Mary Stephenson
University of Illinois at Chicago
Available Lines of Communication
Not available by email
Direct line to nurse
Not available by personal cell phone
Medical SchoolU. of British Columbia
ResidencyU. of British Columbia
FellowshipU. of British Columbia
Chicago
1740 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612
866.600.CARE
3 assessments
10
8
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
5 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
10
8
We first saw Dr. Stephenson after our third loss and felt very encouraged by how thorough she was at our initial consultation. During the course of her work up, she treated me for chronic endometritis that took several biopsies and courses of antibiotics to clear.... She is very connected in the field and runs tests with other doctors across the country. Everything she does is based on numbers and science and data. I felt very encouraged to have her as our doctor, but it is frustrating that she favors natural conception
It's tough to see Dr. Stephenson at UIC Hospital because it's part of the Women's Clinic seeing all types of patients. It is not uncommon to be surrounded by pregnant patients waving their ultrasound pictures around (not like my experience at normal RE's offices where you are all there hoping and trying to get pregnant).... Jennifer [nurse] is very compassionate. During a hysteroscopy earlier this year they found retained pregnancy tissue
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
4th of 4 Docs
Treatment
5 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
10
8
How was your experience with Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
Dr. Stephenson is a detective and will do all the necessary work ups to evaluate you as a patient. In our experience she is the only person we've encountered who focuses on recurrent pregnancy loss and staying pregnant (beyond just getting pregnant like most REs). She is very connected in the field and runs tests with other doctors across the country. Everything she does is based on numbers and science and data. I felt very encouraged to have her as our doctor, but it is frustrating that she favors natural conception when it feels like there are things we could be doing in a given cycle to improve our chances at a pregnancy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
If you've experienced two first trimester losses or one late loss, I would get in to see her as soon as possible. I feel like if we had seen her earlier in this process, we would not have experienced our third miscarriage (second trimester loss).
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
We first saw Dr. Stephenson after our third loss and felt very encouraged by how thorough she was at our initial consultation. During the course of her work up, she treated me for chronic endometritis that took several biopsies and courses of antibiotics to clear. When we finally were ready to start trying again she suggested progesterone supplements after ovulation and baby aspirin. She definitely favors natural conception for her recurrent pregnancy loss patients.
Describe the protocols Mary Stephenson used in your cycles at University of Illinois at Chicago and their degree of success.
Dr. Stephenson favors natural conception. She put us on progesterone supplements post ovulation and baby aspirin throughout your cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at University of Illinois at Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer Benson)
Jennifer is very compassionate. During a hysteroscopy earlier this year they found retained pregnancy tissue (months after my D&C) which was extremely scary to watch on the monitor. She reassured me that I was exactly where I needed to be to resolve the situation. She also answers all of my questions throughout the process via phone calls.
Describe your experience with University of Illinois at Chicago.
It's tough to see Dr. Stephenson at UIC Hospital because it's part of the Women's Clinic seeing all types of patients. It is not uncommon to be surrounded by pregnant patients waving their ultrasound pictures around (not like my experience at normal RE's offices where you are all there hoping and trying to get pregnant).
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago.
Everything has been covered by my insurance for recurrent pregnancy loss evaluation and treatment.
Describe Mary Stephenson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Illinois at Chicago.
NA
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3
5
Age
38 - 39
Treated
2016 - 2017
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
4 IUI, 5 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
3
5
Dr Stephenson is a brilliant scientist. However, if your issues do not lie squarely within her interest of study, she shrugs you off. She is uninterested in the work of other doctors and does not care to try methods common at other clinics. As a patient, I did not feel that she took a personal interest in our case. She is always rushed, often running off to a conference, and her post-procedure write-ups regularly included errors...I primarily saw Dr Stephenson for RPL management
The clinic [UIC - Chicago] shares a waiting room with MFMs and OBs. For doctor's appointments, it is common to wait with obviously pregnant women and children. Monitoring is done before this other section of the clinic is open...I've had to call multiple times to get RXs called in. I've had temps call me when cycles have failed (rather than the regular nurse or the RE). There was an instance when the doctor said I was okay to cycle and the nurse disagreed. In the time it took to clear up the confusion the cycle filled and I was delayed two months.
Age
38 - 39
Treated
2016 - 2017
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
4 IUI, 5 IVF
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Unexplained
3
5
How was your experience with Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
Dr Stephenson is a brilliant scientist. However, if your issues do not lie squarely within her interest of study, she shrugs you off. She is uninterested in the work of other doctors and does not care to try methods common at other clinics. As a patient, I did not feel that she took a personal interest in our case. She is always rushed, often running off to a conference, and her post-procedure write-ups regularly included errors.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
Do your research ahead of time. Have your questions ready and your history clearly written out. If you are interested in a specific treatment, bring supporting documents with you. Don't read into her tone; she talks to everyone that way.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
The majority of our appointments were spend correcting information that was put into the system wrong. Even after two years of treatment, she still looked at me like I was a stranger every time she saw me.
Describe the protocols Mary Stephenson used in your cycles at University of Illinois at Chicago and their degree of success.
I primarily saw Dr Stephenson for RPL management. She is an advocate of TLC aka weekly first trimester ultrasounds. She also very carefully monitors TSH.
Describe your experience with your nurse at University of Illinois at Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Karen)
Nurses tend to return calls by close of business the following day. They are generally compassionate. Their attention during procedures is excellent. Unfortunately, it wasn't clear if they were actually passing on information (from calls) to the doctors. There were several occasions where I felt as if they were making decisions for the doctors.
Describe your experience with University of Illinois at Chicago.
The clinic shares a waiting room with MFMs and OBs. For doctor's appointments, it is common to wait with obviously pregnant women and children. Monitoring is done before this other section of the clinic is open. The clinic is part of a very large health system so you have the potential to benefit from many doctors, in many specialities.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago.
Dr Stephenson's care was mostly covered under my insurance. The only exception was the EFT (Endometrium Function Test) which cost $600.
What specific things went wrong at University of Illinois at Chicago?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Provided conflicting information
- Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at University of Illinois at Chicago.
I've had to call multiple times to get RXs called in. I've had temps call me when cycles have failed (rather than the regular nurse or the RE). There was an instance when the doctor said I was okay to cycle and the nurse disagreed. In the time it took to clear up the confusion the cycle filled and I was delayed two months.
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10
5
Age
37
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
IVF, 1 Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
5
It’s worth the wait to get in to see her [Dr. Mary Stephenson]!...There was a 3mos waiting period from the time i called to schedule my appt to the time we were able to see her...in our very first meeting we found out i had miscarried for the 6th time in a row. The circumstances were very tough but dr Stephenson and her staff her absolutely wonderful and incredible supportive throughout the remainder of my visit.
they [staff at University of Illinois at Chicago] were just wonderful, supportive, friendly, kind and accurate...There was a 3mos waiting period from the time i called to schedule my appt to the time we were able to see her [Dr. Mary Stephenson]. On the day we went there was a pretty long wait in the waiting room from the time we checked in, close to an hour after my appt time. Once we got in though, the staff and doctor were fantastic!
Age
37
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Operations
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 3 Docs
Treatment
IVF, 1 Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
5
How was your experience with Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
My first appt had been planned for months for a consultation to advise on unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss... weekend before the appt i found out i was pregnant unexpectedly, but the staff advised me to keep my appt. the first step in the appt was an ultrasound where we found that at 7weeks the baby’s heartbeat had stopped. So in our very first meeting we found out i had miscarried for the 6th time in a row. The circumstances were very tough but dr Stephenson and her staff her absolutely wonderful and incredible supportive throughout the remainder of my visit. We had driven in from 4hrs away for the appt and like i said had been scheduled to see her for months so despite the traumatic we wanted to make our time together count..-& were there for several hours after receiving the news of the miscarriage. The medical staff continued to treat us as if we were family, it was very appreciated.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
It’s worth the wait to get in to see her!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago?
The medical and office staff were very welcoming.
Describe the protocols Mary Stephenson used in your cycles at University of Illinois at Chicago and their degree of success.
We have only had a single consult with her.. will be scheduling our next appt soon.
Describe your experience with your nurse at University of Illinois at Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer)
Again they were just wonderful, supportive, friendly, kind and accurate.
Describe your experience with University of Illinois at Chicago.
There was a 3mos waiting period from the time i called to schedule my appt to the time we were able to see her. On the day we went there was a pretty long wait in the waiting room from the time we checked in, close to an hour after my appt time.
Once we got in though, the staff and doctor were fantastic!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mary Stephenson at University of Illinois at Chicago.
N/a
Describe Mary Stephenson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Illinois at Chicago.
No comments on this topic
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