Bansari (Bonnie) Patel

Dr. Patel is an incredible physician and I would recommend her to anyone seeking fertility treatment. During my consults she was the one who came and got me from the waiting room. Which is so telling of her as a physician. She cares, she gets invested in your success. Dr. Patel always has a smile on her face even when I was breaking down she kept me positive and never gave up on me even when I was giving up on myself. I am going into this as a “solo mom by choice” and never once did I ever feel judged for the path I was taking. She treated me with the same care she would with a couple with infertility issues. After my 3 IUI’s Dr. Patel was very honest about the chances of my success with continued IUI’s. I was very scared to move to IVF but she took the time with me to calm my fears and help me understand the whole process. She is truly the greatest physician I’ve ever encountered and I would recommend her to anyone seeking care.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. She’s open and accepting of any and all questions. I continually came to my appointments with a notebook I would keep my questions in and she took the time to answer them all in detail with me. She is always available to call or email and understands the fear and questions you WILL have during this process.

My first two IUI’s I was on different dosages of letrozole while helping to create a very large follicle they never created more than one which is what we like to have in IUI’s. On my third IUI she tried a combination of Letrozole and Clomid which worked so much better I was able to develop several follicles while it still was unsuccessful it helped us to see my body really responded to Clomid. When we moved to IVF she was able to add Clomid along with the injectable gonadotropins to help me develop many follicles during my IVF cycle. At my egg retrieval we were able to retrieve 20 mature eggs! 12 of which fertilized and 4 of those made it to the blastocyst stage. After the PGS testing I was left with 2 perfect embryos! Dr. Patel personally does her own transfers which was so very important to me! After my transfer she had me on estrogen tablets and progesterone injections which are typical of IVF transfers but she also added estrogen patches for good measure. When I got the call about my positive pregnancy test Dr. Patel made the call personally which again was so very important to me. She did all of my IVF scans and all of my OB scans. She takes a personal interest in her patients and that means so very much to me as this is such a huge undertaking!

The costs of going to ACRM we on par with any other clinic when looking at IVF costs. The costs were always explained upfront and I never showed up to the office and expected one cost and was asked to pay another. They always attempted to run through insurance before my costs were explained. I always had great communication with my IVF finance accounts person and she was very open about costs and due dates.

I had my embryos genetically tested to ensure quality and when I asked Dr. Patel about her thoughts on transferring both embryos VS one she explained that when genetically tested embryos transferring more than one embryo doesn’t increase your chances of pregnancy it increases your chances of multiples. While she left the final decision up to me I chose to take her advice and only transfer one embryo.

Dr Patel is an incredible doctor. We could tell she genuinely cared about our journey. She always took care for us as an LGBT couple. She personally called us during set backs or any time we needed something explained. We never felt rushed by her.

Ask her everything! She will take time to explain everything to you as if you were a student in her class.

The monitoring appts were between 8-11 each day. That was somewhat difficult for us because we live a 5 hour drive away which left us leaving the house in the 3-4am time. Our care team still tried to schedule appts as late as they could. They do them this early because they process results in house and call you between 2-5 each appt day with results

We paid 12k for IVF cycle, 5k for transfer cycle, around 5k for each IUI i believe

Dr Patel preferred to transfer one embryo. We decided to transfer two. She explained all risks to us and ultimately said that it is my body to choice so she would not make that decision for us. We felt well informed.

My first appointment with Dr. Patel was awesome. Back story, I'm a transgender women who was seeking fertility preservation methods so I could begin hormone therapy. I was so nervous leading up to the appointment. I thought she'd tell me that the process could take years and I'd have to delay hrt, but she quickly explained how the process would be much easier tham I hadanticipated. She also explained IUI and IVF procedures to me and my partner. Dr. Patel listened to me and my concers and any concerns were met in a kind manor. Never once did I feel llike I was treated like a number at her office. Dr. Patel and her team were extremely great at communitcating, making the whole process quick and easy. Because of Dr. Patel at acrm I feel confident in my future as a mother.

Listen to her and ask questions.

After every specimen drop, Dr. Patel would review its viability and her team would quickly email me with all the paper work with data allowing me me how viable each sample was.

Dr. Patel was extremely kind and respectful when I brought up my concerns as a transgender woman.

The cost is not cheap since insurance does not cover the preservation costs. The billing department has been slow to respond as I'm trying to pay the bill I owe

We did a lot of research online and with other friends who have gone to offices in Atlanta before we ultimately decided on ACRM, and Dr. Patel. From the moment we met her, we had full confidence that she would do everything she could to help us grow our family. We never had an false hope or expectations, understanding that this process doesn't always guarantee a pregnancy, but we genuinely felt like Dr Patel was giving us our best chance. She made tough calls, and had to tell a hormonal patient that we needed to cancel a cycle. I was always appreciative of her making the hard calls because I knew it was the right decision. I never felt like she was pushing me through the process. I would, and will, recommend Dr. Patel to anyone who is seeking to take the next step in growing their family. It's not an easy process, but Dr. Patel encouraged us and rooted for us the entire time!

Be upfront about questions/concerns. If something doesn't make sense (because it's doctor lingo) ask.

Our first appt was late February, right before Covid, so our path looked a little different. While the office was shut down, we did a few months of clomid and letrozole. Attempted and IUI in May, but that got cancelled due to male infertility issues. Decided to take a few months off of medication to let my body rest before starting back up again in August for Egg Retrieval. Attempted frozen egg transfer in Oct but my lining wasn't where we wanted it to be, so cancelled that procedure and tried a different protocol in November. Still wasn't thick enough, so we switched to doing a retrieval stimulation because my lining looked good during retrieval. We were successful with our first transfer with that protocol. We did several other procedures along the way: hysteroscopy, HSG, SIS.

We had a significant amount covered through my husband's insurance, so we consider ourselves very lucky in that regard. The only thing that wasn't covered by insurance was the genetic testing of the embryos. But everything was explained upfront and there were no surprise costs.

Because we only had 2 eggs, she recommended doing 1 at a time to increase our chances. In case the first didn't work out, we could still tweak things for the 2nd. But, if we had wanted to do multiple, she would have been open to that.

I was assigned to Dr Patel after my original doctor left the practice. She reveiwed the results from my first egg retrieval where I ended up with zero embryos and had a frank discussion with us about our hopes & desires. She provide multiple scenarios for how to move forward. We had a couple of unforeseen setbacks I knew she would find the solution...and she did. I always felt like she was my advocate and kept our goals in mind. In addition, she is a delight to be around- witty & smart. We now have a beautiful baby boy and two more embryos on ice.

If you have a question or don’t understand something - ask her. Dr. Patel is great at explaining the science and risks

My protocol included the following: 300 IU of Gonal-F, Menopur, 0.5 mg of Dexamethasone, 100 mg of Clomid, 0.25mg Cetrotide, & growth hormone. I usually had at least 9 Follicles over size 17 by day 11 abs would retrieve more matured than what showed. My results then followed the normal reduction with 50% turning into blasts, then half of those making it to day 5 and then we sent ours for genetic testing.

Dr Patel spent a lot of time going over diagnostics and my background She was very detail oriented and was always available to answer any of my questions Most appointments were virtual due to covid She was very prompt in answering any emails for any questions we had along the way She was very kind snd compassionate

Make sure to have a list of questions you may have She was very detailed in explaining the process and the diagnostics I appreciate the attention to detail I work in healthcare myself

We never got to actual treatment We conceived on our own during the month of diagnostics While awaiting all the lab results to come back, we ended up pregnant before the follow up It was very lucky bc I have a completely blocked tube

We were fortunate that’s our insurance paid for diagnostic testing and a portion of ivf We never had to go past diagnostic testing as we fortunately had a positive pregnancy test after the HSG If you had to do HSG out of pocket it was around $750 We did all our labs through labcorp bc it was covered as a small percentage

They only do single egg transfers

She is very warm and welcoming. Shows a lot of compassion towards your situation. I never felt rushed and she would answer all questions. However there were times where she came across as not genuine and selling me hope. I felt selling a patient in need help was her angle and wanted you to feel taken care of but ultimately I was not. In fact my care was borderline negligence. I started a cycle of estrogen and then could not get in touch with any staff member to answer questions or concerns about my protocol. This led me to leave her practice and only then was she In touch with me.

Don’t get distracted by her compassion for your situation and promise of success. Ask all the questions you need to and insist on having her direct info as her staff or main office line operators don’t seem to have authority to put you through to your own doctor in any event.

Estrogen 2 mg beginning day two of cycle. Progesterone two weeks later followed by injectable medications. Clomid for my husband for 8 to 10 weeks.

I was emailed a lengthy document with cost breakdown just 5 days before payment was expected. Everything was listed in medical and clinical terms that I couldn’t not understand so I had to call the representative to explain them to me which was still confusing as nobody had even fully gone over my protocol with me in a way I could understand. Also this payment was expected in full before I even started my injectable medications. These costs were also outrageously inflated compared to my current clinic and most clinics I researched.

Dr. Patel is very compassionate. She's always patient and never made us feel rushed. She took the time to answer our questions, and explain next steps and courses of action. One thing we noticed is her challenge with providing detail in email communication/conversation. There were times where she didn't fully communicate what would be happening, and there were some surprises we came up against that we weren't expecting.

Do your research on your condition, if one is identified. Don't be afraid to fight for what you need, you're the best advocate for yourself. If something feels unsure, ASK!

After our initial consult and blood work, I was diagnosed with a severely diminished egg reserve at age 34. 0.3% to be exact. We were thankful to have found this out early on. From there, Dr. Patel put me on one month of priming with estrogen, and the next month was my egg retrieval. I was put on the highest dose of gonal, menopur + omnitrope. She retrieved 4 eggs, 3 fertilized, and 1 embryo was determined to be genetically normal. We transferred it back the following month, but got a negative pregnancy test. So we immediatly moved into retrieval #2. Since my body didn't respond as well to the highest dose of drugs, my protocol was a lower dose of gonal + omnitrope in addition to clomid + letrazole. 6 eggs were retrieved, 2 fertilized but none made it through the week. She also found that my uteran lining was thinner this go round than last, likely due to chlomid side effects. We took a break from IVF for a month and plan to try again. This time with either little or no chlomid to prevent a thin lining, and we will do a day 3 fresh transfer vs freezing to see if that makes a difference.

Cycle #1: $26,899.39 - meds, visits, retrieval, testing + transfer Cycle #2: $23,954.96 - meds, visits, retrieval

Dr. Patel is extremely thorough with providing me with the information needed to make a informed decision. She was prompt and to the point when needed, yet had a soft and understanding side as well. I appreciate that it was not pressured to just jump in. She wanted to know that I understood how everything worked.

Just be open and honest with your concerns or questions.

I have done 3 cycles of clomid before seeing Dr. Patel, so we made the decision to start with labs to see what is going on with me. She found a few items of concern. So, I am starting thyroid medication, a HSG procedure and my husband is doing a sperm test. We will wait for all of the results and schedule a follow up.

On my first visit, I had a specialist copay. They did labs as well that day, which my insurance covered. Dr. Patel encouraged me to go to a different facility for the HSG test as they had a lower cost. ACRM was $1100.00 vs. $500.00. I had to have in house blood pregnancy test for the HSG and it was $87.00. The sperm test was $140.00 I believe.

N/A - We haven't gotten this far.

Her strengths included her willingness to be aggressive, listen to my concerns, compassionate, and very smart. I felt like she did great explaining test results as well as different procedures. Her weakness would be that on busy days in the clinic I occasionally felt rushed. It is turly difficult to think of her weakness.

Be honest and open about your desires and expectations.

Oh goodness! First cycle:started with birth control pills and then we did menopur and gonal-f. I can’t remember the exact dosages but my body did not respond well and she felt that the BCP had supressed my system too much. Ended cycle with IUI. Second cycle: tried estrogen patches. Then menopur, gonal-f and lurpon. Ended up stopping lupron due to no response. We were able to retrieve eggs for this cycle. Third cycle: did estrogen patches again. Menopur, gonal-f and growth hormone. By far this was my best cycle!

I was fortunate enough to have a fertility benefit with my insurance. The first $15000 was covered. Patty Joyner was the financial advisor at the clinic and she was also amazing.

No concerns.

Dr. Patel was great. For our initial visit for IVF, she went over all of my paperwork with my husband and I, and we talked about our past treatment (we had been at a different clinic for a year and a half). She explained all the risks, rewards, statistics, etc. She was very up front and direct, but she was still kind and positive throughout the entire experience. I was nervous, and at some appointments emotional, and she always made sure to ask how I was feeling and why, and then she would address anything she could help with.

To just be honest with Dr. Patel - I don't think anything could shock her, and she is always willing to answer questions.

I did Gonal-F and Menopur injections for 12 days, adding in Cetrotide to prevent ovulation on Day 6 of stims. I was on low dosages, due to my PCOS and high AMH and follicle count, so I stimmed lower and longer. She and my nurse made adjustments throughout the cycle to help prevent OHSS. I ended up with 24 eggs at my egg retrieval, 18 fertilized, and we ended up freezing 9 good quality embryos. I ended up with mild OHSS anyways, but it was not serious.

Our IVF cycle + meds was about $12,000. An additional $900 for cryopreservation.

She is warm, compassionate and very friendly. It was very easy to talk to her and discuss all our issues (personal and medical). Although she didn’t perform most of the procedures herself (except embryo implantation) we cared more about the accuracy and outcomes of her recommended treatment than anything else.

Hang in there and trust the treatment protocol!

An agonist protocol, etc.

20k-25k total

She had a strong preference for single embryo transfer and multiple egg retrieval procedures.

Dr. Patel was always very personable and compassionate. She knew a lot of information would be coming at me quickly and walked me through every step of what I needed to do. She was honest, hopeful, knowledgeable and very easy to work with..

See her as soon as you get your diagnosis. She's ready for you and will take care of you.

I don't remember the name of the drugs, but I did 2-3 injections at home prior to retrieval.

I had great insurance so the cost was minimal to me.

Dr. Patel was great to work with, she felt like a friend who was also my doctor. We also worked with Dr. Johnston who was great and Dr. Deaton who was a bit harsh about our reality (though we were already aware).

I don't remember specifics, but she did use gonal F, hcg, and ganirelex. My ovaries were totally shot and didn't really respond, but that has nothing to do with her.

Around $12k for a regular IVF cycle, not including meds.

I have seen two previous physicians for infertility treatment and Dr. Patel is the only physician who has been willing to refer my husband to a urologist after we were diagnosed with male factor infertility. She is not adamant about jumping into IVF, as the others were. I feel that she is very knowledgeable and caring.

She is kind and is very good at her job.

Our first scheduled IUI with her was cancelled and post-poned.

IUI is approximately $500.00 IVF is approximately $10,000 for retrieval and extra for meds

She took the time to clearly explain everything to me and is always a cheerleader for optimism while letting me be pessimistic. She has been great to work with and I always feel like I learn something whenever we chat

I know days are packed but sometimes I’ve had to wait a bit for appts

She specifically said the goal is to get pregnant while keeping as few horomones in me for as short of a time as possible

She’s very easy to understand- like I mentioned in always felt she was explaining everything as well as possible. I have a lot of questions too, and she was more than happy to answer those. Which is great. She’s also willing to work with my other doctors for other care I’m currently undergoing.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions / it’s important and she’ll answer them

We’re going to be setting these up in my next appointment, however, she has mentioned getting IVF underway. She believes this is the best option for me due to the many risks of IUI for my case

So far I have only paid copays and blood testing costs. We will see what’s to come

Unsure yet - will come back and report

I absolutely love Dr. Patel, she is very easy to talk to and caring. She answers all questions in a timely manner and never makes me feel dumb for asking questions. She really wants to help her patients and you can really tell.

Go see her ASAP.

All we have done so far is a round of letrazole. But she has been very very helpful.

I have not gotten any bills yet so I am not sure.

DR PATEL IS THE BEST AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER TO ANY AND EVERYONE. SHE IS THE REASON I HAVE HOPE AGAIN TO BECOME A MOM. IF I NEVER MET HER I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY GAVE UP. SHE TRULY UNDERSTANDS MY SITUATION AND NEVER JUDGED. ALWAYS KEPT IT REAL WITH ME.

Listen and trust her

I waa told i needed my tubes removed because they were abnormal and if i wanted kids to get them removed and proceed with Ivf

I got quotes for Ivf

None

I felt very safe and comfortable having Dr. Patel as my doctor. She definitely knew what she was doing, and she had a welcoming attitude that made it easy for me to interact with her. She answered all of my questions no matter how silly I felt asking them. She explained everything very thoroughly to me. Sometimes she would add a "pop-quiz style" question in there, which catches me off guard but I understand why she does it - to make sure that I understand what she is explaining to me. The wait times when I come to see her are very reasonable.

Don't hesitate to ask any questions that's in your mind, no matter how silly or stupid you think your questions are!

For the egg retrieval phase, I used Gonal-F, menopur and cetrotide. A few days before my estimated egg retrieval date, bloodwork showed I was already at high risk of getting OHSS, so she made me stop taking the stimulation shots, skip Novarel and ask me to take my Luprolide trigger shot. About 48 hours later, I was sedated while the clinic retrieved my eggs. I had to take Cabergoline to help with the OHSS. I had a freeze-all cycle and sent our embryos for genetic testing. Meanwhile, I was asked to take birth control pills. Prior to embryo transfer, I started taking estrace (tablet) and progesterone (injection). After I got a positive pregnancy test, Dr. Patel asked me continue taking both until week 10 of pregnancy.

The clinic had a financial coordinator that would explain all the expenses in detail. They also provided a breakdown of the costs for each phase of the cycle. I had no problems understanding the costs associated with the procedure. The overall price seemed to me a little lower than I expected it to be (based on my research), which is good. But do note that the cost breakdown does not include medications and lab testing not directly associated with IVF, e.g. pregnancy test.

Dr. Patel's approach for me was to transfer a single embryo. I had no concerns or issues with that. I understand that it was overall safer to transfer a single embryo.

She was always smiling and honest. From my first consultation, she reviewed the likely hood of each treatment resulting in a pregnancy and live birth. She helped confirm what I thought my issue was (tubal blockage) and based on my age we went with IVF as she explained this old be the fasted. most probably of me to get pregnant. I had a few setbacks, but she remained encouraged, shared what my options were, and we proceeded.

Nothing specific to her. Write down your questions for her so that you remember to ask them while you’re with her.

The visits and all my procedures were about $12k and the medicine was an additional $4500. My insurance cover the majority of medical, paid out of pocket for the dugs.

She recommended only transferring one embryo. I was thinking of transferring 2, but I’m glad I did not do that. My husband and I did the genetic testing of the embryos. I highly recommend that. Only 2 of 7 were viable options.

As a infertility patient, Dr. Patel has been the best doctor we've worked with so far. She was very patient with our questions and explained everything thoroughly. She presented all our options, explained each of them - their success rates, risks, etc. and once we made our decision, she helped us throughout our process. I recommended her to my cousin who was going through the similar issues and my cousin had the same positive experience with her. Dr. Patel treats each of her patient with much care that you can see while interacting with her.

Dr. Patel is very patient in answering questions, so if you have any question, do not hesitate to ask her.

We did IVF with Dr. Patel since we had tried IUI and other options with our previous doctor with no success. We are now 10 weeks pregnant.

IVF cost

Of course the first thing is I will recommend Dr. Patel to my friend and I already did, hope she get appointment with Dr. Patel. Also I got referred to ACRM from one of my colleague and I am so happy that we decided to do that. Dr. Patel gave us the hope and that the biggest thing to get the success. I cannot thank her enough and her entire team to help build out family. From the Day 1 I knew I am at the right place. I was bit overwhelmed with all the process of taking injections reading through the internet etc. Dr. Patel mentioned that don't search in google, if I have any questions I can reach out to her anytime and I did and that really helped. First egg retrieval I had just 2 eggs and only 1 got fertilized. Dr. Patel always said to me we just need one just one may that's your baby, those words gave me so much strength. she always let me believe quality matters not quantity. But we decided to go for 3 egg retrieval cycles and collected more embryos and that helped. she was very open and clear in her conversations which helped us not to build any false expectations. I still cannot believe the day I heard she called and said "You are pregnant". Most of my appointments I got to see Dr. Patel which was the best thing as I could consult her and ask queries. She was very friendly and always fun to talk with . All the stress and worries around the process just eased out over the time and I had such a flawless experience. I am sure people might have more complexities and challenges but I would say one should not wait and worry about the IVF process. If you are with such awesome team and awesome doctors and you have the trust , rest will happen. The staff at ACRM are so professional and caring. It is because of Dr. Patel’s patient and expertise that we are planning for out second one. My first one is 14 months old now. Thankyou Dr. Bonnie Patel , Caitlin Stephens, Melisa & the entire team for everything that you have done for us. You are the best!

Dr. Patel is a very warm and compassionate doctor. She always made sure we understood the process and answered all questions clearly. More than that, she treated us as people rather than a number. She learned our names and our situation. Her bedside manner was impeccable.

Ask questions regardless of now silly you think they may be Dr. Patel answers without judgement

I'm not sure

Our insurance covered a large portion of out treatment. We had some out of pocket costs, totaling around $3000 I believe.

Dr. Patel recommended one embryo transfer due to my history of 3 C-sections. 1 had previously expressed my concern with conceiving multiples and my ability to Carry multiples in a healthy pregnancy

Dr. Patel was incredibly helpful, caring, responsive, and supportive during our fertility journey. She patiently listened to us, answered our questions, and gave us the level of detail and research we asked for. She was empathetic of our journey - through ups and downs.

Come with a list of questions to ask and don’t be afraid to ask them all

We tried multiple approaches - IUI, IVF, and used different types of estrogen, progesterone, hormonal injections, blood thinner injections.

Generally the appointments went smoothly. There was usually a wait, but it wasn’t terrible.

All in cost was $40,000 that includes medication too that wasn’t purchased from ACRM. The pure ACRM piece was likely closer to $30-35K.