John Petrozza

Unwilling to adjust protocols, pretty much told me MGH only has 2 protocol options and he was "unaware" of options that even exist other than those. When asking him detailed questions on protocols or outcome predictions he would seem irritated and try to rush through my questions or turf them to the nurse. When I had a chemical pregnancy, I was told this by the nurses and only after insisting that he call me did he reach out. During that call he didn't remember how many transfers I had done, why I was doing IVF, and then told me that this chemical pregnancy was "actually a success since we got implantation". Finally, during our first consultation, he strongly recommended against PGT due to my age and his feeling that we would risk discarding embryos that could self correct. I subsequently had three failed transfers and when discussing possible reasons why, he noted that chromosomal abnormalities were the most likely reason. When I expressed frustration that I felt I had been talked out of PGT and perhaps these failures could have been avoided, he stated it was a "collaborative decision" and that it was my choice not to test when in fact he made the strong recommendation not to! I ultimately transferred my care to another provider and honestly doubt Dr Petrozza even noticed given his lack of engagement with my care.

Have thick skin and don't expect to hear from him outside of your set scheduled appointments

IVF with ICSI given male factor infertility. Low dose Lupron Protocol for retrieval followed by fresh transfer (no implantation). Did one medicated FET which was six weeks (birth control pills, lupron, estrogen patches and PIO), resulted in chemical pregnancy. One unmedicated FET which entailed frequent ultrasounds and HcG trigger only, resulted in missed miscarriage found at 10 weeks.

Largely covered by insurance

Would not offer multiple embryo transfer

When I was first diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis the GYN said she would have to remove my ovaries and since the endometriomas were so large, laparoscopy wasn’t an option for me. I ran away from her and the scheduled surgery. After a lot of research I decided Dr. Petrozza was the best doctor for me. He did an excellent job with my surgery and I owe my reproductive health to him. I’m currently in the process of doing my first IVF cycle with him. The most important thing is that I trust Dr. Petrozza with my health. Before the cycle started he ordered a number of tests and bloodwork so he can come up with the best treatment plan. What I love the most about him is that he explains everything in detail, tells me all the possible options with their advantages and disadvantages and then tells me his recommendation. With covid all my appointments with him have been virtual. He is always on time and when we meet, he has reviewed my labs and test results. I’m not sure if my IVF will work or not due to my advanced age and endometriosis. What I do know is that I’m in the best care possible and if I do end up pregnant, it will be because of Dr. Petrozza and his outstanding level of care. Even though I don’t see him at every appointment (for example, ultrasounds, etc.) I know I’m in great hands and at the end of the day Dr. Petrozza is the one reviewing my charts during my visits with him.

For me personally, I prefer facts and a doctor who is brutally honest and doesn’t give false hope. In all my interactions he has had great bedside manner. What I do recommend if making appointments in advance since he is extremely busy. For example, the day I finished my last test he had ordered, I called to make my follow up appointment knowing the results would be in by the time I see him. So be proactive when it comes to making appointments.

I’m currently doing the estrogen priming patch protocol. In the middle of stims at the moment. He recommended this protocol due to my age and history of endometriosis.

I have insurance coverage

As stated earlier, he has a very blunt bedside manner. Generally, I want a competent not nice doctor. I'm not sure he is either, at least if you have DOR. Zero sympathy, zero optimism (even when docs at other clinics were like "I don't even know that you have DOR") .... also, after that first appointment, he disappears

Go with him if you have a straightforward case and not DOR.... do not expect him to have a "hmmm how interesting let's see why this odd response happened" approach

antagonist protocol IVF with no suppression

insurance co=pays only

As the head of the clinic I thought he was fabulous and he was also great to us in the beginning of our process. He explained our issues in detail, explained the risks, and really understood our goals. But as soon as the process started he fell off the radar. I never saw him for any of my check in ultrasounds, he didn't do my retrieval, and then sat on genetic test results for two weeks. I felt like we got sold a personable bill of goods and then was just another number in the pile.

Be aware that you won't see him during the process and that you'll be dealing with his assistant and other Dr's throughout.

ivf with ICSI. I'm sorry I don't remember the details

10000+ with genetic testing

Ultimately, I got what I wanted: I became pregnant after two rounds of IUI. For that reason I wouldn't discourage friends from going to Dr Petrozza and I will always feel grateful for his help. However, he did very little to make what is already a horrible experience any more bearable. He came across as fairly cold and detached, which I wasn't completely bothered by. He actually would reintroduce himself at every appointment as if we had never met, which was almost funny. My real difficulty with him happened when I opted not to do a vaccine that he was pushing me to get (something that would have delayed my treatment months, I did after careful consideration and consulting a highly respected infectious disease MD) I was horrified by the way he treated me. He was belittling and not in the least compassionate. Luckily, he didn't remember who I was at my next appointment. I had a friend who had a very similar experience with him. She did say when she went back to see him to have a second child, his bedside manner had improved dramatically, almost to the point where she wondered if he had gotten negative feedback and was making a serious effort to be more personable.

As much as you can, try to go into your interactions with him with your own sense of detachment. As emotional as the process is, try to look at him as a vehicle to get where you're trying to go. Ultimately, he's a surgeon who can perform a procedure that you may need.

He was upfront and honest with us about the need to use a donor egg and ICSI, after two failed IVF's with colleagues in his clinic, he would have moved forward with our own embryo's if we wanted by he painted a realist picture of what our success rate would be 0.5%

ask a lot of question and understand WHY you're not able to conceive. Knowing why your not getting pregnant will help you be able to make decisions about topics you haven't considered yet, like donor egg

we used a donor egg, so I felt less in control of the process. he had a clear roadmap of donor egg cycles to get me to feel comfortable with what this cycle would be like compared to my other two unsuccessful cycles.

the first two cycles were covered by insurance, the donor egg cycle cost of $25000.00 out of pocket

He is knowledgeable about a lot of things but I felt his best set is about surgery and fibroid removal instead of treating women with infertility issues. I felt like a number throughout the treatment and constantly blamed for my egg issues.

If you are young and healthy and can be successfully treated at any place, you can work with him. Otherwise, if you want some more personal approach, do not go.

It is just the regular antagonist protocol vs. micro-flare protocol. I wish more information would be provided for me for these treatments. It turned out that perhaps three-day transfer would work better for me but they insisted on 5 day fresh transfer and resulted in negative test.

300-400 total because of the insurance for each cycle.

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