Getting ready to start IVF at Shady Grove-- best option or other suggestions?

[Anonymous]

We live in WV but are planning to start IVF at Shady Grove in Sept. We will be using donor eggs, which I have no problem with since the success rates are higher. I have not tried with my own eggs but can not afford to multiple cycles so am planning the shared risk program. I am 41 (will be 42 in Feb) and my husband is 37. My infertility issues are unexplained. We've been trying since we got married 3 years ago. The past year we've been seeing a RA and have done three IUIs, all resulting in negative pregnancy test. My AMH is 1.2 (or it was a year ago) and hubby's SA is great. Would you recommend Shady Grove or another facility? Specifically, I will be seeing Dr. Bromer in the Frederick office. Any specific questions or requests I should consider when we go for our consult? I'm excited but trying not to get too optimistic. I'm also frustrated by the cost but the guarantee program does give me some comfort. I appreciate any advice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in WV but are planning to start IVF at Shady Grove in Sept. We will be using donor eggs, which I have no problem with since the success rates are higher. I have not tried with my own eggs but can not afford to multiple cycles so am planning the shared risk program. I am 41 (will be 42 in Feb) and my husband is 37. My infertility issues are unexplained. We've been trying since we got married 3 years ago. The past year we've been seeing a RA and have done three IUIs, all resulting in negative pregnancy test. My AMH is 1.2 (or it was a year ago) and hubby's SA is great. Would you recommend Shady Grove or another facility? Specifically, I will be seeing Dr. Bromer in the Frederick office. Any specific questions or requests I should consider when we go for our consult? I'm excited but trying not to get too optimistic. I'm also frustrated by the cost but the guarantee program does give me some comfort. I appreciate any advice!

As a heads up, at 41 you will not qualify for shared risk unless you are using donor eggs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in WV but are planning to start IVF at Shady Grove in Sept. We will be using donor eggs, which I have no problem with since the success rates are higher. I have not tried with my own eggs but can not afford to multiple cycles so am planning the shared risk program. I am 41 (will be 42 in Feb) and my husband is 37. My infertility issues are unexplained. We've been trying since we got married 3 years ago. The past year we've been seeing a RA and have done three IUIs, all resulting in negative pregnancy test. My AMH is 1.2 (or it was a year ago) and hubby's SA is great. Would you recommend Shady Grove or another facility? Specifically, I will be seeing Dr. Bromer in the Frederick office. Any specific questions or requests I should consider when we go for our consult? I'm excited but trying not to get too optimistic. I'm also frustrated by the cost but the guarantee program does give me some comfort. I appreciate any advice!

As a heads up, at 41 you will not qualify for shared risk unless you are using donor eggs.

OP states she is using donor eggs.

[Anonymous]

If you are willing to drive a little further south I would recommend Dominion Fertility. They have a Bethesda office and the donor egg coordinator, Natalie is amazing and so utterly helpful.
I tried SG and it was really rough-no call backs, changing scheduled treatments or medicines at the last minute. No FREAKING way I want to be treated like that while on hormones.
Good luck, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are willing to drive a little further south I would recommend Dominion Fertility. They have a Bethesda office and the donor egg coordinator, Natalie is amazing and so utterly helpful.
I tried SG and it was really rough-no call backs, changing scheduled treatments or medicines at the last minute. No FREAKING way I want to be treated like that while on hormones.
Good luck, OP.

Hello Natalie!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are willing to drive a little further south I would recommend Dominion Fertility. They have a Bethesda office and the donor egg coordinator, Natalie is amazing and so utterly helpful.
I tried SG and it was really rough-no call backs, changing scheduled treatments or medicines at the last minute. No FREAKING way I want to be treated like that while on hormones.
Good luck, OP.

Hello Natalie!

[Anonymous]

I'm with Dr. Bromer and I really feel he is one of the best, if not the best, RE that Shady Grove has. If he can't get you pregnant, it probably can't be done.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Frankfurter at GWU is recommended a lot on these boards. He's very thorough, I'd probably get one consult from him just to get information on which protocol he would recommend for your case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are willing to drive a little further south I would recommend Dominion Fertility. They have a Bethesda office and the donor egg coordinator, Natalie is amazing and so utterly helpful.
I tried SG and it was really rough-no call backs, changing scheduled treatments or medicines at the last minute. No FREAKING way I want to be treated like that while on hormones.
Good luck, OP.

I really depends on you nurse. I had a great nurse at SG who was very responsive to emails and voice messages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Frankfurter at GWU is recommended a lot on these boards. He's very thorough, I'd probably get one consult from him just to get information on which protocol he would recommend for your case.

GW is NOT the place to go for DE. I think that's pretty well established. Current SG patient for DE--I've been at other clinics in DC and NJ.
The DE shared risk is the best option out there, financially. Stay tuned if it actually works!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are willing to drive a little further south I would recommend Dominion Fertility. They have a Bethesda office and the donor egg coordinator, Natalie is amazing and so utterly helpful.
I tried SG and it was really rough-no call backs, changing scheduled treatments or medicines at the last minute. No FREAKING way I want to be treated like that while on hormones.
Good luck, OP.

You understand that the protocol gets adjusted based on your response - both meds, their quantities and the timing of some procedures? This is done for more personalized approach to get the best result for you. All practices do that, it's very surprising that you don't understand the basics of the process but yet recommend a clinic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are willing to drive a little further south I would recommend Dominion Fertility. They have a Bethesda office and the donor egg coordinator, Natalie is amazing and so utterly helpful.
I tried SG and it was really rough-no call backs, changing scheduled treatments or medicines at the last minute. No FREAKING way I want to be treated like that while on hormones.
Good luck, OP.

You understand that the protocol gets adjusted based on your response - both meds, their quantities and the timing of some procedures? This is done for more personalized approach to get the best result for you. All practices do that, it's very surprising that you don't understand the basics of the process but yet recommend a clinic.

Wow. What a condescending post.

[Anonymous]

I think a shared risk program is a very smart move. I did the own egg one with Sg, had success first round but had no regrets. What I like about shared risk is, if it doesn't work out, you can put that money towards adoption. Sg can feel impersonal, but they know their stuff and have high success. You may feel like your on an assembly line at times. For your monitoring period, you will need bloodwork/scans everyday, so you need to make some living arrangements that allow you to stay for a couple weeks nearby and/or telework or use vacation time. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'm in my late 40s and have done IVF with SG using a donor egg. We were in the shared risk program. No regrets. We were lucky to get pregnant during our first round of IVF. While that means we will have paid more for the process than if we were not in shared risk, the fact is that we had to make a decision without the benefit of hindsight. We had figured out that if we had to go thru more than 2 cycles (a possibility given our medical issues) we would be out-of-pocket more than if we got pregnant in the first round. Frankly, if we weren't going to have success, we didn't want to be out all of that money. So, basically, I too think the shared risk program is a smart option.

If using a donor egg, some questions you might want to ask are the following:

I) What are the success rates using 3:1 split, 2:1 split, or no split. Basically, in shared risk, you can choose to receive 100% of the donor's eggs, or you can split them with 1 or 2 other persons. The price you pay in shared risk is lower if you split but the number of eggs is not necessarily less and thus the success rates are not dramatically different. I believe, but you'll have to ask, that donors with a higher number of follicles get put into the 3:1 program whereas donors with fewer follicles get put in the 2:1 program. But, if you are the first person to select a donor, you can upgrade them from the 3:1 to the 2:1 or 1:1. (However, the reverse is not true - you cannot take a 1:1 donor and make them a 3:1 donor.)

II) what kind of testing do donors go through? Lots.

III). Ask them to give you the temp password for their donor database and start looking ASAP to get a feel for what kind of donors they have and how quickly or slowly certain donors are selected. The temp password will give you access to most data on each donor.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Dr. Bromer is great. I had a successful IVF with him.