Yolanda R. Smith

She is direct and experienced. We always were provided tons of information which is what we wanted but sometimes (and this may be because of our clinical situation) not a lot of very pointed feedback - such as this is the best course of treatment for you. We liked having all the info and being able to make an informed decision but some people may not have appreciated this approach.

Be prepared with questions and make sure to request a detailed game plan at the end of each appointment

She was direct and tailored her recommendations not only to my clinical situation but also our emotional state

I was on an antagonist protocol with Metformin. I starred on a low dose of Gonal-F, then added Menopur and Ganirelix. I've only have one stim so far and if we do another one, she recommended increasing my dose of Gonal f to see if we can get more eggs. Because I have PCOS, there was high risk of OHSS, so I believe they were more cautious in my stimulation which made sense.

Nursing staff were kind and thorough. At times, inconsiderate to the fact that I had contraindications to OCPs which they repeatedly asked me "oh you're not taking birth contro right?" which I understand was their attempt to tailor but ended up making me feel like there was another thing wrong with me and my body. There was also some conflicting info from some nurses so I repeatedly had double check certain things r/t my protocol.

Communication at this clinic - among the health care team and then how they communicate to the patient needs to be improved. Miscommunications were frequent and in an educational session, it was readily apparent that even for patients on the same protocols, we all had varying degrees of knowledge about our clinical condition, which is a reflection on the communication abilities of the clinic.

We have coverage of 80% of fertility treatments up to a lifetime benefit of $20,000. So far, out of pocket, for 1 IUI, mock transfer and 1 stim and egg retrieval, we've paid $3000. PGS is costing us an additional $2000.

Yes, she strongly recommended SET due to my age and the fact that we were doing PGS.

Very cold and uncaring. Did not recognize us from visit to visit--each time she saw us she acted like she'd never met us before. While I believe she has a good understanding of medicine, her bedside manner is nonexistent. (And when we left this clinic I did have big doubts about whether I received good care--it was not until receiving a second opinion that I felt confident in her ability to address my medical issues.)

Don't expect to have a relationship with this doctor. She will treat you like a number and will not involve you in your own healthcare decisions. You should also be aware that at this clinic it is very difficult to get consistent care from any one doctor--they have a huge staff and you will rarely see the same doctor twice.

Dr. Smith was involved in guiding my husband and I toward making huge decisions that were very important to us. Yet, every time she saw us she introduced herself as if we'd never met before. After a disappointing egg retrieval a nurse brought her in to speak with us and she was clearly in a rush--her manner was incredibly cold, and she didn't even take off her surgical mask while speaking to us. While I think she knows her medicine, she did not explain things well to us, and simply told us what to do, without really involving us in the decision-making process. Would not recommend!

I don't remember the exact drugs. After experiencing repeated (naturally conceived) pregnancy losses I was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve. Dr. Smith prescribed very high doses of injectable medicines due to my DOR diagnosis. After our egg retrieval I asked about following a different protocol and was told that high-doses of the IVF meds was the only thing they could do for my condition. Do not see this doctor if you want to follow a protocol that will be tweaked and adjusted from cycle to cycle.

While most of the nurses were extremely nice, the large size of the staff made it difficult to really feel a connection with anyone. We rarely saw the same person more than once. DeLynn (sp?) and Lindsey were two nurses who we did meet a few times, and who were very kind and concerned in their dealings with us.

Pros: Major University hospital with access to cutting-edge research. Experienced and well-credentialed staff members. Cons: Large, impersonal, uncaring atmosphere. Perhaps they go by research too closely--definitely an emphasis on the science of medicine rather than the art--unwillingness to experiment with different protocols or do anything different than what it says to do by the book.

I was fortunate to have my cycle covered by insurance (except for a $2,000 deductible). Therefore, the exact costs do not stick out in my mind--though I think a complete IVF cycle would have been about $8,000. (I also did not complete a full cycle because none of my embryos made it to the blastocyst stage.)

Dr. Smith has a very chilly bedside manner, but she is straightforward and extremely knowledgeable. I chose to visit Dr. Smith for a second opinion and felt comfortable that she knew her stuff and gave me the best plan of action for my situation.

Don’t expect a doctor that will hold your hand and be loving. She is knowledgeable and direct, but not emotional.

Dr. Smith has a chilly bedside manner. She isn’t rude or unkind, but impersonable. She is obviously very intelligent and very skilled at what she does, so it doesn’t bother me personally.

Dr. Smith ordered a variety of tests for me including LH progesterone, autoimmune disorders, and ovarian reserve. She also ordered a hysteroscopy and an endometrial biopsy. The blood results showed nothing abnormal, so the OHS and biopsy are the next plan of action as well as beginning progesterone 72 hours post-ovulation.

The nurses are very sweet and consistent. It’s nice to see the same faces each time I go. They explain things thoroughly and answer any and all questions.

The clinic overall is pretty organized, but almost always delayed. I typically wait 10 min for the nurse to take me back and at least 15 min for the resident or doctor to come to the room. It is fairly hard to get in to see my doctor, but they are as accommodating as they can be.

My insurance covers 50% of infertility services and I pay a $20 copay for visits.

Yolanda Smith is very knowledgeable but seemed to be pushing for IVF in our situation. I wish we would have been offered more testing in addition to the few things we were diagnosed with to see if there were any more reasons for recurrent miscarriages.

Come prepared with the questions you have, the appointments are usually brief. The clinic is usually running behind (or at least it was while I was a patient.)

Appointments were usually very brief and interaction was mainly with MAs or nurses.

We used Femara and Ovidrel trigger shots to induce ovulation. Ultrasound monitoring was used mid-cycle before trigger.

The nursing staff was usually very good at returning calls quickly and making sure I got the care that I needed.

The clinic usually runs behind on appointment timing. This was frustrating as I usually had to get back to my older child who was being cared for by friends during the appointments. The clinic is very accomodating about last minute appointments that are needed, which is appreciated.

We did get pregnant with Dr. Smith but felt it was more luck than the actual protocol. Dr. Smith is not warm at the bedside and you definitely feel more like a number. UM practices as a team anyway, so all of the doctors make the decisions. They are pretty strict on following their protocols, not aggressive in treatment and more conservative. Another reviewer put, they practice more medicine than the art of medicine and I fully agree with that statement.

I would not choose Dr. Smith, I think some of the other doctors in the same clinic have a better bedside manner.

Very cold bedside manner. She was not personable enough for me.

Standard lupron protocol with birth control.

Like with any clinic, the nursing staff is hit or miss. I think Delynn, Kristina, and Robin are some of the better nurses in the clinic.

Strength: Academic center connected to large hospital system Weaknesses: See many doctors over course of treatment, might only see your doctor once, very conservative on protocols, very into evidence-based medicine (i.e. not into supplements or immune protocols because little research).

10Kish but workup and meds covered

UM is in more in favor of single embryo transfer.