Emily A. Evans-Hoeker

She does not sugar coat anything and through this process I’ve learned how helpful that is. I need someone who is going to be honest and not “baby” me just because this is difficult. I really appreciate her approach as being straight forward and she does it in a way that still shows she cares. She shared with me her own infertility struggle which helped me relate to her. She suggested a support group which has helped. When she determined my husband needed to be seen by a male fertility urologist, she didn’t hesitate to refer us and told us she wanted us to get the best treatment and therefore we needed to be seen by someone who specialize in that area. She remained in contact with the urologist throughout our visits and through my husband’s surgery. She has let us steer our path but has helped us navigate in the right way. I am very comfortable with her and have never felt like “just another girl that can’t get pregnant” when I’m in her office.

I would tell someone that she is more blunt that probably expected, but the way she provides information and advice is still very helpful and shows she cares.

She is very personable and shared her own struggle with infertility to help me relate to her. I’m very emotional through this process and she has let me cry and really listened to my concerns and hopes and fears.

Our first IUI I was started on Clomid but had OHSS so that cycle was cancelled. I still did the trigger shot because she said it would be better to help make sure a cyst didn’t form. Our first real IUI was the following month. I was started on letrozole instead of Clomid. Trigger shot. BFN. Same thing for our second and third IUI. However, the third one she increased my letrozole as compared to the first and second rounds. In between the 3 IUIs, she noticed a pattern with my husband’s sperm that it was lower than what is considered good for IUI to work. Between IUI 2 and 3 we saw a male fertility urologist who found my husband had a varicocele and he recommended surgery. The urologist said varicocele surgery can be very successful. Before the surgery is when we did IUI 3 in hopes that it would work and surgery would not be needed. My husband had the surgery and we are currently waiting to see it if fixed part of our problem. Dr. Evans-Hoeker has told us she will start back with IUI as soon as we are ready, which we are hoping will be April/May 2018.

Very friendly. They are easy to talk to on the phone and in person. They have made both my husband and myself feel comfortable there especially when coming in for an IUI. They also have a good sense of humor which helps me to relax.

Dr Evans-Hoeker is the o my physician there so it can take a long time to get in with her. She also travels to Raleigh NC once a quarter to do IVF. I’ve had to see a covering MD for ultrasounds and one of our IUIs. I appreciate that she follows her patients through every step and is the one performing IVF. Her covering MD was fantastic, she did a great job choosing her coverage.

Insurance has not covered any fertility treatments. Each ultrasound is $163. The IUI procedure is $260. The medication and trigger shot come to about $100. When I had OHSS the clinic filed with my insurance for and extra ultrasound but the claim was denied.

I’m not sure about this.

When asking questions, at times, Emily would not give a concrete answer. It seemed she would recommend one option, and then turn around and recommend a different option as best. This left the patient confused and feeling as though an expert, professional opinion was not given on which way to continue treatment. Often, it felt as though she were just reciting book facts or giving generalized statements, and not focusing and relating information on you as the individualized patient. Lastly, it seemed that she had too many commitments and was pulled in too many different directions. I did have an appointment have to be rescheduled by the office due to it conflicting with a lecture commitment she had. Last treatment cycle, I also called on the day of my cycle to continue with another round of an IUI with injectables. The scheduler tried to schedule me too late in my cycle than what is recommended for injectables. I questioned this, and the scheduler put me on hold to verify. I was correct, and the scheduler confirmed this, but informed me that I would not be able to continue with this, as Emily was going to be out on vacation and the provider filling in was not qualified to perform monitoring and IUI with injectables. I was told I would have to sit this month out due to this and wait and continue next month. I was devastated and felt this was not acceptable treatment and was very insensitive to those battling infertility, as timing each month is crucial and patients count down to this obsessively. I finished the phone call, barely holding back the tears. I was later called and told Emily had been contacted and said I could go back to oral medication this cycle and continue injectables next time. However, this was not my treatment plan or optimal for me, as this treatment option had been unsuccessful many times and oral medications caused cysts for me. She recommended moving on from this, as it was not best for me, but when was not available wanted to revert back to something that was not working for me.

Ask many questions and continue asking until you get a definite answer/one you are comfortable with, and be sure you are alright with seeing an RE at a clinic with only one RE. So, when she is out of the office different providers may have to see you, often times one who is just an OBGYN and not an RE.

Front staff (especially Celia) were friendly, respectful, and encouraging. However, it always seemed there were too many patients in and out like an assembly line for one RE. Sometimes, it seemed the RE had to be reminded of your individual treatments, as though your care wasn't reviewed before appointments, or the RE was treating too many to keep track of each couple's care.

I tried Clomiphene Citrate with plans of following with an IUI. However, at my midcycle scan, she stated that I ovulated early and it was too late for an IUI to be completed. After that, I moved on from Clomid to Letrozole with plans for IUI. Many cycles I tried 2 Letrozole pills (2.5 mg each) with IUI. No positive pregnancy test resulted. I then tried Tamoxifen, which did not result in a positive result either. I then tried Letrozole (2.5 mg) 3 pills a day. No positive result achieved either. Many times the oral medication caused cysts to form; many treatment cycles had to be cancelled and no fertility medications taken due to cyst formation. I also had to take birth control many months to try to get rid of the cysts. I tried one cycle with Gonal-F and IUI. This also resulted in a negative pregnancy test.

The nursing staff were friendly and warm. I personally got the feeling they were rooting for a positive outcome for you, more than I felt it from the RE.

This clinic needs more than one RE on staff, maybe even one that worked and was available for procedures on weekends. Overall, wait times were not horrible; however, there were sometimes when the wait time was 30 minutes or more. The office atmosphere did seem clean, but could have been more personalized and not so impersonal feeling.

My insurance did not cover fertility related costs. Each scan was $163. Each IUI was $260. My last round of injectable medications cost almost $800.

Dr. Emily A. Evans-Hoeker was good at explaining the general processes of each procedure and the risks. However, I would have been more comfortable if she tailored the information and advice to my specific situation and details. I felt like my inquiries were often answered with vague generalizations rather than related to my own individual issues. Often, I felt like she was not entirely open to questions from me. She seemed hesitant to guide my husband and I on next steps for treatment. This entire process is very overwhelming, and I feel like her professional input based on experience could be beneficial. Her method is practical and generally matter of fact. For baseline and mid cycle scans, I would have felt more informed if she had turned the monitor and pointed out my uterus lining, follicles, etc. to my husband and I. Dr. Evans-Hoeker performed a laparoscopy on me to remedy a blocked fallopian tube, uterine fibroids, and uterine polyps. The surgery was successful, and I healed very quickly. Either my twin sister or husband came to every appointment for support and Dr. Evans-Hoeker always acknowledged them. Dr. Evans-Hoeker seems very educated in her field.

I would advise prospective patients of Dr. Emily Evans-Hoeker to always listen to your gut instincts, ask as many questions as you need to, and determine at the consultation if her manner is what you prefer.

The receptionists, Celia particularly, and all of the nurses were kind and very welcoming to my husband and I.

For my first cycle of expected IUI, I was prescribed Clomid 50 mg and Ovidrel trigger shot. However, follicles developed on the side of a blocked fallopian tube, so we proceeded this cycle with only timed intercourse. Following, I underwent a laparoscopy to correct the blocked fallopian tube and remove uterine fibroids and polyps. I tried the next cycle of IUI after surgery with Letrozole 2.5 mg (2 pills at a time) paired with Ovidrel trigger shot, followed by the insemination. For the second cycle of IUI, Dr. Evans-Hoeker increased the Letrozole 2.5 mg to 3 pills at a time followed by Ovidrel trigger shot and insemination. My last cycle of IUI consisted of Letrozole 2.5 mg/4 pills at a time this round followed by Ovidrel trigger shot and insemination. Also, on my last two cycles of IUI Dr. Evans-Hoeker added Progesterone 200 mg capsule vaginally. Sadly, all cycles ended with a negative pregnancy test precisely two weeks after the insemination.

The nursing staff is friendly and made the experience more comfortable.

The clinic has an exceptional receptionist who greets you warmly in person and on the phone. Both the doctor and nurses respond to inquiries through My Chart. I strongly believe that the clinic would be more efficient with a second doctor on staff to meet the needs of all patients adequately. Also, as a hopeful patient, I would love to see pictures of success stories in the clinic.

Each baseline scan and mid cycle scan cost $163. Each IUI cost $260. Ovidrel trigger shot cost approximately $150. Medication (Clomid, Letrozole, and Progesterone) ranged from $5 to around $15 each. Also, I had a CAT Scan for diagnosis purposes that cost $500 out of pocket and a hysterosalpingogram. Laparoscopic surgery to unblock fallopian tube and remove uterine fibroids and polyps cost $2500 out of pocket.

Dr. Evans-Hoeker diagnosed us with "unexplained infertility" after checking my blood work and my husband's sperm, and did not recommend any other tests before pushing us through 7 IUI's (3 with only medication). Once we moved to a new clinic we found out that I had a low AMH, which was from the blood test Dr. Evans-Hoeker performed) which should have given me a diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve. After additional tests I was also found to have a blocked tube from endometriosis, and IUI's never should have been recommended as a course of treatment, and 7 of them was an absurd amount to do without changing course of treatment or performing additional tests to find out what was wrong. We were continually told, "we don't know why this isn't working" or, "there's no reason why this won't work if we keep on trying...the odds are in your favor!" We were mislead, had our money taken, and treated like just another patient giving them money for treatment.

Find another doctor. We didn't realize how bad the doctor and clinic were until we found a new clinic. Once we saw how great we could be treated at a fertility clinic we couldn't believe we stayed at Dr. Evans-Hoeker's practice for so long.

Dr. Evans-Hoeker does not have a good bed-side manner. There were select hours and days you could go for ultrasound appointments and you felt like a sheep waiting in line with everyone else. There was little compassion or empathy, and very little explanation for treatment courses other than what you would pay the clinic.

After bloodwork and a semen analysis we were given a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility" and told that we should proceed with IUI treatments. We were told it would only take 2-3 IUI's to be successful. When they didn't work, we were told there was no reason why it shouldn't work, and to try again. It made us feel like failures, like there wasn't an explanation, and that continuing to put money into additional IUI's would result in a baby eventually. We were misdiagnosed, neglected, and out thousands of dollars by the time we left Dr. Evans-Hoeker's care.

We did not really see many nurses. We either saw Dr. Evans-Hoeker or another doctor who would occasionally perform our ultrasounds, but not nurses. We were sent to a local hospital for blood work, so the nurses did not help out with our testing either.

Trust your gut. We felt like we weren't getting the best care, but there weren't any other fertility facilities in the area, and it would be expensive to travel somewhere else and start over. However we wasted more time and money staying at a place where we thought we were being looked after and receiving the best treatment available. We should have gone with our initial gut reaction and switched to a new clinic, particularly after viewing this clinic's IVF schedule. You have to sync your cycle to other women's cycles, which only happens 3-4 times per year, and be seen on the same days. Other clinics work with your body individually, and see you on days you need to be seen. Not shuffling you through the process like cattle.

We spent about $1000 for each cycle of IUI to the clinic, not including medications (which were around $150 each cycle).