Positive Steps Fertility (Madison, MS) — An Honest Editorial Review

Mississippi has one of the thinnest fertility care landscapes in the country. Patients who need specialist-level reproductive medicine — IVF, advanced diagnostics, fertility preservation — have historically faced a stark choice: travel hundreds of miles or go without. Positive Steps Fertility, headquartered in Madison just north of Jackson, is the state's most established answer to that shortage. Founded by a physician who spent six years leading the REI program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center before building his own practice, the clinic brings fellowship-trained expertise to a region where that level of care remains rare. With a 4.8-star rating and locations in Gulfport, Shreveport, and Slidell, it has become a regional anchor for fertility care across the Deep South.

Physicians and Clinical Team

Dr. John Preston "Pres" Parry, MD, MPH is the founder and lead physician at Positive Steps Fertility. His training is unusually broad: he triple-majored at Cornell University, completed graduate work in viral epidemiology at Columbia University, earned his medical degree from New York Medical College, finished his Ob/Gyn residency at Tufts Medical Center, and then completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Louisville — the subspecialty training that qualifies him as a board-certified REI.

After his fellowship, Dr. Parry served as Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for six years — a tenure that gave him a firsthand view of the care gaps facing Mississippi patients and motivated him to open an independent practice. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Mississippi ACOG chapter and President of The Society of Reproductive Surgeons (SRS).

He is also the inventor of the Parryscope® fertility diagnostic approach — a patented, minimally invasive technique designed to evaluate three core aspects of female fertility in a single office visit, with greater comfort and efficiency than traditional procedures. The Parryscope® has become the defining clinical feature of the practice.

Services and Treatments

Positive Steps Fertility offers a full-spectrum reproductive medicine menu, covering initial diagnostics through the most complex assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments:

• Parryscope® Fertility Testing — The clinic's signature diagnostic procedure, assessing the uterine cavity, tubal patency, and key structural factors of female fertility in a single minimally invasive office visit. Patients report less discomfort compared to traditional HSG.
• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) — The primary advanced treatment pathway. Published pricing is approximately $12,687 before medications.
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) — Appropriate for mild male factor, unexplained infertility, and donor-sperm cycles for LGBTQ+ patients and single parents by choice.
• Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation) — Elective preservation and medically indicated preservation before cancer treatment. Published pricing approximately $8,500.
• Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) — Embryo genetic screening before transfer to reduce miscarriage risk.
• Fertility-Preserving Surgery — Minimally invasive procedures for fibroids, polyps, septae, and other structural contributors, supported by Dr. Parry's SRS training.
• Male Fertility Evaluation — Semen analysis and male-factor workup as part of comprehensive couple assessment.
• Ovulation Induction — Medication-based cycles for ovulatory dysfunction that may not require full IVF.

For patients new to IVF, our IVF guide walks through each phase of a cycle in plain language.

Laboratory and Success Rates

Positive Steps Fertility operates with an in-house embryology laboratory. The clinic does not publish granular success rate data — the CDC's ART Surveillance Report is the standardized benchmark, and patients comparing outcomes should consult those figures directly.

What the clinic emphasizes instead is diagnostic precision: the Parryscope® approach is positioned as a foundation for better-targeted treatment and fewer wasted cycles. Dr. Parry's Columbia MPH in epidemiology reflects a data-oriented clinical style, and the clinic's multi-site structure across Mississippi and Louisiana suggests active procedural volume — a meaningful quality indicator in embryology.

Patient Experience

A 4.8-star rating sustained across platforms points to an experience that is consistently above the norm. Recurring themes in patient accounts:

Unhurried consultations. Patients note that Dr. Parry takes time with questions — visits do not feel like a conveyor belt. For patients who have spent years in undifferentiated Ob/Gyn care, that quality is not trivial.

Emotional attunement. Multiple reviewers describe Dr. Parry as genuinely present during difficult conversations. One patient cited a FaceTime consultation during a hard moment as an example of care that extended beyond office hours.

Responsive staff. Front office and nursing staff earn consistent praise for same-day callbacks and a well-organized, welcoming atmosphere. The Madison facility is described as bright and spa-adjacent in feel.

Outcomes. Multiple reviewers with multi-year infertility histories credit Dr. Parry with successful pregnancies after prior treatment failures. Outcomes vary by diagnosis and patient age — treat these accounts as context, not prediction.

One note: some reviewers flagged the absence of a patient portal and a fee for records requests. Confirm the current records access policy when you schedule.

Considering At-Home Insemination?

Not every fertility journey begins in a clinic. At-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is a lower-cost, private option that suits patients with no known fertility diagnosis — including single parents by choice, same-sex couples, and people who want to try a few cycles before committing to clinical treatment.

At-home insemination kits like those from MakeAMom come with step-by-step instructions designed for donor or partner sperm. Kits are a one-time purchase that can be reused until conception succeeds, require no clinic visit, and arrive in plain, discreet packaging. Many patients use them as a first step while working toward a fertility consultation — or alongside ovulation tracking while they wait for an appointment slot.

If you have a known fertility diagnosis, have been trying for 12 months without success (six months if you're over 35), or your physician has already recommended IUI or IVF, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist is the right next step.

Insurance and Financing

Mississippi does not require health insurers to cover fertility treatments, meaning most patients at Positive Steps Fertility pay out of pocket or rely on employer plans that voluntarily include fertility benefits. Published base pricing gives a reference point: IVF at approximately $12,687 and egg freezing at approximately $8,500, both before medications. Stimulation medications typically add $3,000–$5,000, and PGT testing, anesthesia, and embryo storage carry additional costs. Request a complete itemized estimate at your consultation.

Fertility-specific lenders such as CapexMD and Prosper Healthcare Lending offer installment plans — ask the financial coordinator what the clinic has in place. See our guide to fertility clinics in Mississippi for a broader view of coverage options across the state.

The Positive Steps Fertility website includes contact information for all clinic locations and allows prospective patients to initiate a consultation inquiry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the physician at Positive Steps Fertility in Madison, MS?

The practice is led by Dr. John Preston "Pres" Parry, MD, MPH — a board-certified REI who trained at Cornell, Columbia, New York Medical College, Tufts Medical Center, and completed his REI fellowship at the University of Louisville. He served as Chief of REI at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for six years before founding Positive Steps Fertility. He currently serves as President of The Society of Reproductive Surgeons and Vice Chair of the Mississippi ACOG chapter.

What is the Parryscope® technique?

The Parryscope® is a patented minimally invasive diagnostic procedure invented by Dr. Parry. It evaluates uterine anatomy, tubal function, and related structural factors in a single office visit, designed to be gentler and faster than a traditional HSG. Whether it is the right starting point for your workup depends on your history — your consultation with Dr. Parry would clarify this.

Does Positive Steps Fertility accept insurance for IVF?

Mississippi has no fertility insurance mandate, so coverage depends on your employer-sponsored plan. Most patients pay out of pocket. Contact your insurer before your first appointment and ask the clinic's financial coordinator for a complete itemized cost estimate.

Does Positive Steps Fertility serve patients outside of Mississippi?

Yes. Beyond the Madison headquarters, the practice has locations in Gulfport, MS; Shreveport, LA; and Slidell, LA — making it accessible across a broad stretch of the Gulf South, a region with few competing REI options.