Debra Minjarez

For the most part, I was very happy with Debra Minjarez. She was nice, and really seemed to know what she was doing. The only downside, is I believe she errs on the side of caution. My egg freezing ended up going significantly better than we had initially anticipated, as some of my earlier test results were not great, and I think she stated my initial results conservatively so I would be prepared if things didn't go as well as they did.

Be pretty open about your concerns, even if they seem embarrassing or silly. She was very respectful about everything that I asked.

She talked to me like an equal, took the time to listen to me about all of my concerns. She never rushed me, and answered all my questions in depth, and was nice when discussing personal matters that I was concerned may impact my egg freezing.

I had a Gonal-F with Menopur protocol, starting with 225 iu of Gonal-F and 150 iu of Menopur, which were tapered down as treatment progressed/in response to my estrogen levels and ultrasounds. I think my dose was lowered towards the end, so I could take them longer while waiting for my follicles to mature. Overall, the results were very good, and I think they picked a great time to do my egg retrieval - we got a good number of eggs, but I didn't get sick afterwards (though, I didn't feel great the week after.)

They were all very friendly, but I did not have a constant nurse, and saw a new person most times. They were also highly responsive over email, but I would just email whoever had contacted me last.

It was a nice clinic, the equipment seemed new and up to date, and the staff was friendly. One slight downside, is they have a few locations - like one in Oakland - but some of the procedures they can only do in San Francisco. I ended up having to get up very early to go into SF for my egg retrieval despite usually seeing my doctor in Oakland.

It was, like, 4500 for meds and 8500 for all procedures related to the egg retrieval. There was an additional 400 up front for fertility testing, then an extra 200 at the end because I had 2 extra eggs that got frozen (they cover up to 20)

I didn't have embryos transferred

She's great. Smart. Caring. Direct. She tells the truth, cares about her patients and has your best interest at heart. She was just too busy at CCRM to take good care of me so that I saw results. I felt mislead and that she misrepresented what I'd receive using donor eggs.

Make sure she has time to take you on and stay on top of your own health care. The nurses run the IVF process, not the doctors.

Debra is great. She listens and communicates. But she was too busy at CCRM to provide quality care. She wasn't prepared for our appointments. She allowed me to use sub-par donor eggs and didn't mention that until I failed to become pregnant. The real issue at CCRM is the understaffed nursing staff. They're so busy, you're a number. You will not get called back. The wrong medication will be called in. You won't be watched closely enough.

One IUI, that i wanted to do. She didn't recommend it. One egg retrieval using my own eggs. She told me I wasn't likely to see results. One donor egg round. I didn't get pregnant. She told me I likely needed to use donor eggs from the beginning. She was right. I just wasn't ready to do that when I met her.

Too busy. Called in the wrong meds or no meds. Didn't order the right labs. Asked me about my husband several times, when my chart said I'm single. This was other nurses than those I listed. You work with a variety of people when going through IVF.

Too busy. Financially motivated. It's all about the money. Inflexible, requiring unnecessary and costly tests you pay them for directly. Expensive. I would staff away from CCRM if at all possible. They're known for the the quality of their lab, and that's very seductive. If you work with them, be ready to take charge of your own health care. Question lab results. Insist on being seen. Question the meds you're on. Look carefully at your prescriptions. Be your own doctor.

25K for an IVF transfer. $1200 for an IUI transfer. 50K for donor eggs. 10K for donor embryos.

She'll make a recommendation and then do what you want to do. No issues here.

Although I was bummed not to see her again once I was pregnant (I only saw her 2 other times - my only less positive thing to say, you never see her), I never doubted her commitment to my fertility for a second. Even in a world of infertility and reoccurring bad news that is often delivered and managed by your nurse, she called me after certain less than positive result tests to make sure I was ok. I was young and had a pretty serious case and I will never forget her making me a promise that first day, she was dedicated and compassionate.. When I didn't respond to stims in the beginning of my cycle, she reassured me of my progress and made me feel comfortable with my medication switch mid-cycle. Again it would have been really nice just to a get a call or note from her after pregnancy or delivery, it was radio silent from her after my transfer, otherwise I couldn't speak more highly of Dr Deb!

Get a good nurse.

Dr Deb knew my chart and everything we had experienced until then... she knew my acupuncturist and my OB, and would send them notes because they both were involved, etc - she just knew "me" and I never felt like numbers on her page. She also knew how I responded to news, and at time altered the way she delivered news. She even sat rubbing my hand and wiping tears as she took me in for surgery to remove my tubes, she connected with you.

Retrieval - CCRM Protocol 3, estrogen priming, with added clomid day 4 after poor response. Stimmed 13 days and had double trigger. Transfer - 2 months depo lupron prior to CCRM standard frozen transfer. I have stage IV endometriosis, that caused both tubes to close as well as luteal phase defect and DOR (RFC 4-6, AMH .4) due to scarring on ovaries. I had to have my tubes removed prior to transfer but after retrieval. I had historically not responded to stims. I have never had a successful pregnancy and was Beta-3 negative. My retrieval was saved by clomid, I responded and had 14 eggs retrieved, 11 were mature, 9 fertilized and 4 made it to Day 6, 5 day 6. Depo Lupron successfully helped my body create the beta-3. I had a successful transfer of 2 day 5 (3AA and 5AA) untested embryos.

Shanna is the BEST. I thank God for her every single day. Timely, compassionate, personal advocate - whatever you needed she delivered!

I went to the CCRM rose office 95% of the time and loved it but the Lonetree office is much worse - it always felt so sterile and they were always scrambling and disorganized. Their business office is HORRIBLE! The nurse switching mid-cycle can get complicated. And they never give patients consistent messaging, every single staff member will give you a different answer. And big clinic changes are not communicated well. Go to the Rose Office!!

All said and done for one day workup, one retrieval, drugs for one retrieval, surgery to remove my tubes, transfer, drugs for one frozen transfer, blood work and associated tests we spent $40k. The package prices are not all inclusive, everything is upcharged that can be.

Due to the fact that my embryos were not tested and my numbers, two embryos were recommended.

Dr. Minjarez is very warm, and very smart. My only complaint is that when I look back over the 2.5 years I have been under her care, there are things I wish someone would have explained to me when I started the process, that I feel like I didn't learn until much later in the process.

Ask questions; don't assume she or her staff will tell you everything you need to know; and know that there are always more drugs, more procedures, and more options, and you need to know your limits.

Dr. Minjarez is wonderful, when I can see her. She remembers the details of my story, talks me through decisions that need to be made, gives me numbers, and is generally very warm. The nursing staff, however, leaves much to be desired. I've worked with three nurses in 2.5 years. The first couldn't remember any details about my case (like that I am a single mother by choice) and would call in prescriptions for me for meds I was allergic to. The second nurse was excellent; I learned to ask more questions, which helped, but she knew me well and would stay on top of things. The nurse I am working with now is terrible: she never initiates contact, is not ahead of my calendar so leaves things until the last minute, and isn't creative in helping me deal with problems - if there isn't a stock response, then there is nothing she can do for me.

None of my cycles have resulted in a pregnancy 2 IUIs with no drugs 4 IUIs with varying amounts of drugs. I know Clomid was used a couple times, I don't remember the others. 1 IVF retrieval: Luteal Oral Protocol 3 - Estrace, Cetrotide, Menopur, Gonal, Saizen, Dexamethasone. We CCS tested the 6 embryos and all were abnormal. I am now prepping for my first donor egg / donor sperm transfer. I will have taken: Novarel (birth control), Lupron, Vivelle, Endometrin, Progesterone in Oil, and Medrol.

I have had three very different nurses. First: she left in 2014, but was disorganized, forgot any details about me and my history, and would call in scripts for meds I was allergic to. Katie P: Excellent. She is a good communicator, was organized (she would email me the day before I had to start or change a med), always returned calls and emails within an hour, and genuinely cared about me. Kristi: My nurse now. The only positive is that she responds to my emails very quickly. She is disorganized, doesn't remember any details about me or my history, and is not at all thoughtful or creative when she responds to my questions - if it's not a pre-written CCRM response, she doesn't know what to say.

Nice and knowledgeable. I didn't feel like the course of treatment was specific to me, but was instead a standard cookie cutter approach. Also, after all my testing, I was never handed an officially-named diagnosis, so I believed for months that it was 'unidentified infertility.' It wasn't until after I had been getting treatment for 1.5 years there and was discussing starting IVF with Dr Minjarez that I asked about its success rates with unidentified infertility. She casually looked at me and said, "it's not unidentified; you have 'diminished ovarian reserve'." I was shocked - those words had never been said to me. It didn't really change anything moving forward for IVF, but still felt.... wrong, after all the thousands of dollars and tests and hours spent with staff there. I also wouldn't have pursued 3 rounds of IUI had I known that.

Ask for specifics! Bring pen/paper or ask if you can record!

Changed nurses often, and felt like they barely knew my name. Also changed doctors midstream. Everyone was kind and knowledgeable, but I certainly didn't feel acknowledged as a person. Also, when I had my first unsuccessful cycle, I was a real mess, even weeks later. The staff knew it, and multiple nurses and my doctor said they would have their staff psychiatrist set up a time with me to make sure I was okay. I never heard from anyone, and I was too depressed/ashamed to make an appointment myself. I am glad that in the end I didn't hurt myself or suffer longlasting depression, but that could have easily been a result and I feel now that they were a bit negligent in knowing what they knew and not following through.

NUrsing staff was always busy. I had one bad experience during an IUI, in which a new intern I hadn't met was allowed to insert the speculum. It took her minutes of jabbing around and hitting my cervix repeatedly, and I eventually in tears asked her to stop. Someone else was brought in, and the rest of it went smoothly, but I was so upset and in pain. No one apologized, and I was left to feel really awkward. It often felt like the nurse didn't know my name or remember what my specifics were; I was constantly having to remind them of my unusually short ovulation cycle, and it was in my chart, and yet the nurses kept giving me wrong instructions for taking medication and scheduling appointments. I also did not like that nurses would only call with medication dosage and timing instructions. They wouldn't email them. This led to a particularly bad IVF cycle (my first) in which I couldn't' remember the final dosage of HCG and couldn't find anyone who could tell me what it was in the middle of the night; the night nurse instructed me to take the wrong dosage. This was the night before my egg retrieval. They were still able to retrieve eggs, but a significant number were not mature and I still wonder if this is due to the incorrect dosage I took. Had the nurse emailed me or written instructions down, this would not have happened. As it was, she called me when I was out at the grocery store without pen/paper, and she still told me the exact times and dosages for five different medicines across a 3 day period, didn't repeat them, and hung up. I had to then try to remember exactly and write them down in my phone, and couldn't remember the final dosage. So all in all, while the staff is generally professional and competent, they could use some improvement in coordinating care.

Clean, a bit sterile, things generally move on time. Pretty flexible for patients who work (they would make an exception and schedule early appointments ~7am for bloodwork and routine exams for those of us with early morning meetings).

total spent ~$50,000 for 3 IUIs, 1 egg retrieval, 2 IVF cycles, medications

She is fantasist and warm. She makes the process very informative and less emotionally difficult. My nurse acts as the liaison though I wish I could talk to her more.

Don't wait, I wish I went earlier for emotional sanity. Go immediately, figure out what is and is not covered by your insurance and speak up to what you think is and is not working. I have a food allergy present in all of the pill medications and possibly responsible for my multiple losses so she completely customized my transfer after my last loss. She listens and, especially if you push, is open to trying anything that she thinks might help and poses little risk.

Dr. M is very caring and warm. I really like her even though I have not received the results I want. She listens to my concerns and let's me have an opinion in my treatment whole marrying that with her deep expertise. The only downside is that I don't deal with her a lot. I like the nurse I deal with but could see the experience being deeply influenced by what caliber of nurse you have. There are some expensive tests that seem repetitive or an young that they have to be run through their lab (aka not under insurace unless you have United)

She is on top of of everything and calls me back immediately. When she's out she makes sure I am covered. Some of the other nurses who cover for her don't seem quite as on top of it. Christina is calm, knowledgeable and authoritative which helps me trust her though I think she is better than most of the others based on when she is out.

As I said, Dr. Minjarez was extremely compassionate and warm. She was also attuned to our problems and adjusted our course of treatment based on issues encountered along the way. Dr. Minjarez gave us all the information, but when asked, she gave us her best recommendation.

I would say that you can count on her to be informed and offer good advice, but of course you should do your own research and ask her all the questions you can.

Dr. Minjarez was warm and informative. She gave us the information we needed and worked to tailor our plan of treatment and gave us thoughtful advice. She did my retrieval and my transfers. I highly recommend her, though she is no longer with CCRM.

We did the agonist/antagonist cycle with ICSI/IMSI and freeze-all. We ended up with 4 3-day embryos. Our first FET of 2 embryos failed. Our second was successful with a singleton boy being born healthy and full term. The rationale for our protocol was that my husband has severe male factor and I have PCOS. I was 31 at the time, so Dr. M did not recommend doing CCS/PGS testing.

Ms. Lyons was a very good nurse, and I loved having one nurse with whom to communicate. Other nurses not familiar with my course of treatment often did not give us accurate information; however, when there was a mix-up of our medication for trigger, the nurses worked very hard after hours to track down the right medications.

CCRM has a fantastic embryology laboratory and uses the most up-to-date technology available. It is more expensive than many other clinics, but as a local patient, I wanted to go to the best clinic. Now that I live out of state from a CCRM clinic, I will likely go to a local clinic. CCRM is fairly corporate, and especially at the Lone Tree location, one feels a bit like a number in a giant organization. In addition, I had a terrible experience with one ultrasound technician who gave me the wrong follicle measurements. The information she gave me basically showed my eggs shrinking with a likely cancelled cycle. In fact, my eggs were growing as planned, and my cycle went forward. This is just one example of how a patient can get lost in CCRM because of its size. If I were giving advice to a friend, I would say CCRM is the place to go if you are a local patient or if you are a patient with multiple failures and want a last chance to succeed.

I believe we paid between $30,000 and $35,000 total for 1 cancelled retrieval, 1 successful retrieval, 1 failed FET, and 1 successful FET, including medications.

Dr. Minjarez gave us great information on single versus multiple embryo transfer. However, because we had 3-day embryos, we decided to transfer two at time, which turned out to be the right choice. If we have another cycle, we will likely opt to grow the embryos to day 5 and only transfer one at a time.

We felt that Dr. Minjarez knew her stuff - seems to be a very intelligent person. As I had already been through several failed IUI attempts with a different clinic, we had some very frank conversations with Dr. Minjarez about 1) the probability that my egg quality was likely poor based on my age and hormone levels (since I had done no retrievals, there was no way to know for sure), and 2) our financial situation and how it would realistically direct my treatment to some degree. She did NOT push us to use donor eggs, but was also realistic and honest about the likelihood of my own eggs being viable. Dr. Minjares was always friendly and willing to go over our plan time and again with us as things changed. Personally, I liked her very much and felt very comfortable with her.

Don't be afraid to slow her down. She is obviously a very busy person, and sometimes we felt a bit rushed in our appointments with her (not the transfer), but we learned to ask our questions until we understood everything.

Specifically with Dr. Minjarez, I felt like a human because she treated both me and my husband with respect, she answered all of our questions no matter how many times we asked them, and I felt that she was very adept at sensing whether we needed warm fuzzies or down and dirty facts (that varied greatly depending on what stage of the process we were at).

We went straight to using an egg donor since we knew sperm were healthy and were pretty confident that eggs were not. FET #1 Birth control, Lupron injections, estrogen patches, progesteron in oil injections, progesteron inserts, mild antibiotics prior to transfer and a few other drugs I don't remember. I did pre and post-transfer acupuncture for both transfers. Donor gave us 12 frozen eggs, 10 fertilized and we transfered one day-5 embryo and froze the remaining 9 embryos. Result was negative pregnancy test. FET #2 we thawed and transfered 2 embryos which resulted in twins! FET #2 was 2 day-5 embryos from same batch as

Primary nurse was ok, but especially for our first IVF round, she assumed that we were already familiar with the protocols, drugs, acronyms, procedures, etc. When you are going through this process, the last thing you want to do is figure out the basics on your own. There were several calendar mistakes made along the way where I felt that I had to double check absolutely everything. Before we began our first cycle, she would talk about the "Calendar" like it was a big magical thing, and when I got it, I was very disappointed and confused. It was a photocopied piece of paper with dates handwritten in and notes in the columns. It used terms like "LMP" which I was not familiar with. Instead of using the term "luprolide acetate" (which was what the pharmacy called it), it referred to "Lupron", which I believe is the brand name of the drug. This all sounds really nit-picky, but for someone going through infertility and uncertainty and nervousness, it would have been so much more reassuring to have everything spelled out for us in a clear, precise and unmistakable manner. Communication was difficult in that we did not have a way to directly contact our nurse - had to either leave a message via their portal or leave a message in the general nurses mailbox.

While we really liked our doctor, we were very very disappointed with the CCRM clinic. Here, we felt like a number. After our initial consult with Dr. Minjarez, we had to go through the official orientation process, which was a wasted day for us. They herded us together with about 10 other couples into a conference room, and went through the general IVF process, legal stuff, protocol..... none of which was helpful in the least to us. It put a bad taste in our mouths from the get-go. They are very protocol driven. The worst example I can think of is that prior to our first IVF transfer, both my husband and I had to go through all sorts of very costly testing, some of which was communicable disease testing which is understandable. But after our first attempt failed, they wanted us to do the exact same testing all over again a mere 2 months later when we went to do transfer #2. They said they would not do the transfer if we didn't do the tests again (all through the CCRM labs, of course). The lab staff was wonderful. I had countless blood draws, and they were all very talented (I am a difficult draw) and friendly. Ruby at the Rose office was my favorite - amazing woman! Same with ultrasound technicians - they were all very nice and had their acts together.

Around $50k which included donor eggs, donor medications, my medications and 2 separate transfers.

Strength- when I did see her for a consultation or an inspection (HSG, etc) she was patient and really gave attention. She was also smart and encouraging. She has a lovely demeanor with patients and really seems to genuinely care whether the process works or not. To this day- my twins are nearly five- I send her annual cards at her new clinic in California to keep her apprised of the children's doings. She also made the effort to carve out time to meet the twins when they were several months old.

It's a very, very long process and you might have other practitioners doing things like retrievals on her behalf. I didn't mind but I know some people do.

Dr Minjarez is a warm and supportive person and genuinely interested in her patients. I felt the nurses supporting IUI were quite cold and dismissive but once I got into IVF it was a completely different environment. She was consistently a lovely person but the nurses were significantly better on the IVF side of things.

I don't have vivid recollections except that she clearly changed the dosing on the retrieval drugs between my first and second tries. She was very helpful in urging me to do another retrieval as, at the time, I only had one remaining healthy embryo. She explained that with my condition- PCOS- she now could see how I react to the medicines and she increased dosages. Having said that, the number of eggs I produced was doubled from 11 to 22 and it was an extremely painful recuperation after the retrieval so it was probably an aggressive treatment in terms of hyperstimulation risk. But the clinic was top notch and, compared to what I've heard from peers who used others, they were on touch of the medicine and blood testing constantly so I felt it was all very controlled and managed.

My primary point person for IVF was Erin Quinn and she was wonderful. For IUI it was a less warm and fuzzy woman named Lisa in CCRM's Denver office. The other IVF nurses were incredible; one of whom drove 40 minutes up from the suburbs on a Sunday to help me with drugs. I am embarrassed to say I cannot recall her name but I also think Erin said she left CCRM the following year anyway. But it was that type of place. Ruby who did blood draw was hilarious and amazing at find veins and the woman who staffed the U/S was equally nice. I really felt that the IVF was a supportive environment, unlike the early IUI experience.

My impression was that they don't take IUI patients as seriously. It's obviously a less committed and less costly procedure as well. From an IVF perspective I had complete faith in their competence and ability to manage my situation.

It was expensive. I think that the least costly was the embryo transfer and those ran $5000 each. The retrieval was the huge figure obviously and it was around $15,000 plus some ancillary medicines as well. Obviously some of that depends on one's health coverage. My company at that time did not cover IVF at all. As I was completing my process in fall 2011 they were bringing in some type of buy one get one free insurance thing but I was too late to participate in those.

Dr Minjarez did recommend a single embryo transfer which I did and then miscarried shortly after it was a chemical pregnancy. Due to that fact, and to the fact that I had previously had a miscarriage naturally she opted for a two embryo transfer which successfully resulted in twins. She was careful not to go 'overboard' and ever recommend more than 2 embryos notwithstanding her knowledge that I was stressed and almost urging her to throw in more. She's cautious and medically very, very competent and good at what she does!

We did not see her that often. As a patient I would have appreciated more time and more compassion instead of being treated as a number. There were many times we waited for a call back and never got one and were supposed to have received information that came much later than expected.

Treat your patients as humans. Each person is going through this experience through their own lense and for many their first time. Spend more time listening and understanding instead of going through the motions

We were rushed through our appointments and given a very short window of time to ask questions and understand process. It was clear we were just a number

IVF was immediately reccomended due to unexplained fertility (which I later learned wasn’t unexplained). She explained the injection process, egg retrieval and transfer. She did not go through specific medications with me

The nurses were much more attentive but still rushed through appointments

You need to be prepared to be treated as a number. There are so many people that come in and out of here and it is clear they fill their schedules daily. Insurance also doesn’t cover treatments and there is little support offered with medications. Lastly there is usually a very long wait list to get in for your first appointment

$15,000

She is so kind and compassionate. A very smart and well prepared doctor with excellent bed side manners, she always listen to your questions or concerns and adjust your treatment to include any suggestion you may have if this makes sense of course

She is very knowledgeable and she knows what she is doing

First cycle: estrogen priming, then Gonal F + cetrotide + saizen+ Clomid. 7 eggs retrieved but 3 follicles were empty, 4 eggs fertilized, 3 blastocysts, 1 CCS normal who is currently my 17 months old baby boy :-) Second cycle: estrogen+testosterone priming, then Gonal F + cetrotide + saizen+ Clomid. 6 eggs retrieved, 5 eggs fertilized, 4 blastocysts, 1 CCS normal who is my little girl still frozen

Strengths : knowhow, statistics, reputation Weaknesses: in 2016 got acquired for a corporation and since then they have created a lot of affiliated clinics in other states and I don't think all of them will have the same lab and quality doctos as in Colorado, I see this like a marketing strategy

50k to 60k

She strongly suggested single embryo transfer

Dr. M made us feel very comfortable. She was thorough in her explanations and really helped us understand the process (which ended up being very complicated). She was always available for questions and definitely put my mind at ease, which is really important in this type of situation where its easy to get stressed. I fully trusted her to take the lead and give us the best results.

Dr. M was very personable and made us feel comfortable (she remembered us from previous visits, knew where we were in the process, etc.).

Initially the nursing staff was great - I had the same nurse from our first consult to egg retrieval, which was really valuable. Unfortunately, the nurse left CCRM prior to the transfer, and I went back and forth between nurses which I didn't like (not always current on my situation, not quite as empathetic, forgot to call with results, etc.). I wish that I had the same nurse throughout the entire process.

The clinic did a great job - the egg retrieval went as planned and I was fortunate to have a significant number of eggs retrieved. We were also able to produce a significant number of embryos for freezing. In all, no complaints about the clinical team.

Dr. M was very conservative in her approach and only recommended one embryo for transfer, but allowed us to make the final call which I really appreciated. We ultimately went with her recommendation.

She had great bedside manner and her knowledge of the clinic stats as it relates to my diagnosis was great. She made me feel confident that we were choosing the right path and was compassionate but direct too.

None

She was very personal and discussed everything with us. Spent time answering all of our questions and had a great bedside manner.

EPP for two rounds and testosterone priming with gonal f, cetrotide, menopur and saizen for the third round. The EPP resulted in more mature eggs.

Very organized and a great communicator. Definitely advocated for things that I needed. Great nurse.

She is intelligent, direct, and yet kind. She remembers details and was very flexible for me in my cycles. I trusted her and everything she said.

Don't hesitate to see Dr. Minjarez

She and her nursing staff are warm, reachable, and responsive. She was honest, but optimistic.

I have DOR. #1 Estrogen priming with antagonist- 5 retrieved, mature, fertilized and 3 blasts.#2 estrogen priming and microdose Lupron with antagonist- 5 retrieved, mature, 4 fertilized and 4 blasts #3- testosterone and estrogen priming - 6 retrieved, 5 mature, 4 fertilized - 2 blasts. Plan FET next.

Organized, easy to reach, detail oriented