Dr. T [Tortoriello] took the time to look at our case and to speak with us about why things may not have worked in the past and what might work for us in the next try...I appreciated how Dr. T looped in all relevant parties on emails to work together on various stages of our care. It was good to have them working as a team. I was a little surprised by the use of email for some sensitive information (they do have a patient portal but it was used mostly for communicating my calendar of medications), but I ended up just going with it because it made it easy for us to communicate with all relevant parties...
Overall the nursing staff at Sher was very good and caring. I often had to ask clarifying questions to get all of the information that I needed, but they were good partners in my care and I appreciated them...I often had to ask clarifying questions to get all of the information that I needed, but they were good partners in my care and I appreciated them...I appreciated how Dr. T looped in all relevant parties on emails to work together on various stages of our care. It was good to have them working as a team. I was a little surprised by the use of email for some sensitive information (they do have a patient portal but it was used mostly for communicating my calendar of medications), but I ended up just going with it because it made it easy for us to communicate with all relevant parties...
How was your experience with Drew Tortoriello at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
We are extremely grateful to Dr. Tortoriello for his expertise and care. We came to Dr. T after having 2 failed FETs and 3 failed IUIs. Within the first round of treatment we had an extremely successful IVF round, ending up with 6 genetically normal embryos (!!) from one round, versus the two we'd gotten from our 1st round and one that we'd gotten from our second round, and our FET with Dr. T worked on the first try, versus two failed FETs we'd had before coming to Dr. T. Based on the effectiveness of his approach alone I would 100% recommend Dr. T to anyone who is looking for a fertility doctor in NYC.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Drew Tortoriello at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
I would say that, as with many doctors, you always have to be your own best advocate. I found that it was very important to stay super organized and to ask questions. Dr. T is amazing, but he's not infallible, and there were a couple of times when I needed to ask "didn't you mean this?" when we were confirming a detail of a medication regimen, based on what he'd told me before. I think this is true with most doctors, so just a general word of wisdom going into this process.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Drew Tortoriello at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
We came to Dr. T (Dr. Tortoriello) on the recommendation of our previous fertility doctor after 2 FETs (and 3 IUIs) had not worked with him. We first met Dr. T as part of a consultation to discuss what our case and to understand whether there might be another approach that could work for us. Dr. T took the time to look at our case and to speak with us about why things may not have worked in the past and what might work for us in the next try.
Describe the protocols Drew Tortoriello used in your cycles at Sher Fertility Solutions New York and their degree of success.
For the IVF cycle we did with Dr. T, the biggest difference between this regimen and the two we'd done before with another doctor was the use of HGH (human growth hormone), or Omnitrope. That seems to have made a huge difference -- we ended up with six (!!) genetically normal day 5 embryos (from 27 eggs), vs. the two we'd gotten in our first round (from about 20 eggs), and the one we'd gotten in our second round (from about 30 eggs).
It's a little hard to remember everything we did but looking back at my treatment calendar it looks like we did Cetrotide, Estrace, and Omnitrope for about a week, in the week *before* my period.
Then once I was at day 2/3 we stopped the Cetrotide and Estrace, kept doing the HGH, and added in Gonal F and Menopur. We did this for about a week and half. Then used HcG and Lupron for trigger shots before the IVF procedure.
After the IVF, and before the FET cycle, we did a mock transfer to two tests: (1) a Receptiva test to test for endometritis or endometriosis (came back negative) and (2) an ALICE test to test for any problematic bacteria (came back negative). With my previous doctor we'd done an ERA (endometrial receptivity assessment) to test for the ideal # of hours for me to do FET after starting progesterone and we used those results in our FET with Dr. T.
For the FET, before the transfer, Dr. T had me on estrace (estrogen) twice a day (4 MG twice a day); folic acid (1 pill); prenatal vitamins (which I'd already been taking for a long time); HGH injection once a day; vaginal viagra (! yes, vaginal viagra! this was new also, I'd never done this before) twice a day; predisone (a steroid) twice a day; and neupogen (an injection-- 20 iu once a day). I was on all of these meds for about 4 weeks (a little more) leading up to FET (my timeline was about a week longer than typical because the lining of my uterus wasn't getting to ideal thickness and so he gave it a little more time). We also did 2 PRP infusions and I had an intralipid infusion about every 3 weeks. As mentioned my uterus lining wasn't getting to ideal thickness so Dr. T also added in vaginal estrace (1 pill inserted into the vagina at night) about 2 weeks (maybe a little longer) into taking medications. My lining never got beyond about 7mm, but the trilaminal (trilaminar?) architecture/shape was good, and the FET worked :-)
As far as rationale for all of this:
The Vaginal Viagra, acupuncture (I did this also), and intrauterine PRP lavage were to help thicken the endometrial lining.
The HGH was to help with egg quality.
The predinose and neuogen I believe were used under the assumption that I might have a hyperactivated immune system that was rejecting the previous embryos (this is the "natural killer cell activity" theory which is relatively new in the fertility world).
Describe your experience with your nurse at Sher Fertility Solutions New York. (Assigned nurse: Marian Gerges)
Overall the nursing staff at Sher was very good and caring. I often had to ask clarifying questions to get all of the information that I needed, but they were good partners in my care and I appreciated them.
Describe your experience with Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
I appreciated how Dr. T looped in all relevant parties on emails to work together on various stages of our care. It was good to have them working as a team. I was a little surprised by the use of email for some sensitive information (they do have a patient portal but it was used mostly for communicating my calendar of medications), but I ended up just going with it because it made it easy for us to communicate with all relevant parties.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Drew Tortoriello at Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
We were extremely fortunate to be able to use insurance coverage for our IVF + FET with Dr. T (1 of each). This was our 3rd and final covered cycle. This also covered standard medications. The experimental medications were not covered by insurance. By the time we're done with medications total cost will probably be $14,000-$15,000. This includes medications, office co-pays, 2 PRPs, 5 intralipid infusions, and the receptiva and ALICE tests.
What specific things went wrong at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
- Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
Overall Sher was a very well run operation. No big complaints. There was one time we're fairly certain they forgot to call us with results, but as soon as we called in to ask ourselves they called us right back, so it wasn't a huge deal.
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Clinic
Sher Fertility Solutions New York
New York