Dr. Wu immediately made us feel comfortable from the get-go at our first appointment. She allowed us to tell our story without interruption and then very thoroughly and compassionately explained to us what we were up against and offered several options to proceed with. .... In the beginning, we just tried Ovidrel trigger shots to see if this would help me regularly ovulate, as my endometriosis was so severe that I had stopped ovulating regularly. This didn't yield any pregnancy, so then it was recommended I go through the robotic surgery to have my Stage 4 endometriosis removed, as well as a very large peritoneal cyst.
OHSU Fertility Consultants has been great to work with. From their front office staff, to the MA's and ultrasound tech and nurses, to the physicians, I honestly have no complaints. At times, they are running behind, but I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes, and the office staff is really good about letting you know if the MD's are on time (there's a board that you can see in the waiting room with all of the MD's wait times).
How was your experience with Diana Wu at Oregon Health Sciences University?
Dr. Wu immediately made us feel comfortable from the get-go at our first appointment. She allowed us to tell our story without interruption and then very thoroughly and compassionately explained to us what we were up against and offered several options to proceed with. After leaving our first appointment, I felt like we had hope. The road ahead seemed scary, but she has always been very re-assuring - yet very honest. When we didn't get pregnant with conservative treatment, she suggested we go ahead with surgery to remove my endometriosis and cyst. She reassured us that the whole team of doctors were going to consult on my case, as they do with every single patient there. Dr. Lee did my surgery, and I've seen him off an on throughout my IVF journey as well. Currently, I'm in the prep stage for my embryo transfer and I've had nothing but the best care throughout this entire process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Diana Wu at Oregon Health Sciences University?
Trust the process and trust her judgment. She's exceptional and very, very thorough and particular - which is something I believe everyone wants when they're going through this sometimes scary process.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Diana Wu at Oregon Health Sciences University?
I've always felt like Dr. Wu has truly been concerned for my well being and has genuinely wanted me to get pregnant. I've never gotten the feeling that I'm "just a number". I've never met a doctor, or a group of doctors, who have so much empathy and compassion for their patient(s).
Describe the protocols Diana Wu used in your cycles at Oregon Health Sciences University and their degree of success.
In the beginning, we just tried Ovidrel trigger shots to see if this would help me regularly ovulate, as my endometriosis was so severe that I had stopped ovulating regularly. This didn't yield any pregnancy, so then it was recommended I go through the robotic surgery to have my Stage 4 endometriosis removed, as well as a very large peritoneal cyst. We were allowed to try naturally for a few months after the surgery, but I still never got pregnant, so at the end of 2017 we decided to proceed with IVF. I began birth control in December, followed by starting my IVF injections on the 5th of January 2018. Follistim (125 units), Ganirelix (.5mL), and Menopur (75 units) are the drugs used. My Follistim dosage was only slightly decreased towards the end (around day 9 of my 10 stimulation days), but otherwise she felt the prescribed dosage was keeping me right on track. Total, I had 15 follicles retrieved, but only 8 were mature. 2 made it to the blastocyst stage and are currently frozen. As of now, I've been giving Lupron injections (20 mL and now 10mL) for the last few weeks and taking Estrace 1x/day, which will start to increase in dosage starting tomorrow. On March 16th, I will start getting Progesterone injections (50mg) and then will have my planned embryo transfer on March 22nd.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Oregon Health Sciences University. (Assigned nurse: Dani Greene, RN)
Dani is great. She's actually the first contact person I had when we decided to start IVF. She laid it all out in detail for me, so that I understood what the process would look like. She is very quick to respond when I send her messages in MyChart and is very thorough in making sure she's on top of sending me all of my protocols and getting all of my medications prescribed through the pharmacy.
Describe your experience with Oregon Health Sciences University.
OHSU Fertility Consultants has been great to work with. From their front office staff, to the MA's and ultrasound tech and nurses, to the physicians, I honestly have no complaints. At times, they are running behind, but I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes, and the office staff is really good about letting you know if the MD's are on time (there's a board that you can see in the waiting room with all of the MD's wait times). Plan ahead for traffic and also because there's a lot of construction going on at the OHSU Waterfront, it sometimes can take a little extra time to get yourself parked. The MD's office always validates your parking, which is really nice.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Diana Wu at Oregon Health Sciences University.
At the start, I believe the Ovidrel trigger shots were around $275. I did have to pay money for some of my consultations with Dr. Wu, as well as the ultrasounds. In total for just the IVF portion (including medications and other testing), we've spent close to $18,000.
Describe Diana Wu's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Oregon Health Sciences University.
Dr. Wu said she wasn't leaning in any particular direction in regards to this. She said at this point she feels that it's a 50/50 if we decide to transfer one vs. two. She did say she will think on it and discuss with her colleagues, and then we will talk about it again at my next follow up in a week and a half.
10
Clinic
Oregon Health Sciences University
Portland