Valerie Baker
Johns Hopkins Medical Institute
Available Lines of Communication
Doctor email
Nurse email
Nurse email
Direct line to nurse
Not available by personal cell phone
Medical SchoolHarvard
ResidencyUCSF
FellowshipUCSF
Baltimore
10753 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD 21093
410-583-2753
3 assessments
10
Age
39 - 42
Treated
2011 - 2014
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
8 IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Other
10
I had 2 miscarriages during the IUI phase of treatment and lost one IVF baby at 23 weeks. She [Dr Baker] was so sensitive to my tears of sadness and frustration. She was very positive with my treatment options, but also very realistic. She was all about helping me and my husband have a baby versus just trying to rack up bills. I am so grateful for my beautiful son, and she deserves so much credit for helping bring him into this world.
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Age
39 - 42
Treated
2011 - 2014
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Marketer or PR
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 3 Docs
Treatment
8 IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Other
10
How was your experience with Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
I appreciated how thoughtful and caring she was. If Dr. Baker isn't in on a day when you need to see her, you see her partner Dr. Lahti who is also really amazing. Dr. Baker gives you realistic expectations, but also brings a lot of hope and optimism. You get as much time as you need to understand things and get your questions answered.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
Have a consultation visit to discuss your situation and your options. They do that first for all patients and it really helps everyone get off on the right foot and feel comfortable going forward.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
She was so caring every step of the way. I had 2 miscarriages during the IUI phase of treatment and lost one IVF baby at 23 weeks. She was so sensitive to my tears of sadness and frustration. She was very positive with my treatment options, but also very realistic. She was all about helping me and my husband have a baby versus just trying to rack up bills. I am so grateful for my beautiful son, and she deserves so much credit for helping bring him into this world.
Describe the protocols Valerie Baker used in your cycles at Stanford University and their degree of success.
For the first 4 IUIs I did Clomid. The second 4 used an injection protocol without additional estrogen. That same protocol was used for my 3 IVFs with my own eggs, but we did a month of estrogen priming before each IVF cycle. For my donor egg cycle, I was on priming of both estrogen pills and patches and then progesterone shots daily through the implantation and then for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. While the IVF shots were mostly sub-cue, the progesterone shots were intramuscular and my husband gave them to me. They do a really good injectables training so you know how to mix the drugs, use both syringes and injection pens, etc. For all of my IUI cycles, I usually produced between 4-10 follicles. For my IVF cycles, I produced 8 eggs each time. We were fairly aggressive with drug levels given my age (not as much risk for hyper ovarian issues). For drugs, I used Menopur, Estrace pills, Vivelle patches, progesterone in oil, Ganirelix, and Follistim.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Everyone was really knowledgable and helpful. The surgical nurses were so great in getting me ready for procedures and dealing with my IV-phobia. Everyone was very caring, especially when there was bad news.
Describe your experience with Stanford University.
The space is well-maintained, very polished and comfortable. They remember who you are so that checking in is very easy. Compared to my OB's office, it's like a spa!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Baker at Stanford University.
Our insurance covered the first $20k and most of the visits were considered office visits for billing, so the $20k mostly went to the major procedures. That said, I think we probably spent $50k out of pocket (including all the donor fees) to get our son. My insurance was actually really good an the drugs were obtained through the mail-order pharmacy for the reduced plan rate. Stanford takes pretty much all insurance plans and they do have brochures for infertility plans that other companies sell to help you pay for IVF cycles.
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10
Age
33 - 35
Treated
2012 - 2014
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Anovulation
10
Dr. Baker was frank about my diagnosis. Able to uncover details about my condition that other doctors had missed. For example by ovaries are very tiny but before Dr. Baker I was told I did not have ovaries but she found them easily with the ultrasound. I desired a treatment plan Dr Baker did not typically recommend (donor embryos) but she was willing to work through the good process of receiving and transferring the embryos at her clinic.
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Age
33 - 35
Treated
2012 - 2014
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$500K
Occupation
Engineer
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 3 Docs
Treatment
IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Anovulation
10
How was your experience with Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
Dr. Baker was frank about my diagnosis. Able to uncover details about my condition that other doctors had missed. For example by ovaries are very tiny but before Dr. Baker I was told I did not have ovaries but she found them easily with the ultrasound. I desired a treatment plan Dr Baker did not typically recommend (donor embryos) but she was willing to work through the good process of receiving and transferring the embryos at her clinic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
Trust her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
Dr. Baker was always kind, personable, intelligent and familiar with the comes details of my case.
Describe the protocols Valerie Baker used in your cycles at Stanford University and their degree of success.
I had adopted donor embryos which I believe were not preserved well. But Dr. Baker was willing to receive and thaw the embryos and transfer them at my request. We did too transfers of two embryos, then three embryos. Both transfers completely failed and resulted in no pregnancy.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
They were distant.
Describe your experience with Stanford University.
Organized and professional. The staff responded promptly and organized my appointments correctly. It was convenient to get labwork done. They were courteous. I was able to get a polyp removed from my uterus. They were convenient.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Baker at Stanford University.
They were minimal and covered completely by my insurance.
Describe Valerie Baker's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Stanford University.
She seemed willing to accept the fact that the embryos were stored in such a way that we were forced to transfer multiple. I think she would have accepted whatever plan I had if I had an option. I feel she was flexible and reasonable.
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10
Age
42 - 44
Treated
2013 - 2015
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
6 IUI, 3 IVF, Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
—
10
Dr. Baker was warm, compassionate and incredibly thorough... Dr. Baker also explained EVERYTHING, which was incredibly reassuring.
+ Read more
Age
42 - 44
Treated
2013 - 2015
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$500K
Occupation
Marketer or PR
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
6 IUI, 3 IVF, Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
—
10
How was your experience with Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
Dr. Baker was warm, compassionate and incredibly thorough. I always felt I was getting the best possible care.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Baker at Stanford University?
Dr. Baker and the whole team were incredibly caring. They really got to know my husband and I...which made a stressful situation that much easier. Dr. Baker also explained EVERYTHING, which was incredibly reassuring.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Incredibly responsive. I could call or email with a question any time and they would always get right back to me.
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