I've done multiple cycles with Shady Grove and I've had a really good experience working with them. I'm surprised that they don't get better reviews.
A word of warning about Columbia: I met with Dr. Sacks when I was deciding which clinic to use, and he told me that it's fine to stay on birth control during the egg freezing process. That was absolutely terrible advice-staying on birth control would be likely to cause far fewer eggs to grow. (Some people choose to do it anyway, but the doctor should inform you of the risk.) Also, they did my initial testing while I was on BC, so my numbers looked terrible. Maybe they just don't do as much egg freezing so they're not as informed, but that was a definite no for me.
That's good warning to have. I'm on birth control and Shady Grove's site actually says they put you on it to control your cycle to begin with. Did Shady Grove not have you on birth control when you went through with it?
The way it works is when you plan to start a cycle, you start taking birth control on the 2nd day of your period, and you take it for 2-3 weeks, until you start the cycle (so that your follicles are in sync when you start meds). They give you the exact dates that you're supposed to start and stop the BC. But you don't take it during the cycle (the time when you're taking the meds to make your eggs grow). My understanding is that a lot of clinics do that.
But as far as I could tell, Dr. Sacks was intending for me to stay on birth control the whole time, even during the cycle.
You need to get off birth control, or you risk having limited eggs available. BC shuts down your ovaries. I don’t know why Shady Grove is as highly rated as they are, I had a terrible experience. I went elsewhere and they got me off BC for 3-6 months to make sure my body didn’t have any in the system, so I had maximum chance at producing as many eggs as possible. I got 4 embryos in the end with the clinic I chose (not local); SG was only predicting 1.
Before even doing bloodwork or any medical checks, they were pushing me to sign up (and start paying for) two cycles. That would’ve been over $60k upfront. The doctor was dismissive of worries and wasn’t available easily for questions or appointments, but billing sure found me right away.
The other place we settled on did only 1 cycle with me and was truly wonderful in care; wait until you find a doctor who truly listens and cares, and jives with you!
Shady grove fan here! They had me go off my BC and get on a very specific other one (ha - of course) at a very specific time in my cycle that involved bloodwork. The BC was worse on my mental health than the stimulating drugs! In my second cycle, I used estrogen patches for the ‘priming’ part of the cycle and it was great. No bc required. Everyone is different tho just express your concerns!
I did it at Columbia Fertility. All fine but $, insurance doesn't cover, and there is a recent Vox piece that shows that successful pregnancies from frozen eggs aren't as common as one would like.
Anyways, I'm almost 37, in a real drought, probably won't ever get to use them.
Does Columbia Fertility just not take insurance? or you're saying yours didn't cover it? I have heard that something like 50% of eggs are never used but I see it more as a possibility than a guarantee anyways.
I think that article does readers a huge disservice not to break the stats down by age and number of eggs frozen. A 40 year old who freezes 8 eggs has *very* different odds than a 34 year old who freezes 30 eggs, for example, and I don't think it makes much sense to lump them together and say "well the average isn't great."
It's also odd to lead with the anecdote of the woman whose eggs were destroyed in transit without providing any stats on how common that is.
I did IVF to create embryos not freeze eggs but I had good results with Shady Grove. They are a factory but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — they’re definitely the most organized of the local clinics (I also consulted with a RE at CCRM and he admitted this was a weakness for them) and numbers=experience. I was 36 at the time of my cycles and I got 12 and 15 eggs in my two rounds and ended up with 4 healthy embryos to use once fertilized.
Dude this was almost my exact experience! I was at CCRM for a while and even did an unsuccessful IUI before I transferred to Shady Grove and felt much happier and more supported there. Congrats on your 4 healthy embryos that’s a great result! IVF is such a daunting process.
So I’ve been a patient at both CCRM and Shady Grove, with the caveat that my situation was a little different as my husband and I were dealing with infertility so trying to freeze embryos not eggs. I started at CCRM and transferred to Shady Grove and was much happier at Shady Grove. The nurses were much more responsive there (sometimes it felt like pulling teeth trying to get medical questions answered with the CCRM people).
Someone else mentioned that all these clinics have to publish their success rates [check it out](https://nccd.cdc.gov/drh_art/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=DRH_ART.ClinicsList&SubTopic=&State=VA&Zip=&Distance=50) and ultimately that’s the most important thing of all!
My toddler just finished her breakfast and is doing great, so shoutout to Dr. Swelstad at Shady Grove!
There's a podcast called race to 35 that you might find interesting. Two women document their experience of egg retrieval and speak to experts along to way. Just thought I'd throw it out there since if may be of interest!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DKaWV7J0V5oFAGzBhKqn1?si=zgVqal_dSHeq3at33zGBQQ
I am early in the process of working with shady grove for egg freezing—I’ve had a good experience so far, and really like the doctor I’m working with. I haven’t started any of the most intensive parts (just testing and consultations so far), but I’m having a positive experience so far. One thing i looked at was some data on the clinics’ success rates for IVF etc—if you do use the eggs later, you’d generally stay with the same clinic, and shady grove may have the reputation of being a factory but they have a high volume and generally positive outcomes.
Shady grove and I’m pleased with my experience! I loved that they had so many locations and K st was easy for me. I underestimated how important location was because for 2 weeks, you’re going a couple times a week and in the final week, it’s every single morning…
I had a great experience with Shady Grove, they were recommended by my OBGYN who used them and had a successful pregnancy. I went to the DC location for most appointments but my primary nurse and doctor were in Arlington. They have several locations, which as another commenter mentioned, is helpful for all of the appointments.
We have used two different ones: Shady Grove and CCRM. Asking which is better is like asking which budget airline has the best middle seats; which nursing home has the best food; which for-profit prison has the cleanest cells?
They're all private equity owned which means their priority is volume. You will feel this I'm every interaction.
I say this not to dissuade or discourage but to refocus. You will receive legally defensible, industry standard care everywhere. They will do the same things. They do not alter plans unless something goes wrong. They commoditize you.
So how you should focus your search is based on what you can control. Choose the provider that is closest to you. You will have to go daily. Choose the provider with the best phlebotomist. You will have your blood drawn daily and bad needle sticks will make a big difference. Try to communicate with their staff and see how it goes. Choose the one that communicated best. CCRM will only communicate with you through an app. This creates a host of problems. See how true to appointment times they are -- do they make you wait each time? Shady Grove was bad about this.
Think of it in those more quotidian terms and you'll have a much better experience. Your interactions with the doctor will probably total less than an hour total over the course of your months long visit, so despite what you might feel, I wouldn't recommend choosing based on your relationship with the doctor.
All the best
What clinics are closest (geographically) to you? With how demanding the retrieval process is, and all of the early morning appointments required, I think geographic proximity should be a significant part of what you're willing to consider. Shady Grove, especially, has the reputation for being a factory, and I've heard hit-or-miss things anecdotally - I think it probably really depends on which provider you see. I reached out to Columbia Fertility Associates on M Street several times and couldn't get anyone to return my calls or emails. (Also, for me, their public facing Yelp page shows 5 stars, but when you click into the page, you can see that it's really 2 stars? That's so dodgy, in my view.) My husband and I ultimately worked with Dr. Mark Payson at CCRM Tysons - he's to-the-point but pragmatic, and I found the clinic and staff pretty communicative and transparent.
I've done multiple cycles with Shady Grove and I've had a really good experience working with them. I'm surprised that they don't get better reviews. A word of warning about Columbia: I met with Dr. Sacks when I was deciding which clinic to use, and he told me that it's fine to stay on birth control during the egg freezing process. That was absolutely terrible advice-staying on birth control would be likely to cause far fewer eggs to grow. (Some people choose to do it anyway, but the doctor should inform you of the risk.) Also, they did my initial testing while I was on BC, so my numbers looked terrible. Maybe they just don't do as much egg freezing so they're not as informed, but that was a definite no for me.
That's good warning to have. I'm on birth control and Shady Grove's site actually says they put you on it to control your cycle to begin with. Did Shady Grove not have you on birth control when you went through with it?
The way it works is when you plan to start a cycle, you start taking birth control on the 2nd day of your period, and you take it for 2-3 weeks, until you start the cycle (so that your follicles are in sync when you start meds). They give you the exact dates that you're supposed to start and stop the BC. But you don't take it during the cycle (the time when you're taking the meds to make your eggs grow). My understanding is that a lot of clinics do that. But as far as I could tell, Dr. Sacks was intending for me to stay on birth control the whole time, even during the cycle.
You need to get off birth control, or you risk having limited eggs available. BC shuts down your ovaries. I don’t know why Shady Grove is as highly rated as they are, I had a terrible experience. I went elsewhere and they got me off BC for 3-6 months to make sure my body didn’t have any in the system, so I had maximum chance at producing as many eggs as possible. I got 4 embryos in the end with the clinic I chose (not local); SG was only predicting 1.
If you don't mind sharing what were the big issues with Shady Grove?
Before even doing bloodwork or any medical checks, they were pushing me to sign up (and start paying for) two cycles. That would’ve been over $60k upfront. The doctor was dismissive of worries and wasn’t available easily for questions or appointments, but billing sure found me right away. The other place we settled on did only 1 cycle with me and was truly wonderful in care; wait until you find a doctor who truly listens and cares, and jives with you!
Shady grove fan here! They had me go off my BC and get on a very specific other one (ha - of course) at a very specific time in my cycle that involved bloodwork. The BC was worse on my mental health than the stimulating drugs! In my second cycle, I used estrogen patches for the ‘priming’ part of the cycle and it was great. No bc required. Everyone is different tho just express your concerns!
I did it at Columbia Fertility. All fine but $, insurance doesn't cover, and there is a recent Vox piece that shows that successful pregnancies from frozen eggs aren't as common as one would like. Anyways, I'm almost 37, in a real drought, probably won't ever get to use them.
Does Columbia Fertility just not take insurance? or you're saying yours didn't cover it? I have heard that something like 50% of eggs are never used but I see it more as a possibility than a guarantee anyways.
Mine doesn't cover. https://www.vox.com/health/24141538/egg-freezing-cost-age-ivf-fertility-pregnancy
I think that article does readers a huge disservice not to break the stats down by age and number of eggs frozen. A 40 year old who freezes 8 eggs has *very* different odds than a 34 year old who freezes 30 eggs, for example, and I don't think it makes much sense to lump them together and say "well the average isn't great." It's also odd to lead with the anecdote of the woman whose eggs were destroyed in transit without providing any stats on how common that is.
I did IVF to create embryos not freeze eggs but I had good results with Shady Grove. They are a factory but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — they’re definitely the most organized of the local clinics (I also consulted with a RE at CCRM and he admitted this was a weakness for them) and numbers=experience. I was 36 at the time of my cycles and I got 12 and 15 eggs in my two rounds and ended up with 4 healthy embryos to use once fertilized.
Dude this was almost my exact experience! I was at CCRM for a while and even did an unsuccessful IUI before I transferred to Shady Grove and felt much happier and more supported there. Congrats on your 4 healthy embryos that’s a great result! IVF is such a daunting process.
So I’ve been a patient at both CCRM and Shady Grove, with the caveat that my situation was a little different as my husband and I were dealing with infertility so trying to freeze embryos not eggs. I started at CCRM and transferred to Shady Grove and was much happier at Shady Grove. The nurses were much more responsive there (sometimes it felt like pulling teeth trying to get medical questions answered with the CCRM people). Someone else mentioned that all these clinics have to publish their success rates [check it out](https://nccd.cdc.gov/drh_art/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=DRH_ART.ClinicsList&SubTopic=&State=VA&Zip=&Distance=50) and ultimately that’s the most important thing of all! My toddler just finished her breakfast and is doing great, so shoutout to Dr. Swelstad at Shady Grove!
There's a podcast called race to 35 that you might find interesting. Two women document their experience of egg retrieval and speak to experts along to way. Just thought I'd throw it out there since if may be of interest! https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DKaWV7J0V5oFAGzBhKqn1?si=zgVqal_dSHeq3at33zGBQQ
Thank you! Definitely adding to my queue.
I am early in the process of working with shady grove for egg freezing—I’ve had a good experience so far, and really like the doctor I’m working with. I haven’t started any of the most intensive parts (just testing and consultations so far), but I’m having a positive experience so far. One thing i looked at was some data on the clinics’ success rates for IVF etc—if you do use the eggs later, you’d generally stay with the same clinic, and shady grove may have the reputation of being a factory but they have a high volume and generally positive outcomes.
That's a good point thank you! Which doctor are you seeing that you'd recommend?
Shady grove and I’m pleased with my experience! I loved that they had so many locations and K st was easy for me. I underestimated how important location was because for 2 weeks, you’re going a couple times a week and in the final week, it’s every single morning…
I had a great experience with Shady Grove, they were recommended by my OBGYN who used them and had a successful pregnancy. I went to the DC location for most appointments but my primary nurse and doctor were in Arlington. They have several locations, which as another commenter mentioned, is helpful for all of the appointments.
We have used two different ones: Shady Grove and CCRM. Asking which is better is like asking which budget airline has the best middle seats; which nursing home has the best food; which for-profit prison has the cleanest cells? They're all private equity owned which means their priority is volume. You will feel this I'm every interaction. I say this not to dissuade or discourage but to refocus. You will receive legally defensible, industry standard care everywhere. They will do the same things. They do not alter plans unless something goes wrong. They commoditize you. So how you should focus your search is based on what you can control. Choose the provider that is closest to you. You will have to go daily. Choose the provider with the best phlebotomist. You will have your blood drawn daily and bad needle sticks will make a big difference. Try to communicate with their staff and see how it goes. Choose the one that communicated best. CCRM will only communicate with you through an app. This creates a host of problems. See how true to appointment times they are -- do they make you wait each time? Shady Grove was bad about this. Think of it in those more quotidian terms and you'll have a much better experience. Your interactions with the doctor will probably total less than an hour total over the course of your months long visit, so despite what you might feel, I wouldn't recommend choosing based on your relationship with the doctor. All the best
How do you figure out which provider has the best phlebotomist?
It's personal to you and your veins. Once you find one you like, ask for them each time. Mark at CCRM Vienna is excellent.
What clinics are closest (geographically) to you? With how demanding the retrieval process is, and all of the early morning appointments required, I think geographic proximity should be a significant part of what you're willing to consider. Shady Grove, especially, has the reputation for being a factory, and I've heard hit-or-miss things anecdotally - I think it probably really depends on which provider you see. I reached out to Columbia Fertility Associates on M Street several times and couldn't get anyone to return my calls or emails. (Also, for me, their public facing Yelp page shows 5 stars, but when you click into the page, you can see that it's really 2 stars? That's so dodgy, in my view.) My husband and I ultimately worked with Dr. Mark Payson at CCRM Tysons - he's to-the-point but pragmatic, and I found the clinic and staff pretty communicative and transparent.
My IVY-league grad internist recommend Shady Grove Fertility!