Carolinas Fertility Institute

Strengths- New, up to date technology. Nice, clean environment. Responsive to calls and emails Weakness- long wait times. Treatment was not described before leaving the office and you were sometimes left unaware of what was to come next. Also, billing was messed up at one point during my treatment, but since has been fixed with a new billing provider

I felt Dr. Y was caring and had my best interest in mind. It is hard to feel exactly like a human and not a number when a doctor is dealing with multiple patients each day, but I felt he tried his best to keep my situation separate, and unique to me.

Nursing staff was very kind during my procedures with Dr. Y. They were also very attentive to my needs when I would email or call regarding treatment protocol. The only negative comment I would say is that I was not always aware of what steps to take next, and would have to ask myself instead of it being explained to me before leaving the office

I felt Dr. Yalcinkaya was very educated in his field. He is very knowledgeable and has up to date research to back up his recommendations. I do however feel that sometimes I was leading my own care, and would have liked some stronger opinions from Dr. Yalcinkaya, however on the same token I liked that he would allow me to have blood tests and procedures performed that I thought necessary for my treatment.

Be open minded. Also be prepared to wait to see Dr. Y, but know that when it is your turn he will spend the same amount of time with you as he does with every other patient.

Hysteroscopy to help remove scar tissue. Blood work for recurrent miscarriage. Femara and "trigger shot" for IUI.

Appointments & US- around $400. Hysteroscopy- around 2,000 IVF cycle around 24,000

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While the level of care, the doctors and nurses are amazing, the clinic is VERY busy and obviously somewhat understaffed. I have had wait times for appointments last just a few minutes to over an hour. I will also say that sometimes the costs of things are not made clear - this was more so my experience when I was doing IUIs, but also somewhat during my IVF treatment. You really need to be your own advocate and ask a lot of questions.

Dr. Yalcinkaya always made time for my husband and I. After our egg retrieval, our results were much different than what we were expecting. Even though we had 29 eggs retrieved, we only had 3 embryos make it to freeze and they struggled to get there. My husband and I were upset and worried and Dr. Y made himself available after hours to speak with us on the phone for as long as we needed. He is always very thorough in his explanations and offered as much advice as to what our next steps would be as he was able. It is obvious that he cares for his patients and wants the best outcomes for them.

Marcey is absolutely wonderful. She is warm and caring but also has a sense of humor. She always made me feel at ease and answered any question I had regardless of how silly it sounded.

Dr. Yalcinkaya is a wonderful doctor. It was very clear from our first meeting that he cares deeply about his patients and his work. He is very intelligent and is a leader in his field but can explain complex scientific techniques in a way that is easy to understand. He always made me feel comfortable with my treatment and made sure to tell us at every appointment that we could call him anytime if we had any questions or concerns. He is a little quirky and for a couple times during our first appointments we had to remind him of our situation (I think this comes from the clinic having a TON of patients), but once he got to know us, he could remember small things we had said or asked about months prior.

I would say be prepared to be patient not only with Dr. Yalcinkaya but also with the process itself.

I did an agonist IVF protocol. We began with a uterine biopsy (endometrial scratch), bloodwork and mock transfer (same as a SHG) about a week prior to my protocol starting. All of Dr. Y's IVF patients start this way and it is to rule out any potential problems (and to treat them if they are found) prior to the start of IVF. I began my protocol with Synarel instead of Lupron because Synarel also helps control endometriosis flare ups which I do have a history of. I did Synarel twice a day for 14 days and then continued with Menopur (1 vial), Gonal F (225), Doxycline (twice a day) and baby aspirin for another 9 days. During that time I had 4 ultrasounds. At my last ultrasound before retrieval, I had 29 mature follicles (and several more immature). Because of the number of follicles I had and because my estrogen level was elevated, Dr. Y recommend that we do a frozen transfer instead of a fresh because he was concerned about overstimulation. At first I was disappointed but later was thankful because I was somewhat overstimulated after my retrieval and I wasn't in a condition to successfully transfer at that time. The procedure itself went smoothly and I felt very comfortable. We retrieved 29 eggs, of that 12 were mature and 9 fertilized normally. We ended up with 3 day 6 blasts that were frozen. Dr. Y was a little concerned with my numbers since we had expected a lot more higher quality blasts based on my AMH/blood work and age. Before moving on to our transfer he recommend more extensive genetic testing for my husband and I. We are currently awaiting those results.

For a single IVF cycle including retrieval, monitoring and a fresh transfer my cost with insurance coverage was $5500. I paid an additional $800 or so for meds. This did not include any additional testing/procedures prior to the start of my cycle or additional non-routine blood work requested during my cycle.

The staff are super friendly and helpful. They do everything in their power to help meet your individual needs and do not pressure you into anything. They show compassion and care and I feel like they are there for me 24/7. They are fully invested and really care about each need.

Dr.Yalcinkaya and his nurses almost automatically knew me by name. They understanded our circumstances and talked us through each step.

Marci was so excellent! She always called me back to answer any questions I had and never pushed me into anything I wasn’t comfortable with.

Dr.Yalcinkaya is a compassionate doctor who goes out of his way to help his patients. He really wants what is best and is positive in nature while also explaining what may realistically happen. He has never given up on us and continues to remind us every visit that we WILL have our miracle baby. I have secondary infertility and he immediately tackled my personal needs at the pace that we were comfortable with.

Ask questions! He is very open to answer all questions you have. Be honest and candid with what is realistic for your family.

We started out by getting the diagnosis of PCOS and secondary infertility. He put me on metformin (2,000 mg per day). After 2 cycles of timed intercourse with the use of femara, we began IUI treatments. I did 2 of those without injections (Menopur and Ovidrel) and one with injections. I then developed an ovarian cyst that needed to be treated with Sprintec birth control for 2 weeks. We will be having our 4th IUI next week using menopur and Ovidrel along with femara.

I set up a payment plan from the beginning. The IUI was roughly $500 not including the cost for my husbands sample analysis and medications needed.

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Strengths: accessible docs, nice facility, friendly. You get test results very quickly. Weaknesses: mostly growing pains, poor communication sometimes with nurses. I think a new patient would want to know that I did not feel like another number there and felt very well cared for. I have never been rushed at my appointments and had all my questions answered before leaving.

There is only one staff member that I have issues with. She completed my med order incorrectly twice. I had to take the bull by the horns and facilitate fixing the error to ensure I got my medicine in a timely fashion. She does not communicate well and it often takes her several hours to respond to emails or calls

I think Dr Yalcinkaya is fanstastic. He has an amazing ability to calm my nerves when I see him. He is also confident and gives me hope during my visits. When the first IVF cycle was canceled he immediately had a plan to change my protocol. I can easily reach him by text or phone with questions. Where else can you find that ?!

Have a list of questions you want to ask. Ask about your plan of care (protocol). Ask him his thoughts on any other factors (male factor, endometriosis, etc). Be prepared to leave hopeful that you have a plan in place :)

The first cycle we did miniIVF: Gonal F 150 Units, Menopur 75 Units, Lupron, micronized: 2 injections daily. Also took Doxycycline 100mg twice daily, aspirin, extra folic acid and a prenatal vitamin. He used this rationale for lower dosing based on my DOR - he felt I would produce the same amount of follicles regardless so opted for lower doses. This time he added Cetrotide instead of Lupron, and increased the Gonal to 225Units.

The cost for miniIVF with meds was around 10k. This is far less than traditional IVF and less than most clinics

Dr Y said we could transfer 2-3 embryos and we are ok with that. He thinks at my age 1 in 3 will be normal

This clinic is extremely welcoming. You will never be shuffled around like a number on a paper. Every single person that works there makes you feel like they work FOR YOU. They will laugh with you and cry with you. Their offices are located so that they are easy to find and available to people all around NC. CFI is worth a drive, let me tell ya!

Dr Y sits down with you in his personal office to discuss your options, not in a room while you are draped in a paper gown. He tells you every piece of information about the why's and how's and always offers hope and success stories.

The nurses are amazing at CFI. They call and remind me of appointments and give me blood results and plans of action. They will talk with me on the phone as long as it takes to get my questions answered. It is obvious by talking with them they have so much confidence in Dr. Y and are also passionate about what they do.

Dr. Y is such a down to earth person who happens to be a fertility genius. You can tell off the bat he is passionate about his work. He brings you in his personal office to discuss your options and you don't leave until all your questions are answered. He always offers up a story of hope and you leave feeling like he wants a baby for you as bad as you do.

Don't be afraid to ask questions and don't let money stop you from going. I am a cash pay patient as my insurance doesn't cover fertility treatments and I have always been well informed of cost in advance and shared with opportunities to save money. They empathize that my family has saved for a long time to make this a reality. They have never treated me like I can't afford their treatments.

Well firstly he was listening to my history and he said I want to see your ovaries today if that's ok with you. This was surpring to me but I was overjoyed that something was going to happen that day and the ball would begin rolling. I had follicles that looked perfect and he was excited about that which also made me excited. He said go home and have intercourse and maybe you won't even need to come back. I was shocked that he had hope and it sent me home walking on clouds. He said if this doesn't work, I have back up options. He told me my body does what it needs to do by making eggs and that he would like to perform an hsg to make sure the eggs have a way to release. He told me in detail what that consisted of including out the door cost. He shared even some success stories about hsg tests resulting in pregnancy in other patients. He answered my questions and talked with my until 15 mins after the office closed. That just doesn't exist in the world of medicine these days.

As I said earlier my costs are strictly out of pocket, from savings that have been a long process to get/keep. They knew that going in and kept me informed of all my fees before any services were decided on. They told me ways to cut costs and what to do if any hidden fees appeared and who to call directly if I got any bills in the mail that I didn't understand. People hear fertility treatments and think 10s of thousands of dollars but don't let that intimidate you. It's very affordable to sit down with Dr. Y and hear your options.

The clinic, overall, was very professional and anytime I had an issue or a question, I could touch base with Dr. Yalcinkaya (who was understanding and receptive). The staff, at times, seemed busy or a bit disconnected, but Dr. Yalcinkaya addressed these issues and listened to my concerns.

Dr. Yalcinkaya took the time to go through all details of the process with me, both in person and via email.

The staff did not always know who I was, why I was coming into the clinic or basic answers to questions (mainly when I called), until they finally asked around. I felt like I constantly had to restate where I was in the process and ask for details regarding the procedure. There seemed to be a disconnect, not an effort to get to know my as a patient.

Dr. Yalcinkaya is an excellent listener, he put my husband and I at ease and gave us confidence in the process. He made himself available, so if I left an appointment and had a follow-up question, I could send him an email and he was prompt to respond. He was very understanding of the emotions surrounding infertility and gave me the time I needed to ask many questions or even cry if I needed to (and did).

Be knowledgeable about the process and ask as many questions as you need to.

I don’t remember in detail (I took a break from treatments but will be going back this month). He performed the HSG test & ultrasound. I continued to take femara (prescribed initially by my gyno) and before the IUI I gave myself a shot of Ovidrel in my abdomen.

I don’t remember the exact costs but the one IUI procedure (including the sperm wash, IUI, doctor visit, Ovidrel shot) was a bit over $800.

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The Charlotte office of CFI is small and you are seen in a timely manner. The staff is friendly and accommodating. Everyone is knowledgable about Reproductive Endocrinology and very helpful. When you have questions they are quick to help you and get answers.

When we went for each appointment I always saw Dr. Mesen. He was the one who did my ultrasounds and at each appointment discussed our protocol and what I could expect in a very detailed way.

They have a specific IVF nurse at CFI that deals with all of the IVF patients at each location. She is the one that communicated with me the most through email. They also have a set nurse who takes your blood and does all the labs. They always responded in a timely manner and made sure you understood the results they were giving you.

Dr. Mesen is very detailed and treats each patient differently according to what their diagnosis is. He was very hands on during our treatments and made sure we understood what to expect. If there was a problem we were able to get answers in a quick and timely manner.

Expect to get started on treatment right away. At CFI they want to help you get pregnant so they will cover all bases before moving forward. They will do blood tests to rule out any issues and come up with an individualized plan to help you succeed. Dr. Mesen gives you direct and clinical answers in a way to help you understand possible reasons why you may be struggling with infertility.

For our IVF cycle we had a specific plan that worked with my PCOS. We stimmed with Menopur and Gonal F for about 8 days before retrieval. We did do a freeze all because of my estrogen level and then the next month we transferred two embryos.

We did mini IVF and it was around $6,500

We were able to transfer two embryos on our first transfer because we had a history of pregnancy loss. They do let most couples decide which they would like to transfer but it does depend on the history and diagnosis of the couple.

Small size, RE conducts all ultrasounds, very communicative, have to travel for ER and ET, no early morning hours, your surgical procedures may be conducted by Dr. Y.

Dr. Mesen is incredibly available, having given me his personal cell phone number and email. I was able to reach him nights and weekends, and he never failed to return a call. He is kind and patient, and he always explains the process and protocol.

The staff is excellent, though on occasion, it would take a day or 2 longer than expected to hear back from the IVF coordinator. Generally, though, they were responsive and compassionate.

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Mesen. He is easy to reach, kind, patient, and ready to explain all the minute details. On the few occasions I had a misunderstanding with a nurse or other issue, he always fixed the problem personally. His work ethic is impeccable.

Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.

IVF with long lupron protocol, with a fresh 5d transfer, for unexplained infertility. I responded well to the protocol. Fresh transfer resulted in a CP, so an FET was scheduled. Due to failure of the first transfer, he recommended transferring 2 embryos, but I wasn't ready yet, and we transferred just one. Upcoming FET will transfer 2 embryos. FETs are done with medicated prep (estrace and vivelle).

$15,000 for IVF, which included ICSI, ER, all ultrasounds and monitoring, fresh transfer, freezing of all embryos for 1 year, unlimited FET of all embryos retrieved until viable pregnancy. If this does not result in a pregnancy, I will be refunded $12,000, which would pay for another IVF cycle.

We reviewed the statistics several times. He recommended a single transfer the first time due to my age, but 2 embryos for the 2nd transfer, though he allowed me to override that decision.

The biggest issue with the clinic is wait times for appointments. Often I would wait for over an hour in the waiting room. The waiting room was comfortable but obviously it is not ideal to be kept waiting so long.

Doctor was kind and sympathetic during appointments and reachable after hours as well. Provided thorough explanations and reasoning for his recommendations. The only issue with his care is that he was often late to appointments. We were often kept waiting for hours.

The nursing staff was generally helpful but it was difficult to get someone on the phone right away. Usually you had to leave a message and wait for a call back. If you were to miss the call back it could result in fairly endless phone tag.

Dr. Yalcinkaya is a very good doctor. He takes the time to explain what he thinks is wrong and what he believes the best course of action is. He is flexible and gives options if you are not ready for a certain treatment. He is sympathetic to patients. He gives patients a way to reach him after hours for any questions or issues. He is often late to appointments and procedures, however, and it is hard to tell whether it is because he has a lot of responsibilities or whether it is because he is poor at time management.

Be prepared with questions you want to ask before your appointment. Be prepared to wait a long time for your appointments.

After determining that I was ovulating, that my tubes were open and that sperm counts were slightly low but within normal parameters, Dr Yalcinakya recommended IUI as our first course of treatment. He said I likely had endometriosis but he could not diagnose it for sure without surgery. We started with letrozole 7.5 mg on days 5-9 of my cycle. An ultrasound was done after completing the letrozole to check my response. Then IUI was scheduled. I was instructed to use Ovidrel trigger ~36 hours before the IUI. My first cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy, so the doctor said we should try again. After 2 additional failed cycles with the same protocol, he recommended a change of strategy. He said he was sure I would get pregnant with IVF, but other options would be to do a laparoscopy to check for and remove endometriosis or to do IUI with injectable medications. Since we were reluctant to do IVF, we went with the surgery. Endometriosis was confirmed and the doctor removed what he found. We then did a 4th cycle of IUI. Letrozole 7.5 mg was used again but Menopur was added as well. I had an ultrasound after completing the meds to determine the response, and then IUI was scheduled. I was instructed to use a trigger shot ~24 hours before the IUI. This IUI was successful.

ultrasounds - $150, IUI - ~$400, Consultation ~$90

Everyone is nice and professional, I wish they shown more emotions as this is such a hard time for women who has hopes to conceive. I wish they offered payment plans. They do let you know up front the extra cost and how many visits you may need in office

Dr Yalcinkya was very professional, he was honest and open with all of my questions regarding ivf. He is very good at responding to phone calls and text, he uses other treatments that my other fertility Dr didn't Persue

They are very on top of things, they send emails and call if I have a questions. They gave me a calendar of protocol that helps because it is a stressful process

He listens and is very thorough explaining procedures. I asked if my age will need me to use donor eggs and I felt he was honest and wants sucess for each patient. He texts and makes phone calls, he has called me back with questions. He reviewed my history and I think he is choosing the protocols that suit myself

Please be open minded and have hope but be realistic, he has great sucess rates but it may not work for everyone

1st full ivf, Menapor, cetrotide, estrogen patch, gonalf, 2 ivf same protocol 3 ivf current micro dose flare

I live 3 hours away from office, I am able to get office visits closer to home to save us a 3 hour drive

My insurance isn't taken there, we have paid out of pocket and are unable to finance any other treatments

My doctor suggested pgd, I cannot afford the extra expense

Strengths are th staff, they also have all of the most up to date technology (including an embryoscope for IVF)-- I haven't yet observed weaknesses but I am not very far in my process yet. Hopefully I do not go much further and won't see any weaknesses!

Dr. Y takes the time to speak with you and explain every aspect of your care. I very much appreciate that. Infertility is a scary time and it was nice to feel like someone cares.

I usually just talk to them over the phone but they have all been nice, call back promptly and seem to really care about your plan.

Good beside manner, well researched (he knows his stuff)! Seems to genuinely care about his patients and about making a difference in the world by helping women realize their dreams of becoming mothers.

Go in ready for some answers and to be proactive because he will hit the ground rolling with treatments.

So far all I have done is oral medications with timed intercourse, which has not yet been effective. I did have an HSG that showed my left tube blocked by a mucus plug and Dr. Y was able to unblock it! I am doing my first IUI this week.

So far I have only done oral medications covered by insurance so the cost has been very minimal (femara costs about $2)-- the monthly ultrasounds are $130 and I have done two ovidrel injections the first was $150 and the last was $96

It is a brand new facility. It's amazing with state of the arc equipment and labs!

Dr. Y was always personable and knew our situation. He always asks about our girls when we go! His office staff, not so much.

Sometimes I felt like they weren't listening to what I was saying. They would take down what I say, but then tell me their answer and not converse with Dr. Y.

Dr. Yalcinkaya is awesome! From the very beginning he helped us and explained to us what was going to happen and how to prepare ourselves. Our first IVF cycle went great and we had twins. The next time we did IVF, it didn't work but he has done everything he can to help make our next cycle successful. He even called and did a phone conference with us for over 30 minutes to help us understand what might have happened.

Sometimes it is hard to understand Dr. Ybwith his accent, but just keep asking him to repeat it!

I had to use estrogen shots, pills and patches. All of the shots and pills helped regulate my hormones so that they could manipulate my body into thinking it was ovulating naturally.

First cycle- $14,000 Second cycle- $3,500

Dr. Y left this decision up to us after giving us the pros and cons of each. I'm thankful for him respecting on wishes to transfer two embryos!

Very friendly staff convenient locations all the latest technology and equipment convenient office hours

A human to a certain extent. My AFC was never measured and other fertility options were never discussed. Also, when my levels were tested, they didn't go in depth about what those numbers meant and how I can improve my levels or what the next steps were.

She gave me encouraging words when my tests came back not normal or my levels were still incredibly low. She advised some alternate supplements to take and not to give up

He has a great personality and a passion for infertility. He explained everything he was doing during treatments. During my initial consultation he explained everything in great details and the risks associated; if any.

He cares a lot about his patients and helping them to become parents.

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Costs were reasonable and the self pay discount is helpful since insurance doesn't cover treatment.

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