then one embryo split, and they got triplets! We did not want that to happen to us.

I have been a patient on and off for almost 8 years. I've always been impressed with his knowledge of reproductive health. He does tend to rattle off stats and info rather quickly but will always take the time to throughly explain if you ask for clarification. Dr. Grant has been very mindful of the cost/benefit of procedures as I am totally self pay.

Prepare your questions in advance and don't be afraid to ask something.

My first ivf round was microdose Lupron with Bc. My fsh level was slightly elevated. He assured me at my age I should have some quality eggs left but I may not produce a lot. My estrogen level was almost 1200 but sadly only 2 eggs were retrieved. I was disappointed with this procedure for a couple of reasons. A fresh transfer was planned but on retrieval day (after I had been given Ativan and dilauid) I was told my progesterone was too high and it would be best to freeze. I thought someone would have called prior to my retrieval to tell me. My progesterone came back high two days before my retrieval. We were expecting to retrieve 7, but only got 2. Dr. Grant did not do my retrieval, Dr. Kennard did. I never really got an explanation as why only 2 eggs were retrieved. My second round I was on an antagonist protocol with no Bc. After 6 days of stimms 5 eggs were retrieved. We planned to do a freeze since I needed surgery to remove a uterine polyp.

Ivf cycles were about 7,000 There was a detailed list of costs given prior to starting ivf.

Have not transferred yet

Dr. Wiliiams treats you like you matter and makes sure you are aware of and understand all of your options. He is very knowlegable and I feel like I'm in good hands with him. I drive 2 hours for appointments because I don't want to change doctors. He was the 1st dr to find why my tubes were blocked and he did the surgery to unblock them. He did a great job and now both tubes are open and were are now trying IUI again. Also, they make sure to help save costs whenever possible. I would hands down recommend him to anyone needing fertility help.

Listen to him and really consider his suggestions. I didn't at 1st and wasted a round of IUI because I didn't have him do a 2nd HSG that I thought I didn't need. Turns out he found my problem after performing it himself and I had to have surgery. I could have saved myself a lot of time, money and heartbreak if I had taken his advice.

My 1st treatment was 100mg Clomid days 3-5 and I had 2 good follicles on day 14. I did 1 mL of pregnyl that night and had intercourse. My iui was day 16 at 9:30am then 21 day prgesterone Test showed I ovulated. I didn't get pregnant but I had blocked tubes I didn't know about yet. Next cycle repeated the same but no good follicles could be found (no iui) but 21 day progesterone showed I did ovulate again. Still BFN. Next round 150mg Clomid 2 follicles did pregnyl and iui then 21 day progesterone showed I didn't ovulate. Obviously BFN. This next round they are going to try Femara.

Usually just paid my copay for regular visits. $160 for follicular ultra sound. $200 for HSG. Less than $1000 for laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. just under $400 for IUI

Have not dealt with this

Explains things very well, great bedside manner. Gave me his personal cell number in case I needed him over the weekend. Called to check on me himself after surgery. Portrayed confidence in my treatment but never promised anything he knew he may not be able to deliver.

Don't be afraid to ask questions!

HSG to check tubes. Once we found one was blocked he gave us options of surgery or pursuing IVF without any pressure-he let us make decision. Once we found we were having an ectopic miscarriage, he explained our options-surgery vs methotrexate vs waiting and monitoring with labs and ultrasound. Recommended surgery to remove tube after ectopic miscarriage due to possibility of blocked tube contributing to miscarriages.

Roughly 10,000 for one cycle of IVF not including medications

He provides information on risks with transferring multiples, will discuss your Personal situation/age etc.

I almost always saw him when I had an appointment. He seemed personable and honest about helping us achieve our goal. There were times when I felt rushed like he needed to see as many patients as possible. I didn't feel like I could ask any questions and needed to wait to speak with the nurses.

Make sure you ask any and all questions while in the office no matter if he made you feel rushed. That is why he is there to help us all achieve our goal.

We started with 4 rounds of a variation of Clomid since I was already on clomid for 5 months with my ob/gyn. During these rounds, Schmidt also monitored be for.ovulation and used a hcg trigger. The dosage was always the same and nothing changed. These didn't work so we moved onto injectable, follistim. I was monitored and also used a hcg trigger. The only change in meds was the last cycle when he increased my follistim from 100 to 150 and added progesterone suppositories for 7days after trigger. The progesteeone was added because it was low the on tge last cycle. All through my medicated cycles, my lining and estrogen was monitored also.

Each office visit cost around $500 and bloodwork was $250 plus medication

Overall, I liked Dr Williams. He remained optimistic yet gave me a realistic idea of whether specific treatments could work. He is kind and compassionate and on-time. So far, I've only pursued IUI with him, so I can't comment on IVF with this particular doctor.

Advocate for yourself. Make sure he knows if you want to be more aggressive with treatments, etc.

My protocols were only for IUI. I started with 50mg Clomid while trying naturally. Then after one cycle, I decided I wanted to move to IUI with Clomid, which he agreed to. A few cycles I didn't ovulate, or my husband had low sperm counts.

IUI was $373. Monitoring was about $40 after insurance. Procedures seemed to be well priced in comparison to what I've heard from other clinics

Did not pursue IVF so cannot comment.

I felt like Dr. Londra was my friend. We didnt share our fertility challenges with anyone, but I always had her to express my feelings to. She calmed me when i was anxious and I instantly trusted her to take care of me.

Don't hesitate! I was embarrassed and nervous to start treatment. But after being in her care I regret that I didnt start sooner.

I dont remember everything from memory. She started with low dose pills and closely monitored results. Each month she made adjustments, increasing dosage and adding injectibles. But, the increases were gradual and I really appreciated that. We started with the least invasibe treatment and moved up the ladder. I didnt want to take risks with multiples and she agreed. She was up front that after the treatments we'd done, IUI would not significantly increase oir chances, but let us decide if we wanted to try it. We decided to save our restricted insurance coverage for IVF. The retreival was uncomfortable, but she talked me through it. We did a fresh transfer of 1. She was out of town for a conference for the transfer, but left me in good hands and gave me her cell phone number before she left in case i had questions or just needed to hear her opinion. I was so nervous after getting blood drawn for my first pregnancy test. I was waiting on pins and needles for a nurse to call me. The call came the same afternoon as my test, and it was Dr. Londra herself! I was so thankful she took the time to call me to share the news, answer my questions, and tell me next steps.

I domt remember. My insurance covered a lot of my prescriptions, ultrasound visits, and even IVF since it was my first round. Going forward it will all be out of pocket since tge coverage for infertility has a lifetime max.

Dr. Londra shared the risks of transferring multiple embryos as well as how little multiple ones would increase the chance of pregnancy. She left the decision up to us and said they would go with what we decided. We considered transferring 2. But after speaking with her, we decided to go with 1 and are thankful for her information and advice.

Dr. Friedman was a very nice person. He seemed very invested in what he was doing, but he was on his way out (retiring) when we saw him. I felt like he skipped a lot of tests. The first day we saw him he ordered a blood test to check my thyroid (because I pushed for it) and did a transvaginal ultrasound. I had already had my FSH and LH checked at my PCP's office. From those 2 tests he ordered he suggested we start IUI. After 4 unsuccessful rounds of IUI and a lot of my own research, I feel like there is a lot of testing that should have been done before jumping right to IUI.

Do your own research and ask lots of questions.

For my first 2 rounds of IUI I was on femara/letrozole and went into the office around CD 12 for a trasvaginal ultrasound. That evening I would be given an HCG shot to trigger ovulation and then go in 36 hours later for the insemination. The third round of IUI Dr. Friedman wanted to do the same course of treatment, even after the first 2 failed. I pushed for more aggressive treatment. That is when he prescribed femara/letrozole as before, but also added a few doses of follistim injectables. I then went in a little earlier for a transvaginal ultrasound, had the HCG injection and the IUI. For our 4th round of IUI we used all follistim injectables. I had 2 transvaginal ultrasounds and then the HCG injection and IUI. Round 4 was also unsuccessful. It was suggested we move to IVF. It has now been almost 4 months since our last round of IUI and we have done a lot of our own research. We are looking into getting a second opinion and more testing before moving to IVF.

It cost about $800-1,000 per IUI cycle, depending on which meds we were using.

Dr. Kennard was okay. She was recommended to me by my genetic counselor as having the best bedside manner. When I had my first appointment, she seemed extremely confident that IVF was the best choice for us. However, I feel as though she didn't adjust my treatment to accommodate the poor odds we were facing. For couples who are testing for a genetic disease, it makes sense to stimulate a little more aggressively, since they likely need at least 8 embryos biopsied and tested to have a good shot at having a healthy baby. Other women doing genetic testing that I have met have told me their doctors attempted an aggressive stim protocol to optimize their chances of success. I will add that Dr. Kennard is extremely short and a little odd. She will answer questions that you have, but will have a hand on the doorknob as she responds, as though she's got somewhere else to be.

Don't be put off by her brusque manner. Make sure you write your questions down and ask them.

Agonist protocol with leuprolide, gonal-F, hCG trigger. FET protocol with leuprolide, delestrogen, progesterone-in-oil, prometrium, medrol.

Extremely busy during monitoring appointments. Occasionally there would be nowhere to sit, or my husband and I would have to sit separately.

I used to love Dr. Williams. But in the end, even though I have had two children with no fertility enhancing medication (and they are only 2 and 3 years old) he could not get me pregnant. He rushed through all of his explanations, never seemed to know who I was, and frequently I didn't even see him. During my one and only IVF cycle with him, he let me go SEVERAL days without monitoring between my last ultrasound and my egg retrieval. A fact my next RE would be astounded by. I was also told the morning of my egg retrieval that a different doctor at the clinic, one who had not even taken on any of her own patients yet, would be doing my retrieval. The only reason she didn't do it is because I complained about it. The retrieval itself went fine (I think). He recovered 10 eggs which was lower than he had told me would likely be the result at the beginning (he predicted at least 15). The fertilization, which we did with ICSI, was disastrous. ICSI usually has a 80% fertilization rate, only 4 out of my 10 eggs even fertilized. This was so hard to stomach--I had just been pregnant, naturally! (Our issue is male factor--my husband had a vasectomy and subsequent reversal. The reversal lasted long enough to naturally conceive our son but then scarred over again). Anyhow, the embryologist had no answer for why we had such a miserable fertilization rate. Just speaking to her, she seemed highly unintelligent. She couldn't answer any of my questions. She just said "well maybe it will be fine." It wasn't. Two of the embryos never really developed, and we transferred the other two on day 3. Negative. Obviously disappointed, we wanted to try again. I scheduled an appointment with Dr Williams right away. He too had no idea what went wrong. He told me he went to the lab to ask but they didn't take any notes on me... Then he recommended basically the exact same protocol again but with higher doses of drugs this time. We did not ultimately complete a second IVF cycle there and went elsewhere. It is worth noting that I had also done 8 medicated and unmedicated IUIs in the previous year with perfect donor sperm and did not get pregnant that way either.

Don't go to this doctor or this clinic.

I wasn't given a rationale for why he used these particular protocols. He put me on long lupron and gonal-f, just like he does with everyone else.

Ultrasound monitoring here is the worst. 9 million people all waiting and it takes hours.

Typical costs.

I really enjoyed and trusted Dr. Schmidt throughout our 8 cycles of treatment. I had no reason to believe I wasn't receiving the best care. Towards the end of my treatment at ORM is when I started to suspect many things had gone wrong. Through talking to other women and finally seeking a second opinion, I realized we were highly mistreated. I feel extremely let down and I feel like I have a clearer picture now of how ORM operates. I will start with the positive. Dr. Schmidt has a wonderful bedside manner. So compassionate and easy to talk to. I always left feeling positive after meeting with him. He never made me feel like I could lose this battle to infertility, always very hopeful. I preferred Dr. Schmidt over the other 4 doctors there, he seemed to be more personable and positive than others. Now with the negative and honestly the most important factors. I was diagnosed at 18 with PCOS by my OBGYN. I have many of the classic symptoms. High testosterone, and no period unless medicated. From my first appt with Schmidt he laughed and said "Oh no, you do not have PCOS." From that appt forward I was never treated as a poly patient. The next 6 cycles, in my eyes, I was treated appropriately. 2 cycles of Femara plus trigger, and 4 stim shots cycles paired with IUI's. I ovulated each month with strong leading follicles, but did not produce a pregnancy. No concerns with Dr. Schmidt's care. Then we made the decision to move forward with IVF. I was instructed to do the Long Lupron protocol as most patients at ORM I've found. As a true polycisitc patient I overstimulated bad. By day 10 of stims my E2 was about 5000 and I had over 35 follicles. I went from a Wednesday US and blood draw monitoring until Monday. That is where I had a huge jump. I should have been seen that Thurs, Fri, or Sat. I should have been monitored closer. Egg retrieval was extremely painful for me. I retrieved 34 eggs and the pain was unbearable. I then developed OHSS and my fresh transfer was cancelled. Of course it was, I was very sick and was overstimulated. However, I was still overjoyed with the amount of eggs I had and we ultimately had 13 day 5 and 6 embryos that made it to freeze. This was a remarkable number and I knew with 13 embryos we would never have to go through a stim cycle or retrieval again, my heart was beyond hopeful. Skip to my first FET. Schmidt and the embryologist come into the room and say we have 2 great looking embryos to transfer today but 3 also didn't survive the thaw so you went through 5 today. I was stunned. Wasn't expecting that news but still pleased that we transferred 2. Never again did I hear why 3 didn't survive the thaw. Schmidt nor the lab ever addressed it or gave a reason. They just mentioned this rarely happens. So now we have 8 embryos left. Still content and hopeful with that number. Skip to my next FET. That morning the embryologist calls and tells me none of my embryos are surviving the thaw, even mentions to not even head into the office. You can imagine my heartbreak. Finally I get a call, that they were able to save the very last two that were "viable." I didn't know what this meant but was relieved to get this news and we were off. In my gut, as much as I didn't want to accept this news I knew we had slim to no chance of getting pregnant. I knew those last 2 embryos that they transferred something was seriously off or wrong with them. So on that day we started with 8 and now had zero. I did not get pregnant. We were back to step zero. Within 5 months, 13 grade 1 5 day blasts, gone. At this point, my sadness turned to anger. What went wrong? How did this happen? Human error? Was there an error with the freezing or thawing? Was it the quality of my eggs or embryos? My mind was purely racing every day. Our next step was to schedule our follow-up failed consultation. I demanded someone to be present from the lab with Schmidt. I needed all my questions answered. I needed reasons and what we would change moving forward. I was beyond anxious for this appt. We go, I have all my questions typed out, they answer nothing. They have no idea why my embryos didn't survive. They couldn't answer any of my questions. Simply just "try again." That was it. I find this unacceptable. That was my last day at ORM. I have since switched to another doctor and clinic in Columbus and in my short time there I have renewed hope and my suspicions of how I was mistreated and how my embryos were mishandled were instantly gratified. It's been painfully difficult to look back on and accept my journey at ORM. I know there is no guarantee with this world of infertility but as a patient I was left feeling like a number not a cared for patient. I even followed up with a letter to Schmidt and the lab director requesting a few specifics before plunging into another new cycle after all that was lost, and didn't even get a response. That was the icing on the cake. That sealed the deal that I was at the wrong clinic. It's still a very raw, fresh topic for me. I think it will be for a while, but glad we are moving forward with a new doctor. For the 2 years I went to ORM, I recommended Schmidt to everyone and gave him nothing but praise. I no longer will do so.

Push for a tailored protocol at ORM, I feel like if you are remotely outside of the box with your medical case you are SOL. They don't seem to be adapting to the ever-evolving science of infertility. Do your own research, trust your gut, and always be your own biggest advocate. Push.

I feel strongly that ORM really uses the standard protocols on most patients. Especially per doc/per patient. 1. 2 Femara/Trigger shots- ovulated strong. No pregnancy 2. 4 stim cycles/IUI- 75-125units per day of Gonal-F plus trigger. Husband sperm samples very strong and high numbers each cycle. Between 3-10 large size follicles each cycle. No pregnancy 3. IVF- 225 units per day of Gonal-F, 5,000 units of HCG trigger. I overstimulated. 10 days of stims. E2 reached 5,000 I had 35 follicles. 34 eggs retrieved. OHSS. 5 day blasts- 13 embryos make it to freeze 4. FET #1- 2 embryos transferred- 3 die in thaw. Prepped with BC, Lupron, Estradiol shots, PIO shots, antibiotic, steroid. No pregnancy 5. FET # 2- 2 embryos transferred- 6 die in thaw. Prepped with BC, Lupron, Estradiol shots, PIO shots, antibiotic, steroid. No pregnancy

Way too many patients for the early-morning monitoring appts. Seems they are understaffed.

Ultrasounds $300 IUI- $343 Consultation- $300 IVF- $6600 Without meds FET- $2900 Without meds

Dr. Friedman is very kind and very compassionate. He has humor to help with your nerves and he explains things very well. I really love him as my doctor. I wish he could have been at each appointment but I understand that it's not always possible.

Ignore the rude nurses because add. Friedman and Gina are very nice and super helpful.

We used Clomid for ovulation with an HCG trigger shot. My husband is on a prescription med to reduce estrogen in his body and he also does three injections of HCG a week for sperm count. We have had one IUI so far and it failed.

My Clomid is 8 dollars with insurance, trigger shot is $126 with insurance, first follicle scan was $345, second follicle scan was $284, IUI was $373, and we pay $126 a month for my husbands injections.

Doctor Schmidt was very nice and had a much different bedside manner. He wasn't like you traditional stuffy doctor that was looking at you like you were just another weepy lady trying to get pregnant. He let you vent, and cry and show your concerns and your worries without judgement. He was understanding in your feeling as well as well with what you needed medically. I came in to the clinic not knowing what to expect as this was only my 2nd doctor and things were very new. He never promised I would get pregnant like the other doctors but did promise I would ovulate. And I did! After two cycles we became pregnant but we ended up miscarriaging at 6 weeks. After a few more cycles he suggested we do ivf. Which was not in our financial cards. So I had to walk away and find another doctor. Which we did, many in fact.

Be open minded. He is friendly and nice but again he has a different bedside manner. Some many not know how to take it. I thought it was nice but it may not be everyone's cup of tea

For each cycle we would start off with Femara, Estrodial, and then we would add Gonal-f and menopur injections. I was checked two to three times a week by blood and ultrasounds to see my levels and my follicle growth. Then once we were sure the folliclescwere growing we would take an injection that medically induce ovulation. Then 36 hours later timed intercourse and then proceeded with every other day. I was also taking progesterone vaginally. Once my cycle was due to start I would do a pregnancy test, usually blood test as the urine tests don't work. If it came back negative I would stop the progesterone till my cycle started. Sometimes I would take meds to start my period as the progesterone would delay it. And then we would do the same thing again.

Occasionally her accent made me misunderstand, but she was always happy to answer clarifying questions, so it was never an issue. I really appreciated the time she would spend making sure I was fully informed at each visit and had all my questions answered.

She is so compassionate that if you’re seeking bluntness you have to ask for it. She will err on the side of cautious optimism, but she will always give me her real opinion when asked. I think it’s just good bedside manner.

During ovarian stimulation, I was self-injecting 2-3 medications each night. One of them made my skin very itchy! I don’t remember more specifics because it was over a year ago.

The procedures associated with IVF with ICSI were around $4000, and medications were an additional $1500, approximately.

She strongly recommended only transferring one embryo, but I agreed with her reasoning. I think it’s smart to keep the chances of multiples to a minimum.

She was Very relatable and compassionate while being to the point. She answers all of your questions and always seemed knowledgeable. She always made sure to provide us resources and kept us informed of the expenses.

Know you are in safe hands and she will let you rest easier in her care.

She made us feel comfortable in our choices and let us know she would do whatever we wanted. She told us her recommendations, which was to try a couple more IUIs before jumping straight to IVF. She wanted her lab to have the chance to evaluate my husband’s sperm and see what they could do with it and have him on a medicine to try and improve it. He medicine seemed to work at first, however the subsequent results varied. No pregnancies ever came from the IUI and we moved on to IVF options.

The costs were very upfront and they would try their best to code things so they would be covered.

Dr. Londra was very candid throughout our treatment. She was often humorous which I appreciated. I learned a lot about my body and about pregnancy and fertility in general. She always explained what she was seeing and made sure that I also understood.

Ask questions. She will make time to answer all of them.

I don’t remember the exact names of my treatments. I remember I had an X-ray of my uterus first. I went on a drug that was for breast cancer but a side effect was that it made follicles grow and eggs mature. I took those pills for 4-5 days during my cycle and then would come in for anultrasound where my follicles would be measured. I would give myself a trigger shot when they looked good and then have sex and hope for the best.

Dr. Williams is a very nice guy. He was always very friendly and always tried to break any bad news in the best way he could. That was a good thing and a bad thing a times. Both my husband and I felt like he spoke very fast and we never had enough time during our visits to internalize what he had just said and ask the appropriate questions. As I mentioned before, I also don't think that he took my diagnosis into consideration. I feel that I was given the same treatment as someone with PCOS when I am dealing with DOR. These are two completely different conditions! I felt like i was just another patient to him. Even our friends who had dealt with Dr. Williams in the past could give us a run down of exactly what he would do or say and that would be exactly what happened. I didn't feel that he was up to date on any studies or new technologies out there.

Be prepared for a drawing of your uterus and ovaries on your first consultation. Make sure that you ask a lot of questions and you make him take his time and slow down. Also, don't be afraid to question his timeline of treatment. His timeline will take about a year to get to IVF.

Treatment 1- 3 cycles of clomid and timed intercourse, reason was that this is a low cost 'easy' way to get pregnant. Resulted in 0 pregnancies Treatment 2- 2 cycles of clomid and IUI- reason was low cost and less invasive way to to get pregnant. Resulted in 1 pregnancy- ended in miscarriage. Treatment 3- repeat 2 cycles of clomid and IUI- reason was because I got pregnant off it the last time. Resulted in 0 pregnancies. Treatment 4- 150 Gonal-f and IUI- reason still not as expensive as IVF and chance of multiples. Resulted in 0 pregnancies Treatment 5- 225 Gonal-f and IUI- reason still not as expensive as IVF and chance of multiples. Resulted in 0 pregnancies. Treatment 6- laparoscopy to see if there was endo. Reason- this could be why other treatments did not work. Found no endo or scar tissue.

About $15,000 Each IUI was about $2400 Medications $5000 Bloodwork around- $5000 Consultations/Ultra Sounds- $2600

Dr William has such a rich history of experience and can pull from that knowledge to help clearly explain expectations and support decisions. He backs up everything he says with Guidelines and studies. Given that fertility is not an exact science, I would have preferred that we explored more options than he did with my situation since I did not 'fit' the normal prototype based on my responses. So, I chose to go to a different clinic to explore other options and protocols.

Dr Williams is realistic and very straightforward with the facts based on a typical patient. Be prepared to ask questions on why those things are right specifically for you and what can go wrong.

We had many blood tests and treatments with Dr. Williams, which helped us to better understand our situation. We started with Clomid, then Femara (letrozole), then IUIs. During this time ,we had at least 1 CP (1-2 not confirmed by blood tests). We did a Luteal Lupron protocol for 2 IVFs next. For IVF 1 I started with 225 units of Follistim / day, but then that was increased to 300 units. My E2 levels and ultrasound indicated that I should have at least 5 eggs retrieved. After a very painful retrieval, only 1 was retrieved. I was given no explanation when it happened, and was left devastated. The doctor who did it (not Dr. Williams) said "it wasn't my fault" and left me there. So, needless to say I asked for Dr. Williams for all of my procedures in IVF 2, and he agreed that was the right choice. He increased my Follistim to 375 units per day with the same protocol otherwise. Because I had to wait to get on his schedule, I was on birth control for an extra length of time, which I'm now told is not good for someone who is a poor responder. But, I did not have another choice if I wanted Dr. Williams. For IVF 2 retrieval, Dr. Williams was able to get 9 mature eggs, all of which fertilized. We needed to do a Day 3 transfer, though, since most were not dividing well Day 2/3. We only had 2, 8-cell embryos on Day 3, which were highly fragmented. No pregnancy resulted from this transfer.

We were fortunate to have 2 insurances cover most of the procedures during our time at ORM. I believe for the IVFs, each was a little under 2,000 out of pocket for everything.

Dr Williams is very informative and is willing to spend as much time as needed explaining details, even drawing pictures to illustrate information given to patients. His demeanor is very warm and friendly, yet he is direct and to the point when it comes to potential risks and outcomes. Bedside manner is excellent, even after surgery he made to sure check on me and my husband both to ensure that we understood what had been done and to make sure all was well for me physically and mentally.

Bring questions that you have and come with an open mind as he has so many options to help.

We began with clomid pills and timed intercourse then moved on to clomid pills and monitoring of follicles. After we had no success with that we tried increasing the clomid dosage and then finally a trigger shot to encourage ovulation. We then tried 3 rounds of IUIs, paired with clomid and a trigger shot. After this we did an HSG and discovered a tubal blockage and moved to surgery to repair the tube if possible, remove if not. After repairing the tube we tried a few more IUIs and then moved to IVF as I could not handle any more IUIs because I felt that the tube was compromising our success. We did a round of IVF which resulted in a 3 day fresh transfer of 2 decently graded embryos (our other embryos did not survive to freeze) which resulted in our son. We then did another IVF 18 months later with a similar protocol, just added more stim medications to try to get embryos to freeze but ended up with the same, 2 embryos transferred on day 3 which resulted in another singleton son. I do have to also mention that a few years later we were surprised with a baby girl thanks to Dr Williams doing the surgery to repair my only tube, that I didn't think worked, apparently did. :)

$5000-$6000ish down for each IVF cycle, then paid for medications through specialty pharmacy which cost anywhere from $3000-$8000. Our IUIs cost $350 at the clinic and then we paid for clomid/trigger shot etc through the speciality pharmacies. Clomid was paid for by our insurance so I do not know price for that.

Dr Williams gave factual information that helped us make the choice of one or two but ultimately left the choice up to us. We chose 2 each time because we would have welcomed a multiple birth and I was healthy and could have sustained a twin pregnancy without foreseeable problems.

Overall, I made the decision to leave the Ohio Red Med practice because I wanted a different protocol and Dr. Kennard's recommendation was to increase the meds on the same protocol I had been on previously. It has less to do with her manner and more to do with my treatment. During my follow up appointment after my failed IVF cycle, she was typing on her computer most of the time and the conversation was relatively quick, so that didn't feel great. But overall the decision was one regarding the treatment I felt made the most sense.

I'd give this advice to any infertility patient...Demand the drs time. Most doctors I have met with have made me feel rushed. Be prepared with your questions, and don't leave until you have your answers. Dr Kennard's style can be brisk, so don't let that shut down your questions.

We were on the long Lupron protocol. Suppression with birth control pills, then Lupron, then Gonal F... Triggered with HcG. Ended up responding poorly. I produced 5 eggs (after seeing far more follicles during the ultrasounds) and only 1 was mature. That mature egg didn't fertilize.

I don't recall what was covered by insurance and what was OOP

Dr. Williams was compassionate and really cared about us. He gave us his undivided attention and made sure he did every part of our last successful cycle from egg retrieval to embryo transfer. Tyne only negative feedback is that we sometimes had to wait in the waiting room for a long time.

Trust him and follow his advice.

When we first started, he ran a lot of tests to rule out medical issues. We started with Clomid, then Clomid with insemination, then moved into injections with IUI, which resulted in a successful pregnancy. The second time around, we started with injections and IUI, then moved onto the first egg retrieval/ embryo transfer using ICSI. We transferred 2 embryos, but it was unsuccessful and had no embryos to freeze. The second cycle, he slowed the retrieval process so they could mature and he did the embryo transfer himself. We transferred 2 embryos such resulted in a healthy twin pregnancy and have 4 frozen embryos

He advised us during each transfer. He gave us the option, but did not feel comfortable transferring more than 3 embryos

*child mentioned* So most importantly, Dr. Schmidt got me pregnant. He and Ohio Reproductive Medicine have the highest success rates in the area. I had my child thanks to them. I saw Dr. Schmidt for an initial consultation and after a few failed cycles when we got a new diagnosis. During actual treatment cycles I saw whoever was available. 3 of the other doctors actually did my IUI and IVF. But it was Dr. Schmidt's protocol. I had some issues with the nurses and a missed diagnosis and Dr. Schmidt was very responsive to my concerns. They gave me a sedative but did not use anesthesia during my IVF retrieval and I found it very painful, which I was not expecting.

Make sure you research what initial testing and monitoring should occur before beginning treatment.

IVF with ICSI was about $9,000. IUI was maybe $500? They were much cheaper than Reproductive Gynecology in Westerville.

She is very professional and some may not see her as a warm fuzzy. As patients who were comfortable in a medical environment and advocating for ourselves, we appreciated her candor. I can imagine others who are looking for someone who focuses more on the personal, she may seem a little scientific. She is. But my husband and I cover the spectrum of needing compassion and needing hard data and numbers. She does both. She accommodated some of our requests to try differently as long as she felt it did not compromise what she felt was good medicine. We actually moved on to another doctor, but had supervision by her and she was very gracious about it. She was open about saying her goal was for us to have a baby and whatever we felt was best she was okay with it.

Know that she cares deeply AND is a medical professional with a goal to get patients a baby. Patients may be focused on keeping themselves sane and she gets it, but her way to help is to focus on what is the next step in trying to increase chances of success. She will let patients keep trying even with small odds - which some appreciate and some will not. People who appreciate dry humor and steady will like her best.

Since I got pregnant twice, there was not too much tweaking to the protocol once we got to IVF. We moved quickly from meds to IUI to IVF based on research that said in the long run, the costs of many IUIs didn't indicate continuing without success. At one point, We decided to do another IVF before transferring frozen, which was the first time someone had done that, but we were looking at long term outcomes with siblings and impending loss of insurance. She tried a protocol (different drugs) that another clinic had used on us that produced extremely large numbers of eggs, but it did not work when she tried it. She noted that her lab didn't like it, but she was willing to try since I had responded. She ultimately was frustrated along with us that I could get pregnant but not sustain a pregnancy. Moving to genetic testing was our reason to seek another lab/doctor.

I have the cost sheet still. They made it simple (but this was 6 years ago). They knew they were lower cost and they seemed to prefer it that way. They gave us the whole cost sheet and it was updated once a year. Simple. IVF-ICSI - $8483, FET 1861 IVF-DE $15,278 (we didnt' use that, but I'm pulling it from the sheet I have). They gave a breakdown of those costs as well as an additional sheet with the lab costs (storage, PGD, hatching, sperm processing).

Since I was in my late 30s early 40s and the embryo's didn't have good grades, she tranferred several. Her logic was correct in that we only ever had single pregnancies. I know she felt strongly about eSET for younger and donor cycles, which we appreciated.

Both my husband and I enjoyed our experiences with Dr. Schmidt and I have recommended him to many friends. He was warm and friendly. My diagnosis was unexplained fertility and I am still convinced that I had a hormonal issue (even though it never showed up on tests). He didn't seem to think this was the case, but did allow me the option to try hormone supplements (which I ended up declining due to their ability to give false positives for tests).

If you do your own research prior to visits be sure to bring the articles with you, as well as a list of questions. He was always willing to answer everything I asked.

I started with 2 rounds of Femara (I had done 3 rounds with Clomid with my regular OBGYN) each with an HCG trigger shot. Both had a negative pregnancy test. Next I did a 5 day course of Follistim (3 days of 75 and 2 days of 150) with a trigger shot followed by an IUI. This one was successful (I also produced 13 follicles and overstimulated, which the nurse said may have helped me maintain the pregnancy). I never had issues with ovulation, I always had at least 1 good follicle after each treatment which is probably why I overstimulated with such a low/short trial with the Follistim.

I think between all of the pre-tests (HSG, sperm motility, etc), ultrasounds, blood work, the drugs (Femara and Follistim), and the IUI it was about $5000 but my insurance also wasn't great at the time.

She was very knowledgeable but sensitive to the emotions involved in trying to conceive. I honestly believe without her compassion and evidence based encouragement I would have given up and would not have become a mother in my forties.

Ask questions to understand your treatment. This is a practice that won't insult your intelligence. Know that this is usually a hard journey. Keep in mind that miscarriage is often part of trying to conceive journeys so there could be some heartbreak along the way. You aren't alone.

While I was much older, my doctor felt we shouldn't assume we knew too much about my fertility status so we started with a protocol that is often skipped for women my age. We used lowest dose Clomid (50 mg), a trigger shot and ovulation monitoring as well as IUI. I was told the chances of pregnancy were typically 10 to 20 percent in a woman in her twenties but less than 5 at my age. But I got pregnant at each treatment cycle. My doctor's instincts were right. A more aggressive medical protocol might have resulted in cancelled cycles or multiples.

I don't recall them all. There were a number of diagnostic tests and pregnancy monitoring. Treatment wise there were medicines for me (thyroid and Clomid and progesterone). The costs for semen collection, analysis and storage were not covered in any way. We were informed about those costs I detail.