Rene Allen

Dr. Allen, like most REs I have met with, is not of the warm and fuzzy type. I've concluded that that must be at least in part due to the nature of the job - bad news has to be communicated at a frequent rate and many, many women are unable to get pregnant and carry to term. Nonetheless, Dr. Allen otherwise struck me as smart, professional and up to date on the research. He is the type of doctor who will answer all of your questions thoroughly and carefully, but you must come prepared - he seems to err on the side of giving less information unless you ask a lot of questions. Overall, I was generally pleased with the quality of care I received from him. He does all of his ultrasounds himself (with a female nurse present) and gives you the results once you are dressed and have stepped outside. I wish he were a little more accessible via email but that's a minor issue.

Be prepared - know your history and your diagnosis, and come prepared with lots of questions. And don't expect someone with a warm bedside manner. Otherwise, know that you are in good hands with a good doctor.

I was on a standard antagonist protocol (300 units Follistim, 150 menopur, HGH, Ganirelix once my follicles got big enough, 5000 IU Pregnyl trigger) and Dr. Allen tweaked the dosage after every visit and blood test results. I responded very well so I didn't end up having to be on as high of a dosage as he expected.

My IVF cycle, including PGS but not an FET, cost approximately $21K, which is about average in California. Meds were an additional $6K or so.

Dr. Allen will really work with you and for the most part, will go along with your requests. For example, while he recommends PGS for the over 40 crowd, he will do fresh transfers of multiple untested blasts if that's what you want. On the flip side, sometimes I felt like he was a little *too* open - I wanted him to tell me what the best path was.

We cannot say enough good things about SB Fertility and Dr. Allen. My husband and I did not start trying until I turned 40, so we expected an uphill battle, but at every point in the process we felt we were in great hands with Dr. Allen. Shortly after my first appointment, he diagnosed me with a septate uterus, which he repaired through surgery this summer, clearing the way for a successful first transfer 3 months before my 42nd birthday. From the beginning, Dr. Allen was confident we could conceive using my own eggs, and he was right. In addition to the little girl I'm carrying, we made 7 PGS normal embryos and one segmental mosaic, remarkable results given my age. At no point did I feel like I was receiving treatment from a "local clinic." Not only did we have better success than that advertised by some of the clinics renowned for treating women over 40, Dr. Allen followed a cutting edge protocol (including HGH). He was also willing to transfer my mosaic and even to try certain abnormals (after consultation with a geneticist) had we needed to do so, but since we only want one more baby, I am hopeful it won't come to that.

Write down your questions before an appointment, it can be hard to think of them while talking to him after an exam.

Dr. Allen added HGH for my last 3 cycles, which I believe played an important role in helping us have a successful first transfer. He also allowed us to transfer four embryos - 2 early blasts, 2 morulas- for which I am forever grateful because that’s how we ended up with the little girl I’m carrying.

We did 6 cycles and I still haven’t seen a bill.

Dr. Allen strongly advises against DET with PGS tested embryos but will allow it if the patient is adamant. Beyond that, it’s age dependent. I felt he definitely took my age into account when allowing us to transfer four embryos, which resulted in my current first pregnancy at almost 42 years old.

Dr. Allen is an amazing professional who runs a fantastic operation. He is excellent at managing expectations and exercises a great deal of patience to women who are hormonal and emotional. Do not take his efficiency for lack of consideration or care, this man runs a tight, efficient and effective ship which resulted in our successful pregnancy.

Make sure to do your research about Assisted Reproductive Technology and the various methods of treatment beforehand, so you can use your consultation to get as many questions answered in a private setting (and with more time allowed) as possible. Once you begin treatments, the clinic runs like a very tight ship and so Dr. Allen doesn't have a lot of time for extraneous chitchat and conversations.

I believe I was put on an Antagonist protocol, based on the medications and timing of them that I was prescribed. My shots included Menopur, GonalF, Cetrotide at various times throughout the period of 10-12 days, with a Pregnyl trigger shot.

For IUI, each procedure was between $1100-1500. For IVF, the medications were $5000, IVF retrieval and transfer were just over $11,000.

My doctor suggested transferring 1 embryo based on data (which was provided via an informational pamphlet) but afforded us the option of transferring 2.

I went to Dr. Allen on a referral from a friend, who just successfully had twins. She had many factors contributing to her infertility and Dr. Allen was her second doctor. There is only one doctor in our county and a handful of women I talked to had nothing good to say about him. Dr. Allen is a 2 hr. drive one way. Yet I was willing to make the commute for a recommended MD! I am still seeing him and will most likely be taking the IVF road. I started seeing him a year ago after two and a half years of ttc. We set out a plan to start with testing and IUI. The only factor they could find was a male factor. Shockingly after my consult I became pregnant! The center stated I could stick with them for the first trimester or go to my regular OB. Something in my gut made me stay with them. Everything looked great until week 8 at a routine ultrasound when the heartbeat could no longer be seen. I could sense surprise on Dr. Allen’s face but he was very professional and after giving me time to breathe he gave me options. I initially chose to miscarry naturally, and doctor Allen told me to call him if I changed my mind at any time because natural miscarriage can take weeks to even begin. I did end up changing my mind after walking around for a few weeks with no sign of a miscarriage. After the ordeal and once I was able to start ttc again we immediately did two IUI’s back to back. Both were unsuccessful. Dr. Allen never pushed me into any kind of treatment. He told me we could try another IUI or I could start thinking about IVF. We took the summer off still hoping that I would get pregnant naturally. Now we are in the process of talking about IVF. I just turned 36, and I know it’s only going to get harder as time passes. I’m running out of time! I do trust Dr. Allen and his employees. In fact his med assistant called me last Sunday to give me some lab results.... on her day off. I often do lab work where I live and they are really good about emailing orders and waiting for results to be faxed. They are always prompt. I’m hoping Dr. Allen will help us get pregnant very soon!

Have your questions written down and ready. He always asks if I have any further questions and I can never remember any of them until I’m in my car!

I was on a pretty common protocol of clomid for 5 days, monitoring ultrasounds, bloodwork, and a trigger shot of hcg. after follicles are seen. He periodically tests my thyroid. He put me back on my thyroid medicine after my consult. We haven’t talked about an IVF protocol yet but I do know I’m supposed to start with birth control.

They bill my insurance for as much as they can. I usually have a co-pay of 35$ for each visit.

We haven’t talked about this quite yet, but I know he allows you to ultimately choose. He will make his recommendation based off of the specific fertility factors.

I have been extremely pleased with the care I have received so far from Dr. Allen. He is so kind, so attentive and makes sure you are at ease, even on the hardest days. He is honest without being harsh, direct without being rude and has always made me feel like I am important and addresses my concerns. On the few instances that I’ve needed to text him with questions (once on Christmas Day) he answered me quickly and never made me feel bad for asking. I highly recommend him to anyone who is ready for a good, kind, proactive doctor.

Be prepared for an extensive questionnaire and bring a list of questions you want answered.

I had a horrible experience before going to Dr. Allen, and was diagnosed with PCOS by another doctor and did one round of Letrozole with a trigger shot (Ovidrel). After looking at my tests and running a few of his own, Dr Allen concluded this was a misdiagnosis. This is what I have done with Dr Allen. Cycle 1: natural (timed intercourse and no medication) to see if I was ovulating in my own (I was). Ultrasounds and bloodwork were done as well as hormone and genetic testing. No pregnancy but lots of answers that my body was functioning properly. Cycle 2: 100 mg of Clomid and timed intercourse. No pregnancy. Cycle 3: 100 mg of Clomid, trigger shot (Pregnyl) and IUI. No pregnancy Cycle 4: in this now. 100 mg of Clomid and second IUI.

IUI: $1,000 Genetic testing cost varies depending on insurance. Fertility medication I paid a copay at the pharmacy.

I have no experience with this.

Dr. Allen is incredible . He manages to always be accessible and answer ANY question we have . He is always thorough when explaining treatments and following procedures . He has always been attentive with us and has made us feel important . Never has he rushed us . He is very compassionate and is able to be honest without adding more to the already stressful and painful situation we have been experiencing . He always has a solution and is quick to act on anything to get the process moving along . He is also a great surgeon , my recovery was quick and not as painful as I imagined . Overall, Dr. Allen is just an amazing person , you can tell he loves what he does and treats everyone like family.

Trust the process , you are in GREAT hands .

12k egg retrieval 3-4K transfer Other Additional costs

Dr. Allen discussed different outcomes and risks when transferring embryos . He was very thurough and was able to share his knowledge and opinion with us prior to our transfer .

Dr Allen strives for success, like most people. For that reason, I understand why his practice revolves around statistics. He knows what families need in order to achieve pregnancy. But I think he sometimes fails to understand that every family is different. Even if we struggle to get pregnant, we do not walk in the clinic door ready to donate our bodies to science for the sake of a successful pregnancy (even though it would definitely seem that way). I am glad I was able to have children, but I often wonder had I not used such aggressive methods to achieve pregnancy if I would have ended up with a twin pregnancy. In my specific case, too, we had no obvious explanation for our infertility, so we weren’t aggressively overcoming any one specific physical obstacle except that we weren’t getting pregnant.

Trust that he wants you to achieve pregnancy, and for that he is amazing. Just do your own homework, decide what will work best for you, and don’t be pressured by all the statistics. PS: You sign a waiver stating that you understand the treatments may result in pregnancy with multiple babies. This is VERY true and multiples are a doozy (for lack of a better/different word *wink*).

In a nutshell (and what I remember) we did 2 cycles w Clomid without success, then 2 cycles w Clomid and IUI (plus trigger shot), the last resulting in a successful, singleton pregnancy. Years later we did just one cycle w Clomid and IUI (plus trigger shot), resulting in a successful, twin pregnancy.

Consultation $200+ IUI $1000? Trigger shots $50 for 2 (can’t get just one) Clomid $30?

Dr Allen has been an open book since the first visit, he has helped guide us through the transition from our first dr to his office, along with letting us determine the path that we could take to embryo transfer. He always takes time to make sure we understand everything he’s explaining during our visits and he’s even personally returned our calls over the weekend.

Don’t wait if you have doubts about your current Dr, Dr Allen is better than you could hope for.

He works with the natural cycle of my wife rather than trying to manipulate her cycle. The process only takes a month where it would take a minimum of 3 months with our first dr.

$3,000

Dr Allen transfers one embryo per cycle, unless there is a history of multiple failed pregnancies.

He takes all the time needed to answer all questions. He is very nice and down to earth which makes being in the office very comfortable. Also gives you his cell number should anything come up. Also never pressures me to jump to the next step or do something i don’t want to. He discusses all possibilities and let’s me think about decisions at home and call him when i am ready to proceed.

Each cycle was $1,000 for iui. IVF was about $12,000. Mine was a bit more due to having to take extra injections and having to pay for the extra medications needed.

Dr. Allen was very polite and knowledgeable. He did a great job explaining what to expect for each treatment/procedure. I felt comfortable asking questions regarding any concerns I had. I felt supported after the loss of my first pregnancy. He was very patient and understanding of the whole process. I returned for another attempt and was able to get pregnant right away and gave birth to my first child.

I seeker out fertility treatment not knowing that I had a condition. Dr. Allen was very patient and we went through my medical history. After a few tests, I was diagnosed with pcos. I was prescribed clomid at the lowest dosage and slowly we moved up.

With our previous insurance (before my husband change jobs), fertility costs were covered. However, with our next attempt with our (hopefully soon to be) second child, my husband's new insurance covers 0% of fertility coverage. We've paid around $6,000-$7,000 so far.

My husband and I both think very highly of Dr. Allen. He has a wonderful bedside manner, and never made me feel uncomfortable, even during the most personal exams. I feel like he presents all information from a scientific and fact-based position, and does not try to embellish your chances.

Dr. Allen waits to give all bad news himself, so you can be waiting until the end of the day to hear a negative test result.