Unsurprisingly the information I was getting from the support groups was not inaccurate but not necessarily applicable to me or otherwise was not the course that Dr. Shahine recommended for me; each time she was incredibly patient in explaining to us her view on the given approach or procedure while remaining open to our choices. As a result we felt like we were getting a carefully thought out practical approach that reflected the best of what's available in this industry for our particular situation. She also showed us so much compassion throughout the rollercoaster that is infertility and repeat pregnancy loss, both in our lows but also in our highs.
I liked this clinic [Pacific Northwest Fertility]. It is clean and comfortable, with highly professional staff from the receptionists to the phlebotomists to the sonographers to the financial advisors. In all of the many months (more than a year) that I was a patient of PNWF, my only disappointment with the care there was when I had a miscarriage and brought in the products of conception for testing; I'd called ahead but when I arrived the staff at the front desk was apparently unaware of why I was there and I had to wait in the waiting room, distraught, with my bag containing the specimen jar with the products of conception. While that could have been handled with much more compassion, it was definitely inadvertent.
How was your experience with Lora Shahine at Pacific NW Fertility?
I had a million questions for Dr. Shahine, and she was wonderfully patient with us. I was learning as much as I could from her but also from internet support groups; I was bringing that information back to her. Unsurprisingly the information I was getting from the support groups was not inaccurate but not necessarily applicable to me or otherwise was not the course that Dr. Shahine recommended for me; each time she was incredibly patient in explaining to us her view on the given approach or procedure while remaining open to our choices. As a result we felt like we were getting a carefully thought out practical approach that reflected the best of what's available in this industry for our particular situation. She also showed us so much compassion throughout the rollercoaster that is infertility and repeat pregnancy loss, both in our lows but also in our highs.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Lora Shahine at Pacific NW Fertility?
Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you are worried your questions aren't relevant. She will be patient and thoughtful and not rush you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Lora Shahine at Pacific NW Fertility?
Dr. Shahine always allowed us as much time as we needed with her to ask as many questions as we might have about the process, the likely outcomes, and anything else on our minds. And when our first transfer failed, she was the one who called to tell us directly and to answer any questions we had. After our son's birth we sent a birth announcement and she called and emailed to congratulate us.
Describe the protocols Lora Shahine used in your cycles at Pacific NW Fertility and their degree of success.
We sought Dr. Shahine due to her specialization in recurring pregnancy loss. We first completed RPL genetic testing to try to identify a specific cause. The screening did not indicate a specific reason for the losses, supporting the conclusion (and Dr. Shahine's suspicion) that the recurrent losses were due to chromosomal abnormalities. We followed an antagonist protocol (suppressed using birth control pills, followed by stimming with Folistim and mini-HCG, followed by Ganirelix). In the first round of IVF we retrieved 15 eggs; 11 were mature and 10 fertilized. Fertilization was done using ICSI (required because we were doing PGS testing). Of those 10 embryos, 6 made it to 5-day blastocyst, were biopsied for PGS testing and then frozen. Only one of those was found to be chromosomally "normal." A frozen transfer was necessary because of the timing of PGS results from the third party lab. Because I am sensitive to medication and prefer to minimize it, Dr. Shahine offered (and we opted for) a natural FET (birth control pills and progesterone were the only medications). We transferred the one "normal" embryo but had a negative pregnancy test. With no additional "normal" embryos, we decided to do a second IVF cycle. Because we obtained the results were were looking for in terms of retrieval in the first cycle, Dr. Shahine recommended the same protocol for the next cycle. We retrieved 17 eggs; 15 were mature, 8 fertilized, and 6 made it to blastocyst (5 on day 5 and one on day 6). Of those, 2 were chromosomally "normal." We transferred a single "normal" embryo, which led to a successful pregnancy (singleton birth). We had the option to know the sex before transfer but opted to wait until after we had a positive pregnancy test.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Pacific NW Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Danielle Call)
Our care coordinator was Danielle Call. I really hit it off with Danielle and felt like I was in completely capable hands with her. She was so kind, caring, and patient. She walked me through every step of stimming and triggering (even in my second cycle) like I was the only patient she needed to see. She called me during my third trimester just to see how I was doing with the pregnancy. I hugged her when we had our final appointment when I "graduated" from PNWF to prenatal care.
Describe your experience with Pacific NW Fertility.
I liked this clinic. It is clean and comfortable, with highly professional staff from the receptionists to the phlebotomists to the sonographers to the financial advisors. In all of the many months (more than a year) that I was a patient of PNWF, my only disappointment with the care there was when I had a miscarriage and brought in the products of conception for testing; I'd called ahead but when I arrived the staff at the front desk was apparently unaware of why I was there and I had to wait in the waiting room, distraught, with my bag containing the specimen jar with the products of conception. While that could have been handled with much more compassion, it was definitely inadvertent.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Lora Shahine at Pacific NW Fertility.
We were lucky to have insurance cover a large portion of our costs (approx. $30K was covered by insurance) and we were out of pocket maybe $10K in total (for meds, two retrievals, PGS testing of 12 blastocysts, and two transfers).
10
Clinic
Pacific NW Fertility
Seattle