Kimberly Moon

Dr Moon was great for the initial consult and we came to her from a recommendation. We never saw her again. She was thorough and explained things fine, but she felt more like a salesperson given that she never performed any medical operations.

Don't bother with Shady Grove - they are terrible. The doctors don't really matter in the end, you only deal with the clinical and administrative staff.

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$19k for egg retrieval $8k for drugs $1,500 for required social work $1,000 for genetic counseling $3,000 for miscellaneous fees

She allowed multiple embryo transfer but advised us against it.

Dr. Moon is well educated and seems to be a numbers person. During our consult for our second IVF cycle with her for a second biological child, she ran our data from our cycle 2 years prior through a spreadsheet they had to predict likelihood for success with unexplained infertility and our age and the numbers were so-so. I pushed and asked why we only ended up with (1) blastocyst when I had 21 retrieved and 17 mature/fertilized. She responded that to her that points to male factor infertility bc the cells live off the maternal protein the initial 3 days and then once getting past 4-cells they live off the male DNA. Since we still had 10+ embryos after our Day-2 update and then only 1 come day 5/6/7, she deducts there are some MFI issues and referred us to the urologist in her practice if we wanted more information. If we had decided not to go, then we never would have learned about the Sperm DNA Fragmentation test that is available. I don't know why this test wasn't recommended after our initial 2-failed IUIs or when his semen analysis in initial work up was so-so. The results came back that 36% of his sperm had DNA fragmentation and success for frag over 30% isn't good. For our IVF cycle in 2019 to attempt for our second baby, the urologist recommended he perform a TESE procedure on my husband to get to the source of the sperm before they get fragmented in ejaculation. Again, we had 21 retrieved and 17 mature/fertilize but only 2 make it to blastocysts (day 5 & 6). They were tested and both came back abnormal. At that point, Dr. Moon and the board reviewed our case and decided we could not continue in the Shared Risk program, unless we used 50% donor sperm and 50% of my husband's. While I get they want to protect their data and pregnancy rates, this felt like a blow that they didn't have faith in our future outcomes. We want a full biological family and we know it is possible since we have our son; we'd think they would come up with ways to help overcome this DNA fragmentation. They moved our deposit for Shared Risk over to a Multi-Cycle program (2 tries) and then I don't know what we'll do if those two don't work..... After that failed cycle, I read up on whatever studies I could find and put my husband on supplements for 3-months and he was trying to work on getting his BMI down since the clinic didn't have any recommendations on what we could do to make a difference. Sadly our March 2020 IVF cycle had about 20 retrieved; 18 mature and fertilized and only 2 made it to blast again and both came back abnormal again. We have a teleconference with Dr. Moon this afternoon to talk about next steps, I guess. Curious to see what she'll say....

Don't be afraid to do your own research and schedule calls with her to get questions answered.

I don't recall the treatment protocols for my (2) IUIs, but for my (3) IVF cycles she had me on an antagonist protocol with 225 Gonal-F and (3) vials of Menopur. I am slower to respond, esp. my right side, so my 3rd cycle I was started on these higher doses and stayed pretty steady throughout cycle. Only (1) IVF cycle in 2017 was successful with producing (1) blastocyst (our son). Have a tele-consult with our Dr. this afternoon and am curious if there is another protocol we can try for our final cycle.

Shared Risk for my age was $22,500.00 Multi-Cycle (2 cycles) was $18,500.00 PGT-A Testing - $5,000.00 TESE - $5,000.00 Sperm Analysis - $50.00 Sperm DNA Fragmentation Test - $250.00

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We felt well guided under our care of Dr. Moon. She is frank, to the point and is usually quite clear in her prognosis and decision-making, though we had a bit of an oddball case (says everyone dealing with infertility). I would've liked to have Dr. Moon at our retrieval and transfers but frankly, that's not how Shady Grove works and we understood that clearly before we began. I would like to see more clarity on communication with regard to the pandemic, the clinic, not necessarily Dr. Moon herself, waited a long time, gave unclear directives and made the experience much more unclear; we understand no one plans for this, but the clinic gave very little clarity on action plans for us when it all happened mid-transfer. It was really hard to deal with that uncertainty and I hope communication for Dr. Moon and others improves to reassure patients within each person's portfolio.

No direct advice; continue to give each person time on the feedback calls; we really loved after our retrieval that we didn't receive the numbers we assumed would happen and Dr. Moon took a Sunday call with us to sort through it and give us feedback on how we would approach it moving forward!

Antagonist protocol - Lupron not HCG to lessen risk of OHSS; stimmed for 11 days with Gonal-F, Menopur, and then Ganirelix/Cetrotide. 29 eggs collected, 17 mature, 7 fertilized, 4 made it to blastocyst (1AB, 3AA). Transferred 4AB embryo, pregnant but likely will be ending in a miscarriage (hcg not rising appropriately on second blood draw).

Yes, total cluster 45 min wait times for some days. Not the best way to start and there is then no point to providing monitoring appointments if it's first-come first serve open-ended whenever you want to show up!

Covered by insurance

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I've been a patient of Dr. Moon's for about three years, and have seen her about seven times: once for an initial consultation, again for a second consultation two years later, three or four times during my monitoring for my four IUIs, and most recently for another consultation after my IUIs were not successful. Every time, she has been warm, empathetic, and helpful. I really appreciate how she writes out the details of my protocol--the protocol itself and the medical explanation behind it--on a separate sheet of paper so that I can take it home with me. While I saw her only occasionally during my monitoring, I never expected to see her every day, as my clinic is large and the nurses are very capable. When she broke the news that I have low ovarian reserve, she showed a lot of compassion, even when I got very emotional in her office. She also encouraged me to explore options (donor egg and donor embryo) that I wouldn't have considered; clearly, she cares about getting me to my end goal of a baby. I have referred multiple friends to her. While I haven't yet been successful in getting pregnant, I consider this a fault of my eggs, rather than Dr. Moon--she's not a magician! I feel lucky to have a doctor who is so supportive, particularly since I'm a non-traditional patient (as a single mom by choice).

Also , it's helpful if you look through the clinic's website before seeing her, as it has a lot of good information on it; with a bit of background, you'll be able to ask informed questions and make the most of your time with Dr. Moon.

Based on my initial testing, Dr. Moon diagnosed me with low ovarian reserve. She indicated that if cost was no object, she would recommend that I go straight to IVF. Because I have no insurance coverage for fertility treatment, cost is an object. She said I could try a few IUIs, and then decide to go to IVF, or then go to donor embryo. I appreciated that she didn't try to push one protocol over another, and left this very personal decision up to me. In terms of IUI natural versus medicated, she indicated that medicated IUIs would cost more and have a higher risk of multiples, without much of a payoff (ie, they would only raise my chance of a successful pregnancy by a few percentage points). After I did a first IUI completely unmedicated, she suggested that I use a trigger shot (Ovidrel) for my second IUI; I appreciated that she was looking at and thinking about my protocol and what would be most successful. I did three more IUIs, unmedicated except for a trigger shot, none of which were successful--but based on Dr. Moon's initial prognosis, I didn't really expect them to be. I did the IUIs because I needed to give using my own eggs a shot before I moved to donor egg or embryo. Dr. Moon understood and supported this decision. After four unsuccessful IUIs, she recommended that I move to another protocol, and I concurred.

I had insurance coverage for most of my diagnostic procedures and consultations, and for none of my actual fertility procedures. I paid $1200 for each IUI (actually, I paid $1140, as I had a 5% discount through their discount program).

N/a (though I think she usually recommends single embryo transfer).

Dr. Moon is very open and a candid communicator. She was honest about whether she thought I should pursue treatment, and when one cycle wasn't going well, she was honest about whether she thought I should cancel or not. I really appreciate the fact that every time I talk to her, I know I'm hearing exactly what she thinks about my situation.

I would just say good luck with the treatment! There are definitely no worries or concerns about Dr. Moon herself.

I don't remember all the details of my retrieval, but I think the procedures were pretty standard. I used Bravelle (+ one other drug I'm not remembering), standard trigger shots (only one intramuscular), and never had any problems recovering from the actual retrievals.

I remember that I got 4 cycles/20 eggs for $12k + med costs. There was a refund if you only did one (or maybe two) cycle(s), but since I didn't take that option I don't remember the details.

I haven't gone through embryo transfer yet, but Dr. Moon seems open to eSET, for which I am extremely grateful.

Dr. Moon is extremely efficient (i.e. brisk in her manner), but she's also extremely thorough and approachable. She shared early on that she went through IVF to conceive her own children, so she's able to empathize. I found her to be warm, friendly, and willing to answer as many questions as I could throw at her.

You're in good hands! Let her know early on if you're the type of patient who wants to know the nitty-gritty of treatment details, as she tends to only offer information about the very next step unless you request more detail.

I was "old" (37 at first consult, 40 at treatment) with mixed signs of diminished ovarian reserve. Dr. Moon recommended (and used) an estrogen priming protocol. Still in the stims phase of my first IVF cycle, but so far the response is approximately what she predicted (i.e. not many eggs, but we weren't expecting many).

Self-pay with Aetna discount. Fresh IVF single cycle with ICSI: $7500. Fresh cycle with ICSI and cryopreservation for PGS: $10,700 (plus $2000 to off-site PGS lab). Additional FET: $1850.

Shady Grove as a practice has so much data at their fingertips because they're a machine. Their recommendations are very specific to your age, prognosis, and history. But they certainly try to minimize the risk of multiples.

Dr. Moon overall was a nice lady. I am a nurse and understood many of the things that were going on but my husband did not and he always felt dismissed. I saw her on my initial consultation and one other time. She did take time to come and give me an ultrasound while the regular staff was at lunch and I was having a miscarriage. Other than that she never performed one procedure. I saw a variety of other dr's. She did call after my miscarriage and I explained to her a complacation that I was having and she brushed me off. I had to be seen at an urgent care. She never even called after my failed transfer

Ask a lot of questions ans do not expect much

I did a round of drugs for egg retrieval (injections, pills and vaginal suppository). Had a "practice" egg insertion, the actually incantation and then a frozen transfer. During the frozen cycle I participated in a clinical trial.

Around $10,000

She only suggested/recommended single transfer

I'm a fan - I imagine success has something to do with it, but the overall experience was good. I knew by the time I got to Dr. Moon that I was going to struggle conceiving, and that it wasn't for any identifiable reason. That helped temper my expectations I think. I thought she was reasonably realistic (given my numbers that gave no reason to think my results should be abysmal), and confident without being arrogant. I know I asked lots of questions at times, and all were answered patiently.

Standard antagonist protocol - BCP followed by FSH, menopur and then cetrotide I think. Attempting to keep growth slow but steady, and keep all follicles in range. Aiming for fewer high quality follicles (as someone who could produce a fair number, but of poor quality). Standard trigger criteria, but we held off a day or two based on history, so things were slightly larger. On my FET, it was medicated, so BCP and then something (can't recall).

Insurance covered in large part, so I don't recall.

Dr. Moon was used to working with SMCs and was recommended to me. She reviewed my file and gave me plenty of time to talk about my history and the potential options at her clinic. I knew what I wanted to do and she was quick to help me figure out next steps and also worked hard to help me determine which donor was the right one for me.

I got pregnant on my first DE transfer so I didn't have a rigorous protocol.

I chose a guaranteed DE program and it was expensive. I think the cost was $30,500. I've tried to block out the cost but my daughter was well worth the money!

The clinic strongly prefers eSET for DE.

We've had good experience albeit not the result we hoped for yet. I would appreciate more guidance with regards to use of supplements and alternative wellbeing eg acupuncture, but unless there is hard science and evidence she doesn't make recommendations. We would have liked to have been given the full pgs report after both lots of treatments as it would have helped us process the disappointment. On asking we received it, but you have to know to ask and be your own advocate.

The more you ask her, the more info you'll get. She has also been through ivf herself and so understands from the patient point of view.

I think it was standard protocol with Menopur/Gonal f/ cetrotide and Lupron trigger. Good response, 5 embryos but only one normal. Fet failed. Second retrieval was Lupron Stop protocol with 375 Gonal f and 125 Menopur. Again good response, but all 4 embryos came back abnormal. Retrieval 3 starts tomorrow and back to first protocol. I took 2 months break and tried all the supplements etc of my own accord.

Treated me as if I was a younger patient. I am older, so treatments selection may have been too harsh on my eggs. She adjusted protocol which yielded more, poor quality eggs. She didn't listen to my concerns and my money went down the drain along with precious time.

IF you're older, find someone else. If you're younger, you may stand a chance conceiving.

THe first cycle was standard protocol- Gonal F , menopur, centrotide. HGH. The second included the previously mentioned but also a lupron stop..yielded more eggs then previous protocol. Overall, over 41 eggs retrieved but none were of quality.

Over $25k

Doctor Moon was a total professional with my wife and I. As this procedure is already delicate and somewhat stressful for my wife and I, Dr. Moon remained engaged, very attentive and absolutely patient with us.

Be prepared to have your mind as ease with Dr. Moon and her wonderful staff

We've only reached the point of me taking the Clomid for my low sperm count. We have not moved any further as of yet.

The total for our procedure is around $23,000

You will never see or talk to her other than the initial consult and when planning treatment.

Spent under $1k for two rounds of Timed Intercourse, 2 doctor consults, HSG, Semen Analysis, and bloodwork.

She was very patient with us. Walked us through all of our options. Educated us the infertility and the unfortunate and difficult place of being "unexplained."

I had most of the treatments covered by insurance.

She is a bit cold and not terribly helpful, but the thing that bothers me the most is that she knew that we lived in Maryland and never asked if we had thought about getting secondary insurance through the state (MD is 1 of 4 states that offers this option). The practice's financial representatives hounded us for over a year and never mentioned this option either. It made us feel like the practice is a business first and care provider second. We never felt great about Dr. Moon, so we ended up going to George Washington University IVF & Fertility instead. It was the FIRST thing our new doctor mentioned. This saved us an incredible amount of money and gave us peace of mind as we weighed our options. I want other Shady Grove patients to know about this option and I thought that FertilityIQ was a good way to share.

It was mainly consultation.

I believe it was a $50 consulatation