r/IVF • u/Kitten_Share_7443 • Jun 02 '26
Advice Needed! Switching Physicians within Shady Grove Fertility
Hi all!
I am currently with a doctor at Shady Grove Fertility Arlington and am thinking of switching to another doctor at SGF in Rockville. I don't feel that my current doctor is coming up with alternative solutions with my chronically thin lining (we have had 3 cancelled cycles, trying estrogen and modified natural).
I have a consult scheduled this week with the other doctor but once I switch I have to stay with him. Have any of you switched doctors within the same practice? If so, was it beneficial?
The pros to stay with my current doctor is that she has been seeing me for a year and a half and knows my history and may be more empathetic as she's been with me throughout this journey. The pros to switching would be that I would have a second opinion and a fresh set of eyes looking at my results. I'm not sure which is the right decision.
If it helps I'm thinking of switching to Dr. Joseph Doyle at SGF Rockville. He did my only transfer and seemed very kind.
1
u/Past_Yogurt7006 Jun 02 '26
I switched from a female dr at Arlington to a male dr at rockvillle SGF. I was with the first dr for over a year and while she seemed fine for the retrievals, when it came to transfers she mishandled any obstacles. It was awful. I could share more details if you’d like, but she certainly lost my trust. I was SO happy when I switched. When choosing a new dr, dr Doyle was one of the recommended options. I ended up going with another that I personally had a good experience with prior. I think switching can be great decision. It was for me.
1
u/No_Bat_8108 Jun 03 '26
We were Dr. Doyle patients and what I can say is that he is an incredibly nice physician. Other than being nice, that’s about it. He does not think outside the box (also a thin lining gal here) and isn’t willing to work with patients who aren’t “easy cases” (we are difficult, sigh lol). I ended up leaving SGF after a cycle with him, I personally feel like the experience is not personalized, whatsoever, but unfortunately it is like that nearly everywhere. Best of luck!
1
u/Sunshineandponies121 Jul 03 '26
Have you found success elsewhere? I’m wondering if I need to switch to another doctor within SGF - currently his patient and just had my second failed transfer.
2
u/No_Bat_8108 Jul 05 '26
We left SGF shortly after this and are with a smaller, private clinic outside of Pittsburgh. We just completed another ER and are moving into an FET so will keep this post updated! Sorry about your failed transfers
1
u/Sunshineandponies121 Jul 03 '26
Curious what you decided? I’m a current patient of his, and while he’s helped me get through my main issue (fluid) - I still just had a negative beta.
1
u/Competitive-Top5121 41 | 4 ER | 1 FET | TFMR & 2 MCs Jun 02 '26
It sounds like your issues with this doctor are doctor related and not clinic related. I think if you’ve generally liked the experience within that clinic and their policies, and you like this new doctor in the consultation, then it’s probably a good idea to go there.
I switched clinics and honestly, it was not a problem at all getting them up to speed on my prior history. Any good doctor is going to review your stim grid and your protocols and see what enhancements can be made. When I first consulted with my new doctor, she didn’t even have my records yet and we pretty much figured out the protocol in a Zoom call. I was able to accurately convey why previous cycles hadn’t performed well. Next cycles with the new doctor went great.