The second round of IVF [with Dr. David Forstein] required me to take a medicine used to treat PCOS even though I do not have PCOS or any signs of it. I had to watch all my sugars on that medication or I became sick. He kept the protocol pretty much the same from the first one to the second one because he felt the first round didn't produce good egg quality so he just tried to increase my egg quality for the second round. Both rounds produced several eggs, most which died over night, with only two making it to the third day each cycle.
A weakness [at Fertility Center of the Carolinas] is billing. You never receive an itemized bill from them. You just pay them money which can change cycle to cycle. A strength is scheduling. They do everything they can to work with your schedule...Susan and Lynn are the best thing to happen to the fertility clinic. They are both full of compassion. They never make you feel silly asking questions. They are good to support you when it doesn't work. They are also good to listen to you as you feel like it is falling apart. They are supportive and should get paid the same amount if not more than the doctors themselves.
How was your experience with David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
Dr. Forstein was easy to talk to and listened to me. He changed the protocol after the first failed round. Dr. Forstein came up with another idea to try before a third round of IVF. He showed compassion when he was unable to find a reason for our infertility.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
Your time with the doctor will be limited. Try to come up with all questions ahead of time. Most questions will be answered by the nurse especially if you email.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
You don't spend a lot of time with him as a doctor. You spend a lot more time with the nurses.
Describe the protocols David Forstein used in your cycles at Fertility Center of the Carolinas and their degree of success.
I took Lupron shots every morning. I took Menopur and Gonal-F at night. The first round I had a shot that resembled the HCG shots. The second round I had the official HCG shot. The second round of IVF required me to take a medicine used to treat PCOS even though I do not have PCOS or any signs of it. I had to watch all my sugars on that medication or I became sick. He kept the protocol pretty much the same from the first one to the second one because he felt the first round didn't produce good egg quality so he just tried to increase my egg quality for the second round. Both rounds produced several eggs, most which died over night, with only two making it to the third day each cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Center of the Carolinas. (Assigned nurse: Susan and Lynn)
Susan and Lynn are the best thing to happen to the fertility clinic. They are both full of compassion. They never make you feel silly asking questions. They are good to support you when it doesn't work. They are also good to listen to you as you feel like it is falling apart. They are supportive and should get paid the same amount if not more than the doctors themselves.
Describe your experience with Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
A weakness is billing. You never receive an itemized bill from them. You just pay them money which can change cycle to cycle.
A strength is scheduling. They do everything they can to work with your schedule.
Describe the costs associated with your care under David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
It cost $15,000 before insurance each round. The second round was more expensive since insurance ran out.
Describe David Forstein's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
He transferred two embryos each time because that is all that survived.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
The clinic is well run but has a lot to keep up with on each patient.
Dr. Forstein offered us hope we had not felt in a long time by his willingness to listen. Just the act of sitting down with both of us for several hours on our initial visit made us feel we could trust him. He had answers for all of our questions and made sure we understood before moving on to the next question. He didn't ignore any concerns we had. He made sure to personally connect with me every single visit unless it was a blood draw. If I had a question for a nurse over the phone it was common for Dr. Forstien to call me back personally to address my questions.
The nurses [at Fertility Center of the Carolinas] rarely remembered who I was. Often I had to tell them what medication I was on and what dosage was usually perscribed because they had trouble locating it in their files. I could call three or four times a day to get my perscription filled and not get ahold of a nurse, only the secretary who would transfer me over to a voicemail. This was frusterating because with infertility treatments everything is extremely time sensitive and if I didn't get a blood test or perscription filled on the exact day of my cycle it was due then I had to wait an entire cycle before beginning again.
How was your experience with David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
Dr. Forstein offered us hope we had not felt in a long time by his willingness to listen. Just the act of sitting down with both of us for several hours on our initial visit made us feel we could trust him. He had answers for all of our questions and made sure we understood before moving on to the next question. He didn't ignore any concerns we had. He made sure to personally connect with me every single visit unless it was a blood draw. If I had a question for a nurse over the phone it was common for Dr. Forstien to call me back personally to address my questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
He was the first doctor to sit down with both of us and listen to every single concern we had. He offered helpful advice that made the "act" (sex) of trying to concieve less difficult for my husband and me. Also, he worked with our religious preferences and didn't belittle them. He explained all the tests to us in detail so we knew what was going on and made sure we were comfortable with all the procedures before beginning them.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
The nurses rarely remembered who I was. Often I had to tell them what medication I was on and what dosage was usually perscribed because they had trouble locating it in their files. I could call three or four times a day to get my perscription filled and not get ahold of a nurse, only the secretary who would transfer me over to a voicemail. This was frusterating because with infertility treatments everything is extremely time sensitive and if I didn't get a blood test or perscription filled on the exact day of my cycle it was due then I had to wait an entire cycle before beginning again.
Describe your experience with Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
I was there during the time they were switching computer systems so perhaps that is the reason for the errors in billing. Whatever the reason, it was often that I could be billed two or three times for a treatment I had already paid for. Sometimes I would get phone calls and letters from bill collectors on bills I had already paid. I would have to show the hospital my receipts, bank statements, etc. to prove payment because their computers didn't acknowledge that I had paid at all even though I was always up to date and paid everything due each visit. It got so bad and so confusing I had to visit two different billing offices (in different areas of town) and talk with the people there for hours. Through my careful documentation they were able to see how the computer system somehow misfiled my payments and fortunately after months of harrassment the issues were resolved.
Describe the costs associated with your care under David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
Here are some of the bills I was able to pull up from the year 2015:very
5/20 office visit $140
5/20 blood work $13
5/20 general health panel $113
5/20 prolactin $94
5/20 tstosterone fr $99
5/20 hgb glycosylated $50
6/9 blood draw $13
6/9 Projesterone test $94
6/26 office visit $398.09
6/26 Smr prim src wet mount $20
6/26 dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate $103
6/26 prolactin $94
6/26 blood draw $13
7/07 office visit $140
7/13 labratory specimen $254.20
7/06 ? $75.82
7/07 office visit $140
7/31 Blood draw $13
7/31 Assay of projesterone $94
7/31 Blood work $13
11/19 hgc blood test $32
11/19 blood draw $11
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
Before being perscribed my medication I always had to take a pregnancy test and then I was told to call in the results and I was to take the meds immediately if I wasn't already pregnant. One time I had to call 4x in one day before I got ahold of the nurse -just before the clinic closed. She told me since my test was negative she would call in my perscriptions. I went to the pharmacy and found out only one of the two necessary medications had been called in.
Another time, I had called in to the nurse to tell her my cycle had begun and she told me she would call in my perscription. She told me to pick up my perscription and take all my medications on one day. I told her that this surprised me because I hadn't been instructed to take the pills in that manner before. She told me that "oh, well, I don't have your flow chart in front of me right now. How do you normally take the medication?" After I told her how I usually take it she told me that I should do it the way I've always done it then. Hearing a nurse recommend a medication but not even knowing how I usually take it was VERY disconcerting. That time also I went to the pharmacy and found out that the perscription she had supposedly called in had never actually been phoned in. I called a nurse, she said she was surprised it hadn't been called in yet. She asked me what my usual dosage was and after I told her, she told me she would call it in. I waited an hour at the pharmacy until it was called in and filled.
We enjoyed every interaction with Dr Forstein, from the consultation to the last visit. He was always open with us about our next steps and was willing to listen to our desires. He was willing to skip other procedures based on our diagnosis and medical coverage and go straight to what was most likely to get us a baby. ... He always listened ... Have faith in him but also know what you want.
My biggest issue was that they [Fertility Center of the Carolinas] shared a lobby with an obgyn. So many times I was waiting for an appt and a big family would walk in. There is a seperate waiting area for fertility patients. Other than that, I loved everything about them. ... We loved Susan [nurse]. She always responded quickly and calmed my nerves.
How was your experience with David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
We enjoyed every interaction with Dr Forstein, from the consultation to the last visit. He was always open with us about our next steps and was willing to listen to our desires. He was willing to skip other procedures based on our diagnosis and medical coverage and go straight to what was most likely to get us a baby.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
Have faith in him but also know what you want.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Forstein at Fertility Center of the Carolinas?
He always listened
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Center of the Carolinas. (Assigned nurse: Susan)
We loved Susan. She always responded quickly and calmed my nerves.
Describe your experience with Fertility Center of the Carolinas.
My biggest issue was that they shared a lobby with an obgyn. So many times I was waiting for an appt and a big family would walk in. There is a seperate waiting area for fertility patients. Other than that, I loved everything about them.