Coastal Fertility Specialists

Coastal has better success rates than other clinics/RE's in the Charleston area. I would definitely recommend fertility treatment there vs. with another doctor or clinic. At times they weren't great at communicating next steps, the reason for procedures or providing thorough patient education.

I have never really felt like my personality meshed well with Dr. Schnorr. It could be in part because I have some discomfort working with a male physician. I think that the rest of the staff at Coastal is excellent. At times I felt like his approaches were aggressive and looking back I understand his approach but I lacked the education on infertility, treatment protocols and endometriosis to understand all of his decision making. I often had my guard up due to perceptions that fertility clinics operate as a business and may make recommendations for patients based on revenue. On a few occasions I was called out of the waiting room due to other patients being present with the same first name and being mixed up. At one point a staff member (who I had seen 3 days prior) tried do an intake on me after I had been a patient for about a year.

I have had positive experiences with all nursing staff and especially Andrea. She has been warm, compassionate and prompt in answering questions and returning phone calls. She shared that she was a fertility patient in the past which is comforting to know. I enjoyed having Sharon as an ultrasound tech because she was gentle and thorough and would explain in detail what the ultrasound readings were.

Dr. Schnorr explained things thoroughly in terms of my diagnosis and treatment. I was extremely emotional during the consultation to begin treatment and he suggested I see a therapist implying that I was overly emotional. Although I value therapy, I did not want to pursue it and it made me feel as if it was not OK for me to share the emotional impact infertility has had on me with him. At times I felt he became defensive with me when I questioned why I was doing ultrasounds and definitely when we went against his recommendation for our IVF protocol. At times my experiences with him were positive but I preferred interacting with the nursing staff.

Do your own research so that you can be informed and clarify your own expectations. Fertility IQ has been a great resource to fill in the blanks for education the clinic leaves out or to make our own decisions on treatment protocols.

We did three IUI cycles using letrazole, gonal F injections, ovidrel and prometrium. I was happy with the IUI protocols because adjustments were made each protocol that felt individualized, and we were more aggressive with gonal F each round to increase my chance of success. Although our IUI's were not successful it helped me become more comfortable with the clinic and build trust as I got to know staff and they tailored my protocol. I had friends seeing other doctor's tell me that they were disappointed their doctor had not been open to using a similar medication protocol or that they were using clomid with significantly worse side effects which gave me confidence in my treatment. We started IVF with a sonohysterogram and Lupron in the luteal phase.

I had some insurance benefits. We paid about $2200 out of pocket for 3 IUI's which was comparable to what we were quoted. We paid a $6200 cycle fee for IVF and chose not to use insurance benefits for medication and were gives a quote of $3900 out of pocket for medication. Their anesthesiologist is not contracted and you have to pay for anesthesia up front (usually $400) but they will provide you a form for insurance reimbursement. I was told by the pharmacy that the clinic receives a special rate of gonal f pens which is lower than retail.

It was suggested to transfer a single embyro and we did not discuss in any depth a multiple embryo transfer option. Early on Dr. Schnorr provided education on the risks of a multiple pregnancy. Based on research we had done with Fertility IQ we agreed with the decision to transfer a single embryo.

Strengths- Welcoming and professional environment. They seem to be able to get you in for your initial workup and consultation quickly. Nurse and doctors are all very friendly and welcoming making your first visits a lot easier because you feel comfortable. Weaknesses- Communication. There seems to be issues with being able to get anyone on the phone. Which when you are in a treatment cycle can be very stressful if you have a question. In our experience it seems as if we had to call the clinic to keep them on track, ask for results, things to be faxed etc. It almost seems as if they have too many patients and not enough staff to be attentive to everyone which ultimately made us feel like just a number rather than people so we switched clinics.

Felt somewhere in between. At first our relationship was great and she has a very kind and caring bedside manner, but when our retrieval and transfers didn’t go as planned communication was very difficult. We didn’t get many answers and it was hard to get her or my nurse on the phone for conversations. When we tried to call out of respect to explain we were switching doctors we never got a call back. That made us feel like a number.

My Nurse was Becky she was also a nurse coordinator Nurse Becky was very very kind and friendly. She did make us feel like she cared about us and our outcome. We did feel like she was hard to get a hold of. I would not get phone calls returned in a timely manner (while i was in a protocol calendar). She started emailing so communication was ok for awhile, but then I would send a couple- a few emails with no response. Then we would call with no timely response ultimately have to call the front office for help. it felt as if she had too many patients or was just too busy. Dr. Cook and Becky work out of the Mt. Pleasant office. My husband and I live in Columbia, SC so we were monitored in the Lexington office. The nursing staff as well as coordinators at this location are so so great. We had no issues scheduling or communicating with the Lexington office.

Our experience with Dr. Cook was that she is a caring doctor who does want what is best for the patient. She is very very kind and confident but communicating with her was difficult. It felt like she had a lot of patients to handle.

Make sure you try to communicate as clearly as you can. Ask every question you can imagine.

Will do my best here it's been over a few years. Dr. Cook recommended starting with IUI, we did 3 all resulting in 0 positive pregnancy tests. Medication and protocol was tweaked each round. Here were the meds I was on during those IUI'S- Gonal-F RFF 300IU, Ovidrel 250 MCG, Progesterone 200MG (50 Cap), Letrozole 2.5 MG Tablet (5 tab). If I remember correctly medicine was increased in dosage each IUI round. (especially Gonal, my follicles were slow to grow). IVF Retrieval - Dr. Cook Retrieved 9 eggs (which was not a number we were happy with given I had close to 19 good size follicles my last check up before transfer), 7 fertilized, 2 embryo's made it to day 5, both were frozen for a FET. We were told they were a "good grade" based off their grading system. We did not have them tested, it was not recommended to us because we were young. Waking up from surgery I was told they were unable to retrieve any eggs from my right side then proceeded to ask if we did our trigger shot at the right time. Which we did. I was still groggy and waking up, I personally felt like we were rushed out of there unable to ask the questions needed. Medicine protocol for retrieval- HCG Dilution 100 Units, Cetrotide .25 Mg inj, Gonal F REF #900 IU pen, hCG 10,000 IU dispense 1 vial (trigger), Lupron 4mg/.8 ml trigger kit (did not end up using lupron as a trigger just the hcg trigger), Estrace 1mg 180 tablets, Progestrone in oil 50mg/ml #3- 10ml vials 1ml IM as directed, Prometrium 200 mg #50 insert 1 @ bedtime (as directed). FET #1- Dr. Cook recommended transferring one seemingly healthy day 5 embryo. This resulted in a chemical pregnancy. We were told it was more than likely it was an embryo quality issue Here was our medicine protocol- "Escalating Estrace Protocol CPET" Estrace 1MG tablet 2X/day (am &pm) for 5 days then increase to 2 1mg tablet 2x/day for 4 days then increased to 2mg tablet 3x/day (8 am, 2pm, 8pm) remain on this until otherwise told. They ended up having me do my night time dose vaginally to help thicken my lining, on 13th day begin Progesterone in Oil Injection 1CC am increased to 2x/day the following day until transfer. After Transfer I stopped PM Progesterone Injections and began prometrium one 200 mg capsule vaginally before bed. After our FET #1 Dr. Cook recommended an "endometrial Scratch" to toughen up the lining of my uterus and make it more sticky. She informed us it is a somewhat new procedure that has been shown to help with transfers. We did that before FET #2. Dr. Cook also recommended a round of antibiotics in case there was any inflammation (ie endometriosis) also it is as I understood common to go on after a chemical pregnancy or miscarriage. FET #2- Did not result in a positive pregnancy test. The only difference was adding antibiotic. Medicine Protocol- Started antibiotic first day for 8 days- Escalating Estrace Protocol CPET. Estrace 1MG 2X/Day for 4 days- increased to 2mg 2x/day for 4 days- increased to 2mg 3x/day remain on this until otherwise instructed. 13th day begin Progesterone in Oil Injection 1CC am increased to 2x/day the following day until transfer. After Transfer I stopped PM Progesterone Injections and began prometrium one 200 mg capsule vaginally before bed.

IUI- $625 (NOT including medicine) IVF- (14,890 Total not including medicine + anesthesia) Stimulation Monitoring $5,339, Retrieval Procedure $2,270, Embryology $4,570, FET $2,165 , med apprx $6,188

I don't ever remember there being a conversation about if we even had an option. We knew it was recommended to do a FET and to transfer one embryo because of our age, but other than that there was not much of a conversation. We should have asked more questions.

My clinic was great. They were slightly expensive but about average for South Carolina. They had an office here that could do a lot of the procedures except the retrieval and D and C. That had to be done in Mt.Pleasant. the only downfall is they are very large so sometimes it was tough to get in with a doctor to get started but once you were in it was easy.

Dr. Slowey always had time to answer my questions. He never rushed us through. He was very thorough in explaining what was going on and what we would do. He was straight forward, which I liked because I wanted to know the facts and not have a false hope or vision.

The nurses in the Lexington office were AMAZING. I remember crying on Heather's shoulder for what felt like forever when we lost our first at 8 and half weeks. She was there for every call and made sure I always knew what was going on. Ashley drew my blood and always spoke to me and remembered things specifically about me. The two made you feel like your were best friends or family.

Dr. Slowey is incredibly knowledgeable and very thorough. He does talk quickly sometimes but will slow down when you ask. He never made me feel like I was bothering him asking questions or wanting to know more. He would talk me through everything he was doing or seeing. He explained every step of the way. He is straight forward and would try to be very compassionate but sometimes his straightforwardness could get in the way. I would definitely go back to Dr.Slowey. Even today after having my girl he is so happy to see us visit the clinic and talks about how things are going.

If you need someone to hold your hand and talk sweet and soft to you this is not the doctor. If you want someone who is going to talk to give you the facts and be straightforward this is the doctor for you. Also never be afraid to ask questions! You are not bothering anyone when you do!

I did a fresh transfer with IVF. I did have to take extra days of Gonal F because my eggs didn't grow large enough as fast as expected. I did have a frozen transfer after miscarrying the first baby at 8 and half weeks. We did a D and C with Dr.Slowey. We did genetic testing and found nothing wrong there. We then prepares for a frozen transfer of my last 2 embryos. I had a live, full term birth in May 2017. Dr. Slowey did say that if I chose to do IVF again he would change some of my protocol because of my lack of response to the medicine during this round. He didn't elaborate on that at the time of the visit. We have not been able to go back to do another round due to money.

For my first consultation I believe the testing and all was around 200 dollars but insurance covered many of the blood tests. The IVF was 12,500. I spent 9500 for medicine. I had 800 in two procedures I had to be put under anesthesia but received some.of that back from insurance. My D and C was covered by insurance. The frozen transfer was 3000 but I was given medicine so I didn't not have to pay for those and I had a little left for insurance for that. All in all after 15000 in insurance we paid just under 18000 for everything, 2 transfers, all testing, monitoring, genetic testing and the D and C.

We discussed the concerns of doing two embryos but felt with my test results two was the best. He was very good about really looking and talking through this choice.

The clinic is very comfy and mellow environment but the Charleston clinic that does the procedures really dropped the ball, they had me mistaken for someone else and said my husband needed to give a sample and I panicked thinking they had lost our only frozen sample

My dr called me personally multiple times and was always very concerned with my comfort during procedures and very patient answering literal pages of questions that I would bring to appointments

Heather was always so calm and positive, I can’t tell you how many times she let me cry in her office before I had to go back to work. She always remembered to call me on days off or email me on days I worked and was great at updates

He was very thorough in clarifying our goals, understanding our concerns, and updating care plan and interventions to meet our needs. He was very available both phone and email and staff called me multiple times just to check in on me. He was also very good at presenting the facts and our difficult prognosis with compassion

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, he’s very kind and thorough and wants to make sure you feel comfortable with your decisions and plan

My treatment involved a lot of high doses due to my low function, I took hcg, max of gonal F, and another drug that burned a lot. Frequent blood tests and ultrasound to check progress with dose adjustments every 24-48 hours, it was a very specific and personalized approach. We managed to get 15 eggs and 4 good embryos so I’m over the moon

Well oiled machine and always speedy

Dr Slowey was about half of what we were paying and they had a lot more options

Not to this point yet

They are efficient, organized, friendly, clean, and knowledgeable. The triage nurses are amazing. It’s a well-oiled machine. The ultrasound techs are happy and friendly and don’t ever make you feel rushed even though you know they are busy.

She genuinely cares about our wishes to start a family and has been flexible in medications and protocol depending on our results. Even when she did not do my last retrieval she was there to pep me up before and was the first one I saw when I woke up. She does the ultrasounds before the retrieval and makes time to talk when I have concerns.

I really like Andrea and she is very knowledgeable about the process of ivf. She has been described by other nurses in her position as “old-school” but not in a derogatory way. She has not been consistent with emailing protocol and uploading my lab results to the online portal which is somewhat frustrating though not detrimental to the process. She took the time to really walk me through the injections and show me how to do everything. She is very compassionate. I was disappointed she did not call to check on me after my second retrieval and I didn’t hear from her until I reached out a week later. Besides communication she has been wonderful.

She has compassion, is smart, clear in her communication and expectations. She makes us feel like she is doing all that she can to help us achieve our goal in starting a family. She does not make me feel like it is my fault in any way. When I was disappointed in my retrieval results I felt she was disappointed also.

Ask questions and be clear in what you want.

Retrieval 1: birth control to regulate cycle, 30iu low dose hcg, cetrotide, 400 units Gonal f, novarel trigger shot. Retrieval 2: birth control to regulate cycle, testosterone cream for egg quality, 200mg x 3 Co-q-10, 30 iu low dose hcg, 400 units Gonal f, cetrotide, omnitrope, novarel trigger shot. Retrieval 3 (in progress): testosterone cream, 200mg x 3 co-q-10, 10units lupron, low dose hcg, cetrotide, Gonal f, novarel, omnitrope

I can go in for monitoring appointments anytime during the week from 7-9:30am and they are open weekends also. I can get in and out in 15 min, 30 tops with an ultrasound and no complications. When I had a cyst that needed to be aspirated Dr. cook dropped everything she was doing to take care of it herself immediately and I was still out of the office within 1 hr.

Total roughly $40k and still no baby. Am currently in treatment. Attain 3 cycle program $28,100 Anesthesia for 3 retrievals $1350 Medications ~$10k Pregenetic screening not yet paid for Have personal insurance with ZERO coverage for anything. Have spoken with Blue Cross SC multiple times and they offer no independent insurance plans with coverage.

For my age she will not transfer multiple embryos. She described a number of risks for both the fetuses and my health.

Clinic strengths - have shown successes with many people I know Weaknesses - I was told that Coastal fertility do monitoring for patients going to an outside facility. I have tried to pursue this options since deciding with going with our original fertility specialist back home. It has been very hard to get simple blood work done for our PGD testing without Coastal charging 75$ per person (Self and husband) and then 40$ per person for the "blood work" even though I have everything from the test tubes, the prepaid packaging to send to the labs - all I needed was simply to have the blood taken. During our initial consult they seemed so open a "one for all" attitude but it has not seem that way.

I felt like Dr. Cook was somewhat understanding of our current condition but as we need to do IVF with PGD but she suggested we do several back to back retrievals due the autosomal dominant heart disease my husband carriers due to the cost of the PGD testing to "bank" embryos

The nurse Becky was compassionate when crying in her office but I do realize they are very busy and when trying to get phone calls back I had to follow up with a few phone calls. Very nice lady

Dr. Cook was point forward with the steps of IVF but did not have much remorse regarding the cost especially adding on the cost of the IVF. She was able to have a quick explanation of IVF process but did not ellaborate on the medications we will be using or how she was able to count the follicles on my US.

It is a hurry up and wait process. I needed documentation filled out by Dr. Cook and she reported she could get the paperwork done within the next day and it took almost a week in a half to get this valuable documentation but she has been successful with other patients and was easy to talk to during our visit.

IVF with PGD testing but did not go into the medications

47,000$ approximately with IVF (two retrievals, medications, blood work and PGD testing one time )

eSET with being hopeful to having healthy embryos

The medical staff is outstanding, but like most offices the administrative staff has their weaknesses. We had a few billing hiccups that were frustrating, but eventually got taken care of. I believe the quality of embryologists makes a big difference in outcomes, and I believe the embryologists at Coastal are second to none. All of the nursing staff, ultrasound techs, etc. make a point to get to know you and make you feel at home.

Dr. Cook always spoke to us in a way that was easy to understand, and she always laid out all of our options in a nice, but direct way.

Becky was always very responsive and caring.

We loved our experience with Dr. Cook and are so thankful she helped us conceive our miracle. After years of "unexplained infertility" it was a breath of fresh air to have a diagnosis within ten minutes of speaking to her, which she then confirmed via ultrasound.

Be direct about your wants/desires, she will listen.

I was diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis, and as a result, Dr. Cook offered to skip IUI altogether and go straight to IVF. We weren't financially in a place to try IVF right off the bat, so we opted for two IUI cycles. After the first failed, she adjusted my meds to try and get even more eggs to mature, although it ended up being unsuccessful. We only had to go through one IVF cycle with her, and she was very direct about doing a frozen only cycle, as she believes it's better to allow your body some time to rest after being on all of the hormones for the retrieval. We opted against genetic testing, and transferred one day 5 embryo that was a 5-AA rating. Also, at the beginning of my initial treatment with her, she started me on CoQ10 to improve egg quality and we saw improvement between my initial ultrasound and my second ultrasound in the number of follicles available.

IVF cost between 15,000 and 20,000; IUI was between 3000-5000

Due to my age, she felt confident we would have good quality embryos and, therefore, only needed to transfer one at a time. Furthermore, she believed it would be difficult for me to carry multiples and did not want to run the risk of transferring more than one embryo and one of the embryos splitting.

Both clinic locations are clean and organized. Staff are always pleasant and are very compassionate. The doctors are primarily in the Charleston office so scheduling with them in the Lexington office can be a little tricky and I would not wait until the last minute to make an appointment. With that being said I have never not been able to get in with someone when I really needed to, even if it had to be a different doctor.

Everyone in the clinic makes us feel very welcome. Our team knew my and my husband names and would remember personal things that came up in conversation and ask us about it at follow up appointments. Our nurse coordinator, Cherub, is amazing! I've never had a problem getting in touch with her and she always emails to check in on how we are doing. I love our clinic!

From the first visit, Cherub has been incredibly helpful. She has developed a gray rapport with my husband and I and is always quick to respond to emails. She has checked in with me after every procedure and is always offering support if needed.

De. Schnorr was very detailed with us from our consultation and continued to be so at every appointment after that. We did not see him for monitoring appointments (he is based in Charleston, we live in Lexington). He did retrieval, transfer, ultrasound after positive pregnancy test and D&C. After getting pregnancy test results from the nurse, he always called to follow up the same day and discuss plans for moving forward.

He is honest in giving you information about possibility for success and makes sure you understand risks involve. He follows recommended guidelines for transfers and his goal is to get you one healthy bay at a time.

After diagnosed hydrosalpinx Dr. Schnorr suggested IVF as our best possibility for getting pregnant. We did one egg retrieval with a freeze-all. I believe this is Dr Schnorr's typical protocol in order to give your body time to recover after stinking and retrieval and get prepared for transfer. Genetic testing was not recommended for us. We transferred day 5 single embryos twice stating with the highest grades embryo (one early miscarriage, one failed). For our third transfer Dr. Schnorr recommended an endometrial scratch to help with implantation and gave us the option to transfer 2 embryos, which we did. This cycle also failed. Next, an ERA has been recommended to test receptivity and make and protocol changes as needed. This will be our next step.

Monitoring appointments are first thing in the morning. They're is never more than one or two other people in the waiting room, if any. On 95% of my appointments I never waited more than 5 minutes to be called back.

I do have some insurance coverage, however we have spent approximately $15k on one stim and retrieval cycle and 3 transfers and one D&C (including all monitoring and blood work) and medications.

Dr. Schnorr highly recommends single embryo transfers unless there are extenuating circumstances. He explains all of the possible outcomes, good and bad, for transferring more than one embryo.

We have had nothing short pleasant and professional experiences with Dr. Cook and the Coastal Fertility Specialists team. Every member of the staff has been kind and understanding, and patiently answered questions. They really make you feel as if they are peraonally invested in your positive outcome.

Dr. Cook is always willing to answer any question with patience. We have never felt rushed or dismissed during our meetings.

Becky has always taken the time to explain and guide use through the process. Again, we have never felt rushed, pressured or dismissed during interactions.

Dr. Cook's expertise, compassion, and confidence set us at ease when coming to terms with our infertility. She throughly explained our treatment options, risks, and expectations. We have never felt rushed, pressured, or dismissed during our interactions and meetings.

Communicate with your care team. It is OK to ask questions, any questions, to make informed decisions about your care. Most importantly, be upfront and honest. There is no judgment, only compassion and an obvious desire to help from Dr. Cook.

Our trearment seems to have followed a prerry standard course so far. Prescreenings, labs, an HSG to obtain a visual of any structural issues, and medications. We are in the early stages of the first cycle.

We opted to utilize the Attain 2-cycle program with a possible refund if unsuccessful. Coastal Fertility Specialists has worked with our insurance, and has helped to reduce our out-of-pocket costs wherever possible.

With the cost of IVF, we originally expressed a desire to have multiple embryos transferred during our cycles. After speaking with Dr. Cook, and listening to her explanation of the process and rationales reguarding single vs multiple transfers, we feel confident that Dr. Cook has our best interests in mind when the time comes to choose which route to take.

They’re all great. All members of the clinic are very well organized, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. I have no complaints whatsoever with any part of the clinic from the nurses to the billing to the lab techs.

Dr Cook and her staff are all very supportive and sensitive to my situation. It is hard to not lose hope when you’re dealing with a situation where you wants a family more than anything. They have always been caring and I’ve always felt comfortable to ask them any questions and voice any concerns with a quick and thorough response.

Whitney, along with all the nurses and staff are fantastic. They’re caring and sensitive to the situation we are in. I can call Whitney with a question and my call is always returned the same day, most time within the hour. I couldn’t ask for a better support system!

While being under Dr Cook’s care, I have always felt like I was in the best possible hands I could be. Our situation is different than some with unexplained infertility. Every month seems to be a new learning experience with how my body reacts to medicines or naturally. She is always right on top of my care and adapting with what fits my needs beat each month. I trust her 100% and have full confidence in her which is so important when you’re dealing with infertility.

Be open and honest and ask as many questions as you have. She is a wealth of knowledge and will make sure you understand completely.

My spouse and I had been trying for almost 4 years with 1 pregnancy which resulted in miscarrriage. After our consult with Dr Cook, we went straight into IUI with GonalF injections 75. Ovidrel shot and IUI. We were blessed with a positive result. We lost our baby girl at 15 weeks due to triploidy. We tried to mimic a second cycle with the same protocol as the first with a negative result. Our third planned cycle, we were unable to utilize our Gonal F as I had a follicle which was already at nature stage with high estrodril levels on CD 5. Our third cycle. We started monitoring right away and injections early to try to preven a repeat of the previous cycle. We grew 2 16s and 2 14s due to her new protocol! We had to aspirate one of the smaller follicles as Dr Cook did not want to risk my health or health of multiple children if all follicles matured to released eggs. Ovidrel shot and IUI.

A cycle of IUI with labs, ultrasound, monitoring and the actual IUI procedure cost approximately $2500.00. This does not include medications.

I love the north Charleston office since it is close to my home and on the way to work for early morning hours. The Mt pleasant clinic is very nice but no easily accessible with the amount of traffic in the area.

This time around, I felt like he listened and was sensitive to the needs and desires for my wife and I. He spent a good amount of time breaking things down to us and answering our questions.

Beth called me after every appointment or procedure to check in and offered words of encouragement. I never waited long and she always accommodated my work schedule.

Dr. Schnorr was very knowledgeable about my condition and he was very specific using data to help us understand what is needed to get the outcomes we desired. He was able to recall me as his patient from a previous marriage over ten years ago. He congratulated me on significant weight loss while being open and honest with me.

Go in with an open mind and prepare questions in advance.

I had labs drawn in first meeting and vaginal ultrasound to check my uterus and fallopian tubes. Later scheduled HSG in which I discovered I had left tube blocked. I was devastated but he assured expulsion still move forward with iui work the one healthy tube. I have pcos which presents a challenge already so he prescribed a medication regime to stimulate eggs. Once my cycle came on I started seeing the nurse every other day for labs and vaginal ultrasound. All was going well until we discovered my healthy egg was growing on my left side which is blocked. On the gonal f I felt hormonal and emotional, some days I was exhausted and had little appetite. I have limited coverage with my insurance so I'm worried I will not be able to finish this process if I don't produce an healthy egg on my right side in the next few cycles.

The cost is reasonable now. My out of pocket cost are still being calculated by billing. I overpaid for HSG procedure but billing is working on refund to my account.

This clinic is definitely busy and big, but it does not feel overwhelmingly big to where it feels like a “fertility factory” or like you get lost in the mass of other people there for treatment. By being assigned to my own nurse it makes the treatment feel very personalized and made me feel comfortable having the same person to touch base with for any questions/concerns.

I feel like a human at Coastal Fertility in large part because of my nurse, Whitney. She is fast to respond to emails or call me to answer every question I have. Whitney never tells me she needs to look up my file, but rather knows exactly who I am when we get on the phone and has quick responses.

Whitney is amazing at responding quickly and compassionately to all of my questions. The rest of the nursing staff is also incredibly friendly and makes me smile every time I’m in there for monitoring.

Dr. Schnorr seems very knowledgeable and has much better bedside manor than my previous infertility doctor. I do talk to and see my nurse, the phlebotomists, and ultrasound technicians far more than I see Dr. Schnorr himself. I feel more that my nurse is in charge of my care and treatment plan than Dr. Schnorr is as we only saw him during our initial consultation. The IUI that I recently had (my first & only thus far) was performed by another doctor in the practice.

Be prepared to get a lot of information on your first visit and to not see the doctor very much - this hasn’t been something that has bothered me as I feel my nurse has been very knowledgeable and helpful throughout my treatment. But, I do acknowledge that this may not be a style that others like in a fertility specialist.

For my most recent IUI Dr. Schnorr used the lowest possible doses of medications to give room to increase for future treatments if necessary. I take Metformin 500mg 3x/day. At the start of my treatment I took letrozole 2.5mg for CD 3-7, then started 37.5iu injections of Gonal F nightly while being monitored with ultrasounds and bloodwork every couple of days for CD 7-15. I started with a few follicles and ended up with 1 egg at appropriate size for ovulation and IUI. On CD 16 I did the Ovidrel trigger shot for an IUI on CD 18, then began prometrium suppositories on CD 20. We just found out that this cycle did not result in a pregnancy but we are ready to try another cycle with Coastal Fertility for our second IUI

My insurance covered the majority of the costs associated with our IUI cycle and diagnosis.

Coastal Fertility is excellent at what they do. Their facility and equipment are very up-to-date and maintained. They are always busy and handle the traffic well. They are organized and prompt with returning calls, messages. We have always had a smooth and enjoyable experience there.

Doctor Slowey is very smart and takes his job seriously. Soon as you consult with him, he is down to business. He wants to get to the issue and get to work. Sometimes this comes off too blunt, but we can appreciate him seriousness. He is always cordial.

Coastal Fertility nurses are excellent. They are all busy at work and take great care of you. They always make us feel welcome and have a smile on their faces. We are always impressed with the atmosphere and their diligence.

Doctor Slowey knows his job and has done a lot of research himself about infertility. I completely trust his judgement on our treatments. He can be blunt, but wants you to have an honest, realistic opinion. He is always friendly and genuinely mannered.

Be prepared for worst case scenario. He is honest and wants you to be prepared. Ask questions and be understanding. He knows what’s best and is extremely knowledgeable.

Doctor Slowey started us off with a low dose for our first IUI treatment which I appreciate. If overdosed, your cycle is likely to be canceled. He upped that dosage for our second IUI cycle and had the clinic monitor us closer. The cycle was perfect, but didn’t work due to our unexplained infertility. He is now suggesting move straight to IVF for sake of time, money, and emotional state which we agree on.

Our insurance doesn’t cover any fertility fees. We have paid out of pocket for every single appointment. Their prices were competitive with our local OB. Appointments were to be paid in full as they were administered in Mt. Pleasant. If we had an appointment in Myrtle Beach we could pay it at our next Mt. Pleasant visit which was convenient for us.

He was very stern on single embryo transfer. He explained due to our young age, healthy records, and no past miscarriages. Transferring 2 embryos can lead to a risky/dangerous pregnancy.

Strengths-small, close knit, able to get everything done under the same roof and everything is very routine at the mount p office-you can tell they run like a well oiled machine. I felt very comfortable with the US techs as they were very experienced with their scanning. Also they’re open on weekends which is apparently not every RE office Cons-not much to say other than occasionally the visits took slightly longer than expected but I assumed that was due to the occasional bad news being delivered to other patients

He was very thorough in explaining all of the hormonal imbalances and the need for IUI to be the best option for me. He was always the one to guide me if the treatment plan shifted, which it did almost every time, until he eventually figured out my correct protocol. If there was one thing to change my only wish would be that he had been slightly more personable rather than strictly professional, honestly I didn’t care though because he is an amazing physician. I felt well taken care of by his medical expertise and I was happy that he seemed to think we wouldn’t need IVF.

Come prepared with questions written, he talks fast!

Initially we tried letrozole 2.5mg x days cd 2-5, then with a trigger shot after monitoring-We did an IUi with a 17mm follicle. IUI #1 failed. Then we tried Gonal f 75 stim cd 3-14 and then with monitoring and gradual increases and my body didn’t respond at all, then we took the next month off. Then...he added Gonal f again at 125 daily 3-9 with micro hcg at 30 daily and I triggered a large follicle with 10,000 hcg and had iui that was successful!

I had insurance coverage for one IUI cycle and we paid 1000 out of pocket, then we took out a 10k loan for meds and only used 3k of it

The clinic looks great and I was always treated like a person and not a number. I was never bunched in a room with 100s of other people. It always felt calm and relaxing. I do not feel that they have any weaknesses. They have an amazing staff and a great facility.

Dr. Cook is very approachable and sympathetic. I never felt rushed and she took the time to answer any questions that I had with a lot of detail.

I was assigned Becky during my first visit. This was amazing, since my previous clinic did not do this. Becky gave me documentation of everything that we talked with Dr. Cook about. She gave us plans to more forward with IUI or IVF. Becky also gave me her email and phone number where I could call or email her at any time.

She took her time and never rushed me with what I was feeling or with the questions I had. Every visit she was pleasant and explained what was going to happen thoroughly. She was easy to communicate with through my assigned nurse and always answered in a timely manner. At the beginning we asked about IVF along with IUI and she was willing and able to give us all of this information up front and explained everything. She did not push us one way or the other, but gave us her advice and let us make the right decisions for my husband and me.

Ask her any question you have, even if you think it is stupid or not important. She is willing to answer anything and takes everything you have to say seriously.

Dr. Cook was the second doctor that we saw, and had already complete Clomid cycles, another fertility drug cycle, and 2 IUIs. We were on the fence about trying other IUI and were looking for more information on IVF. Dr. Cook looked through our records and was surprised about certain tests that weren't run or that they did not do any ultrasound monitoring by our previously clinic and wanted us to run those test and try one more round of IUI with injections and ultrasounds. She understood why we would not want to do another IUI and was happy to give us all the information on IVF that we asked for. After reviewing everything that we talked about with Dr. Cook, we decided to do one last IUI with injections using her as our doctor. This did not work and we have now decided to more forward with IVF.

The cost was equal to the cost at the first clinic we went to in Nashville. We paid around $2500 for our IUI with injections and ultrasounds. The estimate for IVF is around $20,000.

The clinic has many strengths as to being available for IUI procedures 7 days a week, so there’s never a chance to miss ovulation! Only weakness is I wish that we would have been notified of all the price changes on the upcoming new year.

Dr Slowey has always been straight forward with my diagnosis and treatment plan while also providing professional and sympathetic bed manners. I truly appreciate his patience with myself and my partner in our journey to parenthood. He has provided the upmost care to both of us.

Allison has been over the moon amazing! She has answered every single phone call and email in a timely fashion and has always shown compassion and sympathy. She is truly a gem!

When my partner and I had our first consultation in Dec 2017, I was so nervous! I am a plus size patient and was worried he wouldn’t be able to assist me. Though he was extremely patient and guided me in the correct and healthy way to manage my weight so the outcome would be, healthy mom, healthy baby. Once I began losing weight in a timely manner, he showed me so much encouragement to help me continue to better myself so that our future child could have a healthy future.

I wouldn’t say I have any specific advice for Dr. Slowey, but I would have enjoyed seeing him at the Myrtle Beach office where my home is located.

The first cycle of IUI we used ovulation induction with 2.5 MG of Letrozole. Unfortunately an unsuccesful outcome. However we are current in our second IUI with 5 MG of Letrozole and Ovidrel trigger shot.

Unfortunately my insurance did not cover any costs of any preliminary testing or the procedures so every penny came out of pocket. I understand everyone needs to make money, especially a business. It’s a little disheartening to spend thousands of dollars without a larger guarantee of a live birth. We are close to have spent $6000. Unfortunately after two cycles of IUI we may have to take a break and try again in another year.

Multiple locations which is nice living in Columbia where there are not many clinics. Had to drive 1.5 hours to get to the transfer and retrieval. Other then that could do everything in Columbia. Clinic is clean and nice decor. Its obvious that when you are paying out of pocket you are getting better treatment. You would see whichever doctor was in Columbia that day so you aren't always seeing Schnorr but 2/3 doctors were great and you always had the same nurse. Very helpful in scheduling around your work schedule.

Very personable but he also didn’t waste your time with small talk

Best communicator I have ever met. She is firm and to the point but extremely efficient. I loved being able to email a nurse and get a response within 10 minutes. I have never had that with a doctors office before!

Knowledgeable, and kind. He predicted our numbers based on my age and diagnosis PERFECTLY. That made me feel like he had been doing this for a long time. Had to rely a lot on his staff because of my location but the time sI did talk o him he was honest and to the point.

He will listen to you and take all the time you need to answer questions so have your questions ready!

We were going to try IUI 2 - 3 times but after one failed cycle he was honest and said he didn't think based on husbands numbers we should do a second round. We did anyways for peace of mind and I don't have any regret. Then we did IVF. He suggested a single embryo transfer based on my age 32. He suggest ICSI based on my husbands sperm sample. He suggested frozen transfer transplant based on his success rate.

2k for IUI treatment and medication 14k IVF 3k IVF medication Free consults $200 credit

He said that based on my age 32 I had a 60% chance of implantation. He thought it would be better and less risky to transfer one by one then multiples because of my high implantation chance. We knew it would be more expensive if first transfer doesn't work but we were willing to take the chance to avoid twins.

I feel like Coastal Fertility has too many offices. While I benefitted from one of these satillite offices there was some confusion on where my second Fet was. I showed up to an office 2 hours from where my embryo was. Luckily Dr. Slowey and his team were still able to proceed with the transfer which resulted in my son. Coastal has 3 amazing and knowledgeable physicians and wonderful embryologists. The clinic is up to date on all the latest studies.

Most of my interactions were with a nurse, which was fine, but if I had a direct question I either had to wait for the nurse to get in contact with my doctor or set up an additional appointment (out of my pocket) to discuss things directly with him.

Heather was very professional and knowledgeable in her job. The fact that she herself had gone through IVF made me more at ease, she could relate to me. At the time of my egg retrieval I was a full time college student. Heather and her coworkers would go above and beyond to accommodate my limited schedule by opening their doors 15-30 minutes early for me to receive my necessary blood work and scans.

Dr. Slowey is very professional and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed his bedside manner when i actually got to interact with him. He seems to care and took my wants and desires into consideration when it came time to jump into IVF.

Trust the process and don’t expect to see him every appointment or even every other

I do not remember the exact dosage but I was on birth control, gonal f, cetrotide, Lupron, progesterone (injectable & suppository), estrogen, prenatal. My egg retrieval yielded 30 eggs, 26 fertilized normally and only 4 survived to day 5. pgs results: 2 normal, 1 abnormal 1 mosaic Fet #1: lining was roughly 7mm & we transferred the highest quality of my 2 normal embryos. Resulted in a negative pregnancy test Requested an ERA which discovered we were transferring at the correct time Fet #2: didn’t change protocol lining was roughly 8.5mm. Transferred my last normal embryo. Resulted in a positive pregnancy test, healthy pregnancy and baby.

Weekday monitoring I was given an appointment at my satellite clinic. Saturday monitoring was first come first serve at my satellite clinic. Sunday monitoring was only held at the Mt. Pleasant clinic, first come first serve.

IVF (including 2 Fet’s): roughly $12,000 (I had partial insurance coverage & this does not include medication) PGS: $3,400 ERA: roughly $500

My husband and I were counseled that there were certain scenarios that Dr. Slowey would not transfer more than 1 embryo. In my case he did not feel comfortbale doing so. I was 27 at the time of egg retrieval, had been pregnant a total of 3 times prior with 1 live birth. To top it off we decided to do pgs to decrease our chance of miscarriage. I believe Dr. Slowey 100% made the right call in our case.

This is a very popular clinic with an amazing reputation with its doctors, nurses, and other staff. Getting an appointment for a consultation takes a little time, however this is similar to any other clinic. The staff are always friendly, informative, kind, and want nothing but to assist you in your journey.

Dr. Schnorr ran a lot of tests and made to cover all bases. Once these tests were complete he not only went over all of the results and what they meant, he also gave us a packet of the information for when we went home. That included what we went over, videos, and numbers and emails we could contact him and our charge nurse. He is very informative yet has a very warm bedside manner. All of the tests my husband and I underwent he made sure himself that we were comfortable and understood what the test was for. Our second opinion consultation lasted three hours. I appreciated that he went through the results and wanted to redo some. He also wanted to complete more results than our prior Dr. Once they were completed he went over our best options and consulted with us to make sure this was what we were wanting. Our previous doctor just wanted to “jump right into IVF”. I appreciate that Dr. Schnorr treats his patients as humans and cares about the outcome of their journey.

Our charge nurse Whitney Hoertz is amazing. Anytime I have a question or concern she is more than willing to answer. If I call or email she always responds the same day if she’s busy with other patients. I appreciate that she knows my husband and I and that we have the same nurse every time and get to build a relationship with her.

Dr. Schnorr is a very knowledgeable, compassionate, and trustworthy doctor. We have experienced nothing but positivity in each of our appointments. He makes sure we understand what we will be doing during each appointment and takes the time to answer any questions. He honestly makes you feel comfortable and knowledgeable during this journey.

Go to Dr. Schnorr! He is an amazing doctor. You will love him as a doctor if you appreciate being treated as a human and learning all aspects of your infertility journey while having a say in your treatment.

The clinic is very good. The only thing I felt was that when I was just doing timed intercourse or IUI, the level of interest from the staff seemed less. Once I moved to IVF, they became increasingly more friendly and involved. This isn't true for the entire staff but it was noticeable in some. I originally had Dr. Cook, and she is young and seemed a little less experienced and knowledgeable than Dr. Schnorr. I felt in better hands with Dr. Schnorr and him knowing what exactly I needed.

Dr. Schnorr took time to learn about our personal situation and our beliefs. He asked me what I felt was important to me and my husband. He also explained everything in detail and answered as many questions as I had.

Andrea is amazing. She is patient and kind and treats you almost like her own daughter. She is there any time I need her, even it is just to talk. Everyone is friendly and gets very excited for you as you move through the process.

He is exceptional. He researches new protocols and tailors to each individual patient. When I asked him if a different protocol that I had found on the internet would work for me, he took time to explain why he didn't choose that for my particular situation and I ended up having more eggs than we both thought I would get!

Take a notepad with you with all of your questions. He will answer each and every one, patiently. He is thorough and will spend as much time with you as you need.

My protocol was testosterone cream for 20ish days that was applied to the inner arm once a day, 10 units of Lupron began 2 weeks before my period. Testosterone was stopped right after my period and 10 units of HCG began and Lupron was dropped to 5 units. I also began Gonal-F at 350 units and stimmed for 11 days. The last two days I was dropped down to 300 units of Gonal-F and then a HCG trigger on day 12. He used testosterone as prime to assist in producing more eggs. He expected 7-8 and I had 11 with 10 that were mature and then 5 made it to blast.

It was a pretty smooth process. Sometimes there would be a 10 minute wait or so but the ultrasound tech is very quick and efficient.

IVF costs are around $12k without medications and IUI was around $700

He originally suggested two embryo transfer since he thought I would have a limited amount of healthy embryo's and it would give me a better chance that 1 would take. When it was all said and done I have 5 healthy embryos so he suggests only doing 1 to avoid risk of multiples.

I love the girls that work at the front desk. They are super friendly and always joking about how they need to at least name a conference room after my husband and I because we are in there so much. I've even connected with a few of the ladies on instagram- again, these people become like family. I ADORE my ultrasound tech, Sharon. She is so precious, always upbeat and so loving. She is the greatest. The billing department however, could use a major overhaul. I am constantly getting invoice in the mail that were paid months prior, at the time of service. We call them very confused and they say "Oh, its an automated billing system" but it has been happening since we started going there in Early 2017.

In the beginning, we loved Coastal, but as the months dragged on, I think their patient volume increased exponentially. One of my biggest complaints is the amount of times they said something to us that was not accurate because they didn't bother to open my chart and read it. Sometimes it feels like they are trying to get as many scans, labs, and consultations done in one day to make the most amount of money.

I absolutely love my nurse, Kelly. We are in constant communication and over the last year and a half, she has become like family. She is always in a good mood, friendly, tries her best to say the right things to make us feel better about negative outcomes, and is very responsive to my emails.

I think Dr. Slowey is a brilliant man. So brilliant that he might ignore or dismiss simplistic items that could improve treatment results. I've had mixed interactions with him ranging from very cold and short to very compassionate. I care more about him getting me pregnant than his bedside manner. But I haven't gotten pregnant yet, so my patience is growing thin.

I would say expect to do things his way in the beginning. I had so many cycles cancelled because he wanted to stick to his protocol. So either be very up front in your initial consultation about wanting an individualized plan or be patient. The problem with being patient though, is that time, money, and precious embryos may be wasted in the process.

IVF 1: Stimming and egg retrieval went well. We got 3 PGS tested normal embryos. The first transfer was cancelled due to my lining not thickening up and we went to transfer (just barely- again, due to lining) the following cycle. This resulted in a negative pregnancy test. We had a consult with Dr. Slowey following that failed transfer and he gave us the option to have the ERA test done, which we decided to move forward with. The ERA revealed that I was pre receptive which indicated adjustments needed to be made for the following cycle. The second transfer failed, after another two cancelled cycles due to my poor lining. I expressed my concern that I felt the protocol I was on was not working for my body, but he wanted to stick with it. We surprisingly moved directly into our third and final transfer for that round (it was our last embryo) which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. I felt so frustrated because I felt like my voice wasn't being heard and we ended up losing all of our precious embryos. In Dr. Slowey's defense, he was going off what the ERA told us and wanted to stick with the protocol that gave us that information. I understand that. IVF 2 & 3: My husband and I met with Dr. Slowey after our final failed transfer to discuss next steps. I was very clear in that consultation that I would not do another round of IVF if it entailed the same thing we did for nearly a year. He completely agreed and apologized profusely for all the time and heartache we wasted in the process. I think perhaps his experience with me as a patient has given him a new perspective on what might work for some, doesn't work for all. We decided to batch our second and third rounds because of my age and so that we could get more embryos to work with. We ended up with a combined 9 embryos, which were PGS tested, and only 5 were normal. Dr. Slowey tried a brand new protocol for my frozen transfer prep which entailed completely different medication than the previous 3 transfers. My lining seemed to respond much better right away! We just had our fourth frozen transfer three days ago, so I'm currently in my "two week wait" to see if this new protocol worked for me or not.

I really like the way monitoring is set up. It is every weekday morning between 7 and 9am, so it was very flexible.

Our first round was approximately $10,000, which included insurance assistance. Medication was an additional $1,700, PGS testing was an additional $3,250 and we were charged a "cycle management fee" of $900 per cycle (including all the cycles that were cancelled). Plus $400/yr for embryo storage (which we had to pay right before we lost our last embryo- so messed up). For the second and third round, we did the Attain program which cost $23,000 up front (which covered two egg retrievals, ICSI, embryology, and all frozen transfers), medication was paid for out of pocket for approximately $4,000, PGS testing was $3,250. Monitoring was not included in our Attain program, which was another $2,000-$3,000. Embryo storage $400/yr.

My doctor is adamant about transferring a single embryo when is PGS tested normal because it has a greater chance of splitting. Multiple pregnancies have a higher risk of preterm labor, and other health complications for the mother, and more health risks for the babies.

The clinic was clean and comfortable, and all of the staff was very friendly. It didn't feel sterile like a doctors office. It was nice to be able to meet with your nurse to go over your medical plan and then go to the next office to go over your financial plan. Thw financial coordinator worked with the billing department to answer all my questions.

Dr. Schnorr was very compassionate and confident that he could help me. He does what is best for his patients instead of batching then like other doctors. He answered all of my questions candidly. He was going to be on vacation the day of my egg retrieval, and he called me personally a few days ahead of time to let me know that he wouldn't be there. He talked about my how my cycle was going and told me about the doctor who would be doing the retrieval. Dr. Schnorr always called me personally with my PGD results.

My nurse was quick to make my schedule, call in refills on medication, and send me orders to have blood drawn at my local hospital instead of LabCorp.

Dr. Schnorr is so kind and compassionate. I saw him for a second opinion, and my husband and I were so impressed that we started a cycle with him less than a week later. He read my record and clearly explained why he believed my first cycle at another clinic failed. He explained what he would do differently and took all of my feelings into account when he made my protocol.

Don't hesitate to see Dr. Schnorr! I would recommend doing your initial consultation at the main office, even if your monitoring will be at a satellite office.

I had previously done a microdose lupron flare protocol with another doctor. I ended up with OHSS and all PGD abnormal embryos. Dr. Schnorr changed my protocol and had me use an LH trigger. I didn't get sick, and all of my embryos tested normal. He also liked to wait an extra day for the eggs to have more time to mature.

The costs were similar to the other clinics in the area. Monitoring $2327. Case management/retrievel $4630. Embryology $4590. Transfer $3101.

My doctor recommended not doing PGD testing and transferring two embryos. I really wanted the PGD, and when rgey tested normal, he put only one in.

The clinic itself is clean, efficiently ran from what I can tell, and has good success rates. I've had good experiences overall. The only weaknesses I've experienced are the ones already described. Communication with patient concerns could use improvement. The billing needs to be linked between the different offices better. Had a small issue with billing, but did get it resolved with a phone call. However, I caution new patients to pay attention to your bill, and make sure you aren't getting charged for tests or procedures you didn't actually have.

I feel she has not individualized my care. I feel she has not tried to be very aggressive with getting me pregnant. As if she feels I'm hopeless due to my age and weight and has not dug deeper into why it might not be working.

My primary nurse was not always good about returning emails or phone calls. She started out great but soon after I constantly had to call again or email again to get answers. She was always nice when I did talk to her, though. Nurses and ultrasound tech at the monitoring office I went to (Columbia office) were excellent. Also, when I had to speak to another nurse when my primary nurse was away, they were always great as well.

I feel as if she hasn't taken individual circumstances into consideration. I feel like she's not attempting to dig deeper into why I'm not conceiving. I don't feel like she really cares if I get pregnant and maintain pregnancy. I've brought up health concerns she doesn't feel the need to address. I feel more as if I'm just a way to get more money, via IVF. She hasn't been all bad though, she is nice enough and returns calls when asked. But I just don't feel as if she is "in my corner" on my conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy to a live birth.

Give her a try but if you're not 100% comfortable then find someone who will be a good fit for you

Letrozole cycle and a gonal-f cycle to encourage follicle growth. Trigger shot (Ovidrel) to induce ovulation prior to IUI. Both were unsuccessful.

It's expensive, but probably only slightly more than average. IUI itself was $650, but that doesn't include meds, ultrasounds, labs, or donor sperm. It was slightly less expensive at another clinic.