I haven't shared a ton about my story because by the time this blog started I had two newborns and infertility was the last thing on my mind! I would like to let you guys know about my doctor.
I went to Dr. Larry Andrew in Springville, Utah. We had some friends that recommended him and we were moving to Payson so we thought we'd give him a try. We had previously tried for four years and had done 6 IUIs. From the minute we went into his office he diagnosed me and my husband more quickly and correctly than any other doctor. He was very organized, clear, and was straight about our options. He had a great course of action and explained things very clearly. He had everything he needed in his office to do IVF and ICSI. His embryologist was great. The only thing they didn't offer at the time was the ability to freeze and store eggs, but he had a colleague that would do that for you.
We decided to do IVF with him because of his knowledge and his price was so great. It was $10,000. Our first cycle went well and we got pregnant only to find it was ectopic. Sadly, we had to miscarry. We moved onto adoption because our first boy was adopted and it was cheaper. Because we had met our deductible that year we decided to do a laparoscopy to see how severe my endometriosis was. It was something I hadn't wanted to do in the past because I hated the thought of spending the money, going into surgery, and then them saying, "You are just fine!"
A month after my surgery we heard from a friend that Dr. Andrew was doing a cheaper procedure where instead of using all the injections, blood draws, and ultra sounds which make the IVF so expensive he was doing a clomid IVF. It was only $3000. We asked him if we were good candidates and he said yes. So you basically go on clomid like you would for an IUI. When it was time you get an ultra sound and if all looks good you do an egg retrieval, 3-5 days for the egg, then the transfer. If it doesn't look good you are only out the cost of the clomid. It worked for us and we now have our Brynn. We paid an extra for $500 for ICSI both times. Although I have several factors in my infertility our main thing was we need the joining of the egg and sperm. Doing this clomid IVF was just what we needed.
While going through this procedure we found out Dr. Andrew was going through some legal battles. He was charged with forcible sex abuse from 8 patients. We had a struggle trying to decide if we wanted to continue with him. After a lot of praying we just made sure someone was always in the room with me, as well as a nurse, and figured he would not do anything while going to trial soon. We also had a really hard time believing he would do anything like that. He ended up going to jail for a year and was released and was able to practice family medicine. We just found out starting December he will be able to practice infertility again.
His new prices are $4,500 for clomid IVF (I'm not sure what he calls it) and $6,500 for IVF. ICSI is still an additional $500. The reason I tell you guys all this is he may be right for you. I know it sounds crazy to go to someone after hearing all that but I just wanted you to know about this option. I truly think he has a gift for treating infertile patients. I also know the desperation that you feel when you want children so badly. I just know that he is competent and that if we want another child we will go to him. His office number is 801-794-3670. Feel free to ask me any questions or if you look him up on google you can read some articles on ksl about his trial. I get that this could sound crazy to you but I just wanted everyone to have another option available. Good luck!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Just a Head Up
Posted by Shannon at 12:01 PM
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8 comments:
Wow! Thanks for the info! I've been so sad, figuring it would be forever until we'd be able to save up another $13,000 to do IVF with ICSI at the U. Since I always did great on Clomid, this might totally be an option for us.
While, to those of us who can't fathom spending around $10K-$15K on IVF this sounds great, the articles discussing what he was charged with make me pause. So maybe he didn't abuse every patient, but for me, I need to be able to trust my doctor because my hubby can't make it to every appointment. (And from what I understand, there are A LOT with IVF.)
I'm glad it worked for you Shannon, and if there are women on here who decide to give him a try, I hope that the procedures work for you, too.
But like Shannon said, do your research on him first and then make the decision.
Just another thought. His office was very up front with us about everything and I believe they still will be. If you just wanted a consult with him just to feel him and out and ask more questions I would recommend that as well.
After doing a little research of my own, I must say that I would not consider this Doctor to be a viable option at all.
I completely respect Shannon's post, and realize that for some, this may be an alternative to an extremely pricey IVF cycle.
I can't imagine that this Doc is the only Physician offering the Clomid IVF, especially since there is such a need (the law of supply and demand).
I'm wondering if anyone else knows of a Clinic or MD that is currently offering the Clomid IVF.
Also, I think if those of us who have RE's were to suggest the Clomid IVF vs IVF with injection, we might be surprised to find that they are able to offer it to us.
Just a thought. Or two.
hey guys, the reproductive care center in sandy does this "mini ivf" i'm not sure of the price, but i know they do it.
He was my doctor as well and I loved him.
My husband and I LOVE Dr. Andrew. As many of us know, the news isn’t always accurate and the legal system sometimes fails. I researched much of the case before deciding to go with Dr. Andrew. If you can get past the ‘news headings’ and realize that it’s an awfully thin pancake to only have one side, you would find an amazing doctor who has worked miracles, and who, in my opinion, was wrongfully charged. There’s always two sides even if the news only portrays one. If you want to research and prove that milk is bad for you, then type that into google and that’s what you’ll find. If you want to prove that milk does a body good, then you can also find that. If you want to find that Dr. Andrew is an amazing doctor, who has performed miracles for hundreds of people, you clearly typed the wrong thing into google and read the one-sided story. There are many in this world who like to play the victim when they have not been victimized…some sadly have another agenda. In my experience, Dr. Andrew was a complete gentleman. He always had someone in the room during all procedures and exams. I never ever felt uncomfortable. It was a blessing and privilege to have him as our doctor. Thanks to him, my new title is Mommy…hoping you all can find that too.
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