https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 05 Apr 2026 03:51:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1682583 Thu, 05 Jun 2014 17:56:09 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1682583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs.Pinecone316: Thanks! So far I'm really pleased with the way I've been treated at my new clinic and am also very satisfied with their success rates. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1676964 Wed, 04 Jun 2014 05:11:51 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 1676964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: When I first started looking into IVF I went soley on SART date. But the docotrs that has the best % also ended up having terrible bedside manner or you were waiting in the office for 2 hrs just to get a consult. I ended up going with a referal from a friend. I didn't think I cared if the doctor was nice as long as he got me pregnant but when I came face to face with the doctors who really treated you like just a number it made me realize how angry I would be if I didn't get pregnant by them. If I go to a doctor who truely cares about you and your story then I feel like I will have more peace moving on if IVF doesn't work for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568634 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:58:05 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1568634@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@alohaorchid: That has to be tough, especially if his experience with that clinic was traumatic. Do they have to report success data in Canada and, if so, do you think that clinic is up to par? Hope you and your husband come to a mutually agreeable solution soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568451 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 16:25:06 +0000 alohaorchid 1568451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There's only one clinic in my city so if we ever do persue fertility treatments, that's where we will have to go. My husband has already been there with his ex though so he's super hesitant. Anything I do right now is just with my regular doctor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568378 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 16:00:43 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1568378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@justdarling: Thanks for the clarification! (I just double-checked total # of cycles for the clinics I'm considering-- yours are still quite large compared with pretty much anything available in my area. In fact, the largest program within a four hour drive has ~330 cycles per year! :sad: ) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568325 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:44:11 +0000 justdarling 1568325@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: The numbers for my age group are 101 for the big university and 50 for the one I went with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568219 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:12:10 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1568219@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@justdarling: Wow! Those are both really big compared with any of the clinics' data that I've seen (of course, the only numbers I remember are the ones in my age group, not total # of cycles). That's nice that some clinics have free consultation...hopefully that proves true for some of mine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568179 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:59:57 +0000 justdarling 1568179@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: I interviewed 3 different clinics - they all had a free 1 hour consultation so it didn't cost anything. I just looked at the SART data for the 2 clinics that I was really torn between. One did almost 900 cycles in 2012 and the other did just over 600. One is a big nationally known university and I ended up choosing the other one. One one hand I thought going to a big university for this sort of thing would be the best since they would be up to date on all of the recent research, but then I really got the feeling that I was just a number to them. That's why I went with the other and I am really glad that I did. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1568127 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:47:35 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1568127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swedishfish: Thanks! I may as well pull out all the stops and favors on this one... I have very little shame. :wink: </p> <p>@justdarling: I'm happy to hear that approach worked for you. Congrats!!! Do you mind if I ask how many clinics you interviewed before deciding? (Was just realizing how expensive this could get...!) Also, if its not too nosy, about how small was a "smaller" clinic for your area? Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1567307 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 10:39:19 +0000 justdarling 1567307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't have any friends who went through IVF where I live, so I couldn't get any real referrals. I had a consultation with the doctor I wanted at each of the clinics I was looking at. The deciding factor for me was the philosophy of the doctor and the amount of personal attention that I was going to get. I didn't want to be just a number to them. I'm the kind of person that needs the personal touch. When I have questions, I want to know that either the doctor or a nurse that knows me would get back to me. I was looking for a certain feeling, and not just looking at the SART data. The clinic I decided on was not the nationally known one that I looked at, but a smaller clinic with decent SART data. It worked for me and I get pregnant on the first cycle with a few embryos frozen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1566624 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 05:56:13 +0000 swedishfish 1566624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: I don't think it's crazy at all. It would be a good way to possibly find out useful information. It just depends on how comfortable you are putting yourself out there. :goodluck: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1566512 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:17:52 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1566512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@twoofeverything: Thanks for the support! I've tried so hard to be patient for SO long (it seems)...and now I think I'm just psyching myself out about this. </p> <p>I just wish I knew more ladies who'd done IVF "locally"... It would be a bit of a shot in the dark, but how crazy would it be for me to mine my friends located in the area where the highest concentration of clinics are, for leads/information, via FaceBook? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1566504 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 22:58:40 +0000 twoofeverything 1566504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ditto to @Mrs Green Grass on the embryology lab. We were fortunate that Seattle Reproductive Medicine was close and had satellite offices in the nearby suburbs where I could go for monitoring appointments, (egg retrieval and transfer were done in their head office though).<br /> There were a couple of other clinics in our area with lower SART rates, but for us it came down to the lab and the doctors.</p> <p>But, with all that said, we had very good odds. If we had been too far from Seattle Reproductive Medicine, I probably would have been fine working with a lesser-known clinic and/or doing remote monitoring appointments with a local clinic (if it were an option).<br /> You will make it work! GL! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1566216 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 19:58:17 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1566216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: Hey thanks! I think that's what I'm going to do. I just hope that my local clinic (that I feel somewhat bonded to and that did my IUIs) is agreeable to work with whomever I choose! If not, that would really complicate things... But there's no point in worrying about that now, is there? :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1566051 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 18:22:21 +0000 spaniellove 1566051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: It is really hard to say without getting to know the specific clinics, which is why I wouldn't rely too much on online data. For instance there in my area there are 4 clinics within 5-10 minutes of each other and one does around 1000 cycles a year while another does just under 500 and the others do a little over 100. The one around 500 cycles is a feeder clinic from all the OBs in the area, whereas the one that does 1000 cycles actually has a huge volume of patients from all over the country doing mini-IVF month after month (and thousands more not doing IVF) so the results are skewed. The other ones kind of get anyone who had a bad experience at either. But there's no way to tell from the numbers.</p> <p>I'd highly recommend getting a consult at more than one clinic if it's possible, even though the logistics are tough for you. Every RE has a different opinion about your treatment and you'll never know what could have been if you only see one!</p> <p>I did hear from many women at my clinic doing their monitoring and b/w remotely and only traveling to do their transfer/retrieval. It sounds like you really have to stay on top of the paperwork and make sure whoever is handling all of it on both ends know what they're doing. And definitely make sure you get a copy of each day's numbers from the lab or clinic doing your monitoring because things happen! But it has definitely been done and you can make it work! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1566036 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 18:00:11 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1566036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: I did manage to find the fertility lab insider last night. I need to look over the site again when I'm not so sleep-deprived. </p> <p>I think what is really flummoxing for me is the difference in sizes of programs. Statistically, how does a live birth rate of 48% of 127 patients compare to a rate of 66% of 46 patients (assuming that there's not a tremendous amount of cherry-picking going on in either clinic)? </p> <p>It's also frustrating that it's not easier for me to be seen (just because of my location and the location of the closest clinics). Did anyone interview multiple prospective docs prior to starting IVF?</p> <p>Thanks for all the input!!! The search continues... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565736 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 12:19:45 +0000 Jenn23 1565736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: I agree!</p> <p>SART data should be taken with a grain of salt. Often some of the best clinics have lower success rates because they take on the "harder cases" so they often have lower success rates. On the flip side, some clinics will have amazing success rates, but that is because they may have turned away the harder cases. So that is definitely something to consider!</p> <p>Our clinic is the closest to home and most "popular" in our area and has great doc's (one is semi-famous), but not the one I saw and we had a great relationship right off the bat with our RE. That is important, too. That you feel comfortable with your RE! Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565729 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 12:10:33 +0000 swedishfish 1565729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: I have two colleagues who used the practice. I went to elementary school through high school with my RE's son. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565494 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 07:58:34 +0000 spaniellove 1565494@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: @FliegepilzHut: Is it something about a lab that does vitrification and 5 day transfer? That's what I've always heard. Fertility Lab Insider has an amazing blog with great info from an IVF tech's point of view about doing IVF/choosing a protocol and lab. I wish I'd read it before doing IVF! </p> <p>About the SART data, I found that it can be helpful as long as you remember that you're looking at numbers and there are reasons for why the numbers are a certain way other than simply success. For instance, my first clinic appeared to have a 50% success rate for DOR patients, but if you looked closely and knew from other patients what was going on, no one with DOR was doing IVF there and they only did 2 cycles in a year. Or in general they tended to turn away any difficult cases (since there was a nearby clinic that took those patients), which drove up their numbers. But it's also true that in general I'd be skeptical of a clinic with a low success rate! Although I was much more successful at the clinic with the worse SART data because they were taking on a larger volume of patients with tough situations. So I'd talk to other patients and find out what's going. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565334 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:25:30 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1565334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: Thanks! I'll check it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565333 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:24:13 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1565333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: it's not at all and I don't really know! I think I learned more afterwards. Check out the blogger Jessah at Dreaming of Dimples. She had a post on her research recently and she might have better info. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565314 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:11:51 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1565314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: I hope this isn't a stupid question: how do you best judge the embyology lab? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565312 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:10:37 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1565312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <br /><p><i>This comment has been deleted by the original poster.</i></p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565311 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:10:28 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1565311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the embryology clinic is the most impt factor. My clinic had really good SART data a few years earlier, but the recent data wasn't as good. Their embryology was fantastic and I just felt right there when I met with the doc. I had 3 major reputable choices in my area... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565309 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:07:07 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1565309@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: where do you live? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565307 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:03:31 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1565307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swedishfish: Did you know someone personally who had used your provider? </p> <p>So far I've got 2 word of mouth recs -- 1 from a close friend and 1 from a friend-of-a-friend. I'm feeling frustrated b/c the provider who comes recommended from my friend (and she has a 10 month old and lots of frozen embies from her 1st/only cycle) really does manage patients remotely...and has seemed a little aloof. The other provider has great stats, but comes recommended from someone who works with them (?) and didn't use them for their own cycle. :meh: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565302 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 21:56:40 +0000 swedishfish 1565302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The SART data was important to me as was word of mouth. We've known my RE for years. He is top in his field in my area. The word of mouth told me that other patients liked their experiences there. So between the SART data, knowing my RE, and word of mouth I found the perfect clinic for me. Good luck! :goodluck: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/choosing-ivf-provider#post-1565300 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 21:53:57 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1565300@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi! So, I'm a new "Bee" (newbie?) and I've not really introduced myself yet, so here goes. </p> <p>The short version is that my husband and I have been "trying" for the last 18 months after a missed m/c and D+C June 2012. All of my testing has been normal and my husbands SA is remarkable only for "high viscosity" which doesn't get a whole lot of press, apparently. We tried IUI and Clomid 25 mg 3 times without any luck and are now looking toward IVF.</p> <p>For those of you on the path, how did you choose a clinic? Since I'm not in a large metro area, I'm planning to have satellite monitoring, followed by retrievals/transfers on site, no matter where I go. But there's some pretty wide variation in success rates/implantation rates and also sizes of different programs. How helpful did you all find the SART data? What sort of criteria or process did you use to help select your IVF clinic?</p> <p>Thanks in advance! </p>