Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2017 - 2019, Unsuccessful
Dr. Marsh is compassionate and I feel she is smart. However, I don’t feel supported enough by her. I have only met her twice, but she is making all of my healthcare decisions regarding next steps in my fertility journey. I would think her weaknesses would include not communicating to her patient enough or getting to know someone and their situation. This should be apparent to any physician to get to know their patient.
I cannot stress this enough. I would make sure you stay on top of scheduling, treatments, medications, and follow-up appointments. [at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine]. ... My husband went in for a sperm freeze for a future IUI cycle. The sperm was analyzed and thrown away. It was not frozen because the appointment was not correct, the order wasn’t placed, and the technician that roomed him did not ask what he was there for that day. The clinic called us to let us know. He went back to the clinic the same day to provide another one. ... Communication is a huge weakness for this clinic and it’s important to be your own advocate. I would say a strength is knowing the cycles, the treatments and understanding the diagnosis. However, compassion and communication are huge downfalls.
How was your experience with Courtney Marsh at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine?
Dr. Marsh is compassionate and I feel she is smart. However, I don’t feel supported enough by her. I have only met her twice, but she is making all of my healthcare decisions regarding next steps in my fertility journey. I would think her weaknesses would include not communicating to her patient enough or getting to know someone and their situation. This should be apparent to any physician to get to know their patient.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Courtney Marsh at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine?
I would definitely make sure that you are in charge of your healthcare and you are staying on top of what you need to do to become pregnant. I would write every question you have down and don’t feel like you are being rushed out of the room.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Courtney Marsh at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine?
My experience with Dr. Marsh did not feel as though I was human, but not quite a number. In the matter of almost 2 years that I have been established with this RE, I have only seen this physician twice. During this time, I asked for a return appointment to discuss my next steps. After that appointment, I have yet to see my physician again. I continue to message my clinic regarding my treatments and the next step I want to take. The messages I receive in the portal do not make me feel that they have any idea how many cycles, IUIs, or miscarriages I have had. I feel when I message my doctor’s office I should receive a response with thought, understanding, and poise. I would not say this happens every time I interact with this office. However, I believe it is 85% of the time that I feel the nurses have not read my background and understood the treatments I have gone through prior to messaging me in regard to my care. In that regard, I do feel I am just a number to them. During my person to person interactions, I feel they are compassionate to an extent. If I was not a nurse and didn’t understand the importance of being in charge of your healthcare, then I would think my healthcare would fall through the cracks at this facility.
Describe the protocols Courtney Marsh used in your cycles at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
I was never told what the name of any of my protocols that she put me on. I was told that we would start out with Progesterone (for induction of my cycle) and Letrozole. I believe my first cycle was 2.5mg tablets and taking 2 a day from days 3-7. Then, I would do OPKS to assess ovulation. My husband and I would have intercourse once there was a positive OPK for 3 days straight. My 2nd cycle I was increased to 7.5mg for days 3-7. This dose increase I had to ask the office for. I did get pregnant on my 2nd cycle of this strategy and it resulted in miscarriage. I had a D&C. Then, I did 3 cycles of Progesterone, Letrozole, and Ovidrel (trigger shot). These 3 cycles ended in negative pregnancy tests. These 6 cycles I was never given a rationale as to why this strategy is being used over another. I was outlined the basics of Progesterone induces the cycle, Letrozole helps you ovulate, and the trigger shot gives you a 99% ovulation chance. At this point, I requested that I see Dr. Marsh to talk about my next step. I was told that my only chance of getting pregnant would be IVF. At this appointment, IUI was never discussed with me if I didn’t bring it up myself. Dr. Marsh said this could be an option, but would not be successful and we should go straight to IVF. We took a couple months off from treatment and I started hormones again. I was told that we would be doing Progesterone for induction of cycle, Letrozole and trigger shots. I did not have a rationale as to why we could not try any different medications. I had one cycle with Progesterone induction. I did not do hormones this cycle due to not having a heavy flow. So, the next month I did IUI. I did Letrozole 7.5mg days 3-7, Ovidrel for trigger shot, and follicular ultrasounds to track my follicles for the day of IUI. This resulted in a negative pregnancy test. I am currently in the middle of my cycle as I type this. I was told directions by Dr. Marsh to do Letrozole 7.5mg days 3-7, no trigger shot, and OPKS this cycle. I will await another pregnancy test later this month.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine.
As a nurse, I feel it is important to show compassion. I did not feel that from this group of nurses, except one. Hilary is a great nurse at that facility! The only way to communicate with the nursing staff is through a portal. If you call the clinic, they advise you for any questions or concerns to message them on the portal. I continue to ask questions because I want to be in charge of my healthcare. I feel most of the time I continue to get answers that are not organized or I feel they do not know my care at all. I find myself frustrated and stressed when I receive a message back that I feel is not organized. If there is a portal that you use specifically for communication with your patients, then you should be able to pull up the old messages in regards to what the patient has said previously. This portal goes to all the nurses in the clinic and I usually get a different nurse messaging me back every time. I was never assigned a nurse coordinator to specifically know my treatment plan. This causes disorganization when I messaged the facility. My husband went in for a sperm analysis and freeze prior to a trip. I had been in communication with the nursing staff about my husband only being able to get that specific day off for an appointment. This appointment resulted in error and the sperm was not frozen. This was not acceptable and it was scheduled wrong. I have felt compassion from some of the nurses, but I have only seen one person to person. She was lovely. I have a hard time trusting people that are in charge of my care when the only time I can speak with them is through a portal.
Describe your experience with Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine.
I cannot stress this enough. I would make sure you stay on top of scheduling, treatments, medications, and follow-up appointments. Communication is a huge weakness for this clinic and it’s important to be your own advocate. I would say a strength is knowing the cycles, the treatments and understanding the diagnosis. However, compassion and communication are huge downfalls.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Courtney Marsh at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine.
My insurance covered the diagnostic and lab tests. I did have to go to a different facility for a test that was out of network for my insurance and ended up having to pay for that. My IUI was not covered by insurance.
What specific things went wrong at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine?
- Lost appointments
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Lost results
- Lost or damaged samples
- Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine.
My husband went in for a sperm freeze for a future IUI cycle. The sperm was analyzed and thrown away. It was not frozen because the appointment was not correct, the order wasn’t placed, and the technician that roomed him did not ask what he was there for that day. The clinic called us to let us know. He went back to the clinic the same day to provide another one. This sample would only be frozen for a future IVF cycle and not IUI. We did not have the money for IVF at the time and we wanted to IUI after him coming back from a trip to a Zika exposed place. Once he went into the clinic, I received another phone call that he could come back to give another sample 48 hours later to freeze for IUI. We did not have to pay for two freezing storages for both samples.