Rated 9
Strongly recommend: 60%Neutral: 40%9
60% strongly recommend
5 reviews
Humanity
10
10
Humanity

Ratings of 1 mean patients felt this doctor treated them as "a number."

Ratings of 10 mean patients felt this doctor treated them as "a human."

Communication
9.2
9.2
Communication

Ratings of 1 mean poor communication.

Ratings of 10 mean excellent communication.

Frequency Seen
7.2
7.2
Frequency Seen

Ratings of 1 mean patients only saw this doctor once or twice during treatment.

Ratings of 10 mean patients saw this doctor at every appointment.

Responsiveness
7
OK
Responsiveness

Scale is "poor, ok, good, excellent" and measures how responsive a care team was when patients needed to speak to them.

Education

Medical School
Dartmouth
Residency
U Mass
Fellowship
Northwestern

How Doctor Communicates

doctor, nurse available by email
nurse available by directline
nurse available by directline
not available by personal cell phone
not available by personal cell phone
Deborah Ikhena-Abel works in 1 office at

Aspire Fertility - Austin (Prelude Network clinic)
Rated 8.5
Strongly recommend: 80%Neutral: 6%Don't recommend: 14%8.5

Explore Clinic
Domain - Austin
2200 Park Bend Drive, Bld 1, Suite 402, Austin, TX 78758
Austin, TX 78758

5 patient reviews

Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2019, Unsuccessful
NPS
8
NPS
2
Age 42
1 IVF
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
Poor Egg Quality
European
Income $200K - $499K
2nd of 3 Docs
2 IUI With Other Docs
1 IVF With Other Docs
Neutral
Doesn't Recommend
Unsuccessful
Dr. Abel was the best part of my experience at the Kaiser Fertility clinic. She is warm and caring...explains things well and she has a comforting nature...always answered my questions and always responded to my emails in a timely manner...She seemed like she genuinely did want the best for me and wanted to help me conceive...I really enjoyed having her as my doctor, but had frustrations with the clinic.
Kaiser has a very long waiting list and long delays while awaiting treatment. When you are scheduled for retrieval and transfer they book you with one of the doctors, which likely will not be your own. The bloodwork and monitoring are done in two separate locations adding to the commute time to the clinic...does not offer multi-cycle packages and requires full payment just to get on the calendar.
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel was the best part of my experience at the Kaiser Fertility clinic. She is warm and caring. She explains things well and she has a comforting nature. She always answered my questions and always responded to my emails in a timely manner. I really enjoyed having her as my doctor, but had frustrations with the clinic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel is caring the nurturing. My one caution would be that the Kaiser clinic has very high demand and the waiting lists are long. I was also not guaranteed to see Dr. Abel for all of my procedures.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel is very warm and caring. She seemed like she genuinely did want the best for me and wanted to help me conceive.
Describe the protocols Deborah Ikhena-Abel used in your cycles at Kaiser Permanente NorCal and their degree of success.
My first cycle was a bcp primed cycle with a high dose of Gonal-F, Menopur, and Omnitrope. The cycle was canceled on day 9 because I did not respond well to the treatment. My second cycle was estrogen primed and a lower dose of Gonal-F, Menopur, and Omnitrop. We retrieved 5 eggs and did ICSI, but only one egg fertilized and it did not form a blastocyst.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
I was not assigned a nurse coordinator. Every time I called I spoke with someone different. I found that often times the nurses did not fully review my chart before speaking with me.
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
Kaiser has a very long waiting list and long delays while awaiting treatment. When you are scheduled for retrieval and transfer they book you with one of the doctors, which likely will not be your own. The bloodwork and monitoring are done in two separate locations adding to the commute time to the clinic. The clinic does not offer multi-cycle packages and requires full payment just to get on the calendar.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
The cost for one retrieval with ICSI and the biopsy for PGS and one transfer was $20855. This had to be paid in full before getting on the calendar for treatment
Describe Deborah Ikhena-Abel's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
We didn't get to this stage, but the clinic told me they'd do a single embryo transfer.
What specific things went wrong at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
  • Lost results
  • Provided conflicting information
  • Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
I was told that I have a very high chance of another miscarriage and IVF with PGS testing is the only recommendation for me. My first IVF cycle was canceled on day 9 and when the doctor (not my doctor) recommended canceling she advised me that they were moving me to an IUI. When I questioned this I reminded them of my high miscarriage risk the doctor responded with "I didn't know", but it was in my chart and had they read it fully they would have known. After my retrieval I started planning the next cycle with my doctor. She told me the nurse would call to schedule the next cycle, but when the nurse called she told me she was calling to set up my protocol for my transfer. I was very upset and told her that I didn't have anything to transfer because my embryo did not form a blastocyst. Again, had they read my chart they would have known this.
8
Doctor
Deborah Ikhena-Abel
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
3 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
5 of 5
Adaptability
5 of 5
2
Clinic
Kaiser Permanente NorCal
Sunnyvale
NPS
Operations
3 of 5
Scheduling
1 of 5
Billing Department
3 of 5
Nursing Staff
2 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
1 of 5
Educational Resources
6 of 5
Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2018, Unsuccessful
NPS
9
NPS
8
Age 36
1 IVF
Anovulation
East Asian
Income $100K - $199K
Operations
2nd of 2 Docs
Strongly Recommends
Neutral
Unsuccessful
Dr. Abel has a warm bedside manner and is easy to talk with. I felt heard in all of my personal interactions with her. ... Dr. Abel listens to you and I loved that she did all the monitoring and the procedures. ... I was on the antagonist protocol and we were initially concerned about the risk of OHSS, which fortunately we avoided. ... While the cycle ended in a chemical pregnancy, she offered a lot of suggestions on what to do moving forward and was open to suggestions.
The clinic [Kaiser Permanente] batches cycles which can be a pro and a con. It's good because your doctor will likely do all the monitoring and procedures. It can be bad because the wait times can be long for monitoring appointments and you may have to wait months to be on another IVF cycle. ... The nurses were great -- the challenge was leaving voicemails and playing phone tag but they are very nice and responsive once you get a hold of them. The OR nurses were amazing.
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel listens to you and I loved that she did all the monitoring and the procedures. She is very personable and I was transferred to her care after the initial consult with another doctor in the clinic because I wanted to have my cycle earlier. I was on the antagonist protocol and we were initially concerned about the risk of OHSS, which fortunately we avoided. While the cycle ended in a chemical pregnancy, she offered a lot of suggestions on what to do moving forward and was open to suggestions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Get her from the start if you can. Ask about supplements.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel has a warm bedside manner and is easy to talk with. I felt heard in all of my personal interactions with her.
Describe the protocols Deborah Ikhena-Abel used in your cycles at Kaiser Permanente NorCal and their degree of success.
We used the antagonist protocol because I have irregular cycles and a high AMH. I was on BCP 2 weeks at a time for about 3 weeks before starting injectables. We did ICSI although we didn't have MFI. We expected to retrieve a lot of follicles given the monitoring results but we only retrieved 7 eggs, fertilized 5 via ICSI, 2 fertilized normally and ended up with 1 day 5 blastocyst. Fresh transfer.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
The nurses were great -- the challenge was leaving voicemails and playing phone tag but they are very nice and responsive once you get a hold of them. The OR nurses were amazing.
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
Monitoring can happen at the doctor's home clinic but all retrievals and transfers occur in Fremont. The clinic batches cycles which can be a pro and a con. It's good because your doctor will likely do all the monitoring and procedures. It can be bad because the wait times can be long for monitoring appointments and you may have to wait months to be on another IVF cycle. The Fremont REI clinic doesn't do lab draws -- you will have to walk to the main Kaiser Fremont hospital lab for lab draws. DNA fragmentation screening is not part of the screening process.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
You are lucky if you get to the Fremont REI early but there were times when I had to wait an hour.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
ICSI was an additional $1,500. My HDHP plan covered 1 cycle of IVF and medications.
Describe Deborah Ikhena-Abel's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
We only had one embryo to transfer but the clinic prefers eSET.
9
Doctor
Deborah Ikhena-Abel
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
5 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
5 of 5
Adaptability
5 of 5
8
Clinic
Kaiser Permanente NorCal
Sunnyvale
NPS
Operations
4 of 5
Scheduling
5 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
5 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
4 of 5
Educational Resources
6 of 5
Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2018, Unknown Success
NPS
8
NPS
7
Age 35
3 IUI
Anovulation
PCOS
European
Income $50K - $99K
Teacher
1st of 4 Docs
Donor Sperm
Neutral
Neutral
Success w/ Doc Too early to know
Overall, Dr. Ikhena-Abel is an excellent doctor. She responds quickly to my questions and is caring about my situation. There have been a few times where she references discussing something in my initial appointment that I don't remember talking about but it was a lot of information in a short amount of time. I was diagnosed with PCOS during my first ultrasound and I wish I could have talked to her more about the implications.
This is a Kaiser clinic, so like any Kaiser service you have to advocate for yourself. You don't see the reproductive endocrinologist more than once or twice and most care is with the nurse practitioners.... Overall, I've had great care with the nurses at Kaiser. One nurse was a little too heavy-handed with the ultrasound wand but lightened up when I asked her to do so. I was unhappy with one when she talked about next steps during my third IUI but I didn't want to think about another cycle or IVF at that point.
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Overall, Dr. Ikhena-Abel is an excellent doctor. She responds quickly to my questions and is caring about my situation. There have been a few times where she references discussing something in my initial appointment that I don't remember talking about but it was a lot of information in a short amount of time. I was diagnosed with PCOS during my first ultrasound and I wish I could have talked to her more about the implications. It took a while, and a lot of research on my part, to understand what PCOS and anovulation meant for my fertility journey. I appreciate that she and the nurse practitioners changed my protocol each time to try to have a better outcome and that she's been honest with me through each step of the process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Take copious notes at your first consultation!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Ikhena-Abel is great about getting back to me. She clearly cares about her patients and I feel like she really wants me to succeed.
Describe the protocols Deborah Ikhena-Abel used in your cycles at Kaiser Permanente NorCal and their degree of success.
1st cycle: Femara 5 mg. days 3-7, IUI 1, failed 2nd cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 3-7, 2 days of Menopur ml. at the end of the cycle to try for more than one egg (cancelled) 3rd cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 2-6, Menopur 75 ml. days 3-10; IUI #2 with 3 eggs, failed 4th cycle: Femara 5 mg. days 2-6; Menopur 75 ml. days 3-13; IUI #3 with 1 maybe two eggs 5th cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 2-6; Menopur 150 ml days 3-4; Menopur 75 ml days 5-9; Menopur 37.5 ml day 10; IUI #4 pending
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
Overall, I've had great care with the nurses at Kaiser. One nurse was a little too heavy-handed with the ultrasound wand but lightened up when I asked her to do so. I was unhappy with one when she talked about next steps during my third IUI but I didn't want to think about another cycle or IVF at that point. I understand everyone is different. They've been very understanding throughout my fertility challenges and given me hugs with bad news. They're all very caring and kind.
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
This is a Kaiser clinic, so like any Kaiser service you have to advocate for yourself. You don't see the reproductive endocrinologist more than once or twice and most care is with the nurse practitioners. I think I've seen four of the NPs, Carla, Debbie, Marion and Lori and I've liked them. I'm considering a cheaper option for IVF but I hope if I do go somewhere else that the staff are as good. They are quite aggressive (in my experience) with treatment, but I do have PCOS so it can be hard to stimulate my ovaries. Overall I've been very happy with them.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
I have IUI fertility coverage so my generic medication was $7 and my non-generic was $25. My ultrasounds and IUIs are $20 per appointment. I did not pay anything for my HSG or blood tests.
8
Doctor
Deborah Ikhena-Abel
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
3 of 5
Frequency Seen
1 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
3 of 5
Adaptability
5 of 5
7
Clinic
Kaiser Permanente NorCal
Sunnyvale
NPS
Operations
5 of 5
Scheduling
5 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
5 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
4 of 5
Educational Resources
6 of 5
Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2019 - 2020, Successful
NPS
10
NPS
8
Age 27 - 28
2 IUI
2 IVF
Male Factor
Marketer or PR
Only Doc Seen
Strongly Recommends
Neutral
Successful
Dr. Abel really took the time to talk to us about our specific situation and didn't just state facts and numbers. She always answered all of our questions and never rushed us...when we had failed attempts, she was grieving right there with us and immediately worked on a plan with us for next steps. And when our transfer did take, she was celebrating beside us.
I did not like that to get our initial appointment we had to wait about 3 months, the wait time should not be so long. Other than that, once we were in it was a smooth process. Everyone was very helpful and accomodating...Everyone [Kaiser Permanente NorCal nurses] always had a smile on their face and was happy to help..
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
I would recommend Dr. Abel to everyone. We went through 3 transfers until it took and the third one is the one she did and not her colleagues and that's the one that worked. She's got magic hands. Not only that, when we had failed attempts, she was grieving right there with us and immediately worked on a plan with us for next steps. And when our transfer did take, she was celebrating beside us.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Use her! She's amazing!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Dr. Abel really took the time to talk to us about our specific situation and didn't just state facts and numbers. She always answered all of our questions and never rushed us.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
Everyone always had a smile on their face and was happy to help
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
I did not like that to get our initial appointment we had to wait about 3 months, the wait time should not be so long. Other than that, once we were in it was a smooth process. Everyone was very helpful and accomodating.
What specific things went wrong at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
  • Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
The one thing I had go wrong was when they changed my appointment they cancelled the new appointment and not the old one so when I went in the doctor was not in the office yet because she was unaware that she had an appointment.
10
Doctor
Deborah Ikhena-Abel
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
5 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
5 of 5
Adaptability
5 of 5
8
Clinic
Kaiser Permanente NorCal
Sunnyvale
NPS
Operations
5 of 5
Scheduling
5 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
5 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
4 of 5
Educational Resources
7 of 5
Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2019, Successful
NPS
10
NPS
9
Age 36
5 IUI
1 IVF
Unexplained
South Asian
Income $100K - $199K
Only Doc Seen
Strongly Recommends
Strongly Recommends
Successful
She [Dr. Ikhena-Abel] recommended single embryo transfer based on maternal age and likelihood of success...When i was in a panic about a hematoma Dr Able was nice enough to call me and setup an appointment first thing in the morning...We followed her recommended medication dosage and it worked out really well in terms of the number of eggs retrieved. We ended up with 3 blastocytes, the first of which led to our first baby daughter. Immediately after the positive pregnancy test, I thought I had miscarried and immediately reached out to Dr. Abel.
The wait time to get an IVF appointment at Kaiser Santa Clara are quite long. It took up about 3 months to get an appointment. Once the process begins its quite smooth due to the HMO nature of Kaiser...When i was in a panic about a hematoma Dr Able was nice enough to call me and setup an appointment first thing in the morning.... Overall our experience with Dr. Abel has been great and we look forward to reaching out to her for our second attempt :)
How was your experience with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
We met Dr. Abel after completing 5 rounds of unsuccessful IUI. We picked Dr. Abel as our IVF doctor. Dr. Abel was professional and knowledgeable and explained the IVF process in detail. We followed her recommended medication dosage and it worked out really well in terms of the number of eggs retrieved. We ended up with 3 blastocytes, the first of which led to our first baby daughter. Immediately after the positive pregnancy test, I thought I had miscarried and immediately reached out to Dr. Abel. She was kind enough to call me and set up an appointment with me the first thing in the morning the next day for an ultrasound. I appreciate her empathy and promptness in reaching out to me. Overall our experience with Dr. Abel has been great and we look forward to reaching out to her for our second attempt :)
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
Try and follow instructions for the tablets and injectables exactly.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal?
When i was in a panic about a hematoma Dr Able was nice enough to call me and setup an appointment first thing in the morning.
Describe your experience with Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
The wait time to get an IVF appointment at Kaiser Santa Clara are quite long. It took up about 3 months to get an appointment. Once the process begins its quite smooth due to the HMO nature of Kaiser.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Deborah Ikhena-Abel at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
The total cost was about 20k $
Describe Deborah Ikhena-Abel's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kaiser Permanente NorCal.
She recommended single embryo transfer based on maternal age and likelihood of success
10
Doctor
Deborah Ikhena-Abel
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
4 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
4 of 5
Explained risks
5 of 5
Adaptability
5 of 5
9
Clinic
Kaiser Permanente NorCal
Sunnyvale
NPS
Operations
5 of 5
Scheduling
4 of 5
Billing Department
5 of 5
Nursing Staff
5 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
5 of 5
Educational Resources
7 of 5

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