How was your experience with Susan Conway at FertilityAnswers?
Dr. Conway is exceptional. She’s knowledgeable, and takes time to explain your individual situation, and set expectations for the outcome based on what is known at the time. Dr. Conway had higher expectations set for me based on mine and my husband’s Unknown diagnosis. I had a great response to the medications prescribed, and a great number of Follicles. When it came time for egg retrieval however, only 8 of my follicles were the right size, and only 4 of them resulted in mature eggs, so now we believe our Unexplained infertility is due to Immature Eggs. Once we received the call explaining that only 2 of the 4 fertilized, I immediately requested that Dr. Conway call me to discuss switching from a frozen transfer with PGS testing tk a fresh transfer with no PGS testing. Dr. Conway called me back within an hour, and we discussed everything, and she agreed that in this scenario, it would be much better to do the fresh transfer without the testing. She left me feeling very confident that even though my numbers weren’t what we were expecting, we could still have a successful pregnancy. We are currently in the two-week-wait from that transfer. Dr. Conway has helped me feel less stressed by providing me as much information as I could possibly want, when I want it.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Susan Conway at FertilityAnswers?
Dr. Conway is encouraging, and also realistic. She does not give false hope. I would say her bedside manner is “just warm enough”. I tend to value knowledge and information over a warm bedside manner though, and I would say Dr. Conway is a great fit for that.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Susan Conway at FertilityAnswers?
I was treated like a human. Each time I needed additional info or more time with nurses, I was given exactly what I needed. They were always available to answer any questions I had.
Describe the protocols Susan Conway used in your cycles at FertilityAnswers and their degree of success.
My protocol included birth control for 3 weeks, then injections as follows: Menopur 75 IU and Follistim 150 IU for 9 days, with the last three days including ganirelix 75IU. My dosage never changes because I was responding very consistently. Dr. Conway ALWAYS values quality over quantity. The goal was to get as many eggs as possible, and my follicles grew exactly as she needed them to (prior to egg retrieval). At egg retrieval, a different doctor performed the retrieval, and only retrieved 8 eggs, and only 4 were mature, and only 2 fertilized, and only 1 survived to day 5 and was transferred.
Once we decided to switch from a frozen transfer to a fresh transfer, I began taking Estrace twice daily, progesterone injections once daily, baby aspirin once daily, and a prenatal vitamin (which I had already been on for several months) once daily.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at FertilityAnswers.
Nursing staff was always helpful. The only time I had an issue was when I was provided the wrong fee schedule, and no one realized it until after my loan had been processed. Fortunately, my loan company was very easy to work with, and I was able to change my loan to accommodate my updated fee schedule. Otherwise, the nursing staff was absolutely amazing.
Describe your experience with FertilityAnswers.
Strengths: communication, time spent with patients, available for questions, portal is convenient for records & communication as well, although most of the communication is through the nurses & IVF coordinator, Dr. Conway was always available when I did need to speak with her.
Weaknesses: none really to note
Describe the costs associated with your care under Susan Conway at FertilityAnswers.
There was a $250 consultation fee, but all other costs were provided to me on a fee schedule. Those costs included any pre-screening that needed to be done for me and for my husband.
Describe Susan Conway's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at FertilityAnswers.
My husband and I wanted to transfer two embryos initially. Dr. Conway believes in transferring ONE embryo, almost always. She is a strong advocate for the baby, and wants the healthiest outcome possible for the baby, so once she explained this to us, we agreed that if we had multiple embryos to choose from, we should just transfer one.
What specific things went wrong at FertilityAnswers?
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at FertilityAnswers.
The one thing that was done incorrectly at this clinic was when I was provided the Fee Schedule. This clinic operates in Baton Rouge, LA as well as Lafayette, LA. For the particular month of my egg retrieval, I should’ve received the fee schedule for the services in Lafayette, but I received Baton Rouge’s fee schedule by mistake. The frustrating part was that no one caught this until payments were due and I didn’t understand the fees due.