Shady Grove Fertility Carolinas

With nothing to compare it to, I had no idea what to expect from a fertility clinic, but I can’t imagine a better doctor or experience than with Dr. Bressler at Shady Grove! We were able to meet virtually a couple of times, which was a huge timesaver for our busy work schedules. I was also really stressing about how many appts there would be and trying to work with my inflexible work schedule in healthcare, as well as my husbands residency schedule. Luckily the team at Shady Grove was so kind and helpful in bending over backwards trying to get us in for times that worked for our schedules. Their communication has always been excellent through phone calls and their online portal, and the protocols for treatment seemed individualized and tailored to us specifically, which helped lead to a positive outcome!

You're in great hands! No question is dumb, and she will work tirelessly for success.

We had medicated and monitored IUI cycles. Every step was explained fully so we were very comfortable. I took letrozole for 5 days, then a trigger shot, IUI, and then vaginal progesterone after ovulation. This was the first line of defense for our unexplained infertility, and since there was a question of egg quality the idea was to release more than 1 egg (per letrozole) in hopes that one of them would be good quality for making an embryo. We were successful on the 2nd cycle! With that cycle I didn't take the final dose of letrozole since my labs indicated I would have an earlier ovulation, so we triggered a little earlier in the cycle. I did have 2 cysts from the previous round of letrozole, but my labs showed they weren't producing hormones so we were OK to proceed with the 2nd IUI, and we are SO GLAD we did!

Blood tests were often done through LabCorp so we billed through health insurance. I had a HyFoSy done and the out of pocket cost was around $900-1000, which is currently still working through insurance but I anticipate paying out of pocket. The IUIs were $1200 each, not including medications, which were maybe $100 (trigger shot was the most costly around $75 each). I didn't have any insurance coverage for fertility treatments so it was all out of pocket. Shady Grove has a shared cost program for IVF that if you pay a little more (nearly $30k if I recall), they will do many egg retrievals and transfers to result in a live birth and if it does not result in a live birth, then there is a refund. Luckily I didn't have to utilize this, but I would have done this if we moved to IVF since I think I would've needed more than one egg retrieval so cost would've made sense for us.

We didn't proceed to IVF, but in speaking about it, they seemed to prefer a single embryo transfer.

Recommending dr. Mitchell 10 out of 10 is a massive understatement! I followed her to the new shady grove clinic and count not dream of doing it any other way. I have needed a few attempts to get pregnant with my second child. Her intelligence, confidence, determination, kindness and is the reason I made it here to 8 weeks. First off, she is so sharp, and I mean crazy smart. She obviously knows the ins and outs every step the process. She is clear about my options, willing to lead with confidence and still respecting my desires and opinions. Her confidence and motivation is contagious and kept me going while I was experiencing the natural highs and lows of the process. At no point in time did I feel hopeless and was always comforted by next steps and kind words. But Dr. Mitchell truly is extra. I felt like her only patient. I know this was not the case, but it felt like it! She was always the once to review labs asap, deliver important information, be the one to perform my procedures. It was the ultimate care. Obviously smart and talented but I cant speak enough to her kindness. She delivers incredibly hard news clearly, honestly but with true compassion. It was easy to trust her and I’m eternally grateful. It is my firm belief that she 100000X capable of leading someone to pregnancy success but the bonus is getting if the biggest supporter who is just an amazingly wonderful human as your doctor.

no advice needed. best decision

switched to stem meds for my lining as estrogen patches made me feel bad and did not consistently work. used a fresh transfer to not risk missing out on a great uterine lining which had been a barrier. recommended additional testing only after thoughtful consideration of my situation as it is time consuming and costly

some monitoring visits and a few medications were covered by insurance but mostly paid for medications, scans and the IVF cost until deductable/OOP was met

she mostly recommended single. at one point she did let me do 2 embryos. she was always able to explain to me the rationale but always respected my wishes

Dr. Mersereau is amazing! I unfortunately lost my fallopian tubes to hydrosalpinx and IVF was the only option for my husband and I to conceive. The process was difficult (of course), but I am convinced it was as painless as possible and we were very lucky our first embryo stuck. She was always extremely helpful, compassionate, and followed all of our wishes. Our little one was born just over a week ago and we couldn’t be happier! I also have endometriosis, so I really wanted my embryos genetically tested to try and have a boy so I didn’t pass my problems on to my child (my mom and grandma also have it and I’ve had significant complications). She made sure this happened and we are so lucky to have a perfectly healthy baby boy. Her attention to our wishes such as this one was really important to us and part of why we loved her so much. She also was very good at explaining all of the details and possibilities every step of the way and that is always very important to me as a patient.

Make sure you are completely open about your wants, needs, and expectations and don’t be afraid to ask questions or voice your concerns.

I don’t remember the names of all the specific protocols or the doses of my medications, but I do know that Dr. Mersereau was able to get plenty of eggs from my first retrieval, 18 of which fertilized, and after genetic testing we were left with 7 eggs (6 girls and 1 boy). Due to my endometriosis I wanted a boy to avoid passing it down to him and she was able to successfully transfer the male embryo and I now have a happy and healthy miracle baby boy. I trust her recommendations completely as they all resulted in success the first time. I know part of it is luck and even if you do all the right protocols there isn’t 100% success, but I feel confident she chose the best protocols for me and my situation because if she hadn’t we wouldn’t have had success at every step the first time.

We went with the program where you get a certain number of transfers and if you aren’t successful you get your money back. I believe it was called the shared risk program. This didn’t include medication, but did include most other costs. All in all we spent about $40,000.

We transferred 1 embryo because of my age and the likelihood for success and the increased risks for me specifically if I were to have multiples. It was the best choice for us.

This was my first experience at a fertility clinic and I wasn't sure what to expect. I have heard from others that with most fertility clinics, you won't get to see or speak to the doctor very often and that you primarily communicate with nurses. While I did communicate with the nurse frequently, Dr. Bressler still went above and beyond to call me directly with updated treatment plans, test results, and I was able to schedule an appointment with her directly whenever I had specific questions. She is incredibly knowledgable, and also kind and caring. Throughout all of the difficult news I received during my treatment, she was both emotionally and medically supportive, and when we received the news that I was pregnant, she cried tears of joy right along with us.

Can't think of anything specific.

I am fortunate enough to have fertility coverage through my employer.

Dr. M is a great listener and clearly explains the different options and what reasonable expectations, as well as pros and cons are, for each one. I asked a million questions and she answered each one thoroughly and I never felt rushed. She is genuinely invested in your success and wants to help. Her expertise is unmatched and I appreciate that she explains the data and reasoning behind what she does so I can better understand.

Don't be afraid to ask questions! She will explain a lot, but there are no stupid questions - if you are wondering about something, let her know.

We have experienced 5 miscarriages (2 prior to my son and 3 since his birth). Due to my age and recurrent pregnancy loss, we have undergone a ton of testing to try to figure out what is causing this. We started with blood tests to rule out any clotting diseases, immune responses, and unbalances, and to check my ovarian reserve. Those all came back normal so we then did a saline ultrasound to check my anatomy. That looked normal as well. We did an endometrial biopsy at that time and that came back positive for Chronic Endometritis which I was promptly treated for. We also did a semen specimen to check for male factors. We are now planning to move forward with an IUI as my chronic endometritis has been healed.

Not applicable.

From the first appointment, she was informative, answered all of our questions thoroughly to make sure we understood. She had so much compassion and just made us feel supported. She always was there to make sure we felt sure and confident in each procedure, medication, testing, etc.

Ask any and all questions you may have because Dr. Mitchell is happy to answer them!

She started me on menopur and follistim with an increase on follistim a few days in monitoring and then a decrease towards the end. I was then instructed to trigger. Eggs were retrieved. For transfer I started estradiol three times a day and progesterone in the AM.

Dr. Mitchell worked with me on letting me monitor some at my local OBGYN and with her towards the end

I’m not sure total. My insurance covered majority. I paid $1,310 for egg retrieval, $1,700 for PGT testing, $1400 for transfer, and $300 for meds total.

Dr. Mitchell advised that we only transfer one embryo. We only wanted to transfer one also.

Dr. Bressler impressed me when after having our consultation, I had gotten pregnant without intervention but was experiencing some early bleeding. Naturally this was alarming and I was brought in the next day for an ultrasound. However this was not with Dr. Bressler. What impressed me and truly touched me was that later prior to the appointment she called me to check in and said she would be with a patient during that time but would check in again at a later time. That evening she called to touch base and answer any further questions I had. That small act of kindness and time out of her schedule made all the difference for a worried and scared first time mom-to-be.

Dr. B was able to get my partner and I in for our very first consultation very quickly. From there she made sure we were always on the same page to keep things moving swiftly, as my partner and I were very eager to get pregnant. Each and every update was given by Dr. B by phone and she was always very compassionate. I would recommend Dr. B to any and everyone.

Going into this process, I was not given any advice and even so I felt as though Dr. B was able to walk me hand in hand through everything. After a few failed IUIs she suggested other treatment options without me having to ask. I felt as though she never took advantage of our situation and only ever wanted the best of outcomes for my partner and I.

Dr. B never treated my partner and I any differently than (I imagine) she would have a heterosexual couple. She always included my wife in any updates and never made us feel any indifference.

Dr. Bressler looked at my case individually and gave me a more realistic picture of my chances of conceiving and carefully explained my options. She never made me feel pressured and always supported in my care decisions, checking in regularly to see if I had questions or need anything along the way. When we ended up beating the odds and conceiving naturally, I could tell she was so excited for me and my family.

Don't wait, if you are questioning your care switch not to Dr. Bressler. You won't regret it.

For my diagnosis my options were to pursue donor egg IVF or to try naturally understanding there was only about a 10% chance given my labs. When I wanted to try naturally she helped me find the correct dosage for my HRT and recommended supplements and throughly explained possible side effects. At my previous clinic I was told my only option was donor egg IVF and that my case was pretty much hopeless.

She is very warm and professional at all times. She sticks to the facts without any bias or personal opinions. She is very thorough in explaining the complex world of fertility which I love as I can better make informed decisions. The beautiful thing is, she’s an advocate with you and for me, that makes all the difference in this journey.

Trust her as she is an advocate with you.

N/A diagnostics only at this time

Covered under insurance

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