Unfortunately, our experience with Audubon Fertility started well but quickly began to unravel…read more After our egg donor had her AMH and AFC tests, I repeatedly asked the clinic for the results. The clinic told me over the phone, "the results are fine," but would not provide specifics. As paying clients, we were entitled to see these results, and it was frustrating that they withheld them for so long. When we finally received the test results, it was too late to make any changes to our plans. Upon consulting other clinics, we learned that our egg donor likely didn't have enough time between stopping birth control and undergoing the egg retrieval. Audubon's lack of transparency limited our ability to make an informed decision.
Things continued to go wrong. When it came time for genetic testing, the clinic made a significant mistake. They filled out the paperwork as though our egg donor was anonymous, which meant we couldn't obtain the combined genetic report from MYRIAD. While this mistake might seem small, it was just one of several errors made by Audubon throughout the process.
The next issue arose when it was time for sperm collection. Months before our appointment, I asked what we needed to do to prepare. I was told, "nothing, you're fine." However, we later discovered we should have been taking vitamins to improve sperm quality, which Audubon never mentioned. While I could have researched this myself, I trusted the clinic's guidance, which turned out to be a mistake.
When we arrived for the physical examination, we were told we had to undress and undergo a full check, including a visual inspection of our genitals and feet. When I questioned this, the nurse explained it was an FDA requirement. I reached out to several friends who had been through surrogacy, both gay and straight, and none of them had been required to do this. I can't help but feel this extra step was due to the fact that we are a gay couple.
The final straw was the egg retrieval process. Audubon scheduled the retrieval for a Monday, but we later learned that egg retrievals should be timed based on AMH levels, usually 34 to 36 hours after the trigger shot. When I asked the clinic how they managed to schedule the retrieval without monitoring AMH levels properly, the patient liaison said, "We schedule retrieval early in the 36-hour window." This led to a high number of immature eggs being retrieved. After consulting two other clinics with exact dates and times, both agreed that the eggs had been retrieved too early.
Overall, I feel that Audubon Fertility did not prioritize us as clients, and we ended up wasting both our time and money. We didn't get many mature eggs, and unfortunately, our egg donor didn't either.
If you are part of the LGBT community and considering surrogacy, I strongly encourage you to look elsewhere. I genuinely believe that other clinics will provide better care, transparency, and respect for your time and resources.
