I was treated by Dr. Jeanne O'Brien at SGFC in Rockville. She was always professional, as well as the nurses and other staff. Strange that so many people are having problems. But this was the only FC that I went to so I cannot compare.

What's important are the success rates, and I believe SG has one of the best rates in the country. I had tried everything under the sun - 2 IUI and IVF rounds each at GW, then Nat IVF at Dominion, and 2 IVF rounds at SG over a course of 4 years, and I was finally successful at SG. My egg retrieval and overall quality were much better at SG. I see Dr. Widra, he's the medical director at SG. He's very evidence-based, non-nonsense type of doctor. I needed that given my long road. I go to the Sibley office. The nurse assigned to me is horrible, scatter brained, and disorganized. I am not happy with her, but am happy with the monitoring appointments. Typically, Dr. Osborn does the ultrasound appointments, so it's great to be able to talk to a doctor about the progress. Given my success, I would only go to SG in the DC metro area.

I am currently a patient of Dr. Gordon's at Dominion Fertility and could not be happier. We live in Springfield and go to the Fair Oaks office during the week and their Arlington office for any weekend appointments. All the nurses at DF are so friendly and just put you at easy. Dr. Gordon is so personable and has a great sense of humor. He explained our options very well and I really like that their standard of practice is to transfer only one embryo. They really discourage twins, which I was happy about. I have only met Dr. D once, during a monitoring appointment, and I thought he was really nice as well. What I like about DF is that is feels small and personalized. You see the same nurses over and over so you feel like you know them. We had to use their after hours service line once during injections and we got a call back in less than 2 minutes. I found monitoring appointments to be quick and easy, never waiting more than 10 minutes. I highly recommend DF to anyone thinking about IVF.

Anonymous wrote:who would you recommend at shady Grove fertility. I am seeing Dr Nair there but want to switch to more seasoned doctor who is smart and capable of thinking outside the box.

i also had a hard time with nair but i might just be unfairly associating her with an unfortunate m/c experience. i like osborn at SG sibley, she is very calm, experienced, and a good listener when you are with her but it is hard to get time with her (typical at siblely.) dr. widra (who i more often see there for procedures) is very abrupt but also 'seasoned' and very much the pro (takes one look at your ovaries and knows what the count is) but seems like less of a listener (maybe just because i am not his direct patient.) i also like the sibley location better because it is less busy. you DO have to be your own advocate though, i once had my nurse call me with the wrong AFC, which had been written down wrong by another nurse, and was WAY off of what my protocol was for. my nurse should have caught this, but i think they are just rushed. i always pay attention and ask questions, get all my lab results, and keep a running spreadsheet. i still think shady grove is the most experienced and well equipped, but if you are at all uncomfortable with being your own advocate i really recommend dr. frankenfurter (sp?) at gw. he is thorough and meticulous and definitely 'seasoned.' but if by 'outside of the box' you mean immune or nk treatments, he doesn't do that. i do get the impression that he is tenacious, but also conservative at risk taking.

I did IVF at dominion then NCIVF with DiM then got pregnant naturally after I stopped all the craziness. I later went to SG to try to have a second mostly due to location and not wanting to drive to VA. I liked the nurses better at Dominion but the waiting outside in the cold in line seemed a little third world compared with making appts for monitoring at SG. (Not sure if that's still a thing). My SG physician explains things better, entertains my concerns, discusses changes in protocols and didn't tell me that I have the ovaries of a 50 year old despite being 34! Despite less than stellar bedside manner DiM is exceptionally competent and caring and has good hands (useful for retrieving one egg from one follicle). Overall I've been less stressed out and have far more transparency and involvement in the process at SG. And the IVF protocols have yielded more eggs and transfers.

Anonymous wrote:Dominion is quite a bit more expensive.

Yes, and agree with those who think Dr. D is a total jerk.

who would you recommend at shady Grove fertility. I am seeing Dr Nair there but want to switch to more seasoned doctor who is smart and capable of thinking outside the box.

We started with Columbia Fertility and moved to SG. We are happy there and will be going through first IUI this week, that being said, monitoring days do feel like a cattle call but I am giving them a shot because they have a good success rate. I agree that at the end of the day you will sing praises to whoever gets you pregnant regardless of how you felt during the process.

I had a similar experience at SGF. Thinking about trying Dominion.

I know this forum has been going on a LONGGGG time (since 2009) I think. I never went to Shady Grove, so I can't speak on any experience with them. I just started with DF recently. We have been TTC for 2 years. After a few test, Dr. Payson was able to figure out what was going on with us quickly. We did 1 month of NCIVF and I just found out a few weeks ago that I am pregnant! I don't think it matters which facility you chose, as long as it is the right one for you. We have all had different experiences and have different opinions. This process isn't easy for ANYONE and you need to feel comfortable with the RN's, front office, billing department AND the Doctors.....everyone is involved in your care, not just the doctor. Good luck to everyone.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have contact info for an administrative supervisor or some sort of director at SG? A support staff member was unprofessional with me.

I had the same experience. Luckily after I visited SG sent me an online survey where I was able to explain my experience with the doctor and nurse who were both very unprofessional and rude. Luckily it was my first visit so I chose to go with dominion who to this day I have never talked or met with any employee that is anything less than warm and polite! But I recognize this was my persoective, my experience. Someone else could have gone to the same place and had the same interactions and adored them. I say shop around and learn their methods and choice the doctors ad clinic that is right for you.

I traveled fro central America to see Dr. DiMattina for Nat IVF and although it was hard to be away from home, the staff helped me a lot. They have 3 that speak Spanish so I was able to confirm instructions in both my languages. I was not able to stay for monitoring, but have sent my blood work from my local doctor and they have given me instructions at no extra cost.

I had a great experience at Dominion and was really impressed with the place. I only ended up going for about a month because Dr. Gordon told me at the first consultation what my underlying problem was: insulin resistance. I cut my sugar intake way down, and after not ovulating once since I'd gone off the pill 9 months prior, I finally ovulated. Dominion confirmed that with a blood test, and then my husband and I tried the good old fashioned way. We ended up getting pregnant on our own and Dominion continued to monitor me for the first few weeks with blood tests and ultrasounds, just to make sure everything progressed well.

Every time I went to Dominion, the staff was friendly, nice, and knowledgeable. Getting in and out of there was seamless: free and easy parking, very short wait times (even without an appointment), and efficient care. They always gave me blood results the same day and were generally responsive and encouraging.

I didn't end up having to do any of the fancy treatments, so I guess you can take my review with a grain of salt, but the experience I did have was excellent and I would highly recommend Dominion.

Good luck-in my humble opinion SG is a stressful place and VERY unprofessional. After 6 months there I have gone to DF and couldn't be happier.

Does anyone have contact info for an administrative supervisor or some sort of director at SG? A support staff member was unprofessional with me.