letter to my former doctor

To The Office of Dr. C:

I am writing to let you know that, after much research and consideration, I have decided to move on to a new doctor. This was not the case when I first requested my charts from you – I fully intended to continue my care with you. However, I have found out a few things that have convinced me to seek medical help elsewhere.

Two of my concerns with Dr. C’s plan of treatment for me were whether or not Clomid was the right choice for me, and whether or not I needed further testing. Dr. C informed me that Clomid was the only medication that I should really take, and that since we know I have PCOS neither an HSG nor further testing was needed – we already knew what my conception problem was.

At the urging of my family doctor, I recently visited an RE. He decided to order an HSG for me – a test that Dr. C told me I “didn’t need.” He also did an ultrasound, which showed him that I am growing follicles with no problem, but am not releasing the egg. He believes that there is a hormone issue that is causing me not to complete ovulation, and has scheduled further ultrasounds to confirm this. But it looks as though, since I can grow the follicles without medical help, Clomid was not the best choice for my case.

The HSG revealed that my tubes were, indeed, blocked. The doctor was able to clear them out by pushing the dye through, but nothing was getting through without that push. Dr. C’s plan to do several IUIs and then move on to IVF would not have worked for us – the IUIs would NEVER have worked, since I’m not ovulating on my own without a trigger shot. And we are still quite a ways away from having to consider IVF. I believe that further testing and monitoring – as I requested – would have shown Dr. C that this was the case.

I am writing, not in anger, but because the sense I always got from your office, your staff, and the environment there, has always been that you genuinely care about your patients. I strongly believe that Dr. C was doing what she thought was best for me, and I appreciate that. I am writing, though, to let you know that there were other, better treatment options for me. And I hope that you will take that into consideration with the patients you are currently treating and will treat in the future. I believe that you had my best interests at heart, and I thank you for that. I know that you were actively working with me to get me pregnant, and that is very important to me. However, I now know that my concerns were valid, but because they were dismissed our journey to becoming parents has become longer than it needed to have been. And because of that, I am going to choose to stay with the doctor who listened and did the testing that I needed.

Thank you all for your help and care while I was your patient. Your staff is amazing, and Dr. Cwas always a very pleasant and comforting doctor. Each of you helped to get me started on this journey, and I wish you all the best.

Thank you all.