Lindsay Kroener

She gives a lot of great information and can speak really fast, so make sure you ask her questions if something is new to you or you don't understand. She will try to see you whenever possible, and will easily communicate via My Chart through the UCLA portal. We did 3 IUIs and 1 Hysteroscopy to remove a 1cm sessile polyp with her. The plan was to do 2 IUI and then start IVF since I had done 2 other IUIs with a different Dr. at a different clinic. She recommended we did a 3rd IUI before IVF instead of having a "dead cycle" and boy am I glad she did. 3rd IUI with Dr. Kroener was a winner and I am currently pregnant. She will monitor you until at least 8 weeks of pregnancy before discharging you to your regular OBGYN. She is very involved and carrying.

Ask questions if you do not understand something.

I came to see Dr. Kroener early in 2021 after my insurance changed and I was not eligible for fertility benefits. My previous Dr. had suggested I may have a polyp that should be looked at, so Dr. Kroener followed that lead. We did a transvaginal ultrasound and a Saline test to confirm that something was indeed there as I had had a previous hysteroscopy a few months before with a different Dr. and they were not able to see anything during the procedure. During the hysteroscopy with Dr. Kroener, she found and removed a 1cm sessile polyp. After that, we did 2 IUIs with Letrozole, monitoring through ultrasounds, and trigger shot when needed. After the 2nd IUI failed we decided to start moving towards IVF, there is a learning curve for injectables and bloodwork so we would have had a "dead cycle" in-between. Dr. Kroener suggested doing another IUI (3rd with her) if we wanted to, which we agreed to. That IUI took, and I am now pregnant. She monitored me on week 5 for implantation location, week, 6, for a heart bit, week 7 & 8 to make sure the pregnancy is progressing accordingly before discharging me to my regular OBGYN.

Used insurance. Paid co-pays. They have special prices for out-of-pocket.

N/A

Dr Kroener was great. She saw me through diagnosis (she discovered I had mild thyroid issues that previous OB missed, and we tried to see if I can naturally overcome my hyperthalamic amennorrhea), 1 miscarriage, 4 IUIs, 2 IVF and 2 transfers. She was very patient with me as I processed the information and went through this entire journey. In the first IUI, she tweaked my meds gradually to learn what I respond to, and established a good baseline for subsequent procedures so those were fairly smooth. She always presented scientific evidence (citing recent studies, recommendations, and statistics) in a calm and matter-of-fact way, so I always felt that I understood the science behind the decisions and I really appreciated that. We would thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of various decisions (eg whether to do ICSI, whether to test embryos) and she would let me influence them, and as we got updated information, she would recommend that I adjust course, eg my egg count continued to be low during the stims, we were not going to do ICSI initially but decided to do ICSI to maximize chances at these eggs. When she's not scheduled to be in the clinic that day, I would be seen by one of her colleagues and always another doctor, not a technician or a nurse. They would have my chart and if needed they would consult with Dr Kroener on my treatment, so I felt that there was good continuity. Either she or another doctor would perform the IUI and IVF procedures.

She speaks fast (and tries to run not too late). Before every appointment, write down all your questions. If you ask, she'll answer and patiently explain everything. If you don't ask, the appointment will be over pretty quickly. But if you forget to ask, you can always write to her on UCLA MyChart and she responds fairly quickly.

For my first IUI, we started with Clomid (and then increased dosage), but I didn't respond. So then we moved onto Menopur and gradually increased dosage until I responded. We learned that I responded to a certain (relatively high) level of Menopur, so we continued with Menopur for the remaining IUIs. For IVF, Dr Kroener recommended the standard high-dose stims protocol, so we did 150 units Menopur and 300 units Follistim daily, adding in Ganirelix midway. I got 4 eggs in the 1st retrieval, 3 mature, 2 fertilized and frozen. I got 10 eggs in the 2nd retrieval (a total surprise because my follicle development looked only slightly better but very similar to the 1st retrieval), 9 mature, 8 fertilized, and ended with 7 frozen. It only goes to show that despite the best science and holding everything the same, there is variability from cycle to cycle.

I had some insurance coverage for IUIs, so each IUI cost me on average $2.3K out of pocket. I had basically no insurance coverage for IVF. Each retrieval cost me $16K out of pocket, of which $5K were meds (my meds cost were probably on the high end given my dosage). Fresh transfer was $2K. Frozen transfer was $5K.

For my age, Dr Kroener strongly recommends eSET

Dr. Kroener is very capable, personable, and direct. She is clearly busy, but always takes her time with me during my appointments. She answers my questions if I have them prepared, but doesn't often offer a lot of explanation unless I ask follow-up questions about specific elements. I always feel supported and safe with Dr. Kroener, and know she has my best interests at heart. She is very willing to answer questions if you ask them, but not often forthcoming with information otherwise - I found myself thinking of questions after appointments, and she was available via MyChart messenger to answer those questions after the fact, whenever this came up. She called to check up on my emotional wellbeing after my husband had a surgical procedure, and I feel supported by her as a care provider.

Come in with questions to ask, and don't be afraid to ask follow-up questions! She talks quickly but is happy to slow down if you ask her to.

I have PCOS, and did an egg retrieval cycle which involved injectable hormones daily for 12 days before the egg retrieval. I was monitored with blood work and vaginal ultrasounds every other day for those 2 weeks before the retrieval. We then took a few months off before starting a medicated transfer cycle, which we are in the middle of right now! I am currently taking estrogen 4 times a day (for 2 weeks) which will continue through the first 11 weeks of pregnancy after the transfer, and will add injectable hormones one week before the retrieval. I was surprised by how many times the estrogen pill had to be taken- but I perhaps didn't ask enough questions before jumping into a medicated transfer cycle. Hoping for a healthy outcome!

Around $20,000 total, including a surgery for my husband. About $4,000 to Dr. Kroener's team to prepare for the egg retrieval, about $3,000 to cover an embryo transfer, and $2,000 in hormone injections. About $6,000 total for the payment to the transfer center - egg retrieval and transfer.

Dr. Kroener strongly insisted on a single embryo transfer because of my age and the status of the embryos we froze. Knowing the risks of multiples in pregnancy, I was happy to go along with a single embryo transfer! I know there is a larger risk for twins/multiples with IVF anyway, so we are rolling the dice with one embryo transfer at a time, and I feel great about it.

De Kroener was friendly and provided detailed explanations. She often seemed in a rush (as do most busy doctors) but wasn’t rude. I felt a bit frustrated because I wanted to do more testing but was often talked out of it. She encouraged weight loss which seems to be common amongst fertility doctors, however my second doctor never mentioned weight until I brought it up. I truly believe that if from the beginning Dr Kroener wasn’t quick to apply the “unexplained infertility” diagnosis we would have found answers much sooner than we did.

I would encourage being adamant about finding the right diagnosis rather than allowing for the idea that the diagnosis doesn’t matter because the next steps would be the same (this isn’t true).

We did 2.5 iui’s. We used clomid once and letrozole twice. We ended up having to do timed intercourse during one of the rounds of treatment because my husband got sick the day the insemination was supposed to take place. The doctor encouraged 3 rounds of iui before moving on to ivf. While this may be common practice, I do feel it was a waste of time given our eventual diagnosis (that could have been discovered quickly with a bit more testing and would have shown that going straight to ivf would have been the best option).

From what I remember the private pay cost was discounted if you did not have infertility insurance coverage. Iui’s were in the $3000 range.

When visiting with Dr. Kroener, I've always felt like I have her full attention, she is present and allots as much time as I need for questions, etc. She's also very prompt and responsive in messaging via UCLA.

Come with a list of questions, the process of the IUI cycle is very regimented and I feel like I didn't have as much information as I would've like for the first round. I did a lot of external research and knew what to ask. You'll be more prepared.

I've done two rounds of IUI. The first, she was out of the office and I saw a different doctors each time I went in, which is definitely not ideal. We did clomid, I didn't need a trigger shot as I was already ovulating when I came in for a check up. I was told not to do the at-home ovulation tests, which I wish I would've. I was also not informed, when coming in for the insemination, that I needed a full bladder, which make the experience (with the third doctor I had to see) very uncomfortable, and ultimately, I believe unsuccessful. We are currently in the middle of round two IUI, we did Letrazole and the FSH injections, followed by the trigger. Again, I had to see a different doctor, as the insemination fell over the weekend. This doctor was much more competent than the other. We are awaiting the pregnancy test in a week.

Round One of IUI total: $1100. Ultrasounds + visit: $280 x 2. Medication: $150. Parking: $40. Insemination: $350. Round Two of IUI total: $1260, slightly more with medication change.

I really felt like Dr. Kroener wanted her patients to understand what was going on. Every visit I left Dr. Kroener's office with a notes sheet where she had written everything as we were talking about it, she drew diagrams to explain what she was talking about, and made notes about treatment.

Go in with questions. She is great at answering questions but talks very fast so it's very easy to miss something she says. Take notes and don't be afraid to ask her to repeat herself.

We did clomid with timed intercourse for one cycle and two IUIs. I don't remember the dosage but I do remember that we increased one of the dosages on the second IUI because of slower reaction and growth from ovaries.

I had health insurance coverage. However, I had quite a hard time with one of the people in finance. They needed to submit things for coverage and I constantly had to check up on it and make sure things got submitted as necessary. Several times I didn't know if my procedure would be covered.

Dr. Kroener is a great communicator non-judgemental and approachable. She was patient and thorough in her approach and took the time to educate me as a patient. My frustration comes from not getting an explanation or diagnosis which makes me feel unempowered to do anything to improve my odds. I know that there is an element of waiting, but it would be great to get tips in lifestyle modifications

Empower yourself with knowledge about lifestyle and diet modifications to improve your chances of conceiving in addition to the conventional science

She offered Clomid and recommended genetic screening

Not cheap, but we’ll communicated

Dr. Kroener was kind-hearted and very knowledgeable about treatments but sometimes she can talk fast and it can make you a little overwhelmed. She, however, can tell when you are feeling overwhelmed and will break it down. She went on maternity leave during my last treatment but she checked back with me when she returned which was nice.

I would say know you are in great hands but always do your research. And always speak your mind because that is the only way the doctor will know if she needs to do any adjustments to the treatment.

Clomid and injections. I don't remember the dosage but I we went up on the injectables on the 3rd IUI and went up on the clomid. I suffer from anxiety and depression so those 3 months were very hard for me. My emotions were up and down and I felt out of control.

My insurance covered 50% of IUIs but not IVF which I need to do now. I think for all 3 IUI's I was charged a balance of 1300 after insurance coverage.