David Frankfurter

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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

We loved everything about the experience. He remembered who I was during treatment and always made me feel comfortable. He was very clear in explaining everything and we had success the first time we transferred our embryos.

Trust him. He knows what he’s doing.

Honestly, I’ve put so much of it behind me now.

About $20,000 plus the medications.

I appreciated his thoroughness, accessibility and willingness to think outside the box. He seemed to tailor the treatment plan to my patient history and when it didn't work, he thought about why.

If you want to meet with him, schedule as soon as possible.