Christine Whitworth

Dr. Whitworth did take the time to discuss results of our failed cycle with me which I did appreciate. Questions I had that she was not able to answer she contacted the lab directly and sent me the answers. She was courteous and professional but I only met with her once throughout my 2-3 months receiving care from NFC.

If you expect that one provider will take care of you and see you through your entire treatment, that will not occur. You will potentially be seen by all 4 providers and Dr. Eblen and Weitzman are great! There were a few hiccups with my voicemail not working but they seemed to correct most errors quickly. Do your research and have a list of questions early and don't be afraid to go through every single question!

This is one issue I have, I wish more thought would have gone into my particular cycle rather than getting the "cookie cutter first timer" regimen. I received 225 of Gonal-F and this was increased to 300 when I was found to only have four follicles on day 3 of stims. I eventually caught up and went down to 225 + menopur + cetrotide. I triggered with lupron even though I was not planning a fresh transfer and there was minimal chance for OHSS. I would advocate triggering with HCG if you are not planning a fresh transfer.

I had partial coverage with insurance and my out of pocket cost was ~8K for IVF and ~3K for medications.

The clinic as a whole prefers single embryo transfer in patients 38 and younger I believe? Approaching 40 the number of embryos recommended for transfer increases. They prefer frozen to fresh transfer.

Dr Whitworth explains things very well at appointments. She is very kind but if you are looking for a doctor that is bubbly she may not be the one for you. She has a very calm personality. She has been encouraging to us throughout our treatment even when it hasn't been successful. She has a caring staff and when there have been issues with appointments or staff she has made a strong effort to make things right and quickly.

I have had a good experience with her and think she does care for her patients.

I had a smooth IVF stimulation experience. My estrogen levels did get very high before retrieval but I used a Lupron trigger and had a freeze all cycle and everything ended up going well with the retrieval. I used gonal f, cetrotide, hcg & lupron. She gave me a list of supplements to take ahead of time as well as my husband.

25,000+ , IUI, IVF, FETs, additional testing

She was very thorough in explaining why she would only transfer one embryo at a time which I appreciated.

Dr. Whitworth is very candid and straightforward, and I like that. She is very knowledgable and shows compassion when appropriate, however she does not coddle you. She answers every question I ever have, and goes into as much detail as I want to know.

Expect to meet with her staff frequently; her nurses and staff handle most every treatment. They are wonderful, but do not expect to meet with Dr. Whitworth at every appointment.

Dr. Whitworth started me off with Clomid to induce ovulation due to my PCOS diagnosis, and upped my dosage when I stopped responding. When I stopped responding to the higher dosage, she switched me to Letrozole. After a while, I began taking Ovidrel injections to ensure ovulation. We started with timed intercourse, but when that did not work, we started doing IUI. The first cycle was not monitored other than at home with an OPK tests. The next 3 cycles were monitored on CD 17 at first to check for mature follicles, as my cycles are longer than 28 days. After being on the Letrozole for a few months, my cycle length shortened and I was to come in on CD 13. If there were mature follicles, we would inject Ovidrel at the office, then schedule IUI for the next day. I would take an HPT 2 weeks after the date of injection and call with results. No beta tests were ordered. After the 3rd monitored IUI with a negative test, we had a consultation again in which she ordered further bloodwork to determine if there was an underlying issue other than PCOS. Bloodwork came back stating that I am positive for antisperm antibodies, which then Dr. Whitworth recommends IVF with ICSI.

IUI was roughly $550. Ultrasounds vary from $150-$350. Testing is between $50-$500

Dr. Whitworth explained that they are regulated by the FDA and only allowed to do single embryo transfer for women under a certain age, which I fall into.

I will continue to see her until we get a positive result. My husband and I love Dr. Whitworth. She is truly an amazing practitioner. Her bedside manner as well as appointment manner is truly remarkable. Once we started down our journey we realized that Dr. Whitworth was also the doctor that another family member used in their journey. Their experiences mimicked ours. We will always recommend her.

With all the tests that are included/needed; most of the time it’s a lot of trial and error, these processes take time so don’t forget to sit back and take a breath. If you’re really having a hard time with it join the support group that the clinic offers.

First was an HSG to determine if tubes were open, resulting in one tube open. Second was diagnosis of hydrosalpinx. We had one tube removed. Third we tried a round of clomid 100 mg cycle days 3-7. Next was three more cycles of clomid 100 mg cycle days 3-7 with an Ovidrel trigger shot after a cycle day 12-14 ovarian scan. Next will be femara and possible iui.

My insurance covers nothing so we are out of pocket or “cash” pricing, the iui cost will be around $700 to $1000 depending on what kind of was we want. My ovidrel shot was around $100 and came from SMP pharmacy in Miami. I work at a hospital in the inpatient pharmacy and we have a retail pharmacy downstairs so I can get my Clomid and Femara at cost.

Dr. Whitworth has a sweet, understanding personality yet she is to the point. She knows my fear of certain procedures (stitch before FET) and yet she takes her time to make sure I’m comfortable before proceeding. She constantly asks how I am doing and if I’m ok. She takes her time and doesn’t rush.

Be honest and upfront with Dr. Whitworth because she will be understanding of your needs no matter what they are.

After initial work up, Dr. Whitworth tried a cycle of clomid and a cycle of letrozole both ended up with negative pregnancy tests. She wanted to start out slow to try and figure out my body/responses. She ordered an HSG to check my tubes trying to see if there was any problems. She then tried 3 cycles of IUIs with clomid also resulting in negative pregnancy tests. We then decided to do IVF since more IUIs wouldn’t be as successful. I responded great to the stimulation/medicines (Follistim, Ganirelix, Menopur and Lupron) and retrieval was easier than expected. She was able to do our last FET and stitch/dilation needed for FET.

I was able to get my monitoring visits at times available to my schedule.

Our IVF cycle (not including medicines) was around $18,000 which included PGS testing, retrieval, and one FET.

This doctor was very busy and not present during our visit in such a way I do not think that she thought that our case was very important. I translated that to mean that she didn't think that our chance of success was very high. Her delivery of information was harsh to my husband. She never made eye contact with my husband in the first meeting, which made him feel very unimportant.

Have you thought of trying other clinics or other doctors?

Dr. Whitworth oversaw several IUIs for my husband and I. The clinic nurse, a different one every time, performed the IUIs. They did not write information down about what size speculum to use, so be sure to ask them to makes notes in case you have to repeat the experience. We tried Femara and the IUI.

6-7,000

NA

Infertility is a world of taking chances and hoping to hit the lucky combination. It is t fair to look to a doctor to have all of the answers, they can only give you the options. We've explored many options from IUI to IVF to FSH IUI. Sometimes it looks like it will work and it doesn't. Sometimes it feels like nothing is different but then you see a line getting darker on a pregnancy. Sometimes a heartbeat is there one week and gone the next. None of this hangs on Dr. Whitworth's shoulders or assessments, not does it fall on my body. Getting and staying pregnant is a shooting star and we're all just hoping to take a ride on one. Dr. Whitworth has always championed me and my options in this journey and I will see this through with her by my side.

Expect the unexpected and don't have expectations or a timeline. Specifically, she will advocate for you so advocate for yourself and she will support you.

First did unmedicated IUI. Next we did a round of IVF with Gonal F and my resulting 2 embryos were chromosomally abnormal. I then did an FSH IUI with Follistem + Novarel + Ovidrel. First try with 1st donor was a BFN. Second try with 2nd donor was a BFP but baby's heartbeat was gone at 7w2d (likely chromosome issue again like IVF results) because it was awful trying to complete miscarriage (embryo was happy to hang around). Thought IVF would be best way to guarantee multiple embryos but proved that my diminished egg count is also matched with poor egg quality.

$$$$$. 16,000 for retrieval, 7,000 for transfer (that never happened, I think 90% was refunded). $500 per IUI procedure, approx $3,000 per FSH IUI all in with meds + donor sperm. $500 for initial visit. $500 for genetic testing.

No applicable.

She is very informative and explains all options based on your diagnoses and will let you decide what you feel best for you and your body. She is all business and is not an emotional doctor. It took me a while to get use to this, as I am an emotional person. I did have to have surgery as well with Dr. Whitworth for endometriosis and I feel just took the best care and did the absolute best surgery. They do have a lot of patients, so until you see her a few times and get really established, it takes her a bit to put all the pieces of your history back together- that has been the only frustrating part to my husband and I. But, we have now been treated by her for over 1 year and this is not an issue now. Overall, we have been very happy with her and would recommend her to others.

Patience, even though it is SO hard!!! Fertility is such a variable practice of medicine and has to be specifically tailored to each person and sometimes, the answers take a while to uncover and sometimes, there are no answers, which is the most frustrating part of infertility.

I had a miscarriage the first month of trying in October of 2016. I switched OBGYN early 2017 and he sent me to Dr. Whitworth - in June of 2017 I had HSG done and my tubes were clear. In Sep we started Clomid- I developed a large cysts and the cycle failed. I then did 3 rounds of Femara. 2 of those rounds, I was able to do a trigger shot to release my egg/eggs. The other round, the follicle was too large and we were not able to do trigger shot. In Feb 2018, I started even more of an increase in pain with periods and had an ultrasound that showed possible endometriomas on both of my ovaries. I did 2 rounds of Lupron and then had surgery in June 2018 for endometriosis. I was diagnosed with stage 4 endo. Dr.Whitworth now wants us to try on our own for 3-4 months and then will will try medicated if I do not get pregnant before then. Dr. Whitworth gave us about a 35% of conceiving on our own. If we are not able to do so, we will start IVF next year.

We have been lucky, our insurance has picked up most of the ultrasounds as well as the surgery. We have had to come out of pocket for all medication, consultations and testing for my husband.

Dr. Whitworth was very personable from the get go and we felt that she was both encouraging and realistic. My husband and I went in to our journey at NFC knowing that we had both female and male factor issues. Dr. Whitworth spent time with us answering all of our questions and presenting the facts in a realistic but positive manner. She referred us to an amazing doctor to perform my husband's sperm harvesting and followed up with his doctor and us to check on how it went. When my first HSG showed a possible unicornate uterus, Dr. Whitworth took the time to explain things to me and performed a follow up HSG to be sure of the diagnosis. After our first injectable cycle did not give us the results we had hoped for, Dr. Whitworth spent time with us going over our options and giving us the realistic facts of what would give us the best chance at success. We ended up deciding to use donor sperm with an IUI since my body was not responding well and was only producing a few follicles. Dr. Whitworth never hesitated to spend time answering my many questions and always made me feel like I mattered to her. I had full confidence in her ability and trusted her decisions and recommendations. We were successful on our third cycle with Dr. Whitworth and when we got our positive result, Dr. Whitworth celebrated with us.

I would encourage anyone that is going in to meet with Dr. Whitworth to come in with questions that they have and to also have an open mind to hear what Dr. Whitworth's suggestions and recommendations are for the best course of treatment.

First cycle - Planning on IVF with ICSI - Used Gonal F (225 am and pm), Menopur (75 am and pm) and Lupron (20 am and pm) - monitoring did not show significant follicles (only 2 measurable with one below trigger size) - options were to cancel, continue with retrieval or switch to IUI with donor sperm - switched to IUI with donor sperm and cycle was not successful Second cycle - Plan on IUI with donor sperm - Femara 5mg days 3-7 - one follicle but on right side where I do not have a fallopian tube Third cycle - Plan on IUI with donor sperm - Gonal F (150 am and pm) - 3 measurable follicles all on the left- IUI - positive beta resulting in a full term birth of one baby

The costs were in line with other fertility clinics in the area.

Dr. Whitworth is very easy to talk to. We would often have tons of questions and she would answer everyone, without making us feel like we were taking up too much time. We had one visit with her that lasted 3 hours, but that was by our choice because of all of the questions we had. She answered everyone. She explained everything g very well also to where we could understand. She was able to explain details about my husbands sperm and testosterone issues in a way we could understand.

My husband had low sperm count and no motility. She suggested HCG shots, but due to the cost we first tried clomid. He did well with this and 3 months later had above normal numbers! He still had some white blood cells so Dr. Whitworth prescribes antibiotics for that. I was diagnosed with PCOS and put on Metformin. I was put on one cycle of clomid, but this thinned my lining. I came in for an US to confirm that, and was then switched to Letrozole for 3 months. I ovulated each cycle. Before starting the Letrozole I had an HSG test also.

With our BCBS insurance we had to pay our specialty copay of $45 for our visit. If both my husband and I were being seen that would be the fee for each of us. Our insurance is not in network with their lab, so sperm analysis cost us $130. My first transvaginal ultrasound cost us $60. But the next 2 I had were covered by our insurance and we paid nothing.

Overall we were please with Dr. whitworth. She seemed to be intelligent and forward thinking. She just seemed too busy to really focus on us as individual patients. She is a reflection of her clinic. I believe the clinic needs some major improvements.

With any doctor, you must be your biggest advocate.

We went back to clomid after being on a different medication. I loved that she looked back at my chart to see that that was a better fit. That ended up working but we lost our child in miscarriage. Other than that we just kept having surgery after surgery to treat my endometriosis. It didn’t at the time seem to make any difference.

Around $40,000 IVF, meds, and Surgeries

Seeking fertility treatment was a very emotionally charged time for my husband and I and Dr Whitworth did a wonderful job of making us both feel very comfortable at our first consultation. She was very thorough and clinical with the initial consultation and all related testing.

My husband and I have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. We initially completed 2 cycles of timed intercourse with femara (unsure of exact dosage), ultrasound monitoring, and ovidrel injections. Both cycles resulted in a negative pregnancy test. We then completed 1 IUI cycle with femara (unsure of exact dosage), ultrasound monitoring, and ovidrel injections. This cycle resulted in a negative pregnancy test. We completed a second IUI cycle with clomid (50 mg), ultrasound monitoring, and ovidrel injection. This cycle resulted in a negative pregnancy test. I switched from femara to clomid secondary to side effects (namely severe headaches). With all of my femara cycles, I only had 1-2 follicles to be ovulated for each cycle. With clomid, I had 3-5 follicles to be ovulated. We have our third and final IUI scheduled for next month. If unsuccessful, we will again meet with Dr Whitworth to discuss further treatment options.

Our insurance provider, United Healthcare, has covered portions of all of our treatment components with the exception of ovidrel shots. Ovidrel shots were around $90 per shot (not covered by our insurance as previously stated). Femara was around $4 per prescription (with insurance). Clomid was around $13 per prescription (with insurance). We paid around $231 following each ultrasound + office visit to discuss ultrasound results. We paid around $564 following each IUI. Our timed intercourse cycles with femara, ultrasound monitoring, and ovidrel injections were roughly $325 per cycle. Our IUI cycle with femara, ultrasound monitoring, and ovidrel injection was roughly $889. Our IUI cycle with clomid, ultrasound monitoring, and ovidrel injection was roughly $898.

Dr. Whitworth was very kind and approachable. I actually switched to her after being referred to another doctor who seemed rather cold and harsh. On top of how compassionate she was, she is also skilled! She performed my tubal removal surgery and my egg retrieval. She was very helpful and always in a cheerful mood. She seemed to go above and beyond to take care of me holistically. She is a saint! I cannot express how thankful I am for her.

I would tell the patient to be very open about her needs. Dr. Whitworth was very helpful with all aspects of my care, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

For my first fresh transfer, I only had one embry to transfer which is what she would’ve recommended anyways for the risk of multiples was a factor. That transfer was unsuccessful. For my first frozen transfer a year later we transferred two frozen day 6 embryos. Transferring 2 embryos this time were ideal since we wanted to be a little more aggressive because of my first failed transfer. I now have a 10 month old because of the frozen transfer! I don’t remember specifics but I do remember a lot less medication and stress with my frozen transfer!

I remember it being during a certain time but there was nothing hectic about it. It was easy.

$10,000 for fresh IVF cycle. $7000 total medication for fresh cycle. Around $5-6000 for frozen cycle.

Dr. Whitworth was very informative about both eSet vs multiple embryo transfer.

As I stated above - we appreciated her time and concern. We know there is a process and trial and error when it comes to fertility treatment. It takes time and there isn't always a clear answer or treatment and she explained things well to us. We never felt pressured to go one direction or another - she was very honest with success rates, etc.

Be clear with her on how much you want to do and your wishes - she goes at your pace. Have your list of questions ready - she will answer them. You will have to wait for your appointment - but be patient - they see a lot of people and everyone deserves good care. We saw so many impatient patients that were so rude to the staff and nurses and it was frustrating because they are doing their best. :)

We did 4 IUIs - no pregnancy results. Then she did surgery to see about endemotriosis - which there was. Following surgery - we had 4 more IUIs - but after the 2nd or 3rd one she suggested we consider moving to IVF. It was our choice to do the other IUIs. We did IVF in 2014 - fresh cycle - day 5 transfer with 1 embryo - resulted in successful pregnancy of our son. In 2017 - we started the process for a frozen cycle of our remaining embryo - it was not successful (we didn't do any PGS on the embryo). We are in the process of a fresh/frozen IVF cycle with PGS this time due to my age (35)

Dr. Whitworth was always very thorough with her explanations to us, and very honest about how to adjust her plan of care/our treatment. After two IUIs, she point blank told us that additional IUIs would not likely be successful and that it was time to move on in our journey.

Ask her hard questions and be ready for the honest (sometimes brutal) truth.

For IVF, I stimmed using Follistim and used Ovidrel to make sure I didn't ovulate. I stimmed rather quickly (began stims 2/6 and had egg retrieval 2/15). 21 eggs were retrieved, but only 3 made it to 5 day status. No one was sure why the statistics were not in our favor in regards to this.

There were a lot of appointment times available, so it was easy to work around my schedule. It was run very professionally, and was a well-oiled machine. Patti was often my ultrasound tech and she was always so upbeat and kind.

About $10,000 for IVF, $5,000 for stim medications, $1,500 for ICSI, and $5,500 for FET.

Dr. Whitworth felt strongly that for our first transfer we only transfer one embryo (rated 5AA). For our second transfer my husband and I felt strongly about transferring two, and Dr. Whitworth was on board. She provided us with education regarding risks.

Dr Whitworth came highly recommended so I was excited when I was able to become her patient. After our first appointment I was able to see why. She is a great listener, and communicator. She lays out all of the risks and rewards, and takes the time to discuss and review them together to come up with a plan. Her compassion for her patients ia evident in how hard she works to help them succeed.

Be honest with her about any and all circumstances and concerns - she will listen.

We started with Dr Whitworth and after initial testing (resulting in unexplained fertility) she determined we could do IUI. So we started with 3 cycles of that. I was using ovulation tests but that was it. No success after 3 cycles so we moved onto IVF. We used birth control to control when my cycle would start and lupron to suppress ovulation. To stimulate production, I used an FSH. Because of my body’s hormone levels, we knew I was at risk for OHS, so my hormone levels were constantly watched and my medication adjusted as needed. When it came time for retrieval, my hormone levels were VERY high, but that was the only way to get me to produce enough eggs. After retrieval, and as we waited to see how many embryos would form, I did develop OHS. After testing, we ended up with 4 healthy embryos, and decided with Dr Whitworth to freeze them in order to help my body recover, instead of doing a fresh transfer. After about a month, we resumed the transfer cycle. Due to my age and other circumstances, Dr Whitworth recommended we transfer 2 instead of 1. We agreed it gave us the best chance at a baby. We also started Progesterone in Oil shots at this point (or slightly earlier). After our two week wait, we got a positive pregnancy test! BUT before we could have our ultrasound, I had some spotting. Because of previous issues I had before coming to Nashville Fertility, Dr Whitworth brought me in for an early ultrasound. It was then that we discovered that one of the embryos had implanted in my fallopian tube, while the other was in my uterus. Resulting in a heterotopic pregnancy. Amazingly, Dr Whitworth was able to preform surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy and my tube, while leaving the other embryo in my uterus in tact. We continued the Progesterone shots until 12 weeks. At 8 weeks I was transferred to my regular OB. I went into labor on my due date and delivered my precious baby boy!

We were VERY lucky in that my husband insurance covered up to $15,000 of the procedure costs. All in, the cost of our cycle was a little over $20,000 plus some more for medications. We paid approx $5,000 - $7,500 ourselves.

Dr. Whitworth was very nice during our original consultation. She stated that most couples conceive within 3 medicated cycles. Sadly that was not the case for us. At times she would seem compassionate but other times I felt like she had forgotten about me or was irritated that treatments weren't working.

Be sure to ask questions.

First we did several rounds of clomid and trigger shot but my lining was too thin. Then several of femara and trigger shot with no luck. A few times my ultrasound got scheduled too late and I developed cysts so I had to be put on progesterone bc pills and be out until they went away. I had one positive pregnanxy cycle but hcg was very low. I was put immediately on progesterone but numbers kept lowering. I did a total of 5-6 cycles of iui with femara and trigger shot.

Ultrasounds were a little over $100 apiece, hcg shot was about $100 as well. Iui was $500.

Dr. Whitworth was very knowledgeable. She was great at breaking stuff down for me and explaining the technical things in a way I could understand. Specifically how testosterone works in the body. One weakness would be that sometimes I wasn’t clear on future plans or future visits.

Write all your questions down so you remember everything.

I was on testosterone shots when I started seeing her. Her first immediate plan was for me to stop those as they caused a very low sperm count and zero motility. She recommended HCG shots, but due to cost we tried clomid instead. She had me come in 3 months later to test again and the results were great. Dr. Whitworth gave me the results right away.

I had to pay my specialist $45 copay. Blood work and SA were expensive because our insurance didn’t cover their lab. About $80 for blood work and $140 for SA.

Dr. Whitworth is kind, and I very much appreciated her bedside manner. However I felt like I wasn't made aware of the impact PCOS symptoms were having on my success probability. I wish I saw her more instead of other technicians, nurses, etc.

Ask questions. Discuss with her -- when you can get time with her -- what the ideal results of your before-IUI ultrasound look like so you don't end up going with the flow and perhaps pouring effort/$$$ into unlikely attempts.

One unmedicated IUI attempt first, with no before-IUI ultrasound (ask for one!), then Clomid for 2 IUIs. After Clomid thinned uterine lining too much, attempted Femara instead but no response to the drug. Back to Clomid for fourth IUI, but at a lower dose.

For an IUI with frozen sperm, the thaw and procedure together cost around $450, plus $$ for lab work, sperm, ultrasounds, meds, etc.

Dr. Whitworth is a very smart and compassionate doctor. After a big set back, she has completely given me a personalized treatment for my next cycle. The majority of the time, I didn’t get to see her, unless I made an appointment with her or I happened to come in to clinic the day she was working.

Like any other doctor, you have to be your best advocate.

Le trozo le only, le trozo le and Gonal-f, Gonal-f only with a total of 8 iui that resulted in 2 chemical pregnancies. Mini ivf cycle FSH 125, hcg mini dose, resulted 13 eggs, 1 PGS tested and 1 abnormal one.

$27000

Single embryo transfer is backed up by research

Dr. Whitworth was upfront with me about my poor chance of success with IUI. So she offered another alternative, donor embryo, which was only a $1k more and has a much greater chance of success. She diagnosed me with a damaged tube and surgically removed it because it could reduce the success of the embryo transfer. After surgery she personally called me to check on me.

Ask her to explain what other options you have for conceiving.

I am still on the donor waiting list.

All my appointments have just cost my copay. Blood draws have cost $15. My cost of my surgery to remove a damaged tube was around $100 (Whitworth’s fee only). The donor embryo transfer fee is $8k

Dr. Whitworth did not talk to me about the option to transfer multiple embryos

We really only had one visit with her and it went fine. She gave us a treatment plan and answered our questions. There was one time time she was supposed to look over my chart to get a plan for the next cycle but didn’t. I’m not sure what happened, if she forgot or the nurse forgot.

You might to be somewhat assertive to get what you think is best and remind them to review your chart if needed.

First clomid and TI then I wanted to try IUI but we switched to femara and I ovulated prior to my mid cycle ultrasound. Next we tried a unmedicayed IUI.

Appointment about $500, ultrasound $250, iui I think around $800

Dr. Whitworth is very straightforward. Her bedside manner is not touchy-feely, but she does her job well and is honest, and thorough. All that said luckily I got pregnant on my second IUI and only used Clomid once. So I don’t have experience with more in-depth IVF protocols with her.

I used Clomid for my second IUI, at mid dose, with progesterone after. This was on the advice of her NP, not because I needed it, but because I was issuing expensive donor sperm, and they wanted to increase my chance of pregnancy so I could save on costs (sperm being $900 each try).

I don’t remember how much each IUI cost. But I found costs to be mid line.