Women & Infants Hospital

She was very detailed and explained the process from beginning to end. When I had my chemical she was very empathetic and brought on the positivity to make me keep going. She explained all of the good and the bad of IUI and IVF to make me come to an informed decision.

Bring a list of questions you want answered to your appointment. I did not do this and on the way home I was thinking of questions I should have asked that I did not.

For 4 IUI cycles, it was clomid high dose, 3 produced negative results and 1 miscarriage. I just started IVF so I am currently on birth control pills until in ready to start stims.

They bill each time you have an appointment but you don't receive the bill until a month or more later

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Dr Wheeler has a reputation of being a bit cold, but, knows her stuff. I’m going along with it, but feel as though I’m lost in the mix as a patient. We’ve only met twice during the very beginning stage of our treatment and haven’t heard from her at all throughout our 3 failed IUIs. When I asked questions during our meetings, I felt dismissed. We’re still in progress with treatment and have learned we’ll have to advocate fiercely for ourselves.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about why certain tests are or are not being run, her bedside manner can be a shock initially, and make frequent follow up appointments.

First and second cycle: Clomid days 3-7, home testing for ovulation, call when positive test and schedule IUI next day. Third cycle: first monitored IUI...Clomid days 3-7, Pregnyl for trigger shot and IUI two days later

In RI, fertility treatment is mostly covered by insurance. I believe we paid coinsurance which was about $300. Coinsurance cost for Pregnyl med was $18 and Clomid was about $7. HCG test is considered an operation for some reason and was pretty expensive compared to our other testing.

Dr Cardozo is extremely compassionate while also being very upfront about the reality of your situation. I’ve heard multiple success stories of friends under her care and although that’s not an option for me right now, she’s still very connected to my care and the door is always open for when we’re financially ready to explore our options. She is great at both educating and caring.

Don’t come to your visits alone. SO MUCH information is given and it’s hard to absorb all of it by yourself. She’s very detailed and will answer every single question you have.

I was put on RHT and all options were described to me with their benefits and risks described in great detail.

Zero cost due to type of insurance.

Dr. Wheeler is good at what she does and offered advice that we felt comfortable following. During the embryo banking process, she made adjustments to the medications that yielded better results. She showed excitement when we retrieved more eggs than expected and was eager to share that news with my husband. Once we moved on to build our family and transfer the embryos back, we did not have the same such luck. After the first PGS embryo failed to implant, Dr Wheeler suggested an ERA and RPL panel. After they came back normal we moved forward with another transfer. After that failed tonimplant, she consulted with other Drs at the clinic and they all felt it was bad luck. We moved forward with transfer 3 and unfortunately same results. She suggested a hysteroscopy and different protocol. Fourth transfer was successful but I miscarried at 6 weeks. Another Dr was on duty for the ultrasound that day but Dr Wheeler came in for the room to check on us. She performed my MVA procedure and was very compassionate and sensitive to my grief on that day. While I was eager to hear about her thoughts for next steps, my husband and I felt we were not having success and throwing good (and expensive) embryos away so we decided we needed a new set of eyes on our case.

While she may not always have the best way to deliver information, she is kind and she does want to help you build your family.

IVF 1 antagonist (high follistim and low menopur) IVF 2 antagonist (highest follistim and low menopur) IVF 3 antagonist (medium follistim and medium menopur) FET1 estradiol and crinone Additional test: RPL panel, ERA, uterine biopsy FET2 estradiol And PIO FET 3 estradiol and PIO Additional testing: hysteroscopy FET 4 Lupron, estradiol, crinone, medrol, doxycycline

In RI, law mandates that infertility is covered by insurance. So far, egg retrieval’s and frozen transfer were covered. We had to pay out of pocket for PGS testing and ERA.

She explained her rational for using single embryo transfers with us for each transfer. We felt comfortable with her explanation and agreed with those decisions.

He was kind but very stereotyped in his presentation. It felt like a class or a speech cs a consultation. It felt impersonal. As a surgeon he was excellent. I liked him and had no major issues with him but his association and staff were absolutely horrible.

Find out when he's not in call because if you get Dr Wheeler it's no Beuno.

First cycle so generic protocol for stim.

Insurance covered it all

He was sort of quick in our meetings, but explained everything to the best of our ability to understand. He’s demeanor was sweet and professional. Never called me to follow up off hours like another doctor has.

He’s great, but you don’t see him frequently. The practice is a group, so know you’re seeing all the doctors and not just him.

We went through 3 fresh cycles and 1 frozen transfer under his car. 1st fresh- May 2018, lots of drugs and didn’t amount to much. 7 eggs, 4 fertilized 1 transferred. 1 frozen on day 5 2 fresh- July 2018. 11 eggs 8 fertilized 1 transferred day 5, zero frozen. 3rd fresh - October 2018. 11 eggs, 8 fertilized 1 transferred day 5 and 1 frozen. Resulting in chemical pregnancy 4 - first frozen Transfer. January 2019. Didn’t work. Working on number 5 now. Fresh cycle with donor sperm since husband has recently been diagnosed with genetic translocation and insurance doesn’t cover genetic testing.

Each appointment has been $50, the drugs and everything cost a lot. I don’t remember off the top of my head. The overall bills have been around $8k-$10k

He always said since I’ve never been pregnant before, since embryo transfer was the best for my scenario.

Dr Alvero is patient and clearly explains the reasoning for choosing a particular treatment. He respected my opinions and assessed my comfort level with the treatment at every visit. When I had questions or concerns in between appointments he returned my calls promptly.

Bring a notepad. Write down questions as you think of them during treatment.

3 letrozole 3 iui Ivf

I’m unsure of the costs, my insurance has paid for everything so far.

I did eset for insurance reasons.

When I first met with Dr. Wheeler, she made sure we underwent all tests to make sure we could find out why I wasn’t getting pregnant, and also paid attention to what my insurance required to pay for fertility treatments (at the time it was covered 100%). We did 3 unsuccessful IUI’s and said we’d probably be a better candidate for IVF. We didn’t do ICSI because it wasn’t covered, and had 12 eggs retrieved, 9 of which fertilized. She likes to do fresh transfers, (thinking getting the baby back to where it belongs quicker is better in her opinion) and I had a 3 day fresh transfer that ended up in my first pregnancy and live birth of my son. No other embryos made it to Dave five to be frozen, so I am currently waiting to do another IVF cycle and egg retrieval in the next couple months. Many may not see Dr. Wheeler as warm and fuzzy, but she is caring and knows her stuff. She told me she’d get me pregnant and did. Unlike the other review, she did change up my protocol often, and because I only had 12 retrieved last time, I will be using a new protocol this time as well. It’s been 3 years, so she has changed some prescriptions to more up to date ones. She stays current with her knowledge, and even though she isn’t into holistic treatments, she had no problem with me changing my diet and getting acupuncture during my IVF cycle. All in all, I would recommend her in a heartbeat. She knows what she’s doing, and will help you achieve a pregnancy.

Don’t expect hugs, and tears when things don’t work out. She’s very systematic and if one thing doesn’t work, she doesn’t let you get discouraged, she instead tries a new approach.

I used clomid with each of my IUI’s and would call the morning of a positive ovulation test and have two consecutive days of inseminations. With IVF, (2015) I first started with birth control for 5 days and Lupron injections staring day 3. I also used Gonal-F and had a trigger shot 46 hours before retrieval. She’s also not a fan of PIO shots (thank goodness) and instead gives you progesterone suppositories. My next IVF cycle this year (2018) will be birth control for two weeks, menopur instead of lupron, and still using Gonal-F, but in a higher dose to give me more eggs.

They tried to space out appointments in the morning, which was hard for us working women who all wanted to be seen at 7:30 to make it to work for 8:00. Even though there were st appointment times, it was more like first come first serve with a sign in sheet. If they found out you were significantly early though, they would make you wait until all the earlier appointments were finished. It was pretty quick though, because they would do your blood work while you waited, or right after your ultrasound.

At the time, I had insurance that covered IVF at 100%. I still had copays for procedures, but not monitoring or blood work. Now my insurance covers 80%, so it will cost me a little over $3,000 for IVF with ICSI.

Because I am younger, the chance of having multiples with a multiple embryo transfer is higher, and therefore results in a more high risk pregnancy. If I were 35+ she would be more likely to transfer more than one.

She comes off as very intelligent and knowledgeable, however perhaps she not for everyone as she may come off as mechanical and detatched. Very cut to the chase and practical which I appreciate instead of niceties. She listens well and answers whatever questions or concerns of yours that she can.

Come prepared with specific questions and do your homework to make the most of the meetings.

So far I have done three cycles of iui beginning with day three baseline blood work and ultrasound, followed by 5 nights of Clomid. On approximately day 10 youll have another bloodwork and ultrasound. That evening they call and instruct whether you can take the injectable Ovidrel to induce ovulation. Then two days later the iui is scheduled, followed a week later by a progesterone bloodwork and in another week a beta blood draw.

Typically physician payments come from care New England and other labwork etc from women and infants directly. Dr. Visits were charged by time used (at least with Cigna) and the financial counselor s are helpful and a great resource.

This doesn't apply to the treatment I've listed as receiving.

I cannot speak highly enough about Dr. Victoria. She is honest yet delicate. She never makes you feel less than, never makes you feel like a failure. She sets realistic expectations. I feel Dr. Victoria truly understood my struggle and with every ounce thought she would succeed at getting me pregnant. When she saw I was down she was a great source of encouragement. She was always willing to speak with me, returning calls within the same day. She truly listens to what her patients want and works together with the couple. She is an amazing doctor.

The entire process can take more time than expected

I was seeing one of her colleagues before I switched to her. I had lining issues. Estrace was not my best friend and didn’t help thicken my lining as it should. I tried 2 cycles with the previous doctor each time reminding him of my concerns with my lining. He increased my retrace dosage but that still did not work. When I switched to her that was again my main concern. She switched my protocol to estrogen patches and also added vaginal viagra suppositories. She explained this protocol was not the norm but it tended to work for women with lining issues. I was so happy that she found another avenue and was willing to trying something unconventional. The first time we tried this protocol I got pregnant however, it ended in miscarriage due to a blighted ovum. The second time we followed this protocol it worked! I am currently 10 weeks 6 days pregnant and fingers crossed this will be my rainbow

The cost really depended on the type of cycle. For a frozen transfer it was about $4500 because I required additional monitoring and blood tests. For a conventional IVF with egg retrieval and transfer about $17,000.

She recommended a multiple embryo transfer for us. In all my transfers but 1 we had transferred 2 embryos. I got pregnant with twins once which unfortunately resulted in a preteen loss at 23 weeks due to an incompetent cervix. After which I went to Boston and had a trans abdominal cerclage placed laparoscopically. After that procedure we had transferred more than 1 embryo but only 1 took each time.

Dr. Alvero did everything he could to try to figure out what was causing our unexplained infertility. Each IVF cycle gave us more information and as hard as it all was for me to hear, he always did a great job explaining everything and giving us all our options. He never pressured us into anything but gave his expert advice and what our chances were for each cycle.

Choose him for your doctor!

We tried the antagonist protocol twice, the second time being with higher doses of meds. The last cycle, we did estrogen priming protocol due to my poor response.

We are lucky to have great health insurance in Massachusetts. The costs were mostly covered by insurance, which the exception of medications and some of the surgery costs.

He is a brilliant doctor with incredible experience in this field. I trust him implicitly. He spoke very quickly and at times, was hard to follow. It is important to take notes and to stop him and ask for clarification, if needed. He was always smiling and made even tough appointments light hearted.

Take notes and ask him to slow down and clarify if needed. He’s done this a long time so sometimes doesn’t speak in layman’s terms. He’s a brilliant doctor.

Prescribed Metformin for PCOS and insulin regulation. Didn’t seem to think my diet was an issue. We did timed intercourse and Letrazole after Clomid was ineffective. Bumped up dose for Letrazole three times.

Minimal. Our insurance covered most procedures.

I felt as though Dr. Wheeler held back in terms of what to expect, and wouldn't commit to any outcome or even discuss the chances, aside from saying "well, you're older, so..." Not the best bed side manner, not the most LGBT friendly. Our first visit, she separated us physically, without telling us why and then informed me that I was going to have a gynecological exam - not by her, but by a male doctor. It was extremely upsetting as I felt I was coerced and did not have the chance to consent - in addition, they wouldn't allow my same sex spouse in the room, which is standard protocol. This made me feel even more nervous, like he had a reason for not allowing them to provide me support. Overall, it was a horrid, horrid experience.

Be extremely assertive - insist on knowing BEFORE you come in what to expect, especially in terms of gynecological exams. I asked for data on the clinic and was denied = she wouldn't tell me or discuss. I asked for reasoning behind trying natural cycles (I was over 40) and wasn't given an answer. I asked for what she thought my chances were and she just said "the same as other women your age"?? What does that mean? No idea. I'm not the specialist - she is, but we never received any specific information.

She insisted we try two cycles naturally. By the second try, we were ready to move on to another clinic, based on how uncomfortable we were made to feel by multiple people.

250.00 per IUI

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I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Dr. Frishman. He is kind, intelligent and straight forward which we have always appreciated. We were hoping to use the same donor between my partner and I but that plan changed due to some unforeseen circumstances and he Personally called me to check it and make sure I was ok with this. He has guided us on this journey from testing to putting our plan in to motion. My partner carried our beautiful twins and it was all because of him and we couldn't be more grateful. We know he will continue to be apart of our journey moving forward as we add to our family.

I would say going in try to think about what you are comfortable and wanting from this process. He will tell you all of the options but ultimately will not decide for you as he wants you to be comfortable and happy and a part of the journey and have some control

We have been doing IUI without success unfortunately but he has followed some testing protocols to make sure that we are not missing anything. He made sure that I was ovulating through a blood test, checked my ovaries through testing, etc.

The costs are something we have to manage with an expense account through work where the money comes out gradually throughout the year or we had to pay out of pocket once that money would run out

He is very open but of course within reason. We have discussed this and have been on the same page and understand at all times. He gives the facts and benefits and harm to each of our choices and then let's us talk through them together.

I worked with her at two other clinics and would honestly follow her anywhere. She has helped me build my family and was honest about what to expect along the way.

Write everything down. Ask questions. She will prove to be an ally in your journey.

Testing was extensive at first. Both my husband and I were nervous but at ease after talking to the doctor. I was put on metformin to help control insulin with my Pcos. I became pregnant after a hysteosonpinogram and first cycle of Clomid. I miscarried five weeks six days into the pregnancy. My next cycle was a negative pregnancy. She then prescribed follustim and again I became pregnant. The pregnancy ended after I was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. Dr. Wold saved my life by diagnosing early and administering methotrexate. I could not attempt pregnancy for four months. My next try was a negative test. She asked me to have another hsg to rule out blockages from the ectopic and to enhance my chances of conception. I became pregnant with follistim and a progesterone suppliment called Crinone, IUI and timed intercourse. I delivered a healthy 8lb baby girl nine months later in 2012 with no complications. I attempted Clomid again with the assistance of my obgyn in 2014 but ended up miscarrying at ten weeks. The doctor left product of conception in my uterus during a d &c . I called Dr Wold and was immediately scheduled for a sonohysteogram where she looked inside my uterus to check for damage. I was put back on Follistim and Crinone gel for progesterone support. I was pregnant from timed intercourse within the first medicated cycle. Because of my history of ectopic pregnancy and early loss she had my beta hcg checked for adequate rises. In September 2015 I delivered a 9 lb 7 oz healthy baby girl.

My medical covered 90% of my fertility treatment. However, there was a misunderstanding about how many medicated cycles were paid for. Dr. Wold helped us find a way to work with the insurance and help get results.

Dr. Pegidas was an amazing doctor filled with knowledge but also realistic. She did not give false hope but was honest about chances and outcomes. She was "real." She was warm and had a good bed side manner but didn't gush or go on and on about details. She had a timer for each appointment but that let me know she was conscious of her time, my time and other patients time.

We have a male factor. We used ICSI in all rounds. Our rounds were very similar because egg collection was good both times. No birth control Lupron Gonal F - 200 - never adjusted Ovidrel trigger Suppositories and PIO depending on frozen vs. fresh Both rounds were almost identical - 14-15 eggs collected - 12 mature - 10 fertilized

Procedures (not including medications) - $17,000-$17,500 for ICSI IVF - no testing of embryos Embryo testing would have run another $5,000

Because we had only a few good looking embryos we did 3 day transfers. She was ok with us transferring 2 embryos in fresh and frozen. She actually approved our request to implant 3 (3 day embryos) on our last fresh which resulted in a singleton pregnancy.

The consultation went well. Everything was described and all our questions were answered. I was disappointed that that was the only time I saw her, even though she was managing my treatments. Would have liked to seen her do the IUI or be able to talk with her more.

Request more FaceTime if that's important to you.

We started with clomid, the lowest dose and then a trigger shot. It was explained to us that the first IUI had a low probability of working, however I would have liked to been more involved in the process as far as the timing went. I think the IUI should have been a day earlier.

Roughly around $2600-$5500 total

I wasn’t satisfied with my experience. I found her to be cold and not as compassionate as I needed. I didn’t feel like the reasons why my treatment was ineffective was fully explained. It took over 6 weeks to see her which means we missed a cycle. I didn’t feel empowered and fully confident with my experience. We had 16 failed cycles in a row and I didn’t feel like Dr. Victoria went out of her way to assist with our care beyond ordering another IUI.

Don’t expect a lot of compassion and go in fully prepared to as the right questions and press her for more information. Book appointments early because there is a long wait to see her.

Metformin for PCOS and insulin regulation. Letrazole 10.5mg (maxed out on dose). 4 IUIs with timed intercourse and Ovadrel shot.

Nothing was covered. Over $2,000 for each IUI

Dr Frishman, is a great dr, both my husband and I trust him. We like that he is very knowledgeable, understanding, and kind. He makes sure we are aware he is there anytime if we have questions. He has great bedside manors, and has been a blessing to have by our side during such sensitive times.

Always be a few minutes early or on- time, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Carol Wheeler was good at explaining the facts. She shows no compassion. She was not involved with any of our procedures. We only saw her for the initial consult and the post failure consultation. She showed no empathy and made us feel that all of our concerns were unwarranted. We only found out later that some of them were.

Ask for another doctor.

Lupron flare and birth control suppressants. (Lupron 2 week kit, follistim, endometrium) 11 eggs retrieved, 10 fertilized, 0 made it to blast, 4 transferred on day 3. Negative Beta relsult.

The monitoring appointments were run well. Very efficient.

She had one protocol had would not veer from it. When the clinic accidentally thawed the last remaining vial of my first son's donor, she refused to accept accountability, would not refund the money that I paid for it, and took a "wait and see what happens when we thaw it a second time" stance. She deemed the vial going from 40 million to 10 million sperm acceptable. I did not.

Do not go to her

8 injectable IUIs. She would not increase my dose when I failed to respond. She also did not tell me that repeated injectable cycles could make endometriosis worse.

Ridiculously overpriced, as I was paying out of pocket. I didn't know any better at the time.

I am in the middle of the process with her. So far she is amazing. I got placed with her since Frishman is out on leave. I have requested to stay with her even when he comes back from leave. I could see Dr Cardozo being a friend even after this whole process.

You want her as a doctor. She’s honest and truthful in a way I’ve never seen before.

In the process of starting a fresh cycle using donor sperm. Genetic testing isn’t covered with insurance with my husbands translocation. That was going to be an extra $6k and not sure the results would be favorable.

Not sure yet. Still in the process.

Not sure yet

So far I have been very happy with her. She is honest and gets to the point, but still explains everything thoroughly. I feel comfortable with our plan going forward. She has given me scenarios if we need to adjust anything, so that is comforting.

Have your questions ready!

Thorough testing and proactive treatment to increase odds, such as thyroid treatment to optimize my levels, and discussing what tests may be covered by insurance or not, and how valuable they are.

Standard copay for office visit. Haven’t done treatment yet but IUI is less than $300

Dr. Frishman got us the results we wanted (a beautiful baby boy on our first round of IVF). He definitely knows what he's doing and, while not rushing us to IVF, was quick to adjust treatments when things didn't work. He is very professional and not super warm, so if I had had a long and difficult journey he may not have been my first choice. But I have nothing to complain about in my experience.

Come prepared to take notes, and bring a list of questions. He talks fast and it is easy to feel rushed.

We had insurance coverage for 80%, so it actually ended up being very affordable. I think that the billing department had some tricks to make sure we got covered for most things, and we didn't pay for much except the drugs.

He strongly prefers to transfer single embryos.

I thought she was very upfront and honest. I understood every step of the process well, also the nurses were great and helped me feel more confident during the process. Although we never had a fresh transfer, I believe the route we took with the frozen transfer is why we are now expecting a little boy in august.

Ask as many questions as you can

Antagonist IVF protocol

They recommended single embryo xfer which we believed was best for us as well