Donna Session
Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health
Available Lines of Communication
Doctor email
Nurse email
Nurse email
Not available by direct line
Doctor personal cell phone
Medical SchoolEastern Virginia Jones
ResidencyColumbia
FellowshipWinthrop U.
Nashville
719 Thompson Lane
Nashville, TN 37115
(615) 343-5700
8 assessments
4
Age
36 - 37
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
4
I felt Dr. Session didn’t explain the processes well or our options. She lets you guide your treatment and at the time we were new to infertility and had very little information.... And now after I have researched fertility treatments I wish she would not have spent so much time with us just doing timed intercourse and a low dosage of femara or clomid.... I feel like we wasted 8 months of valuable time because I was 36 during this time.
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Age
36 - 37
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
4
How was your experience with Donna Session at Tennessee Fertility Institute?
I felt Dr. Session didn’t explain the processes well or our options. She lets you guide your treatment and at the time we were new to infertility and had very little information. She’s quiet, but so am I so for this process we did not make the best match. I’m not saying she’s not a good doctor; she just wasn’t the best fit for me. And now after I have researched fertility treatments I wish she would not have spent so much time with us just doing timed intercourse and a low dosage of femara or clomid. We did this for 8 months (1 month we had a cyst so could not try, 1 month I was unable to try because I could not get my medication refilled due to their office being closed during the holidays so I was unable to get the ultrasound done to get the medication.) I feel like we wasted 8 months of valuable time because I was 36 during this time.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Tennessee Fertility Institute?
Make sure to do research prior to meeting her so you can ask any questions you want and also so you don’t stay in the dark about important information because she did not give us the information we needed to make the best decisions about our treatments. Again I think she took a more cautious approach and I felt maybe I was too old to be spending so much time on timed intercourse.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Tennessee Fertility Institute?
Dr. Session is not very personable and we felt like in our first visit with her she just spoke to us like we were doctors ourselves and we felt she didn’t explain things well.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Tennessee Fertility Institute and their degree of success.
We did timed intercourse and I took either femara or clomid each cycle. I would go in for an ultrasound to check for cysts before I was given the medication.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nurses were great. They were very compassionate and communicated well.
Describe your experience with Tennessee Fertility Institute.
Strengths is the clinic was nice and new. It was also nice to be able to a see the doctor every visit because it was a smaller clinic.
Weakness is the wait times were long because the doctor sees everyone and she’s the only doctor there. And also Dr. Session was just not the right doctor for us because of the lack of communication and knowledge she provided us.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Tennessee Fertility Institute.
I only had ultrasounds there to check for cysts which were around $180
What specific things went wrong at Tennessee Fertility Institute?
- Failed to send your chart to another clinic
- Failed to convey critical information
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9
Age
35
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
9
she [Dr. Donna Session] is quick to return correspondence. She is very knowledgeable and discusses the science behind her decision making. She is patient and will answer all of your questions and look into things that she may not have considered before. She also very carefully reviewed records from another clinic and went through all of her concerns regarding prior treatment.
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Age
35
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Black or African-American
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality
9
How was your experience with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Again, she is quick to return correspondence. She is very knowledgeable and discusses the science behind her decision making. She is patient and will answer all of your questions and look into things that she may not have considered before. She also very carefully reviewed records from another clinic and went through all of her concerns regarding prior treatment.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Dr. Session is very smart and kind but she is not the "warm and fuzzy" type which is perfectly fine given the quality of her care.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
I felt that she took the time to talk to me during every visit. I never feel rushed. She always returns my phone calls or electronic messages as does her nurse.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health and their degree of success.
She has different strategies for every patient depending on what your baseline issue is. For patients with DOR with a low AFC she will consider clomid or letrozole focusing and getting fewer, high quality eggs rather than having patients spend 4-6K on injectable medications that will yield similar results. For patients with mid-tier AFC she will max out medications and prime with estradiol patches or lupron. She rarely does this for the first cycle due to fear of ovarian hyperstimulation. Her strategies are largely patient dependent.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health. (Assigned nurse: Jodie )
Jodie is kind and will try her hardest to get what you need done. She is very hopeful and seems to genuinely want everyone to do well.
Describe your experience with Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Weakness: difficult to get in contact with someone over the phone in the event of an emergency. There are several road blocks you have to overcome in order to get in touch with someone who can help.
Strengths: Once you are able to get through to the staff everyone is very helpful and supportive.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
N/A
Describe Donna Session's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
For fresh transfers, if embryo quality is fair to poor on day 3 or five she may transfer 2 or more. For good quality day 5 embryos in patients in their mid thirties and below she will recommend transferring one embryo and will give estimates on the chance of multiples if patients have assisted hatching or PGD testing done.
What specific things went wrong at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
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8
Age
40 - 41
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Unexplained
8
I was prescribed Clomid on my first round. It made me crazy! When I went back for a follow up, she [Dr. Donna Session] listened to what I had to say and adjusted accordingly. She assured me that it was normal for some women. She changed the medication for the next round and I was finally back to my normal self. We did three rounds total with one round of IUI. We were hopeful, however it did not work out and I gave my body a break to recover.
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Age
40 - 41
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Business Executive
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Unexplained
8
How was your experience with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
First meeting felt rushed and talked dr instead of more of a one on one matter of fact details. Appointments after that seemed more one on one and relaxed. I loved that she explained everything she did step by step and would show you what she was doing if she was able to.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
She can be stand offish at first, but she warms up.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Human as her bed side manners were comforting, however at times it felt like she was rushing thru conversations.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health and their degree of success.
I was prescribed Clomid on my first round. It made me crazy! When I went back for a follow up, she listened to what I had to say and adjusted accordingly. She assured me that it was normal for some women. She changed the medication for the next round and I was finally back to my normal self. We did three rounds total with one round of IUI. We were hopeful, however it did not work out and I gave my body a break to recover.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Nurses were compassionate and listened to what you had to say. It is a stressful situation for all involved, especially the staff. I can’t imagine working in that environment and having to deal with such a sensitive subject.
Describe your experience with Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Responsive. They learn your name quickly and remember you. Felt like I mattered.
There were times that I arrived on time for my appointment however I waited for 20 min to be put in a room. There were times it would be 30 min before anyone came in the room to see you.
They have a portal which is nice to see your lab results. The only thing I did t like about the portal was the email option. After the nurse responded, you did not have the option to reply back. You had to start a new email.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Costs were covered by insurance. If they weren’t I was billed, however, I wish they would have told me at each appointment if there was a balance due instead of waiting till we stopped treatments to send bills that were 3 months old.
Describe Donna Session's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Na
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10
Age
40
Treated
2017
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis
10
I felt that Dr Session listened to all of our questions and answered the best she could. She definitely reads up on the latest studies and is proactive in treatment. While it was sometimes frustrating to go to some of the ultrasounds to check follicles and not see the Doctor and see a resident, she was there for all the important procedures...When we received a negative result she called me as soon as she could to find out how I was and give me options for next time if we chose to do it again.
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Age
40
Treated
2017
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis
10
How was your experience with Donna Session at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine?
I felt that Dr Session listened to all of our questions and answered the best she could. She definitely reads up on the latest studies and is proactive in treatment. While it was sometimes frustrating to go to some of the ultrasounds to check follicles and not see the Doctor and see a resident, she was there for all the important procedures. Sometimes it is still difficult to make the decisions you are trying to make based solely on percentages and statistics, but it is a numbers game. When we received a negative result she called me as soon as she could to find out how I was and give me options for next time if we chose to do it again.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine?
Be prepared to spend a good amount of time at the office if you have alot of questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine?
Dr. Sessions is very thorough and answers any and all questions you have. She is concerned with your well being. The nurses are very caring and personable.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
My protocol started with using estrogen patches and Cetrotide 9 days after a positive ovulation kit to suppress because I have diminished ovarian reserve. Then I used Gonal-F at a high dose twice a day plus Menopur 75iu until the follicles were a good size and then used Cetrotide. After retrieval I used progesterone in oil shots and Lovenox shots to help with clotting due to previous pregnancy losses. We were originally going to PGS test but decided not to when we only had 3.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine. (Assigned nurse: Stephanie)
Stephanie went over and above my expectations. She was caring, responsive and communicated well through the process. She always called when she said she would after a blood draw, even on Saturday.
Describe your experience with Tennessee Reproductive Medicine.
There are many times when there is a long wait for your appointment but it doesn't happen every time. Sometimes there seem to be communication issues internally.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine.
We had to do a self pay plan due to no insurance coverage for fertility treatments but they did cover diagnostic testing. It was $12,000 for the IVF process, $550 for anesthesia and PGS was $5,500 but was optional. The meds were purchased from an outside pharmacy.
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10
Age
32
Treated
2016
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS
10
Each visit she [Dr Donna Session] is the one who does the ultrasounds, gives me info, etc. I have never had an appointment where I didn't see her...When I had started seeing Dr. Session I had already been through 4 rounds of clomid, unmonitored. She immediately recommended switching to Femara. She was never pushy about any treatment. We are currently on our second round of Femara with Trigger shot. She is allowing us to decide when we are ready to move into IUI.
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Age
32
Treated
2016
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS
10
How was your experience with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Dr. Session is the other person that I see. Each visit she is the one who does the ultrasounds, gives me info, etc. I have never had an appointment where I didn't see her. On my first visit there was a student doctor in the room who took notes for me and helped Dr. Session explain things. It was very helpful! She is quiet and doesn't get excited or have that type of personality, but she is kind. I never feel rushed or feel that she is in a hurry.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Have questions ready to ask before you go to your appointment. Keep notes and don't be afraid to ask her anything.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Dr. Session has always been very kind and knowledgable. I never feel like I am just another patient. She takes her time and is compassionate.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health and their degree of success.
When I had started seeing Dr. Session I had already been through 4 rounds of clomid, unmonitored. She immediately recommended switching to Femara. She was never pushy about any treatment. We are currently on our second round of Femara with Trigger shot. She is allowing us to decide when we are ready to move into IUI.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Most of the nurses that I have seen have been great. I did have one experience with a nurse that was bland. She was not one of Dr. Sessions nurses and was filling in since I was the Doctors only patient that day.
Describe your experience with Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Vanderbilt Clinic is very large. I prefer a smaller office. I see Dr. Session at the 100 Oaks facility and it feels like an airport. It is nice that everything is in one location, but I am happy that she is moving to a smaller office end of May.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Luckily, my insurance covered anything that had to be done to determine why I am not able to get pregnant. I did have to pay a co-pay for each visit and my ultrasounds, thus far, have only cost me $30 out of pocket for each. The trigger shots cost $162 each and were not covered by insurance at all. Fertility meds have been $7 each month.
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10
Age
37 - 38
Treated
2016 - 2017
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Tubal Blockage
10
Dr. Session is amazing! Her care and personality are wonderful. I got all the answers I needed and never had to second guess her medical decisions for me. I was allowed to be an active participant in my care.... Dr. Session was on point and told me what to expect and the potential outcomes. I always have the big picture, good and bad. She is also very caring and loving, and you feel that you are her priority when she is with you
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Age
37 - 38
Treated
2016 - 2017
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
2 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Tubal Blockage
10
How was your experience with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Dr. Session was on point and told me what to expect and the potential outcomes. I always have the big picture, good and bad. She is also very caring and loving, and you feel that you are her priority when she is with you.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Expect the truth. She is not rude but she is going to let you know what you need to hear.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Dr. Session is amazing! Her care and personality are wonderful. I got all the answers I needed and never had to second guess her medical decisions for me. I was allowed to be an active participant in my care.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health and their degree of success.
First cycle-high doses of Gonal-F, high doses of menopur, and cetrotide.
Second cycle-more of a mini ivf cycle. Letrozole, Gonal-F 75, Menopur, and cetrotide. The thought was to do lower doses but for an extended period. This was in hope that my ovaries would respond better.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health. (Assigned nurse: Stephanie and Hollie)
They are the absolute best. They inform you daily with lab results and the recommendation from the doctor. They are considerate of your time. Always happy and smiling.
Describe your experience with Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Weakness is the office manager. She is unprofessional, unorganized, and overall insensitive to the infertility and financial aspects. She is the worst part of this clinic.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
It was convenient for my schedule.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
All office and doctor costs were in network. All lab costs were out of network with my plan.
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8
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
1 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Other
8
Dr. Session sat with me for a long time in my first visit with her going over my past history and what she would recommend moving forward. She is very analytical and lays out her reasoning for her choices, siting studies she has read and other doctors in the field. She performed a hysteroscopy on me to remove calcium deposits. Unfortunately, she did not have a lab to perform IVF at Vanderbilt. If she did, I would have done an IVF cycle with her.
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Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Ashkenazi Jewish
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Other
8
How was your experience with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Dr. Session sat with me for a long time in my first visit with her going over my past history and what she would recommend moving forward. She is very analytical and lays out her reasoning for her choices, siting studies she has read and other doctors in the field. She performed a hysteroscopy on me to remove calcium deposits. Unfortunately, she did not have a lab to perform IVF at Vanderbilt. If she did, I would have done an IVF cycle with her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Vanderbilt is a teaching hospital so there was always a student with Dr. Session. She would ask if they could participate in the exams, but it does feel a bit like you are a spectacle.
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health and their degree of success.
Hysteroscopy to remove calcium from the uterus.
Describe your experience with Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
If you are going to Dr. Session as an RE, the office setup can be a problem. She shares a large office with OBGYN group. This means there will be children, babies, and pregnant ladies in the waiting room. This can be a painful trigger for many undergoing fertility treatments.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
The cost of the hysteroscopy at Vanderbilt was around $22,000. After insurance coverage, we paid $2,500.
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4
Age
32
Treated
2016
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
4 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
—
4
We did not feel comfortable with her [Dr. Session] or he clinic after our initial consultation. We had already seen two other REs and they were much more impressive. I don’t feel like she looked at my chart. I had to correct several things she said. She was willing to work with a repductive immunologist and that may have helped but we did not feel she fit our complex case ...
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Age
32
Treated
2016
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 3 Docs
Treatment
4 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
—
4
How was your experience with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
We did not feel comfortable with her or he clinic after our initial consultation. We had already seen two other REs and they were much more impressive. I don’t feel like she looked at my chart. I had to correct several things she said. She was willing to work with a repductive immunologist and that may have helped but we did not feel she fit our complex case
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
Be prepared to ask your questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health?
We did a consult and was not impressed. It was like she didn’t look at my chart and at the time of seeing her I had done 4 IUIs and 1 retrieval with 3 failed transfers
Describe the protocols Donna Session used in your cycles at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health and their degree of success.
We did not proceed after consultation
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
They were all very nice, but didn’t work closely with any
Describe your experience with Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
Associated with Vanderbilt and they have amazing resources. In my opinion I was disappointed with the approach, I was hoping she would think more out of the box or at least be more proactive to my history
Describe the costs associated with your care under Donna Session at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
I had some coverage with work and we did not proceed so not sure costs
Describe Donna Session's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health.
I was misdiagnosed originally with a bicornuate uterus when I really had a septate uterus. All REs have recommended single due to uterine anamoly
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