Seattle Reproductive Medicine

Amy did an amazing job at taking us through all the information in a concise yet understandable way. She was very patient and willing to go over details multiple times when I felt overwhelmed. She answered all my questions and was always encouraging and honest. Her body language was always welcoming and kind.

Nothing, you are in great hands

We did 3 IUI’s at my insistence. All our testing showed everything looked great and she explained it wasn’t much different then timed intercourse but ok to try if I wanted. It was disappointing but we knew the risks. We did two rounds of IVF back to back. We went over everything and I felt prepared. We opted to freeze and do genetic testing which I was really grateful for because we had less then expected normal chromosome embryos. We used Letrozole with IUI’s. We used Menopur, GonalF, and Cetrotide to prep for retrieval. I can’t remember name of trigger shot. We did transfer with natural cycle and used progesterone vaginal suppositories only before and after transfer.

Easy to schedule and easy process once there

We don’t have any insurance for fertility treatments so between meds, ultrasounds, bloodwork, procedures, genetic testing, and freezing charges…we guesstimate around $40,000

We did genetic testing after conversations with Dr Criniti. We were really grateful because we were able to transfer a high graded embryo. Single embryo since we did genetic testing. We agree single is safer then multiples

My experience with Doctor Thyer was tremendous. Even though my IUI Cycles were unsuccessful, I never lost hope. She held my hand through the whole experience. Always encouraging me, and looking for new ways to become successful with my next cycle. I finally told her I wanted to try IVF, and we went for it. It was very emotional, and she was sensitive to my needs and emotions. I was in my late 30s when I started the whole process, and was 40 when I became pregnant (the best day of my life) through IVF with a fresh transfer of two embryos on my second egg retrieval of a 3 egg retrieval package. I had a healthy baby girl on March 2nd 2018. I still have one frozen embryo from my first aid retrieval and I plan to implant that one this July. I would use my grant money to pay for my fertility treatments. What a gift that would be if I won! I can't thank Angela Thyer enough for making my dream come true. She is amazing.

Be patient with yourself. And follow Dr Thyer's instructions to a T. But mostly just be patient....and never give up.

I don't remember the exact dosages, especially because each cycle we changed something to see if it would work. But the instructions Dr. Thyer gave me each time we changed something up, we're very specific and easy to follow.

I spent close to $1,500 each time I did an IUI. This included the cost of the donor sperm, the medications, and the SRM treatment cos. I spent close to $10,000 total on IU eyes, which were unsuccessful. I decided to try IVF, and the package I went with was $18,000. It was 3 egg retrievals, with one frozen transfer at the end. I changed it in the middle of this process, because there were two healthy embryos after the second egg retrieval, which I asked doctor fire if I could just implant those because I didn't want to wait. We switched it up, and the cost of that changed the cost of the package. In total, I have spent close to $30,000 with SRM, Seattle Sperm Bank, and that fertility Pharmacy I ordered my medication from.

I imagine that her approach with each person is different. But her approach with me was to do the most logical thing at the time. I didn't want to just put one embryo in, and I was okay with having multiples. So we put two embryos in and I'm glad I did. One attached to my uterus, and the other one passed. I have one baby, but I could have had zero. So I'm glad we did it that way. Her approach with someone else might be different based on age or how many times they have tried.

Initially Dr Thyer seemed very business oriented only and was not very warm. As I have gotten to know her over the years she has become very supportive and warm. With each step of our fertility journey I feel she became more receptive and empathetic.

She is very honest and forward, she will not sugarcoat.

Initially we started with just putting me on thyroid medication and acupuncture with Hope's this would work. After about 3 yrs of trying unsuccessfully we decided to finally take the next sep of IVF. our protocol was pretty straightforward, I was given a calendar to follow with which medications I should take.

She was very knowledgeable and insightful in explaining the steps and covering any questions thoroughly.she was a very sweet woman and really cared about our chances. She had every avenue of possible set backs and alternative routes explained if needed.

Make sure to do your research so you can fully pick her brain in any questions.

I did two IUi’s With chlomid. The first attempt was unsuccessful and the second attempt we wanted to ovulate multiple eggs. She doubled my prescription for Chlomid and i only ovulated one egg and was unsuccessful. I’m currently in an IVF treatment

IVF- 10,920 Medications - 3,000 IUI- 200 each Chlomid - 50 Copays and other medical bills - 300

In our case, she gave us a choice to transfer one embryo or two.

Dr. Criniti made my husband and I feel at ease right away. She took time to explain things to us in detail and let us ask a billion questions. She was always attentive, knowledgeable and thoughtful. Her demeanor was calm and compassionate.

Ask questions and know that you’ll be taken care of.

I used Gonal-f and Menopur in preparation for both egg retrievals (Menopur dosage was increased the second time). Cetrotide was the antagonist used for both retrievals.

Dr. Criniti went into great detail as to why she did not thing we needed to do multiple embryo transfer. We only did a single embryo transfer and it worked!

I never felt like I was in control of my own care when I worked with Dr. Wald and, in fact, was often vilified in conversations with her for simple asks that I know other clinics honor. For example, we are dealing with MFI and I only wanted to do a single retrieval. Because of this, I told her I only wanted to fertilize half of the retrieved eggs so we can focus on lifestyle changes with my partner in the event his sperm were not working out on the first fertilization. When I requested this, she required I set up an appointment with her just to say she refuses to do it and I would be stupid if I went forward with it. It was a pretty expensive and inconsiderate way to say no, given I had to pay out of pocket for the appointment just for her to tell me to my face that she refused to let me make choices in my own medical care and fertility journey. I made it perfectly clear that I understand the pro’s and con’s and she still refused my request. Separately, after my retrieval, one of my embryos came back as inconclusive on the PGT-A testing (meaning no data was gathered due something being wrong or incomplete with the sample). I did tons of research, talked to the genetic testing lab, and made the decision with my partner that we wouldn’t feel comfortable using the embryo unless it was tested. In our case, it made sense to re-test because otherwise we would never use the embryo and it would sit there indefinitely. When I told Dr. Wald my decision, she berated me for being irresponsible and making a dumb decision. She even went as far as to say she has never experienced the re-testing being done and she thinks that I was making a huge mistake. I later found out that the clinic eats the cost of the re-testing when an embryo comes back inconclusive, so I have a strong suspicion that she just didn’t want to cost SRM any extra money. And even if she didn’t, her response was highly unprofessional, demeaning, and left me feeling horrible about myself. When the re-testing came back, it was healthy with no abnormalities so we likely would have let a perfectly healthy embryo wither if we didn’t push against her. Again, she made me set up an appointment with her to talk this through when I already communicated my decision to the nurse and made her aware that I was aware of the trade-offs and consequences of my decisions (mainly that there may be ~5% lower chance of the embryo surviving into a live birth). Even just on the logistics side, I never felt like Dr. Wald was listening to me or fully doing her job. I committed to doing IVF at ~6 months before I was actually scheduled for my cycle and at the time communicated to Dr. Wald that I would need the embryos to go through FDA screening as there’s a strong possibility we may need to use a surrogate. She clearly noted it in the system because I paid for the testing BUT she never shared it with the nursing team. This meant we had to scramble literally days before my retrieval to complete all of the testing and they weren’t event sure if we would be able to make it in on time. We were lucky that the timing worked out, but my partner had to put his job at risk taking a last minute appointment that overlapped with a critical meeting, I had to travel 2 hours out of my way to go to mine, and I was told at the time there’d be a chance that we’d have to do a second cycle if we wanted it FDA screed because of the timing. Which not only went against my clear wishes of only wanting to do a single cycle, but also would have been an enormous financial burden because I would’ve needed to re-buy all of the injection medication. In the face of all of this, they hardly even said sorry. To rub salt in the wound, when I talked to Dr. Wald about this situation, she tried to blame ME despite me never being told anything about what the process for the screening was or that there were separate appointments with stringent timelines that I would need to be aware of. I truly thought it was some bloodwork that was taken on the day of the retrieval and that was it. When I tried to explain that it was not my responsibility, she brushed me off like I was being crazy.

Don’t work with her. There are, from all I can tell, some truly wonderful doctors at SRM. But Dr. Wald simply is not one of them. I was not given information about all of the side effects I could expect from my injections (namely one that made me feel like I was on the edge of passing out for a full 48 hours), was not listened to, was actively gaslit, and made to feel like I was unimportant and dumb every step of the way. The one thing I will say is that my retrieval went really well. While it took me quite a while to recover after, the procedure itself was painless and the staff in the surgery center were lovely. That said, Dr. Wald is NOT the person who performed my surgery, I was assigned someone else who was working that day. The doctor who did the surgery was kind, a great listener, and great at communicating and listening to my needs. I feel eternally grateful that Dr. Wald was not the person there on retrieval day.

With mediations, FDA screening, egg retrieval, embryo creation, and PGT-A testing, the total as roughly $31k.

I trust Dr. Walds judgement and appreciate that she is up to date on the latest research. Her approach is more direct that may bother some people. I have found that since communicating my needs, she has adapted her approach. She has been very informative during every discussion and has called me when I have follow up questions about different procedures. She has respected my opinion throughout the process and do feel like I can openly communicate my concerns without judgment.

Make sure that you make your needs and wants known. If you don't like something, tell her.

IVF egg retrieval medicated cycle using Gonal F. certridide. and menopus, trigger shot, with fresh transfer, with Endometrin post.Got 3 good quality embryos that were all unsuccessful. Had surgery to remove what we thought was blocked tube. Frozen transfer nautral cycle with Endometrin and trigger shot. 2nd frozen transfer medicated cycle oral Estrace, progesterone in oil, and Endometrin

The costs are high since we pay out of pocket. 20,000 for egg retrieval and fresh transfer. 5,000 each for 2 frozen transfer. Can't remember all of the testing and IUi cost. Near 40,000 out of pocket

We did 1 embryo transfer each time and was educated along the way

I like how Kaitlyn gave us all the information we would need to make as best mind and heart choices thus far. We only can afford two cycles, my only wish would to have been a possible change in treatment post first retrieval only having one viable embryo. Also have higher BP, and I spent 5 weeks going back and forth trying to get help from doctors and no additional advice or support form Kaitlyn as she requested I solve this issue. I’m this moment I felt like a number not a human. And I was highly disappointed. Overall I would still suggest my doctor.

Nothing comes to mind

Both cycles I did 300 IU of Follistim, 150 IU of menopur, Ganirelix on day 6 (first cycle) and Ganirelix on day 5 (2nd cycle) my trigger shot on cycle one was Lueporode, cycle two was Pregnayl. My first cycle I did 12 days of injections had to order additional medication, second cycle I did 9 days and have medication left over.

We’ve paid $60,000 this far, we do not have any medical benefits coverage.

We only have one embryo

I felt that Dr. Wald was very knowledgeable and gave us the information we needed. I did not feel a huge amount of support through the process. She answered our questions and asked that we understood her explanations. Emotionally I felt very little support. It was especially hard because we didn’t have consistent contact with any specific provider and it was difficult to get in touch with our provider at times. I don’t feel that we were fully prepared for our round of IVF to be unsuccessful which made the process a lot more difficult when our expectations were not met.

Do your best to hope for the best, but be realistic about your expectations and the chances that it will not turn out how you would have hoped.

We had a pretty straightforward protocol for IVF. I was on 10 days of menopur and gonal-f, along with 5 days of cetrotide. Our diagnosis was male factor infertility. We did an egg retrieval followed by ICSI. I started progesterone the next day and we did a fresh transfer with a day 5 embryo.

The costs were fairly standard for an IVF cycle and fertility work up. We did have surprise bills that we received about 8 months after our cycle was completed.

We only produced a single embryo so there was not a decision to be made there.

I only met with her a couple of times. I mainly interacted with the nursing staff and other support staff. The doctor I saw before her, the IUI technically worked but resulted in an ectopic pregnancy requiring emergency surgery. When I informed the Everett clinic, I immediately heard from the RN overseeing my care, but nothing from the Doctor. Not until I decided to try again, almost a year later. At that first appt, she shared her sympathy for what had happened, but it was not genuine. At least not to me.

Just know that she will be setting in place the overall plan for treatment, but it’s the rest of the support staff you will get to know, work with and trust.

Due to my age and me wanting to go the most natural route possible. Dr. Wald suggested Clomid with a trigger shot right before the IUI procedure.

It wasn’t cheap, but I did choose the cheapest option. I just wish they did better with providing itemized statements because you didn’t pay for each appointment at the time of arrival.

I didn’t have this procedure

As mentioned previously, Dr. De la Torre is great. I have never felt like I was being listened to by other healthcare professionals until I was in her care. She takes what she knows and her experience, but also includes your ideas when moving forward with treatment.

I have already referred 4 of her patients now and they all have great things to say about her. I am very sad that moving onto IVF will not allow us to continue seeing her.

Letrozole 7.5 two weeks with times intercourse and Ovidrel shot x3 Gonal F injections with the hope of scheduling an IUI, but the meds failed. At this point, we decided to take a break and then Covid-19 happened.

Everything was out-of-pocket. Bloodwork, scabs, tests, medications etc. I believe maybe $2,500.

NA

My expectations were exceeded and I felt very comfortable during the entire treatment process. She was very informative and easy to work with. I felt confident in her abilities and experience for a positive outcome.

In general, not to be frustrated at setbacks. Success may not happen on the first try but is still achievable.

Medications prescribed were (1) oral estrace, (2) endometrin vaginal inserts, (3) progesterone in oil injections.

I had 2 IVF cycles, total was approximately $27,000 including medications and 1 batch of donor eggs.

I was given the option for single or double embryo transfer. It was recommended to do a single embryo due to potential complications. I had 2 procedures for single embryo transfer.

Dr. Shah is very warm and welcoming. He has a comforting yet straightforward approach, which I appreciated. He was able to tell us any bad news gently and allowed us time to let it sink in. He was great at explaining the details of each process, complete with visual aids that he drew. I found that very helpful. He also allowed us to go through each cycle with adjusted expectations. I think what he understands very well is that we needed to try other means before we moved to the most extreme option of donor eggs, even though he probably expected it to be the most likely scenario for us in the end. But we had to try and he knew that.

If you are more realistic about your prospects and not holding on to a lot of hope, you might relay that to Dr. Shah. He is sensitive to the fact that most people are holding onto some hope and need to try other means of conceiving. But if you can take it and don't want to waste any time, then you might want to let him know that you can handle the bad news. In our case, we couldn't handle it, but I'm glad we went through the other protocols before moving to donor egg.

Progyny was our insurance that covered much of our care. Some of it was not covered and had to be paid out of pocket or reimbursed.

Despite my being okay with having twins, Dr. Shah recommended against it. For my age he said it would be extremely hard on my body and riskier for that reason. I gladly took his advice.

Dr. Shah cares about his patients. He constantly hit the drawing board after each chemical pregnancy or miscarriage because he cared that I was going through this. He gave me options from the very first visit. We came to SRM with 4 medicated cycles under our belt; he offered to start there so he could get a feel for my reaction to medications or if I was eager to try and IUI we could but that he personally thought it would be a waste of our money. Dr. Shah listened when I said I wanted to change my injection protocol because I was still ovulating on DAY 18-22. We shortened the cycle with stims and a trigger; and we are now pregnant with twins, all thanks to Dr. Shah!

Don’t be afraid to ask him hard questions, or to deny treatment and search for alternative methods. Treatment and testing is expensive and there are things that he will prioritize for you if you ask. He is also young, many people see it as a fault. We saw it as he is up to date on the most innovate treatment and fertility education.

We did 3 Letrozole 7.5 cycles with no trigger; those ended in negatives, and early losses. We did Letrozole 7.5 followed with Gonal-F 150 which produced 2 follicles; we triggered and that cycle ended in a chemical pregnancy. Our winning cycle we did Letrozole 7.5, Gonal-F 450 we produced 5 follicles and we were medically told to abstain but that it was up to us. We took the chance and triggered on cycle day 14 and immediately started progesterone. I tested positive and we started Lovenox. I am currently pregnant with twins.

We were private pay since we do not have fertility insurance but I will say they did an excellent job in billing and actually getting things covered! Initial exam was $350? Insurance picked it up. Genetic testing we did the prompt pay which was $350 per person. My HSG was $850? I paid $170. I had a CT scan that was just under 5K I paid $569. Any of my ultrasounds from losses or even follicle development ended up being covered by insurance. D&C due to miscarriage was $1500? I paid $400 I think; we are still waiting on cost for the D&C genetic testing we did. Letrozole was a couple bucks at the pharmacy, Gonal F is through fertility meds of America and that was $400 each cycle.

Though most of our meetings are done online (zoom), Dr.Cho spent sufficient amount of time with us to listen to our concern and our plan, explain the procedures, and answer our questions. We appreciate her sincerity when we asked something impossible for her to answer. We really appreciate that she listen to our thoughts and adjust the treatment plan accordingly (when possible).

Her schedule is very tight, so make appt ahead of time, although she is always able to fit us in.

It's aways a learning process. It was our first frozen embryo transfer, and we were recommended to have just a single embryo transfer. As putting the thought of safe and healthy pregnancy first, we just go with it.

Dr. Cho has a very calming and reassuring demeanor. She explains things methodically and in a way that is easy to understand. She is honest with information and realistic about expectations. She spends times explaining but also listening and giving the opportunity for questions. She also is responsive and reaches out to check in on you on her own volition. I have no complaints about her methods or approach to my treatment and care.

Ask your questions, no matter how small or seemingly silly. She will be more than happy to answer them and will do so thoroughly and respectfully.

I don't remember specifics, but I do know that we did change medication protocols and found one that worked well for me and stuck with this one once we found it (on the second cycle).

Monitoring appointments needed to be done in the morning, I think before 10am, sometimes labwork was involved so this needed to be done early to get results before end of day to make decisions about treatment same day. I was usually able to get a first thing appointment so it did not disrupt my schedule too much, and there were a few occasions where they allowed a later day appointment when information was needed STAT (nurse just needed to approve). Always felt very individualized.

My health insurance would not cover any costs so it was expensive.

Most doctors now only want to do single embryo transfer as there are higher risks to mother and babies with multiples, but she was willing to transfer more especially when presented with some failed transfers. My statistically odds decreased with repeated failed IVF so multiple embryo transfer is less likely to result in multiples and gave me better odds.

Dr Cho is extremely knowledgeable and even though I spoke to her only once, I could tell instantly that I was in good hands. I would suggest sharing everything on your mind with her and then just follow her recommendations blindly.

Be honest about your challenges and expectations when you first meet her and then trust her judgement and the plan she decides for you. Keep the communication channel open and keep the clinic posted about how you are feeling and doing through the treatment process.

I went through a Letrozole cycle with timed intercourse based on my partner’s and my test results. Even though I was expecting that we will start with IUI, but the doctor recommended Timed Intercourse based on the sperm analysis. This worked out great for us because we conceived without IUI.

I was covered by good fertility insurance so only had to pay deductible and co-pay.

I have been a patient of Dr. Cho's since September 2014. To be able to articulate why I would recommend her so highly, I want to share more about my journey with secondary infertility. First, I was referred to SRM by a friend in the summer of 2018 after removing my IUD a year earlier, but still having irregular periods. Dr. Cho was the first doctor with an available appointment within a week, so I said yes. I immediately felt drawn to her warmth, ability to explain difficult concepts and overall bedside manner. Dr. Cho quickly diagnosed me with PCOS in October 2014. I took Letrozole for one month and conceived a healthy baby boy, who I delivered in July 2015. We waited a few years before trying again, and Dr. Cho was ready to support our journey when we returned to SRM in November 2017. I still had PCOS, and she recommended the same treatment. I conceived in December of 2017 with Letrozole again, but miscarried at 9-weeks due to triploidy. After I healed, we wanted to try again. My husband was about to visit a Zika-virus affected country, so we used frozen sperm for IUI in June - August 2018 and I did not conceive. We then decided to try IVF in October 2018. I have a high AMH and responded well to a low dose of meds, but had to have the egg retrieval early when my estrogen level neared 10,000 due to the fact I had 50+ eggs! Of those 50+ eggs, 16 fertilized, 6 made it to Day 6, and I lost all of them on Day 7. We were devastated - but Dr. Cho was there every step of the way to offer support, connect me to resources, and respect our decisions along our complicated journey. Dr. Cho explained how she would change the treatment plan if we did IVF, but also said that because I had already conceived twice on my own, that we could also try again using Letrozole and timed intercourse. I then conceived again in December 2018, but miscarried at 8 weeks - again due to a genetic abnormality on my egg. Dr. Cho offered us different options, and supported our decision to try Letrozole one more time. I conceived in late June 2019, and miscarried at 8 weeks - again due to a genetic abnormality on my eggs. While we feel confident that we could have a different outcome with a different treatment plan for IVF and PDG, my husband and I have almost made the final decision to embrace our life with one amazing son. We've been through an intense few years, and while we are so grateful for the care that we've received, we do not want to have any more interventions. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Cho and her colleagues at SRM have provided us with compassionate, evidence-based care, and have supported my family thorough the joys of conception, grief of loss, multiple D&Cs, numerous blood draws and clinic visits. I can be completely honest with Dr. Cho and the others who I've seen for some of my procedures. She has made us feel supported and confident during this time of uncertainty and I am so deeply grateful to her.

She will provide you with all of the info that you need from a medical perspective, and will work with you to help you make a decision that feels right to you and your family.

I gave some info about this in my LONG response at the beginning. I don't remember the specific IVF protocol, but the Letrozle to help me ovulate was very successful.

Wow - I really don't know. We have access to insurance for fertility treatments (Progyny through an employer) and almost everything was covered. There were a few instances when I received a bill for the genetic testing, but the Finance team was able to connect the dots between Progyny, Regence, SRM and Natera. We were very fortunate and privileged to have insurance and financial support, and know that so many families do not. I hope that WA state will pass legislation that requires HMOs and insurance companies that cover pregnancy-related benefits to cover medically necessary expenses of infertility diagnosis and treatment.

Unfortunately, we did not have any embryos to transfer. However, she did explain all of the different options to us, and we felt very informed and empowered.

I would not recommend this doctor for a woman who is at an advanced maternal age. I feel that I left without a sense of hope after the initial consultation. I do feel confident, however, that this doctor would explore appropriate treatment plans for patients with known fertility issues that did not include diminished ovarian reserve. She was willing to answer any questions I had, but I didn't always know the right questions to ask. I was left to research ways to support my own treatment.

Ask Dr. Cho, "Is there anything else that I should/could be doing to support my treatment?"

Dr. Cho limited us to 3 cycles of medication with Letrozole and IUI before we would be required to explore a donor egg. The rationale was that she only believed I had a 5% chance of conceiving with my own egg because of my advanced maternal age. I conceived after our first complete IUI that included: Letrozole, Gonal-F, and a trigger shot. This pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage at 8 weeks.

Medical Services $220 IUI $367 Gonal-F $1,165.88 Letrozole 183.02

Dr. Cho is very compassionate, thorough and knowledgeable. She herself has been through IVF so she was able to provide information from both a medical and personal experience perspective. I always felt like she took time to answer my questions and talk through anything I had questions on.

Utilize your appointment times to the max. Come prepared with all your questions written down and do your own research ahead of time. Then you can have meaningful discussions at each appointment. Don’t be afraid to ask your nurse to ask Dr. Cho questions through the portal in between appointments as well.

I have PCOS + husband’s MFI & genetic issue. We did 3 cycles with one canceled due to a dominant follicle and early surge. My protocol was birth control leading up, 350-400 Gonal F, 75 Menopur, and Cetrotide with Lupron trigger. No OHSS. Cycle 1: Retrieved: 29 Fertilized (ICSI): 14 Frozen day 5/6 blastocysts: 7 Good PGT/PGD: 0 Cycle 2: canceled Cycle 3: Retrieved: 31 Fertilized (ICSI): 24 Frozen day 5/6 blastocysts: 10 Good PGT/PGD: 4 (day 5 good & fair, day 6 good & fair) We did a natural transfer with the day 5 good embryo. It was a natural cycle but with some medication assistance because of my PCOS and irregular cycles. This included birth control leading up, then a few days of Letrozol and an HCG trigger. Crinone progesterone suppositories, which I highly recommend as I had no side effects and no mess. In addition to SRM’s protocol, I also started infertility acupuncture treatment after my first cycle to try and improve chances. I took recommend supplements (DHA, inositol, coqu 10, açaí berry). I maintained regular exercise as well.

I loved the ultrasound person (Jamie) at the Kirkland clinic. She was so sweet and knowledgeable. I actually looked forward to seeing her.

We have amazing employee coverage through Microsoft via Progyny so everything was 100% covered.

Dr. Cho generally recommends only a single embryo transfer unless there is reason more would have better chances. In general I think the clinic takes the single embryo approach as standard and multiples would be on a case by case basis if medically necessary.

Michele Cho is GREAT about assessing the overall situation and making a recommendation as to how to proceed. Her initial guidance to us turned out to be the exact thing that worked. (It's our fault for wanting to try a more conservative approach first, which only delayed things....if we had listened to Michele in the first place, we'd already have a baby!)

Take Michele's advice....she knows what she's talking about!

When we first came to Michele, she looked at our case and recommended we do an embryo transfer, as we had 3 frozen embryos banked. However, we wanted to try a more conservative approach first, so we did several cycles of TE (with Letrazole and Gonal-F), which didn't work. Finally, we took her advice and tried the transfer, which worked on the first try!

I had some insurance coverage, which helped defray a lot of the costs.

I honestly can't think of any weaknesses. During my appointments, Dr. Shah was always very thorough and clear in his explanations, and he was happy to answer any questions I had--and I always have a lot of questions. He is very personable, but still straightforward and calm and confident. This is actually my favorite kind of doctor personality--I find it easy to trust doctors like this. Dr. Shah was always quick to respond to any issues I might have. He even called me to follow up on a question I'd had via the Patient Portal one day, asking how I was feeling also, even thought that wasn't strictly relevant to my question. Additionally, everything Dr. Shah said and recommended in my treatment adhered to what I had learned were the newest best practices in IVF treatment, and that was extremely important to me. Dr. Shah never pushed my partner and me in any one direction in terms of treatment options, though he did make recommendations. I always felt very comfortable with him during all conversations and procedures.

The only thing that might concern some patients is that Dr. Shah is young (and therefore supposedly inexperienced), but I think that is actually an asset in a field where best practices change so quickly. Dr. Shah has clearly excelled in his field, is extremely knowledgeable in REI, and is up-to-date in the newest practices and standards of care. Ask lots of questions, and Dr. Shah's knowledge, clarity, and personality should help you feel at ease. It did me.

IVF-ICSI. Approximately 10-12 days of estrogen to stop my cycle. Then started lowest recommended doses of Menopur and Gonal-F to stimulate egg production. About 8 days in started Cetrotide to stop me from ovulating too soon. Used Pregnyl to trigger ovulation 36 hours prior to egg retrieval. Retrieved 19 eggs from one ovary; couldn't find the other ovary and believe it not to exist. Of 19 eggs, 15 fertilized; on day 5, 1 was ready for a Day 5 transfer, and on day 6, 3 were ready for freezing for future cycles. We went with a low dose of the stimulation meds because I am a thin, small woman (5' 2", 120 lbs), and Dr. Shah wanted to reduce the risk of hyperstimulation. Even with that, I still mildly hyperstimulated, which is still the case, as I got pregnant from that transfer; but it's just resulted in certain exercise restrictions since I have an enlarged ovary. Dr. Shah had me back for an extra Ultrasound appointment to monitor the ovary and has since graduated me to my local OB for monitoring of the pregnancy and the ovary. At one point, I was concerned about not getting eggs from the other ovary (which we now think doesn't exist), and asked about the possibility of restarting the cycle. Dr. Shah encouraged me to continue, because the responsive ovary was already doing very well, and we had a good chance of having a successful cycle regardless. I'm glad we did proceed.

My IVF cycle cost about $13K with medications. It would have been closer to $16K, but they gave us a military discount. It costs $40 a month to store embryos--the same to store sperm. $120 for a uterine sounding. Otherwise, I can't remember. A lot of the diagnostics are billed to insurance, which is nice.

Dr. Shah--and indeed, I believe this is in accord with SRM's practices in general--strongly encouraged us to do eSET. I am 31, so my chances of having healthy embryos that would form healthy pregnancies was very high, so high that if we were to transfer two, my risk of multiples was 30%--too high for comfort, considering the risks accompanying multiple gestation. This was my understanding from research I'd already done, as well, so my husband and I came into treatment already wanting eSET. I also know a couple young women who have had twins from multiple embryo transfer, and I knew the risk was high. I believe if I had been an older woman or had already had failed previous transfers or cycles, the recommendation would have been different. However, since this was my first IVF and there was no reason to believe we wouldn't be successful with eSET, that was the recommendation. It's my understanding that this is considered a best practice by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, as well. I'm glad we went that way.

He is a nice man. However, I did not have a good outcome and the fertilization method I requested was not followed. I feel like I wasted my time and money. He was respectful of my husband and me and adapted portions of my treatment protocol as requested.

I took Menopur 150 units plus Gonal-F 300 units, with close follow up. My ovaries responded very fast. I added cetrotide 0.25mg to prevent ovulation while continuing the Menopur and Gonal-F once my follicle size was adequate. He wanted to trigger me using lupron, but I requested a dual trigger of lupron and hcg due to the low number if follicles and size. He instructed me to use Novarel 10,000 units the night of trigger. I ended up triggering early do to my follicle size and response to meds. The day of egg retrieval was performed by Dr. Criniti. She was nice. Seven eggs were retrieved from my 7 follicles (I have one ovary). Of the 7 eggs 5 were mature and fertilized using ICSI. Only 2 of the 5 eggs fertilized appropriately. Of the 2 embryos none were frozen because they stopped developing on Day 3. This practice only looks at embryos on Day 5/6. I received a call on Day 5, that my embryos stopped developing. They wanted to discuss next steps, but I had no interest due to my loss. This was for fertility preservation and due to my poor outcome, I will not pursue the full recommended treatment of chemoimmunotherapy. I am going to try my luck with immunotherapy only.

Just under $9,000 due to being apart of Shared Hope program for cancer patients. Additionally, medications were free as a cancer patient via the Heartbeat Program and Livestrong.

I did not make it to this stage, but his preference is single embryo transfer given my age. However, I informed him that I wanted 2 embryos transferred.

I left our first time meeting feeling good. Nervous but happy to have been able to see a doctor who listened to us and explained things. Just wish I would hear more from her when I would email the clinic or at least see her. I haven’t seen her since the initial consultation.

Write down any questions you have and ask them when you meet with her for the first time. I wish I had done so. I had so many questions I wasn’t able to ask because I didnt think of them at the time.

I was prescribed levothyroxine and metformin right off the bat. Also was put on progesterone to help induce a period then to take letrozole. Was advised to track ovulation with OPKs. First few cycles were unmonitored - however the progesterone never induced a period. So then started to go in for baseline ultrasounds every week to see if there were any progress. I would not end up producing follicles but would have cysts instead. The protocol was then changed to a higher dosage of letrozole and added dexamethasone. The cysts went away and started producing follicles. Tracked ovulation using OPKs and timed intercourse. Did one cycle with ovidrel. Ended with a negative pregnancy test but now I am getting my periods on my own like clockwork.

Insurance has covered a good portion. Have had to pay out of pocket for whatever insurance hasn’t covered. I would say we have spent about maybe less than $1,000 within the year including any prescriptions.

Dr Cho is compassionate and thorough. She is direct about concerns and clear about risks and setting reasonable expectations. When something changes she is compassionate about the setback and thoroughly explains options.

Choose her

I did a natural-start IVF cycle because of risks with using birth control due to aural migraines. Did Menopur and gonal-f with cetrotide antagonist. No particular rationale for those. Lupron trigger due to mild OHSS with previous retrieval at another clinic. Intending a natural cycle for FET since I’m cycling an ovulating naturally. Love that the clinic and Dr Cho are flexible enough to accommodate a fluid schedule for that.

Not sure. I have insurance coverage so costs are all negotiated and won’t be billed u til the cycle is completed. Genetic counseling appointment was not covered and cost $250.

Doctor Cho is open to both options depending on the situation and the patient’s willingness to risk multiples.