Suleena Kalra

Dr. Kalra is extremely bright and up-to-date on the latest recommendations. She continues to be involved in several research studies and is on the board of key reproductive endocrinology societies. I felt that I could trust her recommendations 100% throughout the course of my treatment. That being said, I also felt that she was extremely receptive to my input. I was incredibly fortunate with my retrieval protocol - 49 eggs were extracted and 18 turned into high-quality blastocysts. I was disappointed when my first transfer resulted in a negative pregnancy test (although Dr. Kalra had informed me that there was at least a 50% chance this would be the case), and I spoke with her at this juncture. I asked for additional workup - a hysteroscopy as well as PGS testing. She thoroughly explained the risks and benefits of each of these additional procedures, and suggested another transfer prior to proceeding with these. At this point, I wanted a baby as soon as possible, and I voiced my interest in proceeding with both of these before the next transfer cycle. While this was not her recommendation, she respected my wishes - my hysteroscopy demonstrated a uterine polyp and PGS testing brought our yield down to 7 normal embryos. I became pregnant with my second transfer and am currently in my second trimester. Dr. Kalra is incredibly well-informed and has an evidence-based approach - both qualities I really appreciate. What I came to love over the course of my care was that she also VERY much cares about her patients' interests and chose to ultimately go along with what we hoped for as long it did not lead to any additional risk to me or the embryos. I couldn't have asked for a better physician!

Trust the process and trust your doctor. IVF can be a mentally taxing process - all the waiting, the unknowns, the expense, etc. Dr. Kalra and the rest of the physicians at Penn Fertility are the best of the best. Let them take the reigns and carry forward. Don't hesitate to ask questions and voice your concerns - they will listen to you.

The antagonist protocol was used for me as I was at high risk of OHSS given PCOS. I was monitored closely with labwork and ultrasounds.

We were fortunate to have insurance cover 90% of consults, procedures, and medications.

Dr. Kalra will only perform single embryo transfer for women my age as per ASRM guidelines. Transferring additional embryos is not an option unless you face extenuating circumstances.

Dr. Kalra is a very kind and knowledgeable woman. We saw her after two natural miscarriages, and the OBGYN pointed us towards Penn to try and get some answers as to why it happened twice. Dr. Kalra sat down with us and mapped out the next steps and what blood work and tests were needed. She explained the process of pregnancy and why miscarriages happen from time to time. While under her care, my husband and I went on two have two more miscarriages and she could not have been more compassionate during that time. She really felt for us and it showed. During the course of treatment, often times you will see the nursing staff and not necessarily your doctor. When I did see Dr. Kalra, she was really great.

I think it is important to ask questions. While she explained everything to us, asking for clarification or more detail can be very important. Often it is very emotional and overwhelming when receiving all of the details, so come prepared with questions!

After receiving the initial testing back, Dr. Kalra told us to try on our own for a few months. We did and it resulted in a pregnancy that then ended in miscarriage (#3). We met with her again and she told us to try on our own. When nothing happened after 4 months, I started Clomid and timed intercourse. The following month we did Clomid and IUI, which failed. I then got my period too soon and thankfully a wonderful NP stepped in and viewed my chart and changed me to Letrozole. We then did three more IUI cycles, all which failed. During this time, I did not have any communication with Dr. Kalra and had it not been for the WONDERFUL NP, I most likely would have left Penn. Following the IUI failures, we met with Dr. Kalra again and were going to move towards IVF. However, I ended up getting a new job, and we put that on hold for the summer. Low and behold, I ended up pregnant again on my own, with yet another miscarriage (#4). Now we are awaiting results and another doctors visit.

The four rounds of failed IUI cost me about $1000 out of pocket.

I often felt like I was bothering her when I asked questions. It's clear she was busy but also I was a patient of hers for a long time and it really never felt like we made a connection. It always felt rushed and like she was talking to a child. I work in women's health and reproductive health research, I understand a lot more because of my line of work and it still felt like she dodged some questions when I asked about more scientific or specific things.

You might want to wok with Dr. Kalra is you really don't want anything sugar-coated. We found her bedside manner to be cold and not sympathetic for two people who are trying to keep hope alive after a lot of failure and much heartache. Ultimately, this is why I asked to be reassigned to another doctor within the practice.

I did 6 medicated (clomid/letrozole) rounds and IUI before we were approved for IVF. All were negative. I went throw two egg retrieval rounds with her. We were lucky enough to have insurance coverage so we asked that she be as aggressive as possible because we didn't want to waste the coverage. She said she "was" but then after our first retrieval all embryos arrested after 5 days. The next time around she changed the medication, added in a course of HGH and we ended up with 6 embryos after 6 days of development. I did one fresh transfer which was negative and then one additional frozen transfer with her which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. After that point my husband and I both felt we didn't want to work with her anymore and asked to switch to a different, warmer doctor within the clinic.

I was very lucky in that we had 6 IUIs, 2 retrievals and 2 transfers covered by our insurance. We had to pay for ICSI out of pocket as well as for embryo preservation. Those costs were reasonable but also weren't totally disclosed to us up front. We didn't realize that certain things were covered by insurance and others were not. ICSI was decided on the day of our retrieval so we were hit with a bill later which we were not expecting. It was okay for us but I could imagine for many couples it would not be.

She was very set on eSET but this was also preferred by my insurance so we did follow through with two single transfers with her.

Dr. Kalra, was great in describing you the basics of how hormones talk to ovaries, egg are produced etc. But she is not interested in listening to your concerns. She would like to push her agenda on you for treatment. I did not like her approach of the way she treats her patients. She can be more compassionate.

She is doctor who runs by numbers, I mean that they want to have good success rates and will take only patients that they think will have better IVF success rates. So if you have DOR, other complications, I will suggest to stay away for her. She will not ask you to do some tests like HSG, hystroscopy etc which at times could be helpful in diagnosing the problem and prevent you from going towards IVF. As I said she wants to IVF and for that she doesnot need fallopian tubes and uterus etc. So stay away from her practice if you want to find diagnosis to your infertility/DOR.

3 cycles of Clomid (100mg) and timed intercourse. No rationale, just trying if it works

was covered by insurance

She is always very kind and took the time to answer all my questions, especially when I had bad results. I have since learned that I didn’t always get all the details I would have needed, and I think she was less inclined to think outside the box regarding m case (i.e. taking supplements, knowing my hormone levels and what those meant), but she was a great person and I think for more cut and dry cases, she is fabulous.

Read up about infertility before you go in and ask her all the questions you have regarding things like antral follicle count, hormone levels, etc., so you can track them and also understand where you fit. Chances are she has the info but she doesn’t always share it unless you ask.

After a few Clomid/IUI cycles where many were canceled because my right ovary was working but my right tube had been removed, we moved onto IVF. The first protocol was the high dose protocol of Gonal F and Menopur with a Lipton primer. It was canceled due to poor response. My second cycle was the Lipton flare protocol. We went to retrieval expecting 2 eggs but the one follicle was empty and the other fell apart overnight. I have never been pregnant. Since then, I had my endometriosis removed and have read about low stimulation protocols working better in patients with DOR. I spoke to her about that and she didn’t agree and said donor eggs would be my best bet. She may be right, but I’m not ready to give up on myself yet, so I am switching clinics.

IUI was covered by insurance, so I’m not sure if that. One complete IVF cycle - $8,000 plus approx $4K in meds

N/A - I never had an embryo to transfer

My impression of Dr. Kalra is that she is incredibly smart and incredibly busy. I only saw her during consultations. All my other procedures and monitoring appointments were done by someone else (Dr, technician or resident). I did not get a "warm and fuzzy" vibe but, in the end, that was not the most important thing to me. I think the protocol she chose was best for me and when it did not work, she adjusted it.

Come prepared with all your questions because she is impossible to reach outside of specific office visits.

Mostly covered by insurance. Trigger shot was $30. Clomid/Femara $10. Bloodwork $50. HSG $180. IVF ???? likely in the neighborhood of $7-10k

I was told that, due to my age, only one embryo is recommended. I was not given an option for multiples.

I loved Dr. Kalra the first time my husband and I met her. She was kind and honest. She never sugarcoated anything, but she wasn't all doom and gloom either. I had liked my previous RE (and the main reason I switched was because IVF wasn't covered by my insurance, and Penn was far more affordable), and he was very nice. BUT he had given me false hope. He seemed certain that the IUIs would work. He even called my OB/GYN to tell him to expect to see me pregnant within the next couple of months (which did not happen). Dr. Kalra never did that. She told us our chances right up front. As I stated before, Penn was a busy place, so you would often see other doctors for procedures (all of them were excellent). Dr. Kalra did my second embryo transfer (but not my first), and that was the transfer that resulted in my beautiful baby girl.

If you are concerned about a recommendation or how treatment is going, don't hesitate to call Dr. Kalra to discuss it with her. Someone else may deliver the news, but you are always welcome to talk it over with her to make sure you're making the right decision or doing what's best for you.

We purchased a package deal, only $6,750 for one egg retrieval and 2 transfers, whether fresh or frozen. We were able to take out a loan from Arc Fertility. We bought the medications at the pharmacy onsite and saved a ton of money. We probably spent close to 2 grand, but that's a bargain.

On the first cycle, she recommended transferring one embryo. It was an easy decision to make; it was our first cycle, we had seven frozen embryos (all good quality), and we were in our early thirties. When our first cycle didn't work, she recommended we transfer two embryos on the next cycle. My husband and I were very torn about it; we were concerned about the risks with twins (for the babies, myself, and the financial strain). When she knew I was having a hard time with this recommendation, she spoke at length with me on the phone. She assured me that there was nothing wrong with my embryos (which was my concern), but they recommended two simply because the first round didn't work. There was no other reason why; they just wanted to up my chances. She told me she was cautiously optimistic and didn't feel that we needed to change anything else just yet, so if we were more comfortable with transferring one, that's what we should do (and what we ended up doing with success).

I could not have asked for a better experience with Dr. Kalra. She was knowledgeable, direct, and I always left appointments feeling like there was a plan or next step. I truly believed she cared about me as a person and was looking out for my best interest. She was trustworthy, compassionate, and just overall a wonderful person to be around during a process that is otherwise very emotionally draining.

Ask questions. She was always willing to take extra time with me if I had more questions or wanted to talk anything through.

Given my issue was ovulation and PCOS, Dr. Kalra put me on a high-responder protocol which worked well. While she warned me about OHSS and said up front they might have to do a "freeze all" given the amount of follicles I had, because of the protocol, we received 26 eggs and I was able to do a fresh transfer. leading up to the retrieval I was in the office every day and she did my final ultra-sounds herself (instead of the ultra sound tech) and gave me rational for why she wanted to wait one more day and then ultimately when I was ready for my trigger. I feel as though her care leading up to my transfer was why I was able to recover quickly and was able to have the transfer 5 days later (which ended up as a BFP :))

I have good insurance so IVF was covered at 80% for me. I was also able to get them to cover a large portion of the medications needed for stimulation so I believe it was around $1200 total.

I had a good experience overall at Penn Fertility. Dr Kalra was a great doctor. However, if you're looking to build a close relationship with your doctor this may not be the best place for you. I didn't get to do any of our IUI's or IVF transfers with her. I basically saw her at our consult appointments and when we were discussing our plans. If you got to this practice you will end up with whatever doctor is available at the location that day. It can sometimes feel a bit impersonal.

Dr Kalra used all of our day 3 testing results to decide which protocol to use. She said my AMH was within normal range so she used what they called a high responder protocol. It worked and we had a smooth and successful retrieval with embryos to freeze. Our first transfer was unsuccessful but our frozen embryo transfer gave us a BFP.

IUIs were 1000 each not including trigger shot and clomic IVF was 6775 for retrieval and 2 transfers (I ended up doing 1 fresh and 1 frozen) My meds for stims were 1800 Meds for FET 350 Overall they are extremely affordable in comparison to many other clinics

Dr. K is very knowledgeable in infertility and does well in explaining it to someone new to the process. She has great bedside manner and made me feel comfortable every step of the way. I appreciate how she's available through phone or EMR messaging and will answer in a timely manner. Even through the phone, I feel that I'm speaking face to face with her as she has a great listening ear, validates my feelings, and answers all my questions in ways that I understand. She takes the time you need and doesn't rush through anything.

You will enjoy her as a Dr.

Covered mostly by my insurance.

Amazing! She is aware and sensitive to the financial costs of using donor sperm. She is optimistic that IUI will work but understand to our desire to have a baby soon; willing to compromise on the treatment plan. She is honest and caring and always available to answer question or explain something to us. She was very accommodating when my partner had to call into one of our first appointments due to a business trip.

Listen to Dr. Kalra and believe that she has your best interest in mind. The process can be very overwhelming and emotional.

Frequent ultrasounds and blood work for baseline and process tracking in each cycle.

We're lucky to have it all covered by insurance once meeting our deductible

Dr.Kalra is very understanding and honest with all reports and options. She takes her time to go over all options during all visits. Thank Dr.Kalra for all of her services. Look forwards to continuing my fertility treatment with this office.

Dr.Kalra is very kind and understanding. She will assist you with whatever your concern may be.

I wish I did see her more but she is split between 2 offices- now that I'm in ivf monitoring I can't choose my day since it's as needed. When I do see her she's very warm and considerate. See seems really involved

To trust your dr. I think a ton of people try to dictate their treatments.. doctors know best and if they are taking a slow approach it's for a reason

3 iuis and then ivf. For ivf she did long Lupron, honestly I'm not sure why!

So far insurance coverage

I'd love more insight on why a protocal was chosen for me

Dr. Kalra did not have much time for us, and we only saw her at a few consults between treatments. We got the feeling she has the same speech she repeats to every patient. She quoted us numbers like 30% success rate then changed them to 5-10% once they failed. She also had little empathy for our hesitation about the high cost of treatments.

Be prepared to not see her much. You need to do your own research, advocate for yourself, and ask for changes if you see fit. Otherwise she will do the standard protocol.

My IUI protocol was 100 mg Clomid for 5 days with an Ovidrel trigger shot 36 hours prior to IUI.

I had insurance coverage for my treatments so was only responsible for a percentage of the cost.