Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2022 - 2023, Unsuccessful
Review of
Dr. Insogna is the most compassionate, kind, and brilliant doctor I could ever hope to have. She's so warm and encouraging, always holding out hope (while remaining realistic), but erring on the side of positivity...She's also unbelievably accessible both over email and by phone, and she's always very quick to respond to all of my questions and very thorough in her responses...whenever possible, she does my ultrasounds herself. It feels like she goes out of her way to do them and to make sure that we can see each other in person.
Columbia is a wonderful clinic. Like other large clinics, you're likely to see a variety of doctors, nurses, radiology technicians, etc. when you go in. I had excellent experiences with all of them. Everyone was professional, courteous, and knowledgeable. The clinic itself is very comfortable. It feels surprisingly intimate, given how many patients it sees. I almost never have to wait more than a few minutes to be seen for morning monitoring. The receptionists at the front desk are helpful and warm. The office is also very physically pleasant.
How was your experience with Iris Insogna at Columbia University?
If I could give Dr. Insogna a rating of 100 instead of 10, I would. I'd give her a 1,000. From the moment I started working with her, I felt totally at ease with her. At every turn, I've felt like she's my advocate. When things go well, I feel like she's genuinely excited for me, and when I've had setbacks, I feel like she's truly disappointed for me. She’s just unbelievably knowledgeable and brilliant, versed in the latest research and clinical techniques. I completely trust her opinion about everything, but I also feel that she listens to and supports my wishes. She doesn't have a pushy top-down doctor-knows-best agenda (even though she really does know best). I feel like we're partners and collaborators. She acknowledges that I'm the expert on how I'm feeling in my own body and how I feel about different courses of treatment. She's an amazing communicator and explains everything clearly, thoroughly, and in straightforward language. No question is too small for her. She treats my silly questions about fringe nutritional supplements with as much seriousness and respect as she treats my questions about medical procedures. She's incredibly accessible over email and by phone and never makes me feel rushed. She always makes me feel like she has unlimited time to answer my questions. I've also been so impressed by how knowledgeable she is about financing IVF. She acknowledges how expensive it is and collaborates with the billing department to make sure that we have insurance coverage before moving forward. When our insurance provider initially blocked me for treatment, claiming that I didn't qualify as "infertile," she very patiently (and effectively) convinced them that I do meet the criteria. She’s so compassionate, so smart, so caring and kind and great. I could not trust Dr. Insogna more or hold her in higher esteem. She's absolutely amazing. I feel so unbelievably lucky to be working with her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Iris Insogna at Columbia University?
I'd advise prospective patients to ask her any questions you have. She'll answer every one of your questions with thoughtfulness and care.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Iris Insogna at Columbia University?
Dr. Insogna is the most compassionate, kind, and brilliant doctor I could ever hope to have. She's so warm and encouraging, always holding out hope (while remaining realistic), but erring on the side of positivity. Throughout this challenging process, she's always said such caring, things, going out of her way to reassure me that I'm doing everything right and haven't done anything wrong. She’s quick to acknowledge the emotional and psychological challenges of IVF as well as the physical ones, and she’s always validated my feelings. She's also unbelievably accessible both over email and by phone, and she's always very quick to respond to all of my questions and very thorough in her responses. (She responds the same day I email, often within hours—sometimes within minutes!) She never, ever makes me feel rushed--she acts like she has all the time in the world for me. In terms of clinical care, whenever possible, she does my ultrasounds herself. It feels like she goes out of her way to do them and to make sure that we can see each other in person. I opted to do a natural embryo transfer (which makes the timing impossible to predict), and she was so kind in expressing disappointment that she wouldn't be able to be the one to do the procedure herself (but she also reassured me about the excellent doctor who did do the transfer). She's also always really mindful of issues around consent and making her patients feel as comfortable as possible, even during uncomfortable procedures. So, for example, whenever she's done my ultrasound, she's started by saying, "Is it okay if we get started?" I've always really appreciated that. She also shows me the ultrasound and explains everything she sees. I’ve been really moved, too, by her remarkable recall of personal details about my life. She remembered, for instance, that I was in the middle of a home renovation and living upstate for a while. I know that she has lots of patients, so it blows me away how much of a personal connection I feel that I have with her. And she was willing to tell me about her own experiences with IVF, which I truly appreciated. (She has also shared this on Columbia's website.) Knowing that my doctor has gone through the same treatments I have has been so heartening. I feel like she really understands what I've been going through. On top of all that, she's funny. And she always uses her first name with me, which makes me feel even more like we have a human connection. She's just the best doctor ever. I feel like I won the lottery in getting to work with her. I’m just so grateful.
Describe the protocols Iris Insogna used in your cycles at Columbia University and their degree of success.
For my first retrieval cycle, she started with a relatively conservative/low dose of Menopur (I think 150 units) in order to try to give me the lowest dose possible, but she gradually increased it over the course of the cycle as I required the maximum dose (300 iu) for ovary stimulation. I was also on 300 iu of Gonal-F. I think I used Cetrotide, Ovidrel, and Leuprolide to trigger. I had 10 follicles and five eggs retrieved, three of which fertilized normally and two of which made it to blastocyst. Neither was genetically normal. For my second retrieval, she kept me on 300 iu of Menopur and 300 iu of Gonal-F, but she moved me to microcode Lupron in the mornings and evenings (I think 20 iu each time). I believe that I only used the Ovidrel to trigger (but I could be wrong about that). I had 9 follicles, five of which were retrieved (one was matured overnight in culture), three of which (including the one that matured in culture overnight) fertilized normally, two made it to blastocyst, and one was genetically normal. For my third IVF round, I had asked Dr. Insogna about mini IVF, so we tried a hybrid treatment. I took some oral medications (I don't remember which ones--maybe Clomid?) along with lighter doses of injectables. But only two of my follicles were growing, so we decided to cancel that round. (At that point, I thought that insurance would only cover three rounds, and it seemed like a waste given that the other rounds had gone better.) My next round went worse than expected, and I'm almost certain it's because I got very sick right beforehand. My sickness (not Covid) delayed my period for nine days, and I have a very regular cycle, so that was weird. I kept the same protocol as for cycle two above, but I only had, I think, 7 follicles, five of which were retrieved (three matured in culture overnight). I think 2-3 of them fertilized, but none made it to blastocyst. I decided to do a fourth round because when I went in for an evaluation for an embryo transfer, it turned out that I had 14 follicles that month. We kept the same protocol from cycles two and three, and eight eggs were retrieved. Six of them were mature, three fertilized, and two made it to blastocyst. Unfortunately, neither was genetically normal.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Columbia University. (Assigned nurse: I worked with a lot of nurses, but mostly Haley Roche)
Haley is really kind and approachable. She set up a Zoom with me before I did my first egg retrieval and showed me how to inject all of the medications (even though I'd done an egg retrieval years earlier at a different clinic). She always responds to my emails quickly and thoroughly.
Describe your experience with Columbia University.
Columbia is a wonderful clinic. Like other large clinics, you're likely to see a variety of doctors, nurses, radiology technicians, etc. when you go in. I had excellent experiences with all of them. Everyone was professional, courteous, and knowledgeable. The clinic itself is very comfortable. It feels surprisingly intimate, given how many patients it sees. I almost never have to wait more than a few minutes to be seen for morning monitoring. The receptionists at the front desk are helpful and warm. The office is also very physically pleasant.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Iris Insogna at Columbia University.
I am extremely fortunate that I have really comprehensive health insurance, so I've had to pay very little out of pocket to see Dr. Insogna. I realize how incredibly lucky I am.
Describe Iris Insogna's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Columbia University.
I only had one embryo, so we didn't discuss this.
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