Dominion or Shady Grove?

[Anonymous]

I have met with both and am quite sure I would like the office/staff at Dominion better, but wonder if Shady Groves lab is superior. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Open, one can of worms...sigh...

Hey...I am a past DF patient. I would say go to them in a heartbeat. I am a very lucky and happy mom of twins due to their kind and successful care. And what's even MORE indicative of their superior care and their superior lab...my eggs were retrieved the day before my 42nd birthday.

But I am SURE that there are others that will say they are the worst...and outline every offense.

There is an almost weekly fight about these two clinics...just check the history.

[Anonymous]

I shouldn't even reply for fear of, as the PP said, opening this can of worms again, but here goes...

I hate DF. I hated Dr. DiMattina and his smugness, and hated the way his office staff fawned over him. (They told me multiple times that I should get him to autograph his book for me!) He referred to my husband as "hubby," and when I was upset about his recommendation that I go straight to IVF (which was correct, by the way) he told me to stop worrying about it because HE "does IVF all the time." Obviously. But I do not do IVF all the time, and was never really planning to do it in my lifetime. Cost-wise, DF seemed much more expensive than Shady Grove, although I never could get straight answers from them on prices of procedures. It also wasn't convenient for me in terms of transportation and work.

I really liked Shady Grove, and was successful there. I saw Dr. Osborn at the DC office, which was about 1 block from my office so convenient for monitoring. The Rockville office for weekend monitoring and the ER/ET procedures was less convenient. Costs were straight-forward. I found the doctors, nurses, and lab to be excellent although customer service was sometimes lacking.

Good luck! Read the million other threads on this topic.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP 16:18, there are tons of threads on this as well as reviews online all over the place. Also would recommend to steer clear of Dominion for reasons above - the sheer arrogance of that man and his cheerleader nurses is a huge red flag on its own. I could go on, but I won't. Honestly, I don't care to get into the DF vs SG thing...to me anyone who decides to go with DF and not pay attention to the red flags there is on their own.

[Anonymous]

This, again? So many threads on this debate... it comes up every month or so. I am a Dominion supporter but you will get supporters and detractors for every clinic on DCUM. What are you looking for? Stats, labs, personal attention, convenience, cost, iui, ivf, nc ivf, donor egg.... no right answer, it is different for everyone.

[Anonymous]

I initially went to Dominion and saw Dr. Reh. I found her very nice, but was stunned when she (after doing our bloodwork, an ultrasound, and a sperm analysis) only wrote down the success stats for every possible fertility treatment on a little note pad, and then asked us if we were ready to make a decision. We were completely new to this situation and there was no way we'd make a decision right there during the consultation! She also didn't really make any recommendation regarding what she thought would be the best treatment FOR US. I thought her approach was both insensitive and naive, and maybe she is just too young and inexperienced. As we were ready to leave, I requested copies of my test results because I knew I wanted to go somewhere else, but instead I was sent into another room with a nurse who asked if she could set me up for a mock transfer. Hello? We hadn't given any indication we were ready to do IVF. Bottom line is, I found Dominion very sales-oriented. I also found the nurses I met grumpy and rude, and it was hard to get them to call me back. Dr. Reh also did my antral follicle count in the middle of my cycle and not on Day 3. I will say that Dr. Gordon did a good job on my HSG.

I ended up going to Shady Grove, and what a world of difference. Dr. O'Brien is not in the least bit pushy. She explained to me in rational terms why she thought I should do IVF (and why she thought NCIVF - which of course was among the options offered by Dr. Reh - didn't make any sense in my case), but she didn't try to coax me into anything. She gave me her email address so I could reach her. Instead of the general "nurses' line" at Dominion, at Shady Grove you have your personal nurse and mine was fabulous. She always called back in a matter of a few hours and was always caring and friendly. I have not met a single rude person at SG. It is a big center, but I think that can only be advantageous in a fertility clinic. The more experience, the better. We ended up doing IVF, and the whole process went very smoothly. I got pregnant on the first try. They also are less expensive than Dominion and accept more insurance plans.

Just my two cents. I realize my experience with Dominion is limited, but whatever limited experience I had I did not like.

[Anonymous]

It is a tough call. A friend of mine saw DiMattina and did 3 rounds of IVF - all three successful. She raves about him and would happily go for another child if her DH would let her. We chose SG because it was close and convenient for us. I am currently in my first trimester after a successful IVF cycle. My doctor was straightforward and always helped us weigh our options. My nurse was amazing and always answered email or phone messages very quickly... and never seemed bothered by the million questions or concerns that I would email her. The office staff at my location (Leesburg) couldn't have been nicer or more helpful - and I have NEVER had any issues with billing or the financial aspects.

[Anonymous]

I loved loved loved Shady Grove (Rockville). I went to DF for one appt with Dr. Abbasi -- I didn't like it, so I didn't go back. I was successful at SG.

[Anonymous]

Another one for SG here. They have their cons, but luckily it's not things you have to worry about with Dominion which still sort of operates like they are working out of a garage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved loved loved Shady Grove (Rockville). I went to DF for one appt with Dr. Abbasi -- I didn't like it, so I didn't go back. I was successful at SG.

Wow...this is quite an informed response about DOMINION, considering Abbasi is at COLUMBIA. Insert eye roll here...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved loved loved Shady Grove (Rockville). I went to DF for one appt with Dr. Abbasi -- I didn't like it, so I didn't go back. I was successful at SG.

Wow...this is quite an informed response about DOMINION, considering Abbasi is at COLUMBIA. Insert eye roll here...

Okay don't be an asshole....it was a while ago. So just consider it a vote for SG without an informed opinion of Dominion.

[Anonymous]

I agree with others who have said it's a personal decision - depends on whether you get a good feel at one or the other. Wherever you end up, it's an emotional process so go with the place that feels right for you. We started at DF and like others found them to be dismissive and arrogant. Dr. Gordon told us in our first consult to "go out to dinner and a movie and have some wine" because maybe that would help. Really? That's the sort of thing I would expect from an insensitive uncle or something, not a professional. We did an IUI there but they seemed disorganized and they were more expensive so we went with SGF for our IVF. They're a bit of a factory because they do so much business but I found all the nurses and docs very personable and kind. We had Dr. Nair and she spent over an hour with us in the first meeting explaining everything in detail. The whole process was still a roller coaster of course but my vote would be SGF.

[Anonymous]

I know that this is an old thread but had to chime in. I started at SGF and it was a nightmare. I went there bc it was close and I had a friend that was successful with a particular MD and she HIGHLY recommended him. He was horrible and the staff equally bad. I felt like a no-name person and was just another number in the system. Being a nurse I knew that I deserved better. I am not a number I am human patient. Found my grove at DF with Dr. Payson. He listens to my concerns and tailored my protocol just for me. Every time I go in for testing I am always surprised by the warm feel of the office and friendly staff. Oh, and call backs? DF is so responsive, but SGF didn't set a high bar.
There are things I don't like-for instance, I am not a fan of the baby pictures in the office. Yes, to some they may be success stories but to me they are reminders of the child I don't have. I also don't care for the LONG commute to the Arlington office. THese are things I am willing to be flexible on bc I am treated with respect and dignity. Sorry SGF, I'm not sure that you could even be capable of having the class that DF has.

[Anonymous]

PP totally agree that DF is worth the long commute, I started off at SG as a newbie and thought I was at the best place in DC area. They completely f*&ked up my first IUI cycle and the lack of communication with RE, nurses, and rude billing office made me switch. DF has been so much better from the first time I contacted them and spoke to a nurse who was able to answer my questions then follow up with an email.

[Anonymous]

Been to both. Started at Shady Grove did 5 failed IUI's. Went to Dominion because they were the only ones who offered Natural Cycle IVF- inspite of 2 beautiful embryo's (even according to our Shady Grove Doc afterwards) 2 cycles failed. Wanted to transfer 2 instead of 1 and SG was less expensive and much more convenient location wise so went back to SG. I liked both places but SG seemed more professional and I liked all the nurses better (annapolis and waldorf offices). I felt like the nurses at Dominion didn't offer much if any information unless I asked and even then their explanations were very lacking. SG just seems more organized too and the Finance lady (Darlene) was awesome and WAY better than Dominion, where I never got a straight answer about the money part of it either. I was REALLY hoping that NCIVF was going to work at Dominion, it should have but who knows maybe the third time would've been a charm.