Abigail Mancuso

She was very patient and kind, she let us talk and ask questions. She went through the entire process from start to finish (egg donor companies they work with, my personal history, the results from the last transfers we had attempted, the plan of action going forward, billing). She also seemed very knowledgeable and I like that she knew about my rare autoimmune disease(s). I felt really comfortable with her and wasn't anxious about asking questions.

Schedule well ahead of time as she books out pretty far.

Her course of action for myself was to do a mock cycle to see if they can get my uterine lining thick enough for transfer because apparently that was an issue the last couple of transfers I had. She had me start on estradiol orally and vaginally then come in for a lining check. When that didn't get us the results we wanted, she had me start on estrogen injections. She never gave me the feeling that we should lose hope, but just start on plan B. The process so far has been night and day different (in the BEST way) compared to the other clinic we worked with. They are positive, answer your questions and provide information we otherwise had to beg for at the other clinic.

My insurance doesn't cover any infertility, so the cost is expensive. I believe with the donor eggs for a fresh cycle/transfer/etc. it was around 26k. We are still the middle of the process.

Her approach at first would be to do a single transfer vs. multiple because of my underlying health conditions and not putting too much stress on my body. Although that's not what I want, I appreciate her insight because she's protecting my health. If I continue to have losses, we will revisit. She never completely ruled it out but more that we'd revisit later if needed.

Dr. Mancuso is always very patient with my husband and I. She answers all the questions we have fully. She is compassionate. She is realistic but also maintains an optimistic outlook on the process. She presents all options to us, gives her expert opinion and makes sure we know that she will support whatever course we choose.

Write down any questions you may have in advance to help guide the appointment/tailor it to what you need.

1. Long Agonist Protocol (OCP, Leuprolide, Follistim, Menopur, Pregynl) was used initially given suspected endometriosis. ICSI utilized. This yielded 5 eggs; 5 of which fertilized normally with maturation of 2 blasts/embryos. 2. Short Antagonist Protocol (Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelix, Pregynl) was used the second round. It was not felt that I had DOR after the first round but was felt that it might have been a little too suppressive. Hence the adjustment to the shorter antagonist protocol. ICSI utilized. This yielded 9 eggs, 5 of which fertilized normally with maturation of 2 blasts/embryos.

IUI was approximately $400 per time (before insurance). IVF (including medications) was approximately $20,000 per cycle (before insurance).

Dr. Mancuso has appropriately recommended single embryo transfer given my age/perceived egg quality. She has given me the option of multiple embryo transfer and let me know she would support it if that’s what we wanted to do but was clear about the current guidelines/data.