Dominion Fertility vs. Shady Grove Fertility

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck at the SG warehouse. I wish you all the best. I'd ask you to say hello to our doctor but I can't remember all twelve of their names.

I'm new into this debate- but a fertility clinic has multiple doctors- I may have been monitored by x dr by my primary (at SG was Dr greenhouse) and I was always in touch with him - including email which I appreciate. Now that I have my two miracle kids- we go to a pediatrician that has 8 or so on staff. Alas- we know all of them due to in big picture a lot of issues but thankfully nothing to date permanent. I completely understand why for a pre-op appt I can get any dr- DD has no issues and my file is there. Like monitoring during a IUI or IVF (we had both) it's a measurement- data point- completely understand this- I had an issue after my first IVF attempt (#s were odd) and Dr greenhouse replied by email and was there that morning after I got the regular monitoring dr's review.

To each their own- but I liked SG's approach- remember there are 8 or so dr's that review status' of each patient weekly or more- I trusted (and recommend) Dr Greenhouse but he went over all of his patients weekly. Now- for a college- I;d prefer mid-sized.. but we're talking about IF here- everyone has their own fit-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bottom line -- people are happy with whomever GOT THEM PREGNANT. And, quite frankly much of it is luck and a crap shoot. Not all - there's protocol and lab quality to consider but really, come on people, you adore who got you pregnant and everyone has their own uinque experience.

I couldn't agree more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Bottom line -- people are happy with whomever GOT THEM PREGNANT. And, quite frankly much of it is luck and a crap shoot. Not all - there's protocol and lab quality to consider but really, come on people, you adore who got you pregnant and everyone has their own uinque experience.

I couldn't agree more.

DITTO this as well.

I happen to LOVE shady grove. Why? They're responsible for my 2 pregancies and 3 children. I had a awesome relationship with my primary MD that developed over the 4 years we spent doing IVF. This relationship took time to develop. There were plenty of times I was just a number at a retrieval or certainly at monitoring. However, any bad was more than overshadowed by the end, joyous result. Had I not gotten pregnant I would most certainly have a different over-all impression of the practice. The annoyances etc. would have been all I would have to focus on. Now as I look at my kids I can barely remember what it felt like to be an IVF patient at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Bottom line -- people are happy with whomever GOT THEM PREGNANT. And, quite frankly much of it is luck and a crap shoot. Not all - there's protocol and lab quality to consider but really, come on people, you adore who got you pregnant and everyone has their own uinque experience.

I couldn't agree more.

DITTO this as well.

I happen to LOVE shady grove. Why? They're responsible for my 2 pregancies and 3 children. I had a awesome relationship with my primary MD that developed over the 4 years we spent doing IVF. This relationship took time to develop. There were plenty of times I was just a number at a retrieval or certainly at monitoring. However, any bad was more than overshadowed by the end, joyous result. Had I not gotten pregnant I would most certainly have a different over-all impression of the practice. The annoyances etc. would have been all I would have to focus on. Now as I look at my kids I can barely remember what it felt like to be an IVF patient at all.

Same here- we had such unsuccesful attempts At GIVF (and frankly incompetence that we missed 3 trigger times out of 3 IUS- we stayed since it seemed so hard to start over again as soon as possible- and I was mentally at 39 wanting to try the best as possible)- in this case I do remember the failures of missing triggers for 3 times!

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised so many think the OP is a fake - I can't imagine someone posting such a detailed story just for the advertising. I left SG for another clinic (out-of-state), and my experience was night-and-day better than SG, so I understand OP's experience.

In any event, I think this shows that everyone going through IF treatments needs to do a LOT of research and really understand what is happening so they can be their own advocates.

[Anonymous]

This guy's story may be legit -- but I am getting a little skeptical of the raves about Dominion on this forum. Particularly the fact that whenever someone posts a thread asking about natural cycle IVF, it seems like 3 people post within 5 minutes all of whom had success w/natural cycle at Dominion on the first or second try. That doesn't even happen with regular IVF...

In general though, I think IVF is such a crapshoot and even well-managed cycles can go badly, so you can have a "horror story" cycle anywhere, unfortunately...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This guy's story may be legit -- but I am getting a little skeptical of the raves about Dominion on this forum. Particularly the fact that whenever someone posts a thread asking about natural cycle IVF, it seems like 3 people post within 5 minutes all of whom had success w/natural cycle at Dominion on the first or second try. That doesn't even happen with regular IVF...

In general though, I think IVF is such a crapshoot and even well-managed cycles can go badly, so you can have a "horror story" cycle anywhere, unfortunately...

i agree!

[Anonymous]

First post ever on this forum...but I MUST comment.

I think that the people who 'click' with Dominion, feel the need to rave about them.

I went through 4 years of treatment with Dr. G. I.LOVE.HIM
At AMA (a day before my 42nd birthday), with my 3rd IVF, we retrieved the 2 golden eggs that gave us our b/g twins.
He was with me and my DH through the entire experience. I received phone calls from HIM after we went through a tragic loss (my first IVF pregnancy). He visited ME at the hospital after the birth of our twins, despite the fact that my hospital is no small drive from the Arlington office. I have NEVER had an experience with a medical practitioner, EVER, that was as caring and as supportive as my experience with Dr. G. I actually hated leaving DF, when I was finally released to my OB...because I NEVER ended up getting the one-on-one treatment anywhere else, that I got from DF's nurses and entire staff...front desk, lab staff (LOVE Awi and Jerry!), billing (they sent ME money back...2Xs!), etc.

Dr. G never sold me ANYTHING...in all actuality, in hindsight, I wish we would have started the IVF process SOONER, but Dr. G felt that we may not need DF's help to get pregnant.

I think, with NCIVF, Dr G and Dr D are 'pushing' it for their patients, because it IS a way to get a pregnancy with MUCH less intervention.
(BTW--if you are doing NCIVF, the standard procedure IS ICSI, it is to ensure fertilization.)

I am SO sorry that a few people on these boards have had such a bad experience with Dr. D (for one person, it seems just a bad first impression--with no treatment?? Very odd to pepper these boards with such vitriol when you were never even treated by the man?)

But it is odd to be such a HAPPY Dominion Fertility patient and read what is said about DF...because it was SO not my experience.

So when you lash out at the happy DF patients, and call us members of the staff, it is insulting. Insulting to us, as proud parents. Insulting to DF, who deserve every and all kudos that they receive.
When you walk into that office, you are an individual...you receive individual treatment...I was NEVER a number, I was NEVER a statistic.

I.LOVE.DF

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am SO sorry that a few people on these boards have had such a bad experience with Dr. D (for one person, it seems just a bad first impression--with no treatment?? Very odd to pepper these boards with such vitriol when you were never even treated by the man?)

good for you and your experience, i am seriously happy for you. i am not fortunate enough to participate in ncivf or to have a successful pregnancy with ANY CLINIC.
and as for my impression of dr. d - i had already spent $45K out of pocket for unsuccessful fertility treatments. no way am i going to risk going to any clinic after such a consult. i have learned to trust my gut feeling! why would i invest my time and my money with a doctor who treated me like shit in an initial consult?!? it's not worth it for me - it is already stressful and emotional enough. in fact after leaving his office in tears i completely reconsidered even trying again - with anyone.
and therefore i will continue to tell people of my experience.

[Anonymous]

There are also some things about DF that are just facts. Fact -- they are the only clinic in the area (that I know of) that fills their waiting room with photos of babies. I can't think of anything more manipulative and insensitive. Also, they include photos of twins among their successes. I am totally 100% happy for people with twins, but they are a complication of fertility treatments that REs are supposed to try to avoid -- not a success that should be posted on their walls to advertise their services. The fact that they post all these photos of twins made me wonder if they were really doing everything they could to avoid multiples. The fact that my friend was encouraged to transfer two "perfect" blasts (even though it was her first IVF and she is under 30) told me that clearly they are not.

[Anonymous]

Well...as a DF patient, I can clearly state, from my experiences with DF, that their goal is to produce singleton pregnancies.

While I was not a candidate for the NCIVF program, DF's commitment to singleton pregnancies is best shown through their commitment to NCIVF. No other fertility center in the area is providing THAT level of commitment to singleton pregnancies, because, certainly, there is a statistical risk in offering an option, like NCIVF. Also, for women who have POF, or are of AMA and do not respond well to stim meds, this approach is a chance to try to have their own genetic offspring. This is an approach that is only offered in a very FEW areas across the country. The posts, oftentimes on this board, are not really reflective of discussions I have seen on other US-wide discussion groups. The discussions on this board seem to be highly biased against NCIVF. Again, this is the patient's choice as to what they want to choose as their treatment option...but, I know many women across the United States would LOVE to have this option available to them.

Secondly, I have read the concerns about the pictures in the waiting room on other threads. My statement, as a woman who fought through 5 years of infertility and ART treatments would be...Really? This is your hang up about a fertility clinic? This really makes or breaks your desire to attend this clinic? And you make your assessment on their stats and their desire to produce singleton vs. multiple pregnancies based upon the pictures they have on their walls?

I guess I took these pictures in a totally different way...I took it this way...

These pictures represent the fruit of their labors as a fertility clinic. Their patients and the success of their patients MEAN something to them. They are successful in helping couples build their families. The couples are so happy, and have such a happiness about their experience here, that they want to show off their happiness and keep in touch with the practice. I want success like this...I want my child's picture up on this wall in the future.

Why in the world would DF bias the pictures that they shared with their patients, to only include those that represented singleton pregnancies? Multiples happen...I am complete proof of that...at my AMA, we came to an understanding of how we would deal with my treatment, and the number of blasts that we would transfer, with the idea that multiples most likely wouldn't happen. It happened! I am one of Dr G's FIRST over 40 women to be pg with multiples...in the 20+ year history of DF, only a HANDFUL of women over 40 have gotten pg with multiples. Again, I will reiterate, the treatment at DF has everything to do with EACH INDIVIDUAL patient. Multiples happen, but I KNOW that my treatment and the decisions made about my treatment were VERY seriously considered and discussed by both Dr. G and Dr. D...AND we spent a lot of time before my first transfer talking this over with Dr. G. My thoughts are, that they do the very same thing with every other patient at DF.

And I will bet my bottom dollar...if I walked in that office today, my twins are probably displayed very prominently on those walls. Because we, as a family, MEANT something to DF and to Dr. G. My husband and I had a relationship with that practice...with the nurses, with the lab staff, with the front desk staff.

And I think, if, as a patient, you WANT that type of individualized treatment, THAT is what you get at DF. If you don't need it, then the posts on here are correct...there are MANY other places to go in the area.

Infertility is a very difficult and painful journey, I would never even wish it on my worst enemy. I think it is highly disingenuous for members of this discussion group to disparage a certain practice and that practice's patients...calling us fakes and liars...in order to bring forth your negative opinions of that clinic. As I said before, I am SORRY that your experiences weren't successful or positive, but there are those of us who want to tell our positive stories and share our happiness. This is a discussion board that is supposed to be sharing information and HELPING others with similar problems and similar PAINS that YOU are having! It is really doing a disservice to the community to make blanket statements about a practice that are based upon a 'gut feeling' about a doctor in that practice...or a bias YOU have about a certain procedure or technology or even a belief about what color the walls should be painted in a waiting room!

Maybe I have said too much...but honestly, I am SO tired of reading such horrible things on this forum, about a practice and people that I have come to LOVE, and who helped me through one of the most painful and horrible times of my life.

I wish this success and happiness for everyone here...no matter which clinic you attend in the DC Metro area...or elsewhere...

[Anonymous]

OP and PP thank you for sharing your stories, I find so much of what I have read on this forum disturbing. I find it strange that anyone would think we happy Dominion patients are employees. It makes me think the negative ones are coming from Shady Grove employees, either way I wouldn't trust everything you read on an anonymous board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well...as a DF patient, I can clearly state, from my experiences with DF, that their goal is to produce singleton pregnancies.

While I was not a candidate for the NCIVF program, DF's commitment to singleton pregnancies is best shown through their commitment to NCIVF. No other fertility center in the area is providing THAT level of commitment to singleton pregnancies, because, certainly, there is a statistical risk in offering an option, like NCIVF. Also, for women who have POF, or are of AMA and do not respond well to stim meds, this approach is a chance to try to have their own genetic offspring. This is an approach that is only offered in a very FEW areas across the country. The posts, oftentimes on this board, are not really reflective of discussions I have seen on other US-wide discussion groups. The discussions on this board seem to be highly biased against NCIVF. Again, this is the patient's choice as to what they want to choose as their treatment option...but, I know many women across the United States would LOVE to have this option available to them.

Secondly, I have read the concerns about the pictures in the waiting room on other threads. My statement, as a woman who fought through 5 years of infertility and ART treatments would be...Really? This is your hang up about a fertility clinic? This really makes or breaks your desire to attend this clinic? And you make your assessment on their stats and their desire to produce singleton vs. multiple pregnancies based upon the pictures they have on their walls?

I guess I took these pictures in a totally different way...I took it this way...

These pictures represent the fruit of their labors as a fertility clinic. Their patients and the success of their patients MEAN something to them. They are successful in helping couples build their families. The couples are so happy, and have such a happiness about their experience here, that they want to show off their happiness and keep in touch with the practice. I want success like this...I want my child's picture up on this wall in the future.

Why in the world would DF bias the pictures that they shared with their patients, to only include those that represented singleton pregnancies? Multiples happen...I am complete proof of that...at my AMA, we came to an understanding of how we would deal with my treatment, and the number of blasts that we would transfer, with the idea that multiples most likely wouldn't happen. It happened! I am one of Dr G's FIRST over 40 women to be pg with multiples...in the 20+ year history of DF, only a HANDFUL of women over 40 have gotten pg with multiples. Again, I will reiterate, the treatment at DF has everything to do with EACH INDIVIDUAL patient. Multiples happen, but I KNOW that my treatment and the decisions made about my treatment were VERY seriously considered and discussed by both Dr. G and Dr. D...AND we spent a lot of time before my first transfer talking this over with Dr. G. My thoughts are, that they do the very same thing with every other patient at DF.

And I will bet my bottom dollar...if I walked in that office today, my twins are probably displayed very prominently on those walls. Because we, as a family, MEANT something to DF and to Dr. G. My husband and I had a relationship with that practice...with the nurses, with the lab staff, with the front desk staff.

And I think, if, as a patient, you WANT that type of individualized treatment, THAT is what you get at DF. If you don't need it, then the posts on here are correct...there are MANY other places to go in the area.

Infertility is a very difficult and painful journey, I would never even wish it on my worst enemy. I think it is highly disingenuous for members of this discussion group to disparage a certain practice and that practice's patients...calling us fakes and liars...in order to bring forth your negative opinions of that clinic. As I said before, I am SORRY that your experiences weren't successful or positive, but there are those of us who want to tell our positive stories and share our happiness. This is a discussion board that is supposed to be sharing information and HELPING others with similar problems and similar PAINS that YOU are having! It is really doing a disservice to the community to make blanket statements about a practice that are based upon a 'gut feeling' about a doctor in that practice...or a bias YOU have about a certain procedure or technology or even a belief about what color the walls should be painted in a waiting room!

Maybe I have said too much...but honestly, I am SO tired of reading such horrible things on this forum, about a practice and people that I have come to LOVE, and who helped me through one of the most painful and horrible times of my life.

I wish this success and happiness for everyone here...no matter which clinic you attend in the DC Metro area...or elsewhere...

[Anonymous]

I have to say I love Dr. Greenhouse at Shady Grove.. He is a great Doctor that not only has the expertise, but also very, very compassionate... just my two cents!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP and PP thank you for sharing your stories, I find so much of what I have read on this forum disturbing. I find it strange that anyone would think we happy Dominion patients are employees. It makes me think the negative ones are coming from Shady Grove employees, either way I wouldn't trust everything you read on an anonymous board.

That actually diminishes your credibility in my opinion- I am not anti- DF- I was one (only one) poster endorsing the SG success.. not bashing DF. so now all pro SG posts are employees? kind of funny- thanks for the chuckle..