How was your experience with Cristin Slater at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine?
She’s smart, approachable, and treats patients kindly. She talks fast sometimes, like hard to understand, but she is respectful and explains things if asked. My only complaint is that I had previously gone to a naturopath and had some hormone tests done (saliva) and she didn’t acknowledge them because they weren’t blood and so they didn’t make as much sense to her traditional medical experience. I trust her with the treatments she’s given and I appreciate her successful experience.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Cristin Slater at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Don’t be afraid to ask about what to expect next. She is good about answering questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Cristin Slater at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine?
I’ve spent more time with her staff than her, but both have responded quickly and professionally to any questions or concerns along the way. She has never talked down to me and is open.
Describe the protocols Cristin Slater used in your cycles at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
I had an HSG done before starting and at some point, a water ultrasound.
Cycle 1) medicated cycle with letrozole and a trigger shot while monitoring follicle growth. Food follicle sizes, no pregnancy
Cycle 2) same thing, except I think I needed an increased dose of letrozole and gonal-f (I think) with a trigger shot, timed intercourse, got pregnant, miscarried at 9 weeks
Cycle 3) same as the first, timed intercourse, chemical pregnancy.
Thyroid panel and RPL blood work-up done. I had high anti-TPO, nothing more.
Cycle 4) timed intercourse again (it seemed to be working for us). Letrozole with a trigger shot was used, no pregnancy.
My husband and I requested to do a round of IVF. Dr. Slater agreed.
She recommended a frozen transfer as I would probably be a high egg producer, we opted for the pgs testing anyway, so we started with the BCP, (oh and I started taking levothyroxine because she retested my thyroid at some point and it was low) stims included menopur, gonal-f, and and a lupron trigger (don’t know if I’m remembering all) Egg retrieval yielded 30 eggs, 15 fertilized (no ICSI), 10 biopsies at day 5, and 6 were chromasomally normal. We’re now waiting to transfer in a few days. Medications to prepare for the transfer include: low dose aspirin, estradiol valerate and progesterone in oil, and medrol.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine. (Assigned nurse: Kara Hill )
Kara and the others have all been wonderful! Respectful, prompt responses to e-mails or phone calls, compassionate, pleasant to be around, etc.
Describe your experience with Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Strengths: organized, prompt, clean, friendly staff.
Weakness: just one: Michelle the administrative assistant who deals with billing. My husband and I have always been prompt with payments and never gripes about anything. We got an old bill that we had never seen before sent to us and it arrived on Friday. When I went in the next Monday for my appointment, I was directed to her office and the first thing she said was “I was about to send this to collections.” This was very upsetting because if we knew we owed, we would’ve paid. I had to get my wallet, when I returned, she mumbled something about it getting stuck with insurance and that’s why they hadn’t sent the bill, so it want our fault. No apology, and rude. I mentioned this to the financial counselor, who is great, and she apologized for her. Everyone else has been kind.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Cristin Slater at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine.
IVF/PGS freeze all cycle: 10,728
Pgs biopsy and shipping: 100.00
Anesthesia: 550.00
Meds and the pgs testing were separate.
Transfer: 2,970
Plus meds.
I don’t remember the costs for the medicated cycles.
Describe Cristin Slater's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine.
She was ok with us transferring two, but provided statistics of likelihood of multiples and the average gestational period for twins and triplets. It was our decision to transfer one or two. We decided on one and are waiting for our first transfer
What specific things went wrong at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine?
- Provided conflicting information