Denver Fertility Albrecht Women's Care

At each office appointment I've had with him, he gets out a piece of paper and takes notes and draws pictures as needed to reference what we're talking about, and at the end of the conversation, I get to keep the piece of paper. During the clinical procedure of the transfer he came into to greet me and my husband before the transfer and even offered me a mantra/prayer on a small slip of paper. (I assume he would have done the same during the egg retrieval, but a different doctor performed that procedure).

Don't let his age deter you; he is passionate about this branch of medicine and has been doing it for a long time. He has stayed up to date with the medicine as it has changed and continues to work because he's passionate about helping people grow families.

After the initial round of testing, it was determined we would probably need just a little boost. In addition to changes in diet that he recommended, I began seeing an acupuncturist. Cycle 1 - 50 units clomid no IUI, Cycle 2 - Letrezole w/IUI, Cycle 3 - Letrezole w/IUI, Cycle 4 - Letrezole w/IUI, Cycle 5- clomid 100 units w/IUI, clomid 150 units w/IUI. I didn't know until we started talking about IVF that we had been hoping for more than one follicle, and the only cycle that my body produced more that one follicle was the 6th (two). It was our choice to take a break and back off for a few months, plus we were traveling and it would have been hard to meet the testing needs. I have no other symptoms or diagnosis and am actually struggling with secondary infertility (My child was conceived naturally after 7 months). During a regroup appointment, he gave us three different options: 1 - continue with Clomid 150 with IUI, 2 - Gonadatropins (high risk of multiples), 3 - IFV with FET. We decided to proceed with IVF and it was suggested that we do a freeze all cycle in order to PGS test all embryos. I believe we could have pushed back on this and request a fresh transfer, but agreed to testing because we are facing the unknown. My egg retrieval protocol was aggressive and I experienced minor OHSS afterwards so was glad we had not chosen a fresh transfer. After a waiting month to do uterine testing we began the FET cycle. 18 days of birth control, then lupron shots (first ten units for a week and then 5 units daily), estrogen patches and daily pills, the added PIO injections about a week before transfer. Took antibiotics and other steroids in the days right before the transfer to help minimize infections. I took a diazepam the day of transfer and also had an acupuncturist treat me in office before and afterwards. Continued progesterone injections and estrogen pills/patches until chemical pregnancy blood work. We are repeating the same protocol right now and will have another FET in 10 days. Only changes are additional tweaks to diet. The rationale behind not changing anything is that nothing went wrong. We had let the embryologist pick "the best" genetically normal embryo. During our last regroup, he agreed that if we wanted to transfer two embryos at once, he would do the two lower quality at once, or the high quality as a single.

With some insurance coverage, each medicated IUI cycle was about $500 out of pocket. IVF without medications was less than $8500. FET without medications is less than $3100

I am 33 and since I'm close to "the line" he seemed like he would let us push for multiple, but his preference is to do singles. Part of our meetings with him have included the risks to moms and babies when multiples come into play. He encourages eSET for healthy under 35 moms, and changes his approach when other factors or 35+ maternal age is a factor.

Dr. Ambler is the exact person who I would want with me along in this journey. First point being that my husband walked out of our first meeting with her and said, "She's got this, I can feel it. She cited papers!" My husband is not particularly trusting of doctors, and his immediate comfort with her and her abilities made me feel more at ease. She is a no bs kind of woman, but somehow is still incredible compassionate. At one point I ran into her in the hall after talking with the nurse about my lining finally being up to where we wanted it, and she gave me a huge smile and told me (something along the lines of), "I'm loving that lining, girl! Let's do this!" We're finishing our last IUI cycle now, and if it's a negative, I have no doubt in my mind that Dr. Ambler is who I want doing my IVF. Something about her just releases all my tension about it. I walk out of her office truly feeling a "We got this." sentiment.

Be completely honest about your concerns. I felt a bit intimidated by her presence at first, but after a few interactions, I was more comfortable in asking my "dumb questions", which of course were never actually dumb, and she never once made me feel like they were either. Whenever I was actually honest with how I was feeling and what my concerns were, she always alleviated them with her thorough answers and cautious and practical optimism.

So, I have diminished ovarian reserve, and when we started going to Dr. Ambler, I had an AFC of ~3-6, AMH level 0.6, FSH 19, super low testosterone, low TSH, cervical stenosis, and suspected endometriosis (never been confirmed, but now seems less likely). She had me immediately get on a DOR supplementation schedule - Vitamin D, Fish Oil, CoQ10, Prenatal, DHEA, Ovasitol, and PQQ. Since the studies have shown that egg development begins 3 months before ovulation, she had me stay on these for the 3 months before beginning my first IUI. That one was purely Clomid 100mg Day 3-7, and progesterone suppositories (I have low luteal phase progesterone) in the luteal phase. I had a ~7mm lining and an 18 mm follicle. That resulted in a negative test. My second IUI was Letrozole (with the hopes of improved lining, as Clomid is known to decrease lining), 10 mg CD 3-7, with luteal phase HCG (I had bad side effects from the progesterone, so we switched to the HCG to increase my luteal phase progesterone). Side note, in both of these, I ovulated on my own ~CD 16. I had 6-7mm lining with a 21mm follicle. Also resulted in a negative. My third IUI was same protocol, but added Estrace, 1 mg vaginally CD 5-surge (hoping to increase my estrogen, and therefore, lining). My follicles went weird, and turns out I had an anovulatory cycle, so that IUI was cancelled. We did a reset cycle - estrogen for 21 days, then progesterone to start up my period again. IUI #4 I did the Letrozole, and then added micro HCG (for lining), instead of Estrace (thinking maybe it did something weird - turns out it didn't), CD 6-surge. I had a positive OPK way too early, so the cycle was cancelled (we now know that I apparently sometime have false positives, as my LH was still low). I am currently on IUI #5 (and last). We did Letrozole, micro HCG, and Estrace. My lining has been dragging along, so we went ahead and added Ganirelix to delay my ovulation until we could build that up. Since it's my last IUI, we're putting everything into it. I do have a couple of follicles in the mature range, so we're hoping that everything lines up this time. I'll go back in for an ultrasound to check my lining and trigger tomorrow if it looks better, with hopefully an IUI the following day. (By the way - there is no male infertility to speak of in our case). Then I'll be on the luteal phase HCG 2.5 ml 3, 6, and 9 days after IUI. It has been really helpful that they have monitored me really well throughout all of the cycles - with ultrasounds 2-3x/week during stims.

My IUIs were covered under insurance, so costs so far have been minimal. $25/ultrasound, $30 for a visit with a nurse, $50 for a visit with Dr. Ambler. Labs were done in house. Not sure about IVF costs.

N/A

She was so kind and I appreciated that she was honest about risks. I thought she was a good balance of a sweet bedside manner, sympathetic about my history, while also laying out the risks moving forward with IVF. I did not feel like a number at all and there was no pressure. I know she will be supportive of whatever we decide.

Don't be afraid to ask questions and even come prepared with some. Dr. Ambler is more than happy to answer any of them and wants to ease any concerns you might have.

Dr. Ambler suggested a cycle of IVF moving forward. She explained it would take about 4 months from start to finish. I need to have a FEMVUE first to see if I have a tubal blockage. If it's blocked I will need surgery to remove or block off the tube so it will not affect implantation of an embryo during IVF. She said I am a great candidate for IVF. For IVF cycles her office does frozen embryo transfers, prefers ICSI, and we will also do the optional genetic testing to reduce our chance of miscarriage.

If you pay with cash or check instead of credit there is a 3% discount. For phase 1 of IVF it is $7905. The Embryo Transfer is $3007. Additional costs we are paying for are genetic testing which will be about $2500. Plus the cost of the medications (about $5000).

She is NOT a fan of implanting more than one embryo. She said she NEVER recommends implanting 2 embryos to patients ever. She was very clear about the risks, which I appreciated. With my first pregnancy I had preeclampsia at the very end, but didn't have it at all with my second. She said the chances of me having preeclampsia with twins is 7 times higher since I have had it in the past. She also said embryos can fight for space, and also since she prefers ICSI the embryo has a 5% chance of splitting. So there is a concern for having 3-4 babies. Ultimately with us knowing the risks, she said she will support us whatever we decided to implant one embryo or two.

Dr. Ambler’s direct approach regarding communication was so helpful in understanding what we would face at every turn. That’s not to say the process was smooth (far from it) but I felt like I was cared for and that made the process bearable.

Ask lots of questions, read their website, meet the embryologist. Really get to know the staff who will be helping you!

At first, we wanted to try IUI. Even though my husbands semen analysis was a little low, we gave it a few try’s without any success. We moved on to IVF and had great fert but most of our embryos did not grow well. We were diagnosed with poor egg quality but we did get a transfer that resulted in a chemical pregnancy. My husband and I decided we could only manage one more attempt so we decided to use donor eggs. With frozen donor eggs we had great results. With three normal embryos frozen, I got pregnant with our next transfer. We will be back fo #2 and #3 as soon as we can!

For three IUIs, one retrieval, donor eggs and two transfers, I think we paid a bit over 25k. They do emphasize that they are the most affordable in Denver but I must say it doesn’t feel like anything was missing.

Dr. Ambler strongly recommended the transfer of one embryo at a time. She explained all the risks of twins and we were quick to agree. Since we had genetic testing we felt confident with our decision.

Dr Ambler is amazing, she is very helpful, explains things in ways you would understand, coming from a medical background myself she made sure to talk to me in medical terms and put things into situations that I could relate. She never once made me feel less then I am, she treated me as a human and made sure she tried everything she could to work with my insurance when I first started there I had Kaiser and she would communicate with surgeons there so I could try and get my treatments covered. I switched insurance during my 2nd cycle and she made sure to work with me in identifying if she was in network! She gave me all my options upfront and didn't allow me to jump the gun on unneeded changes.

LISTEN TO HER! She knows what she is talking about and isn't lumping you into other women. Everything in individualized. She doesn't mix up information and makes sure she knows what your goals are.

I had borderline doppler results, basically meaning the blood flow to my uterus might be slowed), she recommended acupuncture, however with my income and work schedule I couldn't go to the acupuncture 2 times a week for 6+ weeks. She suggested I take Pentox, Viagra, and vitamin E before my transfer cycle to make sure we were addressing the blood flow part of my results. My insurance covered these medicines and one is over the counter so it was far easier for me to manage with my schedule and my financial situation. She also is a big believer in doing trigger shots after the transfer to try and help the body accept the embryo, makes it 100000% harder not to take a pregnancy test as you can get a false positive thanks to the Hcg in the shots.

Denver Fertility was about the 1/3 of the cost associated with other clinics. The embryo transfer (frozen) was $3007 if you paid cash or check. There was also a required Trial embryo transfer $150, Sonohysterogram/Hysteroscopy $550, & Doppler Ultrasound $225 but those could be billed to insurance. The Trial and Dopplers only had to be done once as long as there was no gap in between transfers, I had a almost 6 month gap between my 2nd & my now 3rd and I had to redo the Trial to make sure nothing had changed. The meds are different depending on insurance and depending on which pharmacy you use mine were about $1900 for the first 2 transfers completely out of pocket, the 3rd transfer im spending about $350 thanks to insurance coverage

My Dr told me upfront that she would only transfer 1 embryo if I had them genetically tested as I was only increasing my chances of multiples by transferring more then 1 since I was young, healthy, and my donor was also young and healthy. I didn't do genetic testing and she agreed to transfer 2 embryos since I had 5 failed iuis and 1 failed FET with 1 embryo transfer.

He takes the time to ensure we know all the different treatment options, chances of success, risks, etc. He is very knowledgeable and loves to talk about studies that have been done and their results. He has never been dismissive of a question or a concern that I have had.

Come with questions! He is a great teacher and really takes the time to explain things and the reason behind them

I started with Clomid and timed intercourse while we ran tests. It was found that I had a hydrosalpinx and had to have my right tube removed. After removal, Clomid again with IUI (tried to ensure I was ovulating from the side with the tube. No success, so we have decided to move onto IVF (may be premature, but Dr. Albrecht supported our decision).

I have been using my insurance for treatment up to this point. Moving forward with IVF- there will be costs that are not covered. My understanding is that their cost for IVF is one of the most affordable in CO.

My understanding is that they prefer to only do single embryo transfers (will make exceptions in special circumstances). He went in great detail about the risks to both Mom and babies associated with a "multiples" pregnancy.

Did only meet Dr Albrecht during 2 consultations and he did not personally do the egg retrieval. He did personally do the transfer. I mostly corresponded to IVF coordination staff, he referred to them for details of treatment (specific timing, cost, etc) but he was very knowledgeable with fertility treatment and I felt comfortable with the fact we only personally saw him a few times.

Staff seemed to not want to overwhelm me as the patient so only provided information in 'chunks'. Initial information on retrieval, then after, info on transfer, etc. Where I would have preferred to get it all at once so I would have needed to be more proactive in getting this information from staff.

I appreciate that he does ICSI with all transfers, he prefers frozen transfer, and he does usually recommend PGS testing. From start of retrieval meds to frozen transfer was 3 months so it does take longer than some other doctors will do.

They had us set appointments for morning time, only a few times had to wait a bit. Overall blood work and other testing was very quick.

Retrieval is around 11,000 after PGS testing and transfer was about 3,000-4,000. None of that includes cost of meds.

He recommended eSET as I had no known fertility issues (only male factor) and we used PGS tested embryo.

She fully explains everything. She does talk very quickly, as there's a lot to cover, but she leaves time for questions and doesn't rush you out. Everytime you see her for procedures, she takes time to answer questions if you have them (and seems confused if you don't). The quick talking can be slightly overwhelming if you haven't done any background research (my husband got a bit glazed over at one point), but she's perfectly okay with being interrupted for clarification.

Do a little background research, to learn some of the terms. Even just a basic understanding will allow you to get more from your appointment. Take notes or ask if you can record the appointment - she always covers a LOT and trying to remember can be daunting.

After testing, we discovered I had diminished ovarian reserve due to one ovary not really doing anything at all. She put me on a supplement protocol. After 8 months on the protocol, I'm pleased to report my sleepy ovary has woken up and started ovulating normally! We did several rounds of Clomid/progesterone with IUI, but my response to Clomid was not fantastic (it was "okay" but not spectacular). After no pregnancies, we decided to try letrozole/progesterone. I responded extremely well to letrozole, and produced 3 follicles for the first IUI (and ovulated before the 2nd cycle ultrasound). She will cancel if you exceed 3 follicles. We needed to take a break, but will try two more letrozole/progesterone IUIs, as I responded well to them, before moving on to IVF. She is unsure why I'm not pregnant yet, as my response to the meds should have resulted in pregnancy by now.

IUI is $300 (self-pay). That includes semen wash/processing and insemination. It does NOT include medications. Ultrasounds, medications, labwork are all covered by my insurance, so I'm unsure what the self-pay is for those. The clinic has a great IVF self-pay package and provides a lot of resources for financing. The egg retrieval and fertilization (and 6 months of freezer storage) is just over $8000. The FET is just iver $3000. Those prices do NOT cover meds or any additional testing (PGS/PGD, trial transfer, etc) because those costs vary so widly based on what the patient needs.

She was very clear on her diagnosis and recommendations for treatment. She gave a diagnosis that was different from every other Doctor seen and explained why. She was very honest on all possibilities.

Send everything prior to your appointment

All other Doctor's seen prior to Dr. Ambler reported that my husbands Sperm count and motility were low but not concerning and would just take longer but had no further recommendations for him. All recommendations were for me (lose weight, stop drinking caffeine, cut stress), but all of my test results were good. Dr. Ambler was clear that my husband's testosterone was too low and was impacting his motility. She ordered him some supplements that greatly improved his count (20 million to 93 million) and has prescribed him clomid for 3 months to increase his testosterone. Depending on his results will determine whether we pursue further interventions. If his motility does not improve, she is recommending IUI with both frozen and a fresh sample.

Treatment costs are definitely less than other clinics in our area. We are paying out of pocket and Dr. Ambler works with our insurance for things that can be covered (blood tests, semen analysis, etc). Self-pay for the consultation is $225 and they provide you with a list of everything and the costs.

He was excellent to work with. I have my twin boys because of him!!! He was kind caring and supportive. He was careful to follow protocol and explained why he did his process the way he did. He was detailed in his explanation of procedures and facts. He took time when you really needed his attention.

Feel comfortable asking all the questions. He will take the time to accurately or as clearly as he can answer them. He doesn’t make promises but provides you with the facts. He is caring and extremely experienced!

It was three years ago. We did a trial with the medications before the actual FET. I used donor eggs. I took at that time HGC, estrodile, Lipton and then progesterone inserts and a shot every few days. He only would transfer one embryo and would not discuss more after explaining his reasoning wihich was always rational and in place for the safety of the potential mother and baby. He was through and knew each step well. He performed all trial procedures as well as the actual transfer, he performed the 8 week ultrasound.

My total cost was close to $45k as I used an outside donor agency and Dr Albrecht.

I believe the single embryo practice he has was excellent as I only ended up with one embryo and it divided into two and I had twins. So I fully support his perspective.

We felt taken care of as soon as we entered the building. Dr. Albrecht was very engaged and really showed that he cared about us and our outcome, stemming from his knowlege of our situtation to his thoughful recommendations on how to move forward with the procedure and other treatments. Dr. Albrecht knew who we were, and what we were going through, at every appointment (practitioners at CCRM barely knew who we were at our appointments). The biggest impression that he had on us was at the transfer, where he held my hand and provided me with a mantra to practice while we waited for the results over the next few weeks. He made me feel safe and that our fate was in good hands.

Dr. Albrecht knew the we had unexplained infertility with implantation failure on the previous 2 transfers. He recommended that I get a blood test to see whether my antibodies were high, which they ended up being, and so he recommended that we try intralipid infusion therapy. I started therapy a month prior to the transfer, and will be on that therapy every month until delivery. He also recommended that I try an anti-inflamatory diet several months prior to transfer, and to reduce caffeine and alcohol intake. I was on Vitamin D, prenatal vitamins, and folate (I'm MTHFR positive), and 2 81mg of Asprin, which I continue to take. Otherwise, I was on a typical hormone protocol, including estrogen (vaginally and patches) and progesterone injections.

The total transfer (not including medication) was <$3,500.

Dr. Albrecht said that based on the genetic testing and viability of my embryos, he thought that we should only transfer one single embryo.

He is the most compassionate doctor I have ever had the chance of being treated by. He never once was doom and gloom about our situation. He told me that sometimes women respond better to less medications, and for me, that ended up being the case. I owe him so much after years of treatment and heartbreak. If you are looking for a doctor that is kindhearted, compassionate, willing to go above and beyond, he is the one for you.

Do not let his age or his calmness full you. He is an older doctor, that is brilliant.

100mg clomid on cycle day 4-8 with natural trigger. We did an iui 24 hours after I received my surge. He wanted to try less medications first since I had already done 2 prior egg retrievals with not much success. My first iui with him was successful and I now have an almost one year old.

Each iui runs around $2000 give or take. It all depends on how many ultrasounds I had to have.

N/A

I am currently still seeking treatment with Dr. Albrecht for unexplained infertility. He's our second RE and we moved to his office after finding out our first RE didn't accept our insurance for anything (blood work, labs, ultrasounds, etc.). Dr. Albrecht found that I had a uterine septum and I had surgery to remove it. He's an excellent surgeon and explained the entire process and was extremely gentle and kind. My recovery wasn't as quick as I would have liked but it wasn't horrible. After recovering from surgery for a few months, I was then able to start IUIs. We've since done two without any luck. We'll be regrouping soon to talk next steps and options. I fully trust Dr. Albrecht's opinion and look forward to moving on with this journey.

Dr. Albrecht is extremely thorough and detail oriented. Expect your initial consultation to be an hour or more. I loved this and and couldn't stop asking questions that he was willing to answer.

Because of my age (39 when I started with Dr. Albrecht, now 40), we decided to start with IUIs right away. I love that they didn't immediately jump to IVF as other clinics will recommend with women in their late 30s and early 40s. Through initial testing, we found a uterine septum that was since surgically removed through hysteroscopy and laproscopy . After recovering for two months I did my first IUI after a course of letrazole. I only produced one follicle and it failed. For my next IUI I preped with letrazole, injectible Menopur, and a trigger shot of Pregnyl. This produced several follicles but still failed. I will be meeting with Dr. Albrecht soon to discuss next steps.

Dr. Albrecht truly treated me like a patient, and not at all like a number. He would sit down with me and clearly give me all the information I needed, and would answer questions if I had any. He was also very caring and compassionate, and understands the journey of infertility is tough and not easy. He has been doing his job for over 40 years, so I know he has the right experience to help couples and I am confident he will help us as well.

Keep an open mind about treatments, supplements, and trust the process. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself if something doesn’t sound right to you.

Dr. Albrecht sat me down in our consultation and explained to me the types of foods to eat and to avoid with PCOS. He then explained to me why IUI is so important. Only about 1-3 sperm make it to the egg with normal intercourse, but with IUI millions can bypass and get to the egg. He also explained that egg quality declines (which I was unaware of). He mapped out our next cycle with every step, and each day of my cycle taking different medications.

IUI is $450 He does accept most insurances.

Dr. Albrecht came recommended to me by two friends - one of whom had two children resulting from her treatments and the other who ultimately adopted, but still recommended him as a skilled and caring doctor. I came to Dr. Albrecht for secondary infertility. Seven months ago, when my son was four years old, I started trying for another child and became pregnant then miscarried. After getting the "all clear" from my OBGYN and being told to come back if I wasn't pregnant by year's end, I went for testing. My FSH was elevated at 10.2 and my estradiol was borderline high, plus my progesterone was low. After hearing the recommendation for Dr. Albrecht, we went to see him. He correctly interpreted my numbers, and identified male factor issues for us. Dr. Albrecht recommended some high-end supplements and a strict fertility diet for me, which I've followed for two months. While the supplements will take 3-4 months from the start to fully work, after two months on the supplements my FSH was at 8 and my estradiol went down to 33, which is encouraging. Dr. Albrecht also discovered uterine polyps that my OBGYN's office missed during the "all clear" ultrasound during my miscarriage and did a wonderful job of promptly performing the needed surgery. I am now undergoing IUI since my partner's sperm count has been addressed through medication.

If you want someone who cares about building families but is absolutely only going to make recommendations based on scientific research, go to Dr. Albrecht. He will not sugar coat your issues, however, he is caring. At one point during our consult and I teared up and asked if we had a chance at having a baby....he responded, "Of course! You absolutely have a great chance. But, if it were easy you wouldn't be here."

Dr. Albrecht recommended supplements for me and my partner right away (PQQ, DHEA, Ovavite, Ovasital etc. for me; L-Carnatine and Clomid in addition to an array of other supplements for my partner). Before our consult, we had a semen analysis done to understand the full picture. He asked me to stay on supplements for 3-4 months to improve egg quality. In the meantime, he did the HSG and found uterine polyps, then removed them during a D&C and hysteroscopy procedure. He recommended IUI and clomid for several cycles, and we are in process of doing the IUI. My partner's total sperm count has quadrupled, and his usable sperm for the IUI more than quadrupled to well above the numbers they like to see. I took 100mg of clomid for IUI#1 from days 3-7, and ovulated on cd15 on my own with 3 mature follicles. Since my lining was good (10mm) and my hormone levels improved, we are hoping for the best!

Dr. Albrect is pretty reasonable, which is good since my insurance won't even cover fertility labs. For instance, a semen analysis or ultrasound run about $150, and IUI costs $300. For my polyp removal, insurance did cover most of the costs and tests. I had irregular uterine bleeding in the past year that made Dr. Albrecht look into things further, so the office coded medical care related to the polyp diagnosis and removal different than fertility for insurance purposes.

Infertility is a hard path to navigate and Dr. Ambler is/was very accommodating and compassionate during the process. I trust her judgement and knowledge. Nothing is more comforting than knowing that your doctor is doing 100%. Ive seen other doctors and I know they've let my treatment slip through the cracks. Dr. Ambler was testing for things and going the extra mile to help us succeed in obtaining a successful pregnancy.

This is very cliche, but before your appointment list out questions you may have. She always asks if you have questions. She takes time to anwser them, so take the time to write down your questions.

HSG- to make sure there wasn't a blocked flaloppian tube. Both tubes were clear. Blood Draws- check hormone levels Egg reserve with US- good egg numbers sperm analysis- my husbands sperm would preform

This depends on your insurance and insurance codes they use. I know they have lower costs for IVF, we are not IVF patients.

Dr.Albrecht is the only doctor who has removed my endometriosis completely and did it with confidence. He does t rush into anything and has never made me feel pressured to do something. He has told me every option we have available and never sugar coats things. It allows me to never get my hopes up when they shouldn’t be. I really really like Dr. Albrecht.

Be patient. Plans may change and it may take a while for things to start looking up, but be patient. Dr. Albrecht had your best intentions and wants you to have a kid almost as bad as you do.

For ivf we always have the time window of 7:30-9am. This was helpful with work and you usually get priority over iUI or other appointments which was nice since things happen so quickly with ivf.

Since I am so young (28), he suggested just doing one embryo transfer instead of multiple. He wants me to have a safe pregnancy and not have the risks that may come along with twins. After I have one then he’s willing to put two in. No matter what he said it’s my decision but these were his suggestions.

Dr Ambler has been amazing through this whole experience. She has great bedside manner, she’s easy to talk to, and makes me feel like I really matter to her. She always address’s me by my first name, as well as my husband. Appointments with her are easy, comfortable, and pleasant. She has a great attitude and always seems very happy, which really helps when going through this tough journey. We couldn’t be anymore pleased with her care.

Don’t be afraid to ask anything! For most women going through IVF, it is scary and intimidating. Dr. Amber is reassuring and wants to be sure you understand everything!

Unfortunately, Colorado does not have mandated coverage and our insurance plan has no IVF coverage. We paid completely out of pocket, phase one which included stimulation, monitoring, and egg retrieval was near $12,000. This did not include my $5500.00 in medications, anesthesia for egg retrieval, and blood work. We are awaiting phase two, or FET, which is $5000. This also did not include $2500 in meds and some blood work.

I liked Dr. Ambler’s bedside manner and she did an okay job of explaining things the few times we saw her. However, when we got very, very bad results from our first and only IVF cycle with her (0 embryos from 14 eggs) we had to request a phone call with her to go over what happened when the nurse had no explanation. Dr. Ambler told us that it was my egg quality and gave us a devastatingly bad prognosis. She was willing to do another cycle but wouldn’t change anything. We decided that didn’t make much sense and switched to CCRM, who did additional testing and suggested a different approach. We got 12 beautiful embryos from 20 eggs with my first cycle with CCRM. I’m currently looking at my beautiful 3 month old twins from that cycle. Dr. Ambler said I had DOR and poor egg quality but CCRM found no evidence of that and said it was unexplained infertility. We asked Dr. Ambler if it could have been her lab or the protocol that gave us such poor results but she refused to take any responsibility and was unwilling to try anything than her standard one-size fits all approach. We thought we were saving money by going to her but we would have saved so much if we just went to CCRM first. We also would have saved the heartache of hearing our doctor, who we had trusted and been under the care of for nearly a year, tell us that we would probably never have our own biological children. The few months between hearing her prognosis and getting the positive pregnancy test were the hardest of my life. I know it’s impossible to have any certainty in this area, but if we had listened to her we would have likely given up on IVF. Instead CCRM gave us hope, 12 embryos, and 2 beautiful babies (so far!).

If you are able, go to CCRM. They have the best lab, doctors, and nurses. When we did IVF it was about $5,000 more per cycle, but the quality of care was noticeably better in every way and the results were worth every penny.

Even though she suspected DOR, Dr. Ambler had me on birth control to prime for my egg retrieval and help with timing (they only do egg retrievals one week per month). CCRM did estrogen priming instead and we got many more eggs and better quality eggs as well, and we followed my body for the perfect time instead of the clinics schedule. Dr. Ambler would only do frozen transfers, but we had nothing to transfer. CCRM said for us, if egg quality might be an issue, we should try fresh (which worked) for our 2 best embryos and the remaining 10 were frozen, even though they typically recommend frozen. Dr. Ambler had me on DHEA for several months prior to my retrieval. CCRM took me off of it immediately. They said my levels were so high it looked like I had a tumor and the test doesn’t run that high, not to mention I was having horrible side effects that I complained of to Dr. Ambler. Dr. Ambler ran this test but did not share the results with me, only cut my dose in half and did not retest.

I can’t remember exactly but I think IUIs were around $1k each and IVF was around $25k without a transfer.

She was very nice at first. THrennwe srarted doing every test in the book. This became really expensive. We did many tests and really never heard about the results. Finally we found out that my husband had a very low sperm count, which they called to tell him on his birthday. We finally called to find out what was going on and she broke the news to us that my husband has y-chromosome microdeletion. Basically the ball was completely left in our court with the option being $30,000 to move forward. We hadn’t heard back from the clinic since. ZERO follow-thru.

One would be to not call with Devastating bad news on your birthday! It was not life-threatening so it probably could’ve waited a day. Second I would say follow through with the patient! Finding out that it’s going to cost $30,000 to conceive it is a lot for someone to take in. Telling someone that and then never following through really just leave them there to be sad and feel helpless.

We never got to the IVF portion. We only made it through the consultation, and all of the expense of testing to find out that my husband had a genetic disorder causing in fertility. We never moved forward mainly from the lack of follow through and overwhelmingly worried about the financial cost.

We did many genetic screening, bloodwork, and ultrasounds with the office. About 50% of this was covered by insurance. We never moved forward with IVF with this clinic. There is never any follow-through to help us along the way. We still owe the clinic thousands of dollars.

Dr. Albrecht is thorough, a good listener, patient, and knowledgeable. As Dr Minjarez put it when she recommended him to me "If you want someone who will turn over every stone, go to Dr Albrecht." He did that. I did feel like sometimes he would overrule my suggestions based on academic knowledge vs. my knowledge of my own body, but in the end, he got the job done. He was very quick to perform surgeries that needed to be done as soon as he discovered the need (same week when the surgery center/hospital could fit us in) to keep the process moving. He also has a kind heart, and would hold my hand after a transfer or during an ultrasound, and tell me that I would be a mom.

Don't be alarmed by his advanced age. Dr Albrecht is on top of his practice and patients, and is a wonderful surgeon with steady hands.

I was an unusual case, in that the first surgery was an Ooferectomy. In hindsight, I probably could have gotten just my tubes out, so this is one where I have a little regret in moving as quickly as we did. I was then put on estrogen and progesterone, which I thought was too much for my body, and eventually reduced it on my own. I then had a histosonogram, which diagnosed severe Ashermans, so then had uterine surgery. Eventually I went on standard transfer drugs. First transfer failed, due to embryo quality (Dembryo from couple that went thru infertility). Second transfer succeeded, with Dembryo that was DE/DS.

Surgeries were 80% covered by insurance, so perhaps $10K. Transfers I believe were $4500. I also have records for these if you would like to reach out to me separately.

Doc would ONLY implant a single, due to my Asherman's. He believed if two survived the implant, I would miscarry. I am now grateful, though I wanted him to implant 2 to ensure that I got at least one!

Dr Ambler was always very positive and upbeat— smiling and making jokes to ease our minds even during the tough and painful parts of IVF. I can tell she really loves her job and wants to give patients every chance at success. Our first visit we had a small miscommunication about the cost and next steps for the IVF procedure but she made it right and communication was good from that point on.

Retrieval: Menopur 75iu Cetrotide FSH/Gonal F 100-150iu Dexamethasone 1mg produced 29eggs on retrieval day, 22 were mature, 10embryos made it to day 5 Transfer: estrogen patches & tablets progesterone oil injections lupron 10iu valium transferred 2 “A” graded embryos, both took, twins born 5/7/18

IVF Freeze-all cycle cost about $12k plus about $3k for medications Each Embryo transfer cost about $4,500 and about $1,500 for medications

Dr Ambler gave us all the statistics on transferring 1 embryo vs 2 embryos but ultimately left the decision to us. We decided to transfer 2 embryos and she was fully supportive.

He was calm, smart and very well educated regarding the research. He was patient and took his time to look each of us in the eye and be sure we understood our path ahead. I cannot say enough positive things about the man. I would recommend him to anyone and plan to go back for #2.

Ask the questions. No question is too insignificant. He will take time and the nursing staff is extremely helpful and available. Over the weekend I was still able to talk to my nurse for 20 minutes regarding my concerns.

I do not remember most of them, but I know I was on 300 IU of Menopur and Bravelle 2 x a day. He took into account the "Greenlight" program that was offering a rebate because he did not want to cost of the drugs to be limiting to us. We stimmed for 10 days and had 18 eggs retrieved, 14 were mature, 9 fertilized, 2 transferred and 4 frozen.

Around $11,000 for the IVF appointments and procedure. $1,300 for freezing of remaining embryos. $3,000 of drugs. After $2,000 was reimbursed through Greenlight program.