Dr. Abbasi at Columbia Fertility

[Anonymous]

I also like Dr. Abbasi. IMO, she is professional, responsive, and I feel treated as an individual.....not a number.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Abbasi has absolutely NO bedside manner. I had one round of IVF with her and I will NOT go back again. She called me on a Friday to give me my pregnancy test results and this is how the conversation went..."This is Dr. Abbasi. I have your pregnancy test results and you are not pregnant. I need to see you in my office on Monday, so hold on for a minute...". The next thing I heard was the receptionist asking me to schedule an appointment. REALLY?!?!?! What happened to consoling the patient.

Crystal is the only "positive" to that office. Everyone else either has an attitude or just flaky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a patient of Dr. Sacks and I really like him and think he's a friendly guy, BUT he is too quick to chat about off-topic subjects (the last concert he attended, stuff like that) before he is sure that you have had all of your questions answered.

This. At first I liked his approach because it is very humanizing. I liked having a doctor who cared to ask about me as a person. But after several IUI and IVF, I don't really need someone to hold my hand. I want to feel like my RE is really trying to figure out what's going on (I've had 2 BFP--1 from fresh IVF, 1 from frozen--that ended in miscarriages and 2 BFN from 1 fresh and 1 frozen). DH and I are both 34, and our only known issue is MFI. By all stats we should have had a successful pregnancy by now. I feel like Dr. Sacks is just saying it's a numbers game, and we should do more of the same. But I want to know my RE will at least explore whether there are other issues we need to investigate. We're looking to GW right now in the hopes that a new set of eyes and a new approach will shed some light on things.

It sounds like Dr. Abbasi might be more of the type to keep investigating. If I hadn't been driven insane already by the billing and on-and-off rude staff at the DC CFA office (NB: that some of the staff, nurses, and phlebotomists there are amazing, others are terrible, and some are unpredictable) I might have considered switching to her.

[Anonymous]

PP - run, don't walk to GWU. We are in remarkably similar circumstances - I've been seeing Dr Sacks for about 1.5 years, and have had 2 fresh, 2 frozen IVF's so far, with one m/c and one chemical pregnancy. I've got PCOS but by stats, I too should have already had a successful pregnancy.

I had the same complaints that you (and other posters) have had about Sacks - I found him really unfeeling and quick to move on to conversations about his next vacation or his hobbies, when I wanted to know more details about what was happening with my treatment. I also felt like he was pretty disdainful of me - like, it wasn't worth it to explain stuff to me unless it was cartoon drawings of really basic stuff you can find on the web if you google "getting pregnant." The office is also awful - incompetant and uncaring. I had just one good experience with one nurse - and I think that was when she was new, because just a few months later, she was just as bad as everyone else. I think the doctors just don't pay enough attention to the office staff - a friend who sees Abbasi said that Abbasi will talk openly with her about how bad the office is, but doesn't seem to think it's her problem to fix. I don't get it.

On the other side, GWU has been night and day - I love Dr. Frankfurter, the nurses I've worked with and all the office staff. They treat me like an adult, provide answers quickly to all my questions, and Dr. Frankfurter is VERY thorough in answering all my questions and giving me all the options. I love them.

[Anonymous]

I loved her at first. After so many appointments with other Doctors, when we first met her, I thought, she was honestly an angel. She really cared about what we had gone through and we felt so hopeful.
She ran a bunch of tests on immune stuff on us which is what we had gone to her for.
All was till rosy between us.
Then when we found out that it be cheaper for us to cycle out of town in another clinic, she lost total interest in us even though we still went there for monitoring. Her nurse would not even take calls from us when we were not getting blood results and etc. Eventually we left and went to another monitoring place.

[Anonymous]

I saw Dr. Abbasi from 2011-12 after a miscarriage, getting a borderline Day 3 test, and due to my age (38, at the time). I think what it comes down to is personal preference for patient-side manner. I appreciated having someone give it to me straight (as other commenters have said, she's very matter-of-fact)--I wasn't looking for much emotional support and wanted to "keep things business." She seemed very experienced, thorough, and knowledgeable. She has a dry sense of humor, which for me was a welcome break from the emotional schmutz one goes through during this process. The one caveat I do have is that you'll need to ask her to explain some medical terms because she can gloss over that stuff. Abbasi successfully treated my hormone issues and I conceived naturally a year after my miscarriage. Crystal, her nurse, is great too. Also, just an opinion on CFA in general: since it's a smaller practice you get to see the doctor during your visits. I never had an issue with trying to reach Abbasi (she's available by email). I had a friend who was going to Shady Grove for similar fertility issues, and most of the time she never made it past the nurse.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Abbasi is only out for money. She will string you along. Unbelievable greed!!! Use Dr. Sachs.

[Anonymous]

I saw her a few months ago. Had 4 iuis. All unsuccessful. Before the negative results of the last one she called us in to discuss ivf. Of course we were thinking about it, but her approach did not please us. Anyways, we took some time off and decided to do it overseas. The new doctor asked us for many tests she never asked us. We had chlamydia, which was taking up my tubes making them completely closed. The iuis were a waste of time and money because of that. It's asymptomatic in some cases but easily treated with antibiotics. The new doctor also tested me for immune issues and I tested positive for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, taking Lovenox now.
I think she sticks to the basic protocol, taking that we had until now unexplained infertility she should have done some more testing at the time. So much time, money and hopes wasted.

[Anonymous]

I'm seeing a new RE after 4 unsuccessful IVFs with Dr. Abbasi. The new RE ordered a bunch of new tests that Abbasi didn't and quite honestly, the new RE stated that he didn't understand why she even did IVF without these testings. Also, he strongly believes that I was given the wrong protocol and that's why I only had 3-4 eggs retrieved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen Dr. Abbasi. I actually go to Dr. Rifka at the CF office in DC. I do like him a lot. He is direct and to the point, but gets the job done. I have to say, when I've had questions he answered them. And during my 2nd M/C, we discovered it during my 8week US with him...I was upset, so he moved his next appointment to sit with me and my husband to talk out next steps and how to get pregnant again. If you can do DC...I say see Dr. Rifka or Dr. Sacks(I hear he's good too!)

I know at few women, including me, who've used Dr Sacks in DC. Highly recommend.

[Anonymous]

We've had both of our children with Dr. Sachs' assistance. He did a SA right up front and was very good with keeping us informed and involved in the process. Personally, I liked hearing about vacations and hobbies a bit, in part just to feel more human in the process, but that's a very personal preference. I would strongly recommend him.

[Anonymous]

I thought she was willing to think more "out of the box"
And mix things up than my previous RE. Her protocal worked for me - but agree bedside manner & disorganized staff made it frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought she was willing to think more "out of the box"
And mix things up than my previous RE. Her protocal worked for me - but agree bedside manner & disorganized staff made it frustrating.

If she is not available, who does procedures? Sacks or Butler?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm seeing a new RE after 4 unsuccessful IVFs with Dr. Abbasi. The new RE ordered a bunch of new tests that Abbasi didn't and quite honestly, the new RE stated that he didn't understand why she even did IVF without these testings. Also, he strongly believes that I was given the wrong protocol and that's why I only had 3-4 eggs retrieved.

8:18 - which tests?

[Anonymous]

I just saw Abassi for a consult. Was very disappointed...hadn't prepared, offered nothing useful, and I had to pry info out of her. Made me appreciate my current dr.