Advanced Fertility Care of Arizona (Pinnacle Network clinic)

We met with Dr. Kummer after switching from another local clinic that was unwilling to do the same protocol with us that was successful with our son 3 years earlier. From the moment she started talking with us, my husband and I knew that we had found the perfect fit for us to continue our journey. Since we already knew our diagnosis, we moved straight to an IUI. Dr. Kummer made it pretty clear that because of my diagnosis, an IUI with oral medications would be our best option, not using injectables. After a failed IUI, not at all her fault, I sat down with Dr. Kummer, and we decided that IVF was our best option. Continuing to do IUIs did not make much sense to us financially. However, Dr. Kummer NEVER pushed us to IVF. I'm so grateful for that. Moving to IVF is a large decision, and I'm happy we came to that on our own with her support. We had some bumps during our IVF cycle, and Dr. Kummer was so great at communicating with me and helping me to be less anxious. She understood my anxieties and didn't make me feel like I was stupid or irrational, instead just took the time to reassure and show compassion.

Ask her any questions that you have! She will not hide stuff from you and won't judge you. She is great at explaining and taking time to discuss everything.

My IUI cycle was 5 mg days 5-9, then monitored, and using stair step method with 5mg for five more days. Resulted in only one follicle. Negative pregnancy test. My IVF cycle was a mix of Gonal-F, Menopur, and Ganirelix. My dosages were adjusted based on monitoring. I then used a Lupron trigger instead of an HCG trigger in order to prevent OHSS. I ended up having 8 eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized with ICSI, and 4 made it to the blastocyst stage. We did PGS testing and 3 were normal. The cycle was a freeze all. Approximately 6 weeks after IVF we did a frozen embryo transfer with one embryo. For this, I started with estrogen patches, then added estrogen pills based on my blood work. 5 days before transfer, we started progesterone in oil injections. Medicine is then continued until week 10. The transfer was successful!

Our IVF cycle with PGS and ICSI was approximately $16,525.

Advanced Fertility Care doctor strongly encourage, but do not mandate, an eSET.

The first time we met with Dr.Z he had read our information we had sent from our previous RE but he asked us for our insight and perspective of what had happened at our previous treatments. He then asked what were our intentions and timeline for our treatment. We told him our discouragement from our previous RE and that we were there to have a baby as soon as possible. In our first appointment he spent about an hour and a half with us explaining everything about testing he recommended we have done and his projected plan of treatment depending on the different outcomes of our testing. He drew diagrams and made checkoff lists for us to keep and for us to be able to refer back to after the meeting. He answered every question we had and some we hadn’t even thought of to ask. He set us up to speak with the financial advisor based off of our concerns about when we needed to pay for each part of the treatments. At every encounter with him he was happy and personable. He would always sincerely ask how you were doing. He would remember minor details about your life and things you were going through from conversations that had nothing to do with your infertility. The next time he would see us he would ask us about things. Like how did that meeting with work go, how was your trip to see your family, or did you guys decide on what kind of puppy you want to get. He was always professional when doing any testing or exams but always had a smile and a caring concern every time he saw us. If we were there for bloodwork he would pop his head into the blood draw lab and say hello and ask how we were doing. You can tell that he knows his specialty and that he really wants to help his patients.

If you are ready to start a family as soon as possible go to Dr.Z Make sure you take all of your previous treatment records for him to be able to review. If something can be done to help you have a child, he will do everything he can to help you. He will be straight with you and will not give you false hope either.

Even though we had diagnostic testing at a previous clinic, Dr Z. Wanted to do testing of his own and he wanted to perform more thorough testing that our previous RE had not done. He then laid out our treatment plan. He believes in supplements for three months before starting Stems. He prescribed Gonal F and I forget the other medicine he had me on. The office helps you search through about 20+ pharmacies they have on file to help you find the cheapest price for your medications. Throughout my stems I had bloodwork and ultrasounds. I would go into the clinic first thing in the morning and by 2 or 3 in the afternoon the office would call me and tell me how to adjust my medication. I did not have to wait a day to get my results. During my Stems my medication dosages changed 5-6 times.

Cost all depended on what testing and procedures you required to have. If you chose to do PGS testing and ICSI. We chose to do all the testing and ICSI. It was between $10,000-$15,000 not including the medications because of the PGS testing and the ICSI and because of the number of embryos we had that survived to day 5

Dr. Z highly recommends a single embryo transfer for everyone who has PGS tested embryos. However you can choose to transfer two embryos.

Even though I was with Dr Larsen for multiple retrievals and transfers, I only ever spoke to him for a minute or two before I was put out under anesthesia or right before my transfers. He seemed pleasant enough with his bedside manner before my procedures but lacked any sort of communication on future protocol between procedures. He is very evidence based and is not willing to think outside of the box or dive deeply into figuring out what the issue may be. He is very relaxed with his approach and even told me to "let him know if I came up with any other protocols/meds that I would like to try". I do not have any medical experience and it should not be my responsibility to research and come up with treatments. My last phone call with him, he told me that he was stumped why my euploid embryos were not implanting and that I should start looking into a surrogate. I was not a fan of Dr Larsen or AFC but I was stuck there due to insurance but I have recently switched clinics since I have exhausted my insurance benefits. My new doctor has already found multiple things wrong with me that were easily overlooked and not tested for which cause a majority of implantation failures.

Be proactive, advocate for yourself and double check that your protocol is correct. I found multiple mistakes, most significantly forgetting to put cetrotide on my retrieval protocol calendar. Thankfully, this was not my first retrieval and I knew that cetrotide is supposed to be given around day 5 of stims in order to prevent ovulation so I was able to catch the mistake in time. If I wasn't able to catch this mistake, it would have cost my the entire retrieval cycle as I would have ovulated before my retrieval.

I was on a common antagonist protocol including menopur, gonal f and cetrotide for my retrieval. I chose to add omnitrope also which helped me to get my euploid embryos. For both of my transfers, Dr Larsen put me on PIO and estrogen and we added an antihistamine protocol (claritin, pepcid & prednisone) for my second transfer. In addition, I consulted with a different doctor before my last transfer who recommended metformin and lovenox. Dr. Larsen was against adding these two meds and would not add them to my protocol but I was able to get prescription for it from the consulting Dr and I added them on my own unbeknownst to Dr Larsen.

I had progyny insurance so my insurance covered all costs except the Emma/Alice biopsy test.

I was not interested in a multiple embryo transfer so I never inquired about it.

Dr Z. set realistic expectations about treatment and outcomes. When some of my diagnostic testing came back as inconclusive, he recommended additional testing to rule out potential issues. Although that delayed treatment slightly, I felt as though he wanted me to have the best chance of a healthy pregnancy and not to waste time or money on treatment that was unlikely to be successful. While Dr. Larsen wasn't my primary doctor, I did see him frequently for monitoring and he has a very calming demeanor.

I did six IUIs with letrozole as required by insurance. One was successful but unfortunately resulted in a miscarriage. I then did one IVF cycle resulting in eight embryos total, four of which tested as PGT-A normal. My first frozen embryo transfer was successful and I am currently pregnant. My retrieval was an antagonist protocol with Menopur, Gonal-F, cetrotide, and trigger shot. My transfer cycle was fully medicated with estrogen patches, progesterone in oil injections, and progesterone suppositories.

For IUIs, the clinic was in-network but the lab was not. My out of pocket cost per IUI was approximately $300. I have an infertility allowance which paid for most of my IVF cycle, thus I am not sure providing detailed information would be helpful to others.

Dr. Z recommended a single embryo transfer in my case. Since my embryos were PGT-A tested, I was not interested in transferring more than one.

Dr. Larsen approached me as a patient but made me feel as though I was a family member, always having my best interest at heart. While he always shared both risks and benefits, his knowledge and talent put me at ease with every decision I made. At no point did Dr. Larsen make me feel forced into a decision; he showed support and empathy during all of our interactions. When I experienced my miscarriage, Dr. Larsen showed an incredible amount of empathy, reminding me over and over that it was nothing I did wrong. After he discovered the baby had no heartbeat and it would not be a viable pregnancy, Dr. Larsen said to take as much time as I needed in the room but then wanted to meet with myself and my spouse before I left. Being able to talk with him right after such tragic news was comforting to myself and my spouse. He went above and beyond to check on me while I miscarried at home from a physical, emotional and mental perspective. While having a miscarriage is a lonely experience, I felt Dr. Larsen was always available for any questions or concerns I had.

Don't be afraid to ask anything! Even the questions that seem unimportant or that you feel you should already know the answer to, Dr Larsen always gave us the validation that no question was too small, too unimportant, or too stupid.

We started with unmedicated IUI's as I had no pre-existing issues that we knew about. After 2 failed cycles, I had an HSG to check my fallopian tubes and found a filling defect in my uterus. Dr Larsen performed a sonohistogram the following week and saw several polyps or fibroids in my uterus. He was very honest and candid with his recommendation to proceed with a hysteroscopy to remove them, as he felt this could be why I had not gotten pregnant yet. After the hysteroscopy I wanted to try 1 more unmedicated cycle, which he agreed was perfectly reasonable. That IUI resulted in a pregnancy, but unfortunately ended in a missed miscarriage. As I explained above, his care and compassion throughout that process was incredible. My spouse and I felt so supported. Once healed emotionally and physically, we did 3 medicated IUI cycles with Clomid. Dr Larsen adjusted the Clomid dose appropriately each time to target the recommended number of follicles. After each failed cyle I would return more discouraged than before, but he always remained honest and optimistic. After those failed cycles I asked him if it was worth checking for polyps again, and he agreed that while they usually wait 9 months to a year to check, there were no other clear reasons why I was not getting pregnant so he felt it was a good idea. Sure enough, I had more polyps, and Dr Larsen performed my second hysteroscopy. This was in December, and he was so mindful of finances and a huge advocate for getting me in before the end of the year before my deductible and out-of-pocket started over. Our 7th IUI after that was another Clomid cycle that resulted in a positive pregnancy, but ended as a ruptured ectopic pregnancy at 5 weeks. We did a follow-up visit with him a few weeks later, where he gave us his opinion that IVF should be our next step. Knowing that the cost and process of IVF was a known fear of mine, he did not push us AT ALL to make that decision, and even said that he would agree to one or two more IUI's if that's what we wanted to do. Because of our trust in Dr Larsen and the clinic, we are looking forward to confidently moving forward with IVF in the next few weeks.

The clinic feels very strongly that eSET is a safer and more effective approach than multiple embryo transfers.

He has listened and respected my personal needs including specific and complex religious needs without any judgement. He remembers the details of those needs. He preforms every exam and ultrasound himself, usually very quick but always answers any questions. He explained our options clearly and spent as much time as needed discussing. He is very optimistic which is good but can also be challenging after a failed cycle. Overall he is respectful, compassionate and communicates well. He also preforms the procedures smoothly while explaining each step as he does it.

As lots of questions he will answer them

I have possibly post pill pcos so famara was the better choice for me over clomid, he started me in a low dose and built up till my ovaries responded well, once we go that right we switched from timed intercourse to iui, will be discussing next steps soon.

I have insurance for fertility treatments but I had to pay for all lab fees so each iui cost $270

Very strong preference for single transfer as their goals are healthy babies not just pregnancies and they want to give each pregnancy the best chance

Dr. Larsen listened to every concern and always answered our questions thoroughly, unlike the other doctors in the clinic. He was patient and we could tell he genuinely cared about the outcome. He was invested in our success like a family member.

Be your own advocate. If there's something you don't agree with or understand, bring it to their attention! They'll accommodate you.

I can't remember all the specifics but the protocols were pretty standard. They checked in on our progress every other day and changed any necessary doses or medications. Both the retrieval and transfer were successful and I think that's because our doctor knew what he was doing.

They were more costly than the first clinic we tried, but it was worth every penny. They saw us so often and did so much that it didn't feel like a waste.

Our doctor was opposed to transferring two due to an increased chance of complications. However, we were adamant about transferring two. He reviewed all of the dangers with us, but respected our decision and allowed us to do so.

Dr. Larsen is personable and compassionate. After experiencing our first pregnancy and miscarriage through IVF, he sat us down in a comfortable place and explained out options. He comforted us and made us feel hopeful about the future. He has a positive demeanor, while still delivering not-so-good news in a compassionate way.

This would be for any doctor. Research, ask questions, and do all of the diagnostic testing and other testing that you can do in order to come up with the best protocol for you.

Retrieval 1: BC pills, Lupron, Menopur, Follistim, HCG Trigger shot Fertilization: 21 eggs, 17 mature, 5 fertilized Fresh Transfer: progesterone shots, estrogen patches Result: One 5-day blastocyst and 1 morula transferred resulting in pregnancy of one fetus. Saw heartbeat at 6 weeks, miscarried at 8 weeks. Retrieval 2: BC pills, Lupron, Menopur, Follistim, HCG Trigger shot Fertilization: 28 eggs, 21 mature, 17 fertilized through ICSI, four 6-day blastocysts sent for PGS testing, 2 chromosomally normal embryos frozen Frozen transfer #1: BC pills, estrogen patches, lupron, progesterone shots Results: 1 PGS normal embryo transferred resulting in pregnancy with low HCG (29 on 14dp6dt). HCG levels rose appropriately, but only a sac visible at first ultrasound at 7 weeks confirming a non-viable pregnancy. Action: Recurrent pregnancy loss blood work done, which revealed elevated blood clotting number (no diagnosis), and heterozygous MTHFR gene mutation. Frozen transfer #2: BC pills, estrogen patches, progesterone shots, Folate, lovenox injections (after transfer) Results: 1 PGS normal embryo transferred resulting in a negative pregnancy test

The first cycle (retrieval and transfer) was around $11,000. The second cycle (retrieval, ICSI, Freeze embryos, PGS testing) was around $15,000, plus about $3,000 paid directly to the lab who did the PGS testing.

Once we did the PGS testing, they recommended only transferring one embryo. We did not ask to transfer more, but it seems like they would be open to it depending on the circumstance.

Dr. Z spoke to me as a friend, not a patient. He was sincere, thorough and gave me hope during I time I needed it most. I particularly like that he called me personally to discuss a treatment question I had and not a nurse. Being 25 and unmarried, I was worried I would be negatively persuaded to choose one decision when in fact, Dr. Z gave us multiple options and explained all pros and cons of each.

Check your insurance coverage! Mine covered diagnostic testing up until I started treatment. Also, write questions down before arriving. I was often overwhelmed and lost my train of thought and forgot to ask questions while there.

I was diagnosed with Early Ovarian Failure. I had the option to induce a period with progesterone but ended up not needing it. Dr. Z gave us three treatment options to discuss. First, clomid ministim which was 5 days of clomid pills, 3 days of Gonal F injections and finally a trigger shot with times intercourse. This is the option we chose. 2nd option was IVF and the 3rd was to do nothing because we didn’t know how fast my eggs were depleting. Unfortanetly, I ovulated over Memorial Day weekend so my first treatment failed because the office was closed. However, they so kindly offered me a discount on repeating the cycle the following month since the failure was no ones fault. The second cycle gave us a happy, healthy baby girl!

I was surprised to learn the low cost of clomid ministim compared to IVF. It was approximately $3,000 for all tests such as ultrasound and blood work once treatment started as well as the clomid, Gonal F and trigger shot.

Dr Zoneraich was a nice person and was always honest with me. Sometimes, he tend to emphasize on the worse possible outcome a little too much and this would frustrate me and make me feel less confident, but he needed to prepare me in case if it was not going to work.

He is very professional and knows what he is doing. I would recommend to future patients to stay confident in his knowledge and to not get discouraged when he exposes the possibility of having a negative outcome.

I did not emphasize too much on getting the full details of the strategies since it worked the first time.

around 30,000$ total 16,500$ for full cycle (egg retrieval and embryo transfer with ICSI) 4,000$ genetic testing 7,000$ for drugs 2 x 2,000$ for IUI attempts

I think that Dr Z. recommended to us the eSET because he is not wanting to increase the rate of multiple births among his patients. He is conscious of the serious complications that this involves and wants to spare us this. It was a much more reasonable approach than many other fertility specialist that let their patients have 2 or 3 babies at a time...

I was very impressed with how Dr. Zoneraich advocates for his patients. He made sure that my husband and I understood all risks and procedures we were undergoing. He was friendly and positive at all our visits and so was his staff. I felt comfortable to ask more questions when I didn’t understand something and was appreciative of the one on one injection training they provided for my husband and me. I felt like Dr. Zoneraich really cared about making the journey of conceiving enjoyable instead of stressful and actively worked to ensure a successful outcome.

This practice has an office in Scottsdale and Mesa. Dr. Zoneraich splits his time between both offices so it may be necessary to drive to the other office if the timing requires it.

My treatment was fairly straightforward. I do not have Fallopian tubes because they were removed due to hydrosalpinx. After having one tube flushed and one removed and trying to conceive naturally the second tube was removed about a year later and IVF was the only option. Dr. Z suggested a one embryo transfer for our first pregnancy with the use of ICSI to fertilize the egg. My husbands sperm were someone malformed when examined and he felt that would give us the best success with fertilization. We did one retrieval cycle that yielded a good number of eggs and were able to produce a good number of embryos. We had a successful singleton pregnancy to full term. We later visited Dr. Z to use our frozen embryos. We asked about 2 embryo transfer and based on my history warned us that twins were a very likely possibility despite the minimal risk of freezing and unthawing embryos. We were ok with this and transferred 2 embryos and successfully carried twins to term.

None of my costs were covered by insurance for my procedure. Some medications were covered. I was charged for the retrieval, transfer, medications, and embryo storage

I saw Dr Larsen almost every visit never just a nurse. After every failed attempt he would take the time to personally call and discuss the next step and options. He is very knowledgeable and stays up to date on the latest treatments and research.

If you have an hashimotos that is a factor with infertility he may not be your best choice. He doesn’t believe your auto immune condition has any impact on your fertility if your tsh is ok.

One egg retrieval including icsi and anesthesia was over $12,000 not including meds or genetic testing.

I felt judge by Dr. Z. My partner and I were considering IVF with him and he made us feel terrible for wanting to choose the gender of our first baby (his clinic only allows you to choose the gender of you already have children). He made it seem like this is a common practice across clinics. I understand that everyone has different beliefs about the ethics of selecting gender, we weren’t asking him to change the clinics policy, but did not appreciate his judgement of our differing beliefs.

IUI Monitored cycle Novarel trigger shot

Single embryo transfer only

A great doctor! I had all fertility testing done through his office. He was quick with results as he does all testing personally. He gave us our options, but did not pressure us into any treatments. I had some polyps that needed to be removed and Dr. Zoneraich did that surgery himself. I am now on my second attempt with femara so we will see what happens at the end of this cycle. I have had a great experience with this doctor and his staff so far. My only complaint is that the billing office needs some work. They have attempted to overcharge a few times. You just have to be vigilant and know what you are supposed to pay so that you can make sure it matches what they are asking for.

Be prepared to pay appointment costs up front.

Dr. Larsen seemed knowledgeable. I have DOR, and I wish there were discussions about needing multiple rounds and freezing embryos. Doing more than one egg retrieval was never mentioned. They only offer package plans for people who are likely to be successful and no packages for less desirable patients.

If you have money to spare and will probably need only one Ivf cycle, he is a.great option for you.

$12800 IVF cycle $1000-1200 IUI

He was great...I have no negative feedback. He was always patient, kind, trustworthy, on time, explaining everything, encouraging. It was the best experience and I couldn't have asked for more. I really have no negative feedback. The experience was beyond expectation. We have a beautiful, healthy baby boy because of him.

Trust him.

PGS testing was the reason we were able to put the correct embryo. He highly recommended it after our 5 losses with previous trials.

10k

I felt like the doctor was very smart and I trusted him completely. I wish there was more compassion in the way of financial stresses. I was very frustrated that PGS testing wasn’t brought up until after my miscarriage/egg retrieval. The packages offered weren’t nice. I thought it was weird that one of the packages you paid more for, and if nothing worked and get majority of your money back. That’s all startin The packages offered were nice. I thought it was weird that one of the packages you paid more for, and if nothing worked then you get majority of your money back. That felt to be starting off on a bad note and you think you will leave with your baby. So we chose not to do that. After we went through entire package of fresh cycles and frozen transfers nothing worked. We wished we would’ve done that plan

Know all your options. All of them. Know there is PGS testing.

I don’t remember the Protocal. It was in 2016.

We did a package that included Hey certain amount of fresh cycles and frozen transfers. We also had to pay in addiction to that for another fresh cycle to get more embryos, PGS testing and the medications. Over $35,000

Our doctor preferred single embryo transfer for all his patients. But we could only do a single embryo transfer as I have a unicornate uterus. (Half a uterus)

Dr Larsen was very approachable and understood the emotional/mental stress associated with infertility and approached my partner and I with compassion and offered all possible alternatives . Dr Larsen was very soft spoken and gentle. His techniques during physical examinations made me feel comfortable and at ease. He did not run tests that he felt were not needed and tried to start with low dosage infertility drugs and see how my body handled that and responded before prescribing more meds and higher dosages.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call even if you think the question is minimal he will always or tries to always call back and answer your questions with detail and sincerity

We transferred one embryo for our first IVF cycle that ended in a chemical pregnancy and decided to transfer 2 our next round of IVF. Dr.Larsen let us know of the risks involved but respected our wishes . But he strongly advised against transferring 3 or more in our case

I love Dr. Z! He is very candid but in a gentle way, and talks to you like you are a real person, not "just" a patient. He has a great sense of humor, and calls you directly with good news and bad news, rather than having nurses deliver messages. There are 3 doctors that rotate between the clinic locations, but Dr. Zoneraich is my favorite. I saw Dr. Larsen for a few appointments and he is a close second, he is warm and kind and takes the time to explain things in detail. I saw Dr. Kummer once at a follicle check for my IVF cycle that wasn't going well, and she was pretty blunt and negative about my chances of getting cancelled, not nearly as compassionate as Dr. Zoneraich or Dr. Larsen. I just didn't jive with her as well.

Don't be afraid to ask about additional procedures or unconventional treatments. Dr. Zoneraich was fairly aggressive with my IVF protocol and willing to try things that "can't hurt, might help." But when I asked about the ERA test before transfer he said that he didn't suggest it for people until they'd had multiple failed transfers. When I decided I wanted to do it anyway (I'd had 1 failed transfer with another clinic) he was totally supportive and agreed to do it. Same thing with PGS testing - he suggested it for me but was not pushy at all when I declined. He's fairly conservative but willing to discuss alternatives and flexible with your preferences.

Because of my age (39 at the time) and previous poor response at another clinic, Dr. Zoneraich suggested a microdose Lupron flare protocol, but also wanted to add in HGH/Omnitrope in hopes that it would help with egg quality. In my previous IVF at another clinic I'd started with a decent antral count, had many follicles but few contained eggs, and was unsuccessful. My cycle with Dr. Z also started with a good antral count, but my mid-cycle follicle checks showed only 3-5 follicles growing. We discussed canceling, but Dr. Z felt we should proceed if we had at least 3, and my husband really wanted to go for it. I'm glad I listened to them, because when I came out of anesthesia they told me there were 15 eggs. I made the nurse double check because I thought she'd mixed me up with another patient! I don't know how or why they all decided to grow in the 2 days between my last scan and retrieval, but was obviously thrilled. Of the 15 retrieved, 12 were mature, 7 fertilized, and 4 made it to blast - 1 excellent and 3 good. We did the ERA test at my request and learned that I was pre-receptive by 12 hours, and planned my progesterone timing appropriately for our FET cycle. We transferred 2 embryos, which led to our first ever positive pregnancy test. Sadly our betas didn't double and we lost the pregnancy very early. Because my tests are all fine, Dr. Z and I agree that it was likely due to chromosomal abnormality due to my age, as we did not do PGS testing. However, we were all encouraged by the fact that we finally were able to achieve pregnancy. We have 2 embryos still frozen, and plan to transfer them in 2019.

Thankfully my insurance covered our IVF cycle with AFC, so our costs have been mostly limited to our deductible and out of pocket max.

Dr. Zoneraich refers to the ASRM guidelines, and agreed with my preference to transfer 2 embryos, since I was 39 and the embryos were not PGS tested. For PGS embryos, I think he prefers single embryo transfer regardless of age group. In the "IVF packet" of paperwork given prior to your cycle, they included testimonials of a patient that had a multiple gestation and had difficulties/premature birth. They definitely want their patients informed of the risk!

I feel Dr. Z is extremely up-to-date with effective IVF protocols and does not waste your time or money with extra “fluff” that hasn’t been proven to work. As an RN myself who works in an area that encounters other women who have gone through IVF with other doctors, I really felt that Dr. Z and his protocol was very personalized and evidence-based. He did give me 3 options at the start and I initially was going to do IUI but I had 5 mature follicles and I was scared to chance the risk of multiples. I was also surprised that I had that many follicles with my diagnosis of probably early diminished ovarian reserve. I was scared that I wouldn’t produce enough follicles. When I decided to do IVF because I felt like Inhadnmore control, I was astonished to have at least 10 mature follicles for each ovary during my scan. I asked how this was possible with my low AMH but they said they would rather see me have a high AFC with an low AMH than a normal AMH and a low AFC. My AMH was 1.15 at age 34. At my egg retrieval I ended up with 24 eggs retrieved, 17 mature, 14 fertilized (conventional), 6 made it to day 6 and 3 were normal via PGS. We transferred one embryo and are blessed with a beautiful baby girl.

Have faith in the process and do everything in your power to follow the protocol exactly.

I don’t specifically remember but I know I used birth control, lupron, Menopur, Gonal-F, Pregnyl trigger, estrogen patches, PIO injections and progesterone suppositories. I also used a prenatal vitamin, aspirin 81 mg and abstained from all caffeine until my second trimester.

Insurance at the time covered $5000 of any fertility treatment and I paid around $14,000 for my IVF cycle (some of that was included in the $5k because all I did prior was Clomid and monitoring because I decided not to do IUi). My medications were around $5000.

Dr. Z encourages eSET for PGS embryos and even has a packet with a story of a patient who begged him to transfer 2 PGS embryos and she ended up with triplets and it was a rough go for her (her words) in the beginning.

Honestly, this doctor is fabulous. I have no complaints and have recommended AFC to others already. His exams are pain free and he was extremely responsive to the one concern that came up in my IVF process. This doctor is gentle, honest, knowledgable, direct, and kind. I very much hope that my current pregnancy (from IVF done by Dr. L) works out, but if not, I'd go back to his care without any hesitation.

Ask any question you have. If you're not happy with your protocol, say something. If you need to meet with Dr. L before your next appointment, schedule a follow up consult. One consideration: Dr. Larsen is extremely honest and direct. He doesn't sugarcoat bad news. I think his bedside manner is great, and I believe he deeply cares about helping his patients become and stay pregnant. But, he's not a hand-holding/"cuddly" doctor per se. Also, his predictions of how our treatment process would go were extremely accurate, so I appreciated his directness.

We did 2 IUI's with Clomid which didn't work (2 big follicles each time; two negative pregnancy tests). Then we did a round of IVF with Menopur, Gonal-F, and Lupron. We had one egg retrieval, followed by a frozen single embryo transfer, which (very luckily) was successful. Then I took progesterone and estradiol for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy - this was not fun lol. Overall I had a very positive experience with the fertility treatment process and was very well-monitored and well-supported by the AFC team.

Thank goodness I had infertility insurances. So, this estimate may not be helpful to others. But from what I recall, we paid about $1000 for meds + treatment per IUI cycle, and then about $2500 for IVF + meds + embryo transfer. Genetic testing was $5,000 and wasn't covered. I believe that IFV including transfer, meds, and PGT-A would've been about $15,000 had we not been insured.

They strongly endorse eSET in almost all cases.

I highly recommend Dr. Larsen to anyone in the valley for their fertility care. Currently, I am 39 weeks pregnant after 2 egg retrievals (done at 37 and 38 years old) and 1 transfer (done at 39 years old) . As a Family Nurse Practitioner with an Integrative Medicine perspective, I am not the easiest patient to work with at times. However, Dr. Larsen was willing to collaborate with me and his warm and fuzzy presence was incredibly comforting during our fertility journey which had its moments of high stress, twists, and turns. Never once did I feel rushed through an appointment and all of my questions and concerns were answered. Even during vaginal ultrasounds and procedures, Dr. Larsen treated my body gently and with respect. I plan to return to Dr. Larsen’s care and his team when we are ready to get pregnant with our second child.

For the egg retrievals, I was put on Gonal-F, Menopur, and Cetrotide with a Lupron trigger shot. For the transfer, I was on oral estrogen, baby aspirin, and IM Progesterone injections and vaginal suppositories for 10 weeks.

Unfortunately, the state of Arizona does not require insurance to cover fertility treatment. Our health insurance would only cover for diagnostic care. We ended up spending around 40k for 2 egg retrievals and 1 transfer with our IVF experience. It's expensive and we were fortunate that we could afford it.

I chose to do a single embryo transfer.

He has been amazing since day one. My first consultation was very clear and very positive. It made it so easy, when we decided to go through another cycle he was so supportive and very compassionate when our last cycle resulted in a miscarriage. The biggest thing for me was he remembered my daughters name and it was almost three years between cycles. The personal touch is what brings me back

Ask all the questions. He has no shame in telling you how it is and being hopeful at the same time. He will put your mind at ease and make sure you are armed with all the knowledge to make the best decisions

Because of the PCOS I do not ovulate on time or produce big enough eggs. The first time we tried a natural cycle and I was too close to starting a period cycle that the IUI did not take. The second cycle, we used clomid to help with the ovulation and production of eggs to have a higher chance of a positive cycle. During that time I was monitored for a week on the clomid then, had a transvaginal ultrasound to check where my body was and then given the trigger shot Injection to take on a specific day to ensure the release of that egg at the time of the insemination. I was told to come with a full bladder and once the insemination was done, I would sit with my hips elevated for ten minutes. Which it worked! We had a daughter. The process was very easy and every step was explained multiple times to make sure my partner and I knew exactly what was going on

The prices were affordable with a high premium plan, but if the insurance did not cover the benefits it was reasonably expensive for the service you receive. I do still have a credit , but unable to use it. As previously stated the team needs to learn to properly bill an insurance.

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Dr. L is simply put, amazing! He’s extremely thorough, has a kind, gentle and direct bedside manner, though never rude. He cares about his patients and their outcome and from the very beginning he made sure to ask us what OUR goals were. He never mislead us and was there every step of the way when we had to terminate our pregnancy due to an ectopic pregnancy. He even called me personally on occasion to make sure I understood what was going on and what to expect. He never discouraged us from trying and didn’t push IVF just because we had a few failed cycles. To this day, I wouldn’t go to annoying else. My wife and I love Dr. L and the clinic team.

Come prepared to your initial consult with questions. He will answer them honestly and give you any additional information you may be missing or need to understand.

Initial consultation - come up with treatment plan; call on cycle day 1 and be scheduled for a baseline US; take meds as prescribed and f/u at next appointment with additional US to check on follicles; depending on how follicles have grown they will schedule you for IUI; have IUI procedure and schedule blood hcg test in 14 days. If you become pregnant you do blood draws until hcg is at certain level and then you schedule your first US to see your growing baby.

The entire staff was welcoming of me and my wife. I never had a moment where I felt uncomfortable, nor my wife. They always included her and all but one time did anyone reference me having sex with a man. We didn’t feel anyone had any bias towards us being apart of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Roughly $250-$400 per cycle. It got lower after each try due to the insurance I have.

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We used donor sperm and a specialist from the clinic would call once shipment had arrived at the clinic to confirm it was the vials we purchased. Never had any hiccups in the process. I had to switch speed banks at one point due to lack of diversity in donor choices and Dr. L had no issues filling out the required paperwork and it was completed same day.

My husband and I met with Dr. Larsen due to unexplained infertility. He clearly explained our options and cited research studies and statistics. I wanted to try a few cycles of IUI, and while Dr. Larsen was honest about the relatively low statistical success rate, I never felt pressured to move right into IVF. I completed three back to back cycles of IUI treatments and Dr. Larsen was always willing to answer my many questions. I never felt rushed or dismissed. I appreciate his knowledge and caring nature and plan to begin IVF as soon as procedures can be resumed.

Hold your pee before an IUI... it makes the procedure much easier!

My first IUI cycle consisted of 100mg Clomid. Good follicle response but lining was thin. Dr. Larsen explained this occurs for some women on Clomid so for the 2nd IUI cycle he switched the medication to Femara and started me on estrogen suppositories to help thicken the lining. This only helped thicken the lining a little. For the 3rd cycle, Dr. Larsen changed up the start day of the Femara and continued with the estrogen. Progesterone suppositories were prescribed the day after each IUI procedure and continued until pregnancy test. He assured me that my thinner lining should not necessarily prevent a pregnancy. No success with IUI but felt Dr. Larsen tailored his approach to my individual needs.

Each IUI cycle was about $1,000. A little more for the first cycle which included some diagnostic testing. Upcoming IVF was quoted at almost $15k and about $4k for medications.

Dr. Larsen educated me on the risks of multiple embryo transfers. He recommended eSET for me, especially because I have a thinner lining, which would have a harder time supporting multiple embryos. This makes sense and I will follow his recommendation.