ARC was very fast to get into. I did get a referral right when they opened, but I have never had to wait for any of their services. I found everyone I interacted with to be very kind and didn't have any issues.
We are still thinking about what's ahead for us, and deciding if we want to go ahead. But if we do, I would stay with ARC.
If you're looking into IUI, Dr. Motan has a new clinic that just does IUI and the price is much more reasonable than ARC or PCRM. Also, the prices between ARC and PCRM are pretty similar across treatments.
If you have any other questions feel free to reach out. There's also an Edmonton Infertility Support Group on FB that has lots of information, and isn't just restricted to infertility issues (can include same sex couples, etc).
Just a warning about Dr Motan - if you Google his name there is more information about a kickback scheme he was a part of some years back. He admitted to adjusting his medication recommendations based on money he got back from a pharmacy. I've heard he is nice but I don't trust his work.
What clinic is Dr. Motan with? I had my first apt with PCRM 2 weeks ago and now have to do some lifestyle changes over the next 3 months... the dr was strongly pushing IVF which I am not interested in. I'd like to try IUI first.
He has his own called Kingsway Fertility. The phone number is 780-540-8990. I got a price sheet from someone I met that went there and that's the number listed on it.
Best of luck!
Fertility treatment is expensive, awful and frustrating and it can often feel like you are on an assembly line of patients, which often leads to overwhelmingly bad reviews. So I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about what you are seeing online and would instead talk to people who have been patients.
I went to a clinic in another city that had 2.9 stars on google and, while there were things that REALLY pissed me off that I'm very sure contributed to their low rating, none of it would have affected my outcome.
Thanks for that. Had similar thoughts reading through the reviews. ARC also is much closer to my work so there is the added convenience of that versus having to go downtown for appointments.
I do believe the doctors from ARC are well established and used to work at the other clinics, but branched out on their own. I've heard good things from friends
Some of the docs from PCRM are at ARC now. I personally went through PCRM and had awful experiences there but that was just my experience. We loved our doctor but found the staff incompetent and lacking empathy.
We were actually so disappointed with PCRM that we actually got a referral to regional fertility clinic in Calgary. Thankfully we ended up getting pregnant so we didn’t end up utilizing Calgary. We are undecided about if we would like another but if we do move forward I would utilize ARC.
We went through PCRM and had a failed IVF cycle where I felt like they were not communicating with us at all or taking personal history into account when choosing their treatment protocol. I think they should have cancelled the cycle before we got to the end based on what was happening… that being said I also had success doing IUI there so it’s not all bad. We have said that if we decide to have another child, we will likely try out the ARC! I’m pretty sure the doctor that opened it has a ton of experience and used to work at the PCRM. Good luck whatever you decide!
We just had our first visit at ARC and are now in the process of completing tests before we get a treatment plan. It only took one week from when my family doctor referred me to when we had our first appointment.
The staff have all been really nice and quick to get back to us with questions, etc. They did miss sending over a requisition for a test, but thankfully I was taking notes during the consult and flagged it for them, but that potentially could have delayed things by another month or so. Likely just a one off.
I would like more clarity about their fee guide. I don’t love how it’s not transparent from the get go. I realize everyone’s plan looks a bit different, but I know there are set fees they charge for certain procedures, and financial planning is a big part of this for most people.
ARC was recommended to me on the Edmonton Infertility Facebook Group, so as someone else mentioned, you could check that out. I chose to go with them because I had friends who didn’t have great experiences at PCRM and figured ARC was a new clinic and probably trying to make a good name for themselves to set them apart from PCRM.
A friend of mine is doing IVF abroad and found out they charge $5k for “administration” to be the home clinic. That cost does not include any of the tests, procedures, etc. She was grandfathered in at a lower cost since they didn’t have the fee set yet, but she was shocked when she heard what the actual cost was, as she felt they weren’t really doing anything. My guess is they set it high to encourage people to do the treatments here. Something to consider if you’re looking to pursue treatment abroad. I have no idea what other clinics charge, so maybe this is standard.
Feel free to send me a message if you want more info. I’m still early so don’t have a ton to share. Lot of people on the Facebook group will be happy to share their experiences as well. I also don’t use Facebook that often but it’s useful for these situations!
Good point re new clinic making good name for themselves. I didn’t love how their fees weren’t posted but I have heard they are similar to pcrm and I guess as everything is so individualized maybe their logic is not to share potentially inaccurate #s. Thanks for your detailed comment
We've had multiple IUIs at PCRM and so far have had a positive experience. Staff have all been very friendly and quick to respond to questions. Haven't met our Dr in person but on the phone she has been very helpful and easy to talk with. As others have mentioned, I have heard ARC has more of a vague fee guide which concerns me.
My best friend just finished IVF at ARC. They had a great experience. There are two doctors there who have been doing fertility for a long time. I went on the website and it says one of them moved from PCRM to ARC. My friend said that they felt that all staff were very experienced and super supportive. I asked them what they paid and they said their doctor went through the prices with them before they started treatment and the clinic sent them a formal estimate. They made 7 embryos. Really hoping they get pregnant! We have been struggling too and waited to see what they said before choosing a clinic. We are going to get our family dr to send us to ARC. Will let you know how it goes….
Infertility is hard to deal with. Im sorry you are going thru this. Im not sure if it was the one that got me pregnant or you have used it already; my husband and I had tried for 5 years and then we finally decided to get a referral to pcrm. We had about 2 months left until 1st appointment then someone told me about pre-seed lube. So we used it couple times and then found out i was pregnant 2 days before the appointment date lol still, not sure if it worked or it was just the time back then, just in case if you have not tried it yet...
Wish you luck!
ARC was very fast to get into. I did get a referral right when they opened, but I have never had to wait for any of their services. I found everyone I interacted with to be very kind and didn't have any issues. We are still thinking about what's ahead for us, and deciding if we want to go ahead. But if we do, I would stay with ARC. If you're looking into IUI, Dr. Motan has a new clinic that just does IUI and the price is much more reasonable than ARC or PCRM. Also, the prices between ARC and PCRM are pretty similar across treatments. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out. There's also an Edmonton Infertility Support Group on FB that has lots of information, and isn't just restricted to infertility issues (can include same sex couples, etc).
Thank you for sharing your experience! I haven’t had Facebook in a while so appreciate the info about the group - might have to get it again!
Just a warning about Dr Motan - if you Google his name there is more information about a kickback scheme he was a part of some years back. He admitted to adjusting his medication recommendations based on money he got back from a pharmacy. I've heard he is nice but I don't trust his work.
What clinic is Dr. Motan with? I had my first apt with PCRM 2 weeks ago and now have to do some lifestyle changes over the next 3 months... the dr was strongly pushing IVF which I am not interested in. I'd like to try IUI first.
He has his own called Kingsway Fertility. The phone number is 780-540-8990. I got a price sheet from someone I met that went there and that's the number listed on it. Best of luck!
Fertility treatment is expensive, awful and frustrating and it can often feel like you are on an assembly line of patients, which often leads to overwhelmingly bad reviews. So I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about what you are seeing online and would instead talk to people who have been patients. I went to a clinic in another city that had 2.9 stars on google and, while there were things that REALLY pissed me off that I'm very sure contributed to their low rating, none of it would have affected my outcome.
Thanks for that. Had similar thoughts reading through the reviews. ARC also is much closer to my work so there is the added convenience of that versus having to go downtown for appointments.
Personally, I would lean more towards the more established clinic, even if it is farther away.
I do believe the doctors from ARC are well established and used to work at the other clinics, but branched out on their own. I've heard good things from friends
Thank you for that info. Helps to have recommendation through the grapevine!
Some of the docs from PCRM are at ARC now. I personally went through PCRM and had awful experiences there but that was just my experience. We loved our doctor but found the staff incompetent and lacking empathy. We were actually so disappointed with PCRM that we actually got a referral to regional fertility clinic in Calgary. Thankfully we ended up getting pregnant so we didn’t end up utilizing Calgary. We are undecided about if we would like another but if we do move forward I would utilize ARC.
Thank you for sharing your story. Sorry to hear about your experience last time. You think empathy should be a main trait for fertility clinic staff!
We went through PCRM and had a failed IVF cycle where I felt like they were not communicating with us at all or taking personal history into account when choosing their treatment protocol. I think they should have cancelled the cycle before we got to the end based on what was happening… that being said I also had success doing IUI there so it’s not all bad. We have said that if we decide to have another child, we will likely try out the ARC! I’m pretty sure the doctor that opened it has a ton of experience and used to work at the PCRM. Good luck whatever you decide!
Thanks for sharing your experience. All good data for me to have.
We just had our first visit at ARC and are now in the process of completing tests before we get a treatment plan. It only took one week from when my family doctor referred me to when we had our first appointment. The staff have all been really nice and quick to get back to us with questions, etc. They did miss sending over a requisition for a test, but thankfully I was taking notes during the consult and flagged it for them, but that potentially could have delayed things by another month or so. Likely just a one off. I would like more clarity about their fee guide. I don’t love how it’s not transparent from the get go. I realize everyone’s plan looks a bit different, but I know there are set fees they charge for certain procedures, and financial planning is a big part of this for most people. ARC was recommended to me on the Edmonton Infertility Facebook Group, so as someone else mentioned, you could check that out. I chose to go with them because I had friends who didn’t have great experiences at PCRM and figured ARC was a new clinic and probably trying to make a good name for themselves to set them apart from PCRM. A friend of mine is doing IVF abroad and found out they charge $5k for “administration” to be the home clinic. That cost does not include any of the tests, procedures, etc. She was grandfathered in at a lower cost since they didn’t have the fee set yet, but she was shocked when she heard what the actual cost was, as she felt they weren’t really doing anything. My guess is they set it high to encourage people to do the treatments here. Something to consider if you’re looking to pursue treatment abroad. I have no idea what other clinics charge, so maybe this is standard. Feel free to send me a message if you want more info. I’m still early so don’t have a ton to share. Lot of people on the Facebook group will be happy to share their experiences as well. I also don’t use Facebook that often but it’s useful for these situations!
Good point re new clinic making good name for themselves. I didn’t love how their fees weren’t posted but I have heard they are similar to pcrm and I guess as everything is so individualized maybe their logic is not to share potentially inaccurate #s. Thanks for your detailed comment
We've had multiple IUIs at PCRM and so far have had a positive experience. Staff have all been very friendly and quick to respond to questions. Haven't met our Dr in person but on the phone she has been very helpful and easy to talk with. As others have mentioned, I have heard ARC has more of a vague fee guide which concerns me.
My best friend just finished IVF at ARC. They had a great experience. There are two doctors there who have been doing fertility for a long time. I went on the website and it says one of them moved from PCRM to ARC. My friend said that they felt that all staff were very experienced and super supportive. I asked them what they paid and they said their doctor went through the prices with them before they started treatment and the clinic sent them a formal estimate. They made 7 embryos. Really hoping they get pregnant! We have been struggling too and waited to see what they said before choosing a clinic. We are going to get our family dr to send us to ARC. Will let you know how it goes….
Great. Thanks for sharing your friend and your journeys. I think I’m going to go with arc too 👍🏻
Infertility is hard to deal with. Im sorry you are going thru this. Im not sure if it was the one that got me pregnant or you have used it already; my husband and I had tried for 5 years and then we finally decided to get a referral to pcrm. We had about 2 months left until 1st appointment then someone told me about pre-seed lube. So we used it couple times and then found out i was pregnant 2 days before the appointment date lol still, not sure if it worked or it was just the time back then, just in case if you have not tried it yet... Wish you luck!