Shady Grove Fertility in Washington, D.C.

The Care Team at at the Shady Grove, Washington, D.C., K Street Location is unmatched! The front desk team is always so warm and welcoming - they remember us by face and name, and always make the process seamless. I've never had trouble getting a hold of anyone, whether it's to reschedule, ask a question or just give a heads up that I'll be five (or ten) minutes late. Tamiko, Delarenta, Cathy, Rissa, Yolanda, Milan - these woman are professional yet personable, and all deserve a raise! I also love seeing my team in the back, so much that they make me forget I'm there to be poked and prodded. Sarah, Alanah, DeNae, Hayden, and Sharayh - these women handle all their patients with care and kindness, but tolerate my sense of humor and make me feel comfortable and cared for. They always have good energy and great music; we love them so much. When you're going through treatments that can be so personal, and painful (and sometimes heartbreaking), it means so much to be surrounded by individuals who are optimistic and treat you well. After so many visits, I should be glad to finish treatments at SGF, but it will be bittersweet to not see these amazing ladies every other day. Thank you to the SGF K Street Team for all you do! - Mandi Critchfield Blum

I feel like it would be a disservice if I didn't leave this review. Please consider going anywhere else but here. I started the process of freezing embryos in January. And throughout my experience with Shady Grove, it has been a consistent pattern of inaccurate information, poor communication, and a complete lack of accountability when their mistakes have real consequences. They take no ownership or accountability for incorrect information and make no effort to make things right. In my case, I spent months planning a cycle around genetic testing requirements and was repeatedly told they could freeze now and test later. Then, after I had completed my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork and was scheduled to start medications that evening, I was told that was not actually possible. This should have been clarified long before reaching the point of starting treatment. This happened on the same day that I learned that my local DC office only performs monitoring ultrasounds between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. forcing me to drive an hour to Rockville and back to complete the required testing. It was during that process that I was informed the treatment plan I had been relying on for months could not move forward as described. What followed was hours of back-and-forth between genetics, nursing, clinical staff, and finance, with conflicting information and little coordination. Our calls went unanswered, and after business hours and over the weekend there was effectively no one available who could resolve the issues or provide clear guidance on next steps. The financial process was especially unacceptable. Despite having already paid significant costs and purchased medications, I was suddenly told I was not "financially cleared." The Friday before treatment was supposed to begin, I received a laundry list of items to pay. However, I could only use the payment link for one of them. My patient checklist showed the remaining items were not yet due, and the "pay deposit" option provided no information about how much the deposit was supposed to be. When I asked what amount was needed to become financially cleared, no one could tell me. The only "solution" I received was to go on birth control over the weekend and come back in Monday and hope my numbers were still good compared with Friday. A weekend manager suggested I should have taken care of these financial requirements months earlier. But my financial counselor had not provided those requirements months earlier, and the first communication I received about several of these items was literally that Friday morning. Additionally, at no point during the numerous conversations about treatment changes or next steps did anyone mention that there were outstanding financial requirements that could prevent treatment from moving forward. That issue only surfaced after everyone had gone home for the day, leaving no one available to fix it. Rather than treating me like an individual navigating a time-sensitive medical process, I felt like I was being processed through a system that had no ability to handle anything outside a standard workflow. Every department pointed to another department. Every question generated another template response. Fertility treatment is already emotionally, physically, and financially demanding. Patients should not have to act as the project manager for their own care while simultaneously trying to correct the clinic's mistakes.

Every time I’ve been to this beautiful location, I’ve been welcomed by all of the ladies, especially Milan at the front desk! It’s so nice to have a warm welcome from her when I come in! It definitely makes the visit less stressful. I also love how efficient with time everyone is. Definitely a different experience. I’m also thankful for the convenient option for me in the city. Definitely recommend

I am deeply grateful to Dr. Kathleen Devine and the Shady Grove Fertility team. I came to Dr. Devine at age 43 after a difficult fertility journey and prior treatment abroad. I spent a long time choosing the right doctor and clinic, and I truly feel fortunate that I became her patient. With Dr. Devine’s protocol and team-based care, I became pregnant after the very first transfer, which still feels almost unbelievable. This is a very busy, highly organized practice, so patients should understand that they may not have long in-person conversations with the doctor at every step. But in my experience, the care was thoughtful, efficient, and well coordinated. I also appreciated that my preferences were heard, including my wish not to use birth control pills for cycle scheduling. I am now 44 and hoping to give birth to a healthy baby in December. I will always be thankful to Dr. Devine and her team for helping us reach this point.

My experience with Shady Grove was nearly perfect, and I got great egg freezing results. The doctors and nurses are responsive, competent, and organized. I have always had a phobia of blood and needles (to the degree that I wasn't sure if I could physically do egg freezing -- I'd have to mentally prepare myself for a blood test for weeks in advance) but certain nurses at Shady Grove made the experience comfortable and painless. (I still had blood draws while lying down in an exam room, which helped.) Rosalee in particular was a godsend. She was patient with me, warm, and reassuring and somehow every blood draw I had with her (countless) were painless and incredibly fast. I credit her with helping me through my phobia. Rosalee is a master at her craft, and for someone working through an extreme fear, every time I saw she'd be doing my blood draw, I immediately relaxed. It made a world of difference for me. That said, the weekend team is unacceptably poor. They are often unfriendly, bruise me every single time I have the misfortune of having to go on a weekend, leave my arm in pain for a half hour or more, and draw blood with the clumsiness of someone who has never done it before. This past weekend, I actually screamed out in pain during the blood draw and the pain that followed was so severe for 30 minutes that I asked for an ice pack (which they somehow said they didn't have), and I got lightheaded and had to sit down. This has happened twice before with the weekend staff. My friend, who is also going through the egg freezing process in this office, has had the same experience extremely painful weekend blood draws. On one occasion, a nurse even asked her if she wanted to perform her own ultrasound, which was bizarre and inappropriate. Shady Grove, if you're reading this, please retrain your weekend staff!