Midwest Fertility Center Illinois Masonic

Horrible place DOWNERS GROVE LOCATION! All they care about it $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$…I got a FKNG bill for a test that my insurance doesn’t cover & was never told about it & that is was done during my scan. Now they sent me to collections after I have called several times to dispute. I never went back after my 2^nd visit. I SHOULD have never gone & seen Dr. Madenes he was recommended by someone else… out of my weakness went to him with hope that he can help. Now I’m stuck in collections and disputing the BS BILL! Save yourself time & mine DONT GO TO THIS PLACE.
I found a new HONEST, CARING DR that actually cares about her patients & NEVER talks about $$ other than to help provide information on everything!

I am thrilled to announce that I am pregnant (now 12 weeks along) and I loved my experience at the Midwest Fertility Center! It felt like I had a family of nurses and doctors that really cared about me. Dr. Madanes is a professional that spends as much time as you need explaining tests and procedures. He is gentle, wise, and experienced doctor. I would recommend him to everyone. Another friend of mine is still trying to get pregnant and we constantly compare notes about our fertility experiences. One small example is after IVF she was released and told to go on with her day as normal. I on the other hand, stayed horizontal for nearly an hour and was given specific instructions about not lifting anything, relaxing for the next day and avoiding steps and stress. She is now going to see Dr. Madanes. This is a team of people that really know what they are doing.

After what I was told was my «final» bill months ago, I just got another bill for $ 36 in the mail. Why am I just being billed when I last went to Midwest in November? I am so incredibly frustrated to still have to be wasting my time on these people. I am not even entirely sure what the $ 36 is for, but it’s not worth it to me to call my insurance company and try to figure it out.
Another thing that I forgot to put in my original review was how Dr. Madanes made me describe to him the sexual positions my husband and I use. I was clearly embarrassed and when I said «um… a variety» it wasn’t good enough for him and I had to give him specific positions. It’s incredibly uncomfortable to have to talk about this with an old man doctor. It seemed really creepy and no one at FCI asked me any such questions.
By the way, I’m pregnant now after only my second cycle at FCI. They have been amazing and I highly recommend them!

Do not waste your precious time and money by going to Midwest Fertility Centers — neither the Downers Grove office nor the Lakeview office. We went through 3 failed IUIs with them in 2009, switched to another clinic and we are now expecting twins in November (success on the 1^st attempt at the new clinic). That’s the quick summary — you simply can’t leave your pursuit of getting pregnant in their hands. Here are the details why:
The process of trying to get pregnant is one of details, expertise and precision. Midwest does not have their act together on these critical aspects. With IUI, you only have a small window to ‘make the magic happen.’ You are relying on their expertise to get this window right. They will not. They aren’t paying close enough attention. So you could inseminate too early or too late and you’ve wasted a viable chance at pregnancy. I actually had their nurses get the days wrong on my cycle (you can’t get this stuff wrong when trying IUI), waffle on which day to inseminate (one time ‘leaving it up to me to decide’ …no, you are the medical expert in this field, you tell me when the optimal time is), then later admit that we were probably late on our attempts. Great. Thanks for the expertise, and attention to detail.
They don’t keep accurate records, and they don’t double-​check. This process can make your body more prone to developing cysts. I developed one, it was noted in one cycle, missed in the next, then ‘found again’ in the 3^rd cycle. They went so far as to put me under and pursue a surgical procedure to aspirate it, only to learn in the operating room that it had dissolved on its own — so we incurred the cost of this unnecessary procedure for nothing. If they simply did one more ultrasound the night before the surgery, they would have seen that it was gone and there was no need to go through this procedure that cost us time, money and heartache.
To that end — Dr. Madanes was «procedure happy» meaning that he seemed more interested in putting us through additional procedures (where he could make more $) than truly helping us to get pregnant. He wanted to do yet another diagnostic procedure with us that we later learned from the new clinic was utterly unncessary. This stuff is just too important to have that going on in the background.
I also agree with michele b. on her comments regarding the management of my file. I had the same problems that she noted.
I don’t know the accuracy of their stats as posted on their website either. The CDC reports success rates on their website for clinics nationwide and they don’t seem to match up with what Midwest shows you on their site.
What you are trying to do is too important to leave in their sloppy hands. Go elsewhere.

I’m not going to review them on their fertility expertise because, I only did 3 IUI’s which were unsuccessful. IVF was simply going to be more than my husband and I were able to endure. So we switched to to the traditional chinese medicine route.
My issue with them was how they managed my file. Some records are kept at Illinois Masonic and others are kept at the Downers Grove. Additionally, this location is only open on certain dates and at certain times. It makes it very difficult to get records for my regular doctor.
Almost all of our procedures took place at Downers Grove except for the regular ultra-​sounds and bloodwork.

I saw Dr. Pratt and she was extremely nice and very informative. Since this isn’t a huge OBGYN group, they can take more time to help you with your options. I would recommend this center if you have had trouble conceiving for more than a year. These are the experts! The staff is also very helpful and polite — not always the case in doctors’ offices, so I was quite pleased.
One star off because:
This is the branch office. The main office is in Downer’s Grove, which makes things difficult if, say, you want your husband’s sperm assessed. Their labs are out in the suburbs, and apparently certain procedures like semen analysis have to be done there.