GW, SGF, or CCRM at age 42
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Anonymous
| Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (I assume!) |
Anonymous
| Thanks! |
Anonymous
Hi OP, I've been following your posts this summer--I felt like I could relate to much of your story (although I'm 38), as I had 2 chemical pregnancies and a miscarriage at 7 weeks within an 8 month span as we've been TTC conceive our first. I'm glad you had a good experience with both your consults. I haven't done IVF and don't know anything about CCRM, but I was a patient at GW earlier this year before switching to Dominion this summer. I never met Dr. F while I was at GW, so also can't chime in about him. But if you are equally confident in both doctors and their approaches (the most important thing!), then here are a few other details you might want to consider as you make your decision. These are all things that I noticed were different between my experiences at two clinics that I think factored into my mental well-being: -How well each clinic's morning monitoring hours work for your daily life, traffic/how far you will have to travel to each clinic, and ease and cost of parking (if you're driving). -Your experiences so far with the nurses and other staff you've interacted with, including if they seem to be efficient (I had a consult at a 3rd clinic in the area as I was deciding where to go after leaving GW, and had to call the front desk of that 3rd clinic 3 times after scheduling my appointment just to get them to send me the new patient paperwork...I felt like that didn't bode well, as the last thing any of us need is to spend our time repeatedly chasing down people to get you what you need.) -Clinics vary in their operations on who will do your procedures. At GW, whichever RE is 'on call' that week will do your procedure (retrievals, transfers, biopsy, saline sonogram, etc), while some clinics schedule you with your primary RE to do them if they fall on a day your RE is in the office. Hard to say how this is handled at CCRM since they are newer and have half the number of REs that GW has. This point doesn't matter to some people, but for other people it's important to them to have their own doctor as much as possible throughout the process. Best of luck to you OP! |
Anonymous
| Following as I'm still deciding between these 2! |
Anonymous
OP here. Thanks so much, 10:37. I hope Dominion leads to success for you. I'm still undecided between CCRM (more expensive, less convenient, much smoother in terms of setting and one-stop-shop, trust the CCRM history of success) and GW (convenient, all covered by insurance, dislike the hospital setting). I'm hoping for a BFP this cycle but need to make a choice soon so I am ready on CD1, which is likely to happen. More advice welcome! 
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Anonymous
| OP keep us posted! I'm one of the PP posters who said forget SG and decide bt CCRM and GW (who I'm currently deciding bt). In my case, CCRM is also more expensive and much less convenient. But neither are covered by insurance fr me... |
Anonymous
Hi, this is 10:37 again. Please keep in mind that what I'm about to say is from my perspective of having made the choice to move on from GW after a series of bad experiences that were specific to how my RE there (who was not Dr. F.) handled my case. Also, the financial aspects of the decision you're making are significant, especially for IVF if you're paying OOP. But what I wanted to say after reading your comparisons between CCRM and GW is that it turned out setting/environment, as well as how the practice was run (especially the way monitoring was set up), have been extremely important factors in how satisfied I have been with the two clinics I've been at. The environment at the two Dominion locations where I did monitoring for my IUI in June was a better experience for me all-around than I had doing monitoring at GW, and I think this helped my frame-of-mind for the couple of appointments I had that I perceived were more stressful or high stakes. Dominion is out-of-network for my insurance, and I picked it knowing full well that I would be paying a whole lot more for my IUI there than if I had stayed at GW or had chosen a different in-network clinic. I have absolutely no regrets in choosing this more expensive option because my RE and the setting turned out to be a really good match for me. For me, it was worth the extra cost. But again, the costs associated with 1 IUI are not comparable to OOP expenses for IVF. What I'm trying to convey is that I think that having a smoother and comfortable setting, even if it means higher cost, is something worth factoring in to your final decision. Is it the most critical factor? No. But considering how often you'll be going to the clinic you choose, it's worth it to make sure the setting isn't one that you abhor or which causes you stress for some reason. |
Anonymous
Do you mind sharing a bit about the RE who mishandled your case? That might be helpful info for those of us still considering GW |
Anonymous
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I'm one of the undecided between CCRM and GWU PPs earlier in the thread.
I'm awaiting a third consult with one of the NYC clinics, but I have made a decision that if I don't go there, it will be CCRM over GWU. I should caveat, I was super-impressed by Dr. F's read of my medical history and that he caught things other RE's had not. I learned a lot meeting with him and it was a tough call between the two. But ultimately, I'm CCRM over GW for some reasons specific to my case and my point of view that I'll detail below. First, though, some perspective I've gained from talking to people: The truth is that there is still a lot REs don't know about how all of this works - as much art as science (and a lot of luck) - and not being doctors ourselves, it can be really hard to decipher between two differing opinions. In the end, it's a crap shoot, but a crap shoot between 2 highly-qualified clinics and REs. So not a bad place to be and really not a wrong choice here. They're both really good. Differences: Dr. F uses only progesterone suppositories for FET. CCRM uses shots and suppositories. I feel more reassured by the CCRM both/and approach. Dr. F thought I should consider fresh transfer. CCRM favors freeze and PGS. I definitely see the merits to Dr. F's argument, but my instincts favor CCRM's approach. Dr. F favored shorter stim. CCRM was more let's see how it's going. I was neutral on this. Dr. F didn't feel my case warranted any further testing, just trying again. CCRM wanted to test a few additional things. My conservative nature favors more testing. My understanding is that GWU rotates doctors who do your procedures. CCRM only has two REs and I think(?) your primary RE does most things. This was a big issue I had with Shady Grove, so I'm inclined to correct (and let's be honest, maybe over-correct) in this area. Dr. F/GWU would be a lot easier from a financial and logistical standpoint - and I want to believe my case is straightforward, doesn't require PIO shots and could move faster with fresh transfer. There's a good chance he's right. But ultimately my nature is cautious and investigatory, so I'm opting for the place where I think I will feel the greatest confidence taking next steps after a lot of IVF heartache. Good luck to everyone deciding! Really just a "do the best you can" decision. They both seem like caring and smart doctors. |
Anonymous
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OP here. There are a lot of us going through this and facing the same decisions! I really appreciate everyone's candor and advice. I am tempted to keep trying on our own, but I do have a yearly cap for infertility treatments and I'm 42, so I should probably start some things in 2018.
What tests did you do and how much time passed between starting and any actually attempts for a baby (IVF, IUI, etc.)? |
Anonymous
I had my first consult mid-cycle, so started my testing when the next cycle started a couple weeks later. DH had already done an SA before our consult (ordered by one of his doctors). Tests I had were: AFC on day 3, lots of bloodwork on day 3--TSH and T4, estradiol, AMH, FSH & LH, vitamin D, CBC, blood type & Rh factor, anti-TPO antibody, tests for antibodies to several infectious diseases, and Counsyl carrier screen, and HSG on something like cycle day 10. My follow-up to go over results and suggested treatment plan was exactly 4 weeks after my initial consult. That was November during open enrollment, so we decided to keep trying on our own until our new insurance that had coverage for IUIs started in January. If we had been paying OOP, we would have considered trying an IUI right away in my next cycle. If things had gone that way, it would have timed out that my first IUI could have occurred in as little as 7 weeks from my initial consult. If I were in your position, especially with coverage for fertility treatments, I would start as soon as possible. |
Anonymous
| Wait, CCRM does both shots and suppositories for progesterone? Why both? |
Anonymous
OP, any updates? |
Anonymous
I'm doing a FET at a clinic in LA and they use shots and suppositories. Shots for the days prior to transfer and then suppositories at night and shots after transfer. Some studies show that PIO is better than suppositories, but I hadn't really heard of using both. I did only suppositories at Dominion (except when I requested PIO, then it was only shots), and only shots at SG. I thought it was a little odd, but the clinic has good success rates - makes me happy to hear that CCRM does that, too. |
Anonymous
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I'm 43. After a few months TTC, I went straight to IVF due to my age. My numbers were good for someone my age but I didn't want the MC risk.
I've been at SGF with Dr. Moon. Not a lot of hand holding, but I've never gone without getting a need met or a question answered. I am the odd duck that likes the fact they see a LOT of people. I feel like the volumes of data they gather must be a good thing. Most importantly, I've been successful, so far. First retrieval ultimately yielded 1 healthy embryo (out of 15 follicles 10 were mature, 8 fertilized, 2 sent for PGS, 1 normal). Normal embryo transferred 9/27. |