I absolutely loved my experience with Dr. Schoolcraft and the center. He was so patient, a super listener, and cared about my questions. I'm very Type-A and he answered EVERY single question.... He provides context and examples. He re-explains things you don't understand. He appeared to be open minded. He provided facts when he could. He is a clear thinker and could explain information very matter of fact. He was straightforward. HE READ MY CHART. HE KNEW MY FILE. I loved the whole experience. I wish he had more time.
the center [CCRM Colorado] is gorgeous. They run on time. Everyone can answer your questions. They are SO ON TOP of everything...They [nurses] were the nicest, most patient people. They knew my chart. They knew where I was in process of my procedure. They were so kind when I cried because of med overload and anxiety. They were poised and professional...I believe my total cost for initial consult, all medications, blood draws and ultrasounds for two rounds of egg vitrification was $35,000.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He is brilliant. He listens. He provides context and examples. He re-explains things you don't understand. He appeared to be open minded. He provided facts when he could. He is a clear thinker and could explain information very matter of fact. He was straightforward. HE READ MY CHART. HE KNEW MY FILE. I loved the whole experience. I wish he had more time.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Get Dr. Schoolcraft as your doctor for the WHOLE process.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I absolutely loved my experience with Dr. Schoolcraft and the center. He was so patient, a super listener, and cared about my questions. I'm very Type-A and he answered EVERY single question. I brought a (then) boyfriend with me during consults and he treated him with the same care as me. He answered his questions too.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I did egg vitrification. I did two cycles. He said I didn't have to wait between cycles so I did them back-to-back. He did change triggers and meds each cycle based on how I was doing during each ultrasound and blood draw. I believe (can't remember exactly it's all a blur now) he changes my meds the second time because I had super high levels of hormones. But I actually produced more eggs that round.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: I had one each time. Can't remember their names but so nice.)
They were the nicest, most patient people. They knew my chart. They knew where I was in process of my procedure. They were so kind when I cried because of med overload and anxiety. They were poised and professional.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
First. the center is gorgeous. They run on time. Everyone can answer your questions. They are SO ON TOP of everything. You can buy food, work from your laptop, take calls, put your needles in the trash. They have an orientation for new patients. They have an "on boarding" so to speak. Even the people who drew blood and did ultrasounds were professional and patient. I felt like a wealthy celebrity the way I was treated and I am far from those things.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
I believe my total cost for initial consult, all medications, blood draws and ultrasounds for two rounds of egg vitrification was $35,000.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
I'm not at that stage yet so can't comment on this.
What he [Dr. Schoolcraft] may lack in bedside manner he makes up for in knowing the latest and best treatments for your specific diagnosis... On transfer day, I had acupuncture in the office, the transfer and then more acupuncture. We transferred 2 embryos and they were both successful...he requires all patients to go in for a one day workup. This is all new testing in addition to what you have had before. From there he develops a plan. Stimulation phase lasted for a couple months based on my diagnosis. Since my egg quality was an issue he had a clinical trial with açaí berry extract that I took for 3 months before retrieval.
Flo [nurse at CCRM Colorado] was wonderful. She listened, provided feedback and assurance and quickly returned phone calls. All nursing staff I encountered were friendly and competent and caring...While it was "monitoring hours" I felt that they were able to get people in and out quickly... The nurses and other staff were wonderful. You develop a much closer relationship with your nurse due to the amount you interact with her...I took birth control for 2 months, then gonal f and follistim, then cetrotide, trigger shot and retrieval. This protocol produced not only more eggs but twice as many viable ones after 5 days.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft is the best at what he does. He will be straightforward and honest with you about what your chances are and what your best treatment option would be. He is not a doctor that will hold your hand, but he is THE BEST.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Know that he is the best at what he does. What he may lack in bedside manner he makes up for in knowing the latest and best treatments for your specific diagnosis.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
While our interactions with Dr. Schoolcraft were only during the initial workup, a couple phone calls, and the transfer, he was polite and informative. He is not someone that will hold your hand through the process, but he is VERY good at what he does. The nurses and other staff were wonderful. You develop a much closer relationship with your nurse due to the amount you interact with her.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
First, he requires all patients to go in for a one day workup. This is all new testing in addition to what you have had before. From there he develops a plan. Stimulation phase lasted for a couple months based on my diagnosis. Since my egg quality was an issue he had a clinical trial with açaí berry extract that I took for 3 months before retrieval. I took birth control for 2 months, then gonal f and follistim, then cetrotide, trigger shot and retrieval. This protocol produced not only more eggs but twice as many viable ones after 5 days. Since we had testing on the embryos we waited 2 months to do the FET. I was on birth control for 2 months, then lupron, estrogen, and progesterone (suppositories and shots). On transfer day, I had acupuncture in the office, the transfer and then more acupuncture. We transferred 2 embryos and they were both successful.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Flo)
Flo was wonderful. She listened, provided feedback and assurance and quickly returned phone calls. All nursing staff I encountered were friendly and competent and caring.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
Many have described this clinic as a factory that churns out patients. To me, that is what I wanted. Someone who KNOWS what they are doing and is THE expert. They have years and years of developing protocols for each problem couples can have and finding a way to help. I have also heard that Schoolcraft can be a little blunt, but I have not found that to be true. He tells things like they are but is also personable.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Colorado.
While it was "monitoring hours" I felt that they were able to get people in and out quickly. Because I was also and out of town patient, I had to deal with other obstacles back at home regarding monitoring, but none of it had to do with the clinic itself.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
For the package of IVF, CCS testing, and a frozen transfer it was around, 17K. This did not include medications, travel or the one day workup.
Schoolcraft is not warm & fuzzy, he’s a scientist and approaches medicine from that perspective.... His greatest strength is his brain - his cutting edge research is what makes CCRM so successful. He doesn’t coddle you or give false hope, but he was always kind and straightforward with us.... two specific distinctions from my previous clinic were: 1. Two months of depoleupron leading up to transfer (supposed to help make your uterine lining more “sticky”)
CCRM is well staffed, well organized and runs smoothly almost all of the time. I believe they seek to provide top notch care to all their patients.... Our experience with the nursing staff was wonderful! Everyone was so helpful and our assigned nurses (one for each cycle) were fantastic, caring, compassionate and made us feel important/special.... You definitely don’t have easy access to the doctors, but the nurses were available 24/7.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
His greatest strength is his brain - his cutting edge research is what makes CCRM so successful. He doesn’t coddle you or give false hope, but he was always kind and straightforward with us. I felt he listened to us, answered all of our questions, gave us his full attention when we met. He recommended options based on CCRM’s extensive testing but let us make the final decision.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Be patient, persistent, and always ask for what you want,
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
CCRM is so big, I definitely felt like a number sometimes. Schoolcraft is not warm & fuzzy, he’s a scientist and approaches medicine from that perspective. However my team of nurses always treated me with utmost care & compassion. My overall experience with the CCRM staff was very positive.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I don’t remember details but two specific distinctions from my previous clinic were:
1. Two months of depoleupron leading up to transfer (supposed to help make your uterine lining more “sticky”) and it worked because our first round with CCRM was successful and our 4 previous rounds at another clinic resulted in miscarriage.
2. I did a double Lipton trigger shot instead of an hgc trigger,
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Michele Chase)
Our experience with the nursing staff was wonderful! Everyone was so helpful and our assigned nurses (one for each cycle) were fantastic, caring, compassionate and made us feel important/special.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
CCRM is well staffed, well organized and runs smoothly almost all of the time. I believe they seek to provide top notch care to all their patients.
I appreciate their good communication, though their online portal can be a bit tricky to navigate at first. You definitely don’t have easy access to the doctors, but the nurses were available 24/7.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Colorado.
Some appointment were made for specific times, others were during a window but I never felt like I had to wait too long. They were always efficient and timely.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Travel, airfare, hotel
One day workup
Additional testing at home
Medications
Acupuncture
Cycle
Monitoring
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
We were sufficiently educated. With our history of loss, dr. schoolcraft had no reservations about transferring two embryos on the first round, even though I was under 35.
After that resulted in a singleton, we were advised to consider only transferring one the second time, but ultimately we felt that the risk of twins was worth more than the risk of another loss. Our second round resulted in twins.
If/when we return for a third round we would only transfer one.
Dr Schoolcraft has a wonderful bedside manner making you feel like you're his only patient...I truly had very minimal interaction with Dr. Schoolcraft but when I did he was very helpful. He explained outcomes, risks and purposes for using a specific drug vs other drugs for example. I remember coming out of one my procedures and he walked with me down the hall saying, "you're superwoman, you handled that procedure like a champ". So when I did see him on rare occasion he was very comforting & supportive.
my last years costs for transfer procedures [at CCRM Colorado] was $11,000 plus an additional $2100 for medications. My initial retrieval & fresh trahsfer including meds was $34,000...The clinic is very organized and has the entire procedure beginning from your first check-in, to blood draw timings, and procedures down to a science. Most clinics you sit in the waiting room for long periods of time whereas CCRM is pretty timely in keeping on schedule...Ellie has a very pleasant attitude. She is overall very helpful when needing additional information. She was timely in her responses.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I truly had very minimal interaction with Dr. Schoolcraft but when I did he was very helpful. He explained outcomes, risks and purposes for using a specific drug vs other drugs for example. I remember coming out of one my procedures and he walked with me down the hall saying, "you're superwoman, you handled that procedure like a champ". So when I did see him on rare occasion he was very comforting & supportive.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
make sure you have a list of questions written down when you know you will be talking with Dr. Schoolcraft. You only interact with him a few times so your time is limited and you want to be prepared.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Although this is a very busy practice Dr Schoolcraft has a wonderful bedside manner making you feel like you're his only patient.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I'm sorry I don't have that info handy. I was on birth control, hormone treatments for egg production, progesterone, lupron, estradiol, and a few others.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Ellie)
Ellie has a very pleasant attitude. She is overall very helpful when needing additional information. She was timely in her responses.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
The clinic is very organized and has the entire procedure beginning from your first check-in, to blood draw timings, and procedures down to a science. Most clinics you sit in the waiting room for long periods of time whereas CCRM is pretty timely in keeping on schedule.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
I can't remember everything but my last years costs for transfer procedures was $11,000 plus an additional $2100 for medications. My initial retrieval & fresh trahsfer including meds was $34,000.
He [Dr. William Schoolcraft] did an extremely thorough workup and was very upfront about his impression and what he felt would get us the best results. When we decided to go ahead with the transfer to me, even though he recommended doing a gestational carrier, he supported us. There were a few times where we don't feel like he gave us a good explanation or solid reasoning behind his recommendations but our case was very unusual and so it was kind of understandable.
He [Dr. William Schoolcraft] has a tremendous amount of patients and hardly ever see him but our nurse [at CCRM] was fantastic and was able to communicate through him very well...The clinic is extremely well organized, friendly and helpful. They are so accommodating for out of towners and have it all figured out to get you in and out on time....The nursing staff was incredibly organized, friendly, supportive and helpful. Our nurse was like our cheerleader and was so positive all the time. She responded to my questions in a very timely manner and thoroughly. She always laid out the plan so we knew what to expect and was not afraid to ask Dr. Schoolcraft questions whenever we needed.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He did an extremely thorough workup and was very upfront about his impression and what he felt would get us the best results. When we decided to go ahead with the transfer to me, even though he recommended doing a gestational carrier, he supported us. There were a few times where we don't feel like he gave us a good explanation or solid reasoning behind his recommendations but our case was very unusual and so it was kind of understandable.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
You will get a very thorough workup and he may find something others have not. He is excellent at what he does and his lab is the best in the country. But don't expect a warm and fuzzy approach or to see him often or for a long period of time. He is very curt and up front but we don't mind that.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He has a tremendous amount of patients and hardly ever see him but our nurse was fantastic and was able to communicate through him very well
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
For the egg retrieval he started with a high dose of stimulation meds even though I had responded well in the past but said we could always back down. He delayed the retrieval by one day since we had such a large variation of egg size. His colleague retrieved 18 eggs but only 5 were mature and only 1 fertilized so they did a "rescue ICSI" on the second day which is still kind of an experimental procedure and all remaining 9 fertilized, 6 made it to day 5 embryos and 5 were PGS normal. We decided to do a transfer on me instead of GC, although Dr. Schoolcraft said chances were much higher with GC but since we had 5 PGS norma embryos we thought it was with one try. Since I had +anti-phospholipid antibodies I started on lovenox one the day of transfer. We did a prep with dexamethasone, doxy, endometrin, progesterone in oil injection, estradiol patches and we had a positive pregnancy test 2 weeks ago with increasing hcg levels. Our first 6.5 week ultrasound is in 2 days so well see!
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Morgan)
The nursing staff was incredibly organized, friendly, supportive and helpful. Our nurse was like our cheerleader and was so positive all the time. She responded to my questions in a very timely manner and thoroughly. She always laid out the plan so we knew what to expect and was not afraid to ask Dr. Schoolcraft questions whenever we needed.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
The clinic is extremely well organized, friendly and helpful. They are so accommodating for out of towners and have it all figured out to get you in and out on time.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
Sometimes it took a while to get my lab and US orders over to my local monitoring clinic but I'm not sure who's fault that was
Dr. Schoolcraft failed to consider alternative therapies after multiple failed attempts - simply said try again, and charged for every test even when he personally said he wouldn't... Dr. Schoolcraft is a scientist and a businessman. He is good at creating a highly functioning lab, but terrible with patients. He failed to diagnose a very simple uterine condition that was spotted by two other fertility clinics. He is a terrible communicator - would prefer to keep patients in the dark. It feels as if he assumes that we are all of lesser intelligence and can't handle the information. In addition, he never spent the time to adjust therapies for better outcomes, nor offer vitamin supplement regimens even after the second failed retrieval attempt.
It's [CCRM] an embryo factory. The lab is what is well known but frankly even they're not perfect...Calling to reach anyone at that office was like going through a maze - direct lines were not released, and rarely did the person on the other end know anything about your history or condition when answering questions. Going through the office felt like going through a cow line at a milking facility.... I don't have anything good to say about CCRM....It varied widely on the nurse. Some were organized but had no compassion, others the opposite. In either case, they were all overworked and puppets of the doc, so that even when they might have done the right thing, they were unable to act. Most were so busy that they couldn't keep on top of their case loads.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft is a scientist and a businessman. He is good at creating a highly functioning lab, but terrible with patients. He failed to diagnose a very simple uterine condition that was spotted by two other fertility clinics. He is a terrible communicator - would prefer to keep patients in the dark. It feels as if he assumes that we are all of lesser intelligence and can't handle the information. In addition, he never spent the time to adjust therapies for better outcomes, nor offer vitamin supplement regimens even after the second failed retrieval attempt.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Go somewhere else. Do not listen to the hype. He has built himself a phenomenal industry but he is not a proficient doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft failed to consider alternative therapies after multiple failed attempts - simply said try again, and charged for every test even when he personally said he wouldn't (some of his other doctors consider the patient). Calling to reach anyone at that office was like going through a maze - direct lines were not released, and rarely did the person on the other end know anything about your history or condition when answering questions. Going through the office felt like going through a cow line at a milking facility.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I was on a standard protocol (I believe #3 at CCRM) I am happy to find it if you would like to reach me directly. I have all information stored on all treatments. He did not alter the protocol despite same outcomes - tons of eggs, all chromosomally abnormal embryos.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: I had several over the course of my time there.)
It varied widely on the nurse. Some were organized but had no compassion, others the opposite. In either case, they were all overworked and puppets of the doc, so that even when they might have done the right thing, they were unable to act. Most were so busy that they couldn't keep on top of their case loads.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
It's an embryo factory. The lab is what is well known but frankly even they're not perfect. They had to explain to me once why 50% of my eggs didn't survive a thaw, and didn't know why. If your problem is anything other than standard, they will not be able to treat you - that holds true for all doctors there, as they are obligated to toe the line. They will perform tests in house so that your insurance can't pay for them, and you have to pay $100's for a test that insurance would have covered. I don't have anything good to say about CCRM.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
About $35 - $40K per attempt with my own eggs x 2 = $75K
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
was given a protocol that he thought would work better for me based on my pcos-like ovaries, and then from there he tweaked it even more to make it specific for me. He was incredibly thorough in questioning my background and medical records and never acted like this was a given that it would work. He gave me his expectations every step of the way, and was very honest about when things didn't go as expected and what his concerns were.
Well run and organized. They [CCRM] gave us so much information so we always knew what was going on. They were so easy to work with....I believe we spent ~$40k which included all testing (one day workup), retrevial, ICSI, Comp chromosome screening, genetic testing, storage fees/freeze all cycle, and frozen transfer...Dr schoolcraft was very candid and set realistic expectations. He is very thorough and really seems to cater to each individual patient.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr schoolcraft was very candid and set realistic expectations. He is very thorough and really seems to cater to each individual patient. In my situation he really tried things that were not so main stream but was willing to take a chance.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He is not a cheerleader-type. He will be honest about your chances. Even if he doesn't give you good odds for a positive outcome, that doesn't mean it's impossible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I was given a protocol that he thought would work better for me based on my pcos-like ovaries, and then from there he tweaked it even more to make it specific for me. He was incredibly thorough in questioning my background and medical records and never acted like this was a given that it would work. He gave me his expectations every step of the way, and was very honest about when things didn't go as expected and what his concerns were. He was willing to try things that may not help (but weren't going to hurt anything).
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
Low dose stim for a longer time. No Lupron. Metformin. Antihistamine protocol for transfer.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
Well run and organized. They gave us so much information so we always knew what was going on. They were so easy to work with.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
I believe we spent ~$40k which included all testing (one day workup), retrevial, ICSI, Comp chromosome screening, genetic testing, storage fees/freeze all cycle, and frozen transfer.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
He suggested two bc my untested embryos I had transferred in the past were all high grades. I did CCS testing w dr schoolcraft and he expected me to have very few 'normals' (explaining my 3 chemical pregnancies). My results came back better than the average for my age. This made him wonder if it was me as a carrier. BC I wanted answers/closure, he suggested transferring two, bc if I only did one I would question myself that if it didn't work if t was just a fluke, and debate trying again. Whereas, if I transferred two, he said at least one should work, and if I didn't get pregnant at all with two high grade 'normal' embryos then there was clearly an issue we weren't seeing.
...he [Dr. Schoolcraft] recommended DE to us, his reasoning was I failed to make Blast on 2 previous IVFs. I was 32 and DH 33 at the time. AFC 10-12 . NOT DOR pt. I explained that I am so many eggs left and I am still young and not ready for DE. He said hes willing to try IVM but hes not too hopeful!...I went to CCRM w high hopes. From my initial consult Dr S suggested DE based on my two failed cycles. I explained to him that I'm not ready to give up on my own eggs at 32, my afc is around 10-12 so I do have lots of eggs left I explained that I can do DE at late 30s...
She [nurse atCCRM - Lone Tree] at was very nice and caring.One of the best labs in North America... Amazing Embryologist...IVM protocol, 2 retrieved, Good quality day 3, called the nurse and requested to freeze on Day 3, Dr. S refused saying he wants to push to blast to do CCS testing ( I was 32 at the time). No blast...
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I went to CCRM w high hopes. From my initial consult Dr S suggested DE based on my two failed cycles. I explained to him that I'm not ready to give up on my own eggs at 32, my afc is around 10-12 so I do have lots of eggs left I explained that I can do DE at late 30s. He suggested IVM which I wasn't comfortable with since is experimental but the results won't be reported (part of SART) which he's really big on...On day 3 the embryologist called me and said I have good looking day 3 with less than 10% frag and I told him I want to freeze but he said it's not up to him ! I begged my nurse to freeze one on day 3 but she said Dr Slijes to push them to blast and CCS testing is part of my protocol(did I Mention I was 32 w no known genetic problems all tests were normal.) but they get to charge you extra 4K for CCS testing. Once again I went w his recommendation but I should have trusted my gut! On day 6 the embryologist called to said none made it.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
on his famous ODWU he recommended DE to us, his reasoning was I failed to make Blast on 2 previous IVFs. I was 32 and DH 33 at the time. AFC 10-12 . NOT DOR pt. I explained that I am so many eggs left and I am still young and not ready for DE. He said hes willing to try IVM but hes not too hopeful!
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
IVM protocol, 2 retrieved, Good quality day 3, called the nurse and requested to freeze on Day 3, Dr. S refused saying he wants to push to blast to do CCS testing ( I was 32 at the time). No blast
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Colorado.
She was very nice and caring.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
one of the best labs in North America. amazing Embryologist
He's not warm or personal. He's smart, though. He will tell you his opinion, even when it's not helpful (such as telling me that something another doctor told me about was "utter quackery"). He didn't really know me at all. He sees so many patients and I didn't have much of a relationship with him....My 'home' clinic sent information that CCRM interpreted differently, and then blamed my home clinic, which was totally inaccurate. And, I had a biopsy and they never called to tell me it was normal. I had to call them.
Really difficult to get a hold of with lots of phone tag. That changed a bit for the transfer b/c the nurse gave me her direct number, but it still wasn't so great....My 'home' clinic sent information that CCRM interpreted differently, and then blamed my home clinic, which was totally inaccurate. And, I had a biopsy and they never called to tell me it was normal. I had to call them....Difficult to coordinate with and it's like a factory.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He's not warm or personal. He's smart, though. He will tell you his opinion, even when it's not helpful (such as telling me that something another doctor told me about was "utter quackery"
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Don't expect a warm doctor or compassion, but he is intelligent and has a lot of experience
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He didn't really know me at all. He sees so many patients and I didn't have much of a relationship with him.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I sent 5 frozen eggs there in 2013 that were retreived and frozen in 2012. One did not defrost successfully. Of those 4, all were ICSIed and 1 fertilized (that was the worst result for all 6 cycles in terms of fertilization percentage, so I don't know if it was b/c the eggs were frozen badly or got damaged during shipment), that one made it to day 5, and was chromosomally normal. I transfered it in 2015 and am pregnant now.
Thank I did 2 additional egg retrievals there. One was with ganirelix for 3 days before menses, then a lupron micro-dose every 12 hours for a few days and then adding menopur and 300 fsh/day. The other one was ganirelix for 3 days before menses, then menopur and 300 fsh/day. He tried the lupron micro-dosing but it didn't produce more eggs, so the antagonist was better. We used ICSI and about 75% fertilized each time. I had 2 make it to day 5, but none were chromosomally normal
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Colorado.
Really difficult to get a hold of with lots of phone tag. That changed a bit for the transfer b/c the nurse gave me her direct number, but it still wasn't so great.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
Difficult to coordinate with and it's like a factory.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Colorado.
Mostly a lot of people waiting and not very convenient
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
$75k
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Failed to call with results
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
My 'home' clinic sent information that CCRM interpreted differently, and then blamed my home clinic, which was totally inaccurate.
And, I had a biopsy and they never called to tell me it was normal. I had to call them.
Doctor Schoolcraft was very thorough in explaining the risks and benefits for transferring more than 1 embryo and made sure that we were absolutely sure we were ok with the chance of having twins or more. We now have b/g twins and couldn't be happier with the results! Dr. Schoolcraft personally called me back when I had questions about doing chromosomal testing and whether or not he thought it was necessary. He was very honest and told me he did not think we needed to do it because of my age and other factors. That saved us thousands, when he could have said yes you need to do it in order to charge us more money. I appreciated his honesty in every situation we encountered.
The clinic staff [at CCRM] was always very welcoming and kind, happy to answer any questions and direct you where to go. They offered so many resources...The nursing staff was great! They answered any questions we had and called promptly with test results and medication adjustments. They gave great instruction and were available if I had any questions regarding administering any of the meds.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Doctor Schoolcraft was very thorough in explaining the risks and benefits for transferring more than 1 embryo and made sure that we were absolutely sure we were ok with the chance of having twins or more. We now have b/g twins and couldn't be happier with the results! Dr. Schoolcraft personally called me back when I had questions about doing chromosomal testing and whether or not he thought it was necessary. He was very honest and told me he did not think we needed to do it because of my age and other factors. That saved us thousands, when he could have said yes you need to do it in order to charge us more money. I appreciated his honesty in every situation we encountered.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Ask lots of questions, don't be shy. He's there to answer your questions and address your concerns.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I felt that he was very honest and up front about what treatment would be best in our situation and give us the best possible outcome. He was always available for questions and never made me feel like I was asking a stupid question.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I was on the lowest doses of meds and responded well to the protocol. They did a great job monitoring and adjusting meds as needed. I did have some hyper stimulation, but they made adjustments and also had me take an oral medication to help and we were able to go through with a fresh transfer. Had they not reacted and adjusted meds at the first sign of hyper stimulation we may have had to pay thousand more to do a frozen cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Ellie)
The nursing staff was great! They answered any questions we had and called promptly with test results and medication adjustments. They gave great instruction and were available if I had any questions regarding administering any of the meds.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
The clinic staff was always very welcoming and kind, happy to answer any questions and direct you where to go. They offered so many resources.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Part of our treatment was donated, but I believe we still paid at least $8000 out of pocket.
Schoolcraft is blunt and honest, which I valued. When trying to figure out how many embryos to transfer, he asked us "What scares you more: failure or twins?" It was exactly the question we needed to be asked to make the right decision for us. It worked. We now have boy/girl twins conceived in our first round of IVF.
I was most disappointed in my nurse. She was rude and disorganized, always calling me at the end of the day with vital information on medicine and next steps, putting me in a panic to get the correct drugs on time due to my rural location. She would often call my home line despite requests to use my cell, also creating issues for managing care on time-sensitive matters. When working with my local hospital/lab on procuring blood work results, she was not helpful at all in communicating or working with the local resources. Every day was more stressful than it needed to be.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Schoolcraft is blunt and honest, which I valued. When trying to figure out how many embryos to transfer, he asked us "What scares you more: failure or twins?" It was exactly the question we needed to be asked to make the right decision for us. It worked. We now have boy/girl twins conceived in our first round of IVF.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Expect a professional who has years of experience and results, but don't expect him to hold your hand, cry with you, or walk you through every detail. He is available when medically necessary and answered all our big questions, carefully evaluating and adjusting our plan as needed.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
It is a busy clinic. I did not expect hand holding or emotional support. They can recommend you join support groups or see counsellors for that. I was there for their lab and proven results, so being a number was fine with me.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
They made the decision to abandon the fresh transfer when my hormone levels did not cooperate. While frustrating to travel back home four hours away and wait several weeks on more medication to attempt a frozen transfer, the cycle was successful and thus prudent to adjust.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Ellie )
I was most disappointed in my nurse. She was rude and disorganized, always calling me at the end of the day with vital information on medicine and next steps, putting me in a panic to get the correct drugs on time due to my rural location. She would often call my home line despite requests to use my cell, also creating issues for managing care on time-sensitive matters. When working with my local hospital/lab on procuring blood work results, she was not helpful at all in communicating or working with the local resources. Every day was more stressful than it needed to be.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
CCRM is clean and very much it's own hospital facility. Easy parking.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Colorado.
I did most monitoring away from the clinic as I lived four hours away.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Roughly $25k
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
I was expected to call in prescriptions and procure medication more often than anticipated. My nurse was of no help and acted annoyed when I needed assistance or documentation.
Dr. Schoolcraft is clearly a very educated physician. He is very professional but lacks in the area of compassion... In the end, there is no need to go all the way to Colorado to pay double the price without the outcome.
CCRM is a very busy practice. I am a physician and hoped to be treated as one. In the end, I felt like just a number and a checkbook. Everything there is double the price anywhere else... There is nothing special about traveling all the way to Colorado for fertility treatments unless you live there already. Stay local and pay less.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft is clearly a very educated physician. He is very professional but lacks in the area of compassion. We had to use TWO different donor's for my second and third cycle of donor egg IVF and the first resulted in a chemical pregnancy after only ONE egg fertilized of 10 frozen eggs. The second donor cycle I asked for PGS to be performed as this would be my SIXTH IVF, and I was told it did NOT need to be done. I ended up with a 13 week Down's syndrome baby that I miscarried, required a d&e for, and hemorrhaged. In the end, there is no need to go all the way to Colorado to pay double the price without the outcome.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
There is nothing special about traveling all the way to Colorado for fertility treatments unless you live there already. Stay local and pay less.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
CCRM is a very busy practice. I am a physician and hoped to be treated as one. In the end, I felt like just a number and a checkbook. Everything there is double the price anywhere else. There was ONE nurse who I worked with who was compassionate and warm, the rest treated you like a number. In the end, because we complained, I was given special treatment but only because we had had such poor results.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I had already undergone 3 cycles of IVF in my hometown: 2 fresh cycles with my own eggs (neg pregnancy tests), and a third cycle FET with PGS tested normal embryos which resulted in a blighted ovum. I had heard that CCRM was the place for difficult cases so I went there. I underwent a FET after a retrieval of PGS tested normal embryos which resulted in a negative pregnancy test. At that point, it was recommended I either use a donor egg or a surrogate, but I was not given direction as to which was preferred. I chose to use a donor egg. I used a donor who had 10 eggs frozen. When we arrived, only ONE fertilized and was transferred on day 3. I was heartbroken and begged for him to also transfer my last frozen embryo so a day 5 transfer of my embryo was also performed that cycle (double transfer). After a chemical pregnancy, I insisted that since I had the worst donor ever, I was given special consideration. After a long conversation, he stated I could try again with a proven donor from his database for free. She had 16 frozen eggs and we transferred 2 day 5 embryos. I had asked for them to be PGS tested but I was told that was unnecessary. I ended up with a positive NIPT test at 10 weeks for down's and a positive CVS for down's. I then miscarried at 13 weeks. I then left CCRM and returned to my hometown where I am now 30 weeks pregnant after donor egg IVF on my first try.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Katie)
Katie was the best. She was compassionate, caring, and helpful. She was the best part of CCRM.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
CCRM is impressive. It has fancy decor, waterfalls, and high ceilings. But it's like a factory and you never feel like you are treated as a patient but a number.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Almost double the price of any other fertility clinic I have encountered. I paid approximately 42k for my donor cycle and back in my hometown, I was given an amazing donor (who produces over 60 eggs per cycle and has already given 2 other couples babies) and paid a total of 25k total and I'm actually going to end up a mom! Everything is pay first and if you get reimbursed later, then you're lucky. You speak with financial people almost every major visit.
The experience of being Dr. Schoolcraft’s patient isn’t what might be expected as the patient of an assigned doctor. I had almost no interaction with him outside of a ~15 minute phone call that felt more like a business development get-you-in-the-door call than anything specifically related to my chart or my care. In that meeting he pitched that the CCRM lab would have significantly better results than my previous clinic, but that proved to not be the case.
They might have a great lab, but if the systems aren’t in place to make sure that patients can smoothly and safely make it through a cycle that’s a big problem. In my experience I found it did not seem that there was real oversight over my case or case management, both from a macro level and at a detailed level. I experienced several issues of clinic disorganization that were not only stressful but had the potential to impact my cycle. A small example was slipping through the cracks and never hearing protocol updates, then not being able to reach someone to give me accurate stimulation protocol information. The biggest issue I encountered was with a post-retrieval complication.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
The experience of being Dr. Schoolcraft’s patient isn’t what might be expected as the patient of an assigned doctor. I had almost no interaction with him outside of a ~15 minute phone call that felt more like a business development get-you-in-the-door call than anything specifically related to my chart or my care. In that meeting he pitched that the CCRM lab would have significantly better results than my previous clinic, but that proved to not be the case.
In a much later phone call about starting a second cycle, I spent $250 for the call, which lasted under 5 minutes because he admitted he had not looked my chart and therefore didn’t have much to say.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
If you go to Dr. Schoolcraft you must be prepared to have almost zero interaction with him. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to have some strategy conversations with him, but in my experience I spoke with him on the consultation call, and saw him once for a few minutes, but had no interaction with him from that point on (he didn’t do my retrieval, wasn’t there for complications after retrieval, and never did a debrief to discuss the disappointing results of the cycle).
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I definitely felt like a number. Even just calling and trying to get ahold of a human on the phone you’ll get that sense -- it was standard to spend 20 minutes on hold just to eventually leave a voice mail message that you hoped would get answered in the next 24 hours. There are some medical facilities that have high volume, but still manage to get you where you need to go quickly (usually to a real human who sees your chart and can answer a question or direct you where you need to go), but this wasn’t the case here.
Some of the systems they had in place seemed designed to overlook individuals. For example, before my cycle started my nurse coordinator had a medical issue that meant she wouldn’t be working for the entirety of my cycle. That wouldn’t have been problematic, but the CCRM policy was to not assign a new nurse coordinator, and just let me rely on whichever nurse was around to answer questions. This inevitably meant things fell through the cracks -- I complained and they did give me a new primary nurse, but the fact that it’s set up this way is telling.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
Cycle before stimulation, both partners did doxycycline 2x per day for 10 days. Used home ovulation predictor kits, 10 days after LH surge was detected in the kits started Vivelle 0.1 mg patches every other day, Day 11 post LH surge started Cetrotide 0.25 mg until Day 13 after surge.
At start of stim cycle, began with 2 vials of Menopur in morning and 300 units Gonal-F + Dexamethasone in evening. Believe dosage was increased significantly but can’t find specifics.
Believe trigger was 2500 hCG & 0.8mL of Lupron twice.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Jill Radke)
I started off with a great nurse, but unfortunately she had a medical issue and had to take a leave. After that I got bounced around to a few different nurses, and eventually ended up having most of my care handled by Jill Radke. The experience was mediocre. I often found it very difficult to get in touch with someone from the nursing staff, which led to concrete issues. For example, a nurse is supposed to call you in the afternoon after testing to give you an updated stimulation protocol. On more than one occasion I had that call not come through, and when I tried to call back I couldn’t reach someone. I eventually would speak with someone after hours who didn’t have access to my electronic medical record from her home, so just told me to inject whatever I injected the night before. Given the amount we were paying and the importance of the cycle, this obviously didn’t feel like good care.
During the pre and post operation experience at retrieval I had very bad nursing experiences. There were several issues, a few examples of which: they said they would send me home with antibiotics which they did not, and they sent me home with incorrect discharge instructions that resulted in a later complication.
The biggest problem I ran into with the nursing team came post op (I’ll cover it in the clinic experience section).
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
They might have a great lab, but if the systems aren’t in place to make sure that patients can smoothly and safely make it through a cycle that’s a big problem. In my experience I found it did not seem that there was real oversight over my case or case management, both from a macro level and at a detailed level. I experienced several issues of clinic disorganization that were not only stressful but had the potential to impact my cycle. A small example was slipping through the cracks and never hearing protocol updates, then not being able to reach someone to give me accurate stimulation protocol information.
The biggest issue I encountered was with a post-retrieval complication. I had very severe symptoms and was not seen by a doctor. I was seen by a nurse who did not consult my chart (which would, in retrospect, have given her real clues as to what was going on). They very flippantly treated me as if all women must just be a little crazy post retrieval and didn’t take my concerns seriously, which led to a dangerous situation and eventual hospitalization.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Not including testing and medications (which added up to several thousand dollars), total due to the clinic at the time of starting medications was $22,435. I didn’t realize at the time that this included the fees for a transfer even though we weren’t planning on an immediate transfer.
Breakdown:
2014 “IVF cycle package”: $13,480
ICSI: $2,650
PGS chromosomal screening for 4 embryos: $6,875
Anesthesia: $430
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
Dr. Schoolcraft only took me on if I agreed to PGD (CCS test as they call it at CCRM) all my embryos. Of my 10 embryos, 6 made it to blast and all came back genetically abnormal. Once I got those results, I had to wait 2 weeks to speak Dr. Schoolcraft...I had no good embryos so that meant no transfer...Once I managed to get a phone call from him 2 weeks after the PGD result, he refered me over to the donor egg department.
The nursing staff [at CCRM Colorado] was super professional but they still made a lot of mistakes. Once they give me full dosage Lupron, instead of the micro, once they gave me an egg donors medication by mistake and once they gave me the wrong trigger instructions...The clinic is absolutely beautiful. It's like the Four Seasons of fertility clinics.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I did 4, completed cycles with Dr. Schoolcraft. During the 4 cycles, I saw him twice and he had zero recollection of me or my medical history. Quite honestly I only kept going back because the treatments were a 100% covered by insurance and I loved skiing in Vail during and after the treatments :-)
Dr. Schoolcraft only took me on if I agreed to PGD (CCS test as they call it at CCRM) all my embryos. Of my 10 embryos, 6 made it to blast and all came back genetically abnormal. Once I got those results, I had to wait 2 weeks to speak Dr. Schoolcraft. Who does that to a patient who just got such bad news????? They didn't care. I was just a number.
I had no good embryos so that meant no transfer and I didn't ruin their statistics.
Once I managed to get a phone call from him 2 weeks after the PGD result, he refered me over to the donor egg department. That was it. See ya later! I was too old and I was never going to be beneficial to their statistics.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Do not go to Dr. Schoolcraft if you have less than 20 resting follicles and low AMH.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
No one ever remembered me
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I started with growth hormones, Lupron micro, followed by menapure, gonal F, ganorelix and trigger shot
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado.
The nursing staff was super professional but they still made a lot of mistakes. Once they give me full dosage Lupron, instead of the micro, once they gave me an egg donors medication by mistake and once they gave me the wrong trigger instructions. Luckily I caught all the mistakes in time so I saved all my cycles.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
The clinic is absolutely beautiful. It's like the Four Seasons of fertility clinics.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Don't remeber. Was 100% covered by insurance
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
Nurse called in wrong prescription to the pharmacy. Nurse gave me an egg donor's medication
Dr. Schoolcraft has excellent bedside manner. He answered all of my questions, I had a clear understanding of my plan of care and my next steps, and he asked me personal/conversational questions where we were able to make a connection...Review the binder materials, come prepared with your questions, and utilize Dr. Schoolcraft's nurses. It is easy to become overwhelmed during the process and being prepared help me gain control and ownership of my infertility treatment.
Strengths [of CCRM]: World-class, ethical, best IVF lab, best docs - I would NEVER go anywhere else! Weakness: While I was thrilled with my results and the majority of my friends have been blessed as well, there is a limit to what science and medical intervention can do. FYI: I hadn't read my binder/next steps carefully so didn't realize I needed to let my nurse know which pharmacy I needed my prescriptions called into, thankfully we (my nurse and I) caught in just in time.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft and CCRM-Colorado are the best in the nation. I have recommended both friends and family as patients to him and his partners. Dr. Schoolcraft was very clear with my results and my options to move forward; he gave me all my options and then made a recommendation. I am happy that I moved forward with egg freezing and knowing that when I'm ready I have 19 eggs frozen and waiting for me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Review the binder materials, come prepared with your questions, and utilize Dr. Schoolcraft's nurses. It is easy to become overwhelmed during the process and being prepared help me gain control and ownership of my infertility treatment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft has excellent bedside manner. He answered all of my questions, I had a clear understanding of my plan of care and my next steps, and he asked me personal/conversational questions where we were able to make a connection.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Nurse Amy Schaff)
I loved all of the nurses that I worked with at CCRM. I am a busy working executive and couldn't always speak freely when they would call. My nurse was aware of this, so she would follow-up with an email to be sure I got my dose information since I couldn't ask questions if I was in front of my staff. Happy with my care and happy with the result!
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
Strengths: World-class, ethical, best IVF lab, best docs - I would NEVER go anywhere else!
Weakness: While I was thrilled with my results and the majority of my friends have been blessed as well, there is a limit to what science and medical intervention can do.
FYI: I hadn't read my binder/next steps carefully so didn't realize I needed to let my nurse know which pharmacy I needed my prescriptions called into, thankfully we (my nurse and I) caught in just in time.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Everything I had read about Dr. S [Schoolcraft] was that he had a terrible bedside manner and no compassion. I was on my last rope with TTC and I didn't need coddling, I needed the truth, and I needed the best. What I honestly found was that he is a scientist, plain and simple. As most scientists, he seemed to be a bit awkward talking to patients, and maybe a bit uncomfortable. He's actually quite funny as well.... Don't be "put off" because he's not the "run up and give you a big hug" type of doctor. He's amazing at what he does.
I tell people that CCRM is like a well oiled machine. Where you go, what you do, who you see, etc. is all written out and explained. I didn't exactly get the "warm and fuzzies" from anyone there, but I didn't need my hand held, I needed results.... They definitely have everything lined out for out of state patients, which made the travel/coordination SO much easier to deal with!... Heidi was amazing. She communicated very well, and always listened if I had a concern.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Everything I had read about Dr. S was that he had a terrible bedside manner and no compassion. I was on my last rope with TTC and I didn't need coddling, I needed the truth, and I needed the best. What I honestly found was that he is a scientist, plain and simple. As most scientists, he seemed to be a bit awkward talking to patients, and maybe a bit uncomfortable. He's actually quite funny as well.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Don't be "put off" because he's not the "run up and give you a big hug" type of doctor. He's amazing at what he does.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I tell people that CCRM is like a well oiled machine. Where you go, what you do, who you see, etc. is all written out and explained. I didn't exactly get the "warm and fuzzies" from anyone there, but I didn't need my hand held, I needed results.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
EPP protocol - less meds than any of my previous cycles, though still stimed for 12 days, and E2 plateaued. 21 eggs retrieved - 14 matured - 9 fertilized - 5 made it to blast - 3 were normal
FET of 2 embryos resulted in B/G twins
FET of final embryo was negative
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Heidi Kodmeyer)
Heidi was amazing. She communicated very well, and always listened if I had a concern.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
They're just not a fluffy/feel good clinic, for the most part. They get you in/out and done. I really didn't care at that point because I had failed so many other times that I just wanted results.
They definitely have everything lined out for out of state patients, which made the travel/coordination SO much easier to deal with!
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
We were 100% out of pocket, which quickly added up, but I don't remember the specific costs.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
Felt very educated, and made the decision for ourselves.
Do not see him if you need lots of hand holding and kind words. He is a very blunt and to the point Doctor. He will tell you exactly what he thinks he can help you achieve and won't sugar coat it. He was the only one to give us answers and help us have a baby.
I would say my nurse [at CCRM] was middle of the road. She wasn't very friendly but she was on top of what we needed to do and if I had any questions she would find the answer....This clinic sees a lot of patients. You are herded through appointments and pay for every little thing. I felt like I would be charged just for breathing the air there. There are a few people working there that always show compassion and friendliness and those that just don't.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft is good at what he does and he knows it. You won't get any hand holding and he is very blunt and to the point. That is why I went to see him after wasting time and money elsewhere. I needed to hear what was actually possible and probable and he totally delivered. I found our first meeting and some subsequent meetings to be very pleasant and he was very personable. Just know that doesn't always happen!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Do not see him if you need lots of hand holding and kind words. He is a very blunt and to the point Doctor. He will tell you exactly what he thinks he can help you achieve and won't sugar coat it. He was the only one to give us answers and help us have a baby.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Ellie)
I would say my nurse was middle of the road. She wasn't very friendly but she was on top of what we needed to do and if I had any questions she would find the answer.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
This clinic sees a lot of patients. You are herded through appointments and pay for every little thing. I felt like I would be charged just for breathing the air there. There are a few people working there that always show compassion and friendliness and those that just don't.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Colorado.
At times it was run efficiently. They have you come in in the morning during certain hours to have blood drawn and ultrasound done. They usually went fairly quickly for me. There was one time when it took over an hour to be seen because the ultrasound tech didn't show up.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
In total for fresh cycle and a frozen transfer I spent around $20000
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Failed to order appropriate test
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
When we first went there, it seemed that there was a lack of communication between the nurses and lab staff. I had to redo one of my hormone level checks and was told I could do just that one so it wouldn't cost me so much. When I went in to do it, the lab wanted to re run all tests at a large cost. Of course this upset me and luckily the phlebotomist just ordered what was needed.
He [Dr. William Schoolcraft] put me on a PCOS protocol that included metformin during the egg retrieval to improve egg quality because that had been an issue in my previous cycles. He also recommended doing PGS to screen for any chromosomal abnormalities. Because of my history of unexplained recurrent miscarriage he recommended trying their recurrent miscarriage protocol "Claritin, Pepcid AC and Prednisone." He explained that there were no clinical trials to support the use of these medications and it was akin to "voodoo" but that they had some anecdotal evidence that it had helped some women and he thought it was worth a try. I had an amazing cycle, producing 62 eggs and 27 embryos of which 19 were genetically normal.
[CCRM is] Extremely well organized and well run. Deal well with couples traveling from other states and complicated medical issues...Approx $40,000 for cycle and genetic testing of embryos....They were all extremely compassionate, knowledgeable and organized. There is superb communication at CCRM which is essential for successful cycles.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
My husband and I traveled to CCRM from Pennsylvania as a "Last shot" after our local fertility doctor told us she could no longer help us. First, we spoke to Dr. Schoolcraft on the phone during a consult and he had clearly read our very thick medical record and he presented a very reasonable treatment plan. We never felt rushed by him and he always explained his reasoning and was available for questions as needed. I honestly don't have anything negative to say about him or my experience at CCRM.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He's one of the best!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He spent time with my husband and me. He was patient, thorough and compassionate. His office staff and nurses are all very kind and the program is extremely well organized.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
He put me on a PCOS protocol that included metformin during the egg retrieval to improve egg quality because that had been an issue in my previous cycles. He also recommended doing PGS to screen for any chromosomal abnormalities. Because of my history of unexplained recurrent miscarriage he recommended trying their recurrent miscarriage protocol "Claritin, Pepcid AC and Prednisone." He explained that there were no clinical trials to support the use of these medications and it was akin to "voodoo" but that they had some anecdotal evidence that it had helped some women and he thought it was worth a try. I had an amazing cycle, producing 62 eggs and 27 embryos of which 19 were genetically normal. We transferred 2 and I gave birth to healthy twins in 2013. This is in direct contrast to my other egg retrieval at a local clinic which resulted in 10 embryos, all of which were transferred over several cycles none of which resulted in a live birth.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Yes, but I can't remember her name )
They were all extremely compassionate, knowledgeable and organized. There is superb communication at CCRM which is essential for successful cycles.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
Extremely well organized and well run. Deal well with couples traveling from other states and complicated medical issues. Expensive.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Approx $40,000 for cycle and genetic testing of embryos.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
Dr. Schoolcraft is direct and supportive. He honestly answered my concerns and questions and didn't just run tests and procedures unnecessarily. He was honest with his opinions and his treatment plan...We ended up doing ICSI on half of the retrieved eggs and those were the only ones to fertilize. We had 9 embryos in the beginning but by day 3 only 4 remained and Dr. Schoolcraft personally called me to discuss implant at that point over waiting another day or two.
They [staff at CCRM Colorado] are patient, supportive and caring to everyone who walks through the door...very busy but everyone was very warm and supportive and willing to take the time to explain things and answer all questions...Such a great staff here. Friendly, supportive and caring. Even in a very busy practice they got to know me and my husband. They took the time to explain things and work with us.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft is direct and supportive. He honestly answered my concerns and questions and didn't just run tests and procedures unnecessarily. He was honest with his opinions and his treatment plan.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Ask questions up front. Be an active member in your treatment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
The clinic was very busy but everyone was very warm and supportive and willing to take the time to explain things and answer all questions.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
We had unexplained infertility and at one point Dr Schoolcraft simply stated the IVF was our best option. He told us there were other tests and treatments just to be completely thorough he could do which were less invasive and costly but if they didn't work we would be doing IVF eventually anyway so the best course would be to just go with IVF instead. I appreciated the honest assessment and feelings given at that time. We ended up doing ICSI on half of the retrieved eggs and those were the only ones to fertilize. We had 9 embryos in the beginning but by day 3 only 4 remained and Dr. Schoolcraft personally called me to discuss implant at that point over waiting another day or two. Together we choose to implant that day. He chose the three best embryos left for the implant and fortunately all three took. The one remaining embryo failed shortly after we did the implant.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Colorado.
Such a great staff here. Friendly, supportive and caring. Even in a very busy practice they got to know me and my husband. They took the time to explain things and work with us.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
I've had nothing bit positive feelings and results from the clinic, staff and doctors. They are patient, supportive and caring to everyone who walks through the door. They work miracles for most on their patients and for those still struggling they are compassionate and understanding to.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
We choose to implant three because my embryos were failing at a high rate. We placed three in the hopes that just one would make it. Of the 14 embryos we had only the three implanted remained viable all of the others failed.
Seeing Schoolcraft was the best decision we made (besides adoption). Wish we had seen him first. Would have saved us a lot of heartache and pain.
It is expensive and can be a long process, but you may get answers from him [Dr. Schoolcraft] that you can't/couldn't get elsewhere.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Loved Dr. Schoolcraft's candor and professionalism. The counselor (I wish I could remember her name) was amazing. I felt better talking to her than anyone else I met along our fertility path. The rest of the staff was great, as well.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
It is expensive and can be a long process, but you may get answers from him that you can't/couldn't get elsewhere.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
After almost 4 years of fertility treatments and procedures with Dr. Kaplan at Fertility Centers of Illinois, we left and went to Dr. Schoolcraft for a consult and work-up. Basically, in that one visit Dr. Schoolcraft gave us more information and support than we received in the almost 4 years at FCI.
In order to begin IVF treatments I was told I needed to have hysteroscopy (not an HSG- I had already had that before I had IUI treatments the year before). I had this procedure done by my gynecologist and she found that I had a unicornuate uterus. Dr. Kaplan said that this condition would not be a problem for getting pregnant or complicate things. Well, after almost 4 years of ongoing treatments (IUIs, IVF, 3 miscarriages, 1 round of donor eggs and many terrible appts.) we were told by Dr. Schoolcraft (after a few hours and tests) that a unicornuate uterus is a much more complicated condition and that would explain pretty much every problem I had getting pregnant, producing eggs, and staying pregnant. He recommended a surrogate and egg donor combination (for a successful pregnancy) rather than me trying to carry a child. He said that I would be high risk and most likely miscarry or deliver preterm (around 20 weeks) if we tried again.
Thanks to Dr. Schoolcraft and the technology at CCRM my husband and I decided to leave the world of fertility behind and proceed with adoption (a process we had started). We adopted our son almost exactly 6 months later. Seeing Schoolcraft was the best decision we made (besides adoption). Wish we had seen him first. Would have saved us a lot of heartache and pain.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Colorado.
Dr Schoolcraft is thorough but you fit into one of a few of his protocols for treatment. He was kind during the review of my records and on post follow up care...He is a very straightforward person. Be prepared for him to tell you the facts just as they stand- no sugar coating anything...He prefers eSET...World renowned doctor that's why so many travel to see him, and why I went there.
[CCRM Colorado clinic is] Very busy clinic...One of the best IVF labs in the country, know how to handle tougher cases (previous IVF failures etc.), thorough workup to diagnose any problems (called one day workup) before beginning treatment. World renewed doctors that have more aggressive treatment protocols...As with any busy clinic you have to stay on top of your care...24,000 for one IVF cycle including CCS testing.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
World renowned doctor that's why so many travel to see him, and why I went there. I was able to get 2 ccs tested embroyos (though only 1 of good quality). He let me know that for best chances I might need to do another retrieval which we were considering anyways. This time I will be put on a different drug protocol
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He is a very straightforward person. Be prepared for him to tell you the facts just as they stand- no sugar coating anything
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Very busy clinic; Dr Schoolcraft is thorough but you fit into one of a few of his protocols for treatment. He was kind during the review of my records and on post follow up care.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
Antagonist protocol with luteal patch priming, 300 Gonal and 150 menopur along with dex0.1 for 10 days. Trigger with Lupron and hcg 10,000
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Colorado.
My primary nurse went on maternity leave during my treatment cycle and my questions were being answered by different nurses instead of the one dedicated nurse that I thought I would have. This was Ok given I had done IVF before and was aware of how a typical cycle goes. If this had to be my first time I feel I would have been a little lost. As with any busy clinic you have to stay on top of your care
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
One of the best IVF labs in the country, know how to handle tougher cases (previous IVF failures etc.), thorough workup to diagnose any problems (called one day workup) before beginning treatment. World renewed doctors that have more aggressive treatment protocols.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
24,000 for one IVF cycle including CCS testing.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
We successfully retrieved and froze 6 eggs this time around [with Dr. Schoolcraft]...is a very knowledgeable fertility doctor. He is always keen on sharing his knowledge and explaining any questions you may have. He is amiable and empathetic yet he has a straight forward approach...I had a consult with him many years ago before the technology existed to freeze eggs without fertilization. He has always been a champion of helping people realize their fertility dreams while making sure to elaborate on the steps needed or hopes for future science to catch up with processes previously unavailable or discovered. Dr. Schoolcraft is an amiable doctor with a practical approach. We can do this or we can't...but in the future i
The nursing staff is good [at CCRM Colorado]. Some nurses are better than others at individual parts. Over all the staff does a great job here! They are compassionate, caring, patient and educational...On my second egg retrieval no one realized that I was due for communicable lab work until right before my egg retrieval surgery. This was a stressful situation...They are able to customize regimens for each patient. They are compassionate, caring and well educated. Things run like clockwork for the most part. I have had a few hiccups here and there but great experience for the most part. I
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Doctor Schoolcraft is a very knowledgeable and experienced fertility doctor. I had a consult with him many years ago before the technology existed to freeze eggs without fertilization. He has always been a champion of helping people realize their fertility dreams while making sure to elaborate on the steps needed or hopes for future science to catch up with processes previously unavailable or discovered. Dr. Schoolcraft is an amiable doctor with a practical approach. We can do this or we can't...but in the future it may be possible. He has empathy for your unique situation. Things can become overwhelming at times during the IVF process at any stage. Dr. Schoolcraft is always there to help clarify if needed. He runs a rather large clinic with many staff members. The only main issue was poor pain control post surgery. I am a health care professional and I have a decent tolerance for pain. I feel they are over cautious with prescribing post surgery meds. This is an area they could work on individualizing better I believe. I also think it takes the older patients such as myself longer to heal than they may expect. Otherwise, I have been happy and treated well at CCRM with Dr. Schoolcraft. Time will tell (and finances) if we succeed.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Don't be shy about asking anything if you're unsure or overwhelmed. Make sure you have extra money set aside for whatever may crop up. Don't expect your insurance to cover anything. Know that they may not bill your insurance for some test which can be covered with your primary doctor or OBGyn.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr. Schoolcraft is a very knowledgeable fertility doctor. He is always keen on sharing his knowledge and explaining any questions you may have. He is amiable and empathetic yet he has a straight forward approach. He's very clear we can do this or we'll have to wait for science to catch up...but in the future it may be possible. He runs a large clinic with many staff members. Somehow, they manage to keep you feeling human amidst a sometimes overwhelming and hectic schedule. I have felt overwhelmed at times but never was I treated like just a number here.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
I was prescribed two separate medication regimens. I may have more details soon. At 39 yo my medications were Gonal-F, Lupron, a birth control hormone and novarel. We retrieved and froze 18 eggs this time. Second egg retrieval at 44 yo the regimen was similar but the birth control was switched to Vivelle Dot (which I had an allergy to made my lips puff up and throat tighten...I took chlor-tabs to help with allergy). I also had some epic mood swings from the patches. They also gave me a dose of Cetrotide but we discontinued this after one dose because we weren't sure what was causing the allergic reaction. This egg retrieval wasn't as successful as the first one. I believe I gave an extra dose of lupron one time and I ran out of money for the Gonal-F so we had to do the retrieval earlier than we'd hoped. We successfully retrieved and froze 6 eggs this time around.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Julie Von Feldt)
During the many years I have been a patient at CCRM I have been assigned a few different nurses (and they all take turns answering questions/helping patients during their shifts so you always have access to a provider). Julie Von Feldt has been there the entire time and is wonderful! I would highly recommend her (although she is a manager now and doesn't tend to take individual patients now). The nursing staff is good. Some nurses are better than others at individual parts. Over all the staff does a great job here! They are compassionate, caring, patient and educational.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
This clinic has a long history of experience with IVF. They are able to customize regimens for each patient. They are compassionate, caring and well educated. Things run like clockwork for the most part. I have had a few hiccups here and there but great experience for the most part. I found the financial side of things frustrating at times. There always seemed to be something additional to pay for that cropped up to add to my expenses. Discuss your pain management plan well in advance to surgery. This is an area I believe they have an opportunity to improve upon. Some of the side effects of these medications can be uncomfortable. For example, I was unprepared for how constipated the cytotec made me. Try not to become overwhelmed. There is a LOT of information thrown at you. Take heart that even a health care professional with knowledge of some of the jargon got overwhelmed. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification. Ask for a moment to regroup or ask for help.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
I initially consulted with Dr Schoolcraft before unfertilized eggs were able to be frozen. This was well over 15 years ago so there is no record on file anymore. My record starts in 2007 with CCRM. Since then, one egg retrieval partially covered by insurance and the second not covered at all...a uterine polyp removal surgery and medications. Thus far I have spent almost $40,000 out of pocket for the workups, labs and surgeries at CCRM to store my eggs. There was also outside labwork I did separately with my primary care/obgyn mds which was several thousand dollars. The final steps (egg thaw, fertilized embryo, implantation) will cost me about $16,000. These numbers do not include medication expenses or hotel/travel expenses. I have to remove another uterine polyp, get a consult for a high risk/geriatric pregnancy. I am estimating that the medications will be $2500? I'm not sure what they will be yet...still awaiting results from my one day workup recently. I am taking a 401K loan and holding my breath that it will be enough. Time is not on my side and I've been hoping for so long. It's always a financial struggle. For me it's now or never. Finger's crossed.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
On my second egg retrieval no one realized that I was due for communicable lab work until right before my egg retrieval surgery. This was a stressful situation (due to the last minute notice and the unexpected cost) but they resolved it and my surgery moved ahead as planned. My genetic test for cystic fibrosis somehow wasn't entered in my chart (I likely got the test done at my OBgyn not at CCRM). My partner and I did a one day workup about 3 weeks ago and have yet to receive the serology results for his workup. I am following up today but had expected these results sooner. All in all, however, this clinic is on the ball.
He [Dr. Schoolcraft] had no answers for why we weren’t getting pregnant and didn’t have any desire to try anything different. I requested a test to determine if we were transferring st the right time, which he refused to do. I did that test at a different clinic and we discovered we had been transferring our embryos a full 24 hours too early. Our babies never had a chance and we wouldn’t have known that if we hadn’t left his clinic...he didn’t even take the time to understand that we wanted several kids and how to adjust our protocol because of that information.
Cindy [nurse at CCRM Colorado] was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t have done any of this without her. She clearly cared about me and my desire to start a family. She cried with me when we got negative results. I absolutely adored her...I did outside monitoring since I was out of state...The clinic did a great job educating us on what to expect. They were very organized and had a specific protocol for all new patients to go through to make sure you had received all pertinent information.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He is supposed to be one of the best fertility doctors in the world and he charges as such. But he didn’t even take the time to understand that we wanted several kids and how to adjust our protocol because of that information. He had no answers for why we weren’t getting pregnant and didn’t have any desire to try anything different. I requested a test to determine if we were transferring st the right time, which he refused to do. I did that test at a different clinic and we discovered we had been transferring our embryos a full 24 hours too early. Our babies never had a chance and we wouldn’t have known that if we hadn’t left his clinic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
If you don’t get pregnant there right away, consider moving on.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
By the end of our time at CCRM, we came to realize that Dr. Schoolcraft seemed to care more about his stats than about me as a person and our desire to have a family. He was happy to see me go to another clinic because I was only going to hurt his statistics.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Cindy Pick)
Cindy was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t have done any of this without her. She clearly cared about me and my desire to start a family. She cried with me when we got negative results. I absolutely adored her.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
The clinic did a great job educating us on what to expect. They were very organized and had a specific protocol for all new patients to go through to make sure you had received all pertinent information.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Colorado.
I did outside monitoring since I was out of state.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
He [Dr. Schoolcraft] performed an unnecessary surgery which destroyed my vagina. He tried to remove the ‘septum” between my uterus, which was not a septum at all, it was 2 uterus. He them told me I needed a surrogate. I went to another doctor for a second opinion...and I got pregnant my first round. Also, my high risk doctor told be he could see that I had 2 uterus, no surgery necessary...When I called him after I had my baby, no remorse, no apology. He did refund my surgery but we spent so much traveling there, and staying in hotels. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from this doctor if you want to have a baby and you have something a little complicated. Maybe if you are straightforward Ivf he might be ok, because that’s how he keeps his numbers high.
[CCRM Colorado is] Very cold and production line like. You wait around a lot. It’s a little too slick and uncaring...He [Dr. Schoolcraft] performed an unnecessary surgery which destroyed my vagina. He tried to remove the ‘septum” between my uterus, which was not a septum at all, it was 2 uterus. He them told me I needed a surrogate. I went to another doctor for a second opinion, although he’s “the best” and I got pregnant my first round. Also, my high risk doctor told be he could see that I had 2 uterus, no surgery necessary. How can the ‘best doctor’ be so misinformed. When I called him after I had my baby, no remorse, no apology. He did refund my surgery but we spent so much traveling there, and staying in hotels. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from this doctor if you want to have a baby and you have something a little complicated. Maybe if you are straightforward Ivf he might be ok, because that’s how he keeps his numbers high.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
He performed an unnecessary surgery which destroyed my vagina. He tried to remove the ‘septum” between my uterus, which was not a septum at all, it was 2 uterus. He them told me I needed a surrogate. I went to another doctor for a second opinion, although he’s “the best” and I got pregnant my first round. Also, my high risk doctor told be he could see that I had 2 uterus, no surgery necessary. How can the ‘best doctor’ be so misinformed. When I called him after I had my baby, no remorse, no apology. He did refund my surgery but we spent so much traveling there, and staying in hotels. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from this doctor if you want to have a baby and you have something a little complicated. Maybe if you are straightforward Ivf he might be ok, because that’s how he keeps his numbers high.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Stay away!
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
He told me to use a surrogate after an unsuccessful attempt to remove a septum which was actually 2 uterus. Told me to use surrogate and that would be the only way for me to have a child. I got pregnant first time with another doctor.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
Very cold and production line like. You wait around a lot. It’s a little too slick and uncaring. Dr Schoolcraft is very pragmatic and there only to take patients that will generate good numbers for his clinic. It shows in all areas of the clinic
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
They were all out of pocket. I had an unnecessary surgery which he ultimately refunded, but he didn’t refund all the visits and ultrasounds that ultimately we’re worthless.
Dr. Schoolcraft recommended we place two embryos. However we elected to do one. The pregnancy was unsuccessful so we have to wonder if it would have been better to follow his expert advice. ... Schoolcraft is at the top of his game. ... I was treated well by Schoolcraft. He was overconfident which I appreciated at the time. ... Write down your questions. Time with school craft is precious
CCRM in lone tree is amazing and works like a well oiled machine. We were thrilled with our treatment there. We had a scheduled that moved exactly as planned. We always knew where to get information and anything we needed. I would suggest it to everyone. ... Tonie was incredible. We were switched over to her after we had a glitch in our treatment plan. Tonie made everything better. She was totally available and when I miscarried she was so supportive.
How was your experience with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Dr Schoolcraft was great. There was success as far as me getting pregnant but then I miscarried at 10 Weeks. Schoolcraft is at the top of his game. He has the stats to prove it. I would recommend him/
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
Write down your questions. Time with school craft is precious
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado?
I was treated well by Schoolcraft. He was overconfident which I appreciated at the time.
Describe the protocols William Schoolcraft used in your cycles at CCRM Colorado and their degree of success.
Dr. Schoolcraft recommended we place two embryos. However we elected to do one. The pregnancy was unsuccessful so we have to wonder if it would have been better to follow his expert advice.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Colorado. (Assigned nurse: Tonie)
Tonie was incredible. We were switched over to her after we had a glitch in our treatment plan. Tonie made everything better. She was totally available and when I miscarried she was so supportive.
Describe your experience with CCRM Colorado.
CCRM in lone tree is amazing and works like a well oiled machine. We were thrilled with our treatment there. We had a scheduled that moved exactly as planned. We always knew where to get information and anything we needed. I would suggest it to everyone.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado.
Dr Schoolcraft was in network with my insurance but the surgery center and the lab were not so we needed to pay all those expenses.
Describe William Schoolcraft's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Colorado.
He strongly suggested two but we went with one and the pregnancy was unsuccessful.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Colorado?
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Colorado.
We had a cycle cancelled due to a mistake at the clinic but they were stellar about it and refunded us extra money we needed to spend
