Aurora Fertility Services

At first, my husband and I appreciated his matter of fact attitude. However, when our first cycle went poorly, we were immediately dismissed as a lost cause. In addition, I was given this information over the phone, in a non-compassionate manner. The recommendation was to stop TTC immediately and pursue other options. Thankfully, we sought a second opinion, and I am now 5 months pregnant with a child made from my own eggs, and my husbands sperm. Dr. Wittmaack made us feel as if that was an outcome that could never be achieved.

Be sure to ask questions, and ask the alternatives ahead of time. I.e. - “If this doesn’t work, or we don’t get a good result, what is the next step?” Also, don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion.

Pretty standard Lupron/follistim/menopure protocol with an HcG trigger. Lab will allow embryo growth to day five or six. Will not freeze or transfer after day 6. Patients are batched, as there is only one doctor.

Flat fee that covered everything up until the pregnancy test. For a slight upcharge (~$1,500) you could add PGS testing.

We did not get any embryos with Dr Wittmaack, so I’m unsure of their policy.

I initially chose this clinic because it was closest to my home, but I was really happy to see his success rates of live births for my age group (3rd in the country, according to latest CDC report) and the care and compassion he brings to his practice. His style is very calm and reassuring - he has a great bedside manner, but as someone who also likes a lot of facts and detail, I sometimes have to push for more information. He always readily answers questions, but he doesn't always offer it straightaway. That said, I would rather have that than a Doctor who has a cold bedside manner.

Ask as many questions as you want and need

We did 2 rounds of IUI and 1 round of IVF so far. With IVF, my stims included 125 units of Follistim (reduced to 75 units after estrogen spiked), 75 units of Menopur, and Ganirelix. Trigger with .4 units of Lupron. Next cycle we will reduce the units of stims because I was on the cusp of hyperstimulation (I have PCOS).

For IVF: Filed to insurance is $19,721, estimated medical costs $4,000-$8,000

Dr. Wittmaack strongly suggests single embryo transfer, but the decision is ultimately up to the patient.

Dr. Wittmaack truly has your best interest at heart! He will give it to you straight, but he is also warm and friendly. If you are someone who has a lot of “why” questions or wants a lot of detail about treatment and cycle progression, ASK QUESTIONS. Dr. W may assume you don’t want all those details otherwise. I was much happier once I started asking for the info I wanted to know at the start of each appointment (especially at monitoring). Overall, Dr. W was very knowledgeable about my diagnosis and prescribed the right protocol for me. Putting my full trust in him during our IVF cycle was the best decision I’ve ever made!

Again, ask questions. Advocate for yourself, but also try to relinquish some control and trust the doctor. He is great at making adjustments as needed and I would highly recommend him for anyone considering IVF.

Because I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Dr. W put me on a mini-Lupron flare protocol. The dosages of Menopur and follistim were pretty high - so if you find yourself in the same boat, brace yourself for an expensive prescription cost! We shopped around and applied for a couple discount programs that greatly reduced our cost. Dr. W also had me take DHEA and CoQ10 for the 3 months leading up to IVF. When we started, I had the most antral follicles yet - 8! They all grew with the protocol prescribed and we got 5 mature eggs. I had hoped for more, but somehow we ended up 3 beautiful embryos. One resulted in our current pregnancy, while the other two are on ice!

Monitoring appointments were sometimes conducted by Dr. Strawn. He was typically the one I would see the second week of any month if that’s when monitoring fell. I believe this is because Dr. W splits time in Oshkosh. Dr. Strawn definitely seemed to take his time more during monitoring, while Dr. W was pretty quick about it.

I’d say we spent around $30-35k when all was said and done. However, the clinic offers an IVF payment plan so we are still paying a lot of it off without interest. The monthly payments are high, but o my last a year or two depending on the plan you select. They also offer Sharec Success plans that will reimburse you if you don’t get pregnant. I didn’t qualify for those since I have DOR, but was still able to do a multi-cycle plan at a greatly reduced price. We ended up not needing more than one retrieval/transfer, but it was worth paying more for the extra reassurance of knowing we’d have more chances if the first protocol didn’t work. Prescriptions were sent to Mandell’s. I ended up applying for various discount programs and taking out a loan to cover my medications through Future Family. Our initial med cost of $8,000 went down to $5,500 by taking these extra steps! Do yourself a favor and shop around. You could save a LOT of money.

My experience was a good one. They all seem to care and are sympathetic to the situation. My nurse has been thru ivf treatments and has given me pep talks when i needed them and been there for me when things were tough. Dr Strawn was compassionate when we got our negative test after our first transfer and i felt like i had the time i needed to grieve before they were moving onto the next cycle.

Don't be afraid to double check why this or why that. If you have an instinct about your body...let him know.

We went thru a regular ivf cycle and got 7 eggs but none made it to freeze. The next cycle we did the same and it had to be cancelled bc my ovaries weren't responding. His next approach was less meds/more natural cycle hoping for better quality but less quantity embryos. We retrieved 3 eggs and had one to freeze. It unfortunately didnt take. We are going thru another mini ivf now.

Easy and fast. Blood took 5 mins ultrasound right after and done in 15 mins.

Approximately $23,000 for our 2 cycle package. Then approximately $7,000 per mini ivf. Not including meds.

Dr. Shanti is very to the point. This is noted on all of her reviews. She does not sugar coat things but at the same time does have compassion. The moment I felt like I belonged in this clinic was when she hugged me during a tearful visit and told me we were going to move forward and not look backwards. It really went a long way with me personally and my journey.

Just remember that her goal is a baby which doing IVF right away is the fastest way to a baby. We did not take that advice and are now in our 3rd IUI...which a part of me wishes we would have done IVF right away just because of how much time is needed. Be aware that the nurses do most of the work here - at least for me. I have only seen Dr. Shanti 3 total times besides consultations over 6 months - once for the SHG, once for the surgery to remove the polyps and then once for an IUI (nurses did the other 2 IUIs).

We have done 4 total cycles of treatment. All included baseline and 1+ midcycle ultrasounds. The first was with Letrozole but a low dosage...and we did not do an IUI because my follicles did not stimulate properly. The second was with Letrozole again at a higher dosage and IUI (which a nurse administered) - which failed. The third cycle, I requested Clomid instead and we did another IUI (which a different nurse administered) - which failed. And the fourth cycle, we did Clomid again and an IUI which I demanded with Dr. Shanti. This was actually today so fingers crossed!

With my polyp surgery and all appointments, I honestly am not sure the total cost but we met our deductible very early this year. My husband manages this.

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Doctor Shanti is blunt and to the point. She will ask you multiple times if you have any other questions which can sometimes make you feel as though she is rushing you, but she will stay and explain in detail the answers to your questions.

She is abrupt, blunt and to the point, but it is not in a rude manner. She will take the time to sit and explain things to you if you ask the questions.

I have only had surgery under doctor shanti’s care, but she explained fully what the surgery would be like and what we would do after the results were obtained.

I have great insurance so my OOP cost was almost non-existent.

Dr. Shanti is a very knowledgeable physician...you can tell immediately that she has a passion for reproductive medicine and that she's very good at it. I've seen several times in my visits, her rejoicing with families who bring in their "success story children" which makes the environment hopeful. She is very optimistic about results and the quality of care she hopes to provide.

Ask lots of questions...she can answer them!

I came to Dr. Shanti as a transfer patient from a different RE, after already having tried conservative methods such as clomid. My IVF treatment plan was pretty well laid out when she took over my care. However we discussed it in great detail and she gave her input/opinions. My husband and I are a complicated case as we both have fertility issues, so IVF was really our only option that had good potential for success. We are just 2 weeks out from starting the hormone stimulation for our first egg retrieval so no real results to share yet. UPDATE: Our egg retrieval was extremely successful! Using a Gonal-f/Menopur regimen, we were able to collect 16 good quality eggs! 13 successfully fertilized via ICSI and 5 were determined to be healthy day 5 embryos that tested chromosomally normal! We transferred 1 of these embryos via a frozen cycle and got our first ever positive pregnancy test a week later! <3 The first 11 weeks I supplemented with progesterone and estrogen and levels were constantly monitored--3 ultrasounds were performed during this period before "graduating" to normal OB/GYN care. We are currently 16 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby!

We did a shared success program which costs more up front, but covers multiple cycles and transfers. There is a 70% refund if we do not deliver a baby within the specified time frame. Single cycles also available, but the "guarantee" was a nice option to have. Total out of pocket cost between the cycle package, medications, PGS testing, and other miscellaneous charges was about $30,000.

Not discussed with her. We did PGS testing on our embryos and have no history of miscarriage or other reasons to suggest we would have trouble carrying, so single transfer is their protocol in such instances which we are okay with.

I like how she explained everything with the initial consultation and next steps. She is straight forward and doesn’t sugar coat things but she is positive thinking & she does soften when she notices you are having a hard time. I wish I worked with her a little more than always seeing her staff but the staff is pleasant too. I definitely trust she knows what she is doing but she isn’t very personable.

Think about finding a Therapist who specializes in fertility so that can talk to someone who is familiar with your ups and downs of the infertility journey.

Baseline Ultrasound. Letrozole 2 tablets each day for 5 days starting on the Day 3 of cycle. Ultrasound around Day 10 with HCG trigger shot usually that evening. IUI around Day 12. Suppositories starting 6 days after HCG shot. Blood pregnancy test 16 days after HCG.

Initial out of pocket consult of about $545. Insurance covered the majority of everything else.

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Dr. Wittmaack diagnosed me with PCOS without explaining what that meant. He is quick with explaining things and is slightly awkward when things get emotional. He also surprised me when the second round of IVF failed and showed great compassion. So I suppose he was there when we needed him and he made sure to contact me with any bad news directly.

Ask questions. Sometimes he acts like we should know things but this process is new to so many. I had to seek out supplements in hopes it improve our chances.

We started with pills. Moved on to IUIs with trigger injections. We only did 2 IUIs which surprise me before moving into IVF. I was put on birth control to control my cycle. I took the minimum dosage for injections along with vitamin D and Dhea supplements for healthy cell development. Each IVF cycle had 14 eggs retrieved and 3 ended up blastocysts. Each time we have them tested and each time they all came back abnormal. Which is why we never reached the transfer stage. One of the eggs was slightly abnormal but we decided against transfer because of chromosome 13 being high risk. Each time we had conversations with genetics and they found nothing wrong with my husband and I. Everyone was baffled by our experience.

Ultrasounds, medication, consults

He preferred single transfer if eggs were tested. Otherwise he would transfer two.

Dr. Wittmaack made me feel very important and cared for. He hesitates between conversations leaving the door open for any questions or concerns. He made us laugh and kept us positive, especially when I was starting to feel overwhelmed by the process.

Ask questions - he gives you all the information you need to know and keeps it simple. I think he doesn't want to overwhelm you and wants you to focus on whatever step of the process you are on before you start worrying about the next. But if you're someone who wants greater detail - ask away! He's very honest and knowledgable.

Because of my husband's pretty low sperm count, we went right to IVF. After an examination revealed I had a great number of follicles in my ovaries he put me on a medication that would work better for me than someone with an average amount of follicles. When my ovaries got pretty big from all those eggs, he decided to freeze our embryos and do a frozen transfer two months after the retrieval so I would not get hyper ovarian stimulation. We were disappointed to wait those extra weeks, but knew it was a good decision and so appreciate him looking out for me in the long term. We did a frozen transfer, which was successful, and they kept me on progesterone shots and inserts until week 11 to support the pregnancy. They are not messing around and want you to have a baby!

We qualified for the 'shared success program.' We paid a specific amount that covered everything but medication and ensured a live birth in three IVF rounds (I believe - the specifics are on their website). If you do not achieve a live birth you get 70 percent of the money back. If felt so nice to have that extra insurance and know if it didn't work we would have a chunk of money back to put towards another means of building our family, like adoption.

Dr. Wittmaack discussed the pros and cons of putting in one embryo or two. He told us about the higher risk of pregnancy complications with multiples, but left the decision up to us. We went with one for our first transfer.

Very good doctor, we have unexplained infertility and we were told what our treatment would look like at our first visit. We started with IUI and if that didn't work we were told they would try the same thing 3 times. Not changing a thing. Hoping it will work out but im a bit hesitant.

Always ask questions if you have any! They explain every detail to you but once you start treatment it becomes a whirlwind.

We were diagnosed unexplained infertility and told he would try 3 rounds of IUI all with the same medication and dosage. Even if they failed he wouldnt change a thing. If that didnt work then IVF is next. We are just starting IUI #1 so i cant really say much yet.

We have no infertility coverage so almost everything is out of pocket. One round of IUI is $1,082 (includes the insemination, sperm washing, and one ultrasound) a progesterone blood draw is $181 and each doctor visit was $370. The only thing covered for us is any bloodwork needed. Which was a lot.

At the start of seeking care from Dr. Shanti I felt like more of a number because all of this new information was thrown at me and it didn't feel like she was willing to take the time to really go through it all with me. Over time she has got way better and I can tell now that she really cares for me and is doing everything in her power to result in a baby. She can be blunt at times which is something I've had to get use to, but she isn't going to suggest doing a procedure unless she thinks it is going to work. One strength about her is that she is dedicated to the patients she sees. One weakness is that she may not always communicate information well because she thinks you already know it.

Don't be put off by her bluntness and make sure you ask a lot of questions if you don't know something.

For IUIs: Was monitored after I got my period to watch how thick my lining was. Took Letrozole. Used a HCG trigger shot. All negative pregnancy tests. For 1st Frozen embryo transfer: Monitored when I ovulated with over the counter predictor kits as I cannot be on regular birth control pills. Once I ovulated I was on 2 weeks of Lupron until I got a period. Then I started Estradial Valerate injections 2x a week. My lining thickness was monitored over 3 weeks. 1 week before FET started progesterone in oil at first just 1x a day then 2x two days before transfer. Resulted in chemical pregnancy. For 2nd FET: On progesterone only birth control until starting Lupron. Taking a low dose aspirin daily. On Lupron for a total of 28 days (some of which occurred while taking other medication. Estradial Valerate injections 2x a week. My lining thickness was monitored over 3 weeks. 1 week before FET progesterone in oil injections were started 2x a day. Results unknown at this time.

For FET monitoring appointments they like to have them done before 11am because there is also blood work that gets drawn at the same time. This allows them to make sure all the results are finished by 4pm.

My cycles have been covered by insurance so far.

She highly recommended doing genetic testing of the embryos and thus has a strong preference for single embryo transfer. She feels the results are better.

Dr. Wittmaack is a very intelligent provider and truly seems to care about his patients! He explains things well and is honest but gentle with his delivery! I could not recommend him more! When our first egg retrieval failed (no normal embryos) he adjusted meds and we were able to try again with a successful transfer!

Ask questions! This is a big deal so make sure you understand. The staff will answer all of your questions and remember no question is dumb!

For my first egg retrieval he prescribed Lupron and birth control prior to starting stims. I started gonal-f and menopur for stimulation meds. Initially I was not responding to the meds and therefore they were increased! I was at risk of OHSS and was prescribed an oral med but cannot recall the name. I also had a trigger shot the use prior to the egg retrieval. For the second egg retrieval I also used birth control but no Lupron the second time. For stims I started gonal f and menopur. They also had me use cetradtide to help with OHSS and used a Lupron trigger. An antibiotic was given through IV for each retrieval.

If I recall correctly the total cost of the IVF with frozen embryo transfer was about 23,000.

They seemed to have a preference for only transferring one embryo and did educate us as patients and ultimately gave us the choice.

He was very straightforward about our diagnosis, test results, and what he believed out next steps should be. At the same time, he was very open to avenues and options we wanted to investigate. He was very knowledgeable and able to answer nearly every question we had. Only complaint we have is that he doesn't do the more invasive IVF procedures where we consulted with him so we had to change reproductive endocrinologist for logistical reasons.

Do research beforehand and have questions ready! He wants to answer them.

Considering we have a dual factor problem, he was confident that our best route would be IVF. We immediately stopped Clomid and worked towards that. It was great he was so straightforward about the idea that other drugs just for me and IUI likely wouldn't work. Saved us time and money. He also did tons of diagnostic labs which made us feel confident we were choosing the right option for us.

High dollar up front consultation, but it went towards my deductible. Whenever possible, they billed services as something other than "infertility so insurance would cover it.

Dr. Strawn did not seem like a big fan of double transfer, at least initially in our scenario. He said that since we were young and otherwise healthy (no hx of miscarriage), there were more potential risks. That being said, if we felt strongly about doing a double transfer, he would've been okay with it. The exception to that being of embryo testing was performed...no double transfers of known chromosonally normal embryos.

She is very knowledgeable. She is a fact based doctor. At times she is blunt in her delivery of facts, which I appreciate. She is great at explaining procedures and why they are being done. If anything in my protocol was changed she explained why.

Ask questions. Sometimes Dr Shanti would explain things and it would go over my head as I am not a medical professional. Whenever I asked questions she was more than willing to go back and answer them.

For my egg retrieval, Dr Shanti put me on Lupron, Gonal-F, and Menopur. I was started on a low dose, but my medication had to be increased since I was not responding to the lower dose. I used a HCG trigger shot before the retrieval. We were successful in retrieving 15 eggs. For my FET, I was on Lupron, injectable estrogen, and progesterone in oil. Right before the transfer I was also prescribed an antibiotic, a steroid, and vaginal progesterone. This transfer was successful, however it ended in a chemical pregnancy at 5 weeks.

Monitoring appointments were very easy to get. I needed to schedule them as early as possible due to my job. Most of the time I was able to get the first or second appointment of the day. I barely had to miss any work for my monitoring appointments.

IVF package $13,500 PGS testing $2000 Medication for egg retrieval $8,000 Medication for FET $1,000

Dr Shanti recommended transferring one embryo. We agreed on this decision and were not interested in transferring multiple embryos.

Dr. Shanti is very talented and she knows what she is doing, I feel confident with my care in her hands. Her personality is very direct and to the point, knowing that going into her office, don't expect any warm fuzzy feelings. She is confident in her skills and makes you feel like she will do anything to help you.

Go in with your questions written down. Go in knowing she is very direct.

After using medications like clomid and Femara without success with ovulation she knew we needed to use injectable medications, she adjusted my medication as the cycle went on for a planned IUI. Unfortunately with those medications it was challenging for my follicles to reapond appropriately and my cycle got cancelled. She has explained in detail, extensively on what my body was doing and she had a plan for future cycles.

For a consultation it was in the 300-400$ range. For my cancelled IUI cycle it cost about 2500.

Dr. Wittmaack was very nice. I did not feel like he explained the process thoroughly or the "why" for treatments/medications. I felt rushed anytime he was present. He has a hard time comforting the upset patient making awkward jokes as opposed to putting things in perspective. I feel his work up was not complete prior to starting treatments. I did not like that he did not preform all of my IUIs and I did not like that nurses do the IUIs and ultrasounds.

Be your own advocate. Ask many questions.

Letrozole + trigger + IUI

There are no options for the patient that is traveling from a distant location. Either you pay the package deal and have everything done at that clinic or you pay very high costs for individual services. You must pay for every consult every time meeting with the doctor

From the very beginning Dr. Wittmaack was ready and willing to help. After advising my husband and I that IVF was probably our best route he never pressured us for an answer immediately. We took 7-8 months and when we were ready to try he was there and excited to help us. He would call me himself when something didn't turn out right or for test results. Communication was amazing and much appreciated.

Be ready for one hell of a journey. Dr. Wittmaack will have your back the whole way. But be ready to not always get the answers you want or expect.

I went through 2 egg retrievals. The protocol was different each time. The first one was pretty basic and we got 12 eggs. We opted for genetic testing so at the end we had 1 female egg that sadly didn't take. For the next retrieval he had me take DHA and CoQ10 for 3 months beforehand. We got 22 eggs second time around! Again we did genetic testing and ended up with 4 female eggs to work with. Each one of my transfers were a little different too. Just little things were tweaked like amount and times I took my progesterone injections. And in between there were tests he had me take and do as well to figure out why my transfers weren't working. I can't remember what the test is called where they insert saline solution, I've had done a couple times. And I've also had the test done that's like a mock transfer. I take all the meds and get my body ready for a transfer but instead of transfer he removed a piece of uterine lining to see if when we were doing the transfer was the right time.

We did 2 retrievals and 5 transfers. I don't remember specific prices for specific procedures but I know in totally we paid well over $25,000

For me because of my age we only transferred 1 embryo. We never really discussed more because my husband was terrified of multiples haha!

Dr. Wittmaack can be a little hard to understand because German is his first language. He always double checks to make sure I understood the information before I left my visits. He got to know me personally through all of my appointments and always took time to answer my questions.

Ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to reask them to make sure you completely understand your course of treatment.

For IUI I took Letrozle and then a HCG Trigger shot. For egg retrieval I used Lurpon, Gonal F, and Menopur. Birth Control was also used to regulate my cycles. For frozen embryo transfer I used Progesterone in Oil, Estridol Valerate and Lupron. I also took an antiboiotic to help reduce risk of infection at the time of the transfer.

My costs were covered through insurance. Medications were not covered, but for Egg Retrieval they were about $5000.

We didn't do any genetic testing so we were given the option of transferring 1 or 2 embryos. Our clinic gave us information from the CDC on risks associated with a multiple pregnancy. After talking with the Embryologist about the quality of our embryos we ultimately made our decision.

I feel that Dr. Wittmaack is a compassionate and caring doctor who always had our best interests at heart. He was honest and forthcoming with what was not always good news. Unfortunately he is an employee of a corporation and I feel that this affected how the outcome of our unique situation was handled.

Do not rush into anything and ask lots of questions. If you are signing anything, make sure to read it thoroughly, ask for copies and make sure that you understand the risks of the treatment you are undertaking.

After 3 failed IUIs we were scheduled to start IVF with our own eggs, however the cycle we were to start my FSH had risen significantly and we decided mutually to go right to donor eggs. From there we encountered numerous setbacks. The first proven donor we we selected from the clinic's donor pool ended up not being available (the donor files had not been updated). Our second choice tested positive as a carrier for alpha thalassemia so we had to see a genetic counselor and my husband had to be tested. We decided to proceed as we had already invested a great deal of money on her FDA testing and psych evaluation. I was put on birth control pills then Lupronef. Our donor was not responding well to stims so we had to pay for additional meds with no notice. Then at my last ultrasound before retrieval we discovered I had a follicle and subsequent blood work showed I was ovulating despite being on Lupron. We had to then freeze for FET. Then disaster happened!!! Our donor went to retrieval. 14 eggs were retrieved; 8 mature, 2 post mature and the rest, according to the embryologist "were just bad eggs." All 8 fertilized with ICSI but by day 3 we had 5 poor and 3 fair. All were highly fragmented. By day 5 we had NO embryos to freeze. Dr. said it was 100% an egg quality issue. This is exactly the outcome we were attempting to avoid by using a donor in the first place! We then had to wait an entire month for a follow up and when I called to schedule it I was told there were no appointments available for over 3 weeks!!! I had to settle for a phone appointment. Dr Wittmaack seemed genuinely devastated for us and agreed to speak to the clinic administrator to see of they would help us out financially by discounting a new cycle or waiving or discounting our current bill (in addition to the 10k plus we had already spent we currently have an outstanding bill of over 10k!). It is not looking good as the financial coordinator said the "we signed and dated the consent forms and we knew the risks." We felt we were rushed through the consent signing and we were not given copies. We were NEVER told of the risk of this outcome. On the contrary we were constantly told how successful their donor cycles are!

Costs added up quickly! There was an unexpected price increase at the last minute with our donor cycle. We paid around 10k for our donor's FDA testing, genetic testing, psychological evaluation and medications beyond our donor cycle fee. We have over well over 20k invested in our donor cycle (including the pending bill) and we never even got to transfer.

Dr. Wittmaack is a gentle, intelligent and caring man. He took as much time as necessary to make sure I understood and was comfortable with the next step. He never pushed us toward a certain method of treatment, always explaining all the options and allowing us to make an informed decision on our own with his assistance. I felt 100% confident in his diagnosis, prognosis and treatment methods and never once doubted his practice- even if the cycle turned out to be negative. I am currently 7 months pregnant with my incredible IVF miracle that Dr. Wiittmaack helped my husband and I to conceive. He and his staff even have plans to come visit the three of us after delivery. I will most definitely be recommending Dr. W. to everyone and anyone who is looking. We are so lucky that he practices near our home.

Relax. He and his staff know exactly what they're doing and they will never let you feel like you aren't important. They will help you make all of the tough decisions and will care for you with world class efficiency. Do not be afraid or nervous. Trust.

After 3 cycles of IUI with letrozole (1 cancelled) that all failed, we decided to move forward with IVF. I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve and damaged fallopian tubes, so we all decided that IVF was the best option moving forward. Birth control pills for 6 weeks 10 units of Lupron for 10 days 8 days of: 225 units of Gonal-F 75 units of menopur 5 units of lupron Following egg retrieval: 2 estrace tablets 2 units of progesterone in oil 11 eggs retrieved 11 mature 10 fertilized 4 made it to embryo stage 2 transferred fresh 2 frozen 1 beautiful baby boy at 7 months gestation

The cost for IVF (one fresh cycle) was $12000 The cost of IUI was about $3000 per cycle

Overall, I liked my experience with Dr. Shanti. She provided a lot of detail to us about our case along the way. She made adjustments to the treatment as things arose. She heard our needs and concerns and sat down to address them. She was blunt in her communication, which was a double edged sword as we needed to be realistic about our chances and progress, but when we displayed or expressed emotion, we sometimes felt invalidated as she appeared uncomfortable with our emotions. She provided us with a lot of hope when other doctors had not. Her hope appeared to be founded in reality and we trusted her. We did get pregnant, but lost it right away. Although the loss was devastating, we did get pregnant under her care and this silver lining supported the hope she instilled within us. Additionally, she encouraged our seeking support of alternative care to supplement our treatment with her (i.e., acupuncture, abdominal massage, etc.), while other doctors seemed either indifferent or didn't support this.

Ask lots of questions. Don't feel like you are burdening the doctors, even if they make you feel that way. It is your right to know everything you can about your case, treatment protocol, results, and what to expect.

We did an IVF cycle before we met with Dr. Shanti. That first cycle with the other doctor failed. However, I responded fairly well to my stimulation, so Dr. Shanti made a few tweaks to optimize those results, but kept most of it the same (I do not remember the details). Our case is male factor infertility, and so she decided to have my husband do a testicular biopsy to get testicular sperm in addition to fresh samples on the morning of egg retrieval (which our previous IVF doctor cancelled his surgery due to finding sperm in his sample on the morning of). She wanted us to get both ejaculated sperm and testicular sperm and do ICSI with both sperm sources on my eggs. However, the biopsy was not successful (no sperm found) and we did not have enough fresh sperm to fertilize my eggs. She decided to freeze the remaining 9 eggs and place my husband on a different protocol with supplements for 4 months before attempting a second round of fertilization. We had good results the second time we fertilized and ended with a strong 5 day blastocyst. She found fluid in my uterus and decided to freeze the embryo and do a FET a few months later after the fluid cleared up. I got pregnant, but lost it within a week. We did not do genetic testing, but she suspects that there may have been a chromosomal issue with the embryo. She highly recommended we do PGS testing the next time we do IVF. She explained her rationale along the way and we trusted all her decisions. In the end, her decisions and tweaks along the way did get me pregnant, which provided me even more hope that I can get pregnant (and hopefully have a baby) in the future. She was very cautious and vigilant with our case and we felt she truly cared about our results. We did not feel like just a number.

IVF was about 10,500, ICSI was an additional 1,500-2,000. Our FET was about 4,600 (in addition to the IVF cost).

She did have strong opinions about the number of embryos transferred. Had we had more than one healthy embryo, she strongly suggested we only transfer one at a time as our case was male-factor infertility and I was young (26 at the time). She felt the risks of multiple pregnancy were too high. However, we only had one healthy embryo to transfer and so we did not have to challenge her protocol. Had we had multiple embryos, we would have wanted to transfer more than one, and would have pushed on this issue with her. However, we did not have multiple embryos and cannot speak to how that communication would have evolved.

Dr Shanti is very honest and very blunt. I think it is good in the situation. It is better to know the specifics and truth. She communicates fast but always asks if you have questions. When I was crying, she did show compassion and it gave me a hug. We are still early on in the process but hoping that I it is better to know the specifics and truth. She communicates fast but always asks if you have questions. When I was crying, she did show compassion and it gave me a hug. We are still early on in the process but hoping that IVF Works I lower your success story. She said we have a 65% chance of it working. Also I like that I have a timeline and know what to expect in the next couple months. It is a long process.

Dr Shanti is very blunt.

We are still here earlier and they IVF process. We start injections on Saturday.

We are actually just getting started on the process I’m not sure… Need to look at paperwork