Celeste Brabec

Dr. Brabec is very knowledgeable and kind. Each time she comes in to the room to do a procedure, she will touch my hands and say something positive and comforting. She has always explained the facts to us during meetings and appointments. I have always had a large cyst which they started calling an endometrioma. Unfortunately, they worked around it up until my miscarriage, at which time my OB agreed it should come out. It was in fact an endometrioma and could have caused difficulties for us. We are pleased to have it out and want to continue to see Dr. Brabec for our next attempt. The nurses and staff members are so personable. They show empathy and show to really care for their patients. Infertility is so hard and their kindness makes tough news or tough times a little easier.

Ask questions if you don’t understand information. She will break it down better for you and answer your questions as directly as possible. With that being said, communication is key. Don’t leave anything out. That way they can make sure they have the beat protocol or plan to suit you.

Our original protocol was an IVF microdose protocol with AM menopur and GH. I started with oral contraceptives, prenatal vitamins, DHEA and CoQ10. Once my levels were considered suppressed I stopped the contraceptive and started a daily testosterone patch (5-6 days). I then started microdose of leuprolide once in the AM and once in the PM. Two days later I started Omnitrope in the AM, Gonal-F, Menopur (subcutaneously) and dexamethasone (by mouth). I required about 10 days of ovarian stimulation. Once the ultrasound confirmed there was abdicate follicle count/size, I was scheduled to take the hCG trigger shot so the eggs will be ready for retrieval within 34-36 hours. After retrieval is was prescribed a few medications like a z-pack and a few others I can’t recall. Within three days we had a fresh transfer and I started taking progesterone shortly after. We had eggs that were them frozen so our next try only consisted of a few medications such a leuprolide, oral contraceptive, estradiol by mouth and then vaginally and progesterone. Throughout my protocols, I have been fortunate enough to have had little if any negative reactions to any of the medications. Of course I felt pretty emotional throughout but that was not just the medication. When my ovaries were producing the follicles, I did have a heavy feeling in my uterus but not terribly uncomfortable. Unfortunately, we have gone through two cycles (preparing for our third) and still no baby. We do remain hopeful and positive that our team at RRC will get us there.

We were given several options when we first started the IVF process. One portion was to just pay the specific amount that would entail all aspects of the process (with the exception of the medications). Another option was to spend a little more but if a second try was needed, it would be a little less. I don’t recall every detail but I know we paid $7,000 for the medication (my insurance covers 0% for infertility) and roughly $10,000 to the facility for all appointments, blood draws, ultrasound and most of the retrieval process. I believe we paid an additional $1300 to the hospital for the retrieval/anesthesia. The second try was roughly $750 for medication and $4500 to the facility.

when We were first deciding what to do, our doctor did give us the facts on one versus two or kore embryos. With our original first attempt, we made the decision to transfer one for the safety of myself and the potential baby. Going forward to our second appointment, she again gave ya the facts but seemed more open to the idea of transferring two versus one (we did not have testing done on our embryo day I believe that also played a role in our discussion).

Dr Brabec was amazing to work with and I hope to be able to see her again for another egg retrieval! I do wish I could see her more often but I know how busy her clinic is. She was extremely compassionate the whole time we worked with her! Very positive but truthful. You can tell her wants the nest for everyone that steps foot in her office.

Be prepared for a warm & fuzzy first meet up :)

Because I have a low AMH I was on the highest doses they allow. I usually stim for 12 days and retrieve on day 14 I believe. I had my first egg retrieval may 2017 which resulted in 1 blast that PGS tested normal. And that ended with a live birth 3/30/2018. My second egg retrieval was July 2019 with 3 blasts that were PGS tested normal. FET Transfer 10/2019 ended in miscarriage with stopped growth of baby, FET transfer 2/3/2020 ended with live birth 10/8/2020 and FET transfer 4/4/2022 ended with a negative pregnancy test. I do believe hgh (Omnitrope) has been a game changer in my protocols!

I feel like they have their monitoring appts figured out! You are literally in and out with 15 minutes! I appreciate that because I live 3.5 hours away so I like to get back home asap!

I feel like the cost at the clinic is very reasonable! I have a problem with the cost of my medication!

She doesn’t allow more than one embryo transfer bc of the risks and I appreciate that.

We really didn't see Dr. Brabec much, but when we see her every time, she talks really fast and covered lots of things. She does gave us many options and professional views about how we chose the choice. She did diagnose why I have infertility.

I think just be aware that she talks fast and needs jog down lots of information. Just prepare for the questions and she would answer for you.

Before egg retrieval, I was on birth control pills to make sure I will be ovulated on time. Then we used menopur, centritide, gona, and other pills to be ready for the egg retrieval. She didn't give me a lot of does on each medicine in case I will have side effect. In the end, it was 17 eggs in my uterus, but only 12 retrieved, 9 mutual, 7 fertilized, 3 embryos created. After PGT test, only 1 normal. We transfer the first time and successfully to be pregnant.

We enrolled the unifvy program, so the total costs plus the medications are 31,000 dollars.

As a patient of Dr. Brabec, at the beginning I felt very confident in what she was suggesting. My husband and I both appreciated her up-front and honest personality. That said, as time went on I felt like Dr. Brabec was just doing her "prescribed protocol" for someone with PCOS and didn't want to take the time to figure out if anything else was wrong. After our failed embryo transfer I suggested I could have endometriosis and she basically disregarded the suggestion and said it's because you didn't have your embryos tested.

Be an advocate for yourself.

I don't remember the overall strategy for my cycle, but I know it is probably exactly what she prescribes for every woman she sees that has PCOS. It was not unique to me at all.

It was always difficult for me to schedule monitoring appointments because I live so far away.

NA - my costs were covered by my insurance provider through fertility benefits.

When we first met with Dr. Brabec she said she would absolutely not recommend a multiple embryo transfer for me and acted like she never does them. After our first transfer failed, she strongly suggested we transfer our remaining two embryos because of their grading, which was extremely discouraging to me.

Celeste is an excellent doctor who knows her stuff. She was able to get me pregnant on my very first IVF transfer and I felt confident all along that it would work but also knew it wasn't guaranteed. She is a straight shooter-she won't sugar coat anything and provide you with false expectations. I know for some people, they prefer to be told only positive things and want their doctor to be super optimistic but Celeste will be real with you on what your chances are, what the risks are, and what could go wrong. I wasn't seeing Celeste to make a friend...I was here to get pregnant and it worked! If you want someone who knows their stuff and has experience, she is the way to go!

As I mentioned, she is honest and won't sugar coat things. She will tell you the goods, the bad, and the risks involved. She is direct and to the point if that is what you like. I was here to get pregnant so that was perfect for me. She may not ask how your job is going or if you have any siblings (the small talk) but she is a good doctor that has good success rates for pregnancy and that is all I cared about :)

Birth control to suppress ovaries. Then began Gonal-F and menopur and then triggered with Cetrotide for Egg retrieval. Transfer protocol was estrogen (by mouth 2x a day and 1x vaginally at night) and PIO injections once a day. Also taking baby aspirin and prenatal

I couldn't have asked for a better RE. She was so thorough in her reasons for each treatment option and success rates for them. She was honest with her answers even though some were obviously not what we wanted to hear as a couple (needing to wait until next cycle since I was at high risk for multiples). She's a fast talker, but if you ask to have something repeated, she is happy to. I came out of my appointment with a clear treatment plan and what I needed to do next. Even the fine details like insurance coverage were gone over, and I am so grateful for that.

Do your research beforehand. She will ask what you are hoping to do now or in the near future and then you get to discuss from that starting point. And don't forget to write your questions down and the answers she gives you. She's a fast talker, but knows her stuff!

I was hoping to do an IUI the first cycle I had while under Brabec's care. Since I have multiple follicles developing, she said they would not do the IUI this cycle and will try again during the next. What a bummer to hear, but I appreciated her honesty and not putting my at risk for having triplets (or more!) with all the follicles I had. So our next plan is to try 3 IUIs - the chances of IUIs working after 3 failed attempts does not get any better, so we would move on to IVF after that.

IUIs with insurance were around $630. IVF was not covered at all with our insurance, so that was quoted at $20,000.

Dr. Brabec is known for her results, not her bedside manner. We saw her once for the consultation and she spoke so quickly that our heads were spinning, and I have a fair understanding of human anatomy. She is known for her results but it is also known she won't take cases that she may not be successful with, in order to prevent her numbers from going down. We perhaps have seen her 2-3 times in the 2 year process. I do not feel she is compassionate or patient with her clientele and it is difficult to ask her questions as she does appear in a hurry to get to the next part of her day. Again, we came to this clinic because of the successes, not the warm and fuzzy bedside manner.

To advocate for what you want and strive to be informed.

Prior to any treatment, we had to undergo an HSG and SHG as well as a trial transfer prior to meds. Prep meds for retrieval included approx. the following: testosterone patches 1x per day for 5 days with microdose leuprolide injections 2x per day (10 units), menopure 225 iu injection, omnitrope 25 unit injection, Gonal-F 375 injection, Dexamethasone 1 mg. These meds did vary, as I started with testosteron patches for 3 days, then added microdoes leuprolide for 2 more, then d/c'd testosterone and began the other injections. After an US and blood test to make sure eggs were 14+mm, took a Novarel trigger injection at approx. day 12. I had to increase my doses after day 3 of this process as I was not responding initially. I chose to continue higher doses rather than cancel my course. After retrieval, blastocyst stage, freeze and PGS, and 2 periods, I began 2ml progesterone injections daily, estradiol 2 mg (3x per day, will start with 2x per day and up to 3) and low dose aspirin. The transfer occurred part way through this regimen and the meds continue for 2 more months if the embryo is successful.

Initial consult covered by insurance somewhat, $110. Blood tests and ultrasounds for diagnostic purposes covered by insurance. HSG and shg semi-covered by insurance $110. Practice transfer $175 out of pocket. Hospitalization for retrieval and anesthesia $1200. Univfy program $20,000. Meds for retrieval $8,000. Meds for FET transfer and continuing after FET $900.

We did not discuss those options, probably because we have multiple embryos to choose from and have only had one transfer at this time.

I love Dr. Brabec! She diagnosed me with PCOS at the first visit upon reviewing my bloodwork and confirming via ultrasound (I had 60 antral follicles - yikes!). This was a huge relief! I had already seen two different doctors (my primary and a nurse-midwife at an OBGYN office), who dismissed the very same lab results, which showed an extremely high AMH of 12, as "normal". Dr. Brabec shoots very straight with us. At our first appointment, she explained that we have about a 2% chance of conceiving per month with no assistance, an 8% chance with IUI and meds, and a 70% chance with IVF. She is very up to date on the latest regarding fertility and PCOS, which we greatly appreciate!

Go into your appointment with a list of questions you want to ask, because she is an extremely intelligent, fast talker with a lot of information to share. Writing your questions down ahead of time and showing her the list will help ensure they get answered. She is not warm and fuzzy, but she knows her stuff! We feel that we are in expert hands!

Dr. Brabec recommended we start with letrozole (Femara) and IUI, because even with a good semen analysis, IUI doubled our chances of success over letrozole alone. She also gave us the option of letrozole with timed intercourse, which we decided to start with since it was the least invasive option. We ended up doing 2 cycles of letrozole + timed intercourse and 2 cycles of letrozole + IUI. The first month, I took 0.5 mg dexamethasone (she said due to elevated DHEA-S levels common in PCOS patients, which indicate adrenal testosterone production) daily for the first half of my cycle and 2.5 mg letrozole on cycle days 3-7 to help me ovulate, then came in for a follicle ultrasound on day 11. My follicles hadn't grown enough, so I was told to bump up to 5 mg letrozole and take it for a few more days in that same cycle, then come in for another ultrasound. My follicles had grown appropriately by the next ultrasound, so I was instructed to trigger a couple of days later with Ovidrel at home and have timed intercourse at least every other day. She prescribed progesterone inserted vaginally for the second half of my cycle to improve success rates. The rest of our cycles, I took 5 mg letrozole (instead of 2.5) on cycle day 3-5, but the rest of the meds were the same. On my last two letrozole cycles, we decided to add IUI to boost our chances, since I had ovulated perfectly each time with no pregnancy. Both times, the IUI was done the morning after I was instructed to do my Ovidrel trigger.

Our care is entirely out of pocket with literally no insurance or negotiated rates. Ultrasounds are $288, and three out of four months we have only had to do one. The HSG was about $850, including facility charges. Diagnostic blood tests were about $600 through LabCorp (Dr. Brabec prefers Quest, but Quest offers no discount for uninsured patients). Meds were around $50 for Ovidrel, $10 for letrozole, $30 for progesterone, and $5 for dexamethasone, which came to roughly $100 per cycle for meds. The two times we did IUI, it was about $400 extra. Overall, our letrozole + timed intercourse cycles were around $400 each and our letrozole + IUI cycles were about $800 each - all with literally no insurance. I have gotten a quote from Attain for IVF (because this is our next step), and they offer a package through RRC with up to 2 retrievals and unlimited fresh/frozen transfers until you have a take-home baby for $17800 (no refund), not including meds or anesthesia charges.

We haven't reached this point yet, but our IVF consultation is next week.

We are currently in the middle of our first IVF treatment and so far, have been very pleased with Dr. Brabec. She is warm, informative and we have seen her for every appointment so far, except for 1. She does talk a bit fast in general but has always slowed down when we ask questions and takes her time to answer.

Don't be afraid to slow her down from talking so fast and ask all your questions.

We are currently planning for our first egg retrieval and will do genetic testing on our embryos ( ICSI will be done) before doing a frozen transfer. They knew right away we would be doing a frozen transfer due to our history of multiple miscarriages and my PCOS diagnosis.

The clinic will only transfer 1 embryo at a time.

Dr. Brabec is a very kind, funny and VERY knowledgeable individual! She would crack jokes, which my husband loved, always give us very detailed information and never let us leave or hang up the phone until ALL of our questions were answered. At one point, I had a LEEP procedure done and had an odd reaction to the anesthesia. During my egg retrieval, Dr. Brabec took ever precaution to ensure that I was going to make it through the surgery with NO complications and she was genuinely concerned. It was so relaxing(during a time that can be VERY stressful) knowing that she cared so much!

Dr. Brabec does talk pretty quick! I have learned that this is because she is very knowledgeable-she definitely knows her stuff!!! But never feel like you can’t ask her questions if you need clarification! She is very kind and will answer any questions you have.

In the other clinic that I had received treatment at, we went through several months of medications and times intercourse, and 6 cycles of IUI. We were ready to move on to IVF when the clinic was shut down due to several embryologist leaving at the same time. We went to RRC and Dr. Brabec knowing that we wanted to jump in to IVF. We had already done the necessary testing so we were able to start the cycle. I went through 8 days of medication. Injections and every other day I had my blood draw to look at levels. Once they were high enough, i went in for an ultrasound and had SEVERAL follicles. Dr. Brabec knew this was going to be the outcome. I went in for the Egg Retrieval where she retrieved 20 eggs! My husband provided sperm and our eggs underwent ICSI. She suggested this because my husband has low morphology so this would ensure the best fertilization rate. She was right! All 20 eggs fertilized! In the end we had 10 healthy embryos develop. We did choose to have genetic testing done on each and now we have 7 extremely healthy embryos awaiting transfer!!

I do not feel like I need to be specific because this is personal but for our entire IVF cycle it was under $30,000. My body does react well to the medications however, so I did not have to pay as much in medications as some others may! They do have programs for you to pay slightly more and receive more cycles but we knew we would not need that.

I have had a LEEP procedure done, so it is suggested that we only do a single embryo transfer. However, because of my age(27 and healthy), Dr Brabec suggested we only do a single transfer anyways because of the higher success rate.

I didn’t regret I picked Dr Brabec’s clinic. I got the most care that I needed during my procedures. Dr Brabec explained everything on what’s best for us. She can be a fast talker but she gave you all the resources that you needed to understand. The steps of procedures can be overwhelming as a first time but that’s normal. They will give you a step by step lists and guide you along the way. Dr Brabec is the best. She makes you feel comfortable through the whole process.

Dr Brabec can talk fast and sometimes it overwhelms you. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions the details you don’t understand and she will explain it to you without hesitation. There’s resources of information they will provide for you please read them. As a first time on this procedure can be overwhelming.

Menstruation timing cycle. They had me taking birth control pills and told me when to stop taking them to control and get the accurate and exact fertile period where they can tell when to in plant the sperm during IUI and in plant the embryo during my IVF procedure.

In our case if we didn’t have a good insurance that will cover the 80 percent of the costs we would not be able to afford it.

She has a very wise approach on transferring the embryo. Since I’m a little older and my hormones is as not as good as the younger mom to be she suggested to have two embryo transfer and she asked me if that’s what we prefer. In case the other one won’t survive there’s a spare. We are perfectly fine with it since we don’t mind having twins if both survive.

Dr. Brabec, is a very kind and honest person. I would say that some of her strengths are that she knows all her fertility information. She is a very compassionate person and tries to show you every aspect of treatment and what option could possibly work best and why. For example, in our case she recommended ivf because my husband was low on sperm count and motility but also my eggs were not in the best shape. I would say her weakness is that she talks really fast, sometimes it can come across as rushing through but I think it’s just the way she speaks. Overall I felt safe and in good hands. She always tried her best to make sure I was feeling good and that the treatment was going according to schedule.

Be open to different treatment options and know that Dr. Brabec only wants the best for her patients.

Dr. Brabec prefers to only transfer 1 embryo at a time due to the potential for twins and what not. However, if you have two embryos she will take the patients wishes into consideration. On my case we had two viable embryos and she allowed us to transfer both.

Dr. Brabec is a wonderful doctor. She brings light to some dark times. She goes over information fully and makes sure everyone understands. She is always willing to answer questions and makes time for every patient.

She is a large personality. If you like more mundane doctors, she might not be for you.

Celeste orginally thought we would be able to proceed with an IUI. She prescribed a cycle of clomid and letrizole. An US was performed and there was a viable egg, so a trigger shot was done. However, on the day of the IUI we were unable to do it due to low sperm count so she suggested timed intercourse. Unfortunately it did not work.

My husband and I spent over $700 on the IUI. Since we were unable to do it, they put that money towards another SA and office visit. Our initi visit and consultation was $500. When we get a loan, our IVF was quoted between $10-$14k.

Was very knowledgeable and eager to help. Gave choices and recommendation but ultimately let the patient decide on treatment plan. She does talk quickly and is sometimes hard to follow, however she will re-explain if asked- nursing is also very good about following her and asking if everything was understood.

Expect for her to talk quickly- not because she is rushing you or in a hurry, just because that's the way her brain works. Do not be afraid to ask her to slow down or go over something again- she will do so gladly.

Diagnosed with PCOS at first visit. Had 2 rounds of clomid with OBGYN with negative OPK's prior to first appointment with Dr. Brabec. She prescribed metformin to be taken daily, letrozole used on days 3-7. Also prescribed dexamethasone and used Ovidrel for trigger shot prior to IUI. Did 3 IUI's with this protocol, all resulted in a negative pregnancy test.

Before insurance each IUI cycle was approximately $1,000 using letrozole and Ovidrel trigger protocol- this does not include initial testing.

I saw Dr. Brabec about three times over the course of 1.5 years. At my initial consult, she recommended IVF as my course of treatment based on my age and lab values. I was not ready for that and wanted to try IUI first. She recommended IUI with injectables to increase the chances of pregnancy. During the diagnostic phase prior to IUI, she recommended I get a large fibroid removed, which I did. During that surgery with another surgeon, it was discovered that I had endometriosis. This VERY important finding was completely glossed over by Dr. Brabec. I knew nothing about endo at the time and trusted her since she didn't discuss it after my surgery. During that second consultation to finally start IUI, she only gave me the options of IUI with oral meds or IVF. No injectables. I pointed out this discrepancy from our previous visit, and she stated that injectables are rarely used with IUI anymore due to the risk of multiples. I pointed out that that was her recommendation a year prior, which she again glossed over. After two failed IUIs with oral meds, I sought out a second opinion on my case to see if IVF was the next best step. I did not consult with Dr. Brabec about this b/c she was gung-ho about IVF from the get go and felt that I already knew what her answer would be. My second opinion doctor encouraged me to look into endometriosis again before doing anything, because in her eyes (based on my labs and testing), I was a fertile woman and something else was causing my infertility. THANK GOD I found her and also found Nancy's Nook group on Facebook which provides amazing information about endometriosis. I still knew very little about endo at the time. Through this group, I found an endometriosis specialist in STL. He read my operative report from 1.5 years ago where I had the fibroid and endometriosis removed and HE informed me that I had Stage 4 endometriosis. To say I was shocked and disgusted that Dr. Brabec never mentioned this to me is an understatement. I honestly don't know that she ever ready my surgical report, as it clearly stated that I had endometriosis on my bowel, bladder, and uterus. Upon learning this, I feel that the IUIs I had were likely a waste and that I also wasted 1.5 years of my fertility life by not knowing I had stage 4 endo. Dr. Brabec was completely negligent in this area, and even after confronting her about this, she was less than helpful and said how she had it documented that we discussed the endo. Had I known I had stage 4 endo then or had been given ANY education about it, I would have been ready for IVF at that time. Also, her treatment recommendations for endo are very outdated and old school. So- if you know you want IVF and are ready for it, this might be the doctor for you. However, if you want a thorough investigation into the causes of your infertility, want education about your fertility picture, or if you have endometriosis, I would absolutely not recommend Dr. Brabec as your provider. She basically feels that IVF is the answer for anything.

Only go to her if you are ready for IVF and have done your research on why you need IVF.

I did two rounds of IUI with letrozole pills (2.5 mg for five days), along with Ovidrel trigger shot both times. I believe I had several good sized follicles both times.

I think IUI was around $700 per cycle which included an ultrasound. Meds were another $120 per cycle.

I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Brabec. She tells you how it is and I love that. I don’t want anyone that’s going to sugar coat anything and that is by far Dr.Brabec! She did tell me I needed to lose a little weight which is a shock to whoever hears it, but if that is what is holding me back from growing my family, I will try to lose what I need to! What I also love about Dr.Brabec is her POSITIVITY! When my husband and I could not get pregnant my attitude became so negative, but the second we walked through the doors her positivity lit up the room! She also told us,” Don’t worry, we will get you guys a baby, we just have to figure out what is going on” I honestly believe that they are going to get us pregnant! She also told us that we can only talk about IVF for 1 HOUR a day, just because that’s all I literally think and talk about. She keeps me in check and I need that in a doctor.

Be patient and open minded. Don’t get your feelings hurt if you are told you need to lose weight or some other lifestyles changes.

We have only had our consultation and my husband had a seman analysis. I had a vaginal ulrtasound done, which determined my PCOS. Then we discussed our treatment plan and I was put on Metformin and the birth control pill.

We are going through IVF and with all of our costs not including what we have already spent, it will be around $27-$30k.

Dr.Brabec only recommends one embryo at a time just because there is that chance that you can have multiples and having multiples means bed rest and possibly NICU time for the babies.

She’s straight to the point but optimistic. She’s determined to find a way to make us a baby even with challenges. She’s confident but not cocky. She’s warm but realistic in our expectations. As a physician, she respected my profession and knowledge base but still explained everything completely and made sure my husband understood.

Don’t be afraid to stick to your guns if you want to try a less invasive approach first. She is determined to get you a baby so she can be aggressive is recommended IVF right away if that’s what she thinks would give you the best shot.

We actually conceived naturally after our first visit with her after only being on the supplements she recommended. That pregnancy ended in a ruptured ectopic. She then further recommended IVF however she was open to allowing to us try IUI first. We took letrozole 2.5 mg, Ovidrel 250 mcg trigger shot, insemination and then progesterone. We are currently in the 2 week waiting period.

Not sure

When my labs were not going according to plan, I wish they would have called off the cycle. It felt like a money thing to them to keep me going. We were expecting 6-7 eggs, but only got 1. It didn’t mature past day 3. In the followup from cancelling the trial transfer, she said she wouldn’t change my protocol or do anything different. She would recommend an egg donor as well. We were also charged for that follow up call even though we paid for a special program to get two rounds of IVF. The clinic seemed more focused on making money than trying to find the right plan for us. I actually got pregnant on my own after IVF.

I would ask for specific break downs of the financials for clarity of what you would be charged for. Ask if she will actually be your doctor or if her staff will he overseeing your treatment.

I was told I have low egg reserve and bad egg quality before my labs even came in which was a huge shock to us because we had been doing treatments for 2 years before seeing her and we were told it was “unexplained fertility”. So her protocol for us was the maximum medication she could give me because of the low reserve and bad egg quality.

$18,500

Honest, integrity, great communicator, and trustworthy. When we first met her, she gave us advice on skipping the IUI and proceeding with IVF. We decided to take the less invasive procedure and in all actuality we should have listened to her. She took her time to review our case and knew what was best for us as a couple. Her best advice was not to be afraid to ask questions and always call to talk to staff if you’re unsure on a certain injection instruction.

Trust exactly what she tells you.

So with doing two rounds of IUI and one round of IVF we spent around a total of $24,000 with RRC.

She only wanted to do one since I had OHSS.

She can be a bit abrasive and her bedside manner isn’t the greatest. I have also witnessed her being short and rude (in my opinion) to nurses. She seems to know what she is doing, but could be more compassionate towards her patients.

Ask tons of questions and make sure you get the answers you are looking for before you leave the office.

We have done every test I know of to come to the unexplained infertility diagnosis, which is discouraging. We have done 2 rounds of IUI, neither of which were successful using letrozole, trigger injection & progesterone.

Costs are significant and they usually want payment up front or will bill you immediately following for treatment. Luckily, we have great insurance that covers many of the procedures and tests. But, if we didn’t I’m not sure how we would afford treatment if at all.

I believe Dr. Brabec is an experienced RE. This experience makes up for her lack of bedside manner. She cuts straight to the point and does not always listen well. Dr. Brabec is clearly busy but certainly cares about her results. She gave exaggerated optimistic odds (65% success rate) when encouraging us to use donor eggs. When our donor egg cycle failed, she said "we knew the odds were just 50%." Both odds are higher than those reflected on the clinic's SART records.

We were told Dr. Brabec had no bedside manner before we met her by several patients of hers who had had success being treated by her. Had we not known that, it would have been harder to accept.

Based on lab results, we were advised by Dr. Brabec's staff to use frozen donor eggs. We jumped at the opportunity given the success rates she cited. Our med/timing protocol was the same as all first-time donor egg recipients at her clinic and was very similar to those I've learned about from patients at other clinics. My uterine lining was right on track for the initially estimated transfer date. The transfer failed (did not result in a pregnancy) due to a "poor quality" embryo. Two REs consulted after this experience indicated they would not have transferred an embryo of that grade.

Approximately $12,000 for lab costs and one embryo transfer, including a $1,500 "coordination fee." The fee for eggs was $15,000 from a separate egg bank that our fertility clinic works with. We paid that fee to our clinic. However, via an online donor egg recipient forum, I learned that we were overcharged more than $1,000 by our clinic.

Dr. Brabec told us she is usually unwilling to transfer more than one embryo at a time citing that it's in the best interest of the patient and child(ren).

We only met with Dr. Brabec once before we started our treatments. She did spend time with us to discuss the options and thoroughly discuss IVF. We left that first consultation very confused as it was more of an information overload. I didn’t speak with Dr. Brabec again until our IVF cycle failed.

Be sure to ask questions so you fully understand your treatment and fully know what to expect, the risks, etc.

I started my cycle with 150 units of gonal f, 150 units of menopur, and 1 tablet of dexamethasone a day for 3 days. After my first bloodwork, she increased my gonal f to 300 units a day for the remainder of my cycle, 7 days; and kept menopur and dexamethasone the same. I started cetrotide 3 days before my retrieval. My trigger was 2ml Novarel and 80 units of leuprolide. The next day they had me administer another 2ml of the Novarel.

For our IVF cycle, we were quoted around $20K but that included PGS testing. However we ran multiple tests before we could start a cycle which added up over time. I think we had at least $600 in blood work.

At times during our treatment, I really liked Dr. Brabec, and other times not so much. As some one who really wants to understand my treatment and the reasons for selected protocol, I felt like communication was greatly lacking. I also felt like Dr. Brabec got defensive when I questioned her about what went wrong with her cycle (not blaming her). I was apparently diagnosed with PCOS but wasn't made aware of that fact for several months until I asked during our IVF consult. Otherwise, I don't know if I would ever have been told.

With Dr. Brabec (or any RE), it can be intimidating to ask questions, but you really need to be your own advocate throughout the process.

I did two cycles of IUI with letrozole, then my husband and I decided to move on to IVF. For our IVF cycle, I was on an antagonist protocol with Menopur. I had a short stimulation period followed by freeze-all egg retrieval. Dr. Brabec had high hopes for our retrieval (as did we), but out of 18 eggs retrieved, we had 8 that were immature, and of the ten mature, only three fertilized. Only one made it to Day 5, 4BB blast. That FET cycle resulted in a negative.

Due to my age (34), Dr. Brabec recommended a single embryo transfer. We ended up with only one embryo so it was a nonissue.

Celeste spoke candidly about my age and options. She explained what would happen and even when I didn’t understand, took the time to reassure me that she was part of this and would do everything she could to get success. She never promised it but seemed optimistic about our chances.

She talks very fast. She has a lot of information to share so it seems to come at you fast but don’t be afraid to ask questions after. Be prepared to take notes.

Our first IVF treatment was unsuccessful but she learned from it and put me on some vitamins and my husband as well to try to improve our chances on round 2. After those adjustments, we ended up getting pregnant it suffered a miscarriage at 8 weeks. Since we had purchased a 2 cycle plan and had no frozen embryos, that was our last shot within our budget.

We purchased a 2 cycle IVF plan for $15,500. If neither were successful, we received half of it back. (Which was our case). Drugs totaled approximated $10,000

She chose to implant both embryos that had survived each time after 5 day’s. She explained that it gave us our best shot at a positive result.

I loved Dr. Brabec when we first went to her. She was blunt, but somehow compassionate. I appreciated her honesty and her matter of fact way she said "we will get you a baby". After my ultra sounds, she referred me back to my OB and said that I needed to have a fallopian tube removed. She was the doctor, I trusted her, so I did. We did a fresh transfer, never addressing the endometriosis, and transferred our only 2 embryos. After days of back and forth we are pregnant, no we aren't, we finally were told I was having a chemical pregnancy. After that, about 2 weeks later I got a call from one of the nurses that they were ready to start again. My husband and I requested an appointment to talk with Dr. Brabec, we just wanted some answers...what would we do differently, how does this happen, what are the odds of another chemical pregnancy? So, had our appointment. Dr. Brabec was sympathetic and told us that if we really want our best chances of having a baby we needed to go the donor egg route. We were not opposed to that, we just want to have a baby. I mentioned to Dr. B that I had been going to acupuncture and that it was helping my stress levels, if nothing else, immensely. She basically told me that I was wasting my money and that during the next round, with donor eggs, I would need to stop that. My husband and I looked at eachother and thought, ok, lets go home and look at these donor banks and make a decision. Then one of the nurse comes in and says ok, we can get your stim shots started for this next round asap. We looked at eachother and were so confused, Dr. B had just told us our best chance of having a baby was egg donor. The nurse called Dr. B back in and it felt so confusing and nobody seemed on the same page. Dr. B said that she would still work with us if we wanted to try another round with my eggs, but that donor eggs would be a MUCH better chance of having a baby. We left feeling frustrated, confused, and over all defeated. I went to acupuncture the next day and she told me to go talk to another doctor, so we did. We immediately made the switch.

Get a second opinion.

She wanted us to do a fresh transfer, she said that would be our best option. She never addressed my endo. I started on bc, then applied testosterone patch for 5-6 days. On 8/4 I started leuprolide injections and growth hormone. I also started menopur and follistim in the evenings. My egg retrieval was 8/10, we started progesterone shots 8/12. Our transfer was 8/15.

I would say around $18000.