Laxmi Kondapalli

Dr. K spent a lot of time outlining the basics of IUI and IVF which I understand because you can't assume your patients would have done their own research ahead of time. She was good about providing visual drawings and notes to reiterate what she was verbally describing. We, admittedly, didn't take as much advantage the first couple of appointments with her to ask her questions. During our 3rd regroup, we made it a point to collect questions we had through out the process so we could get her feedback. She provided sufficient responses to our of our questions. We even had some feedback about the process and our nurse and she addressed them fairly and compassionately.

This goes for any appointment with your doctor. Collect questions you might have through out your own personally research and reading. Feel free to ask all the questions you might have even if you feel comfortable about what you've already read about the topic. At CCRM, you don't have frequent interaction with your doctor so make sure to take advantage of every regroup meeting. I have not personally taken advantage of this yet but I recommend reaching out to your doctor outside of the normal regroup meetings if you have something specific you want them to address. In terms of care, I believe even if I did not interact directly with Dr. K, that she was privy to my progress, labs, and check ups.

The business process of CCRM doesn't allow you to connect with your doctor on a regular basis. You deal mostly with your nurse. However, when I did touch base with Dr. K for regroup meetings, she was warm and genuine.

3 IUIs all with 100mg clomid on days 5-10. Estradiol suppositories 3x day for the first round and 2x a day for the 2nd and 3rd. It wasn't until our IVF stimulation regroup that I saw my lining never got thick enough to be a viable IUI attempt for the 2nd and 3rd. The IUI itself felt like a procedural process rather than a viable attempt at pregnancy. At the time of the IUIs, I did not want to be as involved in my numbers and just blindly followed directions. I wish I would have been more engaged. During my IVF cycle (still in the middle of it), Dr. K's 21 day estrogen priming protocol with 300 iu menopur seemed to have done the trick with 29 follicles (19 of which were bigger). She allowed me to skip a couple of follicle check ultrasounds and labs which I really appreciated. My E2 levels did sky rocket so we dropped down to 75 ui of menopur on day 12 of stims. She also adjusted my trigger protocol to lupron only due to my high E2 levels. My retrieval date was adjusted based on follicle size. Unfortunately, we had purchased additional menopur and Novarel at the start of the stim cycle not knowing that the protocols could change. I wish we had known to order meds incrementally so we wouldn't have extras. The nurse did say she would trade me any medication that hasn't been opened with others I may need for the transfer.

My nurse, Tracy, was very compassionate and easy going. I'm not sure if it as a communication issue with the Dr. or what but there was some confusion along the way. I also never got my labs or ultrasound report unless I spoke with a nurse after my follicle checks or specifically asked for my lab numbers. Requests for copies of my reports in the portal were largely unanswered. A couple of times, I touched base with a different nurse after my follicle checks or over the phone only to learn there were other appointments that I did not know i needed to make. Could this be a business process issue with CCRM by having the nurses act as the care coordinator? I recommend making it a point to ask for results specifically and meet with a nurse after each appointment to make sure multiple nurses have looked at your file and can speak to your progress.

I've read other reviews here that they felt like a cattle in a cattle call at CCRM. Yes, CCRM has a much larger volume of patients than any other Colorado reproductive endocrinologist. Their business processes are going to reflect that. Some people feel more at ease with regular frequent contact with their doctor rather than regroup appointments at certain points in their care however, I don't believe frequent interaction with your doctor necessarily results in the best care. I do believe there are some downfalls of their business and finance departments. They might benefit from having a patient care coordinator rather than relying on the nurses to take care of that too. Overall, I was able to get time sensitive appointments scheduled and get the care I needed. The appointments themselves were efficient and straight forward. CCRM's lab and research is supposed to be what gives them the highest success rates. So far, I've observed this to be true. You do need to be responsible for your own care so make sure you ask all the questions you need rather than assume they will tell you what you need to know.

Fertility first (first time IVF) package allowed 10% off. 21K upfront covered ultrasounds, lab work, regroup appointments with doctor, transfer, ICSI, retrieval and transfers, genetic counseling, 4 PGS embryos. Did not cover diagnostics like doppler test (40 copay but insurance might have covered this), communicable testing ($400 per person), and specialty meds (approximately $5K with about $400 worth left over). The IUIs were probably 2,000 or so each.

Have not transferred yet so don't know for sure. I do recall her saying she recommends single embryo transfers after CCS (PGS) testing due to the high success rates.

Dr. Kondapalli does a great job explaining and drawing everything out so you have something to leave with. I also appreciated that she would change my protocol whenever things did not go as expected and was constantly striving for improvement.

Continue to ask questions, I learned so much by asking the detailed questions and felt like I had more understanding and control over my treatment.

I genuinely feel that Dr. Kondapalli cares about her patients and the outcomes. I know she even texted my nurse who was off work after my egg retrieval to tell her how well it went. She’s great!

I did three retrieval’s and every one was different. We started with 2 vials menopur and 225 gonalf. The second was 2 vials menopur, 300 gonalf, 2 tabs clomid, and HGH. The last retrieval we did 2 vials menopur and 150 gonalf (best results). We also did more aggressive priming each time starting with BCP, then luteal estrogen priming, and then extended estrogen priming.

I can’t say enough good things about my nurse. She was on top of it and I felt like she was truly invested in every procedure and outcome.

I think the nursing staff is fantastic and one of their strengths. I also really enjoy how quickly they can get you in for appointments and how well they all communicate. The financial side of the business could use some work. They don’t really communicate well and it’s hard to get the data and numbers from them.

The costs were presented up front however, it was difficult to understand what pieces could/would be covered with insurance and which weren’t.

She ultimately left it up to use which is what I preferred.

I think dr K absolutely knows her stuff and was good at adjusting my treatments each round of my IUIs as she learned new info, however I rarely knew why she was doing what she was doing. I wish I’d had check ins after each one, but that wasn’t offered. I believe she cares deeply and is in her office truly studying my #s and deciding the best course for us, on the flip side lots of questions go unanswered since I have zero communication with her.

Ask a LOT of questions up front as you might never speak with her again.

I’ve never actually spoken with Dr. K (over the phone Orin person) since my initial appt.

I’ve done 3 IUIs so far- all failed. 1st IUI- oral clomid and took forever- 5 ultrasounds in total- eventually triggered and did timed intercourse. 2nd- oral clomid followed by menopur shots still took a long time (40+ days)- 4-5 ultrasounds in total- eventually triggered and did timed intercourse. 3rd IUI: oral clomid alongside menopur shots- 1ultrasounds in total- growth was more predictable- triggered and did timed intercourse. Each one took a different course and they seemed to get more streamlined as we progressed.

The nursing staff is clearly over worked with too many patience, so not all the blame falls on them. That said, my particular nurse treated me as if I was on a ‘need to know’ basis and didn’t need to know anything. I felt like a lot of details as well as reasons/rationale were left of, I was oftenleft puzzled testing a friend who had been through this. Also, a couple mistakes were made in regards to medication etc.

Their lab and results are great. Their reputation is too notch. Their doctors are well regarded. Their facilities are top of the line. Weakness: there Private equity backed and it’s a money making machine- so they are very very lean on staff (too lean) and the nurse I interacted with was not the best. You have to really stay on top of them.

I am about $10,000 in including all the workup tests, appts, etc. and then the 3 IUIs.

N/A

My experience so far has been positive with Dr. K but I'd prefer more communication with her (rather than just the nurses and other staff). She takes time to explain options and the situation and doesn't make me feel rushed or that I'm asking too many questions.

Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself and push if you need or want more information or guidance.

Overall, I have felt that the staff has cared about me and my success. The nurses (who you mainly deal with) have been sympathetic and available. I feel they understand my disappointment and frustrations.

I've attempted 3 IUI's. The first IUI I was on the max amount of Clomid (150 mg) and I hated it! The clomid really messed with my head and I was extremely emotional and irrational. I developed one follicle and a negative pregnancy test. The second IUI I was on the max Clomid again (which I was terrified of, but didn't have a bad experience this time) but my follicles weren't growing, so she added injectable Menopur. I seemed to have the opposite affect from the Menopur and my follicles didn't respond at all, so she removed me from the Menopur and had me do another round of Clomid (150mg) - that seemed to do it and I ended up with three follicles, but I had another negative pregnancy test. This last IUI attempt, I did the max Clomid (150mg) and wasn't responding at all, so she added the menopur again. After another week, my follicles were very small and it didn't look like my body was responding to the meds at all. We decided to cancel the round. I am going to attempt an unmedicated round, since the meds don't seem to be working anymore and if that doesn't work, I will move onto donor egg/embryo.

I've been pleased and impressed with the nurses.

CCRM has a good reputation as far as the "experts" in the field - however, it feels a little like a bottomless money pit. I also had a mix-up with the scheduler which almost ruined my entire IUI cycle - I was disappointed that nobody followed up with me after the mix-up to apologize.

$200 for every ultrasound visit, approx. $150 for the IUI procedure. Clomid is pretty cheap (about $25-$30) and the menopur was approx. $800 per round.

Dr. Kondapalli was one of the best physicians that I have ever worked with, if not the best. I am a physician myself and I have extremely high standards for medical care. I sought out Dr. Kondapalli after a well respected physician colleague of mine recommended her after she helped her to achieve a successful healthy pregnancy. I am from out of state, but it was more than worth it to travel in to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Kondapalli. She was amazing and surpassed all of my very high expectations. This was my second experience with IVF and the first one was not a positive one at all. During my first egg retrieval, only 8 eggs were retrieved and three embryos were created. These aren't horrible results for many IVF families, but 8 eggs from a relatively young and healthy person without fertility issues, is very disappointing. When I started seeing Dr. Kondapalli it was apparent from the very beginning that I was dealing with an entirely different level of expertise. To make a sports reference, it was like I went from T-ball to the major leagues. She was able to retrieve 28 eggs, 22 of which fertilized. This is a remarkable retrieval result and it is entirely due to Dr. Kondapalli and her unparalleled attention to detail, conscientious monitoring and skilled adjustments throughout the entire process. In addition to her clinical skill, I highly recommend Dr. Kondapalli because she will genuinely care about you and your results and she will go above and beyond to help you in any way that she can. Due to the day that my retrieval fell on, I was scheduled to have my retrieval performed by another undoubtedly skilled physician at CCRM. I traveled to Denver from out of state specifically for Dr. Kondapalli, so I was understandably really upset and disappointed that the person who I had come to trust was not going to be there for one of the most important steps in the process. I expressed my disappointment to Dr. Kondapalli and she did something for me that I will never forget. She arranged for the OR schedule to take me in early and she came in to perform my retrieval on a day when she was not supposed to be working at that location. She came in early for me around 6am and then traveled to her other location to start her normal work day afterward. I will never forget the kindness and selflessness that she showed to me and I cannot recommend her enough.

Definitely go to her.

Due to the day that my retrieval fell on, I was scheduled to have my retrieval performed by another undoubtedly skilled physician at CCRM. I traveled to Denver from out of state specifically for Dr. Kondapalli, so I was understandably really upset and disappointed that the person who I had come to trust was not going to be there for one of the most important steps in the process. I expressed my disappointment to Dr. Kondapalli and she did something for me that I will never forget. She arranged for the OR schedule to take me in early and she came in to perform my retrieval on a day when she was not supposed to be working at that location. She came in early for me around 6am and then traveled to her other location to start her normal work day afterward. I will never forget the kindness and selflessness that she showed to me and I cannot recommend her enough.

The billing office is unkind and gave me a lot of misinformation, other than that it was a great experience. The strength was the obvious experience and skill of the physicians and nurses who work there.

I felt Dr Kondapali was not genuine. Her enthusiasm seemed false, like that of a cheerleader in a movie. When pressed to try things out of the standard protocol, she was completely unwilling. Her only suggestion was that I moved to IVF. She refused to treat me for more than six IUI cycles. I found another doctor, with 10 years more experience than her who was willing to give it at least a year, given the fact that he had had women my age become pregnant. I believe Dr Kondapali was more concerned with her statistics and bringing in the IVF Revenue than actually helping me have a baby within the limits I was faced with the financially and age wise.

Do not go looking to her for compassion. Also, make sure you’re well educated on the process because the nurses are not always equal in their knowledge. I would highly recommend Dr. Schoolcraft, because Ellie, his nurse is extremely knowledgeable, and serves as an excellent substitute when he’s not directly available for questions.

I rarely spoke to my doctor. She seemed uninterested in trying anything with me other than the repeated suggestion I move to IVF, which I could not afford at the tome

Dr Kondapali let me do one natural cycle at my request. The second cycle, we tried a relatively low dose of Clomid 50mg and one or two Menopur injections for boosting. After that, we moved to Femara 10mg ( I reported side effects from Clomid) plus Menopur 150. When that didn’t work, I believe we increased to 300. That was for two additional cycles. After that, I switched clinics when she broke the news to me that she would only do six medicated cycles with me and that no one else in the practice would touch me either for more than that.

The nurses often had to go back to the doctor to get answers to questions. This was a different experience to the one I’m having now with Dr. Schoolcraft Nurse Ellie who is able to answer almost all of my questions. Whenever I would get upset, because a cycle failed or just the Billing stress got to me, I would shed tears. Twice the nurses suggested I “speak to the psychologist”, which of course, comes with a hefty fee of over $200 I believe.

I think CCRN fantastic lab, and several high-quality doctors. The greatest frustration point I have with them is cost, followed by the fact that you cannot switch doctors if you’re unhappy. I think that’s ludicrous. They made a one time exception for me because I came back for a different procedure – IVF, and told them I wasn’t coming unless I could have a doctor other than Kondapali. They gave me Dr. Schoolcraft as I requested.

Since this was covered under insurance, it’s hard to estimate what my out-of-pocket actually was, because they are still processing claims that are over a year old! The billing process was terrible. The cost of my IVF procedure I estimate at about $40,000 including additional diagnostics and medication above the cost of the procedure.

I am at the beginning stages of IVF so I cannot answer this as of yet

Our path has been turbulent, considering that we had to change doctors after egg retrieval and prior to the embryo transfer. We were told that we had very good chances of pregnancy, and felt extremely confused when we got a negative pregnancy test. Dr. Kondapalli made some adjustments to round 2, but same result, negative pregnancy test. When we went into our consult after the second failed attempt it was disheartening to hear that she was already recommending surrogacy or adoption. We still had so many questions, as this didn't make sense to us, and I felt like I needed to take things into my own hands, rather than fully relying on CCRM.

Be your own advocate.

Dr. Kondapalli was very friendly and seemed invested in our case.

The first round of IVF was pretty typical - I didn't have any hormone issues, and so we used the lowest doses possible. For the second round of IVF, Dr. Kondapalli didn't have any changes other than suggesting that we use the progesterone oil. During my consult after the second failed attempt, she recommended that we try a uterine scrape (I wonder why she didn't try this before). I asked her whether we could forgo using the hormone medications, and she said that we could if we wished, which I appreciated.

While I was under care, I had many different nurses (one terminated, one went on maternity leave, etc.). This created some issues, as there was clearly a lack of communication. In one instance, my calendar was incorrect and I had to contact them to fix it and change my protocol. In another instance, I had not heard about my pregnancy test results and had to call in before they closed for the day. That's how I found out about my second failed attempt, which broke me.

CCRM has a great clinical team - I had many eggs fertilize, and so far I haven't had any issues with my embryos surviving the freeze and thaw. That being said, I haven't had a successful transfer, and sometimes question the viability of the embryos (even though they have been genetically tested, etc.).

We were talked into doing every test and procedure, as there were male infertility issues that we had questions about.

We chose one embryo for the first attempt, as she said that I had a very high chance of pregnancy. She recommended transferring two embryos for the second attempt. I have no complaints about this approach.

At first I was thrilled to have her as a doctor. She was energetic and fun. It became clear very quickly that she made many mistakes - we had to correct her. She misdiagnosed and recommended the wrong protocols. She pushed donor sperm despite the fact that we said repeatedly we did not want that. We met with her 3 times. After our last attempt, we refused to meet with her because of her complete lack of care.

See another doctor.

She frequently confused information. She had never read our chart when we went to meet with her. She made many mistakes. We only met with her 3 times. She refused to admit she made mistakes.

She first put me on an antagonist protocol, it produced a lot of eggs but my estrogen skyrocketed. The second protocol was the same but with estrogen priming. My estrogen hit almost 7,000. She refused to admit that it was the protocol and actually had the nerve to say, "we could change the protocol, what do you think we should do?"

It's hard to blame the nurses because they are underpaid, overworked and not trained. I never had one nurse - I spoke to several who frequently made mistakes.

A money-making machine that pushes donor egg and sperm to boost their numbers.

Cattle-call line.

In total, almost $75,000 including one unnecessary surgery for my husband. Result: 0 embryos

Good with communication, spends a lot of time to explain procedures, positive, will develop innovative plan. Will call after positive and unsuccessful results. Really feel like she cares and is in this with you.

Ask a lot of questions

very personable, she is positive and you can tell she cares

I'm not able to get a thick lining. Dr K used a STIM FET cycle which other doctors wouldn't use. I became pregnant both times. I appreciated how she was willing to try different techniques.

Very caring, thorough, organized

up to date surgery center, a lot of staff means someone is always available. high quality nurses. don't always explain small details, like follow up steps after loss. with any clinic the patient always needs to understand the protocol and ask a lot of questions. I've found (and other patients I've talked to have found) that their billing office is often disorganized and will charge incorrectly. make sure to always know what you should be charged for and be ready to dispute any incorrect charges.

I've done a total of 4 retrievals and 8 FET cycles at two clinics. With acupuncture and medication I've spent over $120,000. Don't remember specifically at CCRM but it is more expansive than the first clinic I went to.

CCRM likes to transfer one embryo at a time

Dr. Kondapalli looked at our situation and gave us personalized recommendations. Then, when my pregnancy was ectopic and moments away from rupturing, she performed emergency surgery to remove my left Fallopian tube and most likely saved my life.

She is very willing to answer any questions you may have, so definitely come prepared with a list!

My first IUI cycle resulted in a positive pregnancy. Unfortunately, it was discovered to be an ectopic pregnancy in my left tube. Dr. Kondapalli dropped everything and performed emergency life-saving surgery to remove my tube. I am eternally grateful to her for her professionalism and for how seriously and exceptionally she treated such a terrifying experience.

Tracy was my primary nurse during the IUI and Erin was my nurse during the ectopic pregnancy and salpingectomy.

CCRM is the best for a reason. Everyone is very knowledgeable and when my situation became life-threatening, everyone took it very seriously and made sure I was okay. You do have to advocate for yourself, as well, but I’ve neevr had a hard time getting a response and I’ve always felt like I was taken seriously if I had a question or concern.

Dr. K has a wealth of knowledge. She used pictures/drawings to show the process. This helped to have a visual understanding of what we would experience. She always had time for our questions and spoke truthfully about all results. Dr. K is a bright light in a journey that could be very dark!

Contact her for a consultation! I learned more in a 30 minute conversation about my 3 previous cycles with another doctor from her, than anytime during each cycle.

We always felt she had time for all of our questions, understood our history and cared about the success of our cycle!

Helen was a pleasure! She was quick to respond to emails and phone calls. She never made you feel that you asked too many questions. Orders for monitoring and prescription orders were always prepared and ready quickly!

CCRM Lone Tree is a fabulous clinic! They are skilled and able to look at each case independently. I love that they have a research department and that you have the opportunity to be part of a trial if the doctors feel you would benefit.

I like doctors that work collaboratively, that don't get huffy if you have questions. Dr Kondapalli was great in that respect. I think she was one of the newer doctors at CCRM when I saw her but I thought her approach was a good fit for me.

Like any clinic, have a list of questions ready so you can make the most of your one on ones with the doctor, since you often interface with nurses instead.

Great bedside manner. Very compassionate.

My nurse was very responsive. The one thing I didn't like is she only worked 4 days a week, so if it was her off day, you had to wait for a callback from someone who didn't know your situation very well.

Doctor was great. Lab is world renowned. Business office was truly bad - lots and lots of room for improvement there. In addition to errors on their part and inability to coordinate with insurance company properly, lots of times they simply wouldn't respond - there is no excuse for that. Took many months of weekly efforts on my part to get reimbursed part of the upfront fee since I had insurance coverage. It shouldn't be that hard.

It was around 20k upfront, even if you had insurance coverage that would reimbursing them. I think PGD was additional, but can't recall the details.

She is a great doctor, but she doesn't explain as much as I would like. In some cases, I don't think that I got to make decisions knowing all of the facts. In addition, she is very, very conservative in her advice. She may order every test on the planet, and doesn't seem aware in the least what the financial burden for the patient is. I suspect that at her new clinic, CCRM, she may also steer a borderline IVF candidate towards a donor before another doctor.

If you have a complicated case and want a clearer briefing about your options, maybe use one of the other doctors in the practice.

I saw her at the University of Colorado Advanced Reproductive Medicine clinic in her capacity as an oncofertility specialist. She was very upbeat, kind and engagged.

CCRM, where I briefly followed up with Dr. Kondapali after she moved, feels like an elitist, greedy place. The intake process was infuriating and insulting, the receptionists infuriating, and the nurses poor communicators and detached. Everyone says that CCRM has great doctors, but the administration of the clinic is a nightmare and it is the doctor's responsibility.

She was very loving & supporive which is a big deal when you are paying so much money & so hopeful. She had a great bedside manner & obviously did a great job! She was also very good with my parents who had a lot of questions & concerns. She treated us like humans not just another patient. She also sent a card when we got positive results. She's a wonderful human & an incredible dr!

Nothing, no advice. They would find out how great she was all on their own!

She was very loving, kind, positive and supportive. My favorite doctor ever!!!

I don't remember the exact specifics but they really tailor it for the individuals needs. We did a frozen embryo transfer & it produced twins :)

Honestly, everyone was amazing. I did not have a bad experience with anyone!!

Run like a well oiled machine. It's expensive but well worth it. It's clean, run well & everyone is very nice

around $40,000.00

No, they knew best with my history & did warn us that we could possibly have twins. We were good with that & trusted them.

Dr K is very knowledgeable & compassionate. She explains the IVF process very well & seems to have the knowledge to adjust protocols in order to get a good response. I had a history of being a poor responder to stimulation meds at a local clinic & I am convinced I would not have had 2 embryos to freeze without Dr Kondapalli.

Do research & bring questions. She will answer them & address all concerns.

Lab is the strenggh

20k

She offered single or 2 embryo transfer based on the quality of my embryos

Dr. K is very upbeat and is quite the cheerleader. She is thorough and responds in a timely manner. The nurses we dealt with were always accessible. They use an online database service that I was not in love with for questions, but they also always returned my calls, no matter what. While we had a miscarriage, it was out first successful pregnancy after 4 tries.

Ask lots of questions

She is just plain awesome. Very update, thorough and honest

Since I was using donor eggs, my protocol was different. CCRM is very strict on all levels of what you can and can't do.

I dealt with kristy and dale. They were both very responsive and easy to talk to. They walked me through every step of the way and showed compassion when I lost the child.

They are very expensive and thorough so the timing takes a long time. Since I went to U of Utah first and had an ectopic pregnancy, I was not eligible for a refund at CCRM. I have to disagree on this part...everything else was great

Approximately 65k