Fertility Center of Dallas

I think the greatest strength is the clinic's size. Dr. Putman is now the only doctor there so you always know who you will see. The size may also be a weakness because they have limited time to see patients and can be rushed, but generally that hasn't been a huge issue. The embryologist Dr. Zhang is also excellent and helpful with answering any questions you have.

Appointments are fairly short and sometimes feel rushed, but the clinic is small enough that the doctor and staff do generally remember you and your specific situation.

The nurses are friendly and competent. You can tell that they're very busy, but I never felt ignored and they always answered my questions.

Dr. Putman seems to be a very knowledgeable and experienced doctor who knows his field well. He's not the warm and fuzzy type and can be somewhat abrupt, but I never doubted his medical abilities. If you need a doctor to walk you through step by step and give you lots of sensitivity this may not be the one for you, but if you want someone who has lots of experience and will do what needs to be done, he can do that.

Be prepared to ask questions--research ahead of time and know what you want to ask.

Frozen transfer cycles using birth control, lupron, then estrogen and progesterone injections.

A frozen embryo transfer is about $2,500, but that doesn't include medications or some other pre-transfer procedures and appointments. All together I think one FET cycle is between $5000 and $6000 depending on meds.

Do exactly what they say and you will have the best chance if success. They have the best success rates around just look at sart.org. They are so sweet and caring and very good at what they do. They got back to me via email or phone same day, they talked to my pharmacy, my insurance, etc

He is the kindest person. His entire staff is very nice. Once I had to call him after hours and he called me back himself right away and knew exactly who I was and reassured me and gave clear instructions on what to do next.

The entire staff is amazing and I love them

He is very kind and smart and very good at what he does. He does not give false hope but states facts in a gentle way. He won’t promise anything he can’t deliver but would always tell me he would do his best.

Dr Putman is the best person to see for really anyone but especially if you are not a good responder to treatment. I had no success for a year at another clinic but was pregnant with twins within 4 months of seeing Dr Putman. Honestly I love him and I thank God for him.

I have severe DOR and had failed cycles at another clinic. He put me on back to back AACEP cycles to bank embryos. We did low dose Lupron then started cetrotide and then started Gonal-F (high dose!) then added menopur. Estrogen priming was part of my protocol too. We got 3 embryos the first cycle and froze, then 1 embryo the second cycle. We transferred the best 2 and I’m having twins (currently 21 weeks pregnant).

It was comparable to other clinics in my area. Actually we seemed to save a little paying for two back to back cycles compared to what we had paid for one cycle eksewhere

Well I don’t know, I have only had one transfer and we decided on 2 because neither of them were perfect looking, so they thought it would give us the best chance of pregnancy.

The clinic was nice but the lab and surgical area were not as clean as they should have been. I saw hair and what I thought was a dried drop of blood on the floor in the sterile surgical area. The person that drew my labs every other day was very nice. It did take a long time for the coordinator and financial person to call me back. I paid about $9000 up front but they never told me where I stood financially. When I asked, they provided a breakdown of it. I would advice anyone to be knowledgeable of the protocols an financials and ask questions if you don’t understand something.

During my treatments he went out of town for a month and the I had to see the other dr in the office. But I was not aware that I was going to be passed to the other dr ahead of time.

I saw different nurses. They were friendly but didn’t really get to know me.

Dr. Putman is highly regarded by his peers. I went to him because he is supposed to the best. He was very thorough in his explanations of what was going to happen but wasn’t clear about the success rate. I researched that all on my own. He did do the egg retrieval and transfer but he was not always available during my multiple check ups. I just wish I had more time with him and that some of my concerns were addressed.

Do research on your own. Be very prepared and ask lots of questions.

I was taking the OCP/Cetrotide /Babking cycle with Gonal, Menopur, and Cetrotide. My eggs weren’t being stimulated quick enough and I was on the protocol longer than normal. It ended up not working.

Dr. Putman was not available for almost all of my monitoring appointments so the other dr in the office did them.

Upfront payment was over $9000. That is not counting any copays for visits before I paid the large amount.

I only had 2 eggs available to transfer and he did both.

I think the clinic is great. They were able to process anything that could be coded as a diagnostic through my insurance. The front staff, including Shelly, is helpful and efficient. Tina, the Administrator, put together an IVF estimate very quickly when we were thinking we needed to do it before the end of the year. The lab technician is wonderful as well. All labs and appointments are done on site. However, should an unusual circumstance arise, the clinic is connected to Baylor Hospital-Dallas so has extensive resources. For example, when I had to change my trigger shot to a Lupron shot, they had me go to different lab within Baylor to make sure that the results were expedited in order to confirm my egg retrieval.

In any practice, it is not just the doctor’s responsibility to make the patients feel like a human rather than a number. Every member of the Fertility Center of Dallas has made sure to treat me as a woman desperate for help. Certainly, Dr. Putman sets the standard, and every appointment I go to, I feel that he has familiarized himself with my file, ensuring he is prepared to answer all questions. He also includes my husband in the dialogue. He reflects on the data and manages to find the balance between simply explaining possible approaches while providing all the details.

The nursing team is phenomenal. Krissy actually performed one of my successful IUIs and was so gentle, compassionate, kind, and informative. When she had to communicate the disappointing results of the beta levels and ultimate miscarriage, she did so in a very tender manner. I appreciated Andrea’s and Jan’s organization and help in explaining the IVF process. They returned calls quickly and responded professionally. Dr. Zhang, the Embryologist, was no different. She answered myriad questions, including at the starting point when we had many questions about the consents. She was so thorough in explaining and patient with our questions. When she delivered the news about the embryos, she was so kind yet matter of fact.

Dr. Putman is a kind and gentle care provider. I have always felt that he takes the time, never rushing us through appointments. He is someone who doesn’t mess around with treatment options, yet, we never felt pressured to pursue more invasive interventions, such as IVF. Initially, my husband and I did not think IVF was right for us. Dr. Putman, suggested we start with other interventions first. When those were unsuccessful, he used that information to inform his next recommendations, and eventually, I underwent one round of IVF, producing two embryos. Dr. Putman, along with is Embryologist, Dr. Zhang, both felt like we could do better and changed my protocol accordingly for the second round, which I am getting ready to start. In addition, I felt that he was aware of my labs and results at all stages of the IVF process even changing protocol decisions along the way, including the type of trigger shot to use. Overall, I have had a very positive experience. However, I would have liked to have seen more alternative approaches incorporated into my treatment plan, including acupuncture, a review of harmful toxins, etc.

Don’t expect him to force your hand and tell you what to do. He will make recommendations, but you will also need to have voice and advocate for yourself.

DIAGNOSTIC STAGE After initial consultation with Dr. Putman, he ran all the standard tests plus additional testing he recommended after IUI #2. The HSG revealed I have a possible blocked tube. Other tests indicate good reserves and AMH and FSH levels for my age. Once we started the IUIs and before we moved forward with IVF, we ran additional testing, including genetic testing via Horizon and natural killer cell testing. All were “normal.” My husband has some morphology issues and I have slight issues with hormone levels. IUI TREATMENTS 4 IUIs: 3 with natural ovulation (no trigger); 1 with an HCG trigger; all with Letrozole - IUI #1 (September 2016): Letrozole, no trigger shot, BFN. Ultrasounds starting around CD 10. IUI around CD15, one day after positive OPK. - IUI #2 (October 2016: Letrozole, no trigger shot, BFP, chemical pregnancy. We used OPKs and started monitoring with ultrasounds around CD 9 or 10 every two days or so. IUI happened on CD 14 or 15. It produced a positive pregnancy test with an HPT and beta on CD 28. Dr. Putman ran blood work every two days. HCG increased (12, 20 +/-), but did not double and by the fifth day after the initial beta test, HCG levels started to drop. I began to bleed 8 days after first beta. - IUI #3 (November 2016): Letrozole, no trigger shot, BFP, chemical pregnancy. We used OPKs and started monitoring with ultrasounds around CD 9 or 10 every two days or so. IUI happened on CD 14 or 15. It produced a very faint positive HPT for a couple of days (over 4 tests), but I was out of town for Thanksgiving and unable to run a beta. I started bleeding CD 32, four days after anticipated cycle start day. - IUI #4 (December 2016): Letrozole, HCG trigger shot, BFN. After the last IUI, we had a follow-up consultation with Dr. Putman. He had advised us that we would try three IUIs before moving on to next steps. There is no need to continue to try something that is not successful. However, we opted for one more IUI since I couldn’t start IVF until after the New Year anyway. He also presented the option of going in surgically to see if he notices anything else going on, specifically related to the blocked tube. Ultimately, we opted for the general work-around and started on the IVF journey. IVF TREATMENT IVF Cycle 1 (February 2017): OCP/Cetrotide Protocol (Antagonist) with ICSI and PGS - Doxycycline- 10 days - Lo-Ovral Cryselle OCPs for 21 days, no sugar pills - Menses: 4 days (didn’t start until day 4 and started stimulation the next day. - Stimulation for 11 days o Day 1-Day 3: 225 IU Gonal-F in AM; 75 IU Gonal-F in PM; 2 vials of Menopur (75 IU each) in PM • Estrogen spiked significantly so Dr. Putman removed second Gonal-F injection (75 IU) o Day 4: 225 IU Gonal-F in AM; 2 vials of menopur (75 IU each) in PM o Day 5-Day 9: 225 IU Gonal-F in AM; 2 vials of menopur (75 IU each) in PM; .25 mg Cetrotide in PM o Day 10: 225 IU Gonal-F in AM; 1 vials of menopur (75 IU each) in PM; .25 mg Cetrotide in PM; changed to Lupron trigger from Novarel to prevent OHSS o Day 11: 225 IU Gonal-F in AM; Lupron trigger in evening o Day 12: Nothing o Day 13: Egg retrieval Retrieval, Fertilization, and Embryo Results • Retrieved 17 eggs; • 2 that were mature were immediately identified as abnormal; • 2 were immature; • 13 looked viable and they attempted fertilization; • Of the 13 that they attempted to fertilize, 9 fertilized normally when they checked a day later resulting in 9 embryos incubating. • The embryologist doesn't really do three-day checks or let his patients know figures until the end of the process. They just wait it out with the philosophy that the best place for those little dudes is safe and sound in that incubator. At this point, the embryologist let me know that "normally" about half will make it to the blastocyst stage to be biopsied for pre-implantation genetic screening. Could be less, could be more. • A week later…. • Of the 9, 3 almost made it to blastocyst, but the third stopped growing on Day 6. • We have 2 embryos officially frozen. One is good quality. The other is questionable because it grew very late, was frozen on day 7, and is subpar quality. • Although they didn't sound too hopeful about the second, they were able to biopsy both for genetic testing (PGS). • They are keeping the PGS culture “on ice” for a while before we they have to send it off for testing with the hopes that we will bank another round and have more embryos to send. • The embryologist believes this process verified that egg quality is very likely the issue and explains the many early miscarriages. Of course that isn’t definitive, but I can role with hypotheticals. • I am giving my body a break from March though May and will start another round in June, which will be a different protocol with the hopes to get better results with a slower growing process. • The next round will be a 4.5-week stimulation (AACEP Protocol) process as compared to a 2-week stimulation process.

Dr. Putman processed all that hey could via insurance; however, I do not have fertility treatment coverage. Therefore, we have spent around $25,000 thus far (IUS and one round of IVF with PGS).

We have discussed this vaguely with Dr. Putman and determined that we would have to wait and see what the final embryo results are from both rounds before making decisions about transfers.

Go in with specific questions. They are very routine. I'm sure everyone else that goes through that office hears the same thing.

Some staff aren't very compassionate or interactive. Last visit to his office he had me do a booster shot to force ovulation when he knows I ovulate perfectly fine on my own. I didn't speak up when I should have. It's very expensive and I regret it now. I feel like he had me do the booster just because I was probably going to ovulate on my own over the weekend and he didn't want to have to come up there. I could be wrong but who knows. Prior to the booster shot I was told to go home (45 minutes away) and take an ovulation test and come back if it was negative for the shot. The receptionist actually told my nurse to let me use ovulation tests they had there in the office instead of making me go home. Awkward and uncomfortable to be around that conversation. He's also told us that we are unexplained infertility. Last consult he told us I should go in for surgery and if he finds something while he's in there then he can fix it. I'm NOT having a surgery and paying all of that money on his whim that he might find something. I feel like that's absolutely ridiculous.

Very quiet. Not much information shared. Not very compassionate or comforting. Only one nurse I found nice.

Very nice and informative. But I feel like his consults and conversations are rehearsed and told many times over. Don't see him other than consults and the actual procedures. Definitely don't feel like I'm the focus.

Ask questions. Tell him how you feel.

Only thing my husband and I have done is consultations, multiple sono's to follow follicle growth, IUI's and one booster shot.

No insurance coverage so everything was VERY expensive. Every follicle sono was almost $75. Consults were over $100. IUI was $500 and sperm wash was $95.

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Dr. Tarnawa is no longer with this clinic so that is a weakness, but overall the clinic was good. It's relatively small so you see familiar faces each time, but that can also cause the staff to get backed up and rushed. The front desk staff and lab tech are all very friendly. The embryologist Dr. Zhang seems excellent and is helpful in answering any questions about your embryos.

Dr. Tarnawa took a lot of time to talk to us from the beginning, and I felt like he always remembered our particular situation at each visit.

The nursing staff was friendly and efficient. We typically saw the same person each time and she was always helpful in providing information or answering questions. The staff was small so sometimes things were a little rushed.

Dr. Tarnawa was thorough and patient. He explained things well and never seemed to be rushing us out the door. He seems to be a genuine person who cares about his patients. His greatest weakness is that he left my clinic and moved to another state!

I'd encourage any patient of any doctor to learn as much about their own situation as possible and ask any questions you have. Once you feel comfortable that you have all the information you need, trust Dr. Tarnawa to do the best he can to help you.

We did a freeze-all IVF cycle using Bravelle, Menopur, and Ganirelix injections. After egg retrieval, we did ICSI followed later by PGS testing of the embryos. This was all done because we were "unexplained" and didn't know where our problem was so we decided to do as much as we could to ensure this was the only retrieval cycle we'd have to do. When we did the frozen transfer I was on birth control, lupron injections, estrogen patches and PIO injections followed by suppositories. Our first and only cycle with Dr. Tarnawa was successful and resulted in the birth of our daughter.

I don't recall specifics, but I believe that the total of everything from the egg retrieval, PGS, transfer, and medications came in around $25,000. We were completely out of pocket.

The clinic is smaller and does not batch cycles. They were very accommodating of my schedule and making the cycle work for me. I felt the personalized attention was very good. The only aspect of his clinic that needs improvement is the financial department. I couldn't get any information about cost of IVF until I had completed my preliminary consult. Even then, I was repeatedly told "It's just $10,000" and had a hard time getting answers as to what that $10,000 included. After pressing for more information, I was finally given an itemized statement. It turns out the $10,000 was just an estimate and treatment could be more or less based on your needs and insurance. There was a very large range of possible price for ICSI ($500-$2500) and I never got a specific answer about how the price for ICSI would be determined. I don't mean to imply that there was any wrong doing on the part of the financial team but the lack of transparency just became very frustrating

Not much communication with Dr. Putman but was very quick and easy to correspond with nurses at any time.

Excellent. Quick responses to calls or emails and were usually corresponding with Dr. Putman to answer my questions...If I did have any concerns, it was easy to have them answered by contacting the nurses who would then check in with Dr. Putman.

Dr. Putman and his nurses and clinic are exceptional. Dr. Putman's concerns didn't always match what other REs had said, and Dr. Putman always turned out to be the one that was right. We are so thankful we went there. Although Dr. Putman was not very vocal and did not provide a lot of information during our visits, he was always very calm and made me feel reassured which helped minimize stress for me. I just decided to relax and trust his judgment without worrying over the details. If I had asked more questions, I'm sure he would have responded.

Good clinic with good personal attention. Would not recommend if you want a very talkative doctor.

We just did a standard protocol as there were no concerns other than MFI.

It ended up being around $9,000 with insurance covering some monitoring and bloodwork.

Fertility Center of Dallas is a very clean office, kind staff, always on time. They had a quick check in and check out. Exam rooms are kept clean as well. Top of the line sonogram machines. The carry some fertility medication in case of emergencies!

He took the time to talk through his plans thoroughly! Answered every questioned asked, no matter how much the answer would hurt. He knew what we wanted and worked so hard to give us our baby.

Kind, always available, responded quickly to calls and emails. Very compassionate and encouraging!

Dr Putman was extremely honest with every procedure. He walked through what medications I would take, side effects and expectations. Amazing doctor!! He had a list of probabilities and marked each one off as we walked through our journey. We now have a almost 6month old boy because of his guidance.

Dr Putman is honest! He will not sit and tell you what you want to hear every time! He wants the same outcome you want and will work extremely hard to make sure you are holding a baby in your arms!

I really do not remember protocols. I took Gonal-f, Follistem, Menapur, Clomid, Femara, Lupron, Novarel, Ovidrel and Prometrium. Once diagnosed with Abnormal Natural Killer Cells we started Intralipid Infusions.

Our services were covered under our health insurance with United Health Care. It covered $10k for medications and $10k for IVF.

The office is very clean and easy to get to. You do have to park in a parking garage. I would reccomend looking at which parking garage to park at before driving. It can get very confusing if you are not use to driving in Downtown Dallas.

He took the time to sit down with my husband and I and explain all the details and every possible out come

I have been to his office for three appointments now and every single appoinment he was behind. I know its frustrating for me to be waiting but then I think he is taking his time with each and every patient to make sure they are taken care of. Then the frustration of being behind is okay.

Make sure you schedule for your appointments to go longer than expected. Just know that you are getting the best treatment in all of Dallas he is for sure worth the wait.

My insurance does not cover anything. Consulation was $560, Each Sonogram is $210(Ive had three done so far), I had blood work done for $144. Follow up consultaion is $85

The clinic was very nice and maintained well. We never had to wait long for our appointments. And any financial questions we had we always got fast responses. All I have are good things to say about this clinic.

Dr Putman was an amazing doctor. He made us feel very welcome.

They had answers to all my questions I had and was very helpful.

Dr Putman is an amazing doctor. He explained everything in deep detail and answered any questions we had. He made us feel very comfortable while going through this process. I never felt awkward around him. I like how he does a full consultation before and after the process.

Listen to everything he has to say. He for sure knows his knowledge.

Total for both cycles and including medication was about $23000

Since we have male infertility Dr Putman recommended during our first transfer to only transfer one embryo. When that didn’t work the second transfer he recommended transferring 2 embryos but did not push us to make that decision.

They are very compassionate trustworthy open with communication, knowledgeable, understanding. They will be there to support you and all questions along the way. Not a weakness I could think of. Excellent staff.

He is very compassionate

Very compassionate kind listens understands excellent bedside manner. Truly cares about his patients. Makes sure you understand everything throughout the process. Excellent at what he does. Very knowledgeable

Be open and ask questions

I used hcg injection and femara with my iui cycles. One iui did not work but I’m currently waiting for results of the second iui.

To date I’ve spent $6,500 for two iui and medications