Boston Area IVFers--I'm looking for a second opinion clinic

KM721

Hey Boston area ladies, 

I have been working with Boston IVF for my past three failed IVF cycles. I am looking to get a second opinion in December. I already reached out to the new patient people at Brigham and Womens. Researched a bit about MGH. I couldn't quite tell what to make of their male infertility program being run in coordination with the urology dept (we are MFI). 

So, I'm wondering if you have experience with any Boston area clinics other than Boston IVF, or if you have any good recommendations for doctors. 

Thanks!

OceanHutt

Fertility center of New England I see Beth Plante I just haven't seen her in awhile because I'm on hold while I get my BMI down... I absolutely love her and she has been great around our MFI which is why we are seeing her good luck!

Karlamo

****Lurking*****

We go to Fertility Solutions in Dedham. They have offices all over though. It was founded by three female doctors that went rouge from one of the bigger name clinics in town.
We are a gay couple so I'm not sure on how they do with MFI but we did use DS.
One thing that I love about them is they are a small clinic and they do individual tx cycles. You never have to wait to cycle with a specific time stamped group. They do it when you're ready.
They have only been in business a few years but their success rates are some of the best around.

Good luck!

KM721

Thanks to both of you!  I will check them out!

CML11

I'm also with Fertility Centers of NE for my 2 cycles: one failed, one chemical, I have been seeing Dr. V.

I am doing a second opinion through IVF of New England (formerly Reproductive Science Center of New England). I am considering switching clinics.

carrieharry79

I'm with MGH... the doctor I'm seeing (Dr. Souter) is okay, there have been lots of billing issues, however, their success rates are high. Before I completed this process (got a faint positive today!) I would have cautioned against them, but the ultimate goal is to get pregnant, right? My DH has MFI and he saw the urologist before we started IVF. They didn't find anything wrong there, so we proceeded as usual. My DH said the urologist was the smartest, best doctor he's ever seen for anything. He was convinced that if there was an issue, she was going to find it.

If you go there, my advice is to ask a ton of questions and be persistent about getting answers. They like to keep you in the dark....

Hope this helps!

aliciafiggy

I'm with Brigham and Womens. I've heard that MGH is pretty disorganized.

carrieharry79

aliciafiggy I'm surprised they get by....

blueeyes233

I'm with IVF New England (formerly RSC), they aren't my favorites but I came from a small REs office where I got a lot of personal attention so the impersonal feel of a large clinic is a bit jarring for me.

I did a consult with MGH and decided against them when the RE said i needed to lose weight but wouldn't tell me how much, just to come back when I felt healthy. Then she suggested diet pills. I was not comfortable in that situation at all.

jellybean1106

I'm at MGH and love them. I guess that maybe I've had a different experience than others. I go to MGH for primary care and another specialist that I see, and I've always had great experiences. I just feel like the doctors are very smart, staff is nice, and overall seem very organized.

In terms of fertility treatments, I don't have experience with any other clinics, so it's hard to compare. I will say that sometimes the doctors seem a little bit rushed for the consults and things like ultrasounds -- I have found the nurses to be the best sources of information and very willing to spend time to answer questions. Some of the docs don't have the best bedside manner, but I completely trust their level of expertise. 

I also feel like they're reliable. I recently went on vacation and forgot my meds, and had to get a prescription sent to a pharmacy. It was a Saturday, so I left a message with the answering service and someone got back to me within the hour and called the prescription in within 15 minutes. Definitely a stress reliever.

Km672

I've been to several treatment centers in MA and I feel MGH was the best. The urologist there was unbelievable and if we were still dealing with MFI, I would go there again.

kristyn831

I go to B*W*H and our diagnosis is MFI. We weren't interested in DH going on all these supplements, etc. as it's been shown to be a waste of time and not improve numbers enough to matter, and my RE was in agreement. DH went to the urologist at B*W*H to get checked out and they couldn't find a reason for MFI. A lot of the times, there's no explanation, we just wanted to make sure something else wasn't going on.

I would recommend them, they have great success rates and pushed us right along to IVF. DH thought they were impersonal and abrupt, except for our RE who he liked. I work in the medical field there so I had no problem with it. I like straight answers and don't need my hand held. I've heard similar reactions like DH's from former patients there, but they all got pregnant and that's what I really cared about in the end.

CML11

For those at MGH and BWH, do you have to do monitoring appointments in Boston or do they have satellite locations for that?

KM721

@CML11—Let me know what you decide and the pros/cons on this thread if you don’t mind. I am currently weighing the issues around even getting a second opinion. I don’t think my doctor (@Kaly75, I see Dr. B. Berger as well) is leading us down the wrong path or anything, but I want some sort of confirmation that we are on the right track. Like others on the thread, I am less concerned with bedside manner than with results, but a clinic with more personal attention may be a nice change of pace.

@carrieharry79—Good to hear about the urology perspective. I may put in a call to their program this week and just try to get some more info.

@aliciafiggy—I actually scheduled a second opinion consult with Dr. Fox already since BWH was the first place I actually contacted. Fox is their MFI specialist. I noticed in a couple of other clinics (Fertility Solutions especially) that they didn’t seem to have a doc that specialized in MFI.

@blueeyes233—Yeah, diet pills don’t sound like a great idea, especially considering some of the info I am reading in ISWTE this weekend.

I am also interested in the answer to @CML11’s question about satellite clinics. Do tell!

KM721

@kaly75, thanks for reminding me about CCRM. I have heard about them. I travel to CO frequently because I am from there, so if we decide to travel for a second opinion, that would actually be a convenient option. 

kristyn831

@CML11‌ at bwh, I believe you can get monitored at their Chestnut Hill and Foxboro locations.

CML11

@kaly75‌ and @kristyn831 I would need a NH satellite office.
Thx

aliciafiggy

@CML11~ there are a few Satellite offices, like kristyn831 said. I don't mind going directly to Brigham and Womens though. I get there super early (I live an hour away) and get to work on time by 8:15 am. At that time of the morning there's no traffic, I get in and get out. They are pretty organized. I'm sure some people would find getting up at 5am annoying, but it's better than some clinics that have scheduled appointments mid-morning. At Brigham and Women it's first come, first served.

Km672

I had all of my monitoring done @ MGH in Boston, but I know they have a satellite in Danvers for monitoring now