Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2021 - 2022, Unsuccessful
Dr. Chenette seemed only interested in putting as many embryos in me as possible and hoping that one would work. There seemed to be very little interest in figuring out why I had had so many miscarriages or trying to prevent them. My extensive history of miscarriages (and a D&C) was repeatedly forgotten or disregarded when it should have informed my treatment/care. Because I was able to produce a decent number of healthy embryos from one retrieval and was "young", he didn't seem to want to do any additional testing or treatment...
Communication is a big issue at PFC. Anytime you need to talk to your doctor, care coordinator, or financial coordinator, there is at least a 1 week wait. You can message your coordinators and nursing team on their app, but important phone calls take forever. You cannot contact your doctor directly...The nursing staff (and Lindy in particular) were a bright spot during my time at PFC. They were compassionate, considerate, and much more willing to talk through things and explain them to me...
How was your experience with Philip Chenette at Pacific Fertility Center?
Seems pretty old school and set in his ways. Dr. Chenette is not really open to doing "additional" testing and treatment, even when pushed. His care plan for me involved doing the same thing over and over and hoping that one embryo would eventually stick. He did not seem inclined to explore the causes of my 4 miscarriages (3 natural, 1 IVF) or use my history to inform my treatment. His bedside manner is generally fine, with the exception of how he handled my last miscarriage, which was frankly atrocious and traumatic. The last thing I did at PFC before leaving was a biopsy to test for endometriosis, which he performed during the wrong time in my cycle, rendering my results invalid. I was the one who caught the error and presented it to my care team. I expected better from the medical director of the clinic and with decades of experience.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Philip Chenette at Pacific Fertility Center?
If you have a very straightforward case (which is often hard to know), he might be the right doctor for you, but do not expect any innovation, thoroughness, or exploration.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Philip Chenette at Pacific Fertility Center?
Dr. Chenette seemed only interested in putting as many embryos in me as possible and hoping that one would work. There seemed to be very little interest in figuring out why I had had so many miscarriages or trying to prevent them. My extensive history of miscarriages (and a D&C) was repeatedly forgotten or disregarded when it should have informed my treatment/care. Because I was able to produce a decent number of healthy embryos from one retrieval and was "young", he didn't seem to want to do any additional testing or treatment (which would be standard at other clinics). As a result, my first transfer resulted in a chemical pregnancy because I had scar tissue and inflammation in my uterus that wasn't discovered until after via hysteroscopy. And at my first ultrasound after my second transfer, Dr. Chenette congratulated me before conducting the scan where we discovered that there was no heartbeat and I had miscarried (again). To make matters worse, he then proceeded to tell me that I would need to consider donor eggs/sperm and/or a gestational carrier, suggestions which he then backtracked on the next day during a phone call once he had reviewed my charts again.
Describe the protocols Philip Chenette used in your cycles at Pacific Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I did a pretty standard antagonist protocol. I had a dominant follicle at my baseline ultrasound, so I did 2 days of Cetrotide before starting Gonal F (200 IU) and Menopur (150 IU), then resuming the Cetrotide on day 5 of stims. I triggered on day 10 with Pregnyl (10,000 U). I was a quick responder, so I was quite bloated and jiggly. Retrieved 22 eggs, 20 of which were mature.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Pacific Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Lindy)
The nursing staff (and Lindy in particular) were a bright spot during my time at PFC. They were compassionate, considerate, and much more willing to talk through things and explain them to me.
Describe your experience with Pacific Fertility Center.
Communication is a big issue at PFC. Anytime you need to talk to your doctor, care coordinator, or financial coordinator, there is at least a 1 week wait. You can message your coordinators and nursing team on their app, but important phone calls take forever. You cannot contact your doctor directly, which seems ridiculous in 2022.
The nursing staff, as mentioned before, is wonderful. They do a very good job of explaining things, reaching out, and providing compassionate care.
Also, no one ever took responsibility for this, but it bears mentioning. When my husband and I first did a consultation with PFC, we mentioned that we are both carriers for CF, hence the need for IVF. What we didn't know at the time is that the lab has to create a probe that takes 2+ months to make in order to test your embryos. One would think that PFC would have started that process immediately, since my egg retrieval couldn't happen until the probe was complete. Instead, it was brought to our attention nearly 2 months later, unnecessarily delaying our process from the get go. Just one example of how they did not value our time.
Medical records leaves a lot to be desired: very long response times, repeat requests ignored, missing records, etc.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Philip Chenette at Pacific Fertility Center.
I had insurance coverage for most of my treatment with a few exceptions.
What specific things went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Lost paperwork
- Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
- Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center.
Cancelled ERA cycle due to prescriptions not being sent on time.
Missing test results and images from my medical record.
Biopsy done at incorrect time in cycle so results are invalid.