Penn Fertility Care

89% strongly recommend

13 Reviews

Steven Sondheimer

92% strongly recommend

8 Reviews

Kurt Barnhart

60% strongly recommend

6 Reviews

Puneet Masson

100% strongly recommend

2 Reviews

Clarisa Gracia

56% strongly recommend

6 Reviews

Christos Coutifaris

100% strongly recommend

1 Review

Monica Mainigi

U of Iowa Center for Advanced Reproductive Care

51% strongly recommend

3 Reviews

Divya Shah

48% strongly recommend

14 Reviews

Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill

13% strongly recommend

4 Reviews

Suleena Kalra

44% strongly recommend

14 Reviews

Scott Edwards

40% strongly recommend

10 Reviews

Samantha Butts

36% strongly recommend

7 Reviews

Anuja Dokras

50% strongly recommend

3 Reviews

Suneeta Senapati

18% strongly recommend

4 Reviews

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This clinic has 4 offices
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Lancaster General Health

2112 Harrisburg Pike

Lancaster, PA 17601

717-544-0107

Philadelphia - Market

3701 Market St.

Philadelphia, PA 19104

800-789-7366

Philadelphia - Walnut St

800 Walnut St.

Philadelphia, PA 19107

800-789-7366

Radnor

250 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

800-789-7366

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2018 - 2020, Successful

Age 40 - 42

1 IVF

Tubal Blockage

Uterine Fibroids

Black or African-American

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Donor Sperm

LGBTQ+

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

I liked how quickly and candidly she [Dr. Samantha Butts] delivered information to me and I felt her warm bedside manner which confirmed the previous reviews that I had read about her.However, throughout the process, our communication declined. It became very difficult to get in contact with her directly even when using the portal, most times there were repeated follow ups, and as changes occurred during the process a plan that was initially communicated and agreed upon would be changed with little to no communication /explanation which created further delays.

My nurse was wonderful [at University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care]. She answered my questions throughly and those she could not answer she referred to the RE...The monitoring appointments were from 6:45 to 9 am and they were very convenient for my work schedule...2019, Invocell was $6500 and IVF was $8500...The clinic is very organized. The ambiance of the waiting room is not intimidating; it’s like any other Dr’s office. The staff is helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. If you park in the garage, bring your parking ticket and they can validate it for you.

How was your experience with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

Samantha Butts was recommended to me by my GYN. During our first consultation, she made me feel at ease and answered all my questions in detail. I liked how quickly and candidly she delivered information to me and I felt her warm bedside manner which confirmed the previous reviews that I had read about her.However, throughout the process, our communication declined. It became very difficult to get in contact with her directly even when using the portal, most times there were repeated follow ups, and as changes occurred during the process a plan that was initially communicated and agreed upon would be changed with little to no communication /explanation which created further delays. Once she and I had a discussion about the lack of and difficulties in our communication, it improved immediately and our standards of communication has remained consistent. Furthermore, she offers great medical insights on what may be going on with you and your cycle and makes recommendations based upon these insights which eliminates the cookie cutter response and approach.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

At the initial onset and throughout the process, as needed, express to her your communication needs.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

Initially, I felt like a number, but as the process continued I felt like she dealt with me more compassionately.

Describe the protocols Samantha Butts used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

Before starting any process, a hysterosalpingogram was performed and due to the results a laparoscopy followed. Once these procedures were completed, discussions about IVF followed. The IVF protocol I was prescribed was Lupron 10 units & Gonal F 400 units for egg retrieval resulted in 24 eggs being retrieved. This protocol was used because my previous cycle was canceled.The IVF protocol for frozen transfer was Lupron & Progesterone which resulted in a positive pregnancy which was later on miscarried.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Nicole Houser)

My nurse was wonderful. She answered my questions throughly and those she could not answer she referred to the RE. She was very accessible via telephone and the portal. She performed demonstrations on how to administer the medications and she was present for lining checks and egg counts/progression checks.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

The clinic is very organized. The ambiance of the waiting room is not intimidating; it’s like any other Dr’s office. The staff is helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. If you park in the garage, bring your parking ticket and they can validate it for you.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Penn Fertility Care.

The monitoring appointments were from 6:45 to 9 am and they were very convenient for my work schedule. Your wait time was minimal and you were seen, in and out quickly.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care.

2019, Invocell was $6500 and IVF was $8500. Both included single embryo transfer, mock transfer, blood draws, ultrasound checks, and storage. IVF transfers were $2500.00. In 2020, IVF transfers are $3500.

Describe Samantha Butts's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Her approach was elective single embryo transfer for both the fresh and frozen transfer. However, I inquired about multiple embryo transfers due to my age and she discussed with me the pros, cons, and trade offs and she is willing to transfer multiples.

Doctor

Samantha Butts

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2014 - 2019, Successful

Age 30 - 35

3 IVF

Endometriosis

Tubal Blockage

Uterine Fibroids

Black or African-American

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

She [Dr. Gracia] is a great RE and has always made me feel that she cared about my treatment and wanted me to have a baby. Be educated and direct about what you would like to try and she is often receptive...For my first cycle an agonist protocol was used. I produced a lot of eggs but only had 1 left on day 5 to transfer. For my next 2 cycles antagonist protocols with human growth hormone (both freeze all and then frozen embryo transfers) were used and these were more successful (4 embryos and then 3 embryos to freeze).

My first cycle [at University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care] was about $10,500. My second cycle was $5500 ( and $2000 for an additional frozen embryo transfer cycle). My third cycle was $8500. None of these prices included medications which were an additional $2500-$3500 each full cycle. There are also embryo storage fees that are about $250 every few months...Penn Fertility is competent, caring and responsive when there is a concern. They can be a less aggressive than I would prefer in their approach at times but can usually be convinced to try something when pushed.

How was your experience with Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care?

I have found Dr. Gracia to be intelligent, responsive and warm. She is generally quite receptive as well but there are times that I feel she could be a bit more open to a different idea or a less studied approach or intervention.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care?

She is a great RE and has always made me feel that she cared about my treatment and wanted me to have a baby. Be educated and direct about what you would like to try and she is often receptive.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care?

She has called me from her personal cell number before when I was worried about a cycle and needed information and reassurance. She also called me back when she was on vacation when I was in the hospital having a preterm delivery and losing my baby at 20 weeks. She greets me with a hug when I have had a hard time or when she hasn’t seen me in a while.

Describe the protocols Clarisa Gracia used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

For my first cycle an agonist protocol was used. I produced a lot of eggs but only had 1 left on day 5 to transfer. For my next 2 cycles antagonist protocols with human growth hormone (both freeze all and then frozen embryo transfers) were used and these were more successful (4 embryos and then 3 embryos to freeze).

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Brenda E.)

Brenda treated me well and was willing to listen to my concerns. She also helped me to figure out the most cost effective way to purchase my medications.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Penn Fertility is competent, caring and responsive when there is a concern. They can be a less aggressive than I would prefer in their approach at times but can usually be convinced to try something when pushed.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care.

My first cycle was about $10,500. My second cycle was $5500 ( and $2000 for an additional frozen embryo transfer cycle). My third cycle was $8500. None of these prices included medications which were an additional $2500-$3500 each full cycle. There are also embryo storage fees that are about $250 every few months.

Describe Clarisa Gracia's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

My doctor was willing to do either eSET or 2 embryo transfer depending on the situation and my preference.

Doctor

Clarisa Gracia

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019 - 2020, Unknown Success

Age 38 - 39

2 Fertility Medications

Unexplained

Income $100K - $199K

Business Executive

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

He [Dr. Scott Edwards] takes a while to get into as a new patient, but once the plan of care is established, things feel like they move along in a reasonable timeframe. Decisions are made by him as your doctor, but often times, tests are done by the doctor that is assigned to the service at the time of your appointment...Always candid conversation, and I appreciate his conservative approach. I never felt like procedures or tests were ordered for the sake of it...

[Penn Fertility Care] is big - you have to self-advocate to get in the door and have a solid understanding of your finances/insurance prior to going in. My largest complication is going back between medical billing and the insurance company to get items covered...Aubrey [nurse] is an advocate on every level, quick to respond, and sets clear expectations.

How was your experience with Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care?

Always candid conversation, and I appreciate his conservative approach. I never felt like procedures or tests were ordered for the sake of it; and if I showed a concern in an area, he would include testing. My experiences are always part of the conversation.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care?

He takes a while to get into as a new patient, but once the plan of care is established, things feel like they move along in a reasonable timeframe. Decisions are made by him as your doctor, but often times, tests are done by the doctor that is assigned to the service at the time of your appointment (example, he does retrievals on Thursdays ... if it's another day, a different doc will do it), but that is also what keeps the process moving forward.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Edwards always take time to discuss my priorities and helps line them up with the medical process and expectation. Each visit feels like my goals and concerns are reflected in the plan of care. I never feel rushed and he includes my husband in the conversation.

Describe the protocols Scott Edwards used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

This is an unfair question - each treatment strategy should be different based on what is impacting infertility. Standard tests were done (HSG, SGH, Mock Transfer, more bloodwork than ever in my life, many baseline ultrasounds).

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Aubrey)

She.Is.Amazing! Aubrey is an advocate on every level, quick to respond, and sets clear expectations. Honestly - Dr. Edwards Nursing staff were the ones to show the most compassion when I miscarried on 12/20/19 (more than my OB, more than my family ... ).

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Penn is big - you have to self-advocate to get in the door and have a solid understanding of your finances/insurance prior to going in. My largest complication is going back between medical billing and the insurance company to get items covered. (Not entirely sure if that is more insurance or clinic related.)

Describe the costs associated with your care under Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care.

Penn is in-network with our kick-ass insurance provider. . . I paid $1500 out of pocket and didn't ask the rest.

Describe Scott Edwards's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Again - each medical situation is different. He approaches every decision from an individual approach.

Doctor

Scott Edwards

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Walnut St

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019 - 2020, Successful

Age 32 - 33

3 IUI

1 IVF

PCOS

South Asian

Income $500K+

Doctor

2nd of 2 Docs

1 IUI With Other Docs

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Dr. Kalra will only perform single embryo transfer for women my age as per ASRM guidelines...The antagonist protocol was used for me as I was at high risk of OHSS given PCOS. I was monitored closely with labwork and ultrasounds...She thoroughly explained the risks and benefits of each of these additional procedures, and suggested another transfer prior to proceeding with these

The Penn Fertility physicians work as a team. You have a primary doctor, but your procedures and visits will be performed by whoever is in the office / surgical center that day...Although you see your own doctor rarely, it is great to be seen by all the members of the team - you get multiple perspectives from talented folks!..

How was your experience with Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Kalra is extremely bright and up-to-date on the latest recommendations. She continues to be involved in several research studies and is on the board of key reproductive endocrinology societies. I felt that I could trust her recommendations 100% throughout the course of my treatment. That being said, I also felt that she was extremely receptive to my input. I was incredibly fortunate with my retrieval protocol - 49 eggs were extracted and 18 turned into high-quality blastocysts. I was disappointed when my first transfer resulted in a negative pregnancy test (although Dr. Kalra had informed me that there was at least a 50% chance this would be the case), and I spoke with her at this juncture. I asked for additional workup - a hysteroscopy as well as PGS testing. She thoroughly explained the risks and benefits of each of these additional procedures, and suggested another transfer prior to proceeding with these. At this point, I wanted a baby as soon as possible, and I voiced my interest in proceeding with both of these before the next transfer cycle. While this was not her recommendation, she respected my wishes - my hysteroscopy demonstrated a uterine polyp and PGS testing brought our yield down to 7 normal embryos. I became pregnant with my second transfer and am currently in my second trimester. Dr. Kalra is incredibly well-informed and has an evidence-based approach - both qualities I really appreciate. What I came to love over the course of my care was that she also VERY much cares about her patients' interests and chose to ultimately go along with what we hoped for as long it did not lead to any additional risk to me or the embryos. I couldn't have asked for a better physician!

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

Trust the process and trust your doctor. IVF can be a mentally taxing process - all the waiting, the unknowns, the expense, etc. Dr. Kalra and the rest of the physicians at Penn Fertility are the best of the best. Let them take the reigns and carry forward. Don't hesitate to ask questions and voice your concerns - they will listen to you.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Kalra and her staff were consistently professional, caring, and well-informed. I felt that I was in the best of hands throughout my medical and surgical care.

Describe the protocols Suleena Kalra used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

The antagonist protocol was used for me as I was at high risk of OHSS given PCOS. I was monitored closely with labwork and ultrasounds.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Madeline)

Madeline was excellent! Well-informed, in constant communication with Dr. Kalra and the rest of the Penn physicians. There were rare instances when I had to remind the nursing team specifics of my case - overall, they were absolutely on top of it.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

The Penn Fertility physicians work as a team. You have a primary doctor, but your procedures and visits will be performed by whoever is in the office / surgical center that day. For example, I had my initial consult with Dr. Kalra, about ~20 labwork/ultrasound appointments with the techs/nurses, my retrieval with Dr. Gracia, one transfer by another physician, telemedicine visit with Dr. Kalra, hysteroscopy by Dr. Kalra (~almost 1 year after my first appointment with her), then transfer by another phyisican. Although you see your own doctor rarely, it is great to be seen by all the members of the team - you get multiple perspectives from talented folks!

Describe the costs associated with your care under Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care.

We were fortunate to have insurance cover 90% of consults, procedures, and medications.

Describe Suleena Kalra's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Dr. Kalra will only perform single embryo transfer for women my age as per ASRM guidelines. Transferring additional embryos is not an option unless you face extenuating circumstances.

Doctor

Suleena Kalra

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Walnut St

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2019, Consult

Age 32

Male Factor

Latinx

Income $50K - $99K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Dr. Shah was very personable. She gave her full attention to my husband and I, gave us all of the information, and answered all of our questions. She even illustrated and wrote notes on paper for us...explained the potential treatments before the results were back and then explained then gave options for treatment. She gave me her opinion, but let my husband and I decide what the best treatment would be for us...We had our consultation, then had blood work, genetic testing, and an ultrasound all in her office minutes after the visit.

[University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care's] strengths would be their location, cleanliness, and assess to other care. The clinic is located in a health campus with other offices, a lab, and radiology department. They do not do surgery there, so the egg retrieval would have to happen in downtown Philadelphia...She [nurse] explained everything thoroughly and provided me with her direct number...Plan on having some testing done after the consultation as well. We had our consultation, then had blood work, genetic testing, and an ultrasound all in her office minutes after the visit.

How was your experience with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Divya’s strengths include showing compassion, being detail oriented, knowledgeable, and thorough. I haven’t had any negative experiences with Dr. Divya. She explained what would happen every step of the way and also explained the results to all of our testing. She also explained the potential treatments before the results were back and then explained then gave options for treatment. She gave me her opinion, but let my husband and I decide what the best treatment would be for us.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

My advice to anyone would be to be prepared with questions. Plan on having some testing done after the consultation as well. We had our consultation, then had blood work, genetic testing, and an ultrasound all in her office minutes after the visit.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Shah was very personable. She gave her full attention to my husband and I, gave us all of the information, and answered all of our questions. She even illustrated and wrote notes on paper for us.

Describe the protocols Divya Shah used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

We haven’t started any treatment as of yet, but she recommended IVF for us. We’ll be going over the details at our next appointment.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Christina)

The nurse was just as nice and knowledgable as Dr. Shah. She explained everything thoroughly and provided me with her direct number.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

The clinic’s strengths would be their location, cleanliness, and assess to other care. The clinic is located in a health campus with other offices, a lab, and radiology department. They do not do surgery there, so the egg retrieval would have to happen in downtown Philadelphia.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care.

I haven’t completed treatment, but I believe IVF will cost about $15,000. Medications alone will cost a couple thousand and egg freezing will cost about $500 for 3 months (I believe).

Describe Divya Shah's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

She stated that for young couples, I believe under 35 years of age, she would recommend single embryo transfer, but I think it would ultimately be the patient’s decision.

Doctor

Divya Shah

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Radnor

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill Penn Fertility Care

2018 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 26 - 27

5 IUI

PCOS

European

Income $0 - $49K

Only Doc Seen

Donor Sperm

LGBTQ+

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Despite seeing several providers for regular visits, Dr. O'Neill has gone out of her way to be my provider for significant moments in my course of treatment, even when she was not the provider-of-the-day. Also, my partner has not been able to make it to many of my appointments, but Dr. O'Neill always thinks to ask how she is doing and how we are feeling in the fertility care process... I appreciate her careful balance between expressing optimism and hope, and being realistic about the process of fertility care. I would recommend her without any hesitation to any of my friends or family members in need of fertility care.

I have PCOS, and was put on letrozole protocol (days 4-8), as it is shown to be more effective than Clomid in PCOS. Given that we have the expense of donor sperm, Dr. O'Neill offered to do monitored cycles with trigger shots to optimize our timing for IUI insemination. She also offered to let us use home OPKs if we preferred to have a less invasive/clinical approach to conception as a lesbian couple without "proven infertility" (by insurance standards). We opted for the monitored cycles, but appreciated her sensitivity to our situation. We have not been successful in our first four cycles so far, and are in the TWW for our 5th.

How was your experience with Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. O'Neill has a warm and engaging demeanor. She is thorough and accessible in her explanation of options and procedures. She is understanding of the financial pressures of using donor sperm and makes sure my wife and I are fully on board with the plan at each step of the process. I appreciate her careful balance between expressing optimism and hope, and being realistic about the process of fertility care. I would recommend her without any hesitation to any of my friends or family members in need of fertility care.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill at Penn Fertility Care?

Be open and honest about your needs and desires, and never shy away from asking questions about your treatment. Dr. O'Neill will truly partner with you in this process.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill at Penn Fertility Care?

Penn Fertility Care works on a group practice model, where the physicians rotate coverage for procedures, weekend coverage, etc. Despite seeing several providers for regular visits, Dr. O'Neill has gone out of her way to be my provider for significant moments in my course of treatment, even when she was not the provider-of-the-day. Also, my partner has not been able to make it to many of my appointments, but Dr. O'Neill always thinks to ask how she is doing and how we are feeling in the fertility care process.

Describe the protocols Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Amy)

Amy has been available to answer any questions along the way and to clarify timing for treatments. Any questions she cannot answer she passes up the chain to Dr. O'Neill.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Clinic runs very efficiently for monitoring appointments in the morning. It would be nice if they had even earlier monitoring appointments available since so many of their patients work in healthcare fields and are likewise expected to be at work at 7 am. All of the clinical staff have been appropriate regarding our care as a same-sex couple, but some of the front desk employees consistently ask after "my husband" when I check in for appointments. One thing to be aware of is that children are allowed in the waiting area, which is understandable for couples trying to conceive a subsequent child, but can be painful for those of us struggling to conceive our first.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill at Penn Fertility Care.

IUI cycles are $1000 plus meds

Describe Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

N/a

What specific things went wrong at Penn Fertility Care?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information

Doctor

Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill Penn Fertility Care

2018 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 33 - 34

1 IUI

Unexplained

European

Income $50K - $99K

Teacher

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Monica Mainigi Penn Fertility Care

Dr. Mainigi is thorough, communicative, compassionate, and incredibly detail-oriented. During a really vulnerable time, she completely put my partner and me at ease. She knew so many details about my story during each of our conversations and was able to talk about my medical history in detail without even glancing at my chart. She is incredibly prepared for each appointment. She's also very empathetic and completely understands the delicate balance between emotional urgency and cost.

The nursing staff [Penn Fertility Care] have all been wonderful. They've provided thorough answers to my questions and always respond very quickly when I reach out via the online messaging system....Strengths: Incredible staff, limited wait times, and lots of transparency about procedures and associated costs. Weaknesses: This is an issue with fertility treatments generally, but the only weakness I can find is the cost of treatment. Much of that is related to my insurance rather than to this clinic. IUIs with Clomid cost $1000, IUIs with injections

How was your experience with Monica Mainigi at Penn Fertility Care?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Monica Mainigi at Penn Fertility Care?

Provide her with as many details as possible, as she takes everything into consideration when creating an individualized plan. She's also incredibly honest and communicative, so you'll get thorough answers to your questions.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Monica Mainigi at Penn Fertility Care?

Even if weeks -- or, in one case, months -- go by without an appointment, Dr. Mainigi always cites specific details about my experiences. She maintains eye contact the whole time rather than looking at a screen. This suggests that she both takes detailed notes after each appointment and reviews her patients' charts carefully before each appointment. I have never before had a doctor who is that detailed and prepared.

Describe the protocols Monica Mainigi used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

After my initial testing (bloodwork, ultrasound), I had a hysteroscopy to evaluate whether or not I had a uterine polyp. Dr. Mainigi wanted to take this step after one of my ultrasounds because the alternative was to wait and do a second ultrasound weeks later -- which, in addition to not being efficient, wouldn't have enabled her to treat any polyps if she found them. Post procedure, she recommended that I begin IUI because she knew that I had already been trying for a long time and was eager to move forward as quickly as possible. She was very understanding when I delayed this by a couple of months after finding out that my insurance doesn't cover any fertility treatments, and supported my decision to try Clomid alone for two months. When that didn't work, we started the IUI process. I'm undergoing my first round now -- She generally recommends 3 rounds of IUI before moving on to IVF.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Nicole)

The nursing staff have all been wonderful. They've provided thorough answers to my questions and always respond very quickly when I reach out via the online messaging system.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Strengths: Incredible staff, limited wait times, and lots of transparency about procedures and associated costs. Weaknesses: This is an issue with fertility treatments generally, but the only weakness I can find is the cost of treatment. Much of that is related to my insurance rather than to this clinic. IUIs with Clomid cost $1000, IUIs with injections (which I have not had) cost $2000, and a round of IVF is $8000. This is relatively comparable to the costs I've seen at other clinics in this area with the exception of the IUI, which seems to be a bit pricier than other clinics nearby.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Monica Mainigi at Penn Fertility Care.

I had a great insurance plan during my initial visits and hysteroscopy, so I only had to pay $10 copays. Under my new insurance, I've had to pay for everything. The Clomid costs about $16/month (for 10 pills). A round of IUI is $1000 and a round of IVF is $8000. I was also told that IUI with injections is $2000 but I haven't undergone this procedure and don't know very much about it. Those prices do not include associated prescriptions. The one injection for my IUI was around $35 under my insurance plan. I believe I paid around $100 for my most recent consultation.

Doctor

Monica Mainigi

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Monica Mainigi Penn Fertility Care

2019, Unknown Success

Age 32

2 Fertility Medications

Unexplained

Black or African-American

Income $50K - $99K

Nurse or HC Services

1st of 2 Docs

2 IUI With Other Docs

IVF With Other Docs

Donor Sperm

LGBTQ+

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

Kurt Barnhart Penn Fertility Care

Dr Barnhart was very knowledgeable and thorough. He was kind but direct. You could tell that he was passionate about his field and he wants to get you pregnant. After my failed fresh cycle he was supportive and just as eager to try again as I was.... The clinic [U of Penn] is big so I did see a different doctor for each procedure and often times I only saw the nurse or tech. I would get a phone call from his nurse in the afternoon with instructions.

the Clinic [University of Pennsylbania] has early hours they are fast and efficient and the office is clean. I go to the market st location so it is a little annoying having to park but they do validate your parking which is nice....The clinic is big so I did see a different doctor for each procedure and often times I only saw the nurse or tech. I would get a phone call from his nurse in the afternoon with instructions.... The IVF package did not include embryo freezing, testing, or a mov transfer.

How was your experience with Kurt Barnhart at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr Barnhart was thorough and caring. The clinic is big so I did see a different doctor for each procedure and often times I only saw the nurse or tech. I would get a phone call from his nurse in the afternoon with instructions. I do feel like he was not that present for my cycles as I am sure he was involved behind the scenes managing everything.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kurt Barnhart at Penn Fertility Care?

Know that he isn’t a fluffy guy, he is matter of fact and to the point which I appreciate

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kurt Barnhart at Penn Fertility Care?

Describe the protocols Kurt Barnhart used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

My fresh cycle and retrieval cycle I was on a “high responder” protocol. My stim meds started out low and I used them for 9 days before trigger. I was only on progesterone for yhe transfer and it was not successful. For my frozen transfer I was on an antagonist protocol. I took Lupron during my leutal phase, got a cycle then started estrace, aspirin and started progesterone 6 days before transfer. Currently waiting to see if this was successful

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Demaree)

Demaree is an ANGEL. I would have been lost with out her. She is compassionate, smart and organized. She managed my care and appointments and listened to me. I never felt like I was bothering her and I truly felt like she was in this with me !

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

the Clinic has early hours they are fast and efficient and the office is clean. I go to the market st location so it is a little annoying having to park but they do validate your parking which is nice.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kurt Barnhart at Penn Fertility Care.

The IVF package did not include embryo freezing, testing, or a mov transfer.

Describe Kurt Barnhart's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Dr Barnhart was open to transferring 2 embryos after my failed fresh cycle.

Doctor

Kurt Barnhart

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kurt Barnhart Penn Fertility Care

2017 - 2019, 13 Eggs Frozen

Age 34 - 36

3 Egg Freezing

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

European

Income $100K - $199K

Doctor

1st of 2 Docs

1 Egg Freezing With Other Docs

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Dr. Butts was extremely thorough when developing my treatment protocol. She requested surgery records from my OBGYN and used all the information gathered to give me predictions of my chances of success with retrieval cycles and my overall chances of conception in general. As a patient who tends to worry, Dr. Butts was able to assuage my fears with evidence based information and years of experience. I truly felt that we were in this journey together and that she would be willing to do whatever possible to help me achieve success.

Penn is a busy clinic. Because of that there is a whole team involved in your care and you may not see the same doctor for every appointment or procedure. I had two other doctors for two of my retrievals,and both were excellent. One weakness, if I had to name one, was that it was rather difficult obtaining medical records when they were requested from the office. They outsource to a company called MRO, but this company did not send the complete records that I had requested.

How was your experience with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

As with any doctor, develop a list of questions and feel free to ask for explanations as often necessary. As a difficult to manage case, I had many concerns along the way, but Dr. Butts was always responsive and able to provide answers to my questions.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Butts took the time to review my complicated medical history, including ovarian cyst removal surgery, prior to developing my individualized treatment plan. She was always focused on the details of my specific case rather than treating me with a generic standard protocol and approach to treatment.

Describe the protocols Samantha Butts used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

Initially we tried estrogen pill priming, then a course of daily Gonal-F and Menopur with ganirelix added at the end of the cycle. The outcome was initially as expected. For the next cycle, Dr. Butts suggested a different protocol with estrogen priming, then twice daily micro dose Lupron and daily Gonal F. We saw improvement in results the second time, which really boosted my confidence is Dr. Butt’s ability to alter the protocol using information gained from previous cycles. We used he second protocol for the third cycle as well which was successful.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Amy)

Amy was very compassionate. Whenever she would call with results she would focus on the positive “growth is happening!” and “don’t worry, we will get some eggs this time” which I needed at times when I feared the treatment would not work on me as a poor responder.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care.

All costs were paid out of pocket. Fees for an egg freezing cycle were extremely reasonable. Penn gets a drug discount that is passed on to the patient. I paid 1/3 the cost of medications compared to what I would have paid at another clinic, saving me thousands of dollars. Of course I would have paid full price is necessary, but getting the same medications for less was a nice benefit.

Describe Samantha Butts's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

I have not gotten to this stage yet.

Doctor

Samantha Butts

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2017 - 2018, Unknown Success

Age 38 - 39

3 IUI

1 IVF

Male Factor

South Asian

Income $100K - $199K

Sales Representative

Only Doc Seen

Donor Sperm

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

Dr Senapati explained the entire process in great detail...When I first went to see Dr Senapati I didn't know what to expect. She explained all the procedures such as IUI and IVF in great detail. I believe she could come off a little more compassionate as some of the other doctors I've met in the practice....Dr Senapati throws a lot of information at you at once. Make sure you bring your questions and you take down notes....

All staff [Upenn- Market] is very friendly and willing to answer any questions....My nurse Madeline was excellent. She showed me and my husband how to take the shots during our consultation. Madeline called me every evening to tell me my levels, what dose of medicine to take and how my follicles were progressing....Make sure you check in when you get to the desk. I went there one time and the receptionist didn't check me in and they called my phone asking where I was

How was your experience with Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care?

When I first went to see Dr Senapati I didn't know what to expect. She explained all the procedures such as IUI and IVF in great detail. I believe she could come off a little more compassionate as some of the other doctors I've met in the practice.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr Senapati throws a lot of information at you at once. Make sure you bring your questions and you take down notes.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr Senapati explained the entire process in great detail. If you have a question, my nurses got back to me the same day. When I went in to see my doctor or for blood work and sonogram I was seen within 15-20 minutes. All staff is very friendly and willing to answer any questions.

Describe the protocols Suneeta Senapati used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I began birth control for a few weeks and then went on 10ml of lupron. On the second day of my period I had a baseline ultrasound to check my ovaries and lining. I started injections (5ml lupron in the morning and 375ml Gonal F in the evening). I had bloodwork and ultrasounds to check my hormone levels and follicle development 4 days later and my dose changed to 5ml Lupron, 300 Gonal F and 150 menopur for the rest of the days. I took my HCG trigger shot on day 11 and had my egg retrieval on day 13 (36 after my trigger shot.) I sent my embryos out for PGS testing and i'm waiting on the results. I don't know the strategies behind or rational because I just did what the nurse told me to do.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Madeline)

My nurse Madeline was excellent. She showed me and my husband how to take the shots during our consultation. Madeline called me every evening to tell me my levels, what dose of medicine to take and how my follicles were progressing. After my eggs were retrieved she called and gave me updates.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Make sure you check in when you get to the desk. I went there one time and the receptionist didn't check me in and they called my phone asking where I was. Ask questions about what is your next step. The wait time is under 15-20 minutes. The staff is very friendly.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care.

From June 2017 until now $62,567 in medical expenses not including prescription drugs. I still have to do the IVF transfer after the PGS results come in.

What specific things went wrong at Penn Fertility Care?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Penn Fertility Care.

My nurse forgot to call in a script. When I called her, she called it in right away. The receptionist forgot to enter in the computer that I was there for my IUI appointment. My IUI was done 37.5 hours instead of 36 hours after my trigger shot.

Doctor

Suneeta Senapati

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2016 - 2018, Unknown Success

Age 38 - 40

2 IUI

1 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Poor Egg Quality

Income $0 - $49K

Nurse or HC Services

2nd of 2 Docs

2 IUI With Other Docs

Donor Sperm

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

She [Dr. Divya Shah] is a wonderful, honest, thorough physician and she never got frustrated with my thousands of questions. She did everything she could to explain each step of my treatments with me. She also was extremely honest with me in regards to my fertility issues and what my realistic expectations for pregnancy were. I never felt like she would push me toward something she didn’t feel would work for me.

[UPenn is] Organized and caring!! I always felt and feel important to them. I have never felt like a number!! They are prompt and informative. The financial people are also amazing at helping navigate you through the insurance coverage you might have and fee schedules!!... They [monitoring appts] were scheduled times with a first come first served policy. Through the years I got to know both the sweet lab technician and the wonderful ultrasound tech! They were always understanding and excited when all was going well or on the harder days too!!

How was your experience with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

She is a wonderful, honest, thorough physician and she never got frustrated with my thousands of questions. She did everything she could to explain each step of my treatments with me. She also was extremely honest with me in regards to my fertility issues and what my realistic expectations for pregnancy were. I never felt like she would push me toward something she didn’t feel would work for me.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

Come prepared with your questions and have an understanding of the process. I feel like having a handle on things and knowing what to ask shows that you are ready to make informed decisions and that you are completely invested in the process. She will explain and re-explain anything you don’t understand. She will give you realistic expectations and she will guide you toward the best options for your specific situation!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

My doctor and the clinic always made me feel like my feelings, questions and requests were extremely important. I never felt like I was a number in Dr. Shah’s eyes!

Describe the protocols Divya Shah used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I did two iuis with her using an antagonist protocol, then we did and hsg which showed I more than likely have a blocked right tube. We tried a microdose Lupron ivf protocol which never led to a retrieval and was cancelled on cycle day 13 after no growth. I am currently in the tww after a succeful ivf cycle called the estrogen patch protocol and an antagonist protocol.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Dawn)

Always willing to listen, respectful, knowledgeable and caring!! They all go above and beyond the call of duty.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Organized and caring!! I always felt and feel important to them. I have never felt like a number!! They are prompt and informative. The financial people are also amazing at helping navigate you through the insurance coverage you might have and fee schedules!!

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Penn Fertility Care.

They were scheduled times with a first come first served policy. Through the years I got to know both the sweet lab technician and the wonderful ultrasound tech! They were always understanding and excited when all was going well or on the harder days too!!

Describe the costs associated with your care under Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care.

I have insurance coverage to a certain capped amount, so I only paid a copay for dr visits and for donor sperm related costs. Medication coverage limits were reached so I pay all Meds out of pocket.

Describe Divya Shah's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Because of my low amh and my age, we decided to transfer two eggs to give me the best chance of a positive pregnancy test. I completely agree.

Doctor

Divya Shah

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Radnor

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2013 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 31 - 36

3 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Unexplained

European

Income $100K - $199K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr Butts wants me to have success. She listens to my questions/concerns/needs and has always agreed not to give up until I felt I was finished. When everything we had tried wasn’t working, she would consult with colleagues and come up with a new plan. She makes every effort to be the one to perform all of my procedures, and calls me personally to discuss any outcome or treatment plan.

They [University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care] are busy in the mornings with routine monitoring appointments, but they always get patients through in a fairly quick time, while also taking the time necessary with each patient so you don’t feel you are being rushed. I’ve never had a problem scheduling an appointment when I needed one. All of the staff are very friendly and courteous...I was always called by my doctor or my nurse with results, instructions, etc. They always made me feel like they were taking a personal interest in my case.

How was your experience with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

Try to research everything you can to find out what’s going on with your body. And don’t be afraid to have opinions or suggestions and stick up for yourself if you feel something isn’t right.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

I was always called by my doctor or my nurse with results, instructions, etc. They always made me feel like they were taking a personal interest in my case.

Describe the protocols Samantha Butts used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I did 3 IVF cycles using a combination of lupron, menopur and follistim. I have low AMH/DOR and a thin lining. I was only able to produce 9 eggs on my best cycle, and 4 eggs on my worst. Those 3 cycles resulted in 2 total embryos that were frozen for later FETs.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Dawn )

I would receive update phone calls from my nurse Dawn whenever Dr Butts was unable to call me herself. She was conscious of the hours I worked and always called at a reasonable time. She knew I wanted all the details and results of any tests or labs done. She was able to answer any questions I had and was knowledgeable about my case throughout the process.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

They are busy in the mornings with routine monitoring appointments, but they always get patients through in a fairly quick time, while also taking the time necessary with each patient so you don’t feel you are being rushed. I’ve never had a problem scheduling an appointment when I needed one. All of the staff are very friendly and courteous.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care.

Costs were minimal because I work in that health system and my insurance covered nearly everything in network. Once I hit my IVF insurance cap I had to pay $5k-$8k on remaining meds.

Describe Samantha Butts's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

My doctor was willing to transfer multiple embryos if the quality wasn’t great. But in my case I only had 2 to work with so we did 2 separate single embryo transfers.

Doctor

Samantha Butts

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2014 - 2018, Successful

Age 28 - 32

2 IUI

1 Embryo Freezing

Anovulation

Endometriosis

PCOS

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

European

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Dr. Sondheimer and his nurse would personally call me back when I called with questions. He was so incredibly kind, especially after my first miscarriage, which was before I was in treatment with him. When I had to leave the practice due to insurance changes and a move out of the area, he called to tell me that he would always be there to support me in what I needed, and that he would love to keep in touch about life, good news, and my professional career

This clinic [U of Penn] has many strengths, in my opinion. It is relatively easy to get an appointment within a reasonable timeframe for consults, and they are flexible with scheduling for labs and ultrasounds. They have a very knowledgeable financial counselor who works with insurances to get coverage when possible. They do all of their labs in-house, and results are reported relatively quickly. They have their own embryology labs directly connected to the OR's where they do retrievals, which is great.

How was your experience with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Sondheimer is very kind and compassionate. He takes the time to fully understand your story and your goals. I felt like I was very prepared for all of my procedures (HSG, IUI, egg retrieval), and knew I was in good hands. After my first miscarriage, he called multiple times to see how I was doing, both physically and mentally. I never felt like he was rushing me out of his office, and he treated me like family.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Ask every question you have! Write them down and take your list with you. He will take all the time he needs to answer them.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Describe the protocols Steven Sondheimer used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I did a stimulation protocol as follows: 1. Lupron for 10 days 2. Start Gonal-F 3. Add Menopur 4. hCG trigger shot I had monitoring appointments daily during stimulation. I have PCOS, so there was a slight concern of OHSS. My doctor retrieved 23 eggs, 19 of which fertilized. 8 of those matured, 5 were frozen on Day 5, and 3 were frozen on Day 6. I don't recall the exact grading, but my doctor assured me that they only ever froze embryos they thought would be successful as FET's.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Madeline)

Madeline was the best! She fully explained everything and called me daily with updates to my medications and treatment plans. The rest of the nurses with whom I interacted in the office were also great. They were all very friendly and helpful.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

This clinic has many strengths, in my opinion. It is relatively easy to get an appointment within a reasonable timeframe for consults, and they are flexible with scheduling for labs and ultrasounds. They have a very knowledgeable financial counselor who works with insurances to get coverage when possible. They do all of their labs in-house, and results are reported relatively quickly. They have their own embryology labs directly connected to the OR's where they do retrievals, which is great. They require IVF education sessions before beginning a cycle, which is really helpful for getting questions answered about the process in general and what to expect. At the Market Street location, there is street parking, but there is also a garage and they will validate your parking so it's only $5, which is great for Philadelphia! I have not been to the other 2 locations. The only weakness that I can report is that your primary doctor may not be the one doing all the procedures. They do have fellows there who are training, but they are well-supervised by the attending physicians.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care.

I was very fortunate to have insurance that covered fertility treatments entirely. I paid copays for my appointments. The embryo storage fee I believe was $550 for the initial freeze + 3 months, and then $225 billed quarterly after that.

Describe Steven Sondheimer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

I did not have an embryo transfer yet, but my doctor usually recommends single embryo transfer, because transferring 2 doesn't significantly increase your chance of pregnancy, and also to avoid the risk that comes with carrying multiples.

Doctor

Steven Sondheimer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2017 - 2018, Unknown Success

Age 31 - 32

5 Fertility Medications

Anovulation

PCOS

European

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

2 Fertility Medications With Other Docs

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Dr. Shah and the team at UPenn Radnor knows me by name and always refers to me in that way during appointments.... What I appreciate most about UPenn is that they are a teaching hospital. One of the first things that Dr. Shah said to us is that she will never push us to the most invasive - and often most expensive - treatment plan. Because they are a teaching and research hospital, there is benefit in moving through each prescribed option and trying things multiple times.

How was your experience with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

When we started seeing Dr. Shah we had come from another fertility clinic who told us that IVF was the only option we should consider. Instead of just moving us along to that process, Dr. Shah ordered new rounds of bloodwork and some additional tests to round our our history that the other clinic hadn't done. Once we had those results, we were presented with two options - continue trying Clomid or move onto IVF. Given our current financial situation, it was a blessing to hear that Clomid was still a viable option for us. Since that first consultation I've seen Dr. Shah twice more. Each appointment she takes the time to explain to me in very simple ways what is going on in my body and how that impacts my fertility. She's patient and willing to explain things multiple times to make sure I feel comfortable with our plan. She's the best person we could have guiding us through this process at this time.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

It took us over a month between when we initially called for an appointment and when we were able to schedule one, so I'd consider calling early. I also don't see her at every appointment, but have been able to (and encouraged by the nurses) schedule other appointments with her if I need to.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Shah and the team at UPenn Radnor knows me by name and always refers to me in that way during appointments. Additionally, they know that we drive over an hour each way to our appointments and make every effort to give me the first appointment slot so that my work day isn't interrupted significantly. They are reassuring and answer even some of the simplest of questions.

Describe the protocols Divya Shah used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I have been taking the highest dosage allowed of Clomid coupled with an Ovidrel shot to trigger ovulation and timed intercourse. That combination works best for me - other options have not worked. Because I have PCOS and annovulation, she has not recommended that we move onto Clomid and IUI. IUI isn't going to increase our chances all that much more and because it isn't covered by my insurance, she doesn't think it's something we necessarily need to consider. This treatment combination has produced one strong follicle in 4 of the 5 cycles we've completed. We had no reaction in the last cycle which caused us to take a break for the summer. We just resumed last week and are in the middle of a sixth Clomid cycle now.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Susan)

Susan is the NP who is the primary on my case. She's just fantastic - even though we're in our sixth round of Clomid treatment, she has walked me through the steps every time and hasn't assumed I know what to do because I've done it before. She returns my phone calls within the same day and even at appointments where I'm in and out of the office before she comes in, she still calls me in the same day to check in and make sure I'm feeling ok with where things are.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

What I appreciate most about UPenn is that they are a teaching hospital. One of the first things that Dr. Shah said to us is that she will never push us to the most invasive - and often most expensive - treatment plan. Because they are a teaching and research hospital, there is benefit in moving through each prescribed option and trying things multiple times. It has resulted in a longer amount of time that we've been in treatment, which may not be for everyone depending on how long they've already been trying. But it's kept our treatments within the window of what is mostly covered by my insurance which meets our financial needs at this time.

Doctor

Divya Shah

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Radnor

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2017 - 2018, Unknown Success

Age 35 - 36

PCOS

Unexplained

European

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income $100K - $199K

2nd of 2 Docs

9 IUI With Other Docs

Donor Sperm

LGBTQ+

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

Dr. Sondheimer puts a lot of personal thought into every stage of care, and is both flexible and direct with his opinions. I truly feel like he cares, even though I haven't yet become pregnant... been in this field for a very long time. He is good at direct communication, and I feel that I am in the hands of an expert. He makes himself available as much as possible, and when he is not able to he makes sure I am in good hands with his colleagues. He sometimes seems rushed, but he is always concentrating on me.

After a couple of failed letrozole IUIs, I tried a few rounds of clomid IUI [at University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care]. When that didn't work, I added injectables (Follistim). All of those were with Ovidrel trigger. After round 9, I moved to IVF using Gonal F, Menopur, Ganarelix, and Novarel trigger...All have this has been with donor sperm, as my partner is another woman...She [nurse] always calls me when she says she will, and always answers all of my questions. I feel I am in good hands.

How was your experience with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

He is a caring man who has been in this field for a very long time. He is good at direct communication, and I feel that I am in the hands of an expert. He makes himself available as much as possible, and when he is not able to he makes sure I am in good hands with his colleagues. He sometimes seems rushed, but he is always concentrating on me.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Ask all your questions, even the very minute details. And be prepared to not see him all the time.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

The practice itself can be a little overwhelming, in terms of the number of patients and providers-- so in that way sometimes I feel like a number. But Dr. Sondheimer puts a lot of personal thought into every stage of care, and is both flexible and direct with his opinions. I truly feel like he cares, even though I haven't yet become pregnant.

Describe the protocols Steven Sondheimer used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

After a couple of failed letrozole IUIs, I tried a few rounds of clomid IUI. When that didn't work, I added injectables (Follistim). All of those were with Ovidrel trigger. After round 9, I moved to IVF using Gonal F, Menopur, Ganarelix, and Novarel trigger. My retrieval is tomorrow. I have 7 follicles right now. We discussed switching to IUI but Dr Sondheimer didn't recommend it. I am hoping for at least a few embryos. All have this has been with donor sperm, as my partner is another woman.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Madeline)

She always calls me when she says she will, and always answers all of my questions. I feel I am in good hands.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

They are very efficient. They see a LOT of patients, so you may not get as much time with any particular provider as you might want. You will meet a lot of different doctors. I like all of them, and have had a very good experience. But if you are looking for a more homey atmosphere or touchy feely experience, it's not the place for you. Also it is super convenient to my work-- this is probably the #1 important thing to me, since I have to go so often.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care.

My insurance covered everything for IUIs except for Ovidrel ($35), and donor sperm washing ($150). For IVF most things have been covered. I think genetic testing (PGS) will be around $1850

Describe Steven Sondheimer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

He has a strong preference for only transferring 1 frozen embryo at a time. If I do a fresh transfer, he will put in 2.

What specific things went wrong at Penn Fertility Care?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Penn Fertility Care.

Just a small error, they forgot to call in one of my meds-- it was caught quickly.

Doctor

Steven Sondheimer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2016 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 27 - 29

2 IUI

PCOS

Unexplained

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr. Shah was very kind and very honest. She recognized how hard this is and always tried to remain positive but gave us her honest opinions.... She was very empathetic and clearly knowledgeable. My only negative is that she was more cautious than I would have liked, after 22 cycles all negative tests- I’ve learned I would’ve like to be more aggressive a year ago.... I did the first 8-10 cycles taking letrozole and times intercourse. We moved to letrozole and IUI because that did not work. Due to my PCOS, ovulation was unclear so we introduced ovidrel shots as well. I reacted fine to all of this, the 2.5 mg of letrozole day 3-7 just made me a little more emotional than usual.

I love the staff at Penn. Going through this for as long as I have, seeing the girls (Angie, Susan, Aleah) is nice. They’re familiar. They’re professional. They make me feel safe in a very hard situation....Strengths - Always on time with appointments, in and out. And they always provide fast, accurate feedback. Negatives- IVF is too expensive:( for something some of us need to have - our only hope - it’s disheartening to know I can’t afford the one thing that I need.

How was your experience with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

She was very empathetic and clearly knowledgeable. My only negative is that she was more cautious than I would have liked, after 22 cycles all negative tests- I’ve learned I would’ve like to be more aggressive a year ago.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

She will do whatever you choose - so push if you feel like you’re not being aggressive enough with your treatment.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Shah was very kind and very honest. She recognized how hard this is and always tried to remain positive but gave us her honest opinions.

Describe the protocols Divya Shah used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I did the first 8-10 cycles taking letrozole and times intercourse. We moved to letrozole and IUI because that did not work. Due to my PCOS, ovulation was unclear so we introduced ovidrel shots as well. I reacted fine to all of this, the 2.5 mg of letrozole day 3-7 just made me a little more emotional than usual. Then we moved to gonal-f injectables with IUI. This cycle was longer because we started on too low of a dose. At this point we are back to monitoring with oral meds and times intercourse while saving for the inevitable (IVF).

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Susan)

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Strengths - Always on time with appointments, in and out. And they always provide fast, accurate feedback. Negatives- IVF is too expensive:( for something some of us need to have - our only hope - it’s disheartening to know I can’t afford the one thing that I need.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Divya Shah at Penn Fertility Care.

My insurance has covered everything except the gonal-f to date. IVF begins at $8,500. PGS testing is an additional $6,000 and meds between $2k and $5k.

Describe Divya Shah's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Dr. Shah does not perform multiple embryo transfer to my knowledge.

What specific things went wrong at Penn Fertility Care?

Provided conflicting information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Penn Fertility Care.

When my primary nurse, Susan, was out on medical leave the replacement nurses called me with incorrect, conflicting information. I called and spoke with the Nurse Manager and she handled communications until Susan returned.

Doctor

Divya Shah

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Radnor

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2015 - 2017, Successful

Age 30 - 32

7 IUI

1 IVF

Unexplained

European

Income $50K - $99K

Marketer or PR

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Doctor Senapati is very good at clearly and patiently explaining things, and takes a very matter-of-fact approach...The only reservation I had about her was that my husband and I chose to take a less conventional approach to IVF for religious reasons. We elected to inseminate only a small number of eggs to reduce the chances of excess embryos. We didn't feel like Dr. Senapati always fully understood how important this priority was to us, and we knew she didn't agree with our approach.

How was your experience with Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care?

Doctor Senapati is very good at clearly and patiently explaining things, and takes a very matter-of-fact approach. I always felt very comfortable asking questions, and she never made me feel rushed when we were discussing my care. I always felt like I had a good grasp of the steps we were taking and the reasons behind them. The only reservation I had about her was that my husband and I chose to take a less conventional approach to IVF for religious reasons. We elected to inseminate only a small number of eggs to reduce the chances of excess embryos. We didn't feel like Dr. Senapati always fully understood how important this priority was to us, and we knew she didn't agree with our approach. In the end, we took a path we were comfortable with, but not before we experienced some (respectful) pushback. In summary: If you've got personal ethical concerns about fertility treatments/IVF, consider another doctor who might better understand where you're coming from. If what you want is an expert walking you through your care step by step, she's a great choice.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care?

Don't hesitate to ask questions at any point! She's going to explain a TON of information to you, which can quickly get overwhelming and make decisions difficult. So ask about anything that's unclear, and request to go over something again if you didn't fully grasp it the first time. She'll never make you feel dumb for asking more questions.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Suneeta Senapati at Penn Fertility Care?

Penn Fertility Care is a huge, efficient practice. Almost everyone I encountered was very warm and kind, but it did mean that almost every visit involved a different practitioner who wasn't familiar with me and my history. My doctor was always available to me by phone, and I knew she was always making the key decisions about my care, but I seldom saw her in person. The biggest downside is that occasionally someone would communicate inaccurate or inconsistent information to me, so I really had to be on top of my own care and advocate for myself, which could get tiring. Overall, I was comfortable with Penn Fertility Care because I trusted that they had the best resources and expertise available, but someone who would be bothered by the level of personal attention might want to consider a smaller practice.

Describe the protocols Suneeta Senapati used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

Dr. Senapati understood that I wanted to avoid IVF if at all possible, so we exhausted every approach to IUI first. Unfortunately, my extremely sensitive ovaries made this difficult. After I overreacted to even the lowest dose of Clomid, we switched to Letrozole cycles. After I underreacted to even the highest dose of Letrozole, we switched to a hybrid Letrozole+Gonal F cycle. When that didn't work, we used exclusively Gonal F because the dosage can be calibrated so precisely. In the end, we did 14 hormone cycles, with 7 cancelled cycles and 7 IUIs. At that point she recommended we discontinue IUI, so we switched to IVF and I got pregnant after my first embryo transfer.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Erin)

Erin is great at explaining things and demonstrating medication protocols in a way I could understand. Overall, the nursing staff at Penn Fertility Care made me feel very comfortable and taken care of.

Describe Suneeta Senapati's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

Dr. Senapati's preferences for single embryo transfer aligned with my own, so we didn't have to discuss it much. From what we did discuss, I felt confident that it was the best choice for my health and for my pregnancy goals. I also felt that the choice was my own and I could have gone a different way if I'd wanted to.

What specific things went wrong at Penn Fertility Care?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Provided conflicting information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Penn Fertility Care.

During my IVF cycle, a nurse did not order one of my medications from the pharmacy correctly, and I didn't realize I was missing it until hours before I was supposed to take it. This could have been a crisis, but the care team worked with me to get me a replacement, so it all worked out. This was the only major, avoidable problem I had in a year-plus of treatment, so overall I can say that they're a very well-run and organized practice.

Doctor

Suneeta Senapati

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2015 - 2017, Unknown Success

Age 34 - 36

4 Fertility Medications

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

European

Income $100K - $199K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

At times at our consults Dr Edwards had to refresh himself on our info and history during the appt, so you definitely want to be well versed on your history and lab results when you go in. After my last miscarriage he called me personally to see how I was doing which was greatly appreciated.... I had only been TTC for less than 6 months so I don't feel that my IF was taken seriously at first. After my third m/c confirmed d/t chromosomal issues my care and the attention paid to my case was greatly improved. Dr Edwards took the time to explain all of our options to us.

This is a large practice [University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care] which can be a negative and a positive. There are multiple offices so for routine visits - labs/US you can switch it up if one works better. There are multiple doctors who review and work together to make decisions on your care during an IVF cycle...However, there is an element to the practice that can make it feel less personal, and make it harder to get routine consults scheduled.

How was your experience with Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care?

My initial experience with his clinic was after two subsequent miscarriages, but I had only been TTC for less than 6 months so I don't feel that my IF was taken seriously at first. After my third m/c confirmed d/t chromosomal issues my care and the attention paid to my case was greatly improved. Dr Edwards took the time to explain all of our options to us. One of my medicated cycles my CD3 labs came back with an extremely elevated FSH, and Dr Edwards called me personally to discuss the results with me.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care?

Educate yourself as much as possible and bring notes and your previous labs results to your consults.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care?

Describe the protocols Scott Edwards used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

Clomid 100mg x3 w TI resulted in 2-3 mature follicles w BFP then miscarriage for 2/3 cycles. Currently starting IVF w a Lupron overlap/follistim protocol.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Erin)

Erin is very attentive and informative. Returns calls in a timely manner. The only negative I have is that I have noticed a correlation in that when lab results are not ideal (e.g. an inappropriately rising, or falling beta) the call with the results comes later in the day than a call with good news lab results does.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

This is a large practice which can be a negative and a positive. There are multiple offices so for routine visits - labs/US you can switch it up if one works better. There are multiple doctors who review and work together to make decisions on your care during an IVF cycle. They are open 7 days a week and associated with top Philadelphia hospitals. However, there is an element to the practice that can make it feel less personal, and make it harder to get routine consults scheduled.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Scott Edwards at Penn Fertility Care.

IVF cycle $8,500. PGS biopsy $2,000. IVF meds administered via hospital pharmacy at a discounted rate for OOP patients.

Describe Scott Edwards's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

In the case of PGS testing Dr Edwards recommended a single transfer

Doctor

Scott Edwards

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Walnut St

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2013 - 2017, Unsuccessful

Age 31 - 35

PCOS

European

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income $100K - $199K

1st of 2 Docs

9 IUI With Other Docs

Donor Sperm

LGBTQ+

Neutral

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr Butts diagnosed me with PCOS and then continued to treat me...I did a few IUIs with her...I used letrozole alone for the first one, but my ovulation was hard to predict. On the second (and third?) I used letrozole and Ovidrel. Unfortunately none resulted in a pregnancy...She can be a quick talker, so be sure to write down all your questions to be sure that you fit them all in. She'll spend as much time with you as you need.

If you need a lot of personal attention from your primary physician [University of Pennsylvania Penn Fertility Care] probably isn't a good place for you-- but if you can handle having many providers, with your primary driving the decisions, it's great...It can feel a bit like a factory, just with the number of providers and patients. But I liked all the providers very much, and trusted their communication with me and with each other.

How was your experience with Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

I saw Dr. Butts for general gynecology, because I knew that once I started trying to conceive I would have difficulty based on my irregular periods. Dr Butts diagnosed me with PCOS and then continued to treat me. When I started trying to get pregnant, I had a few (3?) IUIs with her and then she went on sabbatical. At that time I switched to a different provider. I found Dr Butts to be very knowledgeable, very up to date with research, and very approachable. Had I not gotten comfortable with a different provider during her sabbatical, I would have stuck with her.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care?

She can be a quick talker, so be sure to write down all your questions to be sure that you fit them all in. She'll spend as much time with you as you need.

Describe the protocols Samantha Butts used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I did a few IUIs with her-- either 2 or 3. I used letrozole alone for the first one, but my ovulation was hard to predict. On the second (and third?) I used letrozole and Ovidrel. Unfortunately none resulted in a pregnancy.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Madeline)

Great communicator, always on top of things, very compassionate.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

It can feel a bit like a factory, just with the number of providers and patients. But I liked all the providers very much, and trusted their communication with me and with each other. I also have a lot of trust in the Penn medical system. If you need a lot of personal attention from your primary physician this probably isn't a good place for you-- but if you can handle having many providers, with your primary driving the decisions, it's great.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samantha Butts at Penn Fertility Care.

It was just about all covered by insurance, besides a $150 sperm washing fee.

Describe Samantha Butts's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

n/a- I did not do IVF with her

What specific things went wrong at Penn Fertility Care?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Penn Fertility Care.

Just a small error in ordering meds, it was quickly resolved.

Doctor

Samantha Butts

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2015 - 2016, Successful

Age 30 - 31

1 IVF

Anovulation

PCOS

European

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

3 IUI With Other Docs

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Loved Dr. Kalra the first time my husband and I met her. She was kind and honest. She never sugarcoated anything, but she wasn't all doom and gloom either...She told us our chances right up front. As I stated before, Penn was a busy place, so you would often see other doctors for procedures (all of them were excellent). Dr. Kalra did my second embryo transfer...don't hesitate to call Dr. Kalra to discuss it with her. Someone else may deliver the news, but you are always welcome to talk it over with her to make sure you're making the right decision or doing what's best for you.

Penn Medicine is a very busy place...Yet, despite that, everyone I dealt with treated me so well that I never felt like a number. They were kind and compassionate, and they always listened to me. I honestly received excellent care there...Affordable great care. So you may have to wait a bit at each visit...We purchased a package deal, only $6,750 for one egg retrieval and 2 transfers, whether fresh or frozen...Beth was excellent. She always returned my calls and answered all my dumb questions.

How was your experience with Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

I loved Dr. Kalra the first time my husband and I met her. She was kind and honest. She never sugarcoated anything, but she wasn't all doom and gloom either. I had liked my previous RE (and the main reason I switched was because IVF wasn't covered by my insurance, and Penn was far more affordable), and he was very nice. BUT he had given me false hope. He seemed certain that the IUIs would work. He even called my OB/GYN to tell him to expect to see me pregnant within the next couple of months (which did not happen). Dr. Kalra never did that. She told us our chances right up front. As I stated before, Penn was a busy place, so you would often see other doctors for procedures (all of them were excellent). Dr. Kalra did my second embryo transfer (but not my first), and that was the transfer that resulted in my beautiful baby girl.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

If you are concerned about a recommendation or how treatment is going, don't hesitate to call Dr. Kalra to discuss it with her. Someone else may deliver the news, but you are always welcome to talk it over with her to make sure you're making the right decision or doing what's best for you.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

Penn Medicine is a very busy place - far busier than the fertility clinic I went to previously. Yet, despite that, everyone I dealt with treated me so well that I never felt like a number. They were kind and compassionate, and they always listened to me. I honestly received excellent care there.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Beth)

Beth was excellent. She always returned my calls and answered all my dumb questions. She made sure I was clear with everything. And everyone else who assisted was fantastic as well.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

You will receive excellent care here. It's a busy place, busier than the first clinic I went to, but there's a reason for that! Affordable great care. So you may have to wait a bit at each visit. Fortunately my work was understanding if I was late, but I know this could be an issue for some people.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care.

We purchased a package deal, only $6,750 for one egg retrieval and 2 transfers, whether fresh or frozen. We were able to take out a loan from Arc Fertility. We bought the medications at the pharmacy onsite and saved a ton of money. We probably spent close to 2 grand, but that's a bargain.

Describe Suleena Kalra's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Penn Fertility Care.

On the first cycle, she recommended transferring one embryo. It was an easy decision to make; it was our first cycle, we had seven frozen embryos (all good quality), and we were in our early thirties. When our first cycle didn't work, she recommended we transfer two embryos on the next cycle. My husband and I were very torn about it; we were concerned about the risks with twins (for the babies, myself, and the financial strain). When she knew I was having a hard time with this recommendation, she spoke at length with me on the phone. She assured me that there was nothing wrong with my embryos (which was my concern), but they recommended two simply because the first round didn't work. There was no other reason why; they just wanted to up my chances. She told me she was cautiously optimistic and didn't feel that we needed to change anything else just yet, so if we were more comfortable with transferring one, that's what we should do (and what we ended up doing with success).

Doctor

Suleena Kalra

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Radnor

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2006 - 2016, Unknown Success

Age 26 - 36

2 IUI

1 Egg Freezing

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Unexplained

European

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Donor Sperm

Strongly Recommends

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Sometimes he [Dr Steven Sondheimer] can seem rushed, but I find that asking questions gets me a long way. He's very willing to explain everything. I'm on the road to motherhood on my own and he couldn't be more supportive. He's very caring and made sure that I had a good supportive network before I started the process. I went through egg freezing a few years ago and he was great through that also.

The only weakness [at Penn Fertility Care] is that because it's a large teaching hospital, you someone different for your monitoring appointments. My annuals and consults were always with Dr Sondheimer....Ree is like having the sweetest Mom or Grandmom by your side. I can't say enough nice things about her. She is the mellow calming force to the whole process. The rest of the nurses have been super supportive and caring through the whole process. They know me and even if they aren't part of my care that day they always ask how I'm doing and wish me luck.

How was your experience with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Sometimes he can seem rushed, but I find that asking questions gets me a long way. He's very willing to explain everything. I'm on the road to motherhood on my own and he couldn't be more supportive. He's very caring and made sure that I had a good supportive network before I started the process. I went through egg freezing a few years ago and he was great through that also.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Ask questions!!!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Even though I see someone different all the time through the fertility process, I know Dr Sondheimer is leading my team an available whenever I need him to be. He is straight forward and honest; I also find him to be warm and understanding. He lets me know that I'm the one in control and I ultimately make the decisions. The nurses are wonderful!!! I am (trying to be) a single mom by choice and not only is Dr Sondheimer supportive, the staff is also pulling for me every step of the way.

Describe the protocols Steven Sondheimer used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I don't remember all the medications for the egg retrieval. I know I started on bcp, was on follistim, menapur and I believe Gonal-F. For the IUIs, I do an ultrasound and baseline bloodwork on Day 3 of my cycle, 50 mg of Clomid days 4-8, another ultrasound on Day 12 to check the follicles. The first IUI I did the trigger shot (Ovidrel) the night of CD 12 and had the IUI morning of CD 14. The second time, they did bloodwork on CD 12 to check for an LH surge which I was starting so I triggered as soon as they got the blood results back, 3pm CD 12 and had the IUI the morning of CD 13. I take an at-home pregnancy test two weeks later and call the office with the results. Due to my low AMH and single ovary, if this cycle doesn't work I'll likely move to IVF.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Ree Drinker )

Ree is like having the sweetest Mom or Grandmom by your side. I can't say enough nice things about her. She is the mellow calming force to the whole process. The rest of the nurses have been super supportive and caring through the whole process. They know me and even if they aren't part of my care that day they always ask how I'm doing and wish me luck.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

The only weakness is that because it's a large teaching hospital, you someone different for your monitoring appointments. My annuals and consults were always with Dr Sondheimer.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care.

I don't recall the costs for egg retrieval. IUI is covered by my insurance.

Doctor

Steven Sondheimer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2004 - 2016, Successful

Age 18 - 30

1 IVF

PCOS

European

Income $50K - $99K

Nurse or HC Services

1st of 5 Docs

Donor Sperm

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

He [Dr. Sondheimer] spent a vast amount of time counseling me and my husband, praising our strength and courage, and supporting us throughout the entire process...He is caring and extremely knowledgable and very methodical in his investigative process when trying to root cause infertility. I've been under his care for 14 yrs as a routine gyn patient due to my PCOS. He was on sabbatical when we ended up doing our retrieval and transfer but he routinely checked in with his RN to see how things were going because he wanted to make sure all was going well. He truly cares about his patients and goes above and beyond as a physician...

Front desk staff [at Upenn - Market] can be a little temperamental and can make you feel likes bother. Overall all of the staff at the clinic, however, are fantastic. Parking is a pain and can be expensive...[Nurse] Rie is fantastic. She always ensured I was comfortable and understood everything. She returns phone calls promptly and spends as much time needed to explain things and a set questions. She personally calls to check in and even to follow up after her weekend off if you had anything done during that time. She came down to check on me after my retrieval as well, even though she wasn't in the OR and was in the office that day...

How was your experience with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr. Sondhiemer is a superb physician at this clinic. He is caring and extremely knowledgable and very methodical in his investigative process when trying to root cause infertility. I've been under his care for 14 yrs as a routine gyn patient due to my PCOS. He was on sabbatical when we ended up doing our retrieval and transfer but he routinely checked in with his RN to see how things were going because he wanted to make sure all was going well. He truly cares about his patients and goes above and beyond as a physician.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

He can be very straightforward, but not in a blunt manner.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care?

He spent a vast amount of time counseling me and my husband, praising our strength and courage, and supporting us throughout the entire process.

Describe the protocols Steven Sondheimer used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

My protocol was the hyperstimulation protocol due to my PCOS. I was very carefully monitored and was lucky to have no adverse side effects and a very successful round of stimulation and retrieval.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Rie Drinker)

Rie is fantastic. She always ensured I was comfortable and understood everything. She returns phone calls promptly and spends as much time needed to explain things and a set questions. She personally calls to check in and even to follow up after her weekend off if you had anything done during that time. She came down to check on me after my retrieval as well, even though she wasn't in the OR and was in the office that day.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Front desk staff can be a little temperamental and can make you feel likes bother. Overall all of the staff at the clinic, however, are fantastic. Parking is a pain and can be expensive.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Sondheimer at Penn Fertility Care.

Approx $6800 for 1 fresh and 1 frozen cycle, retrieval, all monitoring. Meds not included. They cost about another $2000 given my particular insurance coverage (or lack there of)

Doctor

Steven Sondheimer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2016, Successful

Age 31

1 IVF

Anovulation

PCOS

Unexplained

European

Income $200K - $499K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

While Penn Fertility is a larger clinic, Dr. Kalra always took her time during my appointments and made sure my husband and I were comfortable with each step during the process... She was knowledgeable, direct, and I always left appointments feeling like there was a plan or next step. I truly believed she cared about me as a person and was looking out for my best interest. She was trustworthy, compassionate, and just overall a wonderful person to be around during a process that is otherwise very emotionally draining...

Penn Fertility Care is one of the leading fertility clinics in the country and the doctors in the practice are some of the brightest minds in the field. It is not a small practice, however, and so you have to be willing to be a bit flexible and potentially see other doctors than your primary, and be willing to wait sometimes for appointments. At the end of the day, I wanted top care from the smartest doctors, and I felt Penn Fertility delivered me that...

How was your experience with Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

I could not have asked for a better experience with Dr. Kalra. She was knowledgeable, direct, and I always left appointments feeling like there was a plan or next step. I truly believed she cared about me as a person and was looking out for my best interest. She was trustworthy, compassionate, and just overall a wonderful person to be around during a process that is otherwise very emotionally draining.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

Ask questions. She was always willing to take extra time with me if I had more questions or wanted to talk anything through.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care?

While Penn Fertility is a larger clinic, Dr. Kalra always took her time during my appointments and made sure my husband and I were comfortable with each step during the process.

Describe the protocols Suleena Kalra used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

Given my issue was ovulation and PCOS, Dr. Kalra put me on a high-responder protocol which worked well. While she warned me about OHSS and said up front they might have to do a "freeze all" given the amount of follicles I had, because of the protocol, we received 26 eggs and I was able to do a fresh transfer. leading up to the retrieval I was in the office every day and she did my final ultra-sounds herself (instead of the ultra sound tech) and gave me rational for why she wanted to wait one more day and then ultimately when I was ready for my trigger. I feel as though her care leading up to my transfer was why I was able to recover quickly and was able to have the transfer 5 days later (which ended up as a BFP :))

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Erin)

The entire nursing staff was so wonderful through the whole process. Erin always called me on time and when she said she would, and took time to answer any questions I had.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Suleena Kalra at Penn Fertility Care.

I have good insurance so IVF was covered at 80% for me. I was also able to get them to cover a large portion of the medications needed for stimulation so I believe it was around $1200 total.

Doctor

Suleena Kalra

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Walnut St

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Anuja Dokras Penn Fertility Care

2012 - 2016, Successful

Age 31 - 35

1 IUI

1 IVF

Anovulation

PCOS

Uterine Fibroids

Unexplained

European

Income $100K - $199K

Operations

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Dr Dokras seems very knowledgeable, but she is conservative (self-admitted) in her approach - both with medications/dosages and with risk factors (testing required for any existing health issues prior to IVF treatments and number of embryos transferred).

Wait times [at UPenn Fertility Care] or appointments can vary anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes. The staff have always been very apologetic if the wait time was on the longer side. Front desk staff have always been polite and pleasant....We were lucky to have IVF coverage through our insurance and only had to pay 10% deductible and co-pays. The financial counselors at the clinic were very helpful in confirming our insurance coverage and explaining to us what our remaining cost would be for each procedure before starting that treatment.

How was your experience with Anuja Dokras at Penn Fertility Care?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Anuja Dokras at Penn Fertility Care?

Ask as many questions as you need and do you own research, but trust your doctor while in the middle of treatment - they do have a plan even if you don't understand all aspects of it!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Anuja Dokras at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr Dokras always asked how we felt about our options or next steps that we just discussed and if we were comfortable with them before ending the appointments.

Describe the protocols Anuja Dokras used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I was on a hyper response IVF protocol due to having PCOS (my understanding of it is that lower doses of injectible meds are used to avoid overstimulating the ovaries). My stimulation phase took several days longer than expected, which meant having to order additional meds, but the eggs produced were very good quality even though the total number was not as high as might be expected with a regular IVF cycle. We ended up with 6 high quality 5 day embryos from that cycle.

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Wait times for appointments can vary anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes. The staff have always been very apologetic if the wait time was on the longer side. Front desk staff have always been polite and pleasant.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Anuja Dokras at Penn Fertility Care.

We were lucky to have IVF coverage through our insurance and only had to pay 10% deductible and co-pays. The financial counselors at the clinic were very helpful in confirming our insurance coverage and explaining to us what our remaining cost would be for each procedure before starting that treatment.

Doctor

Anuja Dokras

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Anuja Dokras Penn Fertility Care

2015, Successful

Age 38

1 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

European

Income $50K - $99K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

She's [Dr. Clarosa Gracia] unfailingly positive and so invested in her patients' outcomes. I had a poor prognosis per my ob/gyn and all my test results and she remained encouraging and optimistic every step of the way. She listened to my concerns and answered all of my questions. She came to the office on a weekend (on a day she was not scheduled to be in the office) to personally perform my egg retrieval and transfer. I really didn't expect my cycle to work at all but it not only worked, it worked on the first try and I have twins!! She is the best!

Everyone at the clinic [UPenn] is very friendly, helpful, supportive. The only negative was sometimes long wait times for monitoring appointments. It really is a team environment there and everyone seems invested in the patient care and excellent outcomes...[Nurse] Roohi was very calm and caring. She was very organized about all the steps in the process. She had my medications ordered and the prior authorizations completed in advance. She was very supportive throughout the process

How was your experience with Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care?

Please see previous answer. Dr Gracia personally performed my retrieval and transfer and was my biggest cheerleader even when I was feeling very pessimistic about my chances of success. Dr. Gracia is optimistic, friendly, caring, approachable, funny, smart, motivated and so smart. I always felt like my cycle and my success were very important to her.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care?

Take notes, she talks fast!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care?

Dr Gracia (please note it is Gracia, not Garcia) is one of the most fantastic doctors (and people) I've ever met. She's unfailingly positive and so invested in her patients' outcomes. I had a poor prognosis per my ob/gyn and all my test results and she remained encouraging and optimistic every step of the way. She listened to my concerns and answered all of my questions. She came to the office on a weekend (on a day she was not scheduled to be in the office) to personally perform my egg retrieval and transfer. I really didn't expect my cycle to work at all but it not only worked, it worked on the first try and I have twins!! She is the best!

Describe the protocols Clarisa Gracia used in your cycles at Penn Fertility Care and their degree of success.

I did a luteal lupron downregulation IVF cycle with Follistim and Menopur. I did not use birth control pills. I used intramuscular progesterone support following egg retrieval.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Penn Fertility Care. (Assigned nurse: Roohi)

Roohi was very calm and caring. She was very organized about all the steps in the process. She had my medications ordered and the prior authorizations completed in advance. She was very supportive throughout the process

Describe your experience with Penn Fertility Care.

Everyone at the clinic is very friendly, helpful, supportive. The only negative was sometimes long wait times for monitoring appointments. It really is a team environment there and everyone seems invested in the patient care and excellent outcomes

Describe the costs associated with your care under Clarisa Gracia at Penn Fertility Care.

everything was covered by insurance

Doctor

Clarisa Gracia

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Penn Fertility Care

Philadelphia - Market

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of