Switched Doctors Before IVF?

bai-by2019 · March 2017

Hi ladies! I was active on these boards for a while then decided to take a break. I tried to push all pregnancy-related thoughts as far back in my brain as I could. As my husband and I are going to move forward with IVF, I'm curious if anyone has switched fertility doctors after 2 years of treatment. I'm really unhappy with the treatment we've been getting and just feel like "a number". I feel like, if we're going to spend $12-15k out of pocket, that I want to have someone in my corner that cares and is giving me the best medical advice and treatment possible. So, I'm interested to know if anyone switched as they were going to do IVF, and if you did, did your new doctor make you go through all the tests and everything again, or did they use the records from your previous doctor? Also, why did you decide to make the switch? And was the grass really greener on the other side or do feel the care was ultimately the same? Thanks in advance!

JamieH2000 · March 2017

I switched doctors from my IUI to IVF, as my first RE wasn't in a big clinic and didn't do tons of IVF. I thought I had picked a good new clinic (the success rates were great and there were only 2-3 REs), but I totally felt like a number since all communication was through nurses and never the RE. After 2 bad rounds, I switched to a new RE and had a better cycle than I ever imagined since I have DOR (though the 2 embryos didn't stick). The details are in my siggy. The RE called me multiple times throughout the process and let me know she was watching everything very closely. Then during my consult after the failed cycle, she spent over an hour with me and my DH when I couldn't decide how to proceed next.

I definitely recommend switching, even if it means some retesting. They accepted most of my tests since they were within the past year, but also did a saline sono which I hadn't had before. Not sure where you are located, but you could ask for specific reco's for your area on this board.. or try fertilityiq.com to see if they have reviews for the REs in your area. best wishes for you!

DungeonTrollMel · March 2017

I switched doctors for IVF as well. The clinic I had been at was alright, but one of the two REs up and left with no warning so my doc took on all his patients. It bumped his IVF wait out until April when we saw him in early November. I also didn't agree with his dismissal of steroid and lovenox for recurrent loss. His numbers for Pgs success were "ok" but he would only transfer one.

My new RE I am so much more comfortable with, has the highest success rates in the state and actually lower prices. We were able to start BCP in December for jan stims and retrieval. I did need to repeat some labs and I just scheduled my HSG with my new doc instead of old so that didn't get repeated.

I am am so glad we switched and know I never would have been as happy or feel as taken care of with my previous practice

[Deleted User] · March 2017

I am starting to get nervous about having to repeat everything at the rate we're going... makes me want to check exactly when my SHG was last year... :/

LadyMillil · March 2017

I switched doctors between IUI and IVF because I had to move for work. My records were all sent to the new RE. I had to re-do the bloodwork so the new RE would have up to date info for my med doses.

[Deleted User] · March 2017

@Marley629

radmom27 · March 2017

I've switched doctors multiple times and have gotten a couple of additional consultations. Although it's a pain to move records, most of the time, tests do not need to be redone at each place.

I've found that there are plusses and minuses to every doctor I've seen. Some place have great success rates but I've felt that my doctor couldn't pick me out of a police lineup. Other places have lower success rates but I've connected with my RE and appreciate the personal attention. In the end of the day, I think you should go where you feel comfortable and valued.

I'm a doctor myself and I feel like medicine is a service industry and is much like hiring a lawyer, accountant or wedding planner. Part of the business is connecting with patients and if you as a patient don't feel that connection then you have every right to go someplace where you do. Just my 10 cents

mc4dj13 · March 2017

I switched doctors (kept the same clinic) because I didn't like my doctor's bedside manner. He wasn't cold but his responses and explanations felt very mechanical. I love my doctor now. She is so open and funny and REAL. She even replies to my emails herself THE SAME DAY!

I agree with @radmom27 that you have to feel a connection with the doctor. I can't imagine going through this not having the support and transparency that I am experiencing with my current doctor.

FuzzyDust · March 2017

In my experience, big tests like sonograms and such are transferred (if they are recent), blood and ultrasound will be done again, since it need to be done often anyways.

When I first embarked on IF journey, I went to a clinic that specialized in IF and did a few tests. It felt a little impersonal, and since I was already anxious, it didn't ease my mind even a little bit.

A few months later I decided to try a different place - it's a reproductive department in a bigger network that has multiple hospitals/clinics all over the city. Back then they had one RE and one certified nurse midwife who helped her out (+ a fleet of regular nurses). They respond to all email communication within a day, and are really super personable. I actually built some personal relationships with a few nurses, who still remembered me when I came back 2 years later (first time was IUI, I came back for IVF with a different husband

)

They now have 4 REs, and I found out that every day around 1pm they all gather together and discuss all the patients going through a cycle at the moment. There is a lot of thought that goes into each patient unique treatment, and it does feel good.

Also, for the payments, since it's a bigger healthcare network, they don't charge "per cycle" fee, but just bill you explicitly for each separate visit and test (which I believe also motivates better care - no need to cut corners).

cashewchicken · March 2017

I made the switch as we were moving from IUI to IVF. The IVF process is expensive and since my insurance doesn't cover any infertility treatment, I wanted to try IVF at the best clinic in the area.

I chose the previous fertility clinic not based on reputation, but because it was the fertility department of the hospital network I've been going to for years. At my old clinic, I felt like a number, and they closed one of the clinics and laid off doctors without telling the patients. I loved the first RE, thought I had a connection with her, and all of a sudden, she was gone. The clinic kept going through name changes and restructuring and the doctor turnover was high and chaotic while I was a patient there.

The new clinic is an IVF clinic with only one doctor. The pricing is straight forward and uncomplicated compared to my previous clinic. Communication is easier, the clinic has a policy that the doctor calls the patient directly to report the results of ER, fertilization, blastocyst formation, etc. So that's nice too, rather than getting an email from a nurse. As for whether I made a right decision or not, I don't know. As you can tell from my signature, I already had two failed cycles, and am starting a new cycle soon. This clinic mainly does a protocol that is not yet mainstream, and turns out that protocol did not work for me. Had I stayed with my old clinic, would I have been pregnant by then? I don't know.

I ended up sending all of my bloodwork and test results to my current clinic and I didn't have to repeat anything as all of my test results were less than a year old. In a way it was nice that the previous clinic was a large hospital network as all of my test results were available online.

bai-by2019 · March 2017

Thank you all so much for the feedback and advice. I have an IVF consultation scheduled with a new place next week and an IVF consultation with a doctor that I really like at the clinic I'm currently at. I figure the best thing to do at this point is talk to them both and go from there. It's so hard to make these decisions because you don't know what's right. I pray about it a lot but it's still daunting.

2MomsHoping · March 2017

@Bai-by2016 We switched. I did 3-IUI’s 1-IVF + Fresh and 1-FET with my first doctor.

I hated him and I hated the clinic. There was one nurse and receptionist that made it tolerable when they both left I couldn't find any way to keep my sanity. It got so bad that I was panicking trying to catch my breath at the thought of going there. I “broke up” with my RE by email to my nurse when we were in the middle of our second FET. We went to see another person for consult, loved the doctor but saw issues pretty quickly with the nursing team. We found another doc and love her and her team.

I’m not going to sugar coat it the transfer was tough. We had tons of records, embryos and sperm to transfer. There were resubmits for insurance approvals and she wanted repeat testing for anything that was over a year old. (which for all my getting started testing….was over a year old). It was a giant pain but let me tell you I’m so so so happy I did it. I have a doctor that talks to me, that explains things, and talks over options. She has called me on the phone…more than once. My other doc never called me…ever…in a year and a half. She is sensitive to my losses and is invested in our family. She is also very smart will give me peer reviewed articles to indulge my inner nerd and is surrounded by an excellent nursing team and fellow. I can now relax and not question everything my doctor says. I know I’m being cared, and having trust in your team just makes this whole process a heck of a lot more tolerable.

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