Grace Lee (retired)

I have PCOS and do not ovulate regularly. my egg quantity is good but the quality is not great. With Dr Lee's help I have a 3.5 year old daughter and we are trying for our second. I have had an above average amount of bad luck (ectopic, miscarriage at 8 weeks due to trisomy at chromosome 20) but she and het team have never given up on me. We have changed the protocol overtime over the course of our 4 cycles (starting cycle 5 today) over the past 5 years and I have received the best possible care. Dr Lee has come in early (before the office opens) to meet with me. She has changed HER schedule to make sure SHE could perform procedures HERSELF to make sure I am getting the best care possible. She is very scientific and somewhat blunt. thats her style. But if you follow her instructions EXACTLY you will end up pregnant in no time. I have full faith in her and would (and have) recommended her to anyone that asks me about my experience with infertility. She is awesome.

She is a little scary, blunt. Not a warm and fuzzy personality. Until you get to know her. She is at the top of her game and a leader in her field so just do exactly what she recommends. she is the doctor that other doctors go to when they need advice on challenging cases.

My first cycle was successful (live birth- my daughter is 3.5 years old now) but i had hyper stimulation and was on bedrest for 8 weeks. following the birth of my daughter we have varied the protocols. at 40 my egg quantity is good but the quality is bad. we have changed the protocol, letrozole this time around, to try to get fewer but better quality eggs.

BCBS has been great. Deductibles, office visits co-pays and recently the out of pocket cost for the PGS

Dr Lee tries to find a balance between success and limiting the chances of multiples. the risks are much much higher with multiples. expect her to always be conservative in this dept.

Dr. Lee was very cautious about any supplements other than prenatal vitamins. I was advised to stop all supplements that I was taking under the guidance of my acupuncturist. It seemed a little odd not to take Vita C, D,DHA/EPA, etc.

For first timers, ask her what you should know that you don't know or haven't asked because you don't know what to ask.

Plan described below is exactly that a plan. It may vary based on blood work and Ultrasounds Overviewof situation: 40 years old, no previous children, partner had a Vasectomy 10+ years ago, low egg reserve, Hashimoto's and high prolactin Plan: Estrogen Patch - every other day - Just beginning cycle with estrogen patch and post transfer Gonal F 300ml x2 a day for 20 days - extremely long stim cycle as my body was not responding. Never added Menopur Ganirelix - 5 shots Novarel - trigger shot ICSI and assisted hactching Doxycycline- x2 a day for 4 days around retrieval Medrol - One pill daily beginning the day of retrieval and ending the day of embryo transfer Crinone once a day from transfer to loss of pregnancy

Cash Pay - No insurance Dr. Lee - $750 IVF New England - $12,900 Meds - $7500 Sperm Retrieval - $1900 Sperm Analysis - $1200 Other (Pre-IVF appointments, ultrasounds and Labs) not included in numbers above

I found Dr. Lee to be a little misleading more than once. At first she said insurance would probably cover my treatment because my tubes are blocked but then the next time I saw her, she'd done a complete 180 and reversed her stance saying the probability of that happening was low because my husband had had a vasectomy, which she knew from the beginning. There were other incidents (too long to describe here) that made me lose confidence in her practice. She also didn't explain to me at all from the very beginning that she would not be doing all my procedures -- egg retrieval, egg transfer -- which would have perhaps been a determining factor in picking her and her clinic for my first cycle.

Assume nothing and double check and double confirm every piece of information coming from her office. Also, the proverbial "ask a lot of questions" -- but many people don't even know what questions to ask! Just do a lot of research on IVF cycles and potential protocols and don't be afraid to question or second-guess her.

I was never explained the rationale for the protocol Dr. Lee decided for me, but it was a patch antagonist protocol. It yielded an amazing amount of eggs: 10 were retrieved. But only 3 of those were fertilized.

We paid about $22,000 total for one cycle.

I did not get a good education on the trade offs between multiple embryo transfer vs. single.

After reading some of the more critical reviews on this site, I am struck by the fact that it could not be more different than my experience with Dr. Lee. I could not be more happy with my experience with Dr. Lee and would, and have, recommended her to anyone struggling with infertility. Not only did I find her to be incredibly knowledgeable, but I always felt she was fighting for me and in my corner. Dr. Lee goes above and beyond for her patients. By way of example, after receiving some particularly disappointing test results, I was devastated. Dr. Lee could tell how upset I was and had my husband and I come in for an office visit (fitting us in during her already booked schedule) and talked everything through with us. The compassion and empathy she showed us helped us get through the most difficult time in my life and has stuck with me to this day. Dr. Lee also appealed my insurance company’s decision to require several IUIs prior to authorizing an IVF cycle and really fought for me. Unfortunately my insurance did require prior IUI’s, and I then developed cysts. During one particular cycle when I had a promising number of antral follicles but also a large cyst, Dr. Lee talked with me about draining the cyst in an effort to take advantage of the fact that I had more follicles to work with than any prior cycle. Dr. Lee drove out to IVF New England in Lexington, extremely early in the morning before her already full schedule for the day, in order to perform the procedure herself. Ultimately, this was the cycle that worked for me. Due to Dr. Lee’s knowledge, care, and ability to adapt treatment as the cycle unfolds, I was able to successfully convert that IUI cycle to IVF and now have a healthy 10-month-old son! These are just a few examples of what sets Dr. Lee apart from other doctors. Undoubtedly she knows her “stuff” so to speak, but I found her personal care and her willingness to go above and beyond (almost certainly at the expense of her own personal time) to be unmatched. As all infertility patients know, the journey is so extraordinarily sad but Dr. Lee’s encouragement kept me and my husband hopeful. I sincerely felt that she was rooting for us, would not give up on us, and when we were successful, truly shared in our over-the-moon excitement. I will forever be grateful for her treatment and care and would highly recommend her.

Insurance

Sadly I did not have a good experinece with Dr. Lee. She is a straightforward doctor. She dosen't show passion for her patient. She does not consider the patient's symptoms but will follow a standard procedures. This might not be entirely her fault, be due to the Harvard Vanguard standard procedure and luck of flexibility. She is fast and direct. For some this might work.

To challenge her assumptions. Be informed and prepared ahead.

Despite of my clear symptoms of endometriosis. Dr. Lee diagnose us as unexplained. This wrong diagnose lead to 3 failed IUI which could have been avoided if she would send me directly for a Laparoscopy. (Where I later find out the poor state of my tubes). It also lead to 2 failed embryo transfer. Since the protocol was not adapt for a patient suffering endometriosis. She didn't use a suppressive protocol but a standard antagonist protocol without the use of the pill in the first phase.

All costs were covered by the insurance.

Dr. Lee is very smart and very straightforward. She is not warm and fuzzy but she is as accessible and logical as they come. She's one of the more conservative RE's, as far as I can tell, but her rates speak for themselves. She gets the job done.

In 2013, we did 3 clomid/IUI cycles that resulted in negative tests. We then did one IVF cycle using Gonal F/Menopur that gave us 4 mature eggs. We did a 3-day transfer of 1 (the only one that remained at the time) that resulted in a healthy pregnancy and birth. In 2015/2016, we did 3 IVF retrievals and 4 transfers. The first was a Gonal F/Menopur cycle that resulted in 8 mature eggs. We had only two medium-grade embryos on Day 3 so we transferred one and did not get pregnant. The second was a Gonal F/Menopur cycle that resulted in 13 mature eggs. We were required to freeze all post-retrieval because my progesterone was high during the medicated portion (meaning that my lining would not have been receptive to a transfer). All but 1 embryo failed to make it to Day 5, we transferred the one high-quality embryo remaining and did not get pregnant. The third retrieval cycle we switched the protocol to a Gonal F/Lupron medicated cycle. 22 embryos were retrieved and 5 high quality Day 5 embryos were frozen. I overstimulated on the new protocol and once again had to freeze all, this time due to high estrogen. We then did an FET of one frozen embryo that did not result in pregnancy, but had 4 frozen embryos remaining. We then did an FET of two frozen embryos that resulted in a twin pregnancy.

We have great coverage under BCBS MA and paid 10% of all fees until we reached $1,000 out of pocket, after which BCBS paid 100%. We paid 10% of prescription drugs costs.

Dr. Lee presents as a scientist, not a social worker. She's a problem solver. She presents options and explains pros/cons. The only challenge has been wait time on the phone and for an appointment - although ultrasound appointment options are great.

Be prepared to be educated and given choices, not just told what to do.

Lots of testing, then Letrozole for follicle stimulation and Ovidrel to trigger. We've varied the dosage based on my response to try to get the right number of follicles. The first cycle produced too many, the second we got the dose too low. This cycle looks good so far!

My insurance covers some, but it's been a couple thousand out of pocket so far. This was expected, and they had me check on my coverage before starting.

N/A

Professional, warm, friendly, knowledgeable, easy to make appt with. Listened to my concerns and made adjustments based on age and prior retrieval cycle.................................... .

Have your questions and concerns ready. Explain your goals and expectations so that she can personalize your treatment

We are also doing PGS testing, so it was requested that she increase dosage to account for low number of normal embryos last cycle and she was agreeable. Gonal F 300, menopur 300, cetrrotide, hcg and lupron trigger. Retrieval is in 2 days so no results yet

Usually right on schedule. Could be difficult to schedule ultrasound at preferred center on some days

High med copays, high deductible. Other costs covered by insurance

Prefers single transfer and options/risks were explained

She was nice and easy to speak with. She explained the IVF process easily so I understood. After a lot of initial testing I was told I had nothing wrong and to start clomid. I felt like she wanted to put me on medication just to start the process for my insurance company and then move forward to IVF. I didn’t get a great feeling about this since I was in pain monthly on my left side. I also mentioned this to Dr. Lee and was assured it was probably ovulation pain. After my first few appointments I decided to get a second opinion.

Cold, formal, qualitative. Unable to connect to emotions. Methodical and scientific.

If you want cold facts, she's great. As the same question in different ways to make sure you get a clear answer. Don't use humor.

I only used IUI because my other option was donor egg, nothing in between.

Dr Lee is VERY smart. She is kind and compassionate, but she is not super warm and fuzzy. I like her and trust that she knows what she is doing. She changed up all my plans for my second round and though it is not finish yet, I am already having better results than my first round.

Come prepared with questions.

Second round I am doing a lupron mocroflare protocol. First round I did traditional IVF.

Insurance covered most of the costs once we hit our deductible

My insurance will only allow one egg to be put back, so Dr Lee didn’t have any feedback on this.

Don't expect warm and fuzzy but know that she really cares about your treatment.

Natural frozen cycle transferring one embryo resulted in a positive pregnancy test.

Around $500. This included my deductible and 10% co-insurance. Thank God for insurance in MA!

Dr Lee was knowledgeable, helpful, kind, and offered us great care. She is an academic at heart and likes to geek out and explain fertility problems and treatments. She was very caring and attentive throughout months of treatment. Her approach can be more directive, rather than cooperative, I found, compared to other doctors in the practice, but I appreciated this.

If you're looking for a doctor who will make strong recommendations and be blunt about options, she's great. If you want more control over your process you might want someone else. For us, it was fine that she was directive in her care, as her decisions were based on research and she was right

Dr Lee was friendly and knowledgable. She provided us with detailed explanations regarding our treatment plan, possible outcomes, and next steps. Although our outcomes were not successful she remained positive.

Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions and ask her to explain in more detail if you aren't understanding the plan/procedure.

Can't remember the exact treatment protocols. Following three IUIs, we did one IVF cycle which was canceled before egg retrieval due to spontaneous ovulation, followed by another IVF cycle which allowed for two embryos to be transferred but again wasn't successful.

Completely covered by insurance, no out of pocket costs

Was invested in my care. Compassionate but practical. Honest.

Is committed to her patients.

Various protocols, varying degrees of success.

Dr. Lee was very thorough and knowledgeable, and had good bedside manner. She’s very knowledgeable about different procedures, and sympathetic toward our needs and wishes. Dr. Lee was very thorough and knowledgeable, and had good bedside manner. She’s very knowledgeable about different procedures, and sympathetic toward our needs and wishes.

We had a standard frozen embryo transfer cycle. We used injectable medications at a higher dosage that we did with our fresh transfer to ensure that the embryo took.

We had full insurance coverage for all procedures.