Mayo Clinic Infertility Clinic

Paid $17500 up front with no option for payment plan yet our insurance did cover part of IVF: -1 star, all fertilized eggs ceased development and you don't know why: -1 star, no one on the REI team called us - you got some random old office lady with a kind voice to tell us all embryos stopped developing, -1 star, REI team's regiment of meds for 2.5 weeks only resulted in 6 eggs total - do you even know how to IVF? -1 star, you never mentioned that drugs cost $300 for 1 shot of gonal f and you said we needed 17 shots and we still only had 6 eggs. No wonder you're not highly rated. Do not go to Mayo Infertility for IVF. They don't know how to IVF but they can blow smoke up your uretha and tell you it will work while taking your money.

This was one of the most discouraging and demeaning healthcare experiences I’ve ever had. The nurse practitioner I saw began the visit with kindness and a smile, but quickly shifted to cold and condescending when I questioned the lack of continuity in my care. After years of established care elsewhere and successful treatment for anovulatory PCOS (two healthy children), I came here simply expecting consistent treatment. Instead, I was told I could not receive care based solely on my BMI, with no consideration for my medical history, lab results, or prior success. I was just under their cutoff and was warned that if I gained even a pound during treatment, everything would be stopped—this while injecting hormones known to cause bloating and weight fluctuation. This is not evidence-based medicine. It’s lazy, discriminatory, and harmful. I live with PCOS and Hashimoto’s, both of which make weight loss extremely difficult. I was open about my history of eating disorders, yet the conversation centered entirely on weight, with zero compassion or understanding of hormonal and metabolic factors. To make matters worse, the clinic operates with no consistency. Every nurse and provider gives different answers, leaving patients jumping through endless hoops while paying thousands of dollars for care that lacks empathy or clarity. When I asked about continuity of care, I was told I could “go back to my home state”—over 13 hours away. I was also told I would have to start at the lowest dose of Letrozole rather than using what had worked successfully for my previous pregnancies. Fertility treatment was treated as if it were a cosmetic procedure, not the deeply emotional and medical issue that it is. The lack of compassion and understanding for women with PCOS and hormonal disorders is shocking. BMI is an outdated and unreliable metric (Tomiyama et al., Int J Obes, 2016). The CDC notes that BMI does not accurately represent individual health. Studies show that weight stigma from healthcare providers increases stress, worsens outcomes, and causes patients to avoid care (Phelan et al., Obesity Reviews, 2015). I wear a size XL/12–14. To be told I am “too large for care” is absurd and unscientific. Reducing a patient’s health story to a number on a scale is not medicine. It’s negligence disguised as policy. If you want compassionate, consistent, patient-centered care, look elsewhere. Everyone deserves to be treated as a whole person, not dismissed for failing to fit an arbitrary chart.

If I could give Mayo Clinic REI a negative star I would. The doctors are great but the business office/office is the most disorganized and complicated to deal with. They quoted me one price and yes I understand it’s an estimate, but then turned around and charged me double in addition?!? They even stated themselves the issue was an “internal miscommunication.” Definitely was a surprise billing which is illegal. Save yourself the stress and go somewhere in the Cities.

I cannot say enough great things. We had our first consultation with Dr. Stewart. The front desk staff and the nurses were so kind to us. Dr. Stewart answered all of our questions and took the time to really help us understand everything. I had my surgery March 14th with Dr. Nelblett. His team and all the nurses working in the OR that day were fantastic. I wish I had his name but the nurse that was in my room post-op took such great care me. For our post-op appointment Dr. Nelblett was super down to earth, explained everything in detail and the appointment ended with us feeling very confident and excited for our “journey”. You can tell he is VERY passionate about what he does. They really care about their patients and treated us exceptionally well.

I met with Dr. Ali Ainsworth, an RE/fertility doctor at Mayo who lists POI (premature ovarian insufficiency) as a "clinical interest" of hers on the Mayo website. I thought that meant she was specialized in fertility treatment for POI patients, but it did not. She is specialized in treating POI for health purposes, but she said the Mayo has a firm 20 FSH cutoff for fertility treatment with a patient's own eggs (POI is defined as having an FSH higher than that). She was extremely nice and professional and I am sure would be a great RE for someone who did not have POI, but it was a pretty useless appointment for me (she pushed donor eggs). I feel like the website should be more clear. I ended up going to an actual specialist and getting pregnant.