Dr. Catenacci provided excellent patient resources recommending one embryo per transfer, and advising us to the risks of multiple pregnancies...She answered the many, many questions we had at the initial consultation and during each clinical and telemedicine visit we had as we progressed through treatment. We saw Dr. Catenacci at our initial consult, at my mock embryo transfer, at our egg retrieval, at our frozen embryo transfer,
One new feature that came out at the end of my time with Advanced Fertility was the online patient portal...[the AFC of Chicago nurses made sure] Everything that happened at each appointment was carefully explained, and I was given detailed instructions in person, over the phone, and through the patient portal...It was scary at first giving myself shots in the stomach, but Advanced Fertility sent me some very helpful training videos...
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Dr. Catenacci was a wonderful partner during our fertility treatment. She answered the many, many questions we had at the initial consultation and during each clinical and telemedicine visit we had as we progressed through treatment. We saw Dr. Catenacci at our initial consult, at my mock embryo transfer, at our egg retrieval, at our frozen embryo transfer, and after our first two embryo transfers did not result in pregnancy. When our first two embryo transfers (one fresh, one frozen) did not take, she walked us through all the possible additional testing we could do next if we desired, but also recommended that we do one more FET before pursuing additional tests. We became pregnant with our third frozen embryo transfer and are so glad we followed her recommendation!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
I was surprised when I was told another doctor would be performing our first fresh embryo transfer. Know that if you are doing a fresh transfer, you may not get the doctor you are working with for the transfer because all three doctors use the surgical clinic at scheduled times. Our mock embryo transfer, egg retrieval, and frozen embryo transfers were all able to be scheduled with Dr. Catenacci.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Our experiences during the many office visits were always positive. The waiting room in the Chicago office is nice, relaxing and spacious. The clinical rooms in Chicago and Gurnee are very nice as well. All of the nurses are friendly and knowledgeable. I worked with Chelsea Rose the most and she is wonderful. Dr. Catenacci answered all of our questions and concerns along the way, and provided a top notch patient experience and success in achieving a healthy pregnancy.
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
Thankfully the medications I was on for the egg retrieval did not make me feel too uncomfortable before or after the procedure. It was scary at first giving myself shots in the stomach, but Advanced Fertility sent me some very helpful training videos. The shots didn’t hurt much so it quickly became no big deal. My husband did the progesterone shots for me and we grew comfortable with those pretty quickly too. The egg retrieval was the hardest part for me because of my “fear of IVs”, but even that wasn’t so bad. I was very thankful for a quick recovery from the egg retrieval and very little discomfort. The embryo transfers and IUIs were actually quite comfortable. I was so thankful to have four embryos from our first egg retrieval. We transferred one fresh BB embryo, one frozen BC embryo, than two frozen embryos (BC & CC) for the third transfer at our request to increase the odds of implantation. We became pregnant with twins from the third transfer!
Describe your experience with your nurse at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Chelsea Rose)
My primary nurse, Chelsea Rose, the patient coordinator and the entire nursing staff were always cheerful, warm and welcoming. Even when things were busy they never seemed stressed. Everything that happened at each appointment was carefully explained, and I was given detailed instructions in person, over the phone, and through the patient portal. Fertility treatment can be overwhelming at times, so if I didn’t fully understand something I would always ask and would get the additional clarification I needed.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
We had a great experience with the Advanced Fertility clinic. The waiting room in the Chicago office is nice, relaxing and spacious. The clinical rooms in Chicago and Gurnee are very nice as well. The atmosphere is positive and I never felt stressed or rushed during my visits. One new feature that came out at the end of my time with Advanced Fertility was the online patient portal. Before they would simply give me a paper handout with instructions or provide information over the phone. I didn’t mind getting information on paper and over the phone, but it is nice now to be able to pull up any of my results or instructions in the patient portal on demand.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
The out of pocket costs for fertility treatments were very reasonable compared to other practices. Our insurance plan for fertility was based on a limited credit system, so we chose to pay out of pocket for IUI and use the insurance credits for IVF. The IUIs were $1,100/each, plus medication ~$150. We chose to use our Progyny insurance for IVF, and only had to pay about 5% of the costs for this. We only used 1/2 of our Progyny lifetime credits on the egg retrieval and 3 transfers we underwent to become pregnant. If you have Progyny fertility insurance, consider paying cash for any IUI treatments you elect and save your insurance for IVF.
Describe Michelle Catenacci's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
Dr. Catenacci provided excellent patient resources recommending one embryo per transfer, and advising us to the risks of multiple pregnancies. We decided not to do genetic testing on our embryos, and after the first two single embryo transfers failed, we elected to transfer our last two embryos together. While one embryo is always recommended, you are able to transfer up to two embryos at a time if they have not been genetically tested. We are now expecting twins!! We are over the moon to have two healthy babies on the way. Just know that transferring two embryos - even lower grade BC and CC embryos like we transferred - can result in twins. We were advised on this and knew the risks, but I can honestly say we couldn’t be more thrilled. :)
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Clinic
Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago
Chicago