I have yet to have an appointment here.. but I just want to say.. for someone going through infertility.. I’ve had a difficult time with OB offices being sympathetic. Today, I called FIRM with a few questions and the receptionist was so kind and I honestly have never been so happy to finally talk to someone who is willing to listen to me. I am excited to schedule my appointment, but just wanted to mention how great just even my first interaction was!
We went to FIRM after struggling to conceive and we were lucky enough to meet Dr. Erb. From the very beginning, Dr. Erb took the time to explain all of our options, their risks and benefits, and likelihood of success. Through every disappointment, Dr. Erb was reassuring and offered support in all of our decisions. Because of Dr. Erb and the entire team at FIRM, my husband and I now have 2 amazing children (4mos and 22mos). We feel beyond blessed and thankful. If in need of reproductive advice and assistance, I would recommend FIRM and Dr. Erb to anyone!
The nurses and Dr Freeman in this office are amazing. They were informative and very helpful during my journey with infertility. Infertility treatment is strenuous and expensive with no guarantee that it will work. You just have to be an informed patient and understand the odds of successes and failures in advanced. In my case, after some failures The Firm helped me conceive a healthy baby girl. I will say the staff in Jacksonville isn’t the best. It’s really hard to get in touch with anyone since a lot of procedures do have to be done in that office due to equipment or timing of your cycle. Maybe because they are super busy there scheduling for multiple offices. I would recommend contacting the staff in Daytona if that’s your regular office and have them help with making your appointments in jacksonville.
They only offer treatment if your BMI is under 30. This should be told before the appointment and before testing so that people do not waste their time and money here. Ladies, there are other DRs out there that will help you conceive even with a higher bmi (as long as youre healthy and its safe of course). Dont give up! Your weight does not determine your worthiness of being a mother!
Im extremely frustrated with my experience with the Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine and the lack of care and compassion I experienced through their office. I feel as if they only want to push patients towards treatments that make the most money for them and are not interested in looking at the root cause of infertility, even when requested by the patient directly.I began seeing Dr. Freeman almost 10 years ago in which he diagnosed me with PCOS. At the time, he commented that while I had a lot of the physical symptoms of the condition, my blood work did not really back it up and I lacked a major symptom commonly seen in PCOS which is obesity. Because I was not actively trying to conceive at the time, I just lived with this diagnosis and nothing further was done.Fast forward to 2022, and am experiencing infertility. My normal OBGYN recommended I return back to FIRM to look further into my infertility as all my testing thus far had come back normal. Dr. Freeman is not currently practicing, and Im not sure if he will return because of a medical diagnosis, so I had an appointment with Dr. Erb.Because my husband and Is test all were returning normal, she let us know that her recommendation would be taking steps towards IUI or IVF. Her first recommendation would be for us to get a pre-natal genetic carrier screening done to make sure that we do not have any conditions that would be passed along to a baby. We went on to have the genetic screening report done, which only discusses carrier status and does not diagnosis you with any condition. While together we are a low-risk couple and did not have any conditions of concerns, a genetic condition that effects fertility popped up on mine that under further scrutiny I believe I may actually have. Ironically, after reading countless medical journals they believe up to 40% of PCOS cases are misdiagnosed and are actually this condition. It is not a rare condition and it is not something thats life-threatening or particularly serious, but amounts in some hormone imbalances that causes PCOS-like symptoms and infertility.I called to speak with Dr. Erbs office to see if they would order a blood test that measured certain hormone levels tied to this condition and reproduction to see if we could confirm I had this condition, as again, the genetic test that was done only measured carrier status and was not diagnostic. I was met with resistance and told they would not look into this further even though its a reproductive condition and sources online suggest that either a fertility clinic or an OBGYN can treat you for it.For this condition, low doses of steroids are used to help balance the hormone production effected by this condition and increase fertility. A medical study published in 2019 suggests that 90% of patients that received this treatment went on to conceive naturally without further intervention. When I spoke to the clinic staff about this I was told that they would not pursue this, and that my only options under their care were IUI / IVF. I dont know why Dr. Erb refused to try a medication that would cost me $4,as even if it wasnt successful, it seems like a natural first step to want to try that before investing thousands or tens of thousands into more invasive treatment. Because of this refusal, I cant help to feel that it is self-serving and because they want to make their money through IUI or IVF treatments. Furthermore, reflecting back, Im a little frustrated that this condition was never brought to my attention when I was seeing Dr Freeman as a possible cause if so many cases of PCOS (of which he is a specialist) is misdiagnosis of this condition.When asked about next steps, they would not provide me with a referral or even a suggestion of where to look for help, and I received the unhelpful suggestion of look online.
Best Experience EVER! The Doctors and Nurses and Staff are BEYOND caring. They take their time and educate their patients, they are caring and kind and wonderful. I wish I could give the FIRM 10 stars. We still keep in touch and highly recommend them to everyone we know. We Heart the FIRM!!!
They are only attentive to their white audience. There’s no other race in the office that works but whites. Also the doctor is always over booked takes months to contact. I’ve call 5 times for the next steps. This office has lost its way of caring. They use to the same things over and over instead of helping with problem. When your doctor switchs a lot that not good. I’ve referred over 100 people to this office and they too will be doing a reviews. treatment is unacceptable. I’ve had much success on my own without this doctor. If you see no progress within a year please move on the only care about $$$$. Not your happiness.
My husband and I chose this group for our first IVF. Working in medicine myself, I understand what “care” should entail. I will hit the highlights, but there were many other issues. Being told this entire process would cost “about” 17,000.....actual cost 22,311.47. Making appointments to have ultrasounds in the office, taking the day off of work (myself and my husband) and showing up to no dr in the office (several times) to be told, “oh, it’s a glitch in our system. It happens”. No “I’m sorry” , or “we will work carefully to ensure you don’t drive an hour and fifteen minutes each way for this to happen again.”. Going in for our 10 week ultrasound, there’s no heartbeat, and it takes the office THREE AND A HALF WEEKS to call and say “just calling to see, uh, what happened.”. Thankfully I followed up with my own OB, scheduled a D&C, and took my health into my own hands. Seeing 5 different doctors, when you were told ONE would follow you closely, and each has no idea what the others spoke to you about. Having important labs not followed up on, and ME having to call them to let them know they missed my trial transfer (the nurse argued and said this could NEVER HAVE BEEN MISSED, then admitting.....oh yeah, I guess we did) just days prior to the actual transfer.This is a personal and emotional experience. If you are happy being “just a number”, this is your place! If I could give negative stars, I would!
We thank God every day for Dr. Erb and her team. Ive never written a review like this before - but the negative comments on here really irk me. True, it is expensive, and emotionally and physically exhausting. IVF was the hardest thing we have ever done. You have to really, really want this. Two steps forward is always accompanied by one step back on this path. That being said - we trust Dr. Erb completely - choosing the right procedures and tests, despite the costs, paid off. You have to wrap your head around the path that lies ahead of you or youre not going to be happy. Ive cried in their office, sad tears of course, but also the happy ones. Everything was worth it in the end. And I would, and plan to, do it all over again. I have nothing but the highest regard and respect for FIRM and their physicians. They have been a blessing to us and our family and I pray that someone reading this will find hope in it.
Incredible. I went two two other groups in Orlando before going to and sticking with FIRM. Their doctors are incredible (I prefer Freeman) and their staff is responsive and knowledgeable.
I am so thankful to the staff at the FIRM. Dr. Freeman is amazing, caring and knowledgeable. I will forever be grateful to them for giving me my beautiful healthy baby girl.
Absolutely wonderful so far, have worked with both Dr von Goeban and Dr freeman, couldn’t be happier with our decision on choosing FIRM, highly recommend!