How was your experience with Paul Kuneck at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota?
Dr. Kuneck is very intelligent and was thorough when we actually saw him. However, that was not often. We mostly communicated with the nurses and other staff. Our only embryo transfer (which failed) was not performed by him, but rather a doctor I had never even met. My egg retrieval also was performed by another doctor in the clinic. The lack of presence was something I did not anticipate when we initially chose him as our RE. I had hoped for a doctor who was more hands on and who was more directly involved with us throughout the entire process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Paul Kuneck at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota?
You really need to be our own advocate. Do your research and question any and everything you are doubting or concerned about.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Paul Kuneck at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota?
CRM is the busiest fertility clinic in Minneapolis with a high patient volume. Despite the countless office visits and appointments, it still felt as though I was a stranger to the staff.
Describe the protocols Paul Kuneck used in your cycles at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota and their degree of success.
For my retrieval, I initially was put on BCPs for 2-3 weeks, then lupron for 10 days, menopur, and Gonal F. This seems to be their go-to protocol. Fortunately, I responded well to the meds and didn't need any tweaking. They retrieved 19 eggs, 12 mature.
For my FET cycle, again did BCPs for over a month. Once stopped, started lupron, then added estrace orally 3 times a day. Also 1 low dose aspirin. I started Progesterone in oil 5 days before transfer. This time I didn't respond well to the protocol, as my lining wasn't getting thick enough. I only measured 6.1 mm on day 14, so my transfer date was pushed out a week. They increased my estrace to 3 2mg tablets orally and 1 vaginally at night. On day 21, I measured 7.6 mm which they seemed to be satisfied with. I was very concerned that my lining wasn't thick enough, and suggested that maybe we cancel. We only had one embryo, so I wanted every precaution to be taken. I was told not to worry, that my lining was just fine. We went ahead and transferred our only beautiful, hatching embie, which resulted in a negative pregnancy.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota.
The nurses were great. They were always available to answer questions. I rarely saw the same nurse twice, so I never felt like any of them really knew me. But one nurse in particular (Theresa) was amazing. I was fortunate enough to have her 2 or 3 times. She was so caring and supportive. She listened to my concerns, and really helped ease any worries or fears I may have had.
Describe your experience with Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota.
I think this clinic is best for those who are the typical infertility case. Those who require a different and more customized approach, would do better elsewhere.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Paul Kuneck at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota.
We did 1 cycle of IVF with ICSI, 1 MicroTESE surgery and 1TESE surgery for my husband, egg freezing, embryo freezing, and 1 Frozen Embryo Transfer. Total our costs were upward of $30,000.
What specific things went wrong at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Center for Reproductive Medicine of Minnesota.
My results were never communicated to me. I had to call and ask to get my FSH, AMH, LSH, Prolactin, and Estradiol levels. I also was never told what my lining measurement was after my first retrieval. After I began reading chat boards online, I soon realized that these should be common knowledge to the patient.