If it’s only a 10 minute difference I would pick the better clinic. We switched to a clinic farther away because we liked the doctor but it has also been easy (no traffic) during Covid. But, it was the difference between a 5 versus 15 minute drive for us.

Yes, but success matters most. I moved to a suburb (I’m in NY) and chose the clinic closest to my house. I’d previously been with another clinic in Manhattan with a doctor I really liked, but I was not traveling an hour for monitoring, especially when I’m WFH. The clinic nearby had high if not higher success rates and while switching doctors can be stressful, IVF is fairly commoditized if you have a relatively good prognosis. I was in for monitoring a lot during stims, and it was super convenient to go 15 min from my house. If you are someone with a complicated case, then you might have to do multiple consults to find the right doctor for your case. So yes, factor it in, but it also depends how successful the clinic is and what reputation they have.

Yes, it factored in significantly. Convenience mattered a lot - it took us a couple of years, multiple different approaches, and therefore a gazillion early morning monitoring appointments. So having a location (or two) that was close to home or work really minimized the amount of leave I had to use and helped me manage the time and logistics more comfortably.

I went with Columbia.

As an aside, although their rates don't always compare as favorably I believe they will work with tougher cases. So the larger shops like Shady Grove might turn you away while Columbia will try to help anyone. So their statistics can misrepresent how successful they can be.

Other than the hassles w/ billing and admin support I experienced (which you'll hear/see echoed repeatedly) I was incredibly pleased w/ my experience w/ Columbia.

Good luck OP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, hugely. But I don't drive so that's also why. Just went with my OB's recommendation without doing any research (I did not know about this board at the time).

You will need to go often - 3 or 4 times per cycle for IUI and more often for IVF. And typically you will have to go early in the morning.

Can I ask which clinic did you use?

I went to Columbia Fertility in Foggy Bottom (I liked my doctor, Dr. Sacks, but there are certain things that I disliked about the practice so my view of them is neutral although I did end up with one successful pregnancy at 40).

Thanks for sharing. We are considering Columbia because of the location, but I heard their success rates aren't that good. What did you not like about them? I am looking into two other practices in VA, but they are farther out. We don't have a car, but I don't want location to be my limitation.

Clueless “financial counselors” (that may have since been replaced by competent ones), communication issues (but that’s something I read about a lot of clinics) and another issue that was very specific to our situation. I am not sure I would rely too much on success rates - my understanding is that some practices are more selective than others. My doctor made me do several IUIs before going through the expense of IVF because our insurance did not cover anything beyond monitoring. That approach made sense for us financially even though IUIs have a lower success rate.

I had a successful IUI at Columbia. I didn’t choose them for the location but when I switched to an OB I realized how much I appreciated the location. There is metered street parking that is relatively easy to get. If you need to pay for a parking garage it’s much more expensive. I was going every 2-3 days during monitoring.

If your cycle takes 2 weeks, you will go to the clinic probably 10 times, and daily for the last 4-5 days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, hugely. But I don't drive so that's also why. Just went with my OB's recommendation without doing any research (I did not know about this board at the time).

You will need to go often - 3 or 4 times per cycle for IUI and more often for IVF. And typically you will have to go early in the morning.

Can I ask which clinic did you use?

I went to Columbia Fertility in Foggy Bottom (I liked my doctor, Dr. Sacks, but there are certain things that I disliked about the practice so my view of them is neutral although I did end up with one successful pregnancy at 40).

Thanks for sharing. We are considering Columbia because of the location, but I heard their success rates aren't that good. What did you not like about them? I am looking into two other practices in VA, but they are farther out. We don't have a car, but I don't want location to be my limitation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, hugely. But I don't drive so that's also why. Just went with my OB's recommendation without doing any research (I did not know about this board at the time).

You will need to go often - 3 or 4 times per cycle for IUI and more often for IVF. And typically you will have to go early in the morning.

Can I ask which clinic did you use?

I went to Columbia Fertility in Foggy Bottom (I liked my doctor, Dr. Sacks, but there are certain things that I disliked about the practice so my view of them is neutral although I did end up with one successful pregnancy at 40).

Anonymous wrote:Yes, hugely. But I don't drive so that's also why. Just went with my OB's recommendation without doing any research (I did not know about this board at the time).

You will need to go often - 3 or 4 times per cycle for IUI and more often for IVF. And typically you will have to go early in the morning.

Can I ask which clinic did you use?

Yes but I wish I hadn’t - go to the best clinic you can, regardless of distance.

Yes, hugely. But I don't drive so that's also why. Just went with my OB's recommendation without doing any research (I did not know about this board at the time).

You will need to go often - 3 or 4 times per cycle for IUI and more often for IVF. And typically you will have to go early in the morning.

We are looking at clinics. The clinic with the best rate is about a thirty minute drive while another one is about a twenty minute metro ride. Did you guys factor the distance into your decision? How often do you have to go to the clinic during the process? Sorry for the questions but we haven’t had our initial consultation yet.