How long should I plan to be there? We schedule patients every 30 minutes.  So, from arrival to departure should be 30 minutes or less.   The exception is some of the longer Elective 3D/4D ultrasounds in Wausau - you'll get to enjoy seeing your baby move and wiggle around.

Arriving - Madison: There is plenty of parking around the building and you can enter in the front or the back.  We're in office 108 at the end of the hallway on the 'main' floor.  The address is 313 Price Place, but the "313" is hard to see.  The building is also called the Lafayette Building.  This image to the right is what you're looking for!

Arriving - Wausau: The office in Wausau is a building right downtown. There is free two hour street parking and also a ramp just one block away.  If your appointment is before 8am, you'll enter the building through the coffee shop - pictured here (they have DELICIOUS coffee and treats, if you have time to stop and enjoy).

Entrance to Wausau Location before 8am

Restroom: There is a restroom in the hallway prior to our office door.  Unless you were explicitly told not to empty your bladder for the appointment (i.e. collecting urine for any tests), then you can feel free to empty your bladder prior to the appointment.  For the trans vaginal ultrasound you'll be having, it can be easier to see the anatomy when your bladder is empty.

If you are having an elective 3D/4D ultrasound, please have a full bladder - this will optimize the images!

Waiting area: We have a cozy waiting area with a couch and seats.  If we're with another patient, you can make yourself comfortable. Hang up your coat.  Make a cup of tea.   

Meet your provider: You will either be seeing Heidi Miller, RN (Madison), Christie Olsen, NP (Madison), or Katie Anderson, RDMS (Wausau).  Whoever you might be seeing, they will introduce themselves and bring you into the exam room.  You'll have a chance to ask questions and confirm the plan for the appointment.  If you have a partner or friend you would like with you, you're welcome to bring them.

Children: Our preference is there are no children at the appointment, so we can give you our full attention and you can give yourself your full attention!  However, we do not exclude children from the office. We are seeing egg donors, gestational carriers, and people going through their own fertility treatment.  Sometimes, people need to bring their child to the appointment and we are here to make the process as easy as possible. 

For our Wausau location, where 3D/4D elective OB ultrasounds are performed, some patients will be bringing older siblings. 

That said, if having a child at the appointment before or after YOUR appointment would be upsetting to you, please share this with us so we can confirm that won't be the case.  (95% of people come alone!  So, the odds are slim a child would be in our office).

Blood draws (currently Madison location only): If you could ensure you're well hydrated (i.e. maybe so much that you need to get up at night to use the restroom), that will make an early morning blood draw much easier, if you're having one.  Unless instructed, you do not need to fast and can eat/drink normally that morning.  It's a good idea to have had something to eat or drink, especially if you get faint.  Typically, we will draw 1 or 2 small tubes of blood. We will verify your name, date of birth, and the tests that are being done.

Ultrasounds (Vaginal and Abdominal): For the IVF and FET ultrasounds, they will be vaginal. You'll need to undress from the waist down and remove a tampon or cup, if you have one in place.  An ultrasound cover is placed on the probe and ultrasound gel is placed on the probe cover.  The ultrasound probe is placed vaginally about the length of a tampon. This procedure might be uncomfortable or you may feel the cool ultrasound gel, but we would not anticipate you having any pain.  Please let us know if that's the case so we can adjust and understand the situation.

The IVF/FET Monitoring ultrasound will usually last anywhere from 4 minutes to 10 minutes, depending on the purpose of the scan and the findings. 

The 3D/4D scans will last 20-30 minutes and the ultrasound probe will be abdominal, not vaginal. 

When the scan is done, the provider will step out of the room so you can get dressed.  We will come back in to see if you have any questions.

Payment: After the exam, we will ask for your payment (check, Zelle, or cash only), if you have not already paid via Zelle or an escrow account (egg donors and gestational carriers).

It depends on the purpose of the ultrasound! 

What is a Vaginal Ultrasound? - these are ultrasounds where the ultrasound probe is placed vaginally to get a close view of the ovaries and uterus.  The ultrasound is inserted vaginally, about the distance of a tampon.  The probe is similar diameter to a tampon.  The exam should not be painful.  You will feel some cold ultrasound gel that is goopy.  You may feel some pressure.  The exam should NOT be painful.

Specifically - these are vaginal ultrasounds:

• Follicular ultrasounds for IVF and FET cycles are always vaginal.
• Early OB ultrasounds are vaginal.
• Any pregnancy ultrasound prior to 10 weeks is likely to be vaginal.
• If an abdominal ultrasound is done and the image quality is not adequate, then the ultrasound will be done vaginally. 

What is an Abdominal Ultrasound?  This us an ultrasound where the ultrasound probe, along with some cold, goopy ultrasound gel, is placed on the skin of your abdomen and lower abdomen to view the uterus.  You will feel pressure, but it should not be painful.  We will use towels to keep the gel off of your clothing.  You may keep your pants, skirt, underwear on.  You will lift your shirt to expose your abdomen and lower abdomen.

Specifically, these are abdominal ultrasounds:

• Any scan done after 14 weeks will be abdominal.  
• Most scans done after 10 weeks can be abdominal, but this will be determined on a  case by case basis. 

If you're unsure or have questions about the type of ultrasound - please ask us about it!  That is what we are here for!

Yes! Same day for sure.

We finalize the ultrasound report shortly after we see you. If you're having only an ultrasound, the report might be at the IVF clinic before you get to your next destination.

For visits with ultrasounds and labs, the labs are driven from our office directly to the hospital laboratory where they are run STAT (medical jargon for RIGHT NOW PLEASE).  Typically, we have lab results within about 2 hours of your appointment.

To be conservative, the results should be at your IVF clinic by NOON Central time on the day you're seen.

After taking stimulation meds, the follicles in this ovary have grown larger. Each follicle has 1 egg.

Yes!  Not only is it possible, it is our standard to include images on every report.  We know how important it is for your provider to see what the ovaries and uterus look like -- the images help your provider make the best decision possible to optimize your outcome.

We can describe to you what we see, but your IVF provider will review the report, the measurements, descriptions, and photos.  That information, along with your own treatment plan and health history, will guide the IVF provider to instruct you on next steps!

It can be helpful to have a list of questions to ask your provider when they call you with results and the next steps.  You may want to ask what hormone levels they expect to see?  What measurements they are hoping to see?  Will you need more medications?  Also, you can ask them about any side effects you may be noticing.

Yes! Just ask and we can email them to you in an encrypted email.  Some patients like to see their results.  Other patients find having that information to be stressful.  We're happy to help make this process the best possible one for you -- just let us know if you'd like results sent.  We will use encrypted, HIPAA compliant email to send them to you.

Yes!

In fact, if you're doing a 'baseline' visit for the very first monitoring appointment for a frozen embryo transfer (FET) or egg retrieval cycle, there is a good chance you might be on your period at that monitoring visit.  At your baseline visit, your provider will want your uterine lining to be thin (i.e. the lining has shed off/bled).

If you're using a tampon, just remove it prior to the ultrasound exam.

Yes, you may, but please let us know.  Many IVF clinics do not allow children in them to be sensitive to people who find seeing a child can be triggering while they are getting their fertility treatment.  In general, our office is not that busy that people overlap, so this would be rare.  We're trying to balance being flexible and sensitive. 

On the other hand, if you find seeing a child at the visit would be triggering for you, please let us know and we can make arrangements to ensure your comfort at the visit.

It depends on the purpose of the ultrasound and also how far along you are, for pregnancy ultrasounds.

You can ask for clarification, but a good general rule is:

• Transvaginal Ultrasound (IVF/FET/Early pregnancy) - having a EMPTY bladder is best.
• Abdominal Ultrasounds (Pregnancy ultrasounds after 10-12 weeks) - having a FULL bladder is best.

When in doubt, please ask!

These appointments are done on a case-by-case basis.  In general, we will try really hard to see you!  We know that sometimes your body just needs to be monitored on a weekend and we want to help you.

For blood draws only, we generally will suggest that you go to your local laboratory for the tests, if required on a weekend.

We generally know 1-2 months ahead of time any dates that will NOT BE AVAILABLE for monitoring appointments.  You can always email: Christie@forwardfertiltiy AND Amy@forwardfertility to ask about our "Unavailable" dates as you start your treatment so there are not any surprises.

UNAVAILABLE DATES OF SERVICE: 

On occasion, we may not have staff available for a date of service.  This is usually 1-2 days per month and often on a weekend.  Please let us know the dates you may need to be seen so we can discuss alternatives.  Often, if you need to be seen on a date, your clinic may allow you to be seen one day earlier or later.  We're happy to help troubleshoot this with you!

We look forward to seeing you.

Contact your financial institution to confirm they offer Zelle. 

If your bank uses Zelle, you can initiate a payment TO Forward Fertility on your bank's website.  When you log in, you'll follow the tabs to Making a Payment via Zelle. 

Use this information to set up the payment:

Name: Forward Fertility

Email: christie@forwardfertility.com

Phone: 608-217-7511

Amount: Enter the amount provided to you on the invoice in your Patient Portal.