To get started - call us

800-338-8407

+1 703-698-3976

Hello and welcome to the Fairfax Cryobank Family Forum!
The forum has a new look and the Fairfax Team is so excited to create the best experience for our users.

To Note:
Private Donor Groups and Private Sibling Connection Groups are now located under the category "Groups". Search the donor number in the search box and you should find exactly what you're looking for!

Questions about your forum access? Email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com

Follow these steps to join a private donor group:
1) Press "Join" at the right of the group
2) Once prompted to confirm your request please list this information so we can verify your information:
Name (under which the vial was purchased)
Email
Clinic Name
Donor number
Child Date of Birth

*If you are looking to start a private group for a PRS donor please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com with the above information and that you are looking for a PRS group*


If you have any questions about the verification process please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com

Doctor Recommendations

edited 2011 20 in Same Sex Couples
My partner and I are in the very beginning stages of planning to start our family. We've done a substantial amount of research online trying to find gay-friendly doctors willing to perform inseminations, but what we're really craving is some actual recommendations. Would anyone be willing to share information of doctors in the Twin Cities they've used or would use again?

Comments

  • I love Women's Health Consultants in Minneapolis. They have been wonderful to work with and helped us conceive our son via IUI in 2004. We just started trying again and go to that clinic. I found out about them through a recommendation from Rainbow Families. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to share what I know.
  • My PCP recommended the same place. Unfortunately, it's not covered by my partner's health insurance and since she's going to be the one carrying the baby, that's kind of a deal breaker for us! ;)

    We've been trying to find some referrals from Rainbow Families, but the contact we've had seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth. If you have a contact there, I'd love to get it from you. Feel free to private message me (or however that works) on here with the info!
  • We use Fairview Clinics in Uptown ( I have sen all of the women doctors, but use Sarah as my main Doc). They are great! And they have weekend hours so if you ovulate on the weekends, they are on call and will meet you at the clinic.

    I would definitely recommend a clinic with weekend hours. The first two times we tried, I ovulated on the weekends.
  • I love Womens Health Consultants! My partner and I conceived via IUI in 2008, and had a little girl in 2009!
    They are amazing at what they offer and do...they are a team of all women doctors...some who are gay themselves!

    If your insurance is covered through them...this is a great choice! Our experience was absoultely amazing...and they were truly wonderful! Please let me know if you need any additional information or if you have other questions. Good luck! :D
  • I have a WONDERFUL doctor that I used to get pregant. First try too. (with twins I might add) He is super sweet, kind, caring and 100% cool with the lesbian deal. He is a great guy, lots of fun and very down to earth. He name is :

    Eric J. English, M.D. FACOG
    Metro OBGYN - Maplewood MN
    Phone: (651) 227-9141


    He is awesome
  • bluesky10bluesky10 Senior Member Senior Member
    My partner used Diamonds Women Center in Edina. That was back in 08. She took on the first try. It was the first apointment to get to know the doc then one other apointment for the insemination. I am heading in this week to start the process. I am hoping I get that lucky as my insurance dont cover much of it and only have so much saved.

    I only wish the first doner was available but he isnt.
  • My partner and I had our initial consultation a couple of months ago at Park Nicollet in St. Louis Park. I heard a (gay) nurse practitioner from Park Nicollet speak at a Rainbow Families Conference about donor insemination a couple of years ago. So far, my experience with Park Nicollet has been great -- everyone we spoke with was friendly and the vibe overall is very gay-friendly. I would definitely recommend it.
  • Any recommendations for clinics (not infertility clinics) that are able to prescribe fertility drugs in Minneapolis or St. Paul?
  • bluesky10bluesky10 Senior Member Senior Member
    Why would you not want infertility clinic? Diamonds does all sorts of things besides infertility. I would see who your insurance covers and go from there. A clinic isnt goin to just prescrib drugs but not do the rest. If you are going through this process its best to go with somebody that knows what they are doing.
  • An infertility clinic is much more expensive than a "regular" doctors office. Many doctors do IUI. The clinic I go to now is Fairview. They will do IUI, but they don't prescribe fertility drugs. My insurance covers nothing. I am looking for a M.D. or P.A. that does the IUI procedures and is able to prescribe fertility drugs. So, I may be wrong in thinking a regular doctors office can do this??? It was described to me as something that they opted out of because the government has a say in who prescribes fertility drugs (because of situations like Octomom--is what my doctors told to me).
  • bluesky10bluesky10 Senior Member Senior Member
    I also go to Fairview but more than likely a different branch. They dont do IUI nor do they give drugs. They work with Dr. Wavrin at Diamond, that is where I was refered to. I havent found it to expensive. I do have particial insurance covereage but they gave me a cost figure for everything they do.

    Initial visit, blood work, insemination, ultrasounds. The drugs and ultrasounds I have done at Fairview and only go down to Diamond to have hte insemination done.
  • bluesky10bluesky10 Senior Member Senior Member
  • I go to Women's Health Consultants in Minneapolis, MN. They are an all woman clinic and are wonderful to work with. They can prescribe Clomid but they do not do ultrasounds. I'm on my 3rd month of Clomid after 6 months of non-medicated IUI's...so 9 months of BFNs!!! My partner and I are running out of money (credit should I say) so hoping for some luck with Clomid.
  • I also went to Womens Health Consultants in Mpls. They are wonderful to work with!
    My partner and I "me" got pregnant in 2008 and had a beautiful daughter in July 2009! We did IUI w/ no drugs and happened to get pregnant on the first try! You're in great hands at Women's Health!
    Good luck! :)
  • My wife and I have spent three years trying to get pregnant. We have used Women's Health Consultants and Center for Reproductive Medicine, both at 28th & Chicago. Here's a quick review from our experience.

    Women's Health Consultants
    (4 IUIs)

    POSITIVES
    + Super friendly staff. Dr. Roxy B was the BEST
    + More natural approach to making babies
    + 2 locations (28th+Chicago, and Downtown)
    + All woman staff!
    + Only 3 appointments for every month you try.
    + More affordable [$500 IUI cycle + sperm]

    NEGATIVES
    - Chaotic scheduling adds stress
    - "Closed" on weekends so you have to page the doctor on call


    Center for Reproductive Medicine (7 IUIs)

    POSITIVES
    + More accurate...Makin babies is all they do
    + Use of drugs makes scheduling insems very easy to manage
    + Offers IVF option
    + Closer tracking of your cycle

    NEGATIVES
    - Outrageously expensive [$2000 IUI cycle + sperm] (...$150 for a pregnancy test??!)
    - Extremely clinical (they will treat you like a straight couple who's had trouble conceiving. Push back on "required" tests.)
    - 5+ appointments for every month you try.
    - Impersonal.


    BOTTOM LINE: If you have more time than money, go to WHC. For both clinics, we found we were very pleased with the services of the Andrology lab. Also the motility count was consistently better if Andrology washed it. So buy ICI units if you can! GOOD LUCK!
  • We used The Center for Reproductive Medicine in Minneapolis, and that's the only clinic we've gone to. We have Dr. Lisa Erickson and she is really great. I would recommend her. She is all for same sex couples having children, and always made us feel comfortable. The staff are also friendly and the clinic is nice. They have they're own surgical suite on site if you're going to do IVF.

    I don't have anything bad to say about them. We did 10 or so IUI's and one IVF cycle. Our insurance covered all of the IUI's, we just had co-pays, so I never examined the bill close enough to see the costs that Ninotchka mentioned. We did IVF there, which was obviously expensive-- but it came at a similar cost as anywhere else. Also, they gave us quite a few sample medications, which helped bring the costs down.
  • Hello again TandM! :)

    Just thought I'd add to your comments re: CRM. We worked with Dr. Erickson as well. She was wonderful, not only for her support of same-sex parents but because she acknowledges the emotional toll you are both going through to make this happen. Her approach is one that offers options and has you choose a route, which is nice for most couples. (Some couples I know were at their wits end and just wanted to be told what they need to do to get pregnant.)

    We previously worked with Dr. Kuneck at CRM as well. He is a nice man but he didn't offer the same emotional support we experienced with Dr. Erickson.

    I know CRM has a new doctor as well, Dr. Casey. I've seen her in the hallway...she seems nice.
  • Hello, all. My insurance has changed and the doctor that I currently see is not in my covered network. It seems like most health partners doctors are in my network. Does anyone have any recommendations.
  • bluesky10bluesky10 Senior Member Senior Member
    Doc Wavirn. He is a fertility specialist through Fairview.
Sign In or Register to comment.