Jonathan Ayers

We had quite a few tests completed before consulting with a fertility specialist, Dr. Ayers. At our original consultative appointment, Dr. Ayers took the time to review our history/file and then discussed any gaps or wholes he wanted to explore. He validated our feelings/frustrations, but did not make any promises. He gave us options, which for someone who has difficulty with decision making, was somewhat stressful. For my current treatment program (injections), I saw Dr. Ayers a couple times a week. He would also explain the purpose of the visit and what he hoped to see on my ultrasound.

Ask questions and write down information he provides. He will give you a handout/notes, but it is helpful to have a notetaker as well.

My current treatment is controlled ovulation stimulation. I am currently on Gonal F injections and then a trigger shot to stimulate ovulation.

Fortunately, my insurance covers 80% of my costs. However, Dr. Ayers prices seem very reasonable compared to other clinics I researched.

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Dr. Ayers has wonderful bedside manner and explains each step in depth. He will answer your questions and meet with you at every appointment besides the bloodwork. You know exactly what the next steps are before they are taken. He does speak very quickly so I recommend bringing paper and taking notes so you can go back over them. Don't be afraid to have him explain a few times if you don't understand. Also bring your spouse or someone with you so you have another set of ears. It's helped my spouse to feel part of the process and be able to ask his own questions too.

Take notes and ask him if you don't understand something.

Our first IVF cycle consisted of birth control pills for the month prior, then initial bloodwork/US for a baseline. Then I did stims for 10-12 days with 2 ultrasounds during this to watch my follicle size. Once they were the size recommended (18-22mm) I gave myself a trigger shot 36 hours prior to retrieval. For retrieval I was placed under anesthesia and they removed 14 follicles, 9 were fertilized, 7 matured, 5 made it to day 5. We transferred 2 on day 5 and froze 3. I was put on bed rest for 2 days. I had started progesterone shots the day of retrieval and estrace pills for my lining. We got a Positive frer and blood test 9 days after transfer. Bloodwork was under 40 HCG and the next test it was down to 7. We ended that cycle with a chemical pregnancy.

We paid $23,500 for 3 cycles of IVF. That's 3 fresh cycles and unlimited frozen cycles (depending on what my body produces). You have to use the frozen embryos up before you move to the next fresh cycle. Ultrasounds and bloodwork is covered by my insurance. The medications have also been covered by my insurance.

Dr Ayers doesn't have a preference on single vs multiple embryo transfer based on our specific situation. He advised we could transfer two so that's what we did.

Dr. Ayers is well experienced and always seemed knowledgeable. No matter what happened throughout our cycle, he was always confident. I think he attempts to be compassionate; he said all the right words when our cycle failed, but it always felt very insincere to us and lacked a true feeling of empathy. His lack of interest in correcting the cause of our infertility made us feel like it was all about the money. We continued to see Dr. Ayers in spite of all this because of his extensive experience and success rates. I can recommend him not because I enjoyed being his patient, but because he helped us achieve the dream against all odds.

If you need someone to make you feel better, or to feel like you're their only patient, or to feel like they do this job to actually help you achieve your goals instead of for success rates and money, this is not your doctor. But if you don't care about the process but more about the results, like we did, I never doubted Dr. Ayers knew exactly what he was doing every step of the way. I actually took some comfort in feeling a little like a number with Dr. Ayers; he clearly sees hundreds of patients so he has experience and I wouldn't want my cycle to be someone's first practice round.

We did IVF with ICSI. ICSI was necessary due to the extremely low sperm count. Beyond that, no other strategies were discussed. Our fresh cycle produced 17 follicles, 14 mature eggs, 11 fertilized, 6 survived to day 5. We transferred 2 (although Dr. Ayers never offered to transfer any other number and we did not ask) with no pregnancy. We did a frozen transfer 5 months later. They had to thaw all 4 remaining embryos to transfer 2, one implanted and became our healthy daughter.

Fresh cycle (not including meds) was $11650, including ICSI. The frozen cycle was about $3500.

Dr. Ayers never offered or discussed eSET. He recommended transferring 2 and having done research on our own, I agreed.

Dr. Ayers was a warm and compassionate doctor. He did not push us into IVF but encouraged us to keep trying as there was no known reason for our struggles. While I appreciated his patient approach, I do wish he'd have been a little more aggressive given my age at the time (38). I do regret not starting earlier as our struggles have only increased.

If you are not interested in a very conservative approach, be sure to make sure to express that.

All of my cycles involved gonal/menopur/cetrotide. We never discussed supplements or other hormone therapies. As we have unexplained infertility, he used a more conservative approach.

IVF treatment cycles with Dr. Ayers were approximately $15,000. It was several thousand more when I began PGS testing.

We transferred two embryos each time due to my age. All issues were discussed.

As I have already stated...complete trust in his medical management! Calm demeanor, respectful and empathetic. As a doctor, I tend to look over my prescriber's shoulder a lot... not with Dr. Ayers. I never felt that it was necessary.

Build a rapport with him.

He utilized our time & resources well. We did a timed intercourse cycle twice then an IUI which I believe allowed him to see my body's response to hormones for maximum egg production since I had PCOS.

10K for IVF cycle @ 2005

I was 38/39 y.o so we were able to implant the maximum number of embryos...3. We had extensive and complete discussion about selective termination and storage of extra embryos.

My experiences as a patient of Dr. Ayers had been nothing but excellent. I never have to wait ungodly amounts of time to see him and once I do see him he takes his time communicates very well and always takes my feelings, thoughts, and wants into consideration.

I’d highly recommend going to see Dr. Ayers because he has practiced for many years and will treat you well he will personalize your treatment plan and work with you every step of the way!

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I only paid out of pocket for my medication co pays

He was informative and did not lead us on. He was honest.

Listen and take notes.

I was told what medications to use and how they worked.

I can't remember

Very honest and kind Dr.. I was hesitant going to see him initially, being a man. But his kind personality made me feel much more relaxed. Even after an unsuccessful transfer, and a miss carriage at eight weeks, I didn’t feel discouraged. He always had an explanation, and talk me through what our next steps were.

Just be honest with him. Don’t discount him just because he is a man. His track record shows just how important helping people really are to him.

It was our decision to elect a single embryo transfer, both times. We were explained the quality of our embryos, and made the decision from that. The first time worked and we have a beautiful little person now. The second time it didn’t. About nine months after they attempt at a second child with a single embryo, we had a conversation with Dr. Ayres and took a different route.