Kathryn Honea

My experience as a patient with Dr. Honea has been pretty good. I think that she is very knowledgeable and I respect that she is easy to talk to. I really respect her that she has gone through a similar process to conceive her children, and that she was very understanding when we had to re-start our the process because my dad passed unexpectedly prior to us being the donor egg transfer; which put a lot of stress on our family. She makes you feel like you are not crazy for your feelings, and that you are not broken but just have to find a different way to become a mom. She has been our doctor for more than three years, and we would recommend her to other people. She has a personality that makes you feel comfortable and at ease, and makes you feel like become parents. She makes me feel comfortable and at ease, and answers any questions that I might have. I really appreciate her honestly, and I really like the fact that she is spiritual as well. She has made my husband and I experience pretty good, and help answer our questions.

A piece of advice that I would give a patient coming to Dr. Honea would be to come with any questions that you may have. Don't be afraid to ask your questions, and don't think that any question you ask are weird or not right to ask. You want to make sure that you questions and concerns are addressed, and don't be afraid to ask again if you don't understand. Don't be afraid that your questions are stupid or that you may have asked them more than once.

I think I feel like a number sometime because I don't have a direct contact with her office. I have to call the nurses line, and then wait all day or even sometimes two days to hear from them. I think because her practice is so large that you feel like a number because there are some many patients. Also, with her main practice being in Birmingham; its hard a lot of the time to get in touch with her even though she has an office in Huntsville. Moreover, I am a patient at the Huntsville office. The staff at the Huntsville office are amazing, but I don't have direct contact with them if I have any questions, and everything is funneled through the Birmingham office, which makes it difficult. Sometimes, it feels like being a number because I don't have someone directly that I can call with questions. I think that if my care was designed specifically for me and they would stay in contact with me more, I wouldn't feel so much like a number.

When I first started with Dr. Honea, I believe some of the first strategies that she used involved trying to get my period started. She used clomid, and birth control pills to try and get my period started, but I wasn't able to get my period started. She also had to remove a large fibroid on my uterus that was causing me pain and maybe the cause of me not getting my periods. After the surgery, she still continued to try and start my period, and I did get my period at least twice, but then it stopped. She would then start me on cycles of estrace, progesterone, and a round of metaformin because my blood glucose was extremely high and they thought that I might have PCOS. Moreover, when I would go for a uterine lining check, it was not thick enough, and my levels were not were they needed to be, so they would start the process over again. I continued on the cycles for about 2 years, switching my medicine out from estrace and progesterone to metaformin. After about 2 years Dr. Honea came to the conclusion that I was pre-menapausal, and that I may not get my period again,but she continued wit the estrace and progesterone in order to build my lining for the donor eggs; because she said that would be our best option for having children. However, I had to stop my cycles when my dad passed away unexpectedly in 2016, and I wasn't able to really start again until January of 2017. When I started treatment again, she also tried a round of Lupron shots for about 2 months in to get my lining and numbers up to par in order to get ready for the frozen egg transfer. She stopped the lupron shots because I still didn't get a period, but my lining was adequate and she ordered a SIS, and HSG back in October of 2017 which came back normal, as she wanted to make sure that my body would be ready to receive the donor eggs. I have continued to be on the metaformin, estrace, and progestrone for now until do select a donor from MyEggBank.

I think that the Nursing staff at her Huntsville office are great. I don't have that much direct contact with the nursing staff at Dr. Honea main office in Birmingham. I think that her nursing staff in her Huntsville office are so nice and compassionate, and I really enjoy her staff there. The nurses at the Birmingham office I have only spoken to over the phone, and they seem pretty nice. The Birmingham nurses are the main points of contact, and are in charge of the nursing line. I don't get to talk to the nurses in Huntsville unless I schedule an appointment. I think that her nursing staff are pretty nice, but I would like to be able to speak directly with the nursing staff at her Huntsville office since I deal with them more often than the Birmingham nursing staff. Both nursing staff are very helpful.

I would describe the ART of Program of Alabama strengths as follows:Knowledgeable and caring physicians and nurses; More than one location;Welcoming staff; Some weekend appointments offered;Lots of resources available regarding infertility; Answers your questions and helps you understand the processes involved with the ways you can become parents. Another strength would be the scheduling process. I would say that some of their weaknesses would be not being able to email the office with questions, not being able to speak with nurses at your designated clinic directly, and not having a specific nurse assigned to you.

My insurance did not pay for any of my expenses with Dr. Honea; however, my husband's insurance did pick up some of the cost. Moreover, I was still responsible for payments that our insurace didnt cover such as medications such as Lupron that cost $179.00. Exams that would cost between $200 to $250. I have come out of pocket for medications, office visits/exams SIS, HSG, and the our psychological consult that we did prior to registering with MyEggBank. In total we have spent roughly $6,500 out of pocket.

Dr. Honea will be doing a single embryo transfer which I am okay with since this is our first time doing it, and we wanted to make sure that if it didn't work on the first try, that we had another embryo to try.

We love Dr Honea. She has always treated me like a human being, not just another number. She is very experienced and compassionate. She has personally called us when problems have arose and when I found out I miscarried. She is straight forward and always tells us what our next step is.

I have been lucky to *mostly* speak with the same nurse, Lauren. However, at such a large practice I have had to speak to other nurses. I️ always feel way more comfortable just speaking with the same nurse because it feels more personal. I have come across some nurses that are not very compassionate and it feels like they’re just scooting me along or I have asked a stupid question. I’ve often told my husband that just because the nurses deal with so many patients everyday and have probably become custom to all of the weird questions, they should still try to show more compassion, sometimes the bluntness is a little harsh.

It is a large clinic with multiple doctors so sometimes I have felt like just a number when traveling to the main Birmingham office. I understand they are busy, but I have encountered mistakes and miscommunication between myself and some of the staff members. It was pretty discouraging even with how much we love our doctor.

We started with an IUI and I️ think the cost was around $300. But we did a sperm freeze as well so I believe that was another $300. I don’t exactly remember how much the medicine cost. For IVF we decided to try the Shared Risk refund program where payment is due upfront and 3 IVF cycles are included. We paid $18,800 for 3 cycles, which doesn’t include the stim meds or monitoring office visits. The IVF cycles include egg retrieval and transfers and if ICSI is needed as well. We have had two egg retrievals so that means two rounds of shots each time costing around $1,400. Normally I pay $35-75 per office visit when an ultrasound is needed, which is every week after a positive pregnancy test is confirmed.

Dr Honea has strong opinions on multiple births. I have gathered because of my age that she prefers to transfer just one embryo at a time. After this miscarriage we may move onto two embryos next transfer. But she is very weary of multiples and the risks of carrying multiples.

When I first met Dr. Honea I fell in love with her personality. She was relaxed and funny. I left my consultation with assurance that she could provide the best treatment for my husband and me. We chose to use her over another doctor. By the end of the IVF cycle, I felt worthless and irrelevant. Reflecting on everything after the fact is when I realized how little my family meant to her. With the lack of communication to the failure to discuss lab results which would have greatly effected the results of the IVF cycle. I know that there are no guarantees and that IVF is a prayerful plee for positive results, but Dr. Honea took our ability to choose how we went forward. After consulting with a different doctor, we realized that I had a low AMH which would have been the reason I had a low number of eggs retrieved. Dr. Honea only said my labs were good. At the time, I believed her. Now, I wish she would have talked to me about my labs and my options.

Make your own decision, but I would steer clear of ART Fertility.

I only saw Dr. Honea twice throughout my entire IVF cycle. I met her at our consultation and again at my embryo transfer. I spoke on the phone with her twice. The first time when she called to discuss my husband’s genetic screening. When I asked a question about an upcoming appointment, trying to verify that I wasn’t messing anything up, she stopped me mid question and dorected me to ask the IVF coordinator. The second phone call was when she called to tell me that my pregnancy was nonviable and i had to either stop my Progesterone shots and have a natural miscarriage or continue the shots and schedule a D&C. The third phone call never happened. We were scheduled for a phone conference at 8:30 in the morning. She called at 9:00. I was unavailable. She rescheduled the phone conference for 2:30. Her secretary called to reschedule it for 3:30. No one ever called back. No one. Not Dr. Honea, not the secretary, no one from the clinic called me back.

I was prescribed Gonal-F, Menopur, and Cetrotide for 10-12 days. I took Pregnyl (HCG) before the retrieval and Progesterone in Oil after. The Centrotide was added after my first scan after my baseline, around Day 3 or 5 perhaps. It caused a small reaction at the injection site that lasted for about 30 minutes, not painful. The Progesterone in Oil started causing hard knots in my muscle and itching on the skin after a couple of days. The nurse suggested warming the medicine a little before injecting. It helped a little.

I met a new nurse with every visit. They seemed to smile and nod and go about their day to day routine. I had one nurse call me and tell me that my schedule was wrong and I was going to have to wait. After I got upset someone called and apologized for her miscommunication. There was one or two nurses that I spoke to several times and actually learned their names. They were great. Hailey and Lauren. Everyone else is a blur.

They seem to be a popular clinic. The waiting room was always packed. HGTV was always playing in tv. Coffee was available in the waiting room even though majority of us had been told not to drink caffeine. I always found that ironic. The wait time was never more than 30 minutes. They were very quick to get you in and seen. They have a large staff so there was never a friendly face to greet you at the door. If you had question you had to call and leave a voicemail. There was always someone new returning your call, and you never knew when they were going to call you back. If you left a message before 2:00, it would be returned that day. Any messages left after 2:00 wouldn’t be returned until the next day. I never felt like I knew what was going on even after asking the same questions every time.

We had to pay a little over $13,000 for the egg and sperm retrieval, fertilization, and the embryo transfer. Other labs and monitoring fees cost a few thousand.

I only had 1 embryo available for transfer. Out of the 6 eggs retrieved, 5 matured, 4 fertilized. 3 embryos fragmented which left us with 1 embryo available to transfer. Besides only having 1 available embryo, nothing was ever mentioned about an eSET.

Dr. Honea is obviously passionate about her patients and genuinely wants to help them reach their goal of parenthood. She spent more than our allotted time with us and listened to all of our concerns and responded to each one. I trust her decision making and plan for us. Regardless of the outcome of our journey I will forever be greatful we landed in her office.

Don't feel scared to ask questions. Also, I promise you will leave with a plan and a peace about the direction she is taking you.

Dr. Honea has an actual conversation with my husband and I instead of just talking at us in medical terms. She made us feel like people who were important to her and she took the time to listen to our concerns. We went to her as a second opinion after several failed cycles with a previous doctor and she was willing to try new things and tests that had either been dismissed previously or never mentioned. Can't say enough positive things about Dr. Honea.

We have only completed one cycle but we did 5 days of Letrazole cd 3-7 then 3 planned days of Gonal-F and had to add a day due to slightly less than acceptable response. Cd 11 monitor with preganyl trigger cd 12. Post coital test cd 13 with IUI the next day. Progesterone suppositories day 15 (i think) till negative beta cd 26. The above plan was put in place based on 3 previously failed IUI with just Letrazole to achieve a better response. In those 3 I had only ever had 1 lead follicle that never was larger than 18mm 2 days before IUI. In this one cycle we had 1 over 20, 1 at 18, and 1 at 17 at time of trigger with ultrasound and blood work confirmed ovulation.

Nancy is absolutely amazing. She is serious when she needs to be but lighthearted when the time calls for that as well. She is passionate about her patients. Explains everything in great detail and makes sure you understand the protocol. Mary and Terri are awesome as well and make the entire experience as undaunting as possible.

We had our first visit in the Birmingham office so I'm not sure what initial visits in the satellite offices are like but here is what I will say. You will be in the office for at least 3 hours between the consult with your physician and all the necessary testing. Everyone we have encountered at both Birmingham and Huntsville have been nothing short of amazing. They will walk you through the entire process and are always willing to answer any question you may have. Communication is excellent. So far I have no weaknesses to speak of, only praises.

Each visit was $35 including all monitoring and scan visits. IUI was roughly $400 out of pocket. Meds (letrazole, Gonal-F, preganyl, and progesterone suppositories) were around $150 with insurance and overnight shipping.

She was very candid about the uncommoness of our success. She seemed to take interest in us personally and understood that with my medical background, I had more in depth questions and had a better understanding of what and why things were happening

Don't be afraid to ask questions. She will answer anything you need her to.

She took personal interest in me. She understood with my pharmacy background that I understood the science behind every decision made and the process. As a Christian, she even prayed with us during both transfers!

I was on clomid for eight months before seeing her. We did one last challenge then began a stimulation cycle for IVF. I had several mature follicles with clomid, so my risk of multiples was very high though my chance of pregnancy was not improving. I was diagnosed as unexplained infertility so IVF was our best option

There are specific nurses assigned to IVF patients. They are familiar with the process and any questions. It helps that when I did have questions, they were confident with their answers, which eased my fears

It's busy. Be aware you might be there for awhile. Also, parking is a hassle. It was nice that there are satellite clinics closer to me so that I didn't have to schedule an entire day around travel

Costs for medications Costs for procedures Costs for labs Embryo storage

Based on my age, number of embryos, and other criteria, I was a candidate for single blastocyst transfer. Dr Honea suggested this as she is a strong proponent of decreasing multiples risk

Dr. Honea is great, she talks to you like she is your friend. She is honest and tells you like it is, but isn't harsh. My husband loved her as well and she made him feel so comfortable!

My insurance covered 80% of everything except injections. Their office works with you if you do not have insurance. It is very affordable for what you get. IUI was out of pocket of course but wasn't an arm and a leg.

Nurses are very personable. Some nurses have to run the information back & sometimes can’t answer your question. Sometimes i got the run around & wasn’t too sure of what to do. Every time i called the IVF dept it took longer for them to contact me back.

Patience & Bring questions.

Because she has made our experience very personable. When you see her she focuses only on you & your partner & answers every question. When she needs to call she calls you along with nurses.

Endometrium Follistim 225 iu Menopur 75iu Genorelix HCG

Nurses were very educational & stayed with you 100% of the time during the retrieval & transfer. I was a little disappointed when it came to our last trigger shot, i was told to just read the instructions & when we got back in the office we were wrong.

Everyone is super friendly & knowledgeable. Bring questions & don’t hesitate to ask questions to understand your procedures, medications if possible bring them w you. Ask your doctor questions & ask them to walk you through what they are doing to best understand.

Over the last years we pay every time we visit. Cost for IVF with insurance coverage was around $1150.

Single embryo transfer it’s like a 50/50 chance rather multiple gives us a higher chance as well as multiples