Dr. Gurtcheff is very sensitive to my situation and needs as her patient. She is always caring and makes sure that I'm informed about what's going on and takes time to answer any questions I may have and to reassure me that even when I don't always see her (sometimes the nurses or NPs perform ultrasounds) she is always overseeing everything for my treatments and she is always informed and aware of what's going on. She is very compassionate, kind and respectful.
The clinic [Utah Fertility Center] overall is really great and cohesive. They do a great job at communicating between the nurses, Drs and other departments. Whenever I have a question I usually call the nurses and if it's something they don't know they ask Dr. Gurtcheff and get back to me right away. I moved out of state while working with UFC but have still done treatments with them and the nurses are very organized and great at following up with the out of state Drs that I've worked with. If I was supposed to go in and get an ultrasound or bloodwork and it wasn't faxed to them they call me that day and find out where I did it and they call the clinic to to get the results. Very organized and great at communicating within their clinic and while working with other clinics.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is very understanding, compassionate and caring. As her patient I truly feel that she has my best interest at heart and she is doing her absolute best to find the treatments and procedures that will work for us. She is always willing to take time to answer my questions and to make sure that I'm well-informed. She shows compassion when the results didn't turn out like we expected and thoroughly talks me through our next options and her recommendations. I've never felt that she's pushed me into anything, she always gives me the info and the facts and I usually ask for her recommendation, which she gives, and then she leaves all decisions about treatment up to myself and my husband and she is willing to go whichever direction we want to go with treatment. She is very knowledgeable and she does a great job at explaining things to us. I moved out of state while still working with her and didn't want to change clinics because I've been very happy with Dr. Gurtcheff and we have frozen embryos at the clinic and she has been incredibly helpful with our move, making sure that we know our options and working with us over the phone to set up more treatments. She normally doesn't schedule transfers as far in advance as I needed one but I was trying to buy plane tickets to come back and I needed a date so she went ahead and scheduled the transfer a few months out, which was incredibly helpful to me! She is a sweet person that genuinely cares about her patients. I have felt very well taken care of with her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Get ready for an emotional roller coaster. There are a lot of ups and downs with fertility treatment but Dr. Gurtcheff does her best to keep you well-informed and to help you expand your family.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is very sensitive to my situation and needs as her patient. She is always caring and makes sure that I'm informed about what's going on and takes time to answer any questions I may have and to reassure me that even when I don't always see her (sometimes the nurses or NPs perform ultrasounds) she is always overseeing everything for my treatments and she is always informed and aware of what's going on. She is very compassionate, kind and respectful.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I used Follistim, Ganirelix and Menopur in preparation for my egg retrieval and ended up stopping a day early because the ultrasound showed that I had a lot of follicles. We did the egg retrieval a day early and got 40 eggs, which was great. I was really bloated and my ovaries were huge from releasing so many eggs and I was at risk for OHSS so Dr. Gurtcheff told me to take it easy and eat a high protein, low am carb, low sugar diet and drink electrolytes and I never got OHSS. The bloating went down within a few days and I felt better. We did Progesterone in Oil injections and suppositories leading up to both Frozen Embryo Transfers and got a positive pregnancy test with both (one ending in a chemical pregnancy and one in a miscarriage at 9 weeks).
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Morgan Baker)
The nursing staff are very kind and really treat you with a lot of respect and dignity. Vaginal ultrasounds can be invasive and hard and I've always felt that the nursing staff are very considerate about the fact that it's an uncomfortable process and very respectful and allow you as much privacy as possible. Morgan Baker specifically is a great IVF coordinator and she is great at communicating via phone and email about test results, schedules, medications, etc. I always understood my IVF schedule very well and it was all laid out for me and easy to read, which I really appreciated! Morgan always takes the time to talk and go over the schedule as well, which is helpful!
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic overall is really great and cohesive. They do a great job at communicating between the nurses, Drs and other departments. Whenever I have a question I usually call the nurses and if it's something they don't know they ask Dr. Gurtcheff and get back to me right away. I moved out of state while working with UFC but have still done treatments with them and the nurses are very organized and great at following up with the out of state Drs that I've worked with. If I was supposed to go in and get an ultrasound or bloodwork and it wasn't faxed to them they call me that day and find out where I did it and they call the clinic to to get the results. Very organized and great at communicating within their clinic and while working with other clinics.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
$1,000 per cycle of IUI. $12,000 for an Egg Retrieval/Fresh Embryo Transfer cycle. $3,000 per Frozen Embryo Transfer. $750 initial cost to freeze embryos and $250 per year after that.
Dr. G listened to our concerns as our previous clinic didn't. We felt so heard and involved in our treatment plan...Very compassionate and understanding of where we were in our infertility journey. We jumped right into IVF when we switched to UFC and it was an amazing experience! Even as we went through IVF we couldn't have hoped for a better experience or outcome...We transferred 1 during our first fresh transfer. Then the next 2 transfers, with warning, we transferred 2 each time. We had a singleton
Only thing I had to follow up on during my cycles [at Utah Fertility Center] were to push to get transfers quicker. They would put the calendar together and put it at least a month and a half out so I had to push for sooner transfers all 3 times...We transferred 1 during our first fresh transfer. Then the next 2 transfers, with warning, we transferred 2 each time...Dr. G listened to our concerns as our previous clinic didn't. We felt so heard and involved in our treatment plans!
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Very compassionate and understanding of where we were in our infertility journey. We jumped right into IVF when we switched to UFC and it was an amazing experience! Even as we went through IVF we couldn't have hoped for a better experience or outcome
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Do the consultation! You will fall in love with Dr. G! She helps make the rough patch of infertility treatments a little easier and helps you understand as you go as well as involves you in a game plan moving forward (especially after our chemical pregnancies when we went back to the drawing board!)
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. G listened to our concerns as our previous clinic didn't. We felt so heard and involved in our treatment plans!
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
First 2 transfers, estrogen started day 3 after ultrasound. Lining checks throughout cycle. 5 days before transfer started PIO. Both ended in chemical pregnancies
Transfer 3 we added 2 "experimental procedures" (deemed here in the US as experimental) to try to help our embryos stick. Still did estrogen and PIO in same sequence and added triple progesterone, so oral progesterone 3 times a day and vaginally at night after transfer. The other procedure we added was lipid infusions. I got one a week before transfer, after confirmed pregnancy test and then once a month until 20 weeks. We truly believe that infusion is what helped our embryo continue to grow!!
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
Only thing I had to follow up on during my cycles were to push to get transfers quicker. They would put the calendar together and put it at least a month and a half out so I had to push for sooner transfers all 3 times
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
1500 self pay transfer cost, 3500 billed to insurance. Dont remember retrieval cost
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
We transferred 1 during our first fresh transfer. Then the next 2 transfers, with warning, we transferred 2 each time. We had a singleton
Dr Gurtcheff is there for you every step of the way. She answered all our questions in a timely manner...made me feel comfortable during a very uncertain time. She shares in your successes and failures. I always felt safe under her care...I was discouraged to have had two previous failed cycles, but as I look back I realize [she] needed to learn my body and how it responded or didn’t respond to the medication. She did all she could for us to have success.
The clinic [Utah Fertility Center] is clean and organized. They are great at coordinating care between nurses and your Dr. They are easy to book your next appointment with and are always easy to get a hold of when you have questions. The only down side is the financial department was not as clear as I would prefer...[nurse] was organized and always gave us all the information we’d need. She even helped us locate more medication when we didn’t have for an unforeseen reason.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr Gurtcheff is there for you every step of the way. She answered all our questions in a timely manner and we never felt like we couldn’t talk to her about any concerns or questions that came up during our treatment. She was always upfront with us and honest. I felt that she did what was necessary to become familiar with me as an individual and what would be best for my body. She did all she could to learn what would lead to a successful pregnancy based on us personally. She has a sweet temperament and you feel like she is more of a friend than your Dr. which I liked because it made me feel comfortable during a very uncertain time. She shares in your successes and failures. I always felt safe under her care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to find out all you can about your specific fertility treatment. Make sure you have a calendar for all the appointments you will have.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr Gurtcheff is always so compassionate and understanding. She was up front with us about all our treatments and the possible outcomes and risks. She stated things clearly and answered all our questions thru out the process. She is informative and knowledgeable. She was always positive and optimistic with us on our journey to starting our family. We have recommended several friends to her and all have been successful in starting their family, including us! We will continue to recommend her to others. She was always attentive and available for us at every step of our process. She has a very kind demeanor and is respectful and thoughtful. We always felt so well cared for and are excited to receive more treatment under her care as we are hopeful to growing our family by one more.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We had a failed cycle where we had to cancel the cycle before egg retrieval. My body didn’t respond to the medication as expected. We made the necessary adjustments for the next cycle which we did a frozen embryo transfer but no pregnancy. In our following cycle a few years later Dr. Gurtcheff made even more adjustments and we did “embryo glue” a uterus scratch during egg retrieval and we tested our embryos for the most success. At the time I was discouraged to have had two previous failed cycles, but as I look back I realize our Dr. needed to learn my body and how it responded or didn’t respond to the medication. She did all she could for us to have success.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Samantha )
Our nurse was easy to get ahold of and always knew the answers to any questions we had. She was organized and always gave us all the information we’d need. She even helped us locate more medication when we didn’t have for an unforeseen reason.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic is clean and organized. They are great at coordinating care between nurses and your Dr. They are easy to book your next appointment with and are always easy to get a hold of when you have questions. The only down side is the financial department was not as clear as I would prefer.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
General care of the clinic which included ultrasounds, blood work, lab work, and an initial visit with our Dr. We also had fees for medication and anesthesia for egg retrieval. We also had additional fees for genetic testing, and “embryo glue.”
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
Our Dr. Educated us on all the benefits and risks to each decision whether we transferred one or two embryos. She recommended one embryo transfer.
Shawn [Dr. Shawn Gurtcheff] was incredibly informed. She was able to cite recent research and provide data on best practices for our situation. She was honest about the success rates of our situation and spent the time to explain costs and what to expect with assistance in the costs. She walked through the process but also explained that there would be deviations in the process and the deviations didn’t mean anything was wrong only that my care was specific to me and could change based on hormones and need for changed timing, etc. Going into the procedures I knew exactly what to expect and what the cost would be. There were no surprises and I was given the opportunity to make the decisions with the doctor at each visit. I was so scared during the process because I am an anxious person, I would call all the time and Shawn would call me back on her personal cell after hours to comfort and reassure me.
I loved this clinic [Utah Fertility Center]...They were kind, attentive, respectful, professional, and understanding of the hard and confusing situation we were in trying to have a child. They never made any of concerns feel unwarranted. They always were willing to work around our work schedules and change locations to have labs done so I wouldn’t need as much time off work. The office was always organized and clean. They were always ready for me and there was hardly ever a wait time. The staff was plentiful, efficient and knowledgeable. The only weakness was the location. I live about an hour and 15 min away from the clinic. Since my visits they have built an office 10 min away. So this is no longer a weakness.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Shawn was incredibly informed. She was able to cite recent research and provide data on best practices for our situation. She was honest about the success rates of our situation and spent the time to explain costs and what to expect with assistance in the costs. She walked through the process but also explained that there would be deviations in the process and the deviations didn’t mean anything was wrong only that my care was specific to me and could change based on hormones and need for changed timing, etc.
Going into the procedures I knew exactly what to expect and what the cost would be. There were no surprises and I was given the opportunity to make the decisions with the doctor at each visit. I was so scared during the process because I am an anxious person, I would call all the time and Shawn would call me back on her personal cell after hours to comfort and reassure me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Just go for it with her, if you have any doubts ask she is so kind and willing to answer anything or research it and follow up with you. You will safe and at ease in her care.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Shawn took plenty of time to talk with me and my husband, especially after our first transfer that failed. I was devastated. She answered so many questions, explained why this could have happened, helped me to feel confident in another try. She also would call me herself to discuss labs and how my embryos were growing.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Shawn first used a rapid hormone cycle. I was able to produce many eggs but only 6 made it to 5 day embryos and then only 2 were grade B at implantation. We implanted one and it didn’t take. Then when I did my next round with her we had to do a re-retrieval since none of the embryos from the first round survived. She talk to me about doing a long cycle using hormone for a month before retrieval. She explained that with my PCOS many times women require the older methods. She went into great detail of why this was the case. I felt so much better the second round. I used less hormone injections because my body responded better to the hormones. The eggs retrieved were much better quality and thriving. We implanted day 5 embryos, 2, and I ended up with twins. Super healthy and completely normal twins.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center.
My nurse was so kind, even with my 100 phone calls, she was patient, understanding and respectful. She told me to call at anytime for any questions so there wasn’t ever any confusion during the process. She was always willing to provide options and make the process easy to navigate around my full time work schedule.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
I loved this clinic because they had great success rates. They were kind, attentive, respectful, professional, and understanding of the hard and confusing situation we were in trying to have a child. They never made any of concerns feel unwarranted. They always were willing to work around our work schedules and change locations to have labs done so I wouldn’t need as much time off work. The office was always organized and clean. They were always ready for me and there was hardly ever a wait time. The staff was plentiful, efficient and knowledgeable.
The only weakness was the location. I live about an hour and 15 min away from the clinic. Since my visits they have built an office 10 min away. So this is no longer a weakness.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
The costs were comparable to all the other fertility centers in Utah. I did feel that Shawn and her nurses had amazing ideas on grants, medication assistance, using the cheapest pharmacies for meds and fertility insurance.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
Shawn said she always recommended single embryo transfer because of the risk to the mother and babies if there are multiples. She explained that length that she never implants more than two and she always recommends one. She also said that of course there are better odds of success with two embryos at once. She made sure to inform myself and my husband thoroughly before we chose to implant two. She was never forceful or upset either way, just kind and knowledgeable about our decision.
Dr. Gurtcheff is knowledgeable and compassionate. Although we were given a hard diagnosis she had a way of giving us hope. During our consultations she was willing to take the extra time to thoroughly answer any questions we had...Our face to faceinteraction with Dr. Gurtcheff was not very often. Most of the time we would communicate through her nurse... I had 2 HSG tests, one performed by Dr. Gurtcheff and one by another physician. Dr. Gurtcheff was more gentle and very little discomfort was felt
Utah Fertility Center has been great with scheduling and the staff is always kind during appointments. It can be difficult to get in touch with some of the back office at times. If you have a primary nurse they are usually easier to get a hold of for any questions or concerns...Morgan is really good about returning voicemails promptly. She has also been great at making sure my future cycle is organized and that I feel prepared
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is knowledgeable and compassionate. Although we were given a hard diagnosis she had a way of giving us hope. During our consultations she was willing to take the extra time to thoroughly answer any questions we had. I had 2 HSG tests, one performed by Dr. Gurtcheff and one by another physician. Dr. Gurtcheff was more gentle and very little discomfort was felt compared to my other experience. We trust her with our care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Make sure you take advantage her knowledge and ask as many questions as possible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Our face to faceinteraction with Dr. Gurtcheff was not very often. Most of the time we would communicate through her nurse. The times we did interact with her she was warm and answered all of our questions thoroughly.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Trying to conceive our second child Dr. Gurtcheff recommended doing a mini stim cycle. With the hopes of reducing my chances of OHSS while still producing good quality embryos. She took into account the fact that we already had a son and wanted to only have 1-2 more children. She prescribed femara along with gonal-f. I haven’t completed the cycle yet so we will see if it will be successful.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Morgan )
Morgan is really good about returning voicemails promptly. She has also been great at making sure my future cycle is organized and that I feel prepared. I did have a few instances where so left a voicemail to the other staff and was never called back. Other than that every phone call has been positive.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
Utah Fertility Center has been great with scheduling and the staff is always kind during appointments. It can be difficult to get in touch with some of the back office at times. If you have a primary nurse they are usually easier to get a hold of for any questions or concerns.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
We haven’t completed our IVF cycle yet, but it is estimated to cost around 10,900.
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
I had a surgery with Dr. Gurtcheff. On surgery day she explained that she wanted to see me during a post op appointment. I tried calling the staff to schedule a post op appointment and was never called back. When I did finally speak to my nurse she said I wouldn’t need a post op appointment. One of my incisions ended up getting infected. And although it probably isn’t correlated with having a post op appointment maybe it could have been caught earlier.
Dr. Gurcheff is literally the best doctor I have ever seen and worked with in my life. This is such an emotional and stressful journey to be on, and from the 1st time I walked through the door, she completely calmed me down, explained everything in detail to me, was incredibly encouraging, and has a wonderful bedside manner. She is almost like a "reproductive therapist" as well as a highly skilled Doctor/embryologist. She is an amazing human being and absolutely incredible doctor.
[Utah Fertility Center has a] Great Atmosphere, great team, positive and encouraging environment. Everything is very clean and they are very organized. They always call when they say they will call...[the nursing staff] are compassionate and friendly. They are knowledgeable and warm. They are genuinely concerned about the outcome you experience and are on board with you every step of the way
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is an amazing doctor. She is incredibly intelligent, highly compassionate and competent, and very friendly and warm. She made me feel so comfortable in her presence and I always felt very hopeful and motivated after speaking with her. She is very detailed in her explanations and she is with you every step of the way. She calls you personally on the phone to explain something, instead of having a nurse call. She instilled a feeling of complete trust, hope for the future, and faith in me. I had been lacking this for a while, as infertility is a very stressful experience. I always knew I was being taken care of and Dr. Gurtcheff genuinely cared about getting us to our destination.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I would just let them know that she is going to take care of them and will put their worries and fears at ease. She is highly skilled and knows exactly what she is doing. She is professional, and very compassionate.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurcheff is literally the best doctor I have ever seen and worked with in my life. This is such an emotional and stressful journey to be on, and from the 1st time I walked through the door, she completely calmed me down, explained everything in detail to me, was incredibly encouraging, and has a wonderful bedside manner. She is almost like a "reproductive therapist" as well as a highly skilled Doctor/embryologist. She is an amazing human being and absolutely incredible doctor.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We are just starting IVF. We have been through numerous tests and procedures leading up to this point.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
They are compassionate and friendly. They are knowledgeable and warm. They are genuinely concerned about the outcome you experience and are on board with you every step of the way. Always call when they say they will call, and are never late.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
Great Atmosphere, great team, positive and encouraging environment. Everything is very clean and they are very organized. They always call when they say they will call, and I love how Dr. Gurtcheff actually calls patients on the phone. You always feel cared for and they are all professional with what they say. They don't ask insensitive questions related to infertility.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
They will be somewhere between 13,000 and 25,000, depending on if we choose PGT testing or not.
I have always been treated with love and respect while being treated by Dr. Gurtcheff...She always made sure I had a say in what my treatment was. She showed me studies to know everything I could before making decisions...used progesterone suppositories, prometrium, and PIO to keep my hormones elevated incase of conception
[nurse of Utah Fertility Center] She is very professional in all of the procedures she has done with me...I go to a small offshoot of the larger clinic because of where I live. There are only 3 or 4 people in the entire clinic so sometimes you will have to be on hold for 5 minutes...Very genuine and caring people who are always on your side and waiting to help.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She always made sure I had a say in what my treatment was. She showed me studies to know everything I could before making decisions. She is straightforward and doesnt beat around the Bush when it comes to my weight, but she is mean about it. She is very kind and a great doctor in my eyes.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She has lots of information. Be prepared to write stuff down or record what she says.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I have always been treated with love and respect while being treated by Dr Gurtcheff. When I had my last miscarriage I saw that they hurt with me. They knew my history of recurrent loss and they made sure I wasn't alone. They took care of me.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
3 cycles - femara to induce ovulation with timed intercourse and progesterone suppositories to make sure that my hormone levels were sufficient (no pregnancies)
1 cycle - femara for ovulation and iui with progesterone suppositories ( miscarriage)
2 cycles - femara with plaquenil ( to act as an immune modulator because of my miscarriages) and steroids( because the femara wasn't working very well anymore) for iui ( no pregnancies). Also used progesterone suppositories, prometrium, and PIO to keep my hormones elevated incase of conception
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Sara)
She is very professional in all of the procedures she has done with me. She warns me if things might get painful. The whole office is very compassionate. I have been with them so long, that I actually feel that we have formed friendships. Very genuine and caring people who are always on your side and waiting to help.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
I go to a small offshoot of the larger clinic because of where I live. There are only 3 or 4 people in the entire clinic so sometimes you will have to be on hold for 5 minutes. Never longer. Overall, a great clinic and Very caring staff
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
We haven't discussed it yet, but I will find out her stance at the end of the month during my ivf consultation
Dr. Gurtcheff used an antagonist protocol for my IVF...She ended my stims and triggered me a day early so I wouldn’t overstimulate. She was very careful that I was taking doses that were safe for me, and my health and well-being were more important to her than trying to get as many eggs as possible...While we didn’t see her often, she did perform my surgery, egg retrieval, and transfer. We always left every meeting we did have feeling more positive and hopeful than we did going in...She was very honest about the risks of multiple embryo transfer, was very logical about the risks outweighing the benefits, but she ultimately left the decision up to us.
The initial consultation is $230, each IUI cycle is $800-1200, the IVF cycle is $8,300, ICSI is 1500 [at Utah Fertility Center]...they are LGBT friendly, and they are very up to date on all current research. I always trusted what they were doing. The voicemail system and waiting for a call back from the clinical staff was confusing and frustrating at first. But once you figured things out, the processes were smooth...They [nurses] were generally very kind and competant. At the beginning, some of the nurses didn’t explain what was going on very well, so I had to learn on my own.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff was very compassionate, considerate of my time, honest, and warm during most of our interactions. While we didn’t see her often, she did perform my surgery, egg retrieval, and transfer. We always left every meeting we did have feeling more positive and hopeful than we did going in.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Be open-minded with the information she gives you and set realistic expectations as to what it will take to achieve a pregnancy.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She was very sympathetic, considerate of my time and efforts, encouraging, honest, warm
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Dr. Gurtcheff used an antagonist protocol for my IVF, with Gonal F 150, Menopur 75, and Cetrotide. She ended my stims and triggered me a day early so I wouldn’t overstimulate. She was very careful that I was taking doses that were safe for me, and my health and well-being were more important to her than trying to get as many eggs as possible.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Mallory )
They were generally very kind and competant. At the beginning, some of the nurses didn’t explain what was going on very well, so I had to learn on my own.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
They are very large, experienced, and have great results. This is the best fertility clinic in Utah. They have female doctors, they are LGBT friendly, and they are very up to date on all current research. I always trusted what they were doing. The voicemail system and waiting for a call back from the clinical staff was confusing and frustrating at first. But once you figured things out, the processes were smooth.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
The initial consultation is $230, each IUI cycle is $800-1200, the IVF cycle is $8,300, ICSI is 1500. Preservation of embryos is $655. Medications for IVF are around $3,000 without insurance.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
She was very honest about the risks of multiple embryo transfer, was very logical about the risks outweighing the benefits, but she ultimately left the decision up to us.
Dr. Gurtcheff always had a smile on her face. I saw her for my consultation, ultrasound and insemination. I missed her my last apt and it was sad. She explained everything very well for my husband who didn’t understand it at all. She was patient...She genuinely wanted to get to know me and what was important to me. She remembered things that were discussed not just chart information. She held my hand when I needed it most! She cried and celebrated with me.
They [Utah Fertility Center staff] always answered the phone, responded quickly with messages. It was clean. I just remember when they called to tell me my blood result they used a lot of medical terminology and I had no clue what they meant. Helps to use normal terminology or break it down...I believe we paid about 1100$ but insurance covers some cost for my IUI. About 500 for labs and testing prior.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff always had a smile on her face. I saw her for my consultation, ultrasound and insemination. I missed her my last apt and it was sad. She explained everything very well for my husband who didn’t understand it at all. She was patient.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Know that you may not always see her at an apt, but that she knows everything that’s going on. She cares and she remembers. Sometimes she’ll call to check in.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She was warm and welcoming. She genuinely wanted to get to know me and what was important to me. She remembered things that were discussed not just chart information. She held my hand when I needed it most! She cried and celebrated with me.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We used the Fallopian tube wash out procedure due to endometriosis, hormone levels, clomid and she did al of this to help aid my ability to get pregnant. I’m lucky it worked
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: I don’t remember name! But she was incredible and I loved her)
The nurse that I worked with was very patient, understanding, explained everything multiple times, and always smiles and made me laugh when it was hard or I was nervous. I remember going in to see if I was pregnant and the staff waiting outside the door and cheered when they heard the heart beat! I creoles with them. They are like family.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
They always answered the phone, responded quickly with messages. It was clean. I just remember when they called to tell me my blood result they used a lot of medical terminology and I had no clue what they meant. Helps to use normal terminology or break it down.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
I believe we paid about 1100$ but insurance covers some cost for my IUI. About 500 for labs and testing prior.
[Dr. Shawn Gurtcheff] was always there for me when I really needed her. She did not do all of my iuis I wish she would have but I have nothing bad to say about her. She would be the one who would call with results so if I had questions that nurses could not answer I could get them right away and have some peace of mind...she always wanted to make sure there was something else we could do and it would work for us
[The staff at Utah Fertility Center] are all so nice! They make sure you get the answers you need and your not left in the dark or wondering about something...They are very good now in getting back to you very quickly...I paid 525 for times intercourses rounds and 875 for iui rounds I have not gone any where else so I don’t know if that’s good or bad but for the car I get from her [Dr. Shawn Gurtcheff] I wouldn’t want to go any where else
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I love her so much she was always there for me when I really needed her. She did not do all of my iuis I wish she would have but I have nothing bad to say about her. She would be the one who would call with results so if I had questions that nurses could not answer I could get them right away and have some peace of mind.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Trust her in what she says! There where times I didn’t want to do the testing again because it was miserable. But she always explained why it needed to happen and always made me feel so much better about things even in the bad times.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She always took her time and made sure that I was okay when things went good or bad she always wanted to make sure there was something else we could do and it would work for us
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I always did better on 10 days of fermara instead of the usual 5. They switch the protocol so I could do 10 straight days instead of doing five getting checked and getting back on it for five more days when at that point insurance would not pay for the meds
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
They are all so nice! They make sure you get the answers you need and your not left in the dark or wondering about something
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
I love all of the staff there they are so nice and they remember who you are. At one point years ago they were bad about calling you back if you had a question but that has all changed! They are very good now in getting back to you very quickly.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
I paid 525 for times intercourses rounds and 875 for iui rounds I have not gone any where else so I don’t know if that’s good or bad but for the car I get from her I wouldn’t want to go any where else
[Dr. Gurtcheff] is a good doctor and knows her stuff, just wish she would be more open to other natural treatments as well. She can be blunt, but she does have a lot,of compassion and care for her patients. In the beginning of the whole IVF treatment with her I wish I understood more and new what questions to ask. I wish there would have been more explanation...Would not listen to out of the box treatments to help improve DOR
The clinic [Utah Fertility Center] is very nice, clean. The staff are great! Very helpful. Lots of compassion from everyone. The waiting room is very open and echos. Sometimes it is hard not to over hear some patient information...Morgan [nurse] was amazing. She helped me get meds and supplies. She reviewed everything with me.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She is a good doctor and knows her stuff, just wish she would be more open to other natural treatments as well. She can be blunt, but she does have a lot,of compassion and care for her patients. In the beginning of the whole IVF treatment with her I wish I understood more and new what questions to ask. I wish there would have been more explanation.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Be firm in what you want. Listen to what the doctor says, but stick to what you want. Ask lots of questions and get clarification on anything/everything.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I am older and I felt like the doctor could not let go of the lower success rates. Would not listen to out of the box treatments to help improve DOR.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I honestly don’t know. I feel so dumb that I don’t know. That is what I mean! I just did what she said with blind faith and didn’t do my own research or ask the right questions.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Morgan)
Morgan was amazing. She helped me get meds and supplies. She reviewed everything with me.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic is very nice, clean. The staff are great! Very helpful. Lots of compassion from everyone. The waiting room is very open and echos. Sometimes it is hard not to over hear some patient information. Same with the “brown bags” that are turned in with the names showing at the desk.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
The first time was more expensive. The second was discounted, which was nice. Meds not included and anesthesia was separate. Insurance covered nothing.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
We only did 2 transfers. Both with 2 embryos.
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Lost paperwork
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
I did have to fill out paperwork 3 times and finally hand it over personally to my nurse coordinator.
Dr G [Gurtcheff] was so kind and loving towards my family, she made things feel like priorities and urgent. She saw how hard it had all been on me and was the salve for our painful reality. ... I brought along all the information I could as well as treatments I did. Dr G started me on Metformin (750mg 2x a day) as well as clomid. ... We discussed my chances Of success with IUI. ... Dr. G suggested that we do frozen embryo transfer due to my diagnosis of PCOS. She explained why and we all agreed it was the best option.
The clinic [Utah Fertility Center] has many locations which is so convenient. I was seeing mostly at Murray and Pleasant Grove during my years and continued time. They have specific people for every situation, this helps ensure that you are being placed with knowledge and care. The only weaknesses I witnessed would be that maybe 15% of the staff are hard to communicate with, show little empathy or little urgency. But that’s to be expected anywhere you go. I really enjoy the clinics cleanliness and presentation. It is very comfortable and clean to be there
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr G is the reason we have our son. She’s the reason I didn’t give up on the medical world and continued on with treatments after seeing 2 other clinics that treated me like they had all the time in the world and had shown no urgency. Dr G was so kind and loving towards my family, she made things feel like priorities and urgent. She saw how hard it had all been on me and was the salve for our painful reality.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Take in all the information you have on yourself and current situation. Inform dr G of any and all information you have and she will adjust your care to fit you perfectly in the timeline you need.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She was the 4th doctor I consulted with (3rd specialist) and she looked me in the eyes, expressed empathy as I explained our painful journey. She first expressed her condolences and then proceeded on how to continue forward.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I went to DrG after seeing 2 other specialist. I brought along all the information I could as well as treatments I did.
Dr G started me on Metformin (750mg 2x a day) as well as clomid.
Doing this combination felt different as I was convinced I was pregnant just 1.5 months later. Unfortunately I was not and went back to her clinic in tears.
We discussed my chances Of success with IUI. The percentage rate she shown us were not much better, we explored our percentage rates of success for IVF. It was hard to wrap our heads around the cost. We knew it was the next step, she set us up with a coordinator right away and we began planning. We knew egg retrieval Would be next step. Dr. G suggested that we do frozen embryo transfer due to my diagnosis of PCOS. She explained why and we all agreed it was the best option. I began in December 2014 egg retrieval was in January 2015. I do not remember the exact dosage of menopur that I was on. Those were tiny shots in and around my belly, I went in every other day to measure and check on growing follicles. The clinic monitored me very well, we retrieved at optimal time thanks to them tracking me very closely. We set a day for transfer in March 2015, leading up to transfer i began progesterone in oil as well as suppositories. Estradiol was also prescribed. I did one suppository at night and one in the morning-1ml shot of progesterone and I can’t remmeber dosing of estradiol. Bloodwork would determine how much longer I would continue estradiol.
Progesterone and estradiol prepped my body for transfer, The reason for both was to mimic a cycle for my body so when it came time for transfer, my body would hold onto the pregnancy. I continued progesterone shots for 10 weeks after transfer. Protocol after transfer was to a wait for 10 days before having a blood test to determine hCG levels. The clinic specifically puts you on very light activity for 48 hours post transfer. This is to ensure low stress so the body can be optimal to accept embryo.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Chelsee Young )
Chelsee was amazing. She answered questions timely. Shown care and concern when I was anxious or worried. Walked me through processes- and if she wasn’t educated fully she let me know-found answers and educated me in return.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic has many locations which is so convenient. I was seeing mostly at Murray and Pleasant Grove during my years and continued time. They have specific people for every situation, this helps ensure that you are being placed with knowledge and care. The only weaknesses I witnessed would be that maybe 15% of the staff are hard to communicate with, show little empathy or little urgency. But that’s to be expected anywhere you go. I really enjoy the clinics cleanliness and presentation. It is very comfortable and clean to be there
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
Around 10,000$ For egg retrievel (pays for dr fee clinic fee and all the meds) 500$ a year for keeping eggs frozen.
7500$ for transfer (dr fee, meds)
Clinic appointments with ultrasound
Around 350-450$
Saline sonogram around 650$
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
Dr. G chose a single embryo transfer because of the quality of our embryos. They were excellent and my uterus was also excellent. This gave us optimal chances for a viable pregnancy.
She [Dr. Gurtcheff] explained that if i have 3 or more mature follicles we would not be able to move forward with an IUI, because of the chance of multiples. She is ok with two mature follicles for IUI...Between our 2nd and 3rd IUI we didn't have any communication with our doctor, we were frustrated but ended up meeting with her and made a new plan. we now communicate with her through the patient portal...were able to speak with her and she assured us that she she looks at our chart often and is always aware of our situation. It helped us feel a little better, since we haven't seen her at any of our IUIs.
Between our 2nd and 3rd IUI we didn't have any communication with our doctor [Dr. Gurtcheff], we were frustrated but ended up meeting with her and made a new plan. we now communicate with her through the patient portal that Utah Fertility Center offers and it is much easier...the nursing staff so far has been very kind and compassionate to us. We only had one problem with a nurse who has very short with us and didn't really answer our questions in detail, but i can't remember her name. There is one NP that I really like, her name is Anne-Marie. She explains everything so well and answers all of our lengthy questions. She is very sweet and I can tell she cares about my treatment. I prefer to have her help us each time, but it is never the same NP or nurse that gives me an ultrasound, etc.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
We have only met with Dr. Gurtcheff twice, and felt like we weren't receiving much communication from her or the plan she has set for us. We happened to see her on one of our many visits and were able to speak with her and she assured us that she she looks at our chart often and is always aware of our situation. It helped us feel a little better, since we haven't seen her at any of our IUIs.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Be upfront about what you want and how much time you're willing to spend on each step (timed intercourse, IUI, then onto IVF, etc.)
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Between our 2nd and 3rd IUI we didn't have any communication with our doctor, we were frustrated but ended up meeting with her and made a new plan. we now communicate with her through the patient portal that Utah Fertility Center offers and it is much easier.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
The first 2 IUIs i was just on Fermara, the upped my dose to the highest dosage for my second IUI. I came in every few days/once a week to check my follicle size, etc. once my follicle was mature, they had me use the trigger shot and i came in for my IUIs 24 hours later. For my 3rd IUI, we introduced Clomid and Fermara along with the ultrasounds and trigger shot. it seemed to help my follicles grow faster and larger, which was great. I had one on each side that was mature and the other times i only had one. I am starting my medication for my 4th IUI today - again with the highest dosage of fermara and clomid. I have developed a cyst on my left ovary in between my last IUI and now, but they just called me with my blood results and it is not estrogen producing, so we can move forward with my 4th IUI. Before my IUIs, we tried one cycle of timed intercourse with fermara and a trigger shot.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
the nursing staff so far has been very kind and compassionate to us. We only had one problem with a nurse who has very short with us and didn't really answer our questions in detail, but i can't remember her name. There is one NP that I really like, her name is Anne-Marie. She explains everything so well and answers all of our lengthy questions. She is very sweet and I can tell she cares about my treatment. I prefer to have her help us each time, but it is never the same NP or nurse that gives me an ultrasound, etc.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic is very nice and well kept, the woman that is at reception is awesome and remembers everyone's name, her name is Hilda. When it comes to the finance department, who answer questions about bills and charges, they could be a little more patient and compassionate. Sometimes they don't communicate adequately with reception, so reception with answer our questions about a bill and the answer will be wrong because they were not trained properly from Finance.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
for each IUI cycle, it costs around $900.00 plus medication, that is around $50.00. We have not gotten the cost numbers for IVF quite yet.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
She explained that if i have 3 or more mature follicles we would not be able to move forward with an IUI, because of the chance of multiples. She is ok with two mature follicles for IUI.
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
there was just some miscommuncation with the finance team. We know our doctor is not covered by our insurance, so I called and specifically asked if when we meet with her on our first ultrasound appointment for our 3rd IUI would cost us extra. The person at reception said that she checked and it will not cost extra and it would be covered by our IUI cost. It was not covered, and we were surprised with a $300 bill because we met with Dr. Gurtcheff. We would have spoken to her over the phone if we would have known we would have to pay extra for this, or even emailed her through the patient portal. It was frustrating.
she [Dr. Gurtcheff] is amazing at answering any questions you have...She was the Dr. who first diagnosed me with endometriosis. Since I was able to get pregnant naturally, she wanted me to continue trying while taking progesterone after I ovulated for a few more months. After that didn’t work, I decided to have surgery for my endometriosis. During surgery, They found I had stage 3 endometriosis, but the surgeon was confident he excised it all and told me to try naturally for 6 months.
They [nurses at Utah Fertility Center] are all very nice and some of them were also patients at my clinic so they understand what it’s like from a patient perspective...Each IUI is $875 which we had to pay out of pocket...The clinic is very clean and the staff is wonderful. Sometimes the wait times are long, but it just depends on the time of day. The staff is friendly and easy to get ahold of on the phone. The nurses line isn’t very easy to get ahold of however and you have to call back several times or leave a voicemail to speak with a nurse.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She has the best bedside manner and is very balanced with providing information and showing compassion. She is so patient and I never felt rushed when asking her questions. She is the most empathetic dr. I’ve ever had! She helped me understand what endometriosis is and was the reason I was diagnosed. I love her!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Come with questions prepared, she is amazing at answering any questions you have.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is extremely empathetic and kind! She makes you feel like you are important and you’re not making up your pain. I love her!
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
When I first went to see Dr Gretcheff, I had told her I was able to get pregnant naturally after 2 years of trying, but had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. She was the Dr. who first diagnosed me with endometriosis. Since I was able to get pregnant naturally, she wanted me to continue trying while taking progesterone after I ovulated for a few more months. After that didn’t work, I decided to have surgery for my endometriosis. During surgery, They found I had stage 3 endometriosis, but the surgeon was confident he excised it all and told me to try naturally for 6 months. After I wasn’t able to get pregnant for 6 months after my surgery, I went back to Dr. Gertcheff at the beginning of this year. We decided to try 3 rounds of IUI before pursuing IVF. The first round, I was taking 50 mg of clomid for 5 days after my baseline ultrasound. I produced 1mature egg that round and we did the IUI. We waited for 2 weeks and the results were negative. Dr. Gurtcheff increased my clomid up to 100 mg for the second round, which also produced 1 mature egg and was also negative. For the 3rd IUI, she increased my clomid to 150 mg which produced 2 mature eggs. I’m still waiting to see if the 3rd one worked, but if it is negative our next step would be IVF. We have been trying to get pregnant for a total of 4 years now.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
They are all very nice and some of them were also patients at my clinic so they understand what it’s like from a patient perspective.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic is very clean and the staff is wonderful. Sometimes the wait times are long, but it just depends on the time of day. The staff is friendly and easy to get ahold of on the phone. The nurses line isn’t very easy to get ahold of however and you have to call back several times or leave a voicemail to speak with a nurse.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
Each IUI is $875 which we had to pay out of pocket. I don’t know how much IVF would be. The trigger shot and progesterone were about $200 together. Clomid was $40.
Some time I felt like I was just another patient and that [Dr. Gurtcheff] wasn’t as personable...is a kind and pleasant doctor. It was a little hard to connect with her first but but after the second or 3rd visit she helped me understand my diagnosis and treatment plan and options and showed more compassion. She gave us different options and helped us to understand what we should expect from our options. She was willing to run tests when I questioned about immunological issues.
The nurses [at Utah Fertility Center] were always kind and happy to see me. They always had something nice to say and helped me to feel at ease and especially before and during procedures...IVF procedure was about 15k...The clinic was great. Had kind and friendly staff that were always willing to help and help you find answers to your questions. They always called you back by the end of the day if you had to leave a message for a question that you had: Nice clean and modern facilities.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr G is a kind and pleasant doctor. It was a little hard to connect with her first but but after the second or 3rd visit she helped me understand my diagnosis and treatment plan and options and showed more compassion. She gave us different options and helped us to understand what we should expect from our options. She was willing to run tests when I questioned about immunological issues.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Have and open mind and ask questions when you want to know more about something.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Some time I felt like I was just another patient and that Dr G. wasn’t as personable and did care about my result but other times I did feel like she did care and wanted me to reach the results of motherhood.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Because I had a Low Overian Reserve. We did a low dose medication. She explained to me that my body wouldn’t produce any more eggs on a higher dose medication than it would probably on the lower dose medication. I would have 1 to 3 follicles very time.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
The nurses were always kind and happy to see me. They always had something nice to say and helped me to feel at ease and especially before and during procedures.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic was great. Had kind and friendly staff that were always willing to help and help you find answers to your questions. They always called you back by the end of the day if you had to leave a message for a question that you had: Nice clean and modern facilities.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
I was lucky to have my iui’s and most medication covered by insurance. IVF procedure was about 15k.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
I only had 1 viable egg to transfer and so we only did one. If we had more than 1 she would have let me do 2 if I wanted to but do recommend more than 2 because of my age.
I’ve only seen her [Dr. Shawn Gurtcheff] once. That was only for the consultation. I understand she is a busy woman but it would be nice to have your doctor perform or explain treatment plan for that cycle. I would love to see her more often for appointments. I’m a little nervous for IVF so hopefully she will be the one explaining the process and be performing the treatment.... My last cycle for IUI - I was taking Clomid 2.5 mg, Fermara 7.5 mg Dexamethasone, and for ovulation I toke Pregnyl.
I would love them [Utah Fertility Center- Murray] more if they weren’t always rushing patients. I would want to know more what’s happening and what the pills or procedure will do for me. They should be more responsive on their patient portal. I almost missed a cycle waiting for their reply.... During procedures they weren’t telling me enough about what’s going on like HSG or the water ultrasound. They would just tell me come back and we will schedule you for another appointment! Please just tell me what’s happening.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I’ve only seen her once. That was only for the consultation. I understand she is a busy woman but it would be nice to have your doctor perform or explain treatment plan for that cycle. I would love to see her more often for appointments. I’m a little nervous for IVF so hopefully she will be the one explaining the process and be performing the treatment.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Come in with questions, always be communicate with her staff, and don’t be afraid to tell them anything.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
It’s mostly from her team. They would just give me my calendar and not explain anything especially when I got my HSG it was painful and they were not comforting. My IUI’s (I have a tilited uterus and they wouldn’t ask for help when trying to attempt to put the catheter in)
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
My last cycle for IUI - I was taking Clomid 2.5 mg, Fermara 7.5 mg Dexamethasone, and for ovulation I toke Pregnyl.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
During procedures they weren’t telling me enough about what’s going on like HSG or the water ultrasound. They would just tell me come back and we will schedule you for another appointment! Please just tell me what’s happening.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
I would love them more if they weren’t always rushing patients. I would want to know more what’s happening and what the pills or procedure will do for me. They should be more responsive on their patient portal. I almost missed a cycle waiting for their reply.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
Spent $500 for timed intercourse, spent $1000 (including medicine) for one IUI, other two IUIs were covered by insurance but probably spent $200 on medicine each cycle.
Dr. Gurtcheff was extremely patient and sensitive to our needs and emotions the entire time. Unexplained infertility is a very emotional and taxing diagnosis. When you don't know why it's not working; its as frustrating to the doctor as it is for the patient. Dr. Gurtcheff was genuinely upset each failed cycle. She took additional time to help us through each failed cycle, and spent hours explaining as much as possible. Even though we were not successful, I love Dr. Gurtcheff and when we are ready to try again (for a complete new cycle and egg retrieval), I would go back to her in a heartbeat. Another thing I have to mention is that she always took the time to call me directly, rather than having her nurses do it.
For the most part, the nurses and staff were really great to work with [at Utah Fertility Center]. I feel like I had a better overall experience with my nurses that were assigned to my FET cycles rather than my fresh. Occasionally, I felt like it was difficult to get in touch with the staff, and often felt like I was leaving voicemails rather than actually speaking to someone the first time I called. I do think that they organized my cycles really well, and they were good about getting medications called in in an appropriate time frame. The only complaint I think I had was sometimes, I waited longer in the waiting room, even though I had appointments, than I should have. But that's to be expected.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
My husband and I started out seeing Dr. Peterson with the University of Utah. We had all three cycles of IUI with him. When we started into the IVF process, things got really messy and we knew that it wasn't the right fit. So we decided to do our homework. We had some good friends who had been to Utah Fertility Center, and had loved their experience. So we decided to set up a consult with Dr. Gurtcheff. Right away, we felt completely comfortable with her and even though we were taking this huge leap in the fertility world; we felt confident that we would be successful with her and she would guide us through the process each step. Dr. Gurtcheff was very confident that we would be successful. We were the "picture perfect" candidates for IVF and even though I had low egg reserve, we were sure that we would be successful on the 2nd or 3rd cycle. We started into our cycle, and I began injections, medications, daily appointments, etc. My body responded really well and I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have too many side effects from all the hormones. I did end up having to stem for an extra two days, so i did a total of 12 days of injections. Normally, I didn't see Dr. Gurtcheff for the ultrasounds (these were performed by the Nurse Practitioners or PA's). So on the day of egg retrieval, I was very excited to see our doctor again. She was very sensitive to my needs, taking the time to go over any questions we had before the retrieval. She was very kind and caring, almost nurturing in a way. This process is scary, and she helped ease our minds. The egg retrieval went really well, and we ended up with 17 follicles. Over the course of the 5 days, we ended up with 7 perfectly healthy embryos. So we felt very fortunate. We did not do PGS testing because we didn't really fit the bill. Looking back now, I wish so badly we would have. We proceeded with a 5 day fresh transfer and transferred 1 embryo. We froze the remainder. One thing I want to mention here is that I have a history of having an inadequate cervix (I had two surgeries on my cervix in the past). Dr. Gurtcheff was extremely concerned about this and took all the appropriate measures to ensure that we were handling the situation appropriately. She did not feel comfortable transferring more than 1 embryo at a time where we did not know how my cervix would hold up under pressure. I felt very confident in her expertise and knowledge, as well as comforted knowing she had my best interest in mind. The first cycle was unfortunately unsuccessful, but we had been prepared that might be the case. We didn't let us deter us, and we pressed forward. The first frozen transfer went smoothly; again, Dr. Gurtcheff was fabulous and walked us through the procedure. We chatted through the transfer like old friends. Fast forward... the second transfer also failed. We were all perplexed, but we still felt hopeful because we had 5 frozen embryos still and knew our chances continued to increase with each subsequent transfer. We proceeded with our third transfer (second FET). With hopeful hearts, we waited the 2 weeks (anyone in the fertility world knows that this is the worst 2 weeks ever and truly feels like a lifetime). The wait was finally over, we got the call and we were ecstatic to find out that we were pregnant! FINALLY pregnant! After 3 years of infertility. I can honestly say that is probably the happiest day of my life. Dr. Gurtcheff was excited for us and we started to prepare for the next step. A week later, I went in for an HCG test to make sure my levels were still rising. Unfortunately, they had not, and in fact, they had dropped. I was having a miscarriage and the pregnancy was not viable. We were crushed. Just like that, it was taken away from us. With no further answers, we directed our questions to Dr. Gurtcheff, and although she was uncertain why it hadn't worked either, she was sensitive and caring and literally spent almost an hour with me on the phone to comfort me and talk me through possible scenarios as well as new plans to move forward. Moving through the next few cycles was hard, and I was losing hope with each failed round. Dr. Gurtcheff did research and we tried new things, and new medications. We even tried a non-medicated cycle on one of them, and just used my own bodies hormones. We also transferred 2 embryos on another. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, none of them worked. We never even became pregnant again. At this point, I had been diagnosed with repeated implantation failure. After 6 full transfers, and no successful live births, we had officially shut down and our hearts were broken. We knew we needed to take a break. Dr. Gurtcheff remained compassionate and understanding. We met for a final consult after our last failed round, and we discussed the next plan of action; another retrieval, with PGS testing this time, and a few other tests. One or two more transfers, possibly. Then, we start looking at surrogacy if needed. Statistically, couples are more likely to be successful on their 6th or subsequent transfer. We hold onto that and hold onto the hope that when we are ready to try again, we will be successful and will get our miracle baby. It has been 4 years since we started infertility treatments, and we have not been successful yet. It has been truly the hardest trial of our lives. Even though we were not successful, I can honestly say that Dr. Gurtcheff made the process easier. Infertility is not an easy subject, and I'm sure that going into the profession is not an easy choice. Watching couples be successful is the most rewarding part of their job. But when couples aren't successful, it also negatively affects them, and I believe that Dr. Gurtcheff was sincerely disheartened every time we got a negative result. She felt the emotions with us. We have since taken 7 months off, and we are focusing on other things right now. But when we are ready to try again, we will be returning to Utah Fertility Center and we will see Dr. Gurtcheff. We have invested a lot of money and time, and emotions into this trial, and coming up empty handed has been extremely hard. But we are strong-willed, and are not ready to give up the fight yet.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Make sure you have all the questions you want answered at the time of your consult. Also, inquire about resources; i.e. therapy, help groups, etc. My husband and I didn't really look into these options in the beginning and they would have been very useful throughout the process. I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in the consult, but perhaps it should have been a bigger part of the conversation. Infertility is very taxing on a couple and a marriage.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff was extremely patient and sensitive to our needs and emotions the entire time. Unexplained infertility is a very emotional and taxing diagnosis. When you don't know why it's not working; its as frustrating to the doctor as it is for the patient. Dr. Gurtcheff was genuinely upset each failed cycle. She took additional time to help us through each failed cycle, and spent hours explaining as much as possible. Even though we were not successful, I love Dr. Gurtcheff and when we are ready to try again (for a complete new cycle and egg retrieval), I would go back to her in a heartbeat. Another thing I have to mention is that she always took the time to call me directly, rather than having her nurses do it.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I sort of already discussed our cycles in detail but some of the specifics I can remember that we did differently:
1) not transferring more than 1 embryo at a time (with the exception of one cycle and only after consulting with my high risk doctor).
2) 5 medicated cycles, and 1 natural cycle
3) Repeated testing (I did 2 HSG tests. Which btw are the WORST). But, when I had my first, i was with a different doctor and they did not put me under and I almost passed out from the pain. When Dr. Gurtcheff did it the second time, she was shocked to learn that they hadn't put me to sleep. We did this the second time and it was a much more pleasant experience. Again, a reason why Dr. Gurtcheff is amazing.
4) We tried a new medication called Neupogen due to repeated implantation failure.
5) We did not do PGS testing on our embryos. We plan to do that when we do our next full cycle.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
For the most part, the nurses and staff were really great to work with. I feel like I had a better overall experience with my nurses that were assigned to my FET cycles rather than my fresh. Occasionally, I felt like it was difficult to get in touch with the staff, and often felt like I was leaving voicemails rather than actually speaking to someone the first time I called. I do think that they organized my cycles really well, and they were good about getting medications called in in an appropriate time frame. The only complaint I think I had was sometimes, I waited longer in the waiting room, even though I had appointments, than I should have. But that's to be expected. In all honesty, 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility, and we are in Utah, where more people are having families. I think that the clinic is extremely busy and I think they do the best they can to juggle the patient volume. I never felt like I was being ignored or like I wasn't a priority. Every patient there is there for the same reason I was; to have a baby.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic is clean and organized. It's very welcoming. The baby pictures offer hope, and bring a smile to your face even when you're feeling hopeless. I live in Salt Lake City and I Loved how I could have all my blood draws and ultrasounds done at the Murray clinic (which is conveniently close to my house). This made each cycle so much easier to navigate. The amount of appointments per cycle is crazy, and it would not have worked as well if I would have had to drive to Pleasant Grove for every single one. The egg retrieval, HSG testing and embryo transfers were all done at the Pleasant Grove center. The PG clinic is very clean and I like the layout of it. Both clinics are conveniently located close to the freeway. I would always recommend going in comfy clothes when you go for your retrievals and transfers. Wear pants that are lose and comfortable because most likely, you'll go home and sleep/rest for a few days. Also, always, always, always wear socks! Warm feet= warm uterus! :) But for real, it's just better to have socks on when you're walking around the rooms in bear feet.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
OH boy.. how can I forget the absorbent costs associated with infertility treatments. hah. From beginning to end, with four years of infertility treatments, we have spent close to 30,000 dollars on TTC. Between medications, IUI, additional testing and actual IVF. Unfortunately, neither of our organizations that we work for, nor do our insurance companies, help with infertility expenses. It's always been a very troubling concept to me. They say where it's elective, it's not covered. But I can vouch for every single woman who struggles to have a child naturally, that being infertile is NOT elective. No one chooses to be diagnosed with infertility. Yes, the process of moving forward with infertility treatment is a choice; but only after couples have exhausted all other options. As women, we are physiologically designed to conceive and carry babies. When that piece of you is broken, it's an internal struggle every day to really believe that something is wrong with you. I wish more insurance companies would consider this. IVF is expensive. But how can you put a price on true happiness; how can you put a price on a child of your own.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
We chose to do ICSI and had great results. We got 7 embryos that all made it to the full blastocyst stage and thawed beautifully each time. We did not grade them. But they always looked beautiful under the microscope. Obviously, there is no way to truly know without doing PGS testing.
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
For the most part, things went really smoothly. On one or two occasions, medications did not get called into the right pharmacy. But that was an easy oversight, and was quickly corrected. No big deal.
She [Dr. Gurtcheff] has been patient with our hesitations and been willing to go with our plan and desires when they did not match her suggestions, but has been clear about what we can expect if we adjust our plan and try something new. After 3 failed IUI attempts she suggested that we move on to ivf with the better odds for those in our situation, but was very patient when we waited for 6 months taking a break and deciding what we wanted to do.
They [Utah Fertility Center] have extended hours which means if I can book my appointment far enough in advance then I can schedule an early or late appointment and not miss any work. ... It’s typically not too difficult to schedule appointments over the phone and only rarely have I not reached someone when calling the front desk. ... The front desk staff have always been personable.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr Gurtcheff has always been happy to talk through any questions I’ve had and explain any of the treatments we were moving forward with. She has been clear in communicating our next steps when previous treatments didn’t work. When simply taking clomid and timing intercourse didn’t work after the third try she suggested we move to the next step trying an IUI so we didn’t waste our money on something we felt fairly confidently wouldn’t work. She has been patient with our hesitations and been willing to go with our plan and desires when they did not match her suggestions, but has been clear about what we can expect if we adjust our plan and try something new. After 3 failed IUI attempts she suggested that we move on to ivf with the better odds for those in our situation, but was very patient when we waited for 6 months taking a break and deciding what we wanted to do. When we did decide to move forward with ivf after another bad summer of cysts and growing endometriosis she was quick to adjust the plan to accommodate the growing severity of my endometriosis and suggested a specialist who could perform surgery this time to remove my cysts while preserving and keeping my right ovary, and was involved at each step (minus the actual surgery). While we are just now starting the actual process of our first round of ivf I feel confidently that Dr Gurtcheff will continue to support and treat me to the best of her ability, with her best plan for my own situation.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Come prepared with questions and don’t hesitate in asking anything. She’s so happy to answer questions, but can’t predict all of them. And there are no stupid questions, ever.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I have always been reminded that this is my journey and my body and as such I control that journey and what we do and do not do. I have stage 4 endometriosis and my doctor is the one that performed the surgery to remove some large cysts and make the diagnosis of endometriosis and she has always been upfront about what that meant for us and how we move forward with fertility treatments.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
In my first three months of treatments I started with a baseline appointment and then took clomid for 5 days, had another ultrasound to check the stimulation of my follicles. When the timing was right following that second ultrasound I would give myself the hcg trigger shot and then my husband and I would have sex 12 and 24 hours after the shot. I then took progesterone suppositories until my blood test to confirm if I was pregnant or not. The following treatment was the same except that rather than my husband and I having sex we did the interuterine insemination, but the timing and medication was the same. I then had my first laparoscopic surgery to diagnose and clean up my endometriosis. Following the surgery we did two more rounds of the IUI but used femara instead of clomid as it is supposed to be better for women with endometriosis. None of the treatments were successful so we took a break over the summer while we were doing some traveling, and to give my body some rest. We will be doing our first round of ivf in a month.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
They have always been incredibly nice and helpful when I have been in the office. They have been more difficult to communicate with while I have been away from the office. They aren’t especially quick to return calls when I have had questions. With that being said, now that we are doing ivf we have been assigned a nurse/coordinator who has been incredibly easy to talk to and coordinate with and she is always quick to return phone calls.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
They have extended hours which means if I can book my appointment far enough in advance then I can schedule an early or late appointment and not miss any work. The front desk staff have always been personable. It’s typically not too difficult to schedule appointments over the phone and only rarely have I not reached someone when calling the front desk. It has also always been easy to pay my balance, however t does sometimes take a while for the bill to be posted.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
The Cycle of clomid, with a trigger shot, and times intercourse, we paid around $300 a month. Each IUI cycle cost $1000.
Dr. Gurtcheff is kind and compassionate. She seems genuinely invested in helping me see a good outcome. She is easy to meet with, available at several locations and over the phone or via email. She listens and is honest about the probability of success...did a full round of bloodwork to check for factors that could cause repeat pregnancy loss (nothing found) and I had an endometrial biopsy done.
She [nurse at Utah Fertility Center] does an ok job, but is sometimes slow to get back to me. She doesn't always know what is going on with my cycle and is a little too clinical for me. She is nice enough, but not my favorite...I was given incorrect information after my HCG blood test. The first test came back low, so I knew the outcome might not be good. I had a repeat test done and the wrong number was written on my chart (or the doctor read it wrong) and the coordinator called me to say it was going up and things were looking good. The doctor called me later that night to correct the mistake and tell me that my numbers were not as high as first reported and that I would likely still miscarry.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I was first a patient of Dr. Gurtcheff's in 2012 after trying to get pregnant for over a year. I was seeing her in Pleasant Grove and then saw her in Murray when they opened their location there. I did 3 rounds of Clomid and two IUIs with injectables and was not able to get pregnant. When she recommended we move on to IVF, we moved to MA and continued our care there, under Dr. Zimon. I resumed my care with Dr Gurtcheff when we wanted to try for another pregnancy with our frozen embryos. We moved our embryos from Boston to UT. I lost both of those embryos, so now we are pursuing donated embryos in hopes of a successful pregnancy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Stay up to date on current research, ask all your questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is kind and compassionate. She seems genuinely invested in helping me see a good outcome. She is easy to meet with, available at several locations and over the phone or via email. She listens and is honest about the probability of success.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I did 3 rounds of Clomid in 2012. I always responded to meds and had 1-2 mature follicles, but no pregnancy. I did 2 IUI cycles with her as well, both with injectable meds. My husband has good sperm counts, but neither IUI was successful. My AMH was low and dropping, so it was recommended we move on to IVF, which we did (but with another clinic and doctor out of state).
For my FET cycles, I took estradiol valerate to prep for FET and PIO to help support pregnancy. My first transfer had a positive pregnancy test, but HCG levels were low and never went up appropriately. I had an early miscarriage after verifying via ultrasound no viable pregnancy. Dr. Gurtcheff did a full round of bloodwork to check for factors that could cause repeat pregnancy loss (nothing found) and I had an endometrial biopsy done. My second FET was similar to the first and resulted in a successful pregnancy until 13 weeks when I developed a SCH that caused me to miscarry. She was supportive of us trying IVF with our own eggs again, but my insurance denied coverage due to high FSH levels, so we are pursuing donated embryos at this time.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Mallory Oliverson)
She does an ok job, but is sometimes slow to get back to me. She doesn't always know what is going on with my cycle and is a little too clinical for me. She is nice enough, but not my favorite.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
I like that the clinic is small, but they have several locations so I can always get in to be seen in a timely manner. The billing department seems a bit unorganized. I like that I can communicate easily with my doctor. I like that my doctor has done all my procedures.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
FET was $2900.
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
I was given incorrect information after my HCG blood test. The first test came back low, so I knew the outcome might not be good. I had a repeat test done and the wrong number was written on my chart (or the doctor read it wrong) and the coordinator called me to say it was going up and things were looking good. The doctor called me later that night to correct the mistake and tell me that my numbers were not as high as first reported and that I would likely still miscarry.
She [Dr. Shawn Gurtcheff] had done her research on my particular situation before meeting with me and I could tell that she was interested in lowering all potential risks from my blood issue. She was willing to get all my medical doctors involved to come up with the best plan for me to be successful. I felt like she was going above and beyond for my care and she did it without hesitation. Her genuine care and concern is just one of her best qualities.
The clinic [Utah Fertility Center- Pleasant Grove] was very fast at getting me checked in and also seeing a doctor. Waiting area was very clean and welcoming. I had to take my daughter with me to one of my appointments and everyone was very helpful with her and acted like she was not an inconvenience.... My treatment was put together with input from my other medical doctors. After having my first daughter, I suffered a pulmonary embolism. I am prone to blood clots and that is high risk with high levels of hormones. I am taking an estrogen blocker as well as heparin. Then after the egg retrieval I will take lovinox injections to lower the risk of blood clots.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I was referred to Dr G from my OB/GYN. I trust my OB with my life (She literally saved mine) so I felt very comfortable from the first time meeting her. She had done her research on my particular situation before meeting with me and I could tell that she was interested in lowering all potential risks from my blood issue. She was willing to get all my medical doctors involved to come up with the best plan for me to be successful. I felt like she was going above and beyond for my care and she did it without hesitation. Her genuine care and concern is just one of her best qualities.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Go into your initial appointment with an open mind and heart. That way you will be able to hear and see that she has a genuine love for her job and helping people.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Before meeting Dr G I had talked with another Fertility Dr. He made me feel like I wasn't a good candidate. From the moment I met Dr G she was very caring and made every effort to make me feel comfortable.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
My treatment was put together with input from my other medical doctors. After having my first daughter, I suffered a pulmonary embolism. I am prone to blood clots and that is high risk with high levels of hormones. I am taking an estrogen blocker as well as heparin. Then after the egg retrieval I will take lovinox injections to lower the risk of blood clots.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
Nursing staff made me feel very comfortable with every visit, Whether we were meeting for blood work or ultrasound, they were very professional and caring.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic was very fast at getting me checked in and also seeing a doctor. Waiting area was very clean and welcoming. I had to take my daughter with me to one of my appointments and everyone was very helpful with her and acted like she was not an inconvenience.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
The treatment cost was an IVF cycle
With Gestational Carrier
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
I had already decided that only one embryo would be transferred at a time prior to meeting.
Dr Gurtcheff is very sweet and easy to talk to. she is great at explaining everything throughout the whole process. she truly seems to have my best interest in mind and seems to want us to get pregnant as badly as we want it.... when I first met with her she said "we have to figure out what the problem is first before we can treat it." she did an ultrasound and several labs to determine that I had PCOS.
I sometimes felt like the nurses or MAs [at Utah Fertility Center] that called me had no idea what was going on with my care plan. so that was kind of frustrating, but overall everyone has been really nice and they call the doctor if needed anytime I have questions....
the MAs seem unprofessional at times, but I have LOVED the doctors and nurse practitioners that I have talked to. everyone seems to have my best interest in mind. it can also be very difficult to get anyone to answer the phone, but I understand that they are very busy and they do really well at returning phone calls.
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr Gurtcheff is very sweet and easy to talk to. she is great at explaining everything throughout the whole process. she truly seems to have my best interest in mind and seems to want us to get pregnant as badly as we want it.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
ask her anything! she is a fountain of knowledge. I had so many questions and worries with my last miscarriage and there wasn't one thing she couldn't answer and she assured me that this wasnt my fault and involved me when deciding a new care plan.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
she met with us in her office multiple times, and called me personally to discuss my new diagnosis of pcos. her staff always calls to check up on me each cycle and she makes sure I am well informed and involved in my care.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
when I first met with her she said "we have to figure out what the problem is first before we can treat it." she did an ultrasound and several labs to determine that I had PCOS. she then started me on provera to start a period and I did. then we did 2.5 mg of femara to help me ovulate because I wasn't ovulating on my own. that dose didn't work and she increased to 5 mg the next month. I ovulated and got pregnant, but unfortunately ended in miscarriage. the following month we did 5mg of femara again but no ovulation, so she increased it to 7.5. I have been on that dose for two cycles now and have ovulated both times. she also gave me the option during the process to do timed intercourse with monitoring at any point, but I decided to wait and try just the femara for a while first. each cycle she has done a 21 day progesterone to confirm ovulation and if I ovulate then she does an HCG test the week after. she has given me a lot of options for what steps to take next, especially after my miscarriage, which I appreciate! since the miscarriage she has also started me on 200 mg of prometrium twice a day each cycle after ovulation is confirmed and baby aspirin once a day. prometrium was done a couple other times on the cycles that I didn't ovulate to start a period
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
I sometimes felt like the nurses or MAs that called me had no idea what was going on with my care plan. so that was kind of frustrating, but overall everyone has been really nice and they call the doctor if needed anytime I have questions.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
the MAs seem unprofessional at times, but I have LOVED the doctors and nurse practitioners that I have talked to. everyone seems to have my best interest in mind. it can also be very difficult to get anyone to answer the phone, but I understand that they are very busy and they do really well at returning phone calls.
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
there was one time that the MA said they would send a prescription for an increased dose of femara to my pharmacy (increase from 5mg to 7.5 mg) my pharmacy never received it and the MA didn't initially call me until after they were closed. so I had to wait until the next day to get the medication. super frustrating when you are trying to get pregnant and literally every day counts.
Dr. G[urtcheff] was amazing! She truely cares and you feel she is part of your team and rooting you on for success! She explains everything so well and doesn't give any false expectations! She is very thourough and quick to respond! She was nothing short of amazing!...We did estrogen priming instead of birth control because I had once had a low AMH blood draw (it had since normalized by the time we started IVF). We then did stims (follistim 225 and one powder of menopur) for 10 days with blood work and ultrasound monitoring.
[Nurses at Utah Fertility Center are] Very knowledgeAble and caring!...This clinic is wonderful! Honestly have no complaints! They have made this difficult process as easy as it can be! They are very organized, clean and the staff makes you feel so cared for! Everyone is so quick to respond to emails and calls! I have been so happy with my experience and so glad I made the switch to do my IVF with them!
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. G was amazing! She truely cares and you feel she is part of your team and rooting you on for success! She explains everything so well and doesn't give any false expectations! She is very thourough and quick to respond! She was nothing short of amazing!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Be open and don't hesitate to ask questions and expect honest feed back!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Always friendly and comforting! They explained everything to me and always there to answer all my questions and concerns!
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We did estrogen priming instead of birth control because I had once had a low AMH blood draw (it had since normalized by the time we started IVF). We then did stims (follistim 225 and one powder of menopur) for 10 days with blood work and ultrasound monitoring. We started ganirilex on atom day 7 and triggered day 10. Egg retrieval was 36 hours. Transfer was 5 days after. Endometrin was started day after egg retrieval. Currently waiting for my beta as I'm filling this out! (already been getting positive at home pregnancy tests :) )
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Morgan )
Very knowledgeAble and caring!
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
This clinic is wonderful! Honestly have no complaints! They have made this difficult process as easy as it can be! They are very organized, clean and the staff makes you feel so cared for! Everyone is so quick to respond to emails and calls! I have been so happy with my experience and so glad I made the switch to do my IVF with them!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
Before medications $9800
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
We were set on transferring too, while Dr. G made us very aware of the risks, she was so willing to work with us and support us. They do have a strict policy of transferring no more than two though.
I feel like she [Dr. Gurtcheff] did an amazing job explaining the treatment, as well as adjusting my plan as cycles progressed and making the changes that needed to be made. Very good bedside manner. She is educated and caring. I have really loved having her as my fertility specialist...She is wonderful at listening to your concerns you just need to voice them....Failed cycle. After this we discussed and both felt the best option was to move to IVF.
[Utah Fert Ctr - PG] Strengths are ample. Organized and proactive in care. Everyone works together to establish the best possible patient care. One weakness is that initially it is difficult to get in...I loved going to the clinic as the staff seemed to truly care about my outcome. Gave me adequate time and always addressed my needs...The nursing staff was professional and attentive. Always made me feel comfortable and informed....
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I feel like she did an amazing job explaining the treatment, as well as adjusting my plan as cycles progressed and making the changes that needed to be made. Very good bedside manner. She is educated and caring. I have really loved having her as my fertility specialist
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Ask questions you are unsure of, and speak up. She is wonderful at listening to your concerns you just need to voice them.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
I loved going to the clinic as the staff seemed to truly care about my outcome. Gave me adequate time and always addressed my needs. The only time I ever felt frustrated was working with the schedule lady who didn't understand why I had to work and it was difficult to make all of the appointments.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I used 7.5mg of femera, as well as 75units of follistim. This resulted in 1 beautiful follicle. Hcg trigger and iui. However did not result in pregnancy.
The second iui 10mg femera, 3, 75 unit doses of follistim due to poor initial response. Hcg trigger and iui 48 hours later. Also used Estrace due to thin uterine linning. Failed cycle. After this we discussed and both felt the best option was to move to IVF.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
The nursing staff was professional and attentive. Always made me feel comfortable and informed.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
Strengths are ample. Organized and proactive in care. Everyone works together to establish the best possible patient care.
One weakness is that initially it is difficult to get in. However, once you have your initial visit the go to great lengths to accommodate you.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
Because we have insurance that doesn't cover infertility costs build rather quickly. Each iui cycle was $800.00 out of pocket for monitoring and procedure. Plus on average of $500.00 for meds.
Describe Shawn Gurtcheff's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Utah Fertility Center.
N/a
What specific things went wrong at Utah Fertility Center?
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Utah Fertility Center.
The only thing that was not really an issue as I called and requested them was they didn't call us once our lab results came back.
Dr. Gurtcheff is very sweet & caring. She made us feel very comfortable & gave us hope which is something we haven't had in a long time. My only complaint is I only saw her for the appointments to go over test results and talk about our plan. The ultrasounds, IUI procedures, & even the call to tell me the results that I wasn't pregnant were all done by her nursing staff... The clinic is amazing. Very clean & comfortable. They respond to phone calls/call you back very quickly. When waiting on results they always call in a timely manner, exactly when they say they are going to. There can be a little bit of a wait sometimes even if you show up to your appointment early or on time
The clinic [Utah Fertility Center-Pleasant Grove] is amazing. Very clean & comfortable. They respond to phone calls/call you back very quickly. When waiting on results they always call in a timely manner, exactly when they say they are going to. There can be a little bit of a wait sometimes even if you show up to your appointment early or on time.... The clinic is amazing. Very clean & comfortable. They respond to phone calls/call you back very quickly. When waiting on results they always call in a timely manner, exactly when they say they are going to. There can be a little bit of a wait sometimes even if you show up to your appointment early or on time
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff is very sweet & caring. She made us feel very comfortable & gave us hope which is something we haven't had in a long time. My only complaint is I only saw her for the appointments to go over test results and talk about our plan. The ultrasounds, IUI procedures, & even the call to tell me the results that I wasn't pregnant were all done by her nursing staff. They were great, but I felt like there were a lot of questions at times that I couldn't get answers to because I wasn't able to speak with Dr. Gurtcheff directly.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Write down all your questions so you can ask while she's around because you don't always get the opportunity to later.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
Dr. Gurtcheff did an amazing job of showing how much she cares & feels for our situation. We have secondary infertility & I was nervous to see a doctor because I didn't want them to think treating me was less important because I already have one kid. Dr. Gurtcheff really seemed to understand our desire to grow our family & give our son a sibling. She reassured us & made us feel comfortable the whole time.
Describe the protocols Shawn Gurtcheff used in your cycles at Utah Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Dr. Gurtcheff explained that clomid on it's own isn't that affective & neither is the IUI. She recommended we do a combination of both to increase our chances. I appreciated the more aggressive approach. We were to try this method up to 3 times because the success rates are supposed to be cumulative so with each attempt our chances go up. After 3 times we would save up for/prepare for ivf.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Utah Fertility Center.
They were organized, experienced, & very professional. Very warm & friendly. It was easy to feel comfortable with them.
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
The clinic is amazing. Very clean & comfortable. They respond to phone calls/call you back very quickly. When waiting on results they always call in a timely manner, exactly when they say they are going to. There can be a little bit of a wait sometimes even if you show up to your appointment early or on time.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
IUI and baseline ultrasound -$875
HCG trigger shot, progesterone, & clomid - together cost around $200
Other tests and appointments I was billed around $400
She [Dr. Gurtcheff] is educated and well knowledged in her profession. She has compassion, empathy, and is real. I have loved working with her because I trust her every step of the way. She is always made sure that whatever decision is made is my own and not because she feels one way or the other. She has remain optimistic for me but yet realistic.... She always made sure that I asked questions and she would answer them. She always try to normalize how I felt every step of the way
I love the girl that works the front desk. I love all of the staff at this location [Utah Fertility Ctr- Murray]. They are really good with getting you in and out of your appointments as quickly as possible and the wait time isn’t that long. They make going through fertility treatments easier and such a hard time.... My Care coordinator has always been available to answer my questions, returns my phone calls quickly, and just overall a very compassionate person. She has shown me that she is invested in myself being able to conceive as much as I am. She is simply amazing
How was your experience with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She is educated and well knowledged in her profession. She has compassion, empathy, and is real. I have loved working with her because I trust her every step of the way. She is always made sure that whatever decision is made is my own and not because she feels one way or the other. She has remain optimistic for me but yet realistic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
If you were looking for someone who knows what they are doing she is the one that can figure out what is wrong and what is the best course of treatment. She is also very smart and empathetic you would love her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center?
She always made sure that I asked questions and she would answer them. She always try to normalize how I felt every step of the way
Describe your experience with your nurse at Utah Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Morgan baker )
My Care coordinator has always been available to answer my questions, returns my phone calls quickly, and just overall a very compassionate person. She has shown me that she is invested in myself being able to conceive as much as I am. She is simply amazing
Describe your experience with Utah Fertility Center.
I love the girl that works the front desk. I love all of the staff at this location. They are really good with getting you in and out of your appointments as quickly as possible and the wait time isn’t that long. They make going through fertility treatments easier and such a hard time. They also help to answer any question that you may have about your fertility
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shawn Gurtcheff at Utah Fertility Center.
I have had insurance coverage which has helped. In total I have paid out of pocket around 1300. With IVF I do not have insurance coverage so that will be more costly, we are looking at about 13,000 which includes medication for one round