Deborah Ikhena-Abel
Kaiser Permanente NorCal
Available Lines of Communication
Doctor email
Nurse email
Nurse email
Direct line to nurse
Not available by personal cell phone
Medical SchoolDartmouth
ResidencyU Mass
FellowshipNorthwestern
Sunnyvale
1263 East Arques Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
(408) 530-6800
3 assessments
10
4
Age
42
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
4
Dr Ikhena-Abel is knowledgeable and caring. I trust her because of her attention to detail with my case. I first saw her when I miscarried my second baby and she showed compassion, yet also eager to get going with my case because of my age. She always responds to my emails by taking action...Be prepared for her schedule to be booked. She’s a wonderful doctor, but access to her is not easy...For our cycle she prescribed a very aggressive medication regime, ICSI and PGS to try and get as many eggs and embryos we could, but also test them to try and minimize another miscarriage
Each egg retrieval was a new fee [at Kaiser Permanente NorCal]. They didn’t over packages with multiple retrievals, which some friends of mine have had in other clinics. They also were not familiar with federal drug savings plans that other friends got through other clinics...The waiting lists, the compiling everyone together and giving you which ever doctor fits their schedule has been frustrating. IVF is such a personal experience and while my doctor has been amazing. The clinic has been frustrating.
Age
42
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
—
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
2 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
4
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr Ikhena-Abel is knowledgeable and caring. I trust her because of her attention to detail with my case. I first saw her when I miscarried my second baby and she showed compassion, yet also eager to get going with my case because of my age. She always responds to my emails by taking action.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Be prepared for her schedule to be booked. She’s a wonderful doctor, but access to her is not easy
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr Ikhena-Abel has a wonderful bedside manner. She makes me feel like she cares for me and has prescribed a protocol for me specifically and not just a standard protocol
Describe the protocols Deborah Ikhena-Abel used in your cycles at Kaiser Permanente NorCal and their degree of success.
For our cycle she prescribed a very aggressive medication regime, ICSI and PGS to try and get as many eggs and embryos we could, but also test them to try and minimize another miscarriage
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
We always had a different nurse. I always had a ton of questions and was surprised when sometimes no one had an answer
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
Had I known Kaiser would treat patients like a business and not like people, I would never have started IVF with them. The waiting lists, the compiling everyone together and giving you which ever doctor fits their schedule has been frustrating. IVF is such a personal experience and while my doctor has been amazing. The clinic has been frustrating.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
We were not covered by insurance. Each egg retrieval was a new fee. They didn’t over packages with multiple retrievals, which some friends of mine have had in other clinics. They also were not familiar with federal drug savings plans that other friends got through other clinics.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
8
Age
36
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Other
9
8
Dr. Abel has a warm bedside manner and is easy to talk with. I felt heard in all of my personal interactions with her. ... Dr. Abel listens to you and I loved that she did all the monitoring and the procedures. ... I was on the antagonist protocol and we were initially concerned about the risk of OHSS, which fortunately we avoided. ... While the cycle ended in a chemical pregnancy, she offered a lot of suggestions on what to do moving forward and was open to suggestions.
The clinic [Kaiser Permanente] batches cycles which can be a pro and a con. It's good because your doctor will likely do all the monitoring and procedures. It can be bad because the wait times can be long for monitoring appointments and you may have to wait months to be on another IVF cycle. ... The nurses were great -- the challenge was leaving voicemails and playing phone tag but they are very nice and responsive once you get a hold of them. The OR nurses were amazing.
Age
36
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
East Asian
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Operations
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Other
9
8
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel listens to you and I loved that she did all the monitoring and the procedures. She is very personable and I was transferred to her care after the initial consult with another doctor in the clinic because I wanted to have my cycle earlier. I was on the antagonist protocol and we were initially concerned about the risk of OHSS, which fortunately we avoided. While the cycle ended in a chemical pregnancy, she offered a lot of suggestions on what to do moving forward and was open to suggestions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Get her from the start if you can. Ask about supplements.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel has a warm bedside manner and is easy to talk with. I felt heard in all of my personal interactions with her.
Describe the protocols Deborah Ikhena-Abel used in your cycles at Kaiser Permanente NorCal and their degree of success.
We used the antagonist protocol because I have irregular cycles and a high AMH. I was on BCP 2 weeks at a time for about 3 weeks before starting injectables. We did ICSI although we didn't have MFI. We expected to retrieve a lot of follicles given the monitoring results but we only retrieved 7 eggs, fertilized 5 via ICSI, 2 fertilized normally and ended up with 1 day 5 blastocyst. Fresh transfer.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nurses were great -- the challenge was leaving voicemails and playing phone tag but they are very nice and responsive once you get a hold of them. The OR nurses were amazing.
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
Monitoring can happen at the doctor's home clinic but all retrievals and transfers occur in Fremont. The clinic batches cycles which can be a pro and a con. It's good because your doctor will likely do all the monitoring and procedures. It can be bad because the wait times can be long for monitoring appointments and you may have to wait months to be on another IVF cycle. The Fremont REI clinic doesn't do lab draws -- you will have to walk to the main Kaiser Fremont hospital lab for lab draws. DNA fragmentation screening is not part of the screening process.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
You are lucky if you get to the Fremont REI early but there were times when I had to wait an hour.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
ICSI was an additional $1,500. My HDHP plan covered 1 cycle of IVF and medications.
Describe Deborah Ikhena-Abel's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
We only had one embryo to transfer but the clinic prefers eSET.
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8
7
Age
35
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
8
7
Overall, Dr. Ikhena-Abel is an excellent doctor. She responds quickly to my questions and is caring about my situation. There have been a few times where she references discussing something in my initial appointment that I don't remember talking about but it was a lot of information in a short amount of time. I was diagnosed with PCOS during my first ultrasound and I wish I could have talked to her more about the implications.
This is a Kaiser clinic, so like any Kaiser service you have to advocate for yourself. You don't see the reproductive endocrinologist more than once or twice and most care is with the nurse practitioners.... Overall, I've had great care with the nurses at Kaiser. One nurse was a little too heavy-handed with the ultrasound wand but lightened up when I asked her to do so. I was unhappy with one when she talked about next steps during my third IUI but I didn't want to think about another cycle or IVF at that point.
Age
35
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 4 Docs
Treatment
3 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
8
7
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Overall, Dr. Ikhena-Abel is an excellent doctor. She responds quickly to my questions and is caring about my situation. There have been a few times where she references discussing something in my initial appointment that I don't remember talking about but it was a lot of information in a short amount of time. I was diagnosed with PCOS during my first ultrasound and I wish I could have talked to her more about the implications. It took a while, and a lot of research on my part, to understand what PCOS and anovulation meant for my fertility journey. I appreciate that she and the nurse practitioners changed my protocol each time to try to have a better outcome and that she's been honest with me through each step of the process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Take copious notes at your first consultation!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Ikhena-Abel is great about getting back to me. She clearly cares about her patients and I feel like she really wants me to succeed.
Describe the protocols Deborah Ikhena-Abel used in your cycles at Kaiser Permanente NorCal and their degree of success.
1st cycle: Femara 5 mg. days 3-7, IUI 1, failed
2nd cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 3-7, 2 days of Menopur ml. at the end of the cycle to try for more than one egg (cancelled)
3rd cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 2-6, Menopur 75 ml. days 3-10; IUI #2 with 3 eggs, failed
4th cycle: Femara 5 mg. days 2-6; Menopur 75 ml. days 3-13; IUI #3 with 1 maybe two eggs
5th cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 2-6; Menopur 150 ml days 3-4; Menopur 75 ml days 5-9; Menopur 37.5 ml day 10; IUI #4 pending
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Overall, I've had great care with the nurses at Kaiser. One nurse was a little too heavy-handed with the ultrasound wand but lightened up when I asked her to do so. I was unhappy with one when she talked about next steps during my third IUI but I didn't want to think about another cycle or IVF at that point. I understand everyone is different. They've been very understanding throughout my fertility challenges and given me hugs with bad news. They're all very caring and kind.
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
This is a Kaiser clinic, so like any Kaiser service you have to advocate for yourself. You don't see the reproductive endocrinologist more than once or twice and most care is with the nurse practitioners. I think I've seen four of the NPs, Carla, Debbie, Marion and Lori and I've liked them. I'm considering a cheaper option for IVF but I hope if I do go somewhere else that the staff are as good. They are quite aggressive (in my experience) with treatment, but I do have PCOS so it can be hard to stimulate my ovaries. Overall I've been very happy with them.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
I have IUI fertility coverage so my generic medication was $7 and my non-generic was $25. My ultrasounds and IUIs are $20 per appointment. I did not pay anything for my HSG or blood tests.
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