Fertility Centers of Illinois

I am not sure how I feel about Fertility Centers of Illinois. Sometimes the employees are friendly and accommodating and other times they are cold. You would think given the sensitivity of the situations that bring people to a fertility center that warm and sensitive employees would be a requirement for the job, not so much here. They do a good job as far as treatment goes, and I can’t speak any higher of Dr. Kaplan, it would just be nice to see him more often, and feel less like a number. I have experience with another center that was just more welcoming so maybe that’s why I feel like this place lacks a little. It’s a beautiful location and always very clean.

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Edward Marut and his team at FCI for their exceptional care and determination in helping me have my boys. I felt like he was on my journey to have a family with me every step of the way, and his care was individualized for me. I have had such a positive experience with him that I have referred many friends and colleagues who have been unsuccessful at other practices and some of whom were told by well known fertility specialists in Chicago that they would never conceive. Under Dr. Marut’s care, they all became mothers despite their prior history. Dr. Marut and his wonderful team gave me the biggest blessings of my life so far in my three boys, and while my journey to motherhood was challenged, Dr. Marut’s diligence, positivity and reassurance caused me never to give up hope. Ed Marut is the best of the best.

I have worked with Dr. Brian Kaplan at FCI. My results at FCI have been far better than the 2 other clinics where I cycled (RMI in Oak Brook and IVF Spain Alicante), and the people have been kinder and more willing to learn than those in other clinics.
I have several points of comparison — I started at IHR — found Dr. Tur Kaspa rude and patronizing, but can’t speak to his medical ability. Then I did a cycle at RMI — found Dr. Trukhascheva also rude, the clinic disorganized, and the people uninterested in learning from their mistakes, with decent results but not as good as FCI. Then IVF Spain with truly disastrous results, then Northwestern for an embryo transfer only, where they were kind and concerned but it was difficult to get the process moving and my insurance didn’t cover as well, and finally FCI.
I recommend FCI hands down above all the other clinics I have visited. They monitor more frequently during stimulation and adjust dosages more than RMI or IVF Spain did. While I’m not thrilled at the extra blood draws, it seems very clear from the results that this closer attention greatly improves outcomes.
At age 40.5, in my cycle at RMI, I had 13 eggs retrieved, 9 mature, 5 blastocysts. At age 41, in 2 cycles at IVF Spain, I had 8 eggs retrieved from 15 last measured day 9, and 6 retrieved (the very low number probably due to degraded trigger shot) from 18 last measured day 13. At FCI, at age 41.5, I’ve had 22 retrieved the first cycle and 21 retrieved the second cycle, both more than were even measured in any of the prior cycles. The first cycle at FCI I ended up with 7 blastocysts and the second cycle embryology is still in progress with 18 eggs fertilized.
Of course, FCI did have the benefit of seeing the protocols and results from the prior cycles, which could possibly have given them an advantage. FCI and RMI used the same meds, starting with the same dose of Gonal but a lower dose of Menopur, and FCI ran the cycle more days than RMI. Still, the fact that the numbers are so much better at FCI, even though I’m significantly older, combined with my seeing how the numbers evolved over the course of the cycle with often daily monitoring and careful dosing adjustments at FCI, leads me to believe that this is a much better clinic than the others.
I also like the way monitoring works at FCI — the ultrasound techs generally let me see the monitor, so I can understand what’s going on. That was true at RMI also, but not at Northwestern where the ultrasound techs seemed to be forbidden from showing or telling me anything.
Also, FCI allowed me to cycle one month apart. They first checked hormone levels to decide, but some other clinics said that all patients must wait 2 – 3 months between cycles. I have done some research, and find no evidence to support applying a 2 – 3 month delay to all patients. Given the negative affects of time passing on egg quality, this is important.
FCI has not been perfect — I found here, as at all the other clinics, that the intake process is disorganized due to lack of centralized case management — there’s a financial counselor who checks insurance, nurses who check if you’re ready for a cycle, schedulers who set appointments, but, as at other places, I had delays because the money folks and the medical folks were not well coordinated and no one seemed to have any sense of urgency to get me through the process quickly. Also, they apparently only cycle once a month with all patients on the same schedule, but didn’t tell me that until I was about to miss the deadline for that month. This was very upsetting as I’m 41.5 years old and cycling with own eggs, so have no time to waste.
Like other clinics, I did have occasional issues where FCI didn’t take quite enough care to make sure I knew what i needed to know — for example, they seemed to assume I knew that the meds Follistim and Gonal F are the same, and that the meds Ganirelix and Cetrotide are the same — this can be quite confusing if you are new to the process.
However, when I talked to the financial counselor about my frustration at the communication delays, she seemed to hear me and to care. Likewise with the head nurse out of Highland Park. That was in sharp contrast to IHR and RMI where my stating my concerns led to them becoming very defensive and where they showed no interest in improving.
Finally, as I chatted with one of the nurses at the Highland Park clinic after my recent retrieval, she mentioned that Dr. Kaplan is very accessible. She said that when she sends him a question, she very often hears back within 10 – 15 minutes, and always promptly. I find that to be a very good sign.
Overall, while I think that case management for IVF patients during the intake period is lacking generally in IVF clinics, and FCI is no exception, I have found that FCI has taken far greater care with my IVF cycles, leading to far better results, than the other clinics I have visited. I highly recommend FCI.

My husband and I used FCI for IVF with a Gestational Surrogate (s) with Dr. Kaplan’s team.
This was a multi year process with 3 different GC, all of which did not have a consistent care plan. One department does not know what the other is doing.
You are a number here, at all locations. Some employees are great and have general concern for you, but the staff on your case resolves. We are currently fighting to get a correct invoice to submit for insurance… I don’t have a vagina but am being billed for vaginal related services.

We had a wonderful experience with Dr. Christopher Sipe at FCI. He was kind, patient, and knowledgeable the whole way through our journey… and we are so incredibly grateful every day that we look at our beautiful baby girl! Could not thank Dr. Sipe and FCI enough!

I thought the staff was the most professional, compassionate, and thorough doctor office I’d ever been in. I read reviews that led me to expect service equivalent to herding cattle, but this was not the case. I thought Dr. Kaplan was fantastic with his gentle approach and listened as if he truly cared about me as a patient. I felt like I got the red carpet treatment from the moment I walked in, to the checkout process.

I came to FCI and Dr. Sipe based on a friend’s referral. Getting an initial consultation appointment was harder than I thought it would be, I was given a date more than six weeks out, but parenthood is a long term game. During our first meeting the doctor had us share a little bit about us and then went through the protocol of procedures we would go through based upon history, age, etc. There are a lot of mixed reviews on here which I get. FCI is a huge facility with a ton of doctors, nurses, techs and other professionals. Sometimes you can feel a bit like a number, but to be honest the staff was really great. They are professional, courteous, empathetic and there for you when you need them. While getting an appointment with the doctor can be sometimes hard to schedule because of their schedules, getting an appointment for ultrasound and blood work was always pretty easy, mostly based upon the large volume of people this facility sees on a daily basis. It’s great for working people because very early morning appointments are available (before 7 am) and generally speaking they do a good job of getting people in and out in under 45 minutes. The majority of time you will be communicating with the doctor’s team of nurses, usually between 2 – 4 people, so it’s important that you not only feel comfortable with the doctor but also with his/​her team. Dr. Sipe has a great time of nurses who were good at keeping communication lines open and getting back to our questions during the same business day. Another great aspect is that you get same day test results which is helpful when adjusting medications and/​or scheduling procedures. This place also operates nearly 365 days a year so you’ll be able to have procedures done when they should be done based upon your personal cycle. There are a couple of ‘cons’ you should know about as well, of course. Because of the large number of patients this facility sees, as well as the large number of doctors who work out of this location, your procedure may not be done by your specific doctor. It’s not a huge deal, they’re obviously all accomplished, but just keep that in mind. It’s a large place so it’s a bit of a baby making factory, but that’s the end game. If you want a highly personalized small practice then you may want to head elsewhere. With that said, I genuinely felt like the staff there knew who we were, it just takes some time. Going through ART can feel like an emotional roller coaster with all the lows and highs and the most important thing is to feel like you’re working with a medical team that understands you and your needs. I felt like I was paired with a team that provided me with a good balance of hand holding, question answering and sound medical advice. Like any patient/​doctor experience some will love it while others will be turned off and FCI is no exception to that rule. For us, all of the pro’s outweighed the cons, and we were happy with our choice.

Your fertility road is already emotional, do not go to Dr. Marut if you want any kind of personal attention. I understand that their business is booming and they see a lot of desperate couples but never have I felt so disappointed for wasting precious time and money at the Highland Park office. Dr. Marut repeatedly contradicted himself from meeting to meeting (clearly, he had no idea which script he had read us at the previous meeting) and I had zero faith that he was paying any attention to our treatment plan. Nurses ran the show and I found his to sound like an airline stewardess spewing constant generalities. Even the simplest procedure of getting my blood drawn was painful at this place — go somewhere else!

I was hesitant to go to FCI. Many reviews online portray an unfriendly, cold environment where individuals don’t feel welcome. For me, this couldn’t be further from the truth. I have been to both the Glenview and River North locations for appointments with Dr. Beltsos. For our initial consultation, my husband and I were both very nervous. Dr. Beltsos and her staff in Glenview were so friendly, informative (Dr. Beltsos made everything very easy to understand), and positive, that when we walked out I teared up. It was the first time in a year that I felt like there was a chance.
After 1 cycle of IUI, unfortunately we are still trying. But, every time I go to the office, the front desk staff, the flabotomist (sp?), the ultra sound techs., and the nurses are all friendly and remember who I am. It feels like they are all my cheerleaders. Every appointment has been on time and timely, except one occurrence at the River North location… one of approximately 20.
And, I have to add, on the first visit, when we checked in, the front desk staff had already reviewed and contacted our insurance, so we knew what our options were.
I highly recommend Dr. Beltsos and her staff. I have never felt like just a number in the process. I have never felt that I wasn’t given the time I needed. I feel horrible for the patients that have had a negative experience, and I urge them to try the process with Dr. Beltsos.

FCI is indeed a large practice and I’m sure that can be intimidating/​impersonal for some, but my husband and I were very pleased with our experience both with Dr. Christopher Sipe as well as with FCI in general.
The staff are professional and helpful, the clinical staff knowledgable (especially nurses Antoinette and Debra) and consistent communicators, and Dr. Sipe was thoughtful, a good listener, as I requested, very helpful in understanding our options and making a choice that worked for us and our goals to start a family (my request was to understand realistic options and not let this journey take over our lives).
Once I met with Dr. Sipe and got to know his nursing staff I didn’t really «feel like a number» — every time I called, every question we had, was answered promptly and completely. The process of IVF is certainly overwhelming at times and the fact that I work in health care probably helps me feel more comfortable raising my hand, asking for clarification or saying I needed something.
There will be lots of visits, lots of tests, that’s part of the drill, so yes, you will sit in the waiting room with others on a regular basis — I recommend bringing a laptop or smart phone and hoping on the wifi — makes your time there feel more productive.
The IVF implantation process was fascinating and interestingly I wasn’t bothered by the fact that Dr. Sipe wasn’t on call the Sunday we did our transfer (sort of like when you have a baby — whenever you happen to be ready you get whomever is on call)…she was wonderful, painstaking in her placement of the embryo and gave a big hug good luck.
I’m sure all of this is colored by the fact that we were incredibly fortunate — we have incredible insurance, our IVF cycle was successful, and we are anticipating a baby in Feb 2016, but we certainly didn’t go in expecting everything to work out as well as it did and I believe I would still be writing this review if it hadn’t. I have tremendous respect (and gratitude) for this practice, Dr. Sipe and the staff. I absolutely recommend them.

Where to begin! I chose FCI and Dr Marut because I needed and thought I was going to get good communication and personal service with them. And long story short it turned out to be quite the opposite! As others have mentioned– being a patient there you are merely a number– the entire process is like a cattle call. I am 35 years old with zero children and was Diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. Chances were that I might be infertile after my treatment and my husband and I wanted to preserve our option of having children. The original nurse that helped me, Toria, was so kind and helpful and the financial team really seemed to be organized and good communicators so I was impressed at 1^st with that (and the these 2 reasons are the only reason FCI did not get 1 star). Other than that, they are a mess at FCI– they don’t seem to know what the hell is going on and can’t simply answer a question even when asked multiple times– this happened with everything for me. And when I did get an answer it was vague and not helpful. At the end I even ended up almost giving myself an injection that was suppose to be done by a nurse– an injection they knew I had and had been asking questions about to no avail. This medicine was $ 1,000 and once mixed was on a 2 hour expiration. So I ended up rushing to my oncologist’s office to get a nurse to give me this drug just in the nick of time (Thank you Rush Hospital!!). The process is of course extra stressful in my situation and not run of the mill b/​c I get one chance and then I start treatment. I was in a GREAT deal of pain after egg retrieval– and was not told until after that I would need to be on bed rest. There are so many more things I could detail out here but hopefully shoppers get the point. You are a number here and nothing more and if you are the type of person that cares at all to know what is going on and not just be pushed through hoops like some kind of animal at a factory farm you may want to shop around!
Their Financial team is still very good!
— oh and to top it all off none of my Embryo survived the process

If you’re looking to be treated as a human being, and not a number, I urge you to go elsewhere!
Let me set the stage. I went to FCI for an initial consultation because I was interested in testing. We had been trying for nearly 2 years without any luck. We have considered alternative ways to start a family, but wanted to know what our situation was — should we pursue «assistance» in getting pregnant, would it never happen, etc. Making the appointment took a lot out of me emotionally.
I don’t think that I got in more than 5 words. Dr Kaplan spoke at me, never interested in hearing anything about me or why I was there. He didn’t ask me any questions, he just read information off of my new patient forms and took it from there. He talked to me like I was an idiot (if he had bothered to ask anything he’d know that I’m a medical professional), and that I was stupid for not having gotten tested already. I thought that was the point of coming in?
He diagnosed me with PCOS (after about 30 seconds of talking), told me about the clomid regimen, and then promised me that I would get pregnant. The monologue took about 7 minutes. He then ushered me out of the room so that his nurse could take over from there.
If I was desperate to get pregnant, this might have been encouraging. He gave me marching orders, and there was a plan. He’s clearly done this many times. But I wasn’t looking to begin treatments at this point, only to gather information. I have never felt so pushed aside and unheard as a patient (and I’ve been to some bad doctors).
I thought that maybe I was over-​reacting, until I mentioned this to my primary care doctor. She looked horrified that I had gone to see him, and told me that my experience was not unique. I have since heard of others who have been medically neglected by Dr Kaplan, as well as emotionally disregarded.

Dr. Kaplan and FCI are top-​notch and I can’t recommend him and the clinic highly enough. FCI was not the first clinic my husband and I were treated at for infertility, so I also have some experience elsewhere. Do I think FCI sometimes seems transactional? Yes. But with care and compassion at the root and expertise all around. Emphasis on expertise.
I have always felt well-​cared for and prepared. Did I have to be my own advocate and be certain that I asked enough questions throughout every process to be comfortable and confident? You betcha! My husband and I had one goal: to have a family. Dealing with inconveniences were more than worthwhile because I felt based on experience that Dr. Kaplan gave us the very best chance at having a family.
And it was a LONG road. I asked myself many times, «How will I know when to throw in the towel?» But I never doubted Dr. Kaplan for a moment. Fortunately, after many retrievals, transfers, an egg donor (and many more transfers) our dream became a reality and my husband and I welcomed a daughter last year.
Believe me, if you knew our entire story you might ask why we didn’t give up. Well, we didn’t give up because we believed in and trusted Dr. Kaplan completely. And he didn’t give up on us! That’s an important point.
Of course, none of this means everyone’s dream will become a reality, but my knowledge is that Dr. Kaplan will do absolutely everything — everything — to help.
I continue to be a patient of Dr. Kaplan’s and will be until our last frozen embryo is transferred. If you’re reading this, know that the positives far outweigh the inconveniences you might encounter along the way. Good luck!

Dr Kaplan was great, we did IUI (x2) with no luck, then IVF X1 and it worked. We are happy parents to our healthy baby boy. Yes it was expensive, our insurance covered only a portion, but all worth it in the end.
Thank you dr Kaplan and the FCI team.

To be totally transparent, I’m nearly 25 weeks pregnant with twins and of course that positively impacts my review. That said, I would have given FCI minimally a three and more likely a four regardless.
When I read the negative reviews, they resonate with me… but only because they remind me of the original clinic (not FCI) that my husband and I tried. We switched to FCI and, while there were minor bumps early on, we had a terrific medical experience. I intentionally say medical because that’s what FCI was and is to my husband and me; not friends, therapist or family, which made the support and compassion of the FCI team an added bonus.
Admittedly, our first appointment was a bit disappointing. We waited for nearly an hour past appointment time and felt rushed through our nurse consult, but that changed in the subsequent appointments. The remainder of appointments were on time or within an acceptable timeframe, and our nurses and techs were well-​informed of our case and clearly communicated what was happening and what to expect next. As in any situation, we were still our primary advocates and all of our questions were answered clearly and in a timely fashion.
Dr. Kaplan and his entire team were wonderful. I had hyper stimulation and it was awful. FCI fit me in quickly and moved right into action. Dr. Kaplan personally checked on me frequently and everyone treated my husband just like he was a patient, too, asking if he needed anything, comforting him, and making sure he understood exactly what was –and wasn’t– happening.
I noticed that several people complained about FCI billing and that they were all about the money. This isn’t a free service so I expected bills. For me, FCI’s efficiency (and accuracy) was a welcome change from our original clinic where EVERY single bill was wrong. It become incredibly overwhelming trying to do the job of the medical coding and billing departments, while also trying to do my job as the patient. The FCI bills were on time, accurate, properly coded and billed to insurance as appropriate. For us, this was a huge pro for FCI!
Do you have to be your own advocate? Yes. Were there days when they were behind schedule? Yes. All in all, I would recommend FCI to anyone looking for fertility treatment.

Did anyone else receive a note from a Dr. Mark Walker, Business Development executive at FCI requesting details of your experience at FCI? Just wondering.

We knew that going through fertility treatments would not guarantee pregnancy. Dr. Kaplan walked us through all our options, and gave us feedback on what would be the best option for us.
We are very happy with the level of service and care that we received thus far.
I have three nurses that I can reach out to directly for any questions/​feedback during business hours.
I have an on-​call phone number to reach a nurse for emergency off hours issues.
Their financial specialist took time to see what is and what is not covered by our insurance so we didn’t have any financial surprises. IVF is not covered with our insurance, this support was key to helping us understand our financial obligations and plan for them.
FCI works in tandem with Healy’s Pharmacy. Healy’s offers amazing service with free medication delivery. Very convenient.
I have the option to have my bloodwork/​ultrasound done at any of their locations. During the egg retrieval process this was an everyday task. If I was in the city I could go to River North, if I was in the burbs I could go to one of those locations.
The medication schedules that they provide were very helpful.
My advice to follow patients:
–You are your own advocate, if you have a question, even what seems like a silly one, ask it.
–You won’t be able to get the doctors opinion on something without making an appointment with them. Make the appointment, the piece of mind is always worth it.
Good luck!

They are successful but you are not a person, you are a number.
They tell you as little as possible. If you don’t ask the right questions you don’t get the information. The place is a well oiled machine.
Just be prepared to make sure they are doing their job. Stay on top of them. Know your results and what they mean.

Like anyone who has to utilize fertility treatment, I had high hopes and dreams about this place. I thought, with so many clients and so many locations — this must be the place to go! Unfortunately — those two things had more to do with why NOT to choose FCI.
Some people feel like it is a well oiled machine– fair enough. But others, like me, feel like cattle in a nameless, faceless, impersonal place.
There are so many disappointing things about this place it’s hard to know where to start but I’ll try to keep it short and to the point:
1. You will wait. And Wait. and WAIT. It doesn’t matter that you have an appointment. Nobody cares if you don’t have 3 hours to sit around, or that you have to get to work. THEY’RE BUSY. Thats what they will tell you, condescendingly. Guess what? I’m busy too. When I make an appointment for 9am and sit in a waiting area with the rest of the herd until 10:45, it’s frustrating. And downright rude. And unprofessional. Not a great feeling to add on top of all the other issues that go along with infertility.
2. You are not a patient, you are a customer. Like at McDonalds. No one knows your name or anything about you. You won’t have a doctor looking out for your best interests, or thoughtfully going over your treatment plan with you. There will be nobody who knows your history, or even pretends to care about you and your journey to become parents. This is a business, in the coldest sense of the word. If that doesn’t bother you, then you’ll be fine, but if you are looking for compassion and caring of any kind, FCI is probably not a good fit. This is the McDonalds of fertility treatment.
3. They will make mistakes. With the sheer volume of customers they have, it’s not surprising that they will make mistakes. Like talking to you under the impression that you are someone else. Giving you advice based on someone else’s chart they have in their hand (because, they don’t really know who YOU are). Like scheduling you multiple times for the same procedure because they read the chart in a hurry and got it wrong. All of these happened to me within a couple months, and I finally just said, forget it and went somewhere else. I’m sure if they we’re more patient focused, the mistakes would be fewer, but at the end of the day, incompetence is incompetence.
4. It’s ALLLLLLLL about the $$$$. These folks are johnny on the spot when it comes to charging you and getting their money. I wish they were as fastidious and organized about looking at the charts and, you know, like, the actual treatments.
5. The communication is atrocious. For some reason, my doctor seemed surprised that I didn’t know every step of a fertility treatment. I was constantly in the dark about what the next step was. I had to call often and just say «I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing next.» Talking to your doctor is almost impossible. Making an appointment with her/​him doesn’t mean you will actually see or speak with her/​him. They always act astonished that you thought you were actually going to SEE or SPEAK TO the doctor.
There we’re of course some people who worked here who had some of the qualities one might be looking for, like punctuality, professionalism and compassion. The nurses who perform things like ultrasounds are really wonderful, but the scales tip overwhelmingly into the negative when you look at the big picture, imo.
FCI might be a good fit if:
— you don’t work and/​or don’t need to count on the schedule/​appointment time
–you don’t care about the interpersonal interactions
–you already know how the treatments work and can be proactive about the plan
–you don’t need guidance or compassion
Overall FCI was not only disappointing, but flat out aggravating and just a big waste of time and energy. The journey to parenthood through infertility is already complicated and tough — there’s no reason to give your time and money to a place like FCI when there are better places out there, that charge less even. Good luck to all you prospective parents!

As a husband in this scenario I feel helpless. FCI helps me feel that way.
1. Communication sucks. I’m nearly never informed.
2. Attitudes suck. After having no information given to me I am scolded for not knowing their scheduling. There is virtually no sympathy much less empathy.
3. This is our 3^rd round and now our doctor isn’t here. Instead we get a doctor we don’t know.
4. No answers. At best everyone is guessing.
5. No organization. Communication, scheduling, and proper instructions are all over the place. We call them more than they call us.
If you are a husband here, prepare yourself as a second class citizen. You are a cog in the machine and that is all.