Although I am grateful for her [Michelle Catenacci] insight I was completely disappointed in her lack of bedside manner...all she said to me was if you can’t handle this pain I don’t know how much there is left for me to do for you... After my last visit with her I was left heartbroken and confused and without an idea of what the next step is. Nor did I ever receive a call or a follow up...
I really liked the facilities. The clinic [Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago] was very clean and organized. They worked like a well oiled machine which is why I was really hell-bent on making it work. The nurses down to the receptionist were all very nice...the nurse stood at the door and waited for me as I sobbed in the bathroom and was extremely compassionate and held my hand during the procedure that wasn’t able to be done because of my pain tolerance. The one good memory I have from that day is her.
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
I think that Dr. Catenacci is extremely knowledgeable and intelligent in her field which is why a lot of things are overlooked by other patients. Although I am grateful for her insight I was completely disappointed in her lack of bedside manner. Going through infertility is not something easy or something I would wish on my worst enemy and I think that sometimes doctors who know they are good at what they are doing think they can get away with not showing compassion to their patients. After my last visit with her I was left heartbroken and confused and without an idea of what the next step is. Nor did I ever receive a call or a follow up. It wasn’t until I spoke with my gynecologist who helped me figure out the next steps were along with my primary care doctor that I felt encouraged to keep going. I expected better after seeing the reviews and was left extremely disappointed. I also want to make it clear that this isn’t a situation of not hearing what I wanted to hear and being upset over it. We weren’t even able to get that far.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
She is a great doctor if personality and bedside manners don’t matter to you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
I saw her twice which I completely understand because we were in the early stages of diagnostics however when we were going through some thing delicate all she said to me was if you can’t handle this pain I don’t know how much there is left for me to do for you. Which a lot of doctors have told me that that’s not the way to go about talking to someone and that those were not my only options .
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
After my saline sonogram that failed the nurse stood at the door and waited for me as I sobbed in the bathroom and was extremely compassionate and held my hand during the procedure that wasn’t able to be done because of my pain tolerance. The one good memory I have from that day is her. I wish I still remembered her name because she was awesome.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
I really liked the facilities. The clinic was very clean and organized. They worked like a well oiled machine which is why I was really hell-bent on making it work. The nurses down to the receptionist were all very nice.
What specific things went wrong at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
The only issue I had with the staff was that they forgot to call me about a medication that I was supposed to start sooner rather than later and to schedule an appointment that had to be done ASAP.
I had to ask questions for conversation [with Dr. Catenacci]. She seemed knowledge of my medical history, demonstrating good recall. She smiled a lot and was friendly. Overall I had a good experience but I wouldn't say it was above and beyond... I ended up with 15 eggs retrieved and 13 fertilized with ICSI. I transferred one fresh embryo and sent the rest for PGS testing...She gave us the option of transferring 1 or 2 fresh. She didn't provide a whole lot of insight or guide us towards a decision. I wish she would have given more support in either direction.
They [Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago] are easy to get in touch with and quick to respond. They called with monitoring results when they said they would. It was quick and easy to schedule appointments. They didnt provide as much in writing as I would have liked. They would just call with med changes and I prefer to have a completed calendar on hand...The nurses were very kind and patient. They were quick to respond and answered all my questions. They were easy to get a hold of.
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
She seemed kind. She answered all my questions but was also yo the point and didn't expand the conversation. I had to ask questions for conversation. She seemed knowledge of my medical history, demonstrating good recall. She smiled a lot and was friendly. Overall I had a good experience but I wouldn't say it was above and beyond.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Be sure to ask questions to get all the information you seek.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
The nurses were very kind and patient. They were quick to respond and answered all my questions. They were easy to get a hold of.
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
I printed with estrogen due to a low AFC of 7. For stims I used low dose HCG, gonal F, cetrotide, and triggered with 5,000 units HCG. I ended up with 15 eggs retrieved and 13 fertilized with ICSI. I transferred one fresh embryo and sent the rest for PGS testing. I am still waiting to find out how many made it to blast for testing, the results of testing, and results of the fresh embryo transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Sue)
I mainly dealt with 2 nurses (Sue out of the main Gurnee clinic, and Ashley at the Crystal Lake clinic where I went for monitoring). They were both great. They were very responsive, kind, supportive, understanding, answered all my questions, were quick to respond.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
They are a much smaller clinic then I previously went to so they took getting used to. They are easy to get in touch with and quick to respond. They called with monitoring results when they said they would. It was quick and easy to schedule appointments. They didnt provide as much in writing as I would have liked. They would just call with med changes and I prefer to have a completed calendar on hand.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
We opted for the no refund package that includes 2 Fresh and 2 Frozen Transfers with ICSI for $20k. We spent an additional $3800 for PGS testing on up to 8 embryos.
Describe Michelle Catenacci's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
She gave us the option of transferring 1 or 2 fresh. She didn't provide a whole lot of insight or guide us towards a decision. I wish she would have given more support in either direction.
Dr. Catenacci was very kind and caring and seemed to have a good outlook on our IVF journey, when we first met. However, I didn’t get a chance to ask her questions once treatment started, or have any concerns addressed. During my follow up after my failed transfer, I had quite a few questions and it was hard to get answers from her. She seemed bothered by my questions and wasn’t willing to try something different for another cycle.
Every time I had a question, for the Doctor, or billing [at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago], they seemed annoyed or bothered by it...95% of my communication was through my nurse Ashley, and mostly through email. She was extremely responsive...I feel that AFCC has a protocol that works for them, and when it didn’t work for me, there wasn’t much willingness to try something else.
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Dr. Catenacci was very kind and caring and seemed to have a good outlook on our IVF journey, when we first met. However, I didn’t get a chance to ask her questions once treatment started, or have any concerns addressed. During my follow up after my failed transfer, I had quite a few questions and it was hard to get answers from her. She seemed bothered by my questions and wasn’t willing to try something different for another cycle.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Do your own research, and try to ask as many questions in your initial appointment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
I feel that AFCC has a protocol that works for them, and when it didn’t work for me, there wasn’t much willingness to try something else.
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
Estrogen priming and stimmed for 12-13 days with Omnitrope, low dose HCG, and started at 450iu of Gonal for the first 3 days and then increased to 600iu of Gonal for the remaining days
Describe your experience with your nurse at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Ashley)
95% of my communication was through my nurse Ashley, and mostly through email. She was extremely responsive.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
I think overall AFCC can be a good fit for certain patients, if you’re a good responder. But I wouldn’t expect them to go above & beyond in any aspect, which is unfortunate especially if you’re new to the process. Every time I had a question, for the Doctor, or billing, they seemed annoyed or bothered by it.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
I traveled from out of state for my IVF procedure, therefore I worked with my local clinic for monitoring.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
I had insurance coverage for one IVF cycle, so my out of pocket expenses were somewhat limited. However, they did prescribe Omnitrope which was over $2000. They also had me on an extremely high dosage of Gonal-F, so I maxed out my $15,000 lifetime max on fertility meds before my first cycle was complete.
What specific things went wrong at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
The treatment plan [from Dr. Michelle Catenacci] seems very cookie-cutter...She seems to be a very good doctor in terms of knowledge and skill. However, it does not seem like she listens to me, or is very aware of my medical history. It does not seem like my treatment plan is tailored to me...Be prepared to advocate for yourself...Clomid IUI...only do IVF procedures (egg retrieval, embryo transfer) at their Gurnee location, which isn't obvious right away, so keep that in mind if you're coming from Chicago.
excellent staff (nurses, billing, reception, ultrasound techs) [at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago]. They only do IVF procedures (egg retrieval, embryo transfer) at their Gurnee location, which isn't obvious right away, so keep that in mind if you're coming from Chicago...The treatment plan seems very cookie-cutter, not customized to me...Be prepared to advocate for yourself...Most of the staff seems to be very knowledgeable, caring, and remembers me.
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
She seems to be a very good doctor in terms of knowledge and skill. However, it does not seem like she listens to me, or is very aware of my medical history. It does not seem like my treatment plan is tailored to me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Be prepared to advocate for yourself.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
The treatment plan seems very cookie-cutter, not customized to me.
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
Clomid IUI
Describe your experience with your nurse at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
Most of the staff seems to be very knowledgeable, caring, and remembers me.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
They have a very high success rate, and excellent staff (nurses, billing, reception, ultrasound techs). They only do IVF procedures (egg retrieval, embryo transfer) at their Gurnee location, which isn't obvious right away, so keep that in mind if you're coming from Chicago.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
They have a lot of prices on their website, and costs quoted so far have been pretty close to what is online. For example, monitored Clomid IUI is $1250 (website currently says $1100).
I never saw Dr. Catenacci besides our very firs consultation appointment. She had me under go 3 rounds of IUI and each one came back negative. After my 3rd failed IUI, she then had the nurse call me (per usual) and tell me that the doctor thinks we should check to see if my tubes are open if we want to move forward with another IUI. I feel, that should have been done my very FIRST appointment, because if they are blocked.. I just wasted a lot of time and a lot of our hard earned money.
the nursing staff [at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago-Gurnee] is great! They all seem very knowledgeable, always answer any questions you may have to the best of there ability, and all made me feel very comfortable during each ultrasound, and iui procedure. if you're going with Dr.C don't plan on seeing her or communicating with her at all.... I was on Femara/Clomid each cycle.. 3 pills for 5 days. Ultrasound to check follicles, trigger point shot when ovulating, husband would collect sperm and the IUI would be done an hour later.
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
I never saw Dr. Catenacci besides our very firs consultation appointment. She had me under go 3 rounds of IUI and each one came back negative. After my 3rd failed IUI, she then had the nurse call me (per usual) and tell me that the doctor thinks we should check to see if my tubes are open if we want to move forward with another IUI. I feel, that should have been done my very FIRST appointment, because if they are blocked.. I just wasted a lot of time and a lot of our hard earned money. That's when I left and got a 2nd opinion.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Make sure you are knowledgeable about treatments and what needs to be done before hand.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Our first initial appointment with Dr. C was good. She explained everything thoroughly, answered all of our questions, and gave us a step by step of what procedures we would be doing and how long we would try them. That was the ONLY time I've ever seen her. Everything IUI procedure was done by a different nurse, the nurses would be the ones to contact me and tell me my next steps. She didn't exceed in the patient care in my eyes.
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
I was on Femara/Clomid each cycle.. 3 pills for 5 days. Ultrasound to check follicles, trigger point shot when ovulating, husband would collect sperm and the IUI would be done an hour later.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
the nursing staff is awesome. Each nurse I had was very knowledgeable and showed compassion each and every time.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
the nursing staff is great! They all seem very knowledgeable, always answer any questions you may have to the best of there ability, and all made me feel very comfortable during each ultrasound, and iui procedure.
if you're going with Dr.C don't plan on seeing her or communicating with her at all.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
Each IUI cost me about 1600
Describe Michelle Catenacci's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
My first round of IVF [with Dr. Michelle Catenacci] was a typical IVF however it didn't produce enough eggs so it was converted. After that, we became very aggressive and did the Microdose Lupron flare. This produced 11 eggs but only two were retrieved. Additionally, I took Coq10 and DHEA on a daily basis...I appreciated that she personally called me when my eggs did not make it to Day 2; however that was my only interaction with her. All other interactions was with her nurse which was frustrating. I would have liked her to at least check in with me during the cycles
The clinic [Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago] has multiple locations, is clean and all of the staff (even technicians) are super friendly and inviting. The doctors are extremely knowledgeable. The weakness is lack of direct communication with the doctors...Cathy [nurse] was absolutely amazing. She was beyond supportive and would spend as much time with me as I needed. There is literally nothing negative I could say about her. I would recommend her to anyone!
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Dr. Catenacci is great to meet in person; however, the only time I spoke with her was our initial consultation, another consultation that I specifically requested and when she called to tell me that my embryos did not make it. It is very disappointing that she never calls me to discuss next steps or even to check-in as this is a very expensive, stressful process. I honestly thought about leaving her office after my first failed IVF but I stayed because of her nurses. It is disheartening that everything is run by the staff and not Dr. Catenacci.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Don't expect to hear from Dr. Catenacci except for initial meeting and failed IVF embryos.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
I appreciated that she personally called me when my eggs did not make it to Day 2; however that was my only interaction with her. All other interactions was with her nurse which was frustrating. I would have liked her to at least check in with me during the cycles
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
My first round of IVF was a typical IVF however it didn't produce enough eggs so it was converted. After that, we became very aggressive and did the Microdose Lupron flare. This produced 11 eggs but only two were retrieved. Additionally, I took Coq10 and DHEA on a daily basis.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Cathy)
Cathy was absolutely amazing. She was beyond supportive and would spend as much time with me as I needed. There is literally nothing negative I could say about her. I would recommend her to anyone!
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
The clinic has multiple locations, is clean and all of the staff (even technicians) are super friendly and inviting. The doctors are extremely knowledgeable. The weakness is lack of direct communication with the doctors (it is my understanding that all of the doctors are like this).
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
My insurance covered a lot of the expenses - we ended up paying out of pocket around $15,000
Describe Michelle Catenacci's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
For my case, she recommended that I transfer 2 embryos (assuming there were 2 embryos) due to my low quality
Dr. Catenacci was always nice, but I didn't interact with her that much...Dr. Catenachi is personable, friendly and easy to talk to... I decided to change clinics after my first cycle was cancelled and my second one only resulted in 1 embryo. I do have lower reserve, but i was given a 40% chance of success based on my AFC during the initial consult. I decided to change doctors because I didn't feel she was that invested in achieving success for me.
AFCC uses their nursing staff to do all the communication, even for big decisions like cancelling a cycle or calling with a negative pregnancy test result. While the nurses were kind, I would have appreciate more communication from the doctor directly...Nurses were all friendly and usually pretty prompt in responding to calls and emails. They do seem to have a high caseload and be extremely busy.
How was your experience with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Dr. Catenacci was always nice, but I didn't interact with her that much. I decided to change clinics after my first cycle was cancelled and my second one only resulted in 1 embryo. I do have lower reserve, but i was given a 40% chance of success based on my AFC during the initial consult. I decided to change doctors because I didn't feel she was that invested in achieving success for me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Expect the communication to be only through the nurses unless she is the doctor performing procedures the day of your procedures or if you schedule a meeting with her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago?
Dr. Catenachi is personable, friendly and easy to talk to. However AFCC uses their nursing staff to do all the communication, even for big decisions like cancelling a cycle or calling with a negative pregnancy test result. While the nurses were kind, I would have appreciate more communication from the doctor directly. I believe they see alot of patients, so the communication style did make me feel like a number.
Describe the protocols Michelle Catenacci used in your cycles at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago and their degree of success.
While my AMH and AFC are somewhat lower for my age, they never expected for the cycles to go as badly as they did. My first cycle was birth control and then antagonist. It was cancelled due to poor response and converted to IUI. Given my lower reserve, I don't think we should have ever tried birth control suppression. The second cycle we did estrogen priming with microdose lupron and HGH. Results were somewhat better, but we only retrieved 2 eggs and got 1 embryo. I know the doctors can't be blamed for poor response, but on my third IVF (at a different clinic), I was able to get 12 eggs (8 mature) from an estrogen priming and antagonist protocol with max stims. So the protocol and the administration of the cycle (doses, triggering, etc) can make all the difference.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. (Assigned nurse: Donna)
Nurses were all friendly and usually pretty prompt in responding to calls and emails. They do seem to have a high caseload and be extremely busy.
Describe your experience with Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
I was drawn to AFCC due to their transparency in pricing and success rates on their website. I also found their success rates to be very good. As previously mentioned, I didn't like the communication style of all communication through nurses, even for important decisions like cancelling cycles and negative pregnancy test results.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michelle Catenacci at Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
I have some insurance up to a lifetime max, so things were covered once we hit deductible and OOP max.