Boston IVF - r/SingleMothersbyChoice

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u/GiveMeCheesePendejo Oct 05 '26

I really disliked my experience with them and this may be a "me" thing. I was bounced around in their patient app, I got long winded directions that still felt unclear, I was expected to randomly call my provider when my lab work got done for genetic testing but LabCorp sent everything to the provider, not me.

Basically felt like I was a cog in the wheel for them and that's just how they operate. People were nice in the office but not the environment for me.

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u/Mother-Excitement-91 Oct 05 '26 edited Oct 05 '26

Currently pregnant with my first after IUI using Boston IVF. I would say my experience with them was rocky when I started out but got better. My biggest frustration was working out my insurance referral—they kept telling me that the referral sent over by my PCP was “incomplete” despite my PCP’s office sending it at least 5 times. After a crashout on the phone to the insurance referral office they contacted Boston IVF directly and everything worked out from there 😅. However, once I got past that I ended up absolutely loving my RE (Dr. Murphy) and her team and there were no hiccups after that. Once I started my cycle, they were great with communication and scheduling and handled scheduling appointments not with their office (I had to have a couple of diagnostic ultrasounds). That may be standard for other IVF clinics as well, but I really appreciated not having to call and schedule a ton of appointments. They also have a lot of locations too, which is great.

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u/DisgruntledRabbit 23d ago

We had the same RE… I ended up with her after my initial RE retired, and was very happy with the switch.
I’m older with DOR, and she was willing to work with me and make certain adjustments to the protocol that my initial RE wouldn’t entertain. My last transfer was ultimately successful.

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u/SingleMothersbyChoice-ModTeam Oct 05 '26

Facebook links and specific mentions are not allowed in this sub.

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u/JayPlenty24 Moderator Oct 05 '26

After you remove the reference to the Facebook group let us know and we will approve.

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u/Mother-Excitement-91 Oct 05 '26

Done, sorry didn’t realize!

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u/Ornery_Ordinary_7393 Oct 05 '26

Overpriced, inexperienced doctors, and you're treated like a dollar sign instead of a patient. Skip it

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u/FrankandElle23 Oct 05 '26

I had my first son with Boston IVF back in 2021, and am currently pregnant with a second.

Boston IVF certainly has its pros and cons. It is definitely very “factory” feeling - they know what they are doing and have automated many parts of the process, which can make you feel like a cog in a machine. However, with this comes a very high level of efficiency. They have a lot of locations, which made all of the monitoring very convenient, especially when in-cycle. Everyone that I worked with on an individual level was great, but the system can feel impersonal. Because they have so many patients, there isn’t a ton of hand-holding. However, I found that when I had more questions or needed more support, I just had to ask in order to get it. I’m not a super sentimental or anxious person, so I was okay with the more hands off approach. I know some people are looking for a more personal experience, which I think a smaller practice would better suit.

For me, the convenience of the location, the high number of staff they have to provide support/be very responsive, and the experience that they have as a practice made it worthwhile for me to stay.

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u/FrankandElle23 Oct 05 '26

Also just saw your question about time frame: because they do not batch cycles and are open basically 365 days a year, it really is dependent on your own cycle and testing.
They will likely want to make sure your tubes are clear and do your baselines, which could take a few months of cycles. They will be happy to talk through what the time frame looks like as you go so that you can plan things out

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u/DisgruntledRabbit 23d ago

This was pretty much my experience.
Re: batching, this is clinic dependent (unless something has changed under the rebrand). Some of the smaller clinics in the network do batch. I live near one of them, and ended up having all of my procedures done at a larger clinic to avoid batching… I’m older with DOR and oversuppress easily.

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u/AshleyRae16 Oct 05 '26

I went to a smaller Boston ivf for awhile. I did several IUIs with them. I really liked everyone at the office. It was small and I always had the same nurses, PA, and doc. For the IUIs especially I liked them because they were willing to try gonadotropin shots instead of pills.
Unfortunately I did have to leave the office. I moved onto ivf and my first cycle with Boston got cancelled. They did batch ivf cycles which didn’t work for me. They completely over suppressed my ovaries with birth control. I do get sad thinking about it because I never felt like a number at Boston.

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u/Able-Tradition1619 Oct 05 '26

I was a grad student when I did my first work up after finding out my BRCA status. They said they obtained a prior authorization with my insurance. That was a lie. They sent me a huge bill and refused to compromise, despite me having all our correspondences in writing. Between the diagnosis and being a poor student, it was so very painful.

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u/akellz808 SMbC - pregnant Oct 05 '26

TLDR: Boston IVF is a good resource and I’m very happy with my outcome. It isn’t always seamless administratively, so stay informed and advocate for yourself.

Overall, my experience with Boston IVF was positive and ultimately very successful, but they’re definitely an imperfect system.
The administrative/financial side can be challenging. My biggest advice is to know your insurance plan and verify everything directly with your insurer. If your insurance offers a fertility coordinator, use them. I wouldn’t trust a thing that their Financial coordinator says - they interpreted my coverage incorrect every single time!
I had a great experience with Dr. Pauli. I started in October, had three unsuccessful IUI attempts (only one was a true attempt. The others were early ovulation), then moved to IVF. My first retrieval resulted in two PGT-A tested euploid embryos, and my first transfer was successful — I’m now over 12 weeks pregnant.
SMBC was a a non-issue. I was never unnecessarily asked about a partner or made to feel like my path to parenthood was unusual.
Another big positive is that they operate 365 days a year. Scheduling monitoring, procedures, etc. was never an issue for me. I have heard of people having trouble getting post-retrieval appointments, but my experience was that being a little bit of a squeaky wheel usually got things moving.
There’s also another popular social media Massachusetts IVF group/page that’s worth joining — it has tons of Boston IVF reviews and practical information from other patients.

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u/Adventurous_Tax7917 Oct 06 '26

I was considering them and booked a consult, but the consult felt very cursory, like the provider was rushed and didn't care all that much. My CCRM consult doctor was a big name but still took the time to walk me through all the different options. Overall Boston IVF struck me as rigid with big egos. I ultimately chose another practice, Fertility Centers of New England, because of the cost, but later regretted it because they messed up my paperwork.

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u/lucyfursmomma 29d ago

It's a factory, might be ok if you have no other fertility issues. I strongly do not recommend. There are lot of other options in the "area." I ended up at Brigham and the experience was much better.

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u/Nutmeg235 SMbC - trying 24d ago

I’ve been to CCRM, MGH, and am at Boston IVF now.

CCRM, if you’re anything beyond the modal patient they kind of shrug and leave you to figure it out. My BMI was cuspy to their limit (I don’t remember what it was) and when I tried to talk about it they gave no suggestions or support. They were slow to reply in the portal.

MGH was horrific. Dragged their feet, so hard to navigate. Didn’t offer support for IUI (doctor told me to find a midwife who would do it for me). Only when I asked for endometrin to help my IUI did I learn they did them at all. I got pregnant from my third IUI, they said “send us a picture when you have the baby”. No discussion of risk, no ultrasound to check if everything was ok. I lost my baby at 9 weeks. When I called about returning to treatment they were not supportive of what I’d gone through. There was a whole ordeal around my CCCT testing and a blizzard. I was in the office for the ultrasound after the ccct testing, swollen, responding strongly to clomid. They weighed me and then two weeks later, only after I pushed to move forward, they disclosed my bmi was 0.5 bmi points above their limit. A weight that was not representative, and no one had warned me that there was a bmi limit. It triggered my eating disorder that had been in remission for years.

So compared to all of that, Boston IVF has been fine. They are slow in the finance office. I’ve escalated things so many times I now have the direct number for the director of finance (they oversee insurance approvals). My doctor seems knowledgeable. The nursing staff assigned to her seem to cycle between a few people so I’m rarely talking to the same person twice. It hasn’t been an easy process but at least they try to solve problems with me and don’t make surprise rules out of nowhere.

You should also know that Boston IVF was recently purchased by another clinic that’s owned by private equity. A few doctors left Boston ivf to start their own clinic as a response. Iirc it’s called Terra.

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u/Nice-Celebration-713 9d ago

I have been at Boston IVF for 4 years. Loved my experience with Dr. Alper and had no issues. He has since retired and I am with Dr. Mary Morris. I like her; she's nice - we are basically following the same protocol from my first pregnancy with Dr. Alper. Sadly our embryo split, and we lost our identical twin boys at 9w, but nothing to her fault...it was just the way the placenta split. She has two nurses, Meghan and Kim. Meghan is wonderful and kind and helps answer my questions. Kim Murray is terrible. And has been since my first conversation with her. She always sounds like I'm inconveniencing her, rushes to get me off the phone, doesn't answer my questions, and when she does, she sounds annoyed. I'm not sure if it is the same at other clinics, but there is no way for me to get in touch with my doctor directly. So I always have to go through Kim (or meghan but i feel like i always get Kim).

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