How was your experience with Kathleen Doody at CARE Fertility?
My biggest issue with Dr. Doody is that I don’t feel like communication is always clear. For example, when beginning the IVF process, my husband and I were under the understanding we were doing Effortless IVF because it’s all we had talked about with her. Side note: she’s a huge proponent of Effortless. It wasn’t until we saw the financial consultant at the end of our appointment that we learned we were not good candidates for it. It was frustrating that she did not inform us of this when we were in consult with her. My husband does not think she has a warm bedside manner, and this bothers him. I prefer my doctors to be direct, so I appreciate her candidness. She is very straightforward when she is communicating. She seems to really know what she’s doing, which is why I stayed with her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kathleen Doody at CARE Fertility?
Be proactive in your communication-don’t wait for her to tell you something
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kathleen Doody at CARE Fertility?
I always feel very rushed when I’m with the doctor.
Describe the protocols Kathleen Doody used in your cycles at CARE Fertility and their degree of success.
Before seeing Dr. Doody, I had 7 unsuccessful IUIs at another clinic. She decided we needed to live straight to IVF, which I appreciated because I was over IUIs. I have an endometrioma on each ovary, but there has been no intervention for these. The plan was for a fresh transfer. I started with 20 units of Lupron for 8 days. Then 10 units of Lupron, 2 vials of Menopur, and 75 units of Gonal-f for 9 days. I started my period in the middle of this so we decided to do a FET but planned to proceed with retrieval. Retrieval resulted in 3 eggs, one fertilized, and one frozen.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CARE Fertility.
The nurses have been great. They take their time and listen to my concerns. They were especially great on the day of egg retrieval. My only complaint is lack of communication. For example, post-op nurse told me to start Estrace on first day of my cycle. I went in for first appointment to prepare for FET and that nurse didn’t know I was on the medication and was confused about why I had already started. Doctor called later that day to cancel my FET cycle because my estradiol levels were too high. She didn’t know I had already started the medication either. It seems they aren’t very good at updating charts so everyone knows what is happening.
Describe your experience with CARE Fertility.
The clinic is clean and in a convenient location. They have an in house lab, so there’s no need for them to send your bloodwork somewhere for results. Egg retrieval is also done in the same office. The front staff is courteous. There isn’t a ton of privacy. The consult “rooms” are cubicles, so you can see and hear financial discussions and other conversations (exam rooms are very private). For pre-op, you’re separated by the other person by a thin curtain so you hear each other’s medical history.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Kathleen Doody at CARE Fertility.
My insurance covered all of the testing we needed prior to IVF. IVF cycle was around $9,000, excluding medications. Effortless IVF is much more cost effective, but I did not meet criteria for that.
Describe Kathleen Doody's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CARE Fertility.
For me, she recommended single embryo transfer. She believes the risks to multiple outweigh any potential benefit.
What specific things went wrong at CARE Fertility?
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CARE Fertility.
Communication is lacking sometimes. I described this in a previous question, but day of egg retrieval, I was told to start Estrace day 1 of my cycle. At my first appointment to begin FET cycle, the nurse did not know I had started taking it and was confused that I had. She then did not inform the doctor that I was taking it. The doctor thought my estradiol levels were too high and wanted to cancel my cycle. After I informed her I was taking the Estrace, we proceeded with cycle.