[Dr. Marshburn's] bedside manner was exactly what we needed — truthful, to the point and compassionate... He cares about his patients’ health first and foremost. He never pushed an agenda and allowed my body’s response (and that of my husband’s) to guide the process. He saw me as an individual and always put me first — over any possible outcome. But mostly he was kind and he answered ALL of my questions with knowledge and experience. I can’t imagine having trusted anyone else to get us where we are today.
She [nurse at Carolinas Medical Center] was the best listener and communicator. I always left knowing what the next step was and it felt as though she walked alongside me — rooting for us and cheering for us. She seemed just as excited that our transfer was successful as we were. I never felt alone and words can’t express what that does for someone going through such a stressful and emotional experience.
How was your experience with Paul Marshburn at Carolinas Medical Center?
From day one, Dr. Marshburn was kind and informative. His bedside manner was exactly what we needed — truthful, to the point and compassionate. And not only that, but when he helped pioneer the fertility clinic years ago, he fought to make it affordable for the folks who worked for the hospital. Which, in my case, was extremely beneficial as it gave me incredible financial assistance/benefits for pursuing help with our fertility. He cares about his patients’ health first and foremost. He never pushed an agenda and allowed my body’s response (and that of my husband’s) to guide the process. He saw me as an individual and always put me first — over any possible outcome. But mostly he was kind and he answered ALL of my questions with knowledge and experience. I can’t imagine having trusted anyone else to get us where we are today.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Paul Marshburn at Carolinas Medical Center?
Ask questions! He’ll answer them honestly and he has a great way of explaining things so that they make sense. The body is so complex but he makes it more easily understood and will go out of his way to make sure you understand what’s going on.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Paul Marshburn at Carolinas Medical Center?
The entire staff at this location treated my husband and I with respect and kindness. They went out of their way to make us comfortable, speak the truth, and cheer alongside of us during our TTC journey. We were seen as individuals, not statistics, and were treated as though our situation was unique (because it was). I can’t imagine having worked with anyone else.
Describe the protocols Paul Marshburn used in your cycles at Carolinas Medical Center and their degree of success.
From the beginning, it was determined that I had a low average egg supply. He never pushed us one way or another but always made it clear what our options were. He was always good about recommending what he believed was clinically best for us but never pushed anything on us. As our infertility was considered “unexplained”, He recommended pursuing several rounds of IUI as this was least invasive. As two rounds failed, he then explained the benefit of pursuing IVF due to my lower egg supply but also that it would increase the likelihood that we could conceive. Granted, we were blessed in that we had a lot of financial assistance through my insurance which allowed us to consider this option sooner. He ultimately always left the decision up to us but always made sure we had the information and the time to make the decision. We chose to do IVF after two rounds of IUI. We retrieved 18 eggs, 6 were frozen, and one was implanted. Dr. Marshburn did not recommend transferring more than one egg at a time given my age (I’m under 35 so the chances of one working was high enough) and he didn’t want to risk multiple embryos sticking as this can pose some increased health risks to me and/or the babies themselves. We completed a fresh transfer with one embryo and became pregnant during that cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Carolinas Medical Center.
She was the best listener and communicator. I always left knowing what the next step was and it felt as though she walked alongside me — rooting for us and cheering for us. She seemed just as excited that our transfer was successful as we were. I never felt alone and words can’t express what that does for someone going through such a stressful and emotional experience.
Describe your experience with Carolinas Medical Center.
They’re very careful about the privacy of their patients and the continuum of care across facilities (labs, OBs, etc). They made sure nothing fell through the cracks and made sure you left feeling taken care of. They offered snacks in the lobby and went out of their way to be aware of the emotions of their clients (i.e. their clinic was set up beside another clinic that had frequent pregnant women coming in and out — they provide separate nursing rooms for nursing moms so that the women in the clinic are not watching this occur as even that can be emotionally painful).
Describe the costs associated with your care under Paul Marshburn at Carolinas Medical Center.
~15,000 for meds and procedures.
Describe Paul Marshburn's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Carolinas Medical Center.
I appreciated the concern he had for my health. It felt as though he was just as concerned about my personal health than a successful transfer. Which made me trust him more.
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Clinic
Carolinas Medical Center
Charlotte