Successful
Dr Spandorfer is an evidence-based scientist. He is not one to work anecdotally. If you ask questions in that vein he will shut you down quickly. I appreciated this. He made it clear that he was the expert and would work with what the studies had shown was proven to work and was safe. He was humane; after many tries and many disappointments and then a miscarriage he offered genuine compassion and also encouragement
The [Weill Cornell MC] clinic functions like a well-oiled machine. It is very efficient and business-like. The Drs all collaborate on most cases regarding protocols and monitoring is done by any one of the Drs on the team, so you are getting multiple minds, not just your Dr’s. The lab is supposedly world class...My insurance luckily converted a lot but we probably spent $10K.
How was your experience with Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?
Dr Spandorfer is an evidence-based scientist. He is not one to work anecdotally. If you ask questions in that vein he will shut you down quickly. I appreciated this. He made it clear that he was the expert and would work with what the studies had shown was proven to work and was safe. He was humane; after many tries and many disappointments and then a miscarriage he offered genuine compassion and also encouragement. I trusted his judgement and rather liked him, too. He could be blunt though if he thought you were asking silly questions. I was more than happy to trust the guy who had gone to school for 8 years and done 8 years of residency/fellowship and then practiced for decades over my own guesses and internet searches.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?
Go to him if you want science, results, but are ok with not a lot of hand holding.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?
I definitely felt like a number - but you have to know that’s going to be the case when you sign up to receive treatment at a big research hospital. I was less concerned with bedside manner and more concerned with a facility that had cutting-edge treatments and results, which Cornell did. That said, I hung on Dr Spandorfer’s every word and he seemed to pick up on this and offer me encouragement and reassurance, probably because he genuinely believed I had a good chance at success.
Describe the protocols Steven Spandorfer used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.
I cannot remember the specific protocols. However I was young and had a lot of eggs and stimmed like a PCOS patient (but didn’t have PCOS). I had a lot of eggs but few good quality embryos. Dr Spandorfer thought it was a matter of finding the right protocol. After 2 failed IVFs Dr Spiandorfer did an exploratory laparoscopy and found a lot of endometriosis. After it was removed I got pregnant but had a miscarriage. We also did co-culture during that cycle and my eggs were MUCH better quality. I finally got pregnant and had a live birth with a frozen embryo. After this, I went on to have 3 more children naturally. I chalk up my success to the endometriosis removal. This is notable bc a lot of Drs would leave the endometriosis bc IVF is supposed to circumvent it. In my case Dr Spandorfer thought it might’ve been creating a toxic environment, and I think he might’ve been right.
Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.
The clinic functions like a well-oiled machine. It is very efficient and business-like. The Drs all collaborate on most cases regarding protocols and monitoring is done by any one of the Drs on the team, so you are getting multiple minds, not just your Dr’s. The lab is supposedly world class.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.
My insurance luckily converted a lot but we probably spent $10K.