Amanda Nicole Kallen

My experience with Dr Kallen as a patient allowed me to feel comfortable with all aspects of my care. From our initial consultation I was educated and enlighted to an aspect of fertility of which I had alot of questions and concerns. During every appointment the goals of my care were reevaluated and modified as needed. Though at times I experienced unwanted occurrences, Dr Kallen's professional expertise and support allowed a better understanding of all realstic expectaions. Her ability to modify my care and expereince as needed fostered my ability to ultimately deliver a healthy baby girl.

Dr Kallen is extremely knowledgable in her field. She ensures that you are armed with all of the necessary information and maintains full disclosure and honesty during each interaction. Her dedication to her chosen career path resonates in every patient care experience. I would most definitely recommend Dr Kallen. I would encourage a prospective patient to always have an open mind while still understanding that Dr Kallen will explore all options that are available, as well as safe for the health of you and your successful pregnancy.

During every interactiin with Dr Kallen, I always felt that her primary focus was on my well being as well as the goal of a successful pregnancy and birth. Dr Kallen explained everything in full and complete detail and answered all questions appropriately. She was always supportive in my objectives, while still communicating realistic expectations.

My 1st treatment protocol which included the use of clomid assisted in increased ovulation which was successful. This led to my 1st and 2nd IUI which unfortunately did not lead to a positive pregnancy. This was followed by my initial IVF which included the use of daily progesterone, menopur, ganarelix and gonal-F injections as well as inserts which aided in stimulating my follicles and maintaining mature egg production and led to a successful pregnancy that unfortunately resulted in a miscarriage due to chromosomal issues. However, my second course of IVF which included the same medications at increased dosages as well as the addition of a progesterone oil resulted in a postive pregnancy test and ultimately the birth of my daughter.

The nursing staff at Dr Kallen's office met all of my expectations as a patient. Whenever I had questions or concerns that were within their scope of practice, it was handled in a timely and efficient manner. Every team member maintained a sense of professionalism in their approach to patient care and it showed their dedication to their patients.

The only aspect of improvement that I would explore is communication via telephone with the staff. It is sometimes difficult to reach a staff member via phone. I utilized Yale's My Chart communication app and there was always a nurse readily available to respond to any questions or concerns, as well a provid specific and detailed instructions.

My experience with monitoring appointments worked very well from my perspective. I was able to coordinate my appointments around my work schedule and the experience was timely and efficient like a well oiled machine.

My total cost associated with my care under Dr Kallen was ~$3,800 not covered by insurance.

At no point in my treatment course did Dr Kallen sway me one way or the other in regards to single vs multiple embryo transfer. As a team we both looked at what my options were and individualized my plan of care to suit while incorporating my preferences and life goals.

Dr. Kallen is patient and warm. Her explanations of procedures are rather general and sometimes leave us with questions or her answers vary from appt to appt. Overall I genuinely like her very much but don't always feel that she has a direct say or oversight in the direction of our care which is worrisome.

To understand ahead of time that you will have limited face to face time with her and to be sure to write down all questions/concerns to share with her during those times.

I feel that when we meet with Dr. Kallen in person she answers all of our questions in a kind and professional manner. However, we rarely speak with her directly (unless it is a specific requested appt) and the rest of the clinic treats me like a number.

After completing and HSG and SHG (which were not explained in nearly enough detail in my opinion as they were seriously painful and I did not expect this). We began our first IUI cycle in November (our initial appt with her was in September. We did a round of IUI with monitoring and Clomid. The clomid supposedly caused my lining to be too thin but the clinic allowed us to try to the IUI anyway. It resulted in a negative pregnancy test. The next cycle we attempted in December was canceled due to a cyst and then the clinic was going on vacation for the holidays. Our second attempt at IUI with monitoring was in January and we used Letrezole. This resulted in slightly thicker lining, but again ended in a negative pregnancy test. Our final attempt at IUI was in February again using Letrezole which again resulted in thin lining. This cycle resulted in a negative pregnancy test and we are currently in the beginning steps of IVF. For the second and third cycles, I used vaginal Estradiol daily and used Ovidrel for the trigger shots each time. I requested further assessments to evaluate if I have endometriosis or to assess the quality/thickness of my lining without these additional medications, but Dr. Kallen recommended we attempt an IVF cycle before we investigate this further.

The frustrating part of this clinic is not being able to speak to anyone directly. You can call the general IVF line and request to speak to someone but it is never a consistent person who calls you back. When instructions are provided for the next steps they are always from a different nurse. Lakresha is the only person I've spoken to multiple times who gives me answers quickly and concisely. I typically try to reach out to her directly through the online patient portal but you can not do that directly so you have to wait until someone else sees it and sends it to her.

When I had my first monitoring appt for our first IUI cycle I was not given ANY instructions. I arrived and immediately was approached by a research coordinator asking me if I would participate in a study. I didn't even know where I was going in the building. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. While I don't expect to have my hand held, some guidance would have been nice. The fellow that performed my ultrasound did it quickly, without explaining anything and initially told me "oh you have a cyst we might cancel this cycle" and left the room. I sat there getting dressed nearly in tears as we had finally gotten to this point and was so disheartened. Later in the day I received instructions to return days later for another scan to see if we would proceed. While I like Dr. Kallen very much, I do not like that every time I go to the clinic I see a different doctor. Sometimes an RE sometimes a fellow. I have had multiple times when I have not received instructions for the next day and have had to call the "on call doctor" who has not relayed information to the rest of the team and when I showed up the next day was questioned as to why I was there. Two of the fellows I've worked with have been kind and compassionate. One (the on call dr.) acts as though he can not be bothered with questions or feelings (when doing our last IUI he did not check in or ask if I needed a break when I was clearly in pain and crying. )

I do not know specifics of costs. I know we reached our 4000 dollar deductible within the first 2-3 appointments.

Dr. Kallen told us she only transfers one embryo for someone my age. While I appreciate the attempt to prevent multiples, I do not feel that the reasoning behind this approach was explained enough and if our cycles result in multiple losses, I will request to transfer more than 1 embryo or access a dr. who will do so.

Again, after some serious complications in my first pregnancy, Dr. Kallen walked me through risk factors in a second pregnancy. She referred me to a doctor at Yale Maternal Fetal Medicine to further discuss my medical history and risk factors. I felt that Dr. Kallen was thoughtful in identifying to right MFM doctor for me to talk with. During this process I felt that Dr. Kallen understood that I had experienced birth trauma but wanted to have another child. She took the time to walk me through the process, which resulted in a successful pregnancy!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Dr. Kallen, and all of the doctors in the practice, are there to help and guide you through the process of fertility treatment. You need to be engaged in your treatment - ask lots of questions!

After having a prior pregnancy that resulted in a high risk labor and delivery, Dr. Kallen counseled me on the risks of similar complications occurring in a second pregnancy. I felt that Dr. Kallen always took the time to meet with me, explain my treatment, and answer any questions. Dr. Kallen is compassionate and empathetic of her patients and their infertility challenges.

I did one IVF transfer cycle. Dr. Kallen had me take estrodial, monitored my lining, had me administer progesterone shots, and then transferred the embryo. Dr. Kallen transferred one embryo to avoid multiples.

Kree was the main person who I spoke to throughout both of my pregnancies. She arranged medications and appointments; came into the room with me during procedures and; called me to tell me I was pregnant. I am not sure I could have made it through the navigation of multiple cycles without Kree.

I was able to conceive two children as a result of this practice. While the treatment process was stressful and emotional, I always had someone to talk to at Yale. Whether it was Dr. Kallen, Kree or Dorothy, I always felt well supported.

Dr. Kallen transferred one embryo to avoid multiples. As someone with a prior high risk pregnancy and who was not actively looking to have twins, transferring one embryo at a time made sense.