Seattle Reproductive Medicine

After trying to get pregnant nearly 3 years and seeing 2 different gynecologists and getting nowhere, I decided to see an actual fertility specialist. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this place, and Dr. Barker. The first appointment was pretty standard but the nurses were so patient with all my requests and questions and beyond friendly. The doctor was very honest with us and so nice, I felt so welcomed. To my disbelief, I got a call the following day that I was already pregnant but they wanted to follow up with some blood tests to make sure my hcG levels were doubling as they needed. Went back 2x and both appointments were so fast, no issues. Always got call backs pretty early in the morning and again, answered all my questions. After I was in the clear, they scheduled my ultrasound which I went in for today. Again, everyone was so nice, the ultrasound went wonderful and she gave me OB recommendations because I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go. Honestly, I wish I could continue my care here as it was such a wonderful experience. I highly recommend SRM without a doubt!

My (our) experience with SRM has been extremely positive. I would recommend SRM to anyone and feel confident they would give you all of the information needed to make the best decision for you personally. I have to say some of the reviews made me a little nervous to schedule an appt but I’m really glad I did. I never felt like a $$ sign like some of the reviews suggest. The staff are easy to talk to, professional and help you feel comfortable. Everything I was worried about in trying an IVF cycle, (e.g. shots, overstimulation etc) did not come to fruition and ended up not being a big deal. Dr. Dudley is great to work with. He is honest, knowledgeable and definitely cares about his patients and goals. Marty is extremely helpful as well. Jessie (RN) is always really prompt in answering e-​mails/​questions and have not had any issues with scheduling appointments. They always went above and beyond to work with my schedule.

If I were reviewing my interactions with the nurses this would be a 5 star review — 6 if they would let me. Lexie has been patient with my MANY questions during our IUI attempts. She has always been quick to respond to emails and is not just professional but empathetic.
My biggest problem is that it is near impossible to schedule procedures in Tacoma. More staff is needed so people don’t have to drive to Seattle, especially when there are limited windows and work schedules to balance.
Everyone is always so pleasant and considerate of the process. We are blessed to have good insurance that covers most of our procedures, but even so the financial person Marty was extremely helpful and professional as well.

I felt compelled to write a review because of the excellent care I have received since being a patient at the Tacoma SRM since Feb 2014.
Dr Nichole Barker has been my doctor there the entire time, and has been fantastic. For the patients at the other locations, I think this is one of the best features of the Tacoma location that Dr Barker is the only physician so your continuity of care is far better.
From the beginning, Dr Barker was aware that we wanted to go ‘as natural’ as possible — as in — not interested in IVF until the distant future if at all. I have read several reviews (mostly the other locations) that talk about how they feel they are just another number or dollar signs to SRM. I want to stress that my entire care has been covered by insurance other than some minor services, and they have made minimal if any profit off of me because of this fact. They knew from the beginning that I am not interested in their big money-​making services like using egg donors or IVF, but I have still never have had better care from the staff and Dr Barker.
I don’t want to divulge much of my medical information, but I had a lot of problems/​complications that had me calling the nurses frequently (my initial nurse left SRM recently, but since have had Lexi from the Seattle clinic) and a lot of visits for repeat ultrasounds and bloodwork. All of my calls were returned quickly, and I was always treated with respect and kindness, and taken seriously; never brushed off. I also had frequent email communication with Dr Barker and Lexi which was really great because they would always reply so quickly. On several occasions Dr Barker called me personally to give me information or answer my questions/​concerns.
While the Tacoma location is closed on the weekends, which is unfortunate if there is something urgent that needs to be addressed, there was an occasion where I was having an emergency on a Sunday. I called the main number, and the answering service got me connected immediately with one of the nurses at the Westlake office, who was able to speak directly with the physician (Dr Criniti), and was then able to get me into the office immediately to rectify the problem and hopefully avoid an ER visit. I am an ER nurse, and hoping that qualifies my statements a little, I have never had such amazing care. The front desk staff was aware that I would be arriving and got me right back to a room. Dr Criniti is fabulous; compassionate and truly cared about me. The visit to the Seattle location on Sunday saved me an ER visit and thousands of dollars. They kept me for a few hours after a procedure, gave me fluids and pain medication and observed me until she felt comfortable sending me home. Amanda was my nurse that day who was also extremely caring and compassionate. Dr Barker personally called me the next day to check on me and so did Lexi.
I also had to have a surgical procedure a couple weeks after the Sunday visit at the Westlake office. Dr Davis was my doctor for the procedure, and all of the staff I had contact with were all great. I seriously had the best possible experience. Even though my Dr was not Dr Criniti that day, I received the sweetest email from her after my surgery wishing me well.
Of course, nothing is perfect. However, I am not going to give fewer stars based on the fact that the front desk lady at the Tacoma office acts like she has no idea who I am each time I see her, or that some of the MA’s have strange bedside manner. I also get irritated when I need to call for an appointment and have to hold for ages, or when I leave a message for a call back and don’t get a call back. I wish there was a better way to call the office directly vs having to go through the call center, but it is what it is.
I know that everyone has a different experience, and of course some of them being bad, however I will vouch for the exceptional care that SRM offers its patients.
I hope this is helpful for anyone considering care at SRM,

People here are kind and professional. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for and they are experts. My only complaint is that sometimes I feel like a cog in a big machine of SRM, but I absolutely think they are the best infertility clinic in Tacoma. No contest.

Well, in the beginning I would give them 5 stars but as time went by I learned very soon that your not considered a patient but more a $$ sign. I will start off by stating my experience didn’t get bad till we got knee deep in the IVF process. Here are the things that happened to turn my smile into a huge frown!
1. I was instructed to go to their Seattle branch as the Tacoma location is closed on the weekends. We were not told that there is no close parking & that you have to ring to get in. After finally finding a spot to park and ringing to get in we were late. I am called back only to be lectured about not coming late next time, then expects me to be relaxed during my ultrasound. I was very disturbed by this, if we weren’t so far in the process I would of went elsewhere!
2. I started to feel odd. I looked up symptoms for being over stimulated & noticed that I have all of the symptoms. I contacted them & told them on my next visit that I thought I was being overstimulated. They checked my levels said they looked fine & reduced my medications. Obviously my levels weren’t fine if they lowered my medication. About 2 days later I end up in the ER finding out that I was indeed overstimulated and that my lung was full of fluid, which is a symptom of being overstimulated. I had to have my lung drained, the ER doc contacted them to find out what she should do as she wanted to admit me. They instructed her to tell me to come straight to their Seattle location, which we did. They told the ER Doc that they were still going to go ahead with the implantation. We arrive and were told that my case was extremely rare, that they talked to several doctors and never heard of such a thing, and instructed me that I would not be able to have my implantation done. The doctor instructed me to see a pulmonary doctor as they felt that the fluid in my lung had nothing to do with being overstimulated. Then send me home after the ER doctor said they would most likely admit me in the hospital they use to monitor me! The pulmonary doctor confirmed that it was because I was overstimulated, and I have spoken to several women about their IVF process and almost everyone I had spoken to had their lung’s filled with fluid as well. Proving that this is indeed not a a rare case. Now, because of this my eggs had to be frozen which puts them at a great risk now of not coming out correctly when they’re defrosted. They also are billing me over $ 1000 to have them frozen and I don’t feel that it is my responsibility to pay for their carelessness!
3. When we started this process we found out that our insurance would cover most of everything I was having done. The doctor even said that I had not met my limits & that probably everything would be covered. This was back in January 2012, we finally get a bill late November stating we owe over $ 3000. Almost a year later they finally bill us? They throw this bill at us and expect us to pay it within 10 days or they’re going to take it to the collection agency. I don’t find this fair. You can’t expect to just throw a bill at someone & expect them to have the money right then and there after 8 months!!! Not to mention it’s the holiday season. I can’t believe w/​everything that we have been through that they would threaten to send this bill to collections even after we told them that we were having it resubmitted as we felt that there was a imperfection in the bill. We also had made a $ 150 payment which apparently was not substantial to them.
If they want to blemish my credit then I will take this a step further and contact my lawyer as a piece of paper I signed will not be valid on account of several reasons.
I read bad reviews about their Seattle location, but I feel that this practice is accountable for both their Tacoma & Seattle location as I was seen at both and I had issues with both. I really liked my doctor so I gave them a chance. I feel like I made a HUGE mistake!
We are currently pregnant (not by IVF) and I am a EXTREMELY high risk pregnancy. I can’t deal with this UNNEEDED stress, and if I loose a chance to have a baby a second time around on the count of them I will be taking legal action.
In this economy if u promise to make payments they still aren’t happy & resort back to a paper I signed. I stopped going here in March. I had $ 3500 placed aside just for this. After 90 days went by we assumed we didn’t owe anything & used the money to move across the country for a job. It has been 8 MONTHS, who would honestly think after 8 months they we would be billed. We already paid off 2 bills with them why would we assume there would be a 3^rd? There was one for me and one for my husband! Now there is a 3^rd bill EIGHT months later? Irate beyond words!
After speaking w/​our insurance company all bills submitted are paid within 10 days not 8 months. They submitted the bill in late July when my last day of service was March 18^th! They were paid in July, why are we getting a bill 3 – 4 months later?

My husband and I consider ourselves privileged to be SRM patients but particularly thankful that our doctor has been Dr. Dudley. We agree wholeheartedly that not only is he the BEST doctor either of us have ever dealt with, but also that he is in the PERFECT profession for his personality, skills, and «bedside manner.» Most couples dealing with fertility are apprehensive, emotional, and confused. Dr. Dudley met us exactly where we were, was patient, helpful, caring, and informative. This man knows what he is talking about, and gives diagnoses and information in a way that makes you feel like you are his only patients. He is patient, he explains and clarifies well, even going over the same topic several times until he is sure that we are understanding. He has made the most unpleasant and challenging time of our lives much more bearable. We have left his office every time feeling confident that we are in great hands and that there is hope for us and the future of our family!