Fertility Institute of New Orleans

I think that Dr. Dunaway is pretty unique as a fertility doctor. In my experience, it's very common for doctors to look at a diagnosis & have a pretty rigid "plan of attack." Dr. Dunaway has shown extreme flexibility & a willingness to try an unconventional approach to my treatment. I fully believe this will lead to my eventual success. My current treatment plan is absolutely NOT typical for a woman with my set of diagnoses, but it's getting me very close to success. He is incredible warm with his patients & has never once made me feel rushed through an appointment. He patiently answers the million questions I have and, maybe more importantly, when I ask something he doesn't have the answer to, he does the appropriate research and gets an answer. I honestly can't say much about any weaknesses he has as a clinician, he's by and far the best doctor I've ever had.

Ask lots of questions! He will take as much time as is needed to make you feel comfortable about what your plan is. If you think of a question after you leave, call them! You will always get an answer.

My case is complicated and our strategies have changed a few times. After analyzing a previous canceled IVF cycle (with another doctor), he decided to try a micro-flare protocol with me. I don't remember all of the specifics of that cycle. The end result was, I got canceled again because my ovaries love to grow cysts. After that cycle, we discussed and agreed to go back to what worked in the past. We switched back to 25 mg of Clomid & IUI, adding in IVIg infusions. The clomid + IUI by itself had previously gotten me 2 viable pregnancies that were lost in 2nd trimester due to an incompetent cervix. That combination has been successful since then, but has ended in chemical pregnancies and an 8 week miscarriage. We're waiting on a cyst to resolve so we can try it again.

I do not remember specifics about the costs of any of my procedures.

Dr. Dunaway almost exclusively does SETs. Regardless of his stance, I did not have the option for transfer of multiple embryos due to my loss history.

I felt immediately comfortable with Dr. Dunaway. He was very empathetic and interested in helping me. He was hopeful we’d find the answer together and bring home a baby. He said because I was getting pregnant naturally and with IVF that there was so much more to be done. He was happy to spend over an hour with us. He was very interested in my medical history and agreed that I was dealing with immune system infertility. 5 early losses, countless medicated cycles, 4 natural pregnancies that resulted in early miscarriage. My 5th loss was IVF #1 with an RE who refused to admit any validity to immune system IF and claimed my eggs were bad. After ivf 1 that RE urged me to use donor eggs yet was not even willing to try some immune system IF protocols. I knew in my heart that bad eggs were not the case with 5 losses. I have stage 4+ endo and had not had surgery for removal for quite some time. Dr. Dunaway came up with a treatment plan that involved surgery, an anti inflammatory diet as much as possible, and various other supplements while I healed and then a totally different and new cycle schedule for IVF 2. New meds, immune system suppression, and heparin therapy on cycle day 1. I was so sad because I knew that meant 3-4 months before we started ivf2 but after all I had been through I knew he wanted the very best odds so I put my faith in him. He did my surgery and I stayed in touch with the nurses and him while healing. I knew he was in it with us and invested also.

Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. If you have researched countless hours and feel you have ideas to what will help you achieve your goal talk to him. Don’t be afraid to say what you’re feeling or ask hard questions. Don’t rush the process.

We did laparoscopic surgery to remove endo, chocolate cysts, and adhesions. During the healing time I cut our inflammatory foods and drinks. I worked hard to lose 15lbs. I took supplements and focused on my mental health also. We concentrated on quality of eggs over quantity. We used my natural cycle and boosted the ovaries. I started heparin and steroids on day 1. I was sedated this time for egg retrieval and it was much easier on my body. The first time I was awake and in pain for a week post retrieval. I did not do bed rest but I did lay low for 2 days after transfer. I was comfortable, very little bloat, pain free and just felt better than ever physically. I truly believe removing the endo helped my egg quality greatly. Plus starting the steroids and heparin cycle day 1 were the magic combo. Starting the heparin on transfer day or when I got a + pregnancy test would have been too late and baby would have been fought off by my body. It takes a week for hep to change the uterine environment so that made a huge difference.

They called several pharmacies to see which would be more cost effective and faster to ship. Some meds were covered under ins. My insurance covered my surgery, my MFM and many meds

I am just so thankful that Dr. Dunaway believed in immune system IF when so many RE’s didn’t. I called so many places who dismissed me and didn’t want to even hear about treating with steroids and blood thinners. They told me it was all a scheme to get money from desperate women who want babies. It was so insulting so I will forever appreciate Dr. Dunaway being such a believer in me becoming a mother.

I absolutely love Dr. Dunaway. He was fertility doc #3 for us. We are an African American lesbian couple. I just simply had infertility due to lack of sperm. We seen 2 other docs prior to Dr. Dunaway. Third time was a charm. Dr. Dunaway thoroughly explained why I hadn't gotten pregnant with the other 2 physicians and it made perfect sense. I had previously done 12 IUIs prior to seeing Dr. Dunaway with 2 other physicians. Dr. Dunaway attempted to change around some of the medications and offered to try iui 1 more time. He said if it doesn't work he would recommend IVF due to the amount of money we had already spent on IUIs (over 12k). That iui didn't work. We decided to go with IVF. Once Dr. Dunaway found out we were paying out of pocket with no insurance coverage. He had the nurses provide us with several different types of coupons for meds and prenatal vitamins etc. After the egg retrieval my numbers were too high so Dr. Dunaway recommend that i cancel that cycle and do a frozen transfer instead of a fresh transfer. He said in his experience doing a fresh transfer my chances of getting preg were slim. Of course I cancelled. He waive the cancelation fee as well. Ok we did 1 FET cycle and got pregnant. He is now 5 years old. We continued to see Dr. Dunaway for each FET and I've gotten pregnant on the first try every time. This is FET #3 and I am currently pregnant! For FET #3 I am actually doing outside monitoring. I am in a different state for work. Which has worked out fairly well for me. Dr. Dunaway also offers and accepts outside monitoring. What that means is. He is still my primary physician. He makes the plan for my FET cycle. So that means he orders all the meds.. blood work..US tests etc. I go to a outside place (NP for US and labs or labcorp for labs only) the NP then send the results to Dr. Dunaway he reviews them and his nurse tells me the next steps. I flew back home to LA for the transfer. I had the transfer done I stay in LA for several days and flew back out of state. Dr. Dunaway is still my primary doc. His nurse sends the order to the NP or labcorp for monitoring. That is also absolutely amazing for me.

Listen to what he says. Do exactly as he tells you. I followed his instructions step by step. If he recommends something or give you advice you should listen to him.

Oh sweet jesus. I am unsure that I can remember all of the treatment. However with Dr. Dunaway he doesn't always use a "protocol". He is more patient specific. This is FET number 3 and my meds and dosages have been different. For FET my process started 2 months prior to the transfer. 1st month I am but on birth control and at some point in that month I get a rule out cyst US. Also in that month I had the saline instilled in my uterus to eval my uterus. 2nd month my meds were/are estrace 2mg po BID. Prenatals 1 po daily and baby asa qhs. I also take estradiol (don't remember the strength) 2xs weekly. Dottie (estradiol) patches 4 patches 2xs a week. Progesterone 100mg IM daily (starting 5 -6 days prior to my transfer). Month 3 FET transfer done. In 8-10 blood work beta hcg, Progesterone and estradiol level. If pregnant repeat q48 hrs x3. This time I am repeating q48hrs x4. Continue the same meds for approx 7 weeks. Throughout that time you have to get vaginal US. I am unsure about more blood work after you start vaginal US. You do vaginal US weekly until released to OBGYN. Prior to being release you stop all the meds except the Prenatal vitamins and the baby asa.

They greeted us with a smile. They didn't treat us any different.

Initially my IVF cycle was approx 18-19k just for doc Dunaway office. That didn't include meds. My meds were 2k- 2500 the first time. For my 2nd FET the office cost was $3400 and approx 1500 for meds. For my first 2 transfers I didn't have insurance coverage. For my 3rd/ current FET I have insurance coverage. So far (after the transfer and some US) I've paid Dunaway office approx 400-500 bucks. I've paid the outside monitoring place $300 bucks. Medications total $130.

Initially we wanted to transfer 2 embryos..however the laws in the state of LA had just changed. Stating only 1 embryo could be transferred unless you had 2 failed IVF attempts. After having our first son. We are only interested in transferring 1 embryo. Prior to the laws changing Dr. Dunaway did educate and provided us with his recommendations regarding transferring more than 1 embryo.

I initially went in for a consult and the ivf coordinator at the time (Jackie) explained to me the process of getting donor sperm and storage. We had a bunch of papers to sign as well during this appt. I ordered my sperm online from a cryobank. We had it shipped to FINO and they stored it in the Metairie office I believe initially. The day of my egg retrieval the sperm was shipped to the BR office. Once my ivf cycle was complete and my eggs were fertilized my embryos were then stored in the BR office. It stayed there until they no longer had a lab and then it was moved.

Dr. Dunaway is an extremely knowledgable fertility physician. But, this is not my favorite thing about him. His bedside manner and his ability to help my husband and I understand our medical problems are his best qualities. He listens to our questions and answers with compassion and clarity. We always leave our appointments with a clear plan for the future and we leave feeling hopeful, which is very hard to do when you're dealing with the personal battle of infertility.

Bring your questions and your concerns and be prepared for Dr. Dunaway to answer and listen intently. He will be able to provide you with a clear plan going forward and make you feel cared for and comfortable

We have had recurrent miscarriages. Dr. Dunaway has provided a full workup with blood testing and ultrasounds to get to the bottom of the cause. Although there has been no cause discovered yet, we are continuing to try to conceive. He has provided a clear plan going forward including progesterone supplementation, and, if miscarriage should happen again, d&c with genetic testing. Should genetic testing be abnormal, we plan to do IVF and feel comfortable with him leading us through that.

Affordable

There are a lot of patients at the clinic and Dr. Dunaway is the only RE there. I didn’t meet with him very much during my IUIs or during my IVF stimulation, but I don’t think it was necessary to. He was available when I did need to talk to him and I felt confident in his treatment plans.

Be your own advocate and ask a lot of questions.

The clinic does retrievals and transfers in batches so you start pretty much everything with a few weeks of birth control. IVF stimulation - Long lupron protocol with follistim and menopur. Produced 9 mature eggs and had 8 fertilize. All made it to transfer or freeze. Fresh transfer - Did PIO injections starting a couple days after retrieval (this transfer failed). Frozen transfer - Started on birth control. Lupron for 3 weeks. Started estrogen (oral and injectable) 2 1/2 weeks before transfer. Added PIO and baby aspirin 5 days before. Also did a steroid and antibiotic for 4 days leading up to transfer. I had 2 lining/hormone checks before transfer. This FET was successful! I had 3 hcg betas. My first ultrasound was at 6 weeks and had weekly ultrasounds until graduation at 10 weeks. One of my favorite things about this clinic. No one else gives you this many early ultrasounds.

I think my IUIs were $1800 each. IVF, including meds (also includes up to 2 transfers) was between $20k-$25k

Dr Dunaway will only do single transfer unless you’ve had 2 transfers fail or you’re over 38. If your embryos are genetically tested, you can only have one transferred no matter what.

Dr. Dunaway is warm and encouraging. He even had a transfer "chant" as he transferred our two embryos. Unfortunately we did not get the result we had hoped for and being in Louisiana, infertility treatment is not covered by insurance so we paid out of pocket. We would love to do another cycle but FINO is one of the higher end clinics and we just can't afford another cycle there on our own.

Ask all of your questions when you have him in the room. Write the questions down. You don't see him every appointment so when you see him for consult, follow-ups and right before procedures, ask your questions.

Omnitrope, Lupron, Follistim I was also on supplements prior to the retrieval - Prenatals, Vitamins C, D and E, DHEA, CoQ10, Inositol

Monitoring appointments were scheduled efficiently. I enjoyed the sonographer and also phlebotomist, Angie. Professional and caring and they answered my questions.

Single IVF with up to 2 transfers - $13, 850 Subsequent cycle - $7,800 ICSI - $1,975 per cycle Monitored Frozen Embryo Transfer - $3,575 PGS - $3,100

Dr. Dunaway will only transfer two embryos if you are over the age of 37 and your embryos were not tested. if the embryos are tested and come back normal, he will only transfer one.

Dr. Dunaway is the best RI I've seen. I saw another doctor but felt like just a "number." Dr. Dunaway made me feel seen, he knew my name, he knew my case, he cared. He was always kind, patient with me and my lists of questions. He is well educated and keeps me up to date on current literature regarding fertility treatments, etc. He was the first RI doctor to actually come into the ultrasound room with me to see for himself what was going on. He always explained everything to me and I totally appreciate that as a healthcare professional myself. Knowledge is gain.

I would tell them to do their own research themselves. Don't just say "OK" and do it. Know what medications are for and how they might affect your body. I wish I would have known to start my IVF vitamin protocol 3 months prior to retrieval. I have a feeling I would have had better quality eggs and more of them. Also, realize how integral nutrition is to the success of your eggs. They don't really talk about nutrition at FI - BR. I have PCOS, and nutrition affects EVERYTHING. So, know your body. Research other ways to improve your chances of succeeding with retrieval and transfers. Ask him questions, don't be afraid to. He will answer every single one with humility and patience :).

I just know that I had issues with dosages because I naturally have high estrogen levels. Dr. Dunaway had to adjust my medication to prevent me from having OHSS for egg retrieval. I think I still had a mild case, but he adjusted it accordingly and compared to others, I think I faired out okay. He sees what affects your body and adjusts accordingly, he doesn't just have a "one protocol fits all" mentality, which I certainly respect.

Somedays you could get there 30 minutes prior to doors opening and it wouldn't have been necessary because no one was there. Other days, you'd get there 30 minutes earlier and 10 people were already in line and you would wait much longer. Sometimes I wish there was a scheduled appointment, because I never knew when I would be out and back to work. It was hard to tell my boss when I would be back. However, once you got back, everything was fairly quick and you got out fairly quickly.

approximately $25,000 give or take.

He educated me on the new law that was passed to limit multiple transfers and why they put the law into place. However, he was neither against it nor for it. He recognized the risk for the mother with multiple transfers, but also understood that multiple embryo transfers may allow women to reach success earlier on than having to undergo each transfer separately.

Dr. Dunaway has been my doctor for years. He’s knowledgeable and easy to talk to. He gives you facts about whether you will be able to conceive or not. I appreciated his honesty. Although we didn’t conceive, I was happy to go through the process with this doctor.

Make sure to come with all of your questions prepared.

Our first IUI included letrazol and pregnyl. The second IUI included letrazol, pregnyl, and injectables. Due to our age, Dr. Dunaway said he would do two IUI treatments but thought we should go straight to IVF because we would have a better chance. Both treatments were used to help me produce quality eggs. The last treatment with injectables were used to make me produce multiple eggs. Neither of the IUIs produced a pregnancy.

The first iui procedure was about $1400. The second iui was a little more expensive because I used injectables and had to be monitored more often. That procedure altogether was about $1600.

During my last IUI, one of my eggs was 18. Not very big but we continued with the IUI a few days later. I wish it was a larger size before my IUI. I don’t know if this is the reason I didn’t conceive or if it wasn’t my time to get pregnant.

Dr. Dunaway pulled me out of a dark hole after I was taken advantage of by another “fertility specialist”. I felt like I was going backwards and he really listened to my concerns and my dreams of a family! He work hard to find what treatment would best fit me and explained why. He put me on a course to better my overall health help me start my journey to a family and I am grateful I can’t wait to see where this will take my family!!

Know all of your history, medications, treatments, and results of all testing

The treatment that Dr. Dunaway was going to start me on before an unfortunate set back with finances and the pandemic was for me to begging injections of hormones to have my body ovulate and the timed intercourse.

Most fertility is not cover by your insurance because it is considered “elective” which is a whole other problem. My insurance did cover the consult but all treatment will be out of pocket and cost anywhere from $4000 to $8000 or more depending on my bodies response.

i love Dr Dunaway and I trust him completely. He is personable and talks to me as a person and doesn’t talk down to me. The supplements and medication that I have been put on seems spot on with what I have seen in articles as what would be perfect for my condition. He has called me when needed to ease my

Ask questions

I was on Lupron, omnitrope, 225 u follistim, 225 u menopur. I believe omnitrope was used to help with egg quality since I am close to 40 years old. The high dosage of follistim and menopur was reared to increase the number of eggs

I made sure to get to the office early around 7/730 am so that I can be one of the first people to be seen

I think it’s $20,000 for retrieval and transfer.

My doctor prefers to do 1 embryo at a time

Dr. Heber Dunaway is very caring, considerate and compassionate to his patients. I can recall prior to my surgery, he said some very encouraging words to my husband and I, and it felt like my father was talking to me. He's an amazing Physician.

Dr. Heber Dunaway is an amazing doctor. Hurry and go before he retires.

For my initial blood work, the levels were low for a specific component, Dr. Dunaway prescribed compound DHEA 3× per day and over the counter Qunol Co Q 10 2x per day and my levels were great.

Initial consultation $215 2-4 day hormones $573 2-4 day ultrasound $170 Infectious disease testing $205 Saline Sonogram $420 Sperm Isolation $265 Infectious disease testing for my husband $ 180 IVF with ICSI will be $15,450

He explained to us the state law requires 40 year old and older can transfer 2 embryos. Under 40 years old, 1 embryo can only be transferred.

Dr Dunaway has been practicing reproductive endocrinology for many many years and is very knowledgeable. He’s also pleasant and kind, and I trust him to make the right decisions for us in our treatments. He was thorough in his preliminary testing, and he started us on the least invasive treatments rather than rushing us into things. We did a laparoscopy to correct my tilted uterus, and while in there he discovered unexpected scarring from an old surgery, which he also removed. He has been patient and listened to our concerns along the way. When we told him we wanted to try IUI again after 3 failed rounds, he increased our protocol rather than talking us into IVF - and it worked! That round ended in miscarriage, but it was a very encouraging outcome after 1.5 years of trying. Also, we live in New Orleans, which is over an hour from Baton Rouge, and he is very accommodating in letting us get most things done at the local branch of the Fertility Institute.

Do not be afraid to ask questions, including clarification if you don’t understand something. Dr Dunaway makes an effort to explain things in laymen’s terms, but like all doctors he doesn’t always succeed, and I’ve learned to keep pushing until I understand.

We did 3 IUIs using just Letrozole and a trigger shot followed by progesterone suppositories. All resulted in negative pregnancy tests. The 4th IUI combined Letrozole with Menopur and Ganirelix plus a trigger shot followed by progesterone suppositories, which I responded wel to and get pregnant. I miscarried around 8 weeks due to a blighted ovum. I chose not to do a D&C and my body passed the sac naturally. Dr Dunaway was supportive of my choice.

The first 3 IUIs with the simpler protocol were about $1800 each including medications. The more intensive protocol is about $3000 including medications.

Dr Dunaway is warm and compassionate. He takes his time with us. My patient experience has been as good as can be expected when going through this journey. I always feel comfortable and in great hands. He was just as upset as we were when our first transfer failed. We came up with a game plan and are waiting to start the next transfer.

Don’t be discouraged by the girl at the front desk. They aren’t the greatest, but Dr Dunaway is. And don’t go to the Metairie location. They are all over the place.

I don’t know the name of the protocol. I was on Lupron, follistim and Menopur. I was monitored carefully and adjusted when needed. We had 10 follicles, retrieved 9 eggs and ended up with 2 embryos. (It’s important to know we did Invocell, not IVF. They go for quality over quantity).

Monitoring was done first thing in the morning. I never had to wait very long except for once when the computers at the Metairie location were down and they basically forgot I was there. Just don’t go to that location. The main BR office was much better and much more efficient.

Our state mandates when you can start transferring multiple. If this next FET fails, we will be allowed to transfer multiples.

I do feel incredibly comfortable putting my situation in his hands because this doctor really knows his stuff. He will not string you along and feed you lies-he knows the business and he researches to stay on top of things. You will have to push a little to find answers for your issues, because he is there to give you difference ways to try and conceive, not really "fix you". You will not get to see or talk to him often, so be sure to get all your questions out when you have a consult.

I would tell them to always be a advocate for yourself! Ask a million questions and push for what you want to see happen. He knows so much and has been in this business for 35+ years - use him!

We started with IUI's with injectable hormones. We used Gonal F and Menopur and both were failed cycles. Between that, I pushed for a laparoscope to see if I had silent endometriosis because of my low AMH. Turns out, I did have silent stage two endometriosis. I had a chemical the next month and no luck from there. Now, we are in a IVF cycle using the Lupron flare Protocol and my cycle is about to be canceled due to no response.

IVF was $13,000 and IUI's were $500. He will only use one pharmacy that is pretty expensive, but he feels they are the best quality.

Dr. Dunaway will only do frozen single transfers. The laws in Louisiana are difference from every other state, so you are unable to discard any eggs for any reason.

We have only seen Dr Dunaway once during our consultation (as we haven’t started treatment yet) but we immediately felt like we were in good hands! He was so willing to help us achieve our goal to have children and answered all questions we had. My husband loved that he showed us around their facility and knew all the details it takes to run such a clinic and shared that with us!

Make sure any questions you have about IVF are written down. When getting to the appointment we were so excited to hear what Dr Dunaway was saying and then receiving all the information, we couldn’t remember any of the questions we had. If it is your first time with IVF, like it was for us, it can be a lot of info to absorb at one time.

We have only had our first consultation and tests so I am unfamiliar with the specifics after that.

Our insurance only covers the diagnoses of infertility. They explained to us what that might cover and then gave us a sheet to explain the other cost of IVF.

N/A at this time

Just a bit of background, Dr. Dunaway is our second RE and we came to him after we moved to the area. We initially sought treatment after two back to back miscarriages. I will readily admit I would prefer my RE to be a woman but due to location, insurance and success rates, he seemed like a decent choice. I find him to be pretty frank but can sometimes seem impatient when explaining things - uses acronyms when full words would be more appropriate, rushes through things. When filling out my paperwork, I put my occupation was a biologist (but I mainly deal with invertebrates and my husband is a professor) so I am not sure if us having a science background influences the way he talks to us. We have met with him 3 times now and I admit that each time gets better and the last time, prior to our first IUI, he did take the time to answer every concern. He has diagnosed me with high natural killer (NK) cells but having done my own research am not fully convinced this a true cause of recurrent miscarriage. He was definitely willing to engage me in a conversation about my concerns, acknowledges that the treatment for high NK cells is experimental and his evidence is largely anecdotal - but he believes it works. I do have to mention, prior to tipping me back in the chair right before he performed my first IUI (only so far), he did ask if I was "ready for my ride?" I found this extremely inappropriate (and see my original comment about preferring a female RE) but what are you going to say to someone who is holding a syringe of your husbands sperm? Do I think he will get us pregnant? Yes. Would I have him over for dinner? Nope.

Brace yourself...and do your homework.

We came to Dr. Dunaway on letrozole + timed intercourse cycle 3 of 4 that our previous RE had started us on after 2 miscarriages in 3 cycles. That month in addition to the 5mg for 7 days of letrozole we added 4mg/day of Estradiol starting day 12, an 10,000 iu Novarel shot on day 13 after labs and ultrasound looked good and 200 mg/day of Estrase. No pregnancy. The next cycle was anovulatory and I was told I did not respond to the letrozole. I do not have any known issues with ovulation and I really wanted to discuss that it may have been the estrogen, HCG or progesterone that that contributed to the off cycle, but no one was particularly receptive. After weighing our options with Dr. Dunaway, we decided to to try 1-2 IUI cycles before moving on to IVF. My day 3 US did show that that I had a 12mm follicle that they predicted was a cyst but they decided to move forward anyways. We did with 150 iu of Gonal F on days 5-7 and at my day 8 US, I had one follicle at 22mm. My blood work suggested this was not an overstimulated follicle and so I triggered that night with 5,000 iu of Novarel and the IUI was scheduled for the next day, cycle day 9. We are currently 7 days past trigger and 6 days past IUI.

Every time I go to the office, I have a copay of $23.90 - $30 per visit and every few visits I have to pay for 2-3 visits (I would prefer to pay each visit). For prescriptions, I pay $10 for 60 pills of Estradiol, and the first cycle I paid $120 total for 24 100mg progesterone suppositories and 10,000 iu of Novarel but the second cycle it was only $60 for both. I paid $35 each for the Gonal F and Centrotide (which I did not end up using). They have yet to process my IUI claim. If we are to get pregnant from the IUI (or IVF in the future) the treatment for the high NK cells is $2500 per bag of immunoglobin which we have been told by Dr. Dunaway insurance will not cover. He recommends 3 bags.

My understanding is the law (not sure if this is federal or Louisiana state) now states that you can only transfer 2 embryos if you are 38 or over and forgo genetic testing (PGS). Prior to this I believe he was pro multiple transfer.

Only reason I rated a 9 was because I’m still pretty new in this process. So far I am very happy. One of my favorite moments with Dr Dunaway was after my HCG. There I am, sitting up on the table still in the hospital gown, listening to what he has to say and he just gives a quick rub on my foot and pats my leg reassuring me that everything is going to be ok. Like, “Hang in there. We are with you.”

Be prepared with your questions.

I’m very early on in treatment but I loved that Dr Dunaway wanted to use Letrozole rather than Chlomid (what my OB suggested) because he knows Letrozole is better for PCOS. I also liked that he suggested an HSG before IUI which I had never even thought of but it makes so much sense!

IUI process will be around $1700. HCG was $227 but I think insurance covered it. That’s it so far other than copays (first visit was $120) and medication (no more than $10).

My only hesitation about referring people to Dr.Dunaway is that he didn’t offer ERA procedures as an exploration into recurrent implantation failure. After several unexplained failed transfers I wanted to turn over every stone, though I also believe Dr. Dunaway is truly committed to saving patients money and this may play a role in the rationale for this decision. I still strongly recommend him. I think he is brilliant, ethical, and frankly fun to be around. His sympathy with our unexplained failures was evident. He was serious about helping us achieve our goal. He took my input seriously and supported my return to iui which finally led to success.

Ask many questions! He will take the time to answer. He seems to appreciate you playing an active role in your care and won’t fault you for being cautious. His opinion will sometimes differ from what his staff will assume it will be, so be vigilant about that.

We were looking to have one more child (after one successful natural pregnancy). He started ivf with medium stimulation to increase our chances of enough viable embryos to create a pregnancy but without many if any leftover embryos. We did follistim and menopur both times. The first cycle he increased my dose to 150 menopur from 75 and kept it at 150 for the second. We stayed with 225 follistim both times. Prior to ivf we did clomid and letrozole iuis. 1 of each drug resulted in chemical pregnancies while another of the clomid iuis was a negative. Our first ivf resulted in 1 high grade PGS normal embryo and our second resulted in 2. All transfers failed. The first two were a standard FET estrogen and PIO transfer protocol. My lining grew thinner by transfer day so for our third we used Gonal-f instead of the standard protocol and my lining cooperated but the transfer failed. We did iui with letrozole and menopur because I had menopur to get rid of and it failed. Our next step was iui with Gonal-f (150 units) and pregnyl trigger and I’m now 6 months with a healthy single baby.

Pleasant waiting area. Great lab and ultrasound staff. My only qualm is the variable wait.

It’s all a blur but I believe we spent about $30 thousand total for 5 iuis, 2 ivfs and 3 transfers.

Dr. Dunaway seemed to favor multiple transfer on the cycle when we had the chance but we chose eSET, primarily because I didn’t want to risk 2 embryos when we had an unexplained failed transfer in our history but also because one of us passionately didn’t want twins.

We have only met with Dr. Dunaway a few times but every time I have been more than satisfied with our experience. He takes the time to answer your questions, thoroughly explains everything, and treats you as an individual. I feel 100% confident in continuing our treatment with Dr. Dunaway!

I would make a list of all questions you may have, no matter how small you think they are. Dr. Dunaway will take the time to sit with you and go over your entire list.

We are still early on in our treatment and plan but Dr. Dunaway did suggest that we use IVF w/ ICSI due to our severe male factor. He also suggested that we see a Urologist that specialized in male infertility before we begin and we have been doing that. I loved that he didn't just have us jump right into treatment.

We haven't fully began treatment yet but when we asked how much IVF w/ ICSI would cost we were told roughly 15k plus medication costs. OUr full pay cost for just a consultation was somewhere around $250 (there was an issue with how this visit was coded so insurance didn't cover)

Dr. Dunaway did educate us on single embryo transfer and explained not only the benefits but how the government in our state has set restrictions on how many you can transfer based on your age.

Dr Dunaway has compassion for his patients. I’ve never felt rushed in a consult with him. He thoroughly explains procedures. He has years of experience. You are able to communicate with him through personal email and he promptly answers ANY questions the best he can. I would recommend Dr Dunaway.

Do you research first to know what questions to ask. You are your biggest advocate.

He always started with the most conservative treatment suggestions however listened to you concerns and you and your partners expected time line.

Wish I would have got a price sheet of consult and standard procedure cost.

Dr dunaway is very personable. Laid back and easy to talk to. Will answer questions honestly, even if it is tough to hear. Delivered bad news in a compassionate way. Thinks out loud in front of you, so you know he’s doing his best to come up with a solution.

He is very laid back but very serious about getting you the results you want.

Started with injectable IUI with no success. Moved on to ivf, stimulation did not go as planned and we found out I am a poor responder and converted to IUI. Attempted ivf with different protocol and retrieved 2 mature eggs. 1 fertilized and the other did not. Fertilized egg grew perfectly to day 3 then arrested. We were left with no embryos to attempt transfer.

Monitoring is from 7:30-9:00 on a first come first serve basis. Some days you got lucky and got in and out quick. Other days you may be there for a few hours.

Approx $20,000

Dr. Dunaway shoots from the hip and remains realistic while also being very kind and personable. Even when delivering bad news you know he is in your corner and willing to explore other options. He also listened to all of my questions even if he did not feel they were relavent to my situation or treatment. He was also available by cell phone and email. I feel he goes above and beyond.

Ditch the huge paper charts and start using electronic medical records. This would save the nurse’s time when going over things like medications. They would only need to click that things were the same instead of writing things out every time. Also, this would allow for lab results to be easily viewed and compared at all times.

Dr. Dunaway used a Lupron Microflare protocol on me because I did not respond incredibly well (had empty follicles and poor grade embryos) from my previous cycle with another doctor. I stimmed very well and my 3 embryos (from 15 eggs) looked great. However, they were all chromosomally abnormal, so we did not move on to transfer.

Although a good number of people moved in and out, I felt the monitoring appointments were handled well and went fairly quickly.

I do not remember specific costs. However, after our failed cycle, Dr. Dunaway did give us a price break for our donor egg FET. Every little bit helps being that we are totally self-pay.

My doctor is open with patients. He feels this is their decision (within reason). However, now with the new guidelines his clinic is most likely exclusively doing single transfers except for in the case of older women.

He is kind & compassionate. The first times I went he seemed rushed, but now he seems to take his time & he always asks if I have any questions before he ends the consult. He has a good sense of humor too, and only uses it when appropriate. I am overweight & I worried how he would treat me because of that, but he has been nothing but compassionate. Even when talking about my weight, he is able to do it in a way that doesn't make me feel like a horrible person! I am so happy he is my doctor. I trust him 100%.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. Even if it seems like he is finished with your consult, he will absolutely stop & answer any questions that you have.

It did run smoothly as far as you being called to the back, getting your labs done, getting your ultrasound done, and checking out - however, the wait before you were called to the back could be a bit long.

For my IVF cycle, I chose Single Cycle Plus which included an egg retrieval and two transfers (the second transfer is included if your first transfer doesn't work or results in a miscarriage). The cost was $12,950. This didn't include the consult which was around $210. It also didn't include some tests/labs that add up to be about $1200 (although you don't have to do these if they've been done already at a previous clinic within the last year). And it doesn't include meds which can range from $5-$7k (or more if you do not respond to the meds). Plus we chose to do ICSI which was another $1200.

For me, he always transferred 2 at a time, that was his stance & his protocol for a long time unless the individual situation caused him to only transfer one. However, now he can only transfer one due to Louisiana regulations, unless you are over a certain age (I think 38).

Dr. Dunaway is a brilliant physician and surgeon. He is also an innovator and pioneer of the field of fertility. This is what initially drew me to Dr. Dunaway. He offered a new and more cost effective treatment that was the first of it's kind in Louisiana.

Trust the process and trust your doctor. He has been around for a while and truly cares and knows what he is doing.

I did a cycle of Invocell. It's basically a mini IVF with fewer medications and the goal is less eggs retrieved. The incubation happens within a device that the patient Carrie's around inside. The whole process seemed very easy on my body and easy overall. The goal is to produce a lower amount of embryos which was important for me since I do not want to have to decide what to do with any remaining embryos.

I could come in when it was best for me and I could go right into work afterwards. It was great.

The cost for my care was inclusive of the ivf treatment and meds and monitoring. It was about half the cost of traditional ivf.

I was strongly in agreement with Dr. Dunaway's recommendation to only transfer knee embryo at a time. I believe this significantly reduces risks to mother and child as well as reduces the risk of multiple pregnancies.

After our very first consultation with Dr. Dunaway I looked at my husband and told him I wished we had found him sooner. He has a plethora of experience and a great bedside manner. He is thorough and determined in what he is doing and it shows in the work that he does.

My advice would to be to go see him with any fertility concerns as soon as possible. He will be honest and give you the best options with how to navigate through your infertility issues. He sees you as a person and his ultimate goal is to see you succeed! He also saw things my previous clinic had not, he found my uterus was covered in polyps and my old clinic never saw them and transferred an embryo anyway.

When we came to see Dr. Dunaway we had made the decision to use donor eggs, we had had two failed IVF’s prior with our previous Doctor. We had 6 donor eggs which resulted in 2 beautiful embryos. Prior to transfer I was on birth control for about 5 weeks, then Lupron for two weeks, estradiol valetate injections twice a week, baby aspirin, estrogen patches and we started progesterone in oil injections 6 days before transfer. We kept the PIO injections going up until I was 8 weeks pregnant, then switched to protestors suppositories 3x a day. We also had stopped the estrogen injections by week 7 and switched to an oral tablet once a day. His protocol had worked and we were pregnant but unfortunately we lost the baby the week we were supposed to be released from his care at 10 weeks. He tested me for immune disordes, blood clotting disorders but everything came out normal.

Luckily I had good insurance and had to only cover a deductible and max out of pocket, which totaled $4000. This was our third IVF and have now exhausted all of our benefits.

Dr. Dunaway advises to transfer one embryo, we only had two to start with. At first I wanted to transfer two but I was so thankful in the end that I only transferred the one.