Women & Infants Fertility Center

I should have read the reviews before starting this process with this clinic. The only reason I have two stars was because of the clinical staff. Don’t get me wrong i love Dr. Bakkensen she is great. She is very caring and understanding and willing to work with you. The nurses, assistants, and other staff are wonderful and kind, but the financial people and billing people are horrible.I have endometriosis and was trying to get pregnant for the last 3 years when I was referred here. After testing it was recommended to do three cycles of IUI. My insurance doesn’t cover any expenses so I had to pay out of pocket. Before proceeding I was quoted 2,301.60 per cycle not including medications which was another 165 for Clomid and 221 for Ovidrel. I paid for all of this upfront with a bank check at the start of the cycle. I went through the first cycle it didn’t work and received another bill for 2094.96. When I called the financial coordinator I spoke with Ellen and she said well the price was only for 3 ultrasounds and you had 7. I said well I should have been told this ahead of time because that would have affected my decision. She asked if I was told about Arc. I said no. I was informed it was a prepayment by month option. She also asked if anyone discussed the possibility of having to pay more. I said no. She asked if I wanted to speak with management I said yes. I then received a call from the manager Diane Tavera, who went through the same thing and then proceeded to get snippy with me saying “well this is severely discounted anyway” and “I don’t know what you want me to say or do.” So I got feisty and said “so you’re telling me pay this bill or no more services” and she said “well yeah services were rendered.” I said “Forget it! I am not paying a bill for something I didn’t agree to! You guys mislead me, you underestimated the services knowing the issue, and then failed to inform me of any changes. That’s on you!” She said “well I’ll take this to leadership and call you back” I said “ you do that” so still waiting. I love my doctor and the clinic staff but I feel that they prey on people’s desperation and back door you with increased expenses because they know how hopeless, helpless, and desperate you can become. Reading through the reviews this seems to be their pattern and has I known this I might have chosen a different route.

If you dont want to waste your time find a different place, it takes forever. I dont know how their system works but its so complicated. maybe they dont save the patients record that you have done with them.I was disappointed in this. they dont care about your time, when you make an appointment their nurse will call you 30 min to 45 min after your checking. I called the nurse for the prescription and left a message 3 times a week so they can call me back, but thats not going to happen. Today I called again and waited for about 40 minutes and finally picked up my call but the nurse wanted me to start over again with the blood test and ultrasound. I told her I just needed my prescription so I could pick up my medicine that I was supposed to take for this month but its already late so I have this ready for next month, but now I have to call again at that time I have to drink the medicine. (I DONT RECOMMEND THIS FACILITY THE NURSE LOOKS LIKE SHE DONT CARE AT ALL)

Go elsewhere. Sought help here for recurrent miscarriage. They ran a very basic panel of testing and sent me on my way with a unexplained recurrent miscarriage diagnosis. She was pushing us to do IUI which makes no sense seeing we had no problem getting pregnant. We tried medicated cycles and still miscarried. Some of the nurses are just unempathetic and dont send prescriptions over just making the process more stressful. I sought out a second opinion at another fertility center in Providence. After the first round of testing at my second opinion, my first appointment, they found two reasons why I keep miscarrying. Not sure why W&I fertility wasnt able to do their job and just allowed me to keep miscarrying thinking that IUI or IVF would solve all my problems. Ladies please just go somewhere else where they actually care about finding out what the problem is. People should not accept any unexplained diagnosis. There is always a cause. Just an update I am currently pregnant and out of the first trimester!! (July 2023)

Horrible experience. I was referred here after several miscarriages. I went once and found the staff to be rude and Dr. Wheeler very incaring, no bedside manner whatsoever. I was told to schedule additional testing, it was cancelled once and I tried the next month I left 3 messages as the testing is time sensitive and never got a call back. It took days of phone calls to get the results of my husbands testing and it was a two minute conversation and we didn’t even get the full results. It’s been very stressful this place has made it much worse. Looking to go anywhere else!

My experience was great doctor Eden Cardozo was very nice and all the nurses and I had my beautiful daughter

My experience at Women and Infants Fertility Center was awful. 0 stars, if that were possible. We were misdiagnosed with male factor infertility (which made no sense). It wasn’t until after 3 failed medicated IUIs (that my insurance didn’t want to cover because of my BMI).. that I said I am switching to a different provider at a new clinic because something isn’t right. The new clinic I am at diagnosed me with PCOS within the first week of being a patient there. So that explains my weight gain and infertility issues. The diagnosis of male factor infertility was thrown out because everything looked perfect. I keep getting bills from W&I for my IUIs which had been paid for upfront. I spent about 9 months there, and they didn’t even think to look any further for a PCOS diagnosis. I feel like if I had the diagnosis of PCOS then my insurance would have possibly covered part of the expenses.. I do not recommend this fertility center.

I admire Dr. Victorias positivism. We had 2 cycles, 2 failed transfers, and 1 successful transfer. Im so glad I never gave up and I owe it to NP, Jackie Finerty. She is everything you need to have for a great experience with IVF- especially if its your first time dealing with IVF- She encouraged us through the journey and followed up on a daily basis. What was difficult? The communication with the Financial office is always behind on getting back to you, and your cycle depends on them. We had Jackie intervene for us and the Financial team got back to us in time. Jackie, we love you! Thank you for caring so much about our little growing family.

12/1/22 - Ive read about negative experiences with W&I Fertility Center on here before and Ive tried to remain positive, but honestly their complete lack of care and attention to detail is just so blatantly obvious that its hard ignore. Im about to undergo my 4th IUI with W&I, all of which have followed the same exact process, theyve never once looked into possible reasons why its not working, never tried anything different, Ive never spoken or met with my actual doctor since my initial consult in June and TWICE now I, the patient, was the one to bring up concerns to them that actually ended up needed treatment. The first being high levels of TSH (thyroid hormone), which is a well-known factor of infertility. After I brought this to their attention they immediately put me on medication. Now I discover uterine lining should be about 8-14mm, mine has ranged from 3.6-4.2 throughout all 4 IUIs. Thats not even just mildly thin, that THIN and they never once even mentioned that to me before. If I didnt do my own research, Id still have high TSH and I would have continued undergoing unsuccessful IUIs with a thin lining. I shouldnt have to be my own advocate, when I dont even have a medical degree. I had a bad taste in my mouth after my first appointment here, which I tried to ignore. But now Im certain all they care about here is $$. This is just a fair warning for any women struggling with fertility issues, who actually want to get pregnant and not extend this heartbreaking journey. So thankful I have an apt with Boston IVF in January.

Let me start off by saying that Dr. Cardozo is absolutely wonderful and both my wife and I found her truly pleasant to work with and very personable and caring. HOWEVER, Dr. Wheeler and her horrible bedside manner and the way she treated my wife and made her feel, was reason enough for us to look elsewhere. I’m truly shocked that this woman is “head” of this clinic. Go and google her and you’ll see tons of other couples who also have had horrible experiences with her.

Many of the staff are great, but it can be really hard to get a hold of them for certain things, and there have been paperwork hurdles. It is distressing and alienating to not be allowed to be present for much of my wife’s care, I assume due to covid restrictions? I basically have little clue what’s going on in the planning of my own family, which is frustrating and confusing as a lot is lost in translation. The burden should not be solely on the partner who will be carrying.

I would like to preface this review by saying that the rating is in no way reflective of my opinion of my experience with my doctor or any of the nurses and techs at the center and it is strictly reflective of the management and their total disrespect and insensitivity towards their patients. Patients like myself come to the center to overcome obstacles, not to encounter more. We have so many things already working against us, mostly things out of our control, so we come to you in the hopes that science will help us to make the impossible, possible only to be set back by administrative mismanagement like the one Ive experienced with the financial department. Its insulting to patients like myself to be given a generic COVID-19 excuse as the reason that a phone call cannot be acknowledged. Its over one year later and no one person or industry has been spared from its effects. All businesses have had to find a way to adapt to this new way of life and the strain it has put on the workforce is universal. As a supplier to hospital systems, including Care New England, it would be unacceptable if your requests and needs were ignored. But to the customers you serve you dont apply the same standard. If you cannot allocate the proper resources to supporting your patients then its your duty to inform them before they start treatment. For the past 6months I have heard the SAME excuse and at this point it comes down to the fact that either CNE is completely incapable of finding a solution OR they dont care to. Either way they should be ashamed at the highest levels.

I wish I could write a better review because I think my doctor and embryologist have been great. That being said I feel like the way the practice is run is terrible. Tons of paperwork issues from missing form or form not given all at once so multiple trips are needed to get notarized signatures. Due covid you need to schedule appointments to drop off paper work making it complicated if multiple trips are needed due to disorganization. I’m not complaining about the extra precautions but due to these precautions more attention needs to be given to getting all the paperwork signing done all at once.The other issue which is my biggest complaint is the financial departments lack of adequate staffing. Not only have I had issues, I have read so many horror stories of cycles being put on hold due to financial not getting approvals on time. These stories can be found on New England IVF Facebook groups. I was hoping approval time frame would have improved because I know the two people who work as the financial counselor where out; but then W&I should hire more staff if they are this behind. It causing serious emotional harm and unneeded stress to patients! And to those of us who are older or have conditions like diminished ovarian reserve, a missed cycle is time we do not have and feels like a kick to the stomach!The only reason I’m still going to W&I and why I gave two starts is because of my doctor. If my cycle is canceled because it wasn’t approved by financial in the several weeks between cycles, I’m going to Boston IVF or Fertility solutions. There are other reputable fertility clinics in the area that have their act together and I will bring my business there if W&I can’t fix their issues.

The whole infertility journey is difficult, my first experience with Dr. Alvero was amazing but he relocated. This time around I dont like the matter-of-fact way the doctor speaks to me, and yes everyone is different but I have never seen anything like this. Her comments are a little too cold during this difficult time. I like the nurses and my experience with Dr. Victoria but I would love to swtich doctors at this point in time.

IN RESPONSE TO THE SUDDENLY SPEEDY RESPONSE OF THIS NEGATIVE REVIEW...WHY SUCH A QUICK RESPONSE ON THE PUBLIC FORUM? Perhaps time is better well spent following up with patients via the telephone and putting efforts into assisting them to proceed with planning etc.... ORIGINAL REVIEW.: I unfortunately echo these recent reviews. I don’t even know where to begin ....not only was my last transfer a terrible experience of which I will not go into detail here, ever since then it has been a complete pointless struggle to get in touch with anyone from this clinic and get anywhere in any planning process. I feel like this terrible experience here has stolen so much time and left me so defeated. It has been exhausting and isolating and you are treated like a number rather than a patient. In an environment where organization should be held to the highest degree it is the furthest thing from priority. The fact that “CARE” is associated with this centers name (care New England) is complete irony as “care” is the furthest thing I feel I have received. I have been contemplating leaving a review for years and after reading all these others and seeing that my experience seems to be the norm I feel compelled to. I have so much more to say and detail to give but I’m just so tired and honestly I’m sad, and regretful I wasted so much valuable time and efforts here, this entire experience has taken all my energy, and sadly any hope regarding fertility treatments. Find somewhere else for your fertilityJourney , I wish I had.

For those of you who think your problem here is unique - its not. The logistics here are currently nonexistent. (I was treated here a few years ago, and things went relatively smoothly.)Aside: The actual treatments by doctors and nurses seem top-notch. (Thank you for my baby!) But getting to that point is hard.This time around I was told it was my job to get in contact with financial to make sure my frozen cycle was approved by insurance. This was weeks and weeks ago. I called them several times over a period of weeks and never heard back. Not one phone call. I finally spoke with a nurse about moving forward with my plan and she said nothing had been submitted to insurance, and, oh and actually you need to have several tests done before we can submit anything. That was the first I heard about those tests and I had gone in for many other things previously. In fact you dont hear much about any over-arching plan. Even if you are diligent about doing everything they tell you, you will miss things. Because I am, and I have. I think due to several miscommunications and financial we are now 2 months off the original plan. Being told you may have to wait 2 months due to a backlog would be unfortunate but okay. Not being told anything and being surprised with a wait due to multiple oversights, right before scheduling imminent treatment is less okay.I still have not heard from financial but have to now apparently contact them again and check if everything has gone through after our additional tests. I called to ask to talk to a nurse to see if everything is good to go ahead (I was previously told to do this by a friendly nurse), but instead I was told I need to talk to financial because there is no problem with financial and they always get back to you.I have been polite and understanding to everyone at this facility during every interaction. Even the disappointing ones. Mistakes happen. And I can understand that there might be a backlog for some services. What I do not understand are the following things:1. Being curtly told, there is no problem (or in other words youre making up the problem) when it is clear from other interactions that everyone at the facility knows there is a problem.2. Being asked to do work that leads to nowhere. If financial has my file and its financials job to get my case approved by insurance... what exactly is my job? Am I calling to remind them to do their job? I like to assume that they are actually doing it as best they can! So this interaction can only serve to make both patients and staff frustrated. Calling cant fix a backlog. And it certainly doesnt solve anything if you never get called back and have nothing additional to add anyway. It seems like this is both a frustrating and unnecessary step. Before any procedure, patients have to talk to the nurses anyway to schedule - couldnt a financial approval just trigger the call from the nurses to schedule the procedure?3. A systemic (not just one-time) lack of organization in terms of who needs what paperwork and tests, and who needs to tell them that they need those things. For a professional organization its astounding and hopefully will be rapidly addressed.It is emotional and frustrating to be treated for infertility even in the best-case scenario. But people deserve to be treated respectfully. Its a year into COVID and at the very least there should be transparency, rather than shifting blame and responsibility to patients.I dont want to blame any specific person at this facility. I havent named names. Many of the people here are lovely. And its clear that others are just frustrated too, and maybe dont know how to respond. The main reason Im posting this is because of everyone else who mentioned the same problems. That affirms to me that this IS a real problem. We are not wrong. Having a backlog due to staffing (if that is what is going on) is not the issue. The way you are responding is. It ruins my day every time I have to make one of these calls to figure out what to say and to whom.

One word to describe Dr. Cardozo and her team - AMAZING!!! I recently underwent an open myomectomy surgery to remove a large fibroid. I was very scared and anxious. The minute I met Dr. Cardozo and her team I knew I was in the best hands! Their attention to detail and genuine concern for my overall well-being was incredible. The surgery could not have gone any better. Dr. Cardozo is a top notch surgeon and the stitching for the incision was perfect - I’ve had numerous comments from family/friends/doctors on how great of a job she did! Thank you:):)

We had an amazing experience. Dr Victoria was wonderful. You do see different Drs depending who is on that day but who cares, they work as a team. A Team who is working to make your dreams come true. Everyone is different and some people get lucky and some don’t. We were unlucky and needed help. They helped us have a beautiful son. We will be going back for baby number 2 soon. Fingers crossed we can have another. It would not have been possible without this team.

Not sure why there are so many negative reviews... This place is great. My doctor scheduled an analysis for my husband and I had all of my subsequent tests scheduled within 2 weeks of my first appointment (which is fantastic given the number of procedures required). In my opinion, we got the answers we were looking for fast.

If you want to be treated like a number definitely see Dr. Cardozo.Also, if youd like someone to tell you how you are feeling IN YOUR OWN BODY, she is excellent for that.If you have any insight or information regarding your condition, mine being a miscarriage most likely due to stage 3 endometriosis, be prepared for it all to be shot down if it does not align with her bible of information she goes by in the reproductive community.Do not expect a personality, but rather, a robot. Zero empathy, zero emotion, zero everything, along with most doctors at this practice.HAPPY ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH!

Transferred here from Boston IVF. Everyone has been extremely nice and accommodating. I’ve had a very good experience so far!

I can’t say enough amazing things about woman and infants. All of the doctors, nurses, and staff are incredible! Dr Cardozo is our dr. She is outstanding and highly recommended. Dr Frishman did our transfer and is a pleasure to work with. We got our positive baby bump today. We can’t thank you all enough for making our dreams come true! All of the staff make you feel like family here. Thank you all so much!Forever gratefulLeanne & Taryn Cloutman

2 years ago I had the pleasure of going here and it couldn’t have been a better experience. They were very thorough and prompt with appointments, and ruled out everything that could have been an issue. Thanks to this wonderful team of doctors (especially Dr Wheeler and Dr Frishman) I have a beautiful 16.5 month old boy. I could never repay them for how they’ve helped my family grow!

I dont understand how anyone could complain about this clinic. Between dr Victoria WHO IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE to. My nurse tersea I had with me made my visits and a surgery a whole not easier.

The worst ivf clinic ever …… please dnt ever go there just writing this review so that it might save other people time and money the receptionists at front desk are rude the doctors are careless all they care about money. it was wastage of time money please do not ever consider to visit this clinic everI had a horrible experience here !!!!

They lack with communication . Everytime you try to call them and ask question but it would end up going in their voicemail, they would not call you back at all . Its very tough to get hold on any person at the center over the phone. Bad experience overall.

Wonderful staff. Excellent practices and services. Ive felt such empathy and care with every visit. I dont know how else to thank them.💙

Didn’t love the bedside manner felt like a number the staff was not very personable.

Very thorough testing, ruled out PCOS dx. Thank you.

Trash

Dont go here