I posted earlier about having had my first consultation at SG recently. Not having yet seen that larger waiting room on another floor, maybe I should hold my comments. I can see that of course those who have already had a positive outcome (i.e., became pregnant, then hopefully carried to a healthy birth) would have supportive comments. NO doubt, I too would be ecstatic. But there is something important to giving patients a place to wait that does not make an even more sensitive/nervous/awkward/etc experience feel even worse.

I can speak from experience, where a couple of other offices (one just a regular Ob/Gyn, another a dermatologist) have very nicely arranged the waiting area, space-wise, positioning, even the lighting (not the harsh, fluorescent office lighting basically everywhere else). I know, all of that is literally superficial, in the larger picture of having success. I still would appreciate at least the waiting space to not feel so clinical and cold.

Anonymous wrote:The only reason SG has good success rates is they give the boot to anyone who is a difficult case, stats really don't mean that much.

Not true. I'm a difficult case (poor responder, 40, highish FSH), and am in treatment at SGFC.

I am another fan of Shady Grove. Like an earlier poster, I got to both the K Street and Rockville offices and my doctor is Dr. Chang. I am 40 years old and have always been treated with kindness and respect from everyone in the office. On my first round, I ended up with an ectopic and they monitored me closely. I ended up having to have two doses of methotrexate. I ended up (on several occassions) bursting into tears in the office. I can't even begin to tell you how many hugs I got. We recently moved on to Round 2. It worked. I got my beta results back this morning and I am pregnant. My nurse (Jessica) was so sweet and so happy for me. My entire experience there has been great.

In regard to the waiting rooms. Yes- they get crowded and they are big. But the thing you need to keep in mind is that they are professional. I am at both offices on a regular basis and I really don't have a whole lot of time to wait around. There is some waiting, but never more than 15-20 minutes. To me that is considered efficient and it is also a positive. I am dealing with my fertility here. I want to go to a place that is professional, is efficient, has a top notch lab, and is mindful of my time. I get all of that at Shady Grove. The positive beta is just the icing on the cake!

The only reason SG has good success rates is they give the boot to anyone who is a difficult case, stats really don't mean that much.

if you need your hand held by your RE and the staff, SG is probably not the place for you. that said, where is? i doubt any fertility clinic is going to give you the experience you seem to be hoping for.

You shouldn't judge the place by the waiting room. Additionally, not sure what you're expecting from the waiting room experience. Personally, I like to use my time in the waiting room to think about my day, space out, and just relax for 10 minutes. I'm not interested in chatting with other patients - or anyone for that matter.

Additionally, I was NOT pushed into IVF. My doctor (Dr. Widra) wanted me to try three IUIs before moving to IVF. I actually felt like DH and I were the ones who had to be a bit more aggressive in terms of moving on from IUI (we gave it a couple of tries).

Lastly, thanks to SGFC I have a very healthy baby girl. We're now trying for DC#2, also with SGFC. I would say move on to another clinic if you'd like, but the reasons you've initially stated sound really superficial and, from having had consultations at other clinics in the area, you will likely find much of the same elsewhere.

Regardless of the "factory feel" of SG, ask most any OB/GYN in the area which fertility clinic they'd use and they will almost all answer SG. They have have the best success rates, bottom line. After having 3 failed cycles of Clomid + IUI with another practice, I was ready to go straight to IVF. SG talked me out of going to straight to IVF and we were successful on our first IUI cycle with them (which was NOT covered by insurance). I know people who have been to other clinics in this area and across the country who didn't have any luck but got pregnant at SG. It's worth putting up with the hassle of the waiting room.

Anonymous wrote:I love how you tell people to stay away after one short experience with one doctor. But ok.

Hey when you are spending this kind of money and when you are so emotionally involved, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. She's right, if the know your age from the jump, it's inexcusable that once you get there they want to give you the boot.

Some places just rub folks the wrong way.

I love how you tell people to stay away after one short experience with one doctor. But ok.

We first went to SG. Waited forever for the appt., they had all of our information, etc. Met with a woman doctor for 2 seconds. She was extremely rude, told me I was too old, and showed us the door. Because of how she treated us, and the fact that no services were provided, I told her that they had better not charge me for the appt., that they knew my age from the start. She was annoyed, but I insisted. I then got a referral from my GYN to Dr. Sacks at Columbia Fertility. It was like night and day. He was wonderful. We now have twins. So boo on SG. Stay far away from them!

Anonymous wrote:that initial waiting room you use (the small one) is one that you will rarely ever be in again. you'll be in the larger one on the 2nd floor for most everything.

Oh, OK, thanks for pointing out ... I thought we would always be in that first smaller one (on fourth floor)

As others have said, it's a shame to bad mouth SG. There are so many people in the DC area and the SG offices are filled with patients and that's because they are skilled at what they do. The waiting rooms are simply awkward because I think people don't know what to say to others because it's so emotionally draining. I've been to the K street and Rockville office so many times in our IVF treatment and I never felt like a number. The staff deal with a large number of people but I felt like they all cared at some level.
we are trying again for #2 and now going to the Sibley office and still find it great.
Your expectations may be a bit far fetched, so just relax and do what you're there to do!

that initial waiting room you use (the small one) is one that you will rarely ever be in again. you'll be in the larger one on the 2nd floor for most everything.

I recently had my first consultation appointment at the Rockville office, and I can't help to agree, that that one waiting room area could really be improved. It is relatively small, everyone is facing one another, and if you're not early (as I wasn't, apparently), you end up sitting near the door with all faces pointed in your direction because most are watching the TV, hanging above your head. Oh well. The goal is to get the right help, etc. But yeah, I wish the space to wait and wonder and be nervous wasn't so uncomfortable.

I wish SG would have said ok nutty enough with the IUIs! They definitely didn't push me to IVF.

I agree it's all personal. I have a friend who used a solo practitioner in Towson and loved that experience and keeps in touch with him today. I met with him and was like oh no not for me. I like the get in and get out of SG and for me what you might see as factory was a very convenient efficiently run business that made the long process of getting pregnant much more doable. My appointments were usually around 9am so I missed the overfilled waiting rooms for the most part. I liked the clockwork and no nonsense of it all and the get in and get out. So much time there, it just made it all pretty damn easy to do with work. I appreciated that over hand-holding, which wasn't something that I particularly wanted.