Kari Sproul von Goeben

Dr. Von Goeben is such a blessing! We had seen two other providers prior to her and my care was subpar. One of whom even missing underlying conditions and denying testing even though I asked for it. Once I switched to Dr Von Goeben she immediately saw what I saw, Ordered the appropriate tests, explained that she felt like we needed to start at the beginning so that nothing is missed. So we did. She re-evaluated me as if I were a new patient. She looks at me as a whole and not just another person she is trying to get pregnant. She is thorough. Patient. Answers every question with honest answers, making sure you understand everything she’s said. She is empathetic. She genuinely is rooting for us and doing everything in her power to help us get AND STAY pregnant.

Be 100% honest with her. Trust her. Be willing to be patient and follow through with her directions. She really does know what she is talking about.

She is so warm & courteous. She knows who I am and our story before she enters the room. I never have to “fill her in” to continue my care. She is genuine & we feel like she is on our team! Rooting for us!

First thing we did was reevaluate my case. From sonohistograms to a TON of blood work. She also discovered I had an underlying condition that needed to be treated by an Endocrinologist so she referred me to an amazing one. She also referred me to an amazing OBGYN. Once all of the underlying “mess” was streightened out we did a round of birth control to keep my lining thin and allow a cyst to heal. Then a round of 100mg of Clomid for 6 days, followed by a trigger shot & an IUI. Which I am currently in the tww from. Because of my past treatment, she knew I would respond to the Clomid & She feels IUI will work for us since I did get pregnant (ended in loss) with my last IUI. She feels that my underlying undiagnosed Hashimoto’s with Hypothyroidism was the cause of my previous losses... I can’t share my results yet.... because I don’t have them! (Hellos two week wait.)

Every time I call to speak with the nurses with a question they are always compassionate and helpful. They always promptly return my calls.

The offices are comfortable enough considering you’re there for an uncomfortable reason. Always clean which is super important! At this clinic you are always seen my your Dr, even on the weekends you’ll see the on call Dr, never a nurse practitioner or nurse. They are very flexible with scheduling and work to get you in quickly, including weekend appointments.

All diagnostic things are covered by my insurance. And a detailed list of FIRM’s pricing for all services can be found on their website. I believe an IUI CYCLE is around $650 with meds or extra scans.

Friendly, warm, kind, and knowledgeable. Never rushes you or the appointment, takes the time to think about the questions before answering. Actually thinks about you while you aren't in front of her and will reach out to colleagues if she feels the need.

Tell her all of your concerns so she can address them and help guide you through the process. Don't feel stupid for asking questions or for her to clarify.

She always hugs me when she sees me and gives a genuine smile. She is genuinely interested and concerned about every detail

First went to letrozole since I was already on that protocol, got pregnant right away, miscarried. So continued with letrozole for a while. Then switched to clomid because it tends to work better for pcos patients and gradually increased dosage, tried IUI and timed intercourse during this time about 18-24 mos. Conceived and miscarried again and had an ectopic pregnancy that ruptured had to have a tube removed. Changed course to IVF due to ectopic pregnancy and 1 tube. Have done 2 rounds of IVF stimulation with menopur, gonal f, and Ovidrel trigger shot and 2nd round with menopur, clomid, and hgh, also with an Ovidrel or novarel trigger.

Warm friendly and caring! They even remember where my 1 good vein is!

I wish they had more options available at all their clinics, for instance retrieval is only done at the downtown location in Jacksonville. Also I wish they'd get newer or more upgraded ultrasound machines. They are all highly trained and work as a team!

They even will open on the weekend d but the appointment has to be scheduled by Friday

Annual HIV check spouses insurance didn't cover $1200, nurse anesthetists $250, pgt testing and freezing $3000, plus medications, hgh not cover $1500

Dr. Von Goeben was always welcoming and kind. Always smiled and seemed to care. Sometimes I felt like she didn't listen what I wanted or felt like I needed though. She would disagree with me a lot on testing I wanted done. She did however always explain why and talk to me about it all. She listened to what I had to say and while not always agreeing, she gave me a reason why. It meant a lot that she always gave me hugs especially after my failed embryo transfer. She was somewhat comforting and maybe could somewhat relate to what I was going through. Overall she is a very kind person and I think she does want to help me become a mom

Don't be afraid to speak up for what you want

I sometimes felt like it was all about money. They refused to test me for things I thought would help but did me explanations as to why. I always had my questions answered but sometimes felt rushed. I did feel like a human for the most part as my doctor did hug me after my failed cycle and could feel my pain

For my IUI's I was on Clomid which all failed. I don't remember much from those cycles. For my IVF I was taking Gonal F and Menopur. I believe I was on 300 of Gonal and 150 of Menopur. Then Cetrotide was added. Unfortunately I had to stay on the Gonal and Menopur a little longer than normal because my follicles were not exactly where they wanted them. I took the Lupron trigger shot and they retrieved 22 eggs. Of those 22, 19 were mature and fertilized with ICSI. Only 9 made it to biopsy and freeze and of this 9 PGS tested embryos, 7 were normal. Dr. Von Goeben was unable to do my actual retrieval. I then had a polypectomy done for multiple polyps. Then I was placed on birth control for about 2 weeks. After stopping that, I started taking estradiol 1 mg tabs, 3 in the morning and 3 at night (worked up to that). I had my day 13 scan and my lining was not thick enough. So she extended my estrogen by a week. After the next scan my lining was good and was told to start Progesterone supp. I took those for 6 days and on the 6th day had my embryo transfer. My transfer went very smoothly. Unfortunately it failed.

The nurses were nice but sometimes it was hard to get ahold of them. However they always got back to me. I didn't have a nurse I wasn't happy with

As far as strengths the staff are all very nice and welcoming. For the most part they worked with my schedule for appointments and made it easier to be seen. As far as weaknesses, the waits were usually very long. The clinic was always freezing and waiting forever in an ice cold waiting room was not easy.

Everything was out of pocket. My IUI's were each over $700 and that didn't include the $50 bottle of Clomid for each cycle. My IVF was $6000 for ultrasound monitoring appointments, egg retrieval, and transfer. On top of that we had to pay extra for the anesthesia and ICSI. Also the medications which were almost $5,000. Then the PGS testing which was $2,000 for the biopsy paid to the clinic and over $1,700 for the testing paid to the lab.

My doctor strongly insists only 1 embryo be transferred for my age because of the risk of multiples. I asked after my failed transfer of 1 about doing 2 for the next one and she still recommends 1

She’s very understanding to the situation at hand and does her very best to explain options and success rates of the various options. I normally don’t have any hesitation in asking more questions or seeing if she has any explanations as to why something didn’t work.

Write down all your questions!

She remembered details from past visits and I feel like I’m a person not just a name on her list for the day

We did first round with letrozole/Gemara as I have PCOS and they said women with PCOS can have a better reaction with those drugs vs Clomid. Day 12 came and the eggs weren’t we they needed to be so we started clomid instead. Came back and then did timed intercourse. The 2nd two times we did clomid with timed intercourse (150mg/day for 9 days) and this round we are following the same rx but going to try for an IUI

They are so wonderful. I was traveling M-F for my first 3 cycles and they were always helpful when I called in with questions and trying to get me scheduled around my travel schedule

I like that they have weekend hours and lay out most pricing online so you can plan for visits. The south campus staff is who I normally talk to and they are all wonderful. The downtown office is also really great, everyone’s been really supportive

Insurance isn’t covering any of this so each ultrasound is $125. Pregnancy test is $10. Trigger shot is $115 (I think) if you administer them at home or $140 in the office?

She is incredibly smart and up to date on current treatment options. I liked that if I came in with something I'd read off the internet she was willing to have a discussion about why or why not that particular treatment would apply to me. I did not like that when I wanted to try things she would say there wasn't a "medical indication" for what I wanted to try- when Infertility is unexplained that is exactly the issue, that no one knows what might work, and I wish she were more open to anecdotal information and not entirely research reliant.

Try and trust her. Infertility is hard, but she is really good at what she does.

She is very warm and inviting and easy to talk to.

Amazing. One of the best parts of this office is the nursing staff.

Whether or not they run late depends on what doctor you're seeing which is frustrating. Also the doctors float between offices so you might not see your doctor every time unless you want to travel to wherever they are on that day.

My first born child ;-) I have insurance so I don't know

She felt strongly about single embryo transfer. That is what I wanted so I didn't push it, but I felt that had we wanted a multiple transfer it would not have been received well.

She’s the best doctor I have ever been to ... I wish all doctors were like her. She always explained everything in full detail and gave me very realistic expectations even when they weren’t the best. She went above and beyond researching information for a complication I was having and I honestly think if I had any other doctor I would not be holding my son right now.

None... she is amazing and will cover everything you need

Treated like a friend not a patient

The nursing staff was wonderful... they were always very personalable and sensitive to situations ... they have amazing needle skills and no blood draw or shot ever hurt.

The clinic is very convenient... they have multiple locations all over the city but the main procedures are done in their downtown office. They we’re always able to make appointments easily and quickly and was able to work with my work schedule.

Unsure as my insurance was able to cover some of it

My safety was always a priority and they suggested doing only one embryo transfer at a time

Dr VG is a kind, compassionate, and well educated physician. She's knowledgeable, honest, and concerned about her patients. She explained all of our options and kept me posted throughout each of my procedures.

Listen to what she has to say. She's very knowledgeable.

Dr VG remembers things about your personal life (dog name, etc) it's good to know that shes intetested in and remembers her patients.

The staff needs to ensure they follow up on items. Nurse practitioner are all very helpful. I love that there are multiple offices to select from rather than go down town for every visit. You can usually get an appointment very quickly.

5000