The number of embryos transferred is largely dependent on the patient's preference. The patient chooses how many embryos they want thawed. Dr. Keenan will transfer as many as are thawed, so you don't always know how many are going to be transferred until you are gowned up ready to go...I miscarried and was not given an option to miscarry my way. He dropped me as a patient in the middle of my miscarriage and I had to find a new provider VERY quickly to to treat me in the midst of a trying time. I have heard of others who do not receive support after their failed/s
It is largely up to you to put out fires and unforeseen circumstances and figure how to manage your health and protocol [at Southeastern Fertility Center]. It takes a while for questions and requests to be answered so you have to prepare ahead. A lot of patients are coming from out of state, so the clinic is not close to consult with. You have the do all the legwork on your own in your hometown. It is a second full time job to pull yourself through this process.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Dr. Keenan is very busy and does not always have time to answer specific questions right away, however he is very consistent and accurate in his work. I felt like I was in very competent hands. I had a very good understanding of the risks and benefits behind embryo donation and what was required of me from him. Although he is very passionate about the embryos, I do not feel that he is very kind to patients when faced with the option of preserving maternal health over the well-being of the embryos. I think that his compassion towards his mission to find every donated embryo a home can be confused for caring for the patients themselves.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Be very sure that you know the consequences of every possible outcome of the transfer: if you do become pregnant, if you do not become pregnant, and if you miscarry. I miscarried and was not given an option to miscarry my way. He dropped me as a patient in the middle of my miscarriage and I had to find a new provider VERY quickly to to treat me in the midst of a trying time. I have heard of others who do not receive support after their failed/successful transfer. Women are left without much help on how to proceed after they become patient.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Dr. Keenan cares a lot about his patients and their backgrounds. He has great passion for life and he works as hard as he can to find suitable matches between unused donated embryos and families.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
There are two appointments at minimum with Dr. Keenan, one for a mock transfer and then again for the FET. The first appointment is a one-stop stop and all preliminary testing needed for the transfer is performed and patients learn all they need to know to prepare for transfer day as well.
To prepare for the FET, I was put on 21 days of Lupron, the Estrace for 14 days, and Progesterone for 3 days. I was also prescribed baby aspirin as soon as I started the protocol. Progesterone was continued until 11 weeks of pregnancy.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Lynda)
They are very overworked but are very kind and patient.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
The clinic does not hold your hold through this process. It is largely up to you to put out fires and unforeseen circumstances and figure how to manage your health and protocol. It takes a while for questions and requests to be answered so you have to prepare ahead. A lot of patients are coming from out of state, so the clinic is not close to consult with. You have the do all the legwork on your own in your hometown. It is a second full time job to pull yourself through this process.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
around $7,000
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
The number of embryos transferred is largely dependent on the patient's preference. The patient chooses how many embryos they want thawed. Dr. Keenan will transfer as many as are thawed, so you don't always know how many are going to be transferred until you are gowned up ready to go.
What specific things went wrong at Rejoice Fertility?
Dr. Keenan took the time to sit down and answer and review any question I had, without making my appointment feel rushed. He explains things in a way that makes sense on my level. He is an overall joyful person, which helps put me at ease during my appointments...I did not and am not using any fertility meds under him, other than Cabergoline, to keep my endo under control. He believes I have no reason to use the other fertility meds (like Clomid, letrozole, etc.) for my particular case, that they would not be any more beneficial.
As a new patient [of Fertility Center of Chattanooga] , you have the option to have the doctor pray with you, if you are religious or spiritual. I personally love this, because it is a level of intimacy that you do not see in the medical field much...The nursing staff here are so very sweet and personable. One nurse in particular feels like a mother figure to me every time I see her.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Fertility Center of Chattanooga?
Dr. Keenan took the time to sit down and answer and review any question I had, without making my appointment feel rushed. He explains things in a way that makes sense on my level. He is an overall joyful person, which helps put me at ease during my appointments. He lays things out how they really are, without sugarcoating or being unsympathetic about it. He was even able to schedule a surgery for me in less than a week, that would have normally taken months to get together. I truly appreciate the effort he puts in, and the way he assists his patients.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Fertility Center of Chattanooga?
I would say to have questions ready when you go in, and speak up for yourself. Tell the doctor what you want or need, whether it’s questions or treatments, or etc. Do research before you go in. Dr. Keenan is wise and willing to answer questions, so just make sure you are informed on decision making before you go in.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Fertility Center of Chattanooga?
Dr. Keenan has such a wonderful bedside manner and has a sweet personality. He is very wise and knows how to treat his patients. His office is comfortable and he puts a level of care into detail that you don’t see much anymore.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Fertility Center of Chattanooga and their degree of success.
I had previously seen a different RE for endometriosis and secondary infertility, who had prescribed me all mannerisms of pills and injectables, that did not help my course of treatment. In fact, I had to have another laparoscopy under Dr. Keenan less than a year after my first one (under that other RE), because my endo had come back with a vengeance. Dr. Keenan used more natural methods with me specifically, as in charting BBT (I had never done before), OPKS, timed intercourse, and so on. I did not and am not using any fertility meds under him, other than Cabergoline, to keep my endo under control. He believes I have no reason to use the other fertility meds (like Clomid, letrozole, etc.) for my particular case, that they would not be any more beneficial.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility Center of Chattanooga.
The nursing staff here are so very sweet and personable. One nurse in particular feels like a mother figure to me every time I see her.
Describe your experience with Fertility Center of Chattanooga.
As a new patient, you have the option to have the doctor pray with you, if you are religious or spiritual. I personally love this, because it is a level of intimacy that you do not see in the medical field much. If you do not want your doctor to pray with you, it isn’t awkward or odd not checking the box on the paperwork. Just a nice “extra” if you desire it. I love how neat and comfortable the office space is decorated. It is almost like waiting at home as opposed to feeling like a sad little waiting room in a hospital. I honestly cannot think of any weaknesses.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Fertility Center of Chattanooga.
I do not remember all the costs, but having an HSA savings card was so convenient for me to pay for appointments and procedures.
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Center of Chattanooga.
I did not go the IVF route, so I cannot really answer this question.
Great beside manners. He [Dr. Jeffrey Keenan] reviewed my medical history with me and determined my chances for embryo transfer...I had a one on one conversation with the doctor so he can get to know more before before performing the trial and physical...Having turners syndrome, I am unable to use my own eggs and run the risk of my children having missing chromosomes...
[Southeastern Fertility Center] staff all meet you one on one at the first visit to go over everything and throughout the process...Depending on the quality of the embryos, the clinic will transfer any where from one to three embryos but no more then three embryos...The trial transfer consult $555. Program fee was $2000 but I recieved a grant from the program at 1200, only having to pay $600. My transfer fee is under $4,000. The medication was quoted at $1,000, std testing of each donor max is $500 and embryo shipping max is $750 per donor
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Great beside manners. He reviewed my medical history with me and determined my chances for embryo transfer. It felt good to here as I was reaching out to other providers who was turning me away based on my Turners and refusing to review my medical history. Dr. Keenan and his staff didn't make any promises before meeting but instead, agreed to not only talk with me, but also to review my medical records and it was the greatest feeling to hear that I could carry out a successful pregnancy with few complications.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He is an excellent provider who takes time out to get to know his patients in an office setting, before even going to an exam room which helps for you feel a little bit more at ease.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I felt like a human and not a number because the staff to their time to answer all my questions. I had a one on one conversation with the doctor so he can get to know more before before performing the trial and physical.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
A frozen embryo transfer from patients who have created their families from ivf and they have decided to donate their embryos. Having turners syndrome, I am unable to use my own eggs and run the risk of my children having missing chromosomes since I have 46x and not 46x,y chromosomes. Because my turners has only shown to affected my my eggs and I'm overall health in other areas, Dr.keenan has determined, I will have a less complicated pregnancy and better chance of my embryos survive if it is survived through the thawing process.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility.
The staff all meet you one on one at the first visit to go over everything and throughout the process up embryo transfer. E-mail is utilized alot but they respond within a day or two.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
You have to drink 64oz of water the morning before your visit without emptying your bladder so because you don't want to not be under full, you drink extra water. It would be great if they call you back right away and not have to wait so long in the waiting room with an uncomfortable bladder.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
The trial transfer consult $555. Program fee was $2000 but I recieved a grant from the program at 1200, only having to pay $600. My transfer fee is under $4,000. The medication was quoted at $1,000, std testing of each donor max is $500 and embryo shipping max is $750 per donor
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
Depending on the quality of the embryos, the clinic will transfer any where from one to three embryos but no more then three embryos. If one embryo is not a high quality then they may add a second on third embryo to equal out a good quality embryo and a higher chance for pregnancy
We went through a typical embryo transfer cycle [with Dr. Jeffrey Keenan], birth control followed by lupron (.02ml) estrogen (.3 ml) and progesterone (1 ml) injections. I also took baby aspirin and vitamin d3. Day of transfer I took albuteral and Valium. The only one I didn’t understand why I took was albuteral and I forgot to ask about it. We had a smooth and successful transfer,
The clinic [Southeastern Fertility Center- Knoxville] is great, clean, cozy, and smaller. I’ve seen photos of very stark clinics and my old clinic had snobby women at the desk. This clinic is nothing like that. Everyone is friendly and caring. The fees are reasonable and they’re weren’t any unexpected fees.... Lynda is always on it and very quick to respond with exactly what I need. You can tell she’s been doing this for awhile. She’s my saving grace with this whole process.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He is very personable caring and optimistic. I haven’t had a negative experience yet. I felt cared about and that our goals to achieve pregnancy aligned. He listened to my questions and answered honesty. He ordered tests upon my request and honestly reasoned with my as to why I didn’t need others. He was less than thrilled with my previous doctors care which was very affirming.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
You’re still your patient no matter how good they are and you have to voice your concerns.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He didn’t rush any of my appointments and was personable and calm. He speaks words of optimism.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
We went through a typical embryo transfer cycle, birth control followed by lupron (.02ml) estrogen (.3 ml) and progesterone (1 ml) injections. I also took baby aspirin and vitamin d3. Day of transfer I took albuteral and Valium. The only one I didn’t understand why I took was albuteral and I forgot to ask about it. We had a smooth and successful transfer,
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Lynda)
Lynda is always on it and very quick to respond with exactly what I need. You can tell she’s been doing this for awhile. She’s my saving grace with this whole process.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
The clinic is great, clean, cozy, and smaller. I’ve seen photos of very stark clinics and my old clinic had snobby women at the desk. This clinic is nothing like that. Everyone is friendly and caring. The fees are reasonable and they’re weren’t any unexpected fees.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
Application fee program fee mock transfer transfer and shipping fees. Medication outside cost to pharmacy. In all it was around 8k with each additional transfer being around 5 k
Didn’t meet Dr. Keenan only Autumn his nurse practitioner. She was nice and helpful on answering my questions. But however, they didn’t really explain things well unless I asked. I had some blood work come back abnormal and no one explained it to me she said take these meds.... I used Clomid 100mg once a day on cycle day 3-7. Then started taking a steroid every night at bedtime to help my DHEA levels. Started taking Mucinex on cycle day 11. Started OPK on cd 10. Got a positive on cd 12. Called the office
[Southeastern Fertility Center's] Strengths- very friendly, organized, helpful with questions. Weaknesses- returning phone calls, not explaining things thoroughly. Just assumed I knew what the deal was and this was my first iui.... She [a nurse] was the one that was supposed to schedule my HSG test and called her for 2 days and left 2 messages, she didn’t return my phone call. I had to call the receptionist and get an half attitude for them to call me back.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Didn’t meet Dr. Keenan only Autumn his nurse practitioner. She was nice and helpful on answering my questions. But however, they didn’t really explain things well unless I asked. I had some blood work come back abnormal and no one explained it to me she said take these meds.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions. Write things down so when your in their office you can remember what you want to say.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Autumn is always so nice and answers all my questions
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
Started charting temp every morning on cycle day 2. I used Clomid 100mg once a day on cycle day 3-7. Then started taking a steroid every night at bedtime to help my DHEA levels. Started taking Mucinex on cycle day 11. Started OPK on cd 10. Got a positive on cd 12. Called the office and scheduled to go in tomorrow for our ultrasound and first iui.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Mary)
She was the one that was supposed to schedule my HSG test and called her for 2 days and left 2 messages, she didn’t return my phone call. I had to call the receptionist and get an half attitude for them to call me back.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
Strengths- very friendly, organized, helpful with questions.
Weaknesses- returning phone calls, not explaining things thoroughly. Just assumed I knew what the deal was and this was my first iui.
I go in tomorrow for the procedure and hoping it works. The other procedures I have had they were very nice and as gentle as possible.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
So far 1500
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
None
What specific things went wrong at Rejoice Fertility?
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Rejoice Fertility.
Just the nurse not returning my phone call to schedule an appointment that the receptionist said I needed to talk to her for, when I called for the 3rd time because I was on limited time and got kinda hateful the nurse called me back finally just to end up transferring me back to the receptionist to schedule the appointment.
However I wish he [Dr. Keenan] would spend more time explaining to me about the procedures, risk, and what’s going on with me. ... I think he is a very intelligent doctor and I trust everything that he is doing for us. ... We did 3 months of that then moved into iui’s with femara. We did one month with that then he did a laparoscopic surgery on me to see if I had endometriosis. I did but just a mild case.
Friendly and caring! I also love their [Southeastern Fertility Center] Christian values! That is very important to me ... Sometimes I feel like I’m bothering them [nurses]. ... Everyone at the clinic is great and know you by name but at times I feel like that don’t explain everything very well. I have to go home and google or ask other women who have done treatments ... From what I have gathered from other women they are normal prices.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I think he is a very intelligent doctor and I trust everything that he is doing for us. However I wish he would spend more time explaining to me about the procedures, risk, and what’s going on with me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He is an amazing doctor just be sure to ask questions or he will not let you know what all is going on.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Everyone at the clinic is great and know you by name but at times I feel like that don’t explain everything very well. I have to go home and google or ask other women who have done treatments
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
So my husband has a low sperm count and I have some issues with me. I had a femvue and it was fine. So he started me on metformin, vitamin d, and femara. We did 3 months of that then moved into iui’s with femara. We did one month with that then he did a laparoscopic surgery on me to see if I had endometriosis. I did but just a mild case. We did 3 more iui’s with femara, then one with hmg injections. All resulting in negative results. We are going to do one more then will proceed to ivf.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Mary)
They are really good! I love them, just wish they would go in to more details with me. Sometimes I feel like I’m bothering them.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
They are really good and have proof that they are good at what they do. I wish they would just go in to more depth about the treatments then just handing me a paper. Other than that they are amazing. Friendly and caring! I also love their Christian values! That is very important to me
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
From what I have gathered from other women they are normal prices. My iui’s cost around $400 not including labs or ultrasounds. Femvue was $500. They estimated just a rough guess on ivf would be $15000 for a set.
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
We haven’t discussed that yet so I have no idea.
What specific things went wrong at Rejoice Fertility?
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Rejoice Fertility.
Once the new receptionist scheduled my appointment in the wrong month, but I caught it a week out from when it was suppose to be and they fixed it. Also I had to go in for an ultrasound on the weekend for an iui, and dr. Keenan was suppose to call me with my results on my labs that day but he didn’t.
Clomid + IUI - no monitoring during the cycle [with Dr. Jeffrey Keenan]. 3 Cycles with this protocol with no result in pregnancy. Egg Retrieval with Injectables. Hyperstimulated and unable to transfer. Unable to transfer after multiple failed mock cycles for FET using estrace and estradiol injectables. Due to only doing transfers certain months and only a few days within that month they were unable to accommodate.
Some of the staff [at Southeastern Fertility Center] were compassionate while some had very poor bedside manner. I did not feel like everyone on staff wanted the same outcome as my husband and I did. There was a lot of miscommunication which lead to a lot of frustration on whether or not they knew who I was and what my plan of care was... they [nurses] seemed overwhelmed by the amount of patients and the responsibilities they were given. This resulted in what I felt like them not being able to do their job as well as they could.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I appreciated Dr. Keenan's medical care and input but was frustrated with the miscommunication especially when he was on vacation. I did not feel like he planned well for his time off considering his patients were still ongoing treatment. Overall I felt he did well with explaining things and making sure we fully understood the plan, but I did not always agree with his plan and I felt like I didn't always have a choice on how I wanted to proceed.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Educate yourself going into it because if I was not knowledgeable on the process prior to starting I would have easily felt overwhelmed and lost in all the information. Make sure you advocate for yourself and let them know what you want out of this process.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Some of the staff were compassionate while some had very poor bedside manner. I did not feel like everyone on staff wanted the same outcome as my husband and I did. There was a lot of miscommunication which lead to a lot of frustration on whether or not they knew who I was and what my plan of care was.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
Clomid + IUI - no monitoring during the cycle. 3 Cycles with this protocol with no result in pregnancy.
Egg Retrieval with Injectables. Hyperstimulated and unable to transfer.
Unable to transfer after multiple failed mock cycles for FET using estrace and estradiol injectables. Due to only doing transfers certain months and only a few days within that month they were unable to accommodate.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Rejoice Fertility.
The nursing staff was compassionate most of the time, but they seemed overwhelmed by the amount of patients and the responsibilities they were given. This resulted in what I felt like them not being able to do their job as well as they could.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
Strengths: Knowledgeable, ability to do IVF and not send elsewhere, friendly front staff, great lab tech
Weaknesses: Communication, overwhelmed staff, limited schedule for IVF/FET, lacking bedside manner
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Rejoice Fertility.
Monitoring appointments for IVF went well, no issues. I was not monitored when taking clomid and doing IUI.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
Comparable to other clinics.
What specific things went wrong at Rejoice Fertility?
Failed to call with results
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Provided conflicting information
Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Rejoice Fertility.
Did not report lab results - had to look up on my own. Miscommunication on multiple occasions regarding protocol. Unable to accommodate FET d/t limited scheduling.
I wish he would do all my IUI treatments. The nurse and nurse practitioner always have trouble getting the catheter in and it's painful. Once Dr Keenan did it and he got it right in with no trouble. I do wish I saw him more and the nurse less.... Mary isn't knowledgeable about all the things we do. She also was the person on call to do an IUI one month and couldn't get it done when I came in because she couldn't get the catheter in. I was highly disappointed that day and I still had to pay the full IUI price even though I didn't have an IUI done.
The receptionist [at Southeastern Center for Fertility] can make you feel dumb sometimes and she isn't very compassionate. The staff are mostly all sweet and helpful. I wish they did explain more, I feel they expect me to know what they mean when I don't. I always have to get them to explain more and feel ignorant.... Mary isn't knowledgeable about all the things we do. She also was the person on call to do an IUI one month and couldn't get it done when I came in because she couldn't get the catheter in. I was highly disappointed that day and I still had to pay the full IUI price even though I didn't have an IUI done.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I wish he would do all my IUI treatments. The nurse and nurse practitioner always have trouble getting the catheter in and it's painful. Once Dr Keenan did it and he got it right in with no trouble. I do wish I saw him more and the nurse less. I also wish that they explained the cost more, I always have to ask the receptionist
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Ask a lot of questions and if you are having difficulty with the nurse or nurse practitioner just ask for Dr Keenan instead.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
They are all nice and helpful!
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
I did clomid days 3-7 of cycle and did IUI the day after ovulation. They did not check to see how I responded to clomid the first 3 times. Finally this past appt they said they would do an ultrasound to see how I am doing on chlomid. If I'm not responding well they will switch my meds. I wish they would have checked the first time so that if I don't respond to chlomid I would have known and switched and not had to wait.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Mary )
Mary isn't knowledgeable about all the things we do. She also was the person on call to do an IUI one month and couldn't get it done when I came in because she couldn't get the catheter in. I was highly disappointed that day and I still had to pay the full IUI price even though I didn't have an IUI done.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
The receptionist can make you feel dumb sometimes and she isn't very compassionate. The staff are mostly all sweet and helpful. I wish they did explain more, I feel they expect me to know what they mean when I don't. I always have to get them to explain more and feel ignorant.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
IUI cost around $400 each month. I have had to pay $60 each visit which is every 2 weeks for co-payment. I just had a laparoscoptomy in February and my insurance didn't cover it so had to pay $8000 out of pocket. I pay all blood work and chlomid.
What specific things went wrong at Rejoice Fertility?
Failed to order appropriate test
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Rejoice Fertility.
Like I said before, they didn't realize they had not checked my chlomid and how I responded to it. So 4 months late they have it scheduled to do it.
When Dr. Keenan enters the room with me, he is fully in that room with me. He listens to what I say, he responds fully, and puts me at the forefront of his attention. I never leave feeling as if I wasn't heard or understood. I never feel like "just another patient." I feel like I'm the only patient he's seeing, and the only one who matters. Even better, he takes a moment to review my chart BEFORE he enters the room, so that he's aware of my history before we even start talking...
Mary [Nurse at Southeast Center for Fertility and Reproductive Surgery] is amazing. She always returns my calls within 3 hours, and gets whatever information I need. She's kind and compassionate, and confident in her work. She's a real blessing...They have a phlebotomist on-site, which is really convenient. She's AMAZING, and always hits you on the first try, and there's never more than a 3 minute wait for her. No appointment necessary for blood work, either, which is great when your schedule is in flux. Also, they will email you the results of your blood tests as soon as they're in! Most of the time, I know my scores before the nurse ever calls me, so I can review the numbers and do some Googling about the analysis before I speak with them, giving me time to think up all the questions I have...
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
When Dr. Keenan enters the room with me, he is fully in that room with me. He listens to what I say, he responds fully, and puts me at the forefront of his attention. I never leave feeling as if I wasn't heard or understood. I never feel like "just another patient." I feel like I'm the only patient he's seeing, and the only one who matters. Even better, he takes a moment to review my chart BEFORE he enters the room, so that he's aware of my history before we even start talking.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I'd say to keep the first appointment brief, and read all of the literature he gives you on the first visit. You're going to be so overwhelmed with information, and the written literature he sends you home with answers 99% of the questions you think about when you walk out. You can always call them and speak to a nurse if you have any other questions. I felt like I asked a lot of questions that first visit that I didn't fully remember the answers to, but they were all answered in the literature I came home with, which was awesome.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I've felt like a human being throughout treatment. Dr. Keenan and his staff always take time to speak with me about any questions or concerns, no matter how minor or bizarre. When I lost my first pregnancy, the staff in the office treated me with kindness, warmth, and compassion. I honestly felt as if they were mourning with me. It was so helpful.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
The strategy was to try 6 months of IUI's using Clomid to increase the number of eggs released for a better shot at conception, and to increase my husband's motility through some lifestyle changes and supplements. My husband's motility has greatly improved, and I did get pregnant on the 3rd IUI. Unfortunately, I lost the baby at 6 weeks.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Mary)
Mary is amazing. She always returns my calls within 3 hours, and gets whatever information I need. She's kind and compassionate, and confident in her work. She's a real blessing.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
They do not provide inspiration material in the sample room, so if you have to give your semen analysis or deposit in office (like we do, because of our physical distance from the clinic), then come prepared with your own stash. No TV or DVD player, either. They have free WiFi, but the signal ends about half-way into the room and a few feet from the chair. Cell signal is strong in the building, though.
They have a phlebotomist on-site, which is really convenient. She's AMAZING, and always hits you on the first try, and there's never more than a 3 minute wait for her. No appointment necessary for blood work, either, which is great when your schedule is in flux. Also, they will email you the results of your blood tests as soon as they're in! Most of the time, I know my scores before the nurse ever calls me, so I can review the numbers and do some Googling about the analysis before I speak with them, giving me time to think up all the questions I have.
The office is beautiful and very clean. The equipment is well maintained and they even have flat screens so you can see what's happening during ultrasounds. It's really interesting.
They default to latex probe covers and gloves, so if you have a latex allergy (like me), be sure to let them know. They have non-latex available, so no worries.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
So far, I've spent approximately $3,700. That includes 3 IUI's, 6 months of Clomid, blood work, ultrasounds, FemVue, supplements, etc. Each IUI is about $400 and they charge an extra $25 if it has to fall on a weekend or holiday.
I have insurance - BC/BS TN. The office always bills insurance before billing me (except the FemVue and first visit, which I had to place a deposit on because of the high costs). They manage to squeeze more out of my insurance than I ever thought possible. Their billing coders are amazing.
Could have spent a little more time with patients, but very satisfied with our results and care. He is a very busy doctor, but we never felt rushed. He always saw us within a reasonable amount of time as well. ... Doctor [Keenan] was open to transferring multiple embryos. Choice was left with the patient. ... FET started with a medicated mock cycle including BCP and Estrogen. SIS was also preformed. For the actual FET, cycle was regulated with BCP and then Lupron. Estrogen was added along with Progesterone in oil. PIO and estrogen continued until pregnancy reached 12 weeks.
This clinic [Southeastern Fertility Center] is extremely busy. It can be hard to make an initial appointment, but afterwards the process is very smooth and fast. The staff communicates best through email. The front office staff is very nice and appointments have very little waiting time before being seen. ... She [nurse] is very organized and managed our FET perfectly. She was very compassionate when we thought we might be miscarrying and worked us into a full schedule so we could be seen immediately.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Could have spent a little more time with patients, but very satisfied with our results and care. He is a very busy doctor, but we never felt rushed. He always saw us within a reasonable amount of time as well.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Email don't call.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Great attention to detail and always took time to meet with my husband and I.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
FET started with a medicated mock cycle including BCP and Estrogen. SIS was also preformed. For the actual FET, cycle was regulated with BCP and then Lupron. Estrogen was added along with Progesterone in oil. PIO and estrogen continued until pregnancy reached 12 weeks.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Lynda)
Lynda was absolutely amazing. She answered any questions we had. She is very organized and managed our FET perfectly. She was very compassionate when we thought we might be miscarrying and worked us into a full schedule so we could be seen immediately.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
This clinic is extremely busy. It can be hard to make an initial appointment, but afterwards the process is very smooth and fast. The staff communicates best through email. The front office staff is very nice and appointments have very little waiting time before being seen.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
FET and monitoring cost was around $3,700 per transfer. Testing was around $1,500. Meds were around $1,000.
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
Doctor was open to transferring multiple embryos. Choice was left with the patient.
He [Dr. Keenan] was very kind and provided great information. He made small talk, but also touched on all the important details. I ask a lot of questions and he was very receptive...He explained everything really well and let me ask all my questions. He walked me through my procedure and he made our plan based on what we were wanting. We even retrieved more eggs and embryos than we thought we would...He did not have a strong preference [eset] but explained the risks and benefits very thoroughly to us. He let us ultimately decide. He did give us his recommendation which helped us to make our choice.
They [nurses at Southeastern Fertility Center] were very helpful and responded to all my emails and questions. I felt that they really listened to me...I think this is a really great clinic with great staff. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and the clinic itself is very clean. The only weakness is that the wait times can be very long sometimes...It can also be hard to get an appointment so call early...
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I think Dr. Keenan is a really great doctor. He explained everything really well and let me ask all my questions. He walked me through my procedure and he made our plan based on what we were wanting. We even retrieved more eggs and embryos than we thought we would. Overall, we've been happy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Sometimes the wait times can be a lot. It can also be hard to get an appointment so call early.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He was very kind and provided great information. He made small talk, but also touched on all the important details. I ask a lot of questions and he was very receptive.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Rejoice Fertility.
They were very helpful and responded to all my emails and questions. I felt that they really listened to me.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
I think this is a really great clinic with great staff. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and the clinic itself is very clean. The only weakness is that the wait times can be very long sometimes.
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
He did not have a strong preference but explained the risks and benefits very thoroughly to us. He let us ultimately decide. He did give us his recommendation which helped us to make our choice.
I picked Dr. Keenan primarily for ethical reasons as unused embryos are never destroyed. My first egg retrieval with Dr. Keenan was safe and I successfully got 6 eggs, 3 of which were mature and 3 which were intermediate to freeze. My second egg freezing cycle I got 4 mature eggs and 4 intermediate eggs to freeze. Despite Dr. Keenan really working to get me more eggs and improve the protocol each time, I got 5 mature eggs my third cycle and 6 mature eggs my last cycle.
They [Southeastern Fertility Center] only have egg retrievals on specific days in September, January, and May although they did a March one for me. If you have a commitment during that time and you let Lynda know, they can schedule your baseline ultrasound earlier. Plus to be on those cycles you have to be taking birth control one month before.... Their office hours are 8 AM-4:30 PM with lunch from noon to 1, which means that they are open when you are working, although Autumn does take evening appointments and they do work weekends during their September, January, and May cycles and as needed for their March cycle.
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I picked Dr. Keenan primarily for ethical reasons as unused embryos are never destroyed. My first egg retrieval with Dr. Keenan was safe and I successfully got 6 eggs, 3 of which were mature and 3 which were intermediate to freeze. My second egg freezing cycle I got 4 mature eggs and 4 intermediate eggs to freeze. Despite Dr. Keenan really working to get me more eggs and improve the protocol each time, I got 5 mature eggs my third cycle and 6 mature eggs my last cycle. His patient packet said that you could get 8-10 eggs and 80%-90% were mature, and he told me I could get average 10 so my number of mature eggs was lower. Intermediate eggs make babies at half the rate of mature eggs. Dr. Keenan did all the ultrasound monitoring himself except on weekends when Autumn, the nurse practitioner did it or during a specially scheduled baseline ultrasound during my third cycle. I did not see Dr. Keenan during blood test only appointments. Dr. Keenan and I get along fine now, but my first cycle was tough. Dr. Keenan was good about answering questions about dosing and medications, but there was not a lot of time for asking all about what is happening with the protocol and the whys of dosing adjustments during my first cycle, although you can fit in a few. Prior to my cycle, I had an initial consultation with Dr. Keenan where he told me I would need two cycles to have a 50% chance of conceiving. I had more questions than time for the 1.5 hour appointment allowed. I also found that if I asked questions that had yes or no answers to, then I would literally get yes or no for an answer so over time I realized that if I wanted more explanation or whys, I had to ask explicitly. He is generally knowledgable about clinical practice, but doesn't quote lots of studies and stats although he did tell me that each egg has a 3% chance for survival given my age. After my first appointment, I asked a lot of questions about not wanting to have quadruplets if he implanted 4 embryos and he just simply said, "I have never seen that happen before." Or do people ever regret egg freezing and the answer was, "No." Afterwards, I found it hard to get ahold of him for answers. I had emailed the practice manager and the IVF nurse more questions about the long term risks of the procedure and didn't get very satisfactory answers. He said that the staff and him had already answered all the relevant questions, but then later he realized that I was evaluating other options, I did get concise answers. Also there was one time when I told Lynda there were changes in my family history and she said Dr. Keenan wanted me to get tested for Lynch syndrome. But it failed to come with the caveat that I could be denied life insurance and long term disability if I tested positive or recommendation for genetic counseling about the implications. After googling, I asked him. He said that it was up to me, but he wouldn't do it if he were me. Maybe he is legally liable to tell me to get tested. I finally got answers on long term side effects when the consent form came out and he was able to spend 30 minutes with me on the phone, but that was months later. Also he was concerned about my anxiety and suggested counseling, SSRIs, and other anti anxiety treatments, but when I talked to a therapist, they said that the issue was I needed more information. I refused to take SSRIs as they are habit forming and have side effects and as soon as you stop taking them the anxiety comes back so it doesn't treat the disease, but Dr. Keenan said he was not aware that you could treat anxiety with acupuncture. Later though after my second cycle, he thought that it worked as I was only stimming on one side during my first cycle, but was more balanced on the second cycle and got eggs from both ovaries. In his handout he says that if you are especially anxious to speak to him so that he can get you started on medications. He also says on his sheet about weight management to drink dairy so he has a more Western focus. While I trust Dr. Keenan for fertility and appreciate his concern, I questioned whether he should be telling me, I need to be on SSRIs when he is not a qualified mental health professional. Sometimes when I ask would why he does or doesn't do things, I felt like he thought I do not trust him. I asked him if I would experience any of the side effects on lupronvictimshub and he initially told me that I would drive myself crazy if I didn't stay off the internet and trust him. Later in the call, he did explain that he hadn't seen any of the long term side effects and as soon as Lupron left my body so would the side effects and addressed my concerns about the issue fully. After my first cycle he said that I had to limit my emails to five sentences per day and two questions and things have been better since. I think I was just writing too much and they were overwhelmed. He did ask me questions to indicate that he had read some of my concerns in email. I also did art therapy and acupuncture all of which helped.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Plan early as this practice gets super booked up and it might take longer than expected to complete your cycles. Schedule a fertility check up in your late 20s to make sure you can wait. The ideal age for egg freezing on average is 34, so call the practice to schedule between 8 AM - 4:30 PM but not lunch from noon to 1 when you are 33 or as soon as you are deemed infertile. Do your research beforehand so you can think and be prepared to ask questions that you can't find on google and if you want more than just a yes or no answer, ask specifically. Limit questions to 2 per day and keep emails short (5 sentences or less)
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
I felt treated like a human when Dr. Keenan accommodated me and rebooked my appointments so that I could take my family vacation and still join his September cycle. He also does his best accommodate my schedule as he scheduled my baseline ultrasound to not conflict with when I needed to be on site at work and fit me into a March cycle. He also worked with me until I was able to complete 4 egg freezing cycles to get my equivalent of 20 mature eggs. He also did answer my concerns before my first cycle and prayed for me when I asked and told me he would do everything he could to help me, so I think that he genuinely cares. But I felt treated like a number after my first cycle, because Dr. Keenan is super busy and has a lot of patients. He has a lot of responsibilities being on the faculty of University of Tennessee in Knoxville, directing the National Embryo Donation Center, taking on traveling and speaking engagements, member of the Christian Medical and Dental Associates, in addition to all his fertility and embryo adoption patients. While Lynda, the IVF nurse, worked 10 hour days and had to come in for weekends during cycles, the clinic is not open 365 days a year and outside of business hours except during active treatment cycles when they do monitoring and surgeries on weekends like some of the larger clinics. I understand that Dr. Keenan and staff need time to sleep and rest so they don't mess up their surgeries, but from a patient perspective, I still felt like it took longer than I wanted to get all my questions answered during my first cycle, get booked for cycles, get prescriptions faxed, and the appointment time is limited. They did hire another nurse recently two days a week and mentioned in the CMDA Christian Doctor's Digest podcast that they would like to hire another RE and have more affiliate clinics.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
I was on the Long Lupron protocol with birth control, but during my first cycle I was down regulated for longer because I was on vacation. My protocol started with birth control along with 10 mg Lupron from 7 PM to 9 PM for about a week, and then just Lupron for 4 days before a baseline ultrasound and lab. Then another 10 days of just Lupron before starting 125 FSH (Gonal F and Follistim) in the AM and 1 vial of Menopur in the PM with Lupron between 7 PM and 9 PM for two days before lab. Menopur increased to two vials for the rest of the time. Lab Thursday and lab and ultrasound on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Lab only Friday. (Total stim time 12.5 days). No medication Friday night and Ovadrel. 2 Doxycycline Saturday night before retrieval. The long Lupron protocol was used because I was a woman of typical ovarian reserve for my age so that is a very typical protocol. My estradiol was not going up high enough so that is why I was given two vials of Menopur and not switched to Ganirelix. However my leading follicle was big 23 mm on Thursday and my ultrasound showed 9 total follicles. 8 were retrieved and 3 mature and 3 intermediate. My second cycle was the same except I did not take Lupron for as long and I started with 2 vials of Menopur to hopefully get more eggs. I stimmed from January 4th and had my retrieval the 17th (total stim time 10.5 days). My second cycle I had 4 mature eggs and 4 intermediate eggs to freeze, but there were 11 follicles total in my ovaries. My third cycle was the same as my second cycle except that Dr. Keenan waited one more day than would otherwise in hopes of getting more mature eggs (total stim time 12.5 days) and used HCG instead of Ovidrel. Also because I had on site work scheduled, I had extra time between my baseline ultrasound and next lab. On my fourth cycle, I went back to Ovidrel and I may have had an extra day of downreg due to other commitments.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Lynda McCollum)
Lynda McCollum is my IVF nurse coordinator. She gave me a hug after my third cycle as she thought it would be my last. There is another nurse Mari on staff who takes care of general infertility and they hired another woman, Sandy, two days per week. Dr. Keenan's wife, also named Sandy, is also a nurse and she teaches the injection class to local candidates which I missed since I am from out of town. I thought Lynda was good about answering the questions that she knew via email or getting Dr. Keenan, but I felt that some questions fell by the wayside during my first cycle until I was asked to sign a consent form saying I had all my questions answered. For example when I went to the acupuncturist, he recommended an herbal medicine for anxiety and I asked her if I could take it since Dr. Keenan says not to take herbal medicine without approval. She told me she would ask Dr. Keenan and I never heard back until a phone conversation months later when I asked him and told me no, I need to be on SSRIs. To be fair, I had a lot of questions and didn't remind them. She told me I could swim in a pool, but not a hot tub and when, when to start taking baby aspirin, why I was given a prescription for vitamin D when I was already on high dose vegan vitamin D, referred me to the acupuncturist the clinic used, etc. But when they are in cycle, you don't get questions answered right away if it is about the new patient packet even if you are trying to decide whether to sign up as they think it is not time sensitive. But sometimes it is if you are deciding whether or not you need to start taking birth control or go to another clinic on your natural period or you are feeling anxious about the risks or birth defects. I do not think she is lazy, but more swamped. There was one time when she told me that I would get my prescriptions faxed Friday, but then after two Fridays they never got faxed. Turns out I didn't need it until the end of the month, but that was not communicated to me. She ordered Lupron for me from Village Fertility Pharmacy and the rest of my medication at ivfmeds and needles from Walgreens. But I did not order them before I left for vacation as I was going to have them shipped to my hotel. She gave me medication and told me to just have the meds sent to the clinic and put them in the fridge when they came. She also showed me how to use Gonal F and Menopur, but I don't remember her telling me to take them within a two hour time window and my treatment calendar only said AM and PM. But it was clarified two days after I started stimming. She also showed me how to break the glass ampuoles from the international pharmacy. Later in the cycle she was busy and I had to come into the clinic to get refill medication and to ask them to call in my Ovidrel and she did not have much time to price compare. On my second cycle, ivfmeds sent my medications between Christmas and new years when the clinic was closed and luckily Lynda was there to receive the medications. I also ordered too many meds and had leftovers due to getting donated Menopur. By the third cycle though, I felt like a pro and Lynda was nice enough to let me borrow Menopur from the clinic and I could pay the clinic back with medications from ivfmeds. Also, they loaned me HCG when Dr. Keenan switched my medication at the last minute from Ovidrel and I was able to order a replacement from Metro Pharmacy. I ended up having to do the price comparison. ivfmeds is the cheapest for Follistim and Menopur if you don't have insurance as is Lupron, but Lupron is covered by insurance after you meet your deductible and only costs $10. Otherwise, if you are paying cash, the compounded Lupron from Metro Pharmacy is cheaper than the Avella specialty pharmacy that this clinic calls all the prescriptions into. Metro Pharmacy is a Merck pharmacy so they have cheaper HCG with $10 for 3 day shipping. Freedom Fertility Pharmacy was best for EMD Serano's Ovidrel and has free overnight shipping. On my fourth cycle, I had to be out of town and I did not realize that my Menopur injection needle was not packed until I was in Boston. Luckily the doctor on call was able to advise me to use a larger needle to stim. The practice manager, LJ, is newer so it is not useful for me to review the previous practice manager who quit before my first cycle. LJ was still coming up to speed during my first cycle so she was not that helpful in certain areas at first. But she made a mistake and gave me discount on my second cycle which Dr. Keenan honored. LJ is also a registered RN and helped me prep for surgery during my second egg retrieval by taking my vitals, putting my stuff away and helping me get to the bathroom with my IV, etc. Sandy (not Dr. Keenan's wife) helped me prep and get ready for the surgery during my first cycle. She was good about walking me through the process and keeping me calm, playing music for me and discharging me, but she picked a vein for my IV that caused a lot of blood and left a huge bruise. My hand is normal now though. Sandy also did my IV for the second cycle and she had to stick me twice because the first vein did not work and she said that it was because I wasn't relaxed. She was going to ask Sherry to stick me, but then the second vein that she picked worked. The anesthesiologist , who was very skilled, put in my IV on the third cycle and she did it in my arm which was much less painful than the first two times. On my third cycle, I needed an intramuscular injection for my HCG. Since it is hard to self administer and I was concerned about hitting my sciatic nerve, Sandy (Dr. Keenan's wife) met me at 9:00 PM at the clinic and gave me the injection.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
The clinic's strengths are that they do not destroy embryos as all patients undergoing the cycle sign a consent form saying they will use all their embryos or donate them. I feel very fortunate to have found this clinic as one woman in my fertility support group shared that her sister refused to do IVF due to concerns about embryo destruction and never had children. The state of Louisiana supposedly does not allow embryo destruction, but clinics may not care about creating extra embryos or may destroy embryos if the laws change.
Many clinics only know how to fertilize all the embryos and donate the leftovers or say something oversimplified like, "You can just implant two and have twins." This clinic can fertilize only a small number of embryos that you need based on statistics, have a child, and freeze leftover eggs and has more experience with how many to fertilize that will make it to stage 3 or blastocyst. In a time when many clinics that offer egg freezing have never even thawed any eggs, this clinic has also thawed over 1000 embryos in their embryo adoption program and are very experienced with fresh IVF cycles as well. Also because they don't always create all the embryos at once and freeze eggs, they know how to handle the thawing of eggs, which are supposedly harder thaw than embryos. The freezers are in the same place as the National Embryo Donation Center which receives millions of dollars in grants from the federal government. They are also a holistic practice although not in an alternative medicine and herbs way. I also had to explain to them that I preferred to take my high dose vegan vitamin D over what they prescribed which they approved of after I explained. They have general advice on their website like how to lose weight that included going on an Atkins diet, but they told me I did not have to follow it as my BMI was fine and I am not a morning exerciser, don't eat a lot of meat based proteins, etc. Also they told me I didn't have to take prenatals. I really liked Sherry, the Phlebotomist, who gave me advice about how to inject myself so it didn't hurt and was really good at giving shots, and Taylor at the front office, who always answers the phone. Dr. Keenan is generally responsive to concerns, for example, agreeing to let me cycle with him even though he thought I should go to a local clinic, changing my protocol to use Ovidrel which is subcutaneous instead of intermuscular Pregnyl, when I told him it was painful, redoing my protocol to accommodate my vacation, asking me questions that indicated that he had read my emails after I was upset that they ask to sign the consent form, etc. I have never felt coerced into signing something. The patients in this practice are friendly and supportive. I became Facebook friends with a woman who was cycling with me and we had a retrieval the same day. A husband gave me a bracelet that said, "He >I John 3:30" and encouraged me that, "My wife and I wanted to remind you that God performs miracles every day" when I shared that there weren't as many eggs in ovaries as I had hoped. The weaknesses of the clinic are they work somewhat on their schedule, not yours as all patients are synced and they didn't operate super quickly as they were understaffed, but they are much better now than before. They only have egg retrievals on specific days in September, January, and May although they did a March one for me. If you have a commitment during that time and you let Lynda know, they can schedule your baseline ultrasound earlier. Plus to be on those cycles you have to be taking birth control one month before. When I made my initial appointment in May, I asked if I could join their May cycle and they were like, "Oh no, these people have already been taking birth control for a month, etc." This may limit options such as going on your natural period and possibly certain protocols. Their reason for syncing has to do with cost savings supposedly. Even in September, their November cycle for embryo transfers is already booked. The clinic recognizes that they are swamped and has been actively looking for another RE and affiliate clinics that subscribe to the NEDC's charter of beliefs, but this has been tricky. Their office hours are 8 AM-4:30 PM with lunch from noon to 1, which means that they are open when you are working, although Autumn does take evening appointments and they do work weekends during their September, January, and May cycles and as needed for their March cycle. It really only matters for making the initial appointment though as when I filled out the web form I never heard back for two weeks and then after I didn't hear back about the second form called to find out it was broken. Once you visit the clinic for your initial consultation, you get access to emails, etc. But five days after my initial consultation, when I was waiting to hear back about whether or not I could get into their July cycle and should start taking birth control, I did not hear back the day before I was supposed to start taking it. Turns out, they were discussing my care and how they could fit me in, but I was not privy to the information. I still had all these unanswered questions which Lynda told me to email to her. Ultimately I needed more time to gather information, but by the time I decided it was too late even though it was still June. To be fair, I had lost the patient packet, which answers a lot of questions. I had asked about the September cycle dates and mentioned the dates that I had booked my hotel in e-mail and no one ever told me those were not the dates until my protocol came out. Also Dr. Keenan thought I had anxiety and I told him about how I went for acupuncture and the therapist told me I needed more information, but by the time he responded to me months later, it was way too late for me to seek counseling before my first cycle. I felt like I had to scramble for medication multiple times during my first cycle, but I did not run out of medication during my second cycle and got fast response during my third cycle. The first time, they moved my protocol 10 days early to accommodate my vacation with Lupron starting Sunday and I hadn't ordered my medications yet as I was still shopping around and did not realize that I would need it so soon. They emailed me Friday at 4:45 PM, but I did not check my email until after office hours and the doctor was on vacation. The doctor on call told me it was not an emergency even though the pharmacists at Freedom Fertility Pharmacy told me it was, but later Lynda called and ordered for Monday delivery as there was no Sunday delivery so I started my Lupron one day late. Another time, I had emailed Thursday night saying I only had 5 vials of Menopur since I was double dosing which means I would run out Sunday and asked about how many to reorder. I didn't hear back by Friday afternoon after calling and leaving message multiple times and waiting all day for a response, so I drove to the clinic to borrow more of their Menopur. Lynda had told me not to reorder Lupron as someone in the clinic had donated it, but then later when I realized it was the 28th day since piercing my Lupron and that is the shelf life and wanted more, there was none on hand in the clinic as the Lupron donated was a different kind of Lupron. Even though Dr. Keenan thought it was fine, Lynda ordered more for next day shipping but I still had one day expired Lupron. (But I should have given Lynda a few days notice as I did not realize my Lupron was expired.) Dr. Keenan said my trigger would be Thursday or Friday and Lynda told me on Wednesday that she wanted to know what pharmacy to fax to. I told Benita that I wanted it called into MRX pharmacy and it needed to be done before 7 PM for overnight shipping as I needed it Thursday and to let Lynda know. Benita assured me that she would tell Lynda that day and it never got called in as Benita left a note on Lynda's desk which she didn't see or had already left. I am hoping that Lynda knew that my trigger was on Friday so she didn't need to order it on Wednesday, but nothing was ever communicated to me about my care. Since half my eggs were still immature when retrieved, I am thinking that my trigger was not Thursday. I found that as a mostly cash paying patient, I had to navigate my own price comparison for medications, except for the referral to ivfmeds. Dr. Keenan uses Avella specialty pharmacy, but other places are cheaper. You also get your estradiol results days after the lab; it would be nice to know in real time. For my March cycle, I never got any lab results. The one advantage of being a cash paying patient is that even though ivfmeds is a pain to deal with, using an international pharmacy saves money as some clinics do not allow you to use an international pharmacy.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
$6350 per cycle for monitoring, egg retrieval and full anesthesia per cycle, medications cost me about $3000 on my first cycle, less on subsequent cycles because I did not have to order Menopur at the last minute from the US pharmacy, labs were covered by insurance which I am in network and the estimated payment is $50 for each weekday lab and the weekend labs were around $30-$63 each. The price for the procedure may have been slightly higher by the end of the fourth cycle due to increasing costs. I ordered medications from Metro Pharmacy for compounded Lupron and HCG, ivfmeds for Follistim and Menopur and possibly Lupron, and Freedom Fertility Pharmacy for Ovidrel. Needles and syringes for Menopur, birth control, and anti nausea patch I got at Walgreens and CVS. Insurance covered non compounded Lupron after reaching my deductible and birth control always and discounted needles. But not the rest of the medications. In the end though I had over $1000 of unused medications and it got dropped off and donated to the clinic on my retrieval day. I did not get the chance to go back and get it to try to sell to someone else due to my travel schedule. I pay more for my health plan which offers Dr. Keenan in network. Otherwise the weekday labs may be $90 each and weekend labs may be $300 if you pay cash. The weekday labs bill around $245 each before the insurance discount and maybe around $350 for weekend labs. The mental health professional that met my needs was out of network and cost $200 for initial intake and $102 for subsequent weekly visits which is the discount price for paying cash. The acupuncturist that Dr. Keenan's nurse recommended, Kathleen Klimaitis, cost $140 for initial session and $90 for each additional session. On my third cycle, I ended up going to Sam at The People's Acupuncture of Asheville, NC and that was sliding scale $25-$45. When I am not cycling, I go to the Virginia University of Oriental Medicine intern clinic which costs $20 per session. I also bought melatonin, asprin, and vegan vitamin D. For after my retrieval, I needed tylenol, crackers and coconut water to avoid nausea. After my first retrieval, I felt so terrible that I had to go to the ER for chest pain which turned out to be esophageal spasms from throwing up and I have a high deductible plan. I did not have nausea with my second cycle as Dr. Keenan and staff were aware of my nausea and prescribed a patch for me and took precautions. The initial consultation costs around $450 but I got a slight insurance discount plus the costs of a vitamin D test and AMH test. You also need an STD test which insurance is supposed to cover, but my gynecologist charged me although I don't remember the amount. Since I cycled from out of town, I also needed travel and lodging costs at hotels and airbnb for consultations, monitoring and appointments, uber/lyft to and from clinic on retrieval day, gas, bus ticket and airfare to Knoxville, etc.
Describe Jeffrey Keenan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Rejoice Fertility.
Since unused embryos are never destroyed and it is really hard to only create one euploid embryo (my guess), this clinic has a higher rate of multiples compared to other clinics. But there was one woman who Dr. Keenan suggested implanting one and she told him she wanted to implant two so she could get it over with. He offers freezing embryos for a sibling though and I am not sure why people do not do that more. During one of my cycles, one couple had two embryos did not seem to want twins, but had to decide because if they refroze the embryo and thawed it later, it might have a lower rate of survival. The embryologist told her that one embryo meant a 40% chance of pregancy while two meant 70%. I asked Dr. Keenan if embryos are not good quality would you still implant them and he said yes because they might take with 10% probability. Usually Dr. Keenan implants two in his fresh IVF cycles and two to four in the embryo adoption because they might be lower quality. You are not counseled much on this topic in egg freezing only cycles, but one patient who was doing a fresh IVF cycle said that Dr. Keenan has statistics about how many embryos to create, implant, etc.
What specific things went wrong at Rejoice Fertility?
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Rejoice Fertility.
The previous practice manager, who no longer works at the clinic, gave me the wrong range of dates for the September cycle. My family planned their vacation on dates in September and then I saw that my first protocol would be in the middle of my vacation. At first Dr. Keenan said those dates were scheduled long ago and I could consider coming in January or skipping the baseline ultrasound. They were able to work out an alternative plan though where I did my baseline ultrasound before my vacation, and stayed on Lupron longer. I had to travel with medications for all my cycles though which always stressed me out despite the foil bags being great for keeping things cool.
Dr. Keenan was there first doctor to believe my symptoms and immediately recommend treatment for it. I had endometriosis surgery with [him]...surgery was supposed to cost $2000 up front deductible but Dr. Keenan allowed me to pay $1000 up front instead...He worked to create an individualized approach for my husband and I...[he] was honest about IUI probably not being effective for us
The nursing staff [at Southeastern Fertility Center] is wonderful! They are all patient and thorough about answering all our questions...If things change in your situation they are willing to work with you to figure out best next steps...implement an individualized plan to grow your family...Endometriosis surgery was supposed to cost $2000 up front deductible...allowed me to pay $1000 up front instead
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Dr. Keenan is knowledgeable, patient, kind and compassionate. He worked to create an individualized approach for my husband and I. He explained everything at each new step and let us know what to expect.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
My advice would be to ask all of your questions and make sure you understand your options. Dr. Keenan will kindly explain it all.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Dr. Keenan took the time to explain everything and was warm and friendly.
Describe the protocols Jeffrey Keenan used in your cycles at Rejoice Fertility and their degree of success.
After 10 years of symptoms of endometriosis, Dr. Keenan was there first doctor to believe my symptoms and immediately recommend treatment for it. I had endometriosis surgery with Dr. Keenan. My husband is on medication to help increase his ability to produce sperm. Dr. Keenan was honest about IUI probably not being effective for us.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility.
The nursing staff is wonderful! They are all patient and thorough about answering all our questions.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
I think the strength of Dr. Keenan's clinic is how fast they are to implement an individualized plan to grow your family. If things change in your situation they are willing to work with you to figure out best next steps.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility.
Endometriosis surgery was supposed to cost $2000 up front deductible but Dr. Keenan allowed me to pay $1000 up front instead.
He [Dr. Keenan] is awesome! Very smart and cares about his patients! Highly recommend! He is very respectful and explains everything. He answers questions fully. I am still currently seeing him as my doctor but so far he has been great with my treatments.... They [nurses- Southeastern Fertility Center] are all always smiling and so great about helping you out. Any questions you have they are always willing to answer.... Try him out. You won't regret it. He's awesome!
I honestly think they [Southeastern Fertility Center] have very awesome strengths. They are very well organized and has great communication between all staff. The clinic is cleaned and a great location. So far I have not seen Any weakness.... They are all always smiling and so great about helping you out. Any questions you have they are always willing to answer.... He [Dr. Keenan] is so great and awesome. We are still seeing him. Such a great doctor and he has an amazing staff! He cares about his patients. Highly recommend!
How was your experience with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He is awesome! Very smart and cares about his patients! Highly recommend! He is very respectful and explains everything. He answers questions fully. I am still currently seeing him as my doctor but so far he has been great with my treatments.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
Try him out. You won't regret it. He's awesome!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jeffrey Keenan at Rejoice Fertility?
He is so great and awesome. We are still seeing him. Such a great doctor and he has an amazing staff! He cares about his patients. Highly recommend!
Describe your experience with your nurse at Rejoice Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Marie)
They are all always smiling and so great about helping you out. Any questions you have they are always willing to answer.
Describe your experience with Rejoice Fertility.
I honestly think they have very awesome strengths. They are very well organized and has great communication between all staff. The clinic is cleaned and a great location. So far I have not seen Any weakness.
