Amy Dhesi

Dr. Dhesi is very thorough and patient. While explaining my first medicated cycle with provera and femara, she explained all of the risks and processes involved. I was scheduled for a 30 minute appointment and she spent over an hour with me. That being said, getting in to see Dr. Dhesi can be difficult. Be sure to call well in advance to set up appointments, and have a game plan going in as far as what you want to cover.

Be your own advocate! Dhesi is very thorough and explains treatment very well, but knowing options, treatment routes, and having a list of questions ready will make each appointment so much more productive, which is key when every appointment is quite pricey. Make the most of your time with her!

My husband and I unfortunately suffer from dual infertility. He suffered from a varicocele and I have PCOS and do not ovulate on my own. Dr. Dhesi referred us to Dr. Craig Abber (a reproductive urologist) to help address my husband's varicocele, while Dr. Dhesi worked with me on my PCOS and anovulation. My husband had a varicocelectomy via an inguinal approach on June 20, 2019. We had to wait three months to see if this would help (he had an extremely low total motile sperm count (1 million)). Luckily, when we had a semen analysis done in September, his count had improved to 69 million! Yay! I myself worked with Dr. Dhesi during this time to try and regulate my cycle. I took Provera (10mg) 1x daily for 10 days. I did this three consecutive cycles in a row to try and get my cycle regulated, but unfortunately it did not work. This cycle Dr. Dhesi has once again asked that I take 10mg of Provera 1x daily for 10 days and then we hope to follow this with Femara (2.5 mg cycle days 3-7) followed by a trigger shot to force me to ovulate. Dr. Dhesi noted that we can do an IUI if we wish in conjunction with these strategies but is in no way pushing any treatment on us. We chose Femara over Clomid, as Dr. Dhesi noted that this seems to be more successful for patients with PCOS.

Fertility billing with Kaiser is a HUGE HEADACHE. It is my #1 complaint with this clinic. With our coverage plan, we are responsible for 50% of cost of services. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it seems that the fertility/reproductive medicine branch and its separate billing format from the rest of Kaiser is hugely confusing to everyone in billing. Getting a quote for my husband's surgery took HOURS of phone calls and explanations about my coverage to a number of Kaiser representatives and we still did not receive a final quote. Eventually, I decided to just pay for it all out of pocket ($$$$) and hope for a refund after surgery. The entire process was incredibly frustrating and not to mention emotionally and financially stressful! When procedures are done within the clinic, you pay the 50% directly following your appointment at the register, easy! But, if you need something done outside the clinic (still within Kaiser though) it's ridiculously difficult. Be prepared for lots of calls to Kaiser billing and 6 different quotes.

Out of all of my procedures, bloodwork, labs, and IUIs, I only saw Dr. Dhesi once. Nevertheless, the nurses at Kaiser were amazing and friendly and I wish I was reviewing them. You never knew which nurse you would get when you arrived but, imI do not fault the staff. This is often the issue with big hospitals. I would now like to move onto IVF and Kaiser does not offer the service. I will now have to do every over with a new clinic.

Be prepare to see a different person Everytime and advocate for what you would like during your treatments.

I completed a larger series of bloodwork and labs before starting treatment. Then, I would have a vaginal ultrasound on day 3 of my cycle. I would then start 5mg of Letrozole from days 3-7. I would return for another ultrasound on days 10 & 12. I would trigger on day 12/13 and have my iui 36 hours later.

Initial consultation was $200 Each visit and iui was $167. ( approx. 4 visits) Trigger shot $99 each Pregnancy test $20 each Plus the cost of pretreatment labs & bloodwork. Letrozole was $7

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With every cycle and even leading up to the cycles, she had a plan and a plan that she explained in depth to us so we knew just what to expect. With every unsuccessful cycle she adjusted the plan to see how we can get better results the next time. Her staff has always been accommodating and kind. Kaiser covers 6 IUI's but she does not recommend that we do 6. We have done 3 thus far and will do 1 more soon, hoping it's finally "The One". I am happy to have come across DR. Dhesi, she has helped me understand fertility so well and I am grateful, even if we have not had a successful pregnancy YET, I am still glad. I did get pregnant last year but it was not through IUI or any fertility assistance. It was 1 month after our 3rd IUI but I miscarried at 8 weeks. It's been a rough recovery but we are ready to try again and I hope and pray that my body just recognizes what to do. I am definitely going to do my 4th & final IUI with Dr. Dhesi in the upcoming months.

DON'T wait!! We started seeing Dr. Dhesi for a consultation and testing in late 2015 then prolonged the"getting ready" for IUI (the procedures, medications, additional bloodwork, etc.) because we felt like we had time. We finally did our 1st IUI in Jan 2018 assuming it would just work but it didn't. Time goes by so quickly and you think you have time but you don't. The truth is, this is a hard process, it's an emotional roller coaster and many times you feel alone, broken and hopeless but you are not. Feel your feelings but don;t snooze for too long, like we have. Also, ask as many questions as you want and need to. I would write questions down and save them in my phone so that I could remember to ask the doctor.

Cycle 1: Low Clomid dosage, but quickly increased. I produced 1 egg that cycle. Cycle 2: Increased Clomid dosage and added Menopur injections. Also produced 1 egg that cycle. Cycle 3: Only used Menopur injections (no more Clomid) and also started taking progesterone suppositories. It looked like I may have 2-3 eggs but by the end of the cycle only 1 matured.

I have been fortunate enough that our Kaiser Plan has covered the costs thus far. If we move on to IVF, we will need to be referred out of Kaiser and cover all the costs out of pocket.

I believe Dr. Dhesi is skilled and precise -- I trust her testing and procedures fully. She takes her time and is thorough. My ultrasounds, retrievals and transfer all went better than expected. She focuses on evidence based treatment plans, gets input from others and shares the statistics with her patients so they can make an informed decision. She doesn't take a forceful posture when discussing options -- she shares thoughts but lets us make the decisions. Sometimes my husband struggles with that and wants her to show more leadership in navigating the complexity. Also I don't always feel like she is tracking the various moving pieces with my treatment. Which is complicated and involves other doctors, but I would feel more confident if she seemed totally current on what I'm taking (especially if she prescribed it) when I'm done, etc. On a few occasions I saw doctors with significantly more years of experience and saw the value there. I'm a tricky case and might have benefitted from someone who had worked with a number of other patients in similar situations and had direct, rather than theoretical experience.

Dr. Dhesi will treat you like a full partner in the process. She's receptive if you do your own research, bring questions and engage in dialogue about options. If you're looking for someone to take control of your IVF journey and just ride along, you may not be happy with her.

It was a few years ago, I don't recall offhand.

USC Pricing: Retrieval -- IVF: Package: $11,902 + ICSI, AH, Cryopreservation, Meds FET -- $4004 + Meds

My 16 embryos were retrieved when I was 44, and my doctor recommended transferring 5 at a time. We opted to do 4 to slightly reduce the chance of multiples and to give us a few more "at bats" in case there are issues with the uterus or transfer. She helped us evaluate the factors in this decision and accepted our result.

Dr. Dhesi has been an incredible doctor through this process. I always feel comfortable with her and she explains everything to me and my husband very clearly. She doesn't rush and will discusses pro and cons with each procedure.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

I would say Dr. Dhesi has a very proactive strategy. She laid out all of the options and recommended first steps based on our situation. We were able to follow her recommendation (clomid and IUI) and were pregnant the first cycle. Unfortunately that pregnancy ended in a MMC. Later we got pregnant on our own and were monitored very closely by Dr. Dhesi. I was diagnosed with a SCH and later had another MMC. She doesn't hesitate to check anything that may be a potential contributing factor and I appreciate that. During our last loss, she suggested next steps and I am comfortable following her recommendations.

Insurance covers 50% and we pay 50% coinsurance

She tried very hard to help us have a successful outcome, and had we not 'aged out' of Kaiser's program, I have every confidence that we would have succeeded. She also recommended several options outside of KP for us to turn to after we were released from her program.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, she's very receptive to answering any concerns you have and open about the process and possible outcomes.

I only had to pay for co-pays for office visits and prescriptions. Both were very reasonable rates.

Dr. Dhesi is extremely kind and she wants her patients to be successful. I have never felt rushed or like I’m just another person in the waiting room. She sits with you and asks you a ton of questions because she wants to really understand who you are and why this is all important to you. She prescribed the tests she knew I would need and a few more because my situation is so complex and she really wanted answers for me. I told her I was concerned about one of the tests and she offered an alternative test to ease my nerves. Because of her we found out that I need surgery. She referred me to a surgeon that is so amazing and because of her I am not nervous about my first surgery at all. She then called me to talk about what my IVF process will look like when the surgery is over and we had a total consultation over the phone! I really tried to think about a negative and so far I can’t. It’s unreal to have found this office but I’m so glad I did. I never thought we would be able to have a baby. Now, my next few months are planned out with the process of having a baby and it’s so weird! Navigating IVF, surgeries, testing, understanding test results, can all be so overwhelming. Dr. Dhesi has made it so smooth and I’m just so grateful.

My advice would be to be very open and honest with her. She will tailor a plan that is very specific to you and your body so she has to know the truth when she speaks with you. I never felt judged by her so I believe it really is a safe place.

I haven’t started my IVF process yet but I have had a lot of testing done because we did not know my situation. Dr. Dhesi first had me do routine bloodwork to check my health out and she also tested my egg quality and hormones with this bloodwork. I did an ultrasound to see what was going on and I also did an HSG test because the ultrasound showed blockage. I emailed her because I was terrified of the HSG test and she offered me an alternative test, but I ultimately ended up doing the HSG test. After all of my results came back she called me and explained everything. We did this over the phone because Kaiser is not open during COVID unless it is vital that you come in. We decided that surgery is my next step and she had me talk with my new surgeon who I absolutely love.

The first appointment was $200 and my blood tests were $50 which I went and did right after my appointment. My next fee was the HSG which was $175 and we will soon be paying $200 for the semen analysis. HOWEVER, they have a chart that explains what your costs will be based on your insurance. There was never a pressure when it came to finances and everything was laid out for me on that chart. I was able to see what my future costs would be so I could prepare for them. I was also never asked to buy anything or pay for anything that wasn’t on that pricing chart.

Dr Dhesi was always helpful and took her time in our appointments. I know she had a full day of appointments so I would come to appointments with questions ready. She took her time answering them and was great over email as well. Kaiser is messaging system was not great, so I utilized her fertility clinic email address to communicate with her more easily while I was doing treatments there. Her nurse was also amazing and very approachable. Both of their approachability and kindness made the process easier for my partner and I.

Be open and honest about your goals and fears. And always come to appointments with questions ready.

I used an aggressive stimulation protocol with the maximum dosage of Menopur and Gonal F. We tried to use an HCG boost to increase my output, but both cycles yielded the same number of healthy eggs regardless of the HCG boost.

My procedure cost for covered by health insurance

Dr. Dhesi treated me for our infertility issues since Jan 2018 - at first, I had a misdiagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve after a blood test showed low AMH levels. This left me absolutely devastated and it took Dr. Dhesi and Kaiser doctors 5 months to realize that my AFC didn't match my AMH, so they re-tested my AMH and it came back normal. My diagnosis was switched to unexplained infertility. I think Dr. Dhesi did her best to be attentive and personable with me, and I believe her treatment for the second IUI was the most personable and thorough - she followed through with all our appointments, and she even sent a kind note after the negative pregnancy test after the 2nd IUI didn't work. However, our first and third IUIs with her were a bit cold and distant, which I attribute to her being extremely overworked and overbooked, and she didn't see us for some of our appointments. She also didn't follow through after our 3rd IUI failed, and when she ordered more tests and bloodwork to determine what other issues might be going on (e.g. endometrial biopsy, sonohysterogram) - she wasn't very forthcoming with information - again, likely due to being stretched too thin and having too many patients and commitments. For example, in a follow up appointment after my failed 3rd IUI, Dr. Dhesi noticed that I had an AFC of 30+ follicles, and she was concerned I might have PCOS - she ordered blood tests and never followed up with me to let me know that I did *not* have PCOS after all. I had to ask her to interpret the lab results and what that meant. Again, I do really like Dr. Dhesi as a person and she is a very knowledgeable doctor and when she has the time, does give proper attention, information and answers all my questions. But because of the way Kaiser operates and is structured, close and personal care at their Infertility clinic is just not possible.

I would be ready to see multiple doctors during any treatment cycle if you have Kaiser - Dr. Dhesi herself is a wonderful and caring, competent doctor, however, it is unlikely that you will only be seeing her throughout your IUI cycles. I would prepare yourself for dealing with a very very busy and understaffed clinic, and very little one on one attention.

I did 3 IUIs with Dr. Dhesi - my case was unique, as I started off with DOR and then ended with many follicles after my 3rd IUI. My first IUI I just did chlomid and insemination, which was terrible on my lining and gave my horrible side effects. I would stay away from chlomid especially if the patient is over 35 years old. The 2nd and 3rd IUIs were injectable medication cycles, and this was much better on my lining, however, I produced too many follicles and they weren't large enough for a successful insemination. For my situation personally, IVF is a better treatment plan than IUI as I tend to over-produce and over-respond to stimulating drugs. Dr. Dhesi did say that she would definitely change the medication dosage so that I don't over-respond, however, I am not willing to go through another IUI cycle and we are moving on to IVF.

My costs were covered through insurance - the only great thing about Kaiser!

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