George Washington University

Dr Frankfurter is definitely not a chatty "small talk" person that jokes with you all day long -- but we do not need that from a fertility doctor. He is a meticulous scientist that pays every attention to the past medical records, does thorough testing and investigation before the diagnosis and treatments, designs individual treatment plan for each different case, makes quick adjustment to the plan when it is needed, cares about the mother-to-be's health, and last but not least, he is very up-to-date with the latest medical research. At GWU fertility group, the three doctors work as a team where they discuss patient cases together to finalize the treatment plan. It gives me a sense of safety that each treatment step was agreed upon by a group of outstanding doctors. I find Dr Frankfurter trustworthy and I sincerely believe that he has the patient's best interest at heart. I am glad that I found him and we were successful at our first try.

Dr. Frankfurter may not strike you as a "fun" doctor, but this is truly not important for your fertility health. Having a detail-oriented and attentive doctor such as Dr Frankfurter is so much more important (for your physical, mental and financial health) than having a fun one that jokes with you and answers your question by stating that nothing is to be worried, every unusual lab results could be normal, and there is nothing to be done other than up the dosage in stimulations.

I had a failed IVF at SGF before switching to Dr Frankfurter. During the first round of IVF at SGF, the doctor stimulated for a whole 15 days, even though the largest follicle already reached 20mm at about 11th or 12th day. It was pretty clear that this first round failed in the end because the eggs were beyond mature and only 4 could be retrieved out of over 12 follicles, and the egg quality was low because the ones retrieved were from the slowest-growing follicles. In the end, three were fertilized, and none could survive to the high-grade blastocyst stage. Based on this previous data point and a round of IUI I did before IVF at SGF, Dr Frankfurter suggested a short stimulation period (9-10 days in total). In comparison, the doctor at SGF that I was seeing for the first round of IVF wouldn't admit that the IVF failed from over stimulation (abnormally long period and very high dosage during the last three days), claimed that I had "empty egg syndrome", and suggested to do a second round immediately with even more aggressive stimulation dosages and procedures. As a female at 35 with no obvious cause for infertility, I doubted the SGF doctor's plan would be the best for my health. I went with Dr. Frankfurter's plan (a normal dosage with a combination of Gonal-F and menopur), got 11 eggs retrieved out of 12-15 follicles at the 9th or 10th day of stimulation (so clearly I don't have "empty egg syndrome" based on this). It turned out that we retrieved too early this time-- most of the eggs were not mature, so only two fertilized. On the call to inform me of this, Dr. Frankfurter did not dodge this possibility to potentially shed responsibility-- instead, he explained that the fertilization rate was consistent with the data from the previous trial, except most of the eggs were not mature this time. Of course, I was a bit upset by the result, but he told me that we should arrange a fresh transfer right away before we jumped on the plan for another cycle, as my progesterone level was still low at that point of the cycle and a fresh transfer gave the embryo a good chance to thrive. Dr. Frankfurter performed the transfer himself two days later, and it was a success. I am expecting a boy next June.

smooth, usually with very little wait (during COVID).

My IVF was 100% covered by the insurance, except for the copays. In total, I spent about $300- 400 (including copays and medication copays) for my IVF treatment at GWU.

My impression is that for people not at a very advanced age and with no severe fertility issues, the doctor would prefer to transfer one at a time.

Dr. Frankfurter is very calming. His tone of voice is always calm and down-to-earth. He explains things very clearly and succinctly. He never sugar coats and tries to convey realistic expectations. We have never been let down by him or felt that he abandoned us. He is compassionate and passionate about what he does. He also wears the best bow ties, which makes my husband jealous as he is also a fellow bow-tie wearer. Dr. Frankfurter also has a good sense of humor that is dry and witty, which my husband and I both love.

Take notes. This advice would, honestly, be for any doctor, but there is so much information given that you will not remember it all. But, also, it's okay to cry and Dr. Frankfurter will allow you the time to cry and process. He will never rush you.

We tried two protocols initially that failed to work - I don't have the names nor do I remember the medications. Since then, we have used donor eggs and the proctor is simply Lupron injections that start at 20mg every other night, then 10mg, and then 5mg. Estrogen patches - 2 patches every other night. Then progesterone suppositories that start small 25mg and ramp up to 200mg going once a day to twice a day to three times a day. Unfortunately, I have had a pregnancy that led to a miscarriage and a chemical pregnancy that miscarried. All the rest have been negative pregnancy results.

Monitoring appts are from 7-8am, which makes it difficult to get there at 7am because the garage hours changed. It is almost easier to uber there or take the subway (Foggy Bottom stop). There is a line - most people generally pay attention to the line but there are occasions when someone either purposely or accidentally cuts in front of everyone - we are all usually too nice. For bloodwork, there is a line to wait (if there is a line) and then if getting a sono, if not one of the first two people, you will have to wait in the waiting area. If you're getting bloodwork and sono, make sure to plan ahead for time. Sono takes longer and is not quick.

My insurance has covered practically all of the costs and of course, if I have already met my deductible. I have AETNA and we have been very lucky that it covers a lifetime of $50k for fertility treatments. It is difficult to discuss cost because what we have paid for out-of-pocket for each cycle has been different.

Dr. Frankfurter and the practice in general believe in single embryo transfer. They do not believe it is ethical or morally right to have multiple embryo transfers and they will not do them.

Catherine gave me helpful information about the potential outcomes of egg-freezing vs. embryo freezing, known donors vs anonymous donors, financial implications of each choice, and the decline in fertility as one ages. These helped me to decide on the option right for me, and she was careful to present everything objectively. She is competent, charismatic and kind.

I did a lot of research to find her and I'd say she's one of the best in the DMV area. Disclaimer- I haven't begun the egg freezing process yet, so my experience is solely based on the consult and post-fertility testing appointment.

She is an all-star! Compassionate and smart. She made us feel like we were on a team together and we would do everything possible to make a baby. She was very understanding about my work schedule/travel and made suggestions that eased my stress level.

Dr. Humm adjusted my protocol for each round. She tried different medications, different ways of administering medications, different timing, etc. I also did a scratch test and receptivity test.

This was one of the best parts of my experience. It was so easy to come in at 7am. I could get in and out in less than 20 minutes.

Dr. Humm saved us thousands of dollars because she suggested we get secondary insurance through Maryland. It cut the cost at least in half if not more.

She educated us on our options. We transferred 2 embryos during one of the transfers but just one the rest of the time.

Dr. Humm is very thorough in her consultations and actually writes out and sketches what is going on. This was super helpful to me because I love to know all the details of why we go with a certain treatment. I really love my experience so far with Dr. Humm, my only reservation is I wish that I saw her during my IUI procedures.

Go in to your appointment with an open mind and trust the process. Ask questions.

Dr. Humm evaluated me and diagnosed me with PCOS. I had all the signs of the PCOS and testing confirmed. However, after reviewing we learned that my insulin and glucose levels didn't really certify a true need for metformin so we stopped that treatment. We did move forward with Letrozole since that has a better response for patients with PCOS vs Clomid and she explained the pros and cons of both medications. Moving into IUI, she was very candid that our chance of success wouldn't improve much more than timed intercourse. We chose IUI because we felt it would help remove from the of the stress of timed intercourse (and our insurance covered it). Dr. Humm tended to go on the side of conversative when it came to treatment which I really appreciate because I'd like to get pregnant with as little intervention as possible.

At the present moment, all of my costs were covered by insurance. However, if paying out of pocket IUI can run about 1500 per procedure, not including medication costs.

We met with 2-3 different fertility docs at all of the major clinics in the DC area and did not feel completely comfortable with anyone until we met Dr Humm. She explained everything in detail with us and we could tell that she would always keep us informed. We felt like we would be in good hands with her.

Dr Humm is open to trying new things if asked. Don't hesitate to ask her questions and reach out if you need anything. She is the right balance of professional and compassionate.

We did the antagonist protocol with high doses of gonal F and smaller doses of menopur half way into the cycle. We also did an estrogen priming due to my AMH. The number of eggs collected was better than expected.

Monitoring appointments were quick with little waiting time.

We bought a package of 2 IVF cycles with the second one at a discount. It cost $17,500. This did not include medications. Medications cost another $6k.

Dr. Humm was open to more than one embryo transferred at a time. Based on my age and because we transferred them on day 3, she recommended two.

Dr. Humm is a caring and attentive practitioner. As stated, she always explained our choices and decisions and was very responsive and a good communicator. We were ready for and needed change to move forward after 3 failed transfers, which was our reason for changing doctors. It had nothing to do with Dr. Humm.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, Dr. Humm will always take your questions seriously and take the time to go through them with you.

We first used frozen (anonymous) donor eggs. Prior to doing that, under Dr. Humm's advice, we chose to do an EFT test through Yale. We actually had to repeat the test and we got some good data about my absorption of estrogen and progesterone from this test. We then purchased a cohort of 8 eggs, from which we got 2 embryos, one which we immediately transferred and ended in a chemical pregnancy. The 2nd we froze and transferred a few months later. We adjusted my protocol a bit, adding in prednisone and baby asprin (I have multiple auto-immune issues). This one was a negative test.

The clinic offered 2 frozen egg banks through which we could purchase frozen eggs. That cost was $18,000. Luckily, our insurance covered most of the transfers and associated costs. Each EFT cost $600 (we did 4 of them) and that was out of pocket.

Dr. Humm always made it clear it was our decision to transfer 1 or 2, but it did seem they very much preferred to transfer 1 at the clinic.

Dr. Frankfurter is highly ranked for a reason. He's very thorough. He's a bit matter of fact in his manner, but he laid out all the pros and cons of our options and never once did he make us feel like our chances were hopeless. He also took the time to answer any questions we had. The only time I felt a bit dismissed by him was when I showed him my BBT charts and he told me that they weren't useful in helping TTC. When I panicked over misunderstanding the dosage on my trigger shot, he was the on-call dr and was so nice and patient, explaining to me what to do, and then telling me I did exactly what I should have done (calling him for help), and that it would all be ok. I feel that he's meticulous, and he really listens and cares.

Dr. Frankfurter is high in demand, so making appointments with him can be difficult. He books up fast! Expect at least a month wait before you can get a consultation appointment.

I don't remember the specifics for egg retrieval, but I was on birth control and lupron (for suppression) for a month before the transfer. I was also on progesterone suppositories and vivelle estrogen.

It was efficient but a bit factory-like. You stand in line for your blood draw than you stand in line for the ultrasound monitoring. There's an unspoken rule about when to keep the door to the changing room open/closed (open if any of the 2 changing rooms are available, closed if both are occupied) and who sits in the chair by the door (whoever is next waiting for a changing room). Since the two lines are right next to each other, sometimes it got confusing and frustrating when a new, uninformed patient sat in the chair waiting for a blood draw because they didn't want to stand in line, or someone closed the door when there was a changing room available.

The first time we had insurance coverage, so I believe we paid less than $7000 for egg retrieval, ICSI, embryo storage, and egg transfer, but more with medications. This time, we don't have insurance coverage and are paying out of pocket, so the expenses are more. We haven't calculated our costs yet for our treatment yet.

Dr. Frankfurter is very responsible and wants to limit the chances of multiples whenever possible. He told us he preferred to only transfer 1 embryo, which was fine with us.

She is kind, patient, and compassionate. She spent a great deal of time explaining all of our options and when she thought we were hesitant about IVF suggested we could try IUI as a way to test the waters. We found her to be warm and thoughtful and also direct about what to expect - she gave us a frank assessment of our odds and noted she and the clinic in general are conservative (for example, they transfer multiple eggs less than the average at other clinics).

If you are looking for a super capable doctor who will spend the time to explain everything to you and answer all of your questions she is the doctor for you.

For us she prescribed one cycle of estrace (estrogen priming), then Gonal and Menopur stimulation along with Cetrocide for the latter end of stim with a trigger shot of Ovidrel.

IVF Global (1 fresh retrieval; 1 FET) was approx $10,500 with PGS another $5,000 or so, additional FETs $4,500

Dr Humm noted GW tends to err on the side of single embryo transfers for most patients (i.e. they are more conservative).

Dr. Frankfurter clearly understands all the clinical ins and outs of our case and the challenges we’ve faced. He is not pushy about treatment, and he is also realistic about chances. He does not spend time injecting a lot of false hope, preferring just to focus on next steps. I do wish he was more accessible by phone or e-mail for emergency situations that arise between appointments, particularly because it is so difficult to get a consultation with him.

Go for the technical knowledge, not for the hand-holding.

We did a natural cycle IUI using only a trigger shot. I confess I thought the timing of the trigger and IUI was close, however the procedure did result in a pregnancy. Unfortunately, we had to terminate the pregnancy due to a severe chromosomal abnormality. We will likely be moving on to IVF with PGS, and will stay with Dr. Frankfurter and his advice in doing so.

A natural cycle IUI cost us $1000, plus the cost of the trigger shot ($100). We have no insurance coverage for ART, and paid this out-of-pocket.

Dr. Humm sits down with you and takes notes as a visual aid while she talks to you. She answers questions thoroughly. She (via a nurse) responds to questions very quickly. She calmly and clearly explains things.

It helped move things more quickly that I came from another GW MFA practice -- she could see relevant records without me having to do anything.

We are just beginning treatment with Dr. Humm. She gave us several options for treatment. For a variety of reasons, and with Dr. Humm's approval, we are trying without intervention for a few more cycles. We are in the first cycle of that trial. Then we will us clomid with either TI or IUI. Dr. Humm really wants me to avoid twins, so she will not allow me to do IUI with injectibles. She said IVF was the best course of action for us, but we do not have insurance so would prefer less invasive treatments first.

My insurance covers diagnosis, so I haven't paid anything out of pocket so far.

Dr. Humm very much wants to avoid twins with me because of my increased risk of pre-eclampsia.

I fully trust Dr. Frankfurter and can't recommend him enough. He is truly invested in all of his cases, and I felt truly cared about (not just as a patient, but as a person). He's responsive and willing to mix things up to get different results. He learns as he goes and tailors treatment protocol to each individual.

I would tell any IVF patient (not just those of Dr. Frankfurter) to ignore the self-deprecating thoughts. You are resilient, brave, and strong! Specifically regarding Dr. Frankfurter, just trust him. I've wasted so much time turning to "Dr. Google." Dr. Frankfurter is so smart and detail oriented. Just live your life, and let him do the work!

With my first fresh cycle, I started with birth control. We learned that it over-suppressed me, and did estrogen priming the next time. The results showed a huge improvement. I stimmed with Menopour and Follistim. I triggered with Lurpon. I went from 3 eggs to 20. With my FETs, I started estrogen on CD 3. I added in progesterone around approx. CD 18. If a positive result, I'd continue both to 12ish weeks.

Highly efficient. I was usually in and out in 10 minutes.

We paid fully out-of-pocket. I found their packages to also be the most reasonable of all clinics we looked at.

Dr. Frankfurter will transfer one embryo most of the time as its safest for mom and baby.

Ms Lalwani is a very understanding and compassionate person. But, since she is very busy, you have to communicate with her through a nurse, which was fine, as the nurse was very capable; but without a good nurse this system may have been a nightmare. It is also very hard to get an appointment from her as well. Ms Lalwani stayed away from more complicated treatments such as IVF with me although I am older. She was even against medicated cycle for the first two times, but I had to force her. The same was true fro use of progesterone. She prescribed progesterone only after 2 chemical pregnancies, which frankly I am not sure was due to low progesterone. But after 5 cycles with donor sperm and 4 of them medicated, I kinda wish she was more forceful. But I really appreciate her bedside manners.

Make your research and be proactive.

1- Natural cycle (negative) 2 - Clomid (Chemical) 3- Clomid (negative) 4- Femara 5 mg (chemical) 5- Femara 5 mg (cancelled due to poor response) 6-Femara 7.5 mg, prometrium after IUI

$150 for first, $75 for subsequent visits. 1100 IUI cycle.

There were times my husband and I would leave our appointment with Dr Chiles and I would be in tears! Although fearful, I was confident that Dr Chiles would do whatever she could to help us achieve our dream. She was rooting for us! After finding out our insurance covered an "experimental" procedure, she was so happy that we were both jumping with excitement. Her bedside manner is impeccable. We always felt safe and secure at our appointments.

Relax, you're in great hands. No matter the outcome, Dr Chiles and her team will take great care of you.

We were diagnosed with male factor unexplained infertility. After completing all of the routine tests, Dr Chiles suggest sperm extraction surgery. She carefully explained how painful the surgery could be and that there were no guarantees sperm would be found. Dr Chiles was able to extract 4 vials of sperm which are now frozen, awaiting IVF.

Sometimes Dr Lalwani had difficulty explaining concepts, though she was patient and kind and answered questions. Some embryo transfers were tough, in that it took several times to place the catheter. It never hurt, but having to go to the bathroom and feeling like your doctor couldn’t get the catheter right was upsetting.

Make sure you read a lot about your procedures and ask questions at appointments, but know she will also take phone calls and answer you on the patient portal emails.

I used GonalF,225, menipur, 150, &cetrotide. I triggered with leuprolide. This seemed to work for me as I had 14 or 15 eggs retrieved each time. I used pills for estrogen and progesterone suppositories for preparing for transfers. My first 2cycles I had 1 & 2 5-day blasts, after PGS testing. I was able to do 2 FETs, because one blast didn’t survive the thaw. My other 2 transfers were fresh, because the doctors didn’t know why my FETs didn’t take, and thought with older eggs, maybe the embryos would do better in a fresh transfer.

You would sign in, wait in line for a blood draw, return to the seated waiting are for an ultrasound. There were two changing rooms for the one ultrasound machine, one patient would get undressed while the other was in the room. It actually ran very well and only a couple of times was it very crowded. Most of the time it was very busy but quick. Typically in and out in 30 minutes or less.

I believe each round with ICSI were $12000 plus PGS (plus meds, $6000) and the last two rounds were a package with ICSI of $17500, and the meds were still $6000/round)

For PGS tested embryos, they only do SET. They only tell you the sex once the lab chooses the best embryo. I was fine with that, I don’t know if they may have accommodated had I asked for a specific sex, but I think no. When the PGS tested rounds didn’t work, I had multiple embryos transferred at 2 & 3 days fresh. All rounds were negative. (Not even chemical)

Dr. Frankfurter was great at explaining the procedures and protocols and why he was recommending them for us. He's friendly, but not overly warm, which was what we liked. He answered all of our questions fully and did not ever make us feel silly for asking. He's a little conservative on his approach, but not stuck in his way. Over the time we saw him he changed general protocols based on current peer-reviewed studies.

Be prepared for a wait to get in to see him at the beginning of each cycle, but know that once you get in he will do everything to help you out and make sure your cycle goes well.

Monitoring was set for early morning and you just showed up. They were well organized and got through a lot of people without huge waits or making you feel rushed.

I liked the clinic because it was small and I felt like I received personalized care. Dr. Frankfurter was quick to provide me with information, I felt like he cared about me as a person and was always willing to discuss different treatment options. I ended up switching clinics when I moved to DE and liked that RE as well--the high quality treatment I received from Dr. F was one of the reasons I hesitated leaving his clinic.

Be sure to ask how the clinic can help in terms of cost, timing of appointments, etc. Dr. F was quick to help when there was a challenge.

There is a line but it wasn't horrible. If you arrived early, it wasn't ever a problem. They allowed me to bring my daughter when I was T42 to the monitoring appointments which was wonderful since I'm a single mother.

IUIs ranged from $500 to $2000 depending on the meds, IVF was $6900 for 3 cycles (they offered this when I asked for a better deal)

I never had embryos that made it to Day 5 so the idea of eSET wasn't really as appropriate for me, but we did discuss it when I did an FET with leftover embryos and I chose eSET with their support.

Dr. Frankfurter is extremely knowledgeable and an expert in his profession. He is not particularly emotional or overly sensitive in his approach; but We’ve chosen him for his expertise. He has always thoroughly explained each step, test, result, diagnosis, etc. and has answered any and every question we could think of along the way.

Trust his expertise

Dr. Frankfurter is very conservative in his approaches. .

Monitoring was a “cattle call” line, but surprising ran very efficiently. You could be in and out within 15 minutes if you arrive early.

Dr. Frankfurter strongly advised against transferring multiple embryos due to the risks

Dr. Humm is one of those doctors that believe that because she is an MD, she knows what is best. I came to her after my first miscarriage with a suspicion that I had AFS because of the many autoimmune diseases. She dismissed my concerns and four IUI's and three miscarriages later, I find out from my rheumatologist that I had thrombophilia, which was most likely the reason for my reoccurring miscarriages. This doctor was 99% sure this was the issue on our first visit after just reviewing and discussing my medical history. My rheumatologists ran tests, not once but twice to confirm. Both came back as positive for a blood clotting disorder. I am now on blood thinners and will start my fertility journey with another doctor in another practice soon. Avoid Dr. Humm like the plague.

There are other doctors in the practice, try one of them.

$1100 IUI Co-Pay for blood work, ultrasounds, and consultations.

Dr. Frankfurter is candid, personable and easy to talk to. He tries to inject humor into an otherwise arduous process.

If you want a doctor who'll tell it like it is, Dr. Frankfurter would be a good choice. He's not a warm and fuzzy doctor. But I liked him and trusted him with my care.

Monitoring appointments began at 7 a.m. It was first come, first serve. Some days were busier than others, but I don't remember having to wait that long to get through. It was a pretty efficient operation.

I was lucky that my care was completely covered by insurance.

Dr Lalwani is very friendly and easy to communicate with. At one of the consultation appointments, I brought my partner. She sensed that my partner and I were not on the same page regarding fertility treatments and gave us references for counselors. I appreciate that Dr Lalwani is a great listerner and she shows empathy for her patients. I wish Dr Lalwani could be more aggressive about treatments considering my age and condition.

Do your own research and be your own advocate. My impression is that the doctor cannot answer all your questions. Unfortunately, the area of infertility is full of unknowns.

100 mg clomid with IUI. outcome: no pregnancy.

Dr. Lalwani was very compassionate when I experienced a loss and was happy to answer my questions and consider suggestions regarding my treatment. I felt like my needs and preferences were factored into her decision making regarding my treatment.

Do you own research and ask lots of questions. Be an active participant in your treatment.

Estrogen priming protocol for IVF with pICSI. Still waiting for results.

I have $30,000 in ART coverage. I have not yet maxed out that coverage.

Dr. Lalwani and GWU in general have a strong preference for single embryo transfer. That is something we agreed with and did not question.

I never felt rushed at my appointments with Dr Lalwani. She always explained the reason for what she was recommending. She made a difficult infertility journey easier to go through .During the IVF process if I had any question, she was always available to talk to me over the phone.

Don't hesitate to ask questions, and ask for explanations if things are not clear to you. She does not mind answering questions.

First cycle: Birth control pills/ ICSI. First cycle no embryos frozen Second cycle: estrace prime/ICSI to get better quality embryos. Blastocyst frozen, and then transferred in a frozen embryo cycle. That resulted in a pregnancy

Dr Lalwani advocated SET

He made a comprehensive treatment plan based on science and evidence and communicated well. He explained al the risks and benefits of various treatments. We always felt well cared for and would absolutely see him again.

Be prepared to hear some information that you don’t want to hear. He’s very honest, which I appreciated.

We used an estrogen priming protocol for DOR, with ICSi. I was a poor responder.

Monitoring was quick and efficient

one cycle with monitoring and egg retrieval was about $10k.

We sought out Dr. Frankfurter because he is considered one of the best scientists in the area and not for his personality. We liked that we weren't being sold on some package deal or knowing that our money wasn't going to a marketing budget. We liked that Dr. Frankfurter was part of a university-affiliated system.

Remind yourself that you're there for his medical skills.

$7,500+ in 2011