Amanda Skillern

Dr. Skillern and her team have been so wonderful throughout this journey. From our very first visit, we were blown away and felt genuinely seen and understood. Dr. Skillern didn’t just focus on me as the patient—she was equally focused on my partner and our whole family plan (since we both intended to carry). What really impressed us in that first meeting was Dr. Skillern asking us the questions that we didn't think we had to worry about yet. Like when did my partner plan to carry, how many kids, etc. She was the ONLY doctor (we had been to previous clinics with not so great experiences) that got us thinking about my partner and her future. Making sure we did all the testing on her sooner so that when to came time for her to carry, we didn't get any bad surprises that would impact our family plan. She always explained everything clearly, made sure we were comfortable, and supported us through everything. This clinic is the ultimate place for anyone seeking fertility care, especially for LGBTQ+ couples. They go beyond the medical side of things and truly invest in the people they are helping. We couldn’t be happier with the care we’ve received, and we’re so grateful to have had Dr. Skillern with us.

She's got you.

We went to Fora after 3 failed IUI attempts (wit a blocked tube) at another clinic. Given that one of my tubes was blocked, they informed us that it is more likely that there are issues with the other one and recommended IVF. We were already planning on switching to IVF so we were all on the same page. I underwent typical testing; bloodwork, ultrasound. All was good. Went through the typical IVF protocol with injections and a retrieval. They retrieved 9 eggs, and ultimately 4 made it passed all the stages and through genetic testing. This was great news! Statistically, we only should have had 1 or 2. I was on medication to prepare for embryo transfer and I am currently pregnant from that first transfer attempt.

This was the difference maker at this clinic. They were the only ones (we had been to other clinics) that asked about our whole family plan since my partner and I both intend to carry. After hearing about us wanting to each carry two babies, they not only focused on me since I was going first, but they got into detail about my partner and wanted to do all the same testing on her to make sure that there were no issues that could impact our family plan. The other clinics just brushed her aside and said "Oh, she's young. We'll worry about her in a few years". Fora looks at the whole picture and gathers all the necessary info to give you the best chance for the family you want.

Around $25-30k

Since I did not have any health concerns or reason to believe that multiple embryo transfer was needed, she did eSET, which was successful.

There is very little contact with the actual doctors. We had a 30 minute consult online and I saw her a few times for monitoring appointments (about 2 minutes each). I saw her about 2 minutes before the egg retrieval. Unfortunately, there is little contact with the doctors.

Do not expect any hand holding or to be walked through the protocol options, medicine options or the procedures.

Protocols and general timelines weren't provided, even when asked. I was left wondering what protocol I would be on and what medicine I would be putting into my body. I only found out what I'd be taking when the medicine was actually delivered. I did not receive any rational for why certain meds were prescribed and others, that I anticipated taking, were not prescribed. For 12 days, I took 300 IU Follistim and I showing little response (my e2 bloodwork was only 200 after stimming for 12 days). I asked why my dosage wasn't being adjusted or why Menopur wasn't added and I simply told that wasn't the protocol I was on. A few days later, they added in menopur for two days and my e2 went up to 500. I had a AFC of 20 so I expected my e2 to be much higher since it is thought that 1 egg = approximately 200-400 e2. I was told to trigger when my e2 was 500. I was told by Dr. Crawford that nobody wants to be a unicorn but maybe my E2 blood tests weren't pulling correctly. When you are spending 20k on a procedure, I would prefer to follow the facts instead of hoping the tests were wrong. I was never provided the option to cancel my IVF round due to my poor response on a low dosage. About 2/3 were not mature as my bloodwork indicated would be the case.

$16,250 for retrieval $4,290 for the transfer $508 saline ultrasound (mock) $616 for doctors visits if pregnant TOTAL: $21,664 + meds which are generally 5k-9k

We didn't end up with any embryos. 2/3 of my eggs were not mature at the time of the retrieval.

Dr. Skillern has been through IVF herself which is an immense advantage… she knows exactly how it feels to be on the other side of the table. When luck was not on my side, Dr. Skillern was encouraging and direct when it came to my individual obstacles and tweaked our protocol accordingly to give me the best possible chance at conceiving.

Do not expect someone who is going to give you false hope - Dr. Skillern will tell you information in a forthright manner which was greatly appreciated by me. If I was going to spend the money/time/energy to pursue IVF, I wanted to know that the information I was getting was data-driven and realistic.

I was put on a typical egg retrieval protocol for PCOS and had great results (29 eggs retrieved, 23 mature, 18 fertilized, 9 developed to 5-day blast stage, 8 were found to be euploid after PGS testing. When my first two transfers ended with negative pregnancy tests, Dr. Skillern suggested a “tickle” procedure to help my lining and also prescribed vaginal viagra. My 3rd transfer was successful. For my second child, Dr. Skillern suggested completing an ERA analysis before transferring an embryo to check progesterone levels and receptivity. My ERA came back pre-receptive, and my protocol was updated to account for additional progesterone. My 4th transfer was successful.

I don’t remember.

Dr. Skillern strongly advocates for single embryo transfer which I appreciate and support. There are so many complications that can arise from carrying multiples that the risk is not worth it in my opinion.

Dr Skillern is brilliant. She does not sugar coat things, but she shows compassion. She is relatable, trustworthy, honest. She was available on nearly every visit. She set realistic expectations and gave us a game plan for each cycle .. making modifications to get better results each time.

She’s a professional. She is busy, but she treats your case as though it is important. She gets excited when good things happen for you and is genuinely sad when things don’t go as planned. She is wonderful.

Many tests to determine reasons for infertility. 4 egg retrieval’s. Genetic testing on embryos. Biopsy of my uterus to determine correct day of implant. 2 embryos implanted. 3 frozen embryos.

RMA is on the expensive side... but worth every penny.

Dr Skillern really promotes single embryo transfer. Pre-consultation I always envisioned implanting more than one embryo. After listening to her reasons, I agree with her decision to implant one at a time.

She was candid about me having fibroids but completely focused on getting us to move forward with IUI or IVF. She never provided any other alternatives and was just matter of fact in saying that I had "unexplained infertility" -- which was most definitely not the case after a second opinion. She's a second rate doctor that should find another profession.

Go somewhere else and don't waste your time with her!! She's awful!!

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Initially just copays. But ended up having to pay out of pocket because they fraudulently coded my consultation as "infertility". All I went to them for was diagnostics!!! She never did ANY procedures or treatments on me.

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We thought everything was being check with our blood draws and come to find out she never tested our husband's testosterone levels. We found this out after 2 retrievals and couldn't believe this wasn't done before hand. We wasted two potential cycles and hard earned money as insurance didn't cover IVF. Extremely disappointed.

I would seek several other opinions before choosing your doctor.

$30,000+ for 2 retrievals

Got pregnant on our 1st round of IVF with RMA under her care. She was fantastic and I highly recommend. She always set expectations and was in every appointment besides blood draws. Loved her!

She will be very frank with you and not sugar coat. She does not talk to much about the future and talks about today and the next step. I'm a huge planner, so it took me awhile to adjust to this, but with infertility it was the best for me. You can't plan to far ahead with this. You need to be in the moment and think about today and the next appointment and what needs to be done between then.

I was fortunate enough to have insurance that covered IVF. I only had to pay 20% after my deductible was met. I did pay for CCS services and that was $2,500 I think cash payment of IVF ranged from 10k-25k

Dr. Skillern is not the most touchy-feely, but she is very honest and pretty easy to talk to. She was completely up-front with us from the get-go, and seemed to communicate with myself and my husband as equals. Also, did every appointment except for blood draws, and was always willing to answer a call or email if I had questions.

I used the antagonist protocol, with a couple weeks of birth control pills before starting stims. Because of my large follicle count, and risk of OHSS, we planned a freeze-all cycle from the beginning. I started off with relatively conservative dosage amounts of Menopur and Follistim and did reduce as we moved forward. Also, since we did a freeze-all, I triggered with Luperon instead of HCG. I started with 24 eggs retrieved, 20 were mature, and 17 fertilized with ICSI. After six days, I had six remaining embryos for transfer. I was able to transfer my next cycle, after a hysteroscopy to double-check my uterus. Because of the grades of my embryos, we transferred one and it was successful.

Unfortunately I did not have insurance coverage for IVF. The clinic offers a service that provided a "bundle price" for the procedure plus medications that was lower than the "list price." For all meds, plus IVF, plus a frozen transfer I paid roughly $16,000. The clinic does a good job billing what they can to insurance and they helped me out writing care summaries and letters to insurance to get me a couple claims covered that were originally denied.

She is very blunt. I do appreciate this but prefer more compassion than I got from her. She did not do both of my egg retrieval’s which I didn’t appreciate. She set realistic expectations on how many eggs I should expect and viable embryos after testing. I haven’t done the transfer yet so can’t review that process.

Don’t expect warm and fuzzies. She is to the point and you won’t have a ton of interaction with her.

She prescribed - Lupron 10 ml while taking birth control pill then I moved on to Follistim 300 IU, menopur , omnitrope 50 ml. Then Pregnyl shot.

Full IVF $17,000 after slight discount Egg retrieval $11,000. Testing covered under insurance since we are CF carriers.

She will only do a single embryo transfer. I don’t have many viable embryos so I am ok with this method. If I had more and wasn’t doing PGD and PGS testing I may feel different.

Dr. Skillern was great, but at times I felt she was rushed or didn't take time to reassure me in the midst of concerns. She did everything right though, and I'm pregnant now. Compared to experiences I've heard at other clinics, she is a lot more on top of potential complications and preventing them. I didn't mind her blunt personality.

Be patient and trust her.

My protocols seemed to be fairly standard. They do use birth control to start your cycle at the best time for them to manage office visits, but that actually helped my cycles to go by the book.

Covered under work benefits

Be sure to come prepared with any questions you have in advance. The baseline examinations are very quick. If you have questions during a procedure, be sure to let them know you have questions and they need to be answered.

Dr. Skillern is not chatty and no nonsense. There is no time for banter. Come prepared.

16 eggs produced, 9 fertilized, 2 made to embryo stage, 1 was normal Lupron = 20 units for 10 days / 10 units during stimulation phase Follistim = 150 IU for 11 days Menopur = 150 IU for 11 days Omnitrope = 25 IU for 11 days I had a failed cycle before where the embryo was not normal. Omnitrope was added to the protocol and not covered by insurance.

I have insurance so that changes things but the self pay price with genetic testing is about $20,000 + medication

Doctor has strong preference for eSET

Dr Skillern is incredibly smart and honest. With google at our fingertips, she is readily able to expel or support any information we brought to a visit. Even with her own research studies she personally conducted. I am 9 weeks tomorrow, all because of her brilliance.

Run to Dr Skillern!! Go now. Don’t wait!

I am 43, with unexplained infertility. The clinic I was with previously had me over medicated. Which, as I’m sure most know, is a costly and wasteful endeavor. Dr Skillern had a systemic protocol, specifically for me (Menopur, Gonal and Omnitrope; followed by a trigger).

I don’t recall, exactly.

We transferred one embryo and she’s progressing nicely. The risk of multiples isn’t worth it (imo). Infertility is so hard already.

I am writing this review on Mother’s Day with a profound sense of gratitude for this team that helped me become a mother. Dr. Skillern and Dr. Crawford are incredible - a mix of smart, kind, determined, funny and HUMAN. They keep it real.

Take time to ask all your questions. But also trust the process, which may be filled with twists and turns.

I don’t remember the specifics. We were able to make healthy embryos but my body wouldn’t accept the transfer, so we turned to surrogacy, which was successful the first time.

Partly covered by my insurance

She is straight forward. She explains and she tells you what is best but still allows you to make the choice. She was always avilable or someone on the team was to answer any questions I had. I would recommend Dr Skillern. However my first transfer did result in pregnancy. I felt horrible and questioned myself but after meeting with the Dr she made me feel its not my fault and even put her own personal story out there.

She will be honest and straight forward.

Strengths: Direct, clear communication of expectations, realistic, compassionate while still focused on the end goal, motivated to succeed for each individual patient. Weaknesses: None! Overall: I thoroughly appreciated that Dr. Skillern would tell us the honest facts about each step in our journey. She never sugar coated the truth when it came to our chances for success along the way. I didn't want someone to feel bad for me or treat me like a number, but rather a partner to reach an end goal - a baby for us!

She's very clear and direct. If you want a lot of emotion surrounding your situation you may not appreciate her because she's down to business. Her bedside manner is fantastic if you are goal-driven and focused.

Given my consecutive losses, Dr. Skillern immediately ruled out IUI. I had an "ok" number of eggs but bad quality, so quickly she recommended IVF and explained why. She knew we didn't want to chance having additional miscarriages but rather "have a baby" in the most direct way possible. We started with a typical protocol for egg retrieval - birth control to normalize followed by the hormone injections. Unfortunately, we got only 3 embryos and none were normal. We decided to proceed with a second round, adding HGH. We ended up with 6 embryos, 4 normal. Since I had no uterine issues we forewent a mock transfer in favor for the frozen embryo transfer after genetic testing.

Each egg retrieval totaled ~$25K with medications and the embryo transfer was ~$8K with medications.

Dr. Skillern would not have done a multiple embryo transfer and we were 100% in favor of that approach, never wanting to chance multiples. She was clear that there were only a handful of edge cases during which she would consider it, and if so, she would require counseling for the patient.

Dr. Skillern was just what my husband and I needed throughout this journey. We wanted someone data-driven, thorough, and straight-forward with her prognosis and treatment plan. If you are looking for someone to hold your hand and be your emotional support during this, she may not be for you. She always answered all our questions and has a great sense of humor that gets you to feel calm during monitoring sessions/procedures. Dr. Skillern never made us feel hopeless about our situation and we left every appointment feeling excited about our next steps. My experience with Dr. Skillern was incredibly positive and we had a wonderful IVF experience with great results with her.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to speak out about your anxious thoughts/protocol/treatments with her. She always took the time to listen and explain whenever we needed it.

For my treatment plan, I used Gonal for about 12/13 days. I responded perfectly, with lots of follicles and was closely monitored throughout the process. Towards the end, my dose was altered to achieve the results we wanted based on bloodwork results. I eventually added in Ganirelix to prevent ovulation. Since I was a high responder, I triggered with Lupron and had an incredibly successful egg retrieval. 32 eggs retrieved, 27 were mature, 20 made it 5 day blastocysts (and subsequently PGT tested), and 13 embryos were chromosomally normal.

I had insurance which was helpful, but overall, it was still really expensive. For one cycle of IVF (egg retrieval, PGT testing, anesthesia, monitoring all included) it was 10K. With insurance all my meds only cost me $500. Embryo transfer was around 2K with subsequent OB ultrasounds costing around $300. In total, the costs were around $12,900.

Dr. Skillern really only transfers a single embryo unless some other medical reason to transfer multiple. This was perfectly ok with us.

I was extremely nervous going into IVF and immediately felt like I was on the right path when I met Dr. Skillern. She was direct and took the time to educate me, and answer our questions. She also brought a wonderful sense of humor, which is so needed in this process to keep your spirits up.

She is not a Dr. who just tells you what you want to hear, which can be hard for people looking for certain answers. She will not sugar coat the state of your fertility or your options – so if you're ready for the truth, go see her.

Mine were covered by my benefits

Obviously at my age (38) I would've liked the option to transfer more than one embryo but I understood why she only recommended one.

I could not recommend Fora Fertility more. Dr. Skillern and Rikki Richardson were a team made for us; they were consistently honest, careful, thorough, and patient-centered throughout our entire process. My wife and I met Dr. Skillern April of 2020. She did thorough testing and guided us through the options for us, laying out statistical likelihoods of each path and leaving the decision up to us. We chose to do reciprocal IVF and began the first cycle in the summer. Dr. Skillern proscribed our meds and monitored everything to make sure all was aligned for the retrievals and transfers. Our first transfer from our first retrieval resulted in our perfect daughter, born in summer 2021. We are moving back to California next month, but will be back in Austin without question for Baby #2. We couldn't imagine trusting our future with anyone else.

Dr. Skillern provided all possible options for my wife and I and helped us make the best choice for our LGBTQ family.

$36,000