Dr. Gelman knows his patients as individuals and creates a comfortable, family-like environment...He keeps in touch with us frequently, and takes the time out of his day to call us personally...He makes us both feel comfortable and welcomed. Being a same sex couple, we were nervous about which fertility clinic to go to and nervous about not being comfortable or accepted... We found out shortly after that I have PCOS. After 4 failed IUIs, he suggested that we start considering IVF instead...he will only do a single embryo transfer. We discussed with him that we actually want twins and that we would love to have a multiple embryo transfer. He was very open and honest with us about the health risk associated with multiples
[nurse of IVFMD] was organized and she really knew us and how my cycle worked...[clinic]They allow me to FaceTime my parter during the ultrasounds and appointments to make sure that we are both still involved in the process...All of our IUIs were $310 each...The mini ivf that we are doing cost around $10,000. This includes all of the monitoring appointments, bloodwork, medicine, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer
How was your experience with Kenneth Gelman at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine?
My partner and I absolutely love Dr. Gelman! He makes us both feel comfortable and welcomed. Being a same sex couple, we were nervous about which fertility clinic to go to and nervous about not being comfortable or accepted. He was 100% the opposite! He absolutely loves us both and calls us “His girls”!
We tried at home on our own with donor sperm for a couple month and after 3 failed cycles, we decided to start looking at fertility clinics. We were not sure why home insemination wasn’t working and when we expressed that to him, he made it his goal to help us figure out any issues and help us create our family. We found out shortly after that I have PCOS. After 4 failed IUIs, he suggested that we start considering IVF instead. We told him that IVF was definitely out of our price range since we paid for everything out of pocket. He completely understood and wasn’t pushy about trying to get us to do IVF. Although he wasn’t pushy, he definitely voiced his concerns about trying another IUI, and stated that he feels more confident with us doing IVF. He was very open and honest about our chances and the success rates. We tried another IUI, only because of our financial situation. Unfortunately, that failed as well. Dr. Gelman gave us plenty of resources and information on IVF, as well as the options we have for financing. Before starting IVF Dr. Gelman mentioned that I would be undergoing “Mini IVF” or “Gentle IVF” due to my high Amh and PCOS. He was very open and honest about how this lower dose IVF would produce significantly less follicles than traditional IVF. He also explained that our goal with this would be quality, not quantity. Due to my PCOS and high amh levels, Dr. Gelman put me on a smaller dose of medicine in order to lower my chances of getting OHSS. After my first cycle of stimulation, I only had 2 mature follicles by ovulation day. Dr. Gelman told us that although the mini ivf produces less follicles, he was expecting a little more in order to give us the best chance for success. Ultimately, he advised us to stop taking our medication and expect a period. He upped my dose for our second round and told us that my body would react better and produce more this time around. He told us that it was his fault that my body only produced 2 follicles, because he was nervous to over stimulate me. He told us that we wouldn’t have to pay again for our next cycle since we already paid for the full cycle. We are currently on day 3 of our second cycle and are very excited to see what this time around brings! He has also been AMAZING with communication during this time and we are extremely thankful!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kenneth Gelman at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine?
Dr. Gelman is always open and honest and definitely tells you how it is. He won’t give you false hope or false information. Definitely go in there with an open mind and genuinely listen to what he has to say.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kenneth Gelman at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine?
My experience with Dr. Gelman (Which is still currently happening) has been nothing short of amazing! Dr. Gelman knows his patients as individuals and creates a comfortable, family-like environment. We have not once questioned if he has my best interest in mind, because we know he always does. He keeps in touch with us frequently, and takes the time out of his day to call us personally instead of having his nurses do it. This has had a tremendous influence on our experience because he makes it obvious that he truly cares, which is exactly what you need when dealing with infertility. Infertility is full of inconsistency and Dr. Gelman provides the consistency needed in such a stressful, worrisome situation and turns it into a positive, hopeful atmosphere. We would definitely recommend him to anyone!
Describe the protocols Kenneth Gelman used in your cycles at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
During our IUIs, we took Femara also know as Letrozol. For our first IUI, we took one 2.5 milligram pill at bed time for cycle days 3-8. After that was unsuccessful, we upped the dose for the next IUI and took 2 pills. For our third IUI, we took 3 pills and produced 3 large follicles. He was hesitant about us continuing with the IUI because the risk of multiples was high. Two out of the three follicles were mature, and one was a little behind. He monitored us daily and said that if the other follicle matures, he would cancel the IUI and we would reassess the protocol for next cycle. He was nervous about multiples because it is a huge risk for the babies and myself. Our 4/5 IUI we also took 3 pills and he suggest we do an “endometrial scratch” which sounds a lot more terrifying than it actually is! It’s basically a little incision in your uterus that they creat with a catheter in order to help the blood flow and attention to focus on your uterus. It is supposed to improve implantation results. For our first IVF process, he prescribed me to take two, 2.5 milligram pills of Femara for cycle days 2-6. And 75ml of Menopur injections for cycle days 7 and 8. Unfortunately, this was not enough stimulation and we had to cancel the egg retrieval. Currently we are on day 3 of my stimulations preparing for my egg retrieval. We contacted him on day one of my cycle and he advised us to again take two, 2.5mil of Femara starting on day 3 of my cycle. The difference for this cycle is that we are starting the pills and injections at the same time. We only did 2 injections all together last cycle and we have currently already done 3. We go back for our appointment in two days after our 5th day of the pills and injections to see what is happening and what the plan from there is. We are extremely hopeful and excited for the journey ahead.
Describe your experience with your nurse at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine. (Assigned nurse: Ashley Bulzone)
When we were working with Ashley, everything was organized and she really knew us and how my cycle worked. With fertility clinics, most of the time you go in, you see a different nurse for your ultrasounds. Most of the time when we went in, we saw Ashley. This created a level of comfort and compassion. She really knew our story and who we were. She was genuinely excited for us and our journey and would always know what cycle day we were on and what we were doing next.
Describe your experience with IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine.
This clinic is very organized and always calls to confirm appointment times and dates. They are very welcoming and have coffee, water, and candy in their office waiting area. Our biggest plus about our clinic is that it is currently open during the Coronavirus pandemic! This is absolutely huge to us! We are so thankful and blessed that they are letting us continue our IVF stimulations and appointments leading up to egg retrieval! Anyone who goes through fertility treatment knows that there’s nothing worse than having to stop your current process, for whatever reason. Waiting for another cycle fees like waiting an eternity! We are truly so thankful for our clinic staying open and taking the necessary precautions in order to do so. They take temperatures upon arrival and require every patient wears a face mask. Unfortunately, my partner is not allowed to come with me during this time, which is heartbreaking, but we understand. They allow me to FaceTime my parter during the ultrasounds and appointments to make sure that we are both still involved in the process. We are extremely grateful!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Kenneth Gelman at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine.
All of our IUIs were $310 each. This was only for the procedure itself and did not include the appointments needed to check the growth of the follicles. Each ultrasound and blood work appointment was $295. Ultrasound only visits were $195 each. Most of our cost came from purchasing our donor sperm. Each vial of donor sperm was $790. One vial = One insemination. The mini ivf that we are doing cost around $10,000. This includes all of the monitoring appointments, bloodwork, medicine, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer. The only thing that is not included is IF we are unable to do a fresh transfer, we will have to do a frozen transfer. This means we would have to pay $700 for the thawing of our embryo.
Describe Kenneth Gelman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr. Gelman is very set in the fact that he will only do a single embryo transfer. We discussed with him that we actually want twins and that we would love to have a multiple embryo transfer. He was very open and honest with us about the health risk associated with multiples. He stated that it would not be safe for my small body frame, and that me and the babies would have complications. He doesn’t want to risk my health or the babies. Although we are a little let down that we can’t do two, we completely understand and are thankful that he has our best interest in mind.
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Clinic
IVFMD South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine
Cooper City