Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2018 - 2020, Unsuccessful
Dr. Puthoff gave me as much time as I needed with each appointment and always answered each of my questions thoughtfully. At each appointment, he knew the details of my case...He is involved and attentive with each cycle...Dr. Puthoff does not offer IUI/IVF treatment. He focusses on NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology)...however the approach has its limitations
The team [at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services] overall is great. I have had a few encounters with a member of the front desk staff that left me feeling frustrated due to their lack of compassion, their inflexibility, and their poor communication skills...The clinic itself is very clean. The waiting room was never over crowded...The nurses are excellent. They are compassionate and empathetic.
How was your experience with Gavin Puthoff at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services?
Dr. Puthoff was methodical in his approach. He had me start with diagnostic bloodwork and ultrasounds. Next, we decided to go ahead with ultrasound monitored, medicated cycles. He is involved and attentive with each cycle. My medications were adjusted based on my response.
When that didn't work, with Dr. Puthoff's guidance, I decided to have a second surgery to treat my endometriosis (I saw another surgeon for this to get treatment sooner; although Dr. Puthoff does do endometriosis excision; Dr. Puthoff communicated with this surgeon on multiple occasions and took an active role in discussing treatment recommendations; he was responsive to suggestions made by the other surgeon, including further testing and treatment). I appreciated that he was open to other MD's suggestions.
After my surgery, we moved on to adding injectable medications into the mix (along with oral medications and ultrasound monitoring and timed intercourse). Dr. Puthoff was involved every step of the way, and my medications were adjusted during and after each cycle based on my response. Additionally, Dr. Puthoff responds quickly (usually within the same day) to questions submitted via their online portal.
I appreciated that he wanted to look into the potential root causes of our infertility (ie via bloodwork, charting, ultrasound). Dr. Puthoff does not offer IUI/IVF treatment. He focusses on NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology). I have ultimately not had success with the interventions used, and will need to seek another fertility doctor for further intervention.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Gavin Puthoff at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services?
The one piece of advice I would give a prospective patient of Dr. Puthoff is to know the philosophy the office follows regarding fertility treatments and make sure you are in agreement with it. I wanted to try as naturally as possible to treat my infertility. So, I was happy with the approach initially; however, as we have not had success, now I will have to switch clinics. I would want a prospective patient to be sure they know that there are pros and cons to the NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) approach. I do not regret trying the treatments we underwent, and I appreciate what I learned about our fertility; however the approach has its limitations.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Gavin Puthoff at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services?
Dr. Puthoff gave me as much time as I needed with each appointment and always answered each of my questions thoughtfully. At each appointment, he knew the details of my case, and I did not have to repeat information to him or "get him up to speed" each time I went in. He is empathetic and expressed genuine frustration and understanding when my treatment cycles were not leading to success.
Describe the protocols Gavin Puthoff used in your cycles at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services and their degree of success.
Dr. Puthoff suspected I ovulated normally based on ultrasound monitoring; however, since I had not had a pregnancy, we decided to use letrozole (I had already tried Clomid with a previous MD). I used letrozole (femara) cycle days 3-7 with ultrasound monitoring (due to low progesterone, I also supplemented with progesterone peak plus 3 through 12). When those cycles were unsuccessful, we did letrozole CD 3-5 and added injectable medications (follistim 75-100 CD 5-9 with HCG trigger).The goal was to recruit more than one follicle. We timed intercourse based on the trigger/ultrasound monitoring (my husband's sperm analysis was within normal limits on count, morphology, motility, etc.; so we had decided to pursue treatment using timed intercourse; Dr Puthoff does not do IUI). The next treatment strategy would be to add in suppressing drugs at the front end of the cycle (ie lupron).
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services.
The nurses are excellent. They are compassionate and empathetic. They respond quickly (usually on the same day) to questions via the portal and are also available via phone. They are friendly and cheerful which helped to make it feel more bearable to be at a fertility clinic each time I had an appointment
Describe your experience with Mercy Clinic Fertility Services.
The team overall is great. I have had a few encounters with a member of the front desk staff that left me feeling frustrated due to their lack of compassion, their inflexibility, and their poor communication skills (ie I needed an appointment changed, and the staff member said it was impossible; however, later, when I discussed it with the nurse, they were much more flexible and said it was no problem). The clinic itself is very clean. The waiting room was never over crowded when I was there. They are very prompt with ultrasound appointments.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Gavin Puthoff at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services.
The diagnostic testing was billed through insurance. The injectable medications were not covered and cost at most around $800.
What specific things went wrong at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services?
- Failed to order appropriate test
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Mercy Clinic Fertility Services.
Through another clinic, we had further testing recommended for my husband, that has since changed the direction of our treatment. We later learned that Dr. Puthoff's clinic offers this testing, but it was never mentioned to us or suggested for us.