IVF - anyone deal with Colubmia Fertility Associates in DC?

[Anonymous]

good or bad experience?

[Anonymous]

We started with Columbia (Dr. Rivka, not Dr. Sacks who I hear is great) and after 4 failed IUIs and lap surgery moved onto Shady Grove for IVF. We wanted the clinic with the best reputation and lab (which is something just as important as the dr) and it was clear this was Shady Grove. We were willing to sacrifice the feeling of a smaller clinic (which frankly Columbia never really felt like to us) for a clinic that does IVF day in and day out. Also Columbia has a much better Shared Risk plan. After 2 IVFs with Dr. Widra (who I highly, highly recommend) I am due in August. Best of luck, it can be tough but well worth it.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, that should be Shady Grove has a better Shared Risk plan.

[Anonymous]

I second the recommendation to move to Shady Grove for IVF. When you're dealing with IVF, the embryologist (sp) is the most important person in the mix. Shady Grove's is the best. Just look at the CDC success rates of fertility clinics nationwide--they're up there in top.

[Anonymous]

GOOD EXPERIANCE WITH COLUMBIA FERTIlity . successful ivf from the second time i have a 20 month old son.

[Anonymous]

Wonderful experience with Columbia Fertility....Successful pregnancy after 1 IVF cycle (several failed IUIs).

[Anonymous]

Also had an incredible experience with Columbia Fertility...

[Anonymous]

I have three friends who got pregnant by Dr. Sacks at Columbia and all were very happy with their experiences.

[Anonymous]

Terrible experience at Columbia Fertility.

[Anonymous]

I got pregnant with twins in one cycle with Dr. Rifka at Columbia Fertility. I didn't do IVF though. I did injections. I have heard from a friend with is an RE nurse that shared risk programs for IVF are worth it. I don't know if Columbia Fertility has any type of shared risk program.

[Anonymous]

Good experience with Columbia. Did a lot of the bloodwork in Bethesda office (love the staff) since it was closer and then the main proceedures with Dr Sacks in DC. First IVF failed but had frozen embies and now have 3 wk old twins. He has stayed in touch since the pregnancy and he was delighted to hear about the births - Dr Sacks really does seem like a genuinly lovely guy. My obgyn would not send me to SG since she says that they only take the really good candidates so they can have great statistics. Sacks seems to help all cases even the desperate ones at least that is what I got from him as he told us various cases that he had/was working on.
Best of luck and sorry you have to go down this tough road.

[Anonymous]

4/8 2:35 post -- can you elaborate on the terrible experience? who you dealt with, why it was so bad etc?

[Anonymous]

i saw one good post with a positive mention of dr. rifka at columbia -- any others have good experiences with him?

[Anonymous]

I am the 2:35 post.

I had a horrible experience with Dr. Butler, who according to their website, is not board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. I was a patient of Dr. Sacks and had a tubal pregnancy. The doctors knew the pregancy wasn't viable and monitored me for a couple of weeks while I bled. One night I was doubled over in pain and called the answering service. Dr. Butler was on call and told me "I don't know anything about your case, I guess you should go to the emergency room or wait until tomorrow and see Dr. Sacks (I was scheduled to go into the office the next morning to receive an injection that would induce a miscarriage). The pain stopped after about 15 minutes and I passed a lot of blood and clots. I felt much better after that and went to the office the next morning. I showed the doctor what I was passing and was told that was not a miscarriage. They gave me the shot and sent me home, telling me it would take about a week. At this point I had been bleeding for more than a week. Four days later I was again doubled over with a pain on my lower right side that radiated down my right leg. The doctor on call told me I was having either an ectopic or deep vein thrombosis and to go to the ER. I was admitted and monitored for four more days until I finally told the doctor (my regular OB) to operate and diagnose the cause (blood tests every few hours told us I was bleeding somewhere internally). Diagnosis: ectopic pregnancy. Result: tube ruptured (doctor told me likely the night I called Dr. Butler) and I had bled internally for 10 days. I lost the tube and failed to get pregnant afterward. Dr. Sacks was wonderful during our fertility treatments but I don't think any of the doctors who were involved in my case were proactive, given the higher chance of ectopic pregnany with fertility drugs. And the fact that I had to make the decision to operate still astounds me!

Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

2:35 post -- that sounds awful (and unnecessary); thank you for sharing and elaborating as that's all good information to keep in mind when when working with them, so much appreciated.