Kathleen (Kate) O'Neill

I wanted to write this review before we transferred so I could share my experience without bias stemming from success or failure. I have had consultations with three REs and been in treatment with two, so I'm writing about Dr. O'Neill in relation to my general experience of the fertility industrial complex. PROS: -willing to listen and try newer diagnostics such as ERA and DNA fragmentation testing, *if you suggest them* -considers research brought by patients when developing a treatment plan -will initiate phone calls (vs. portal messages) outside of official consultations for quick discussions on next steps forward -seems to have a consultative approach and often mentions working with her Fellows and other colleagues to come to a decision on treatment. -while I would not say she is deeply informed on the role of race in infertility treatment, I was able to bring up the subject and she did not shy away from it -Genuinely kind and empathetic when you get bad news CONS (with the note that I think many of these are universal problems in high-patient volume clinics) -Not so good at communicating with her nurse. On multiple occasions I've gotten one set of medication instructions from Dr. O'Neill, a different set from the nurse, and had to ask her to double check with Dr. O'Neill. -Can be overconfident when she's incorrect about something - e.g. you believe you are having a procedure to look at X and Y issues, but she only remembers issue Y, so you have to ask her to go dig through your records to find evidence of issue X NEUTRAL/GENERAL INFO -Seems to err on the side of slightly conservative measures when it comes to making adjustments in treatment protocols. As mentioned above, she's open to ideas, but when left to her own devices, her style seems to favor treatments with a long track record of success -Does not give estimated probability of success (I didn't ask for it either) -Can be blunt and action oriented or warm and sympathetic at turns

Very efficient. Never had to wait more than ten minutes and usually in and out within thirty minutes total. I like that they have soothing images of clouds, etc .on the lights! Each treatment room has its own private bathroom, which is a plus.

I had insurance through Aetna (NJ) so most of my costs were covered. I did pay out of pocket for sperm freezing ($350ish/year), embryo storage ($430/yr), and mock transfers ($240)

Dr. O'Neill bases her transfer protocol for untested embryos on anticipated number of euploid embryos by age. For example, if you have three embryos and research estimates 30% aneuploid, she would transfer one embryo, then two, since we'd assume at least one of those embryos would not be viable.

Dr ONeill was informative but it is difficult to get an appointment or get in touch with her. I have no idea if we should adjust treatment at this point so I scheduled a follow up. While I trust her as a doctor, there's a big disconnect and gap in communication as a patient receiving test results and treatment with little to no explanation or adjustments between cycles

Go in with an understanding that she will not be your primary care provider during treatment and that you should schedule appointments well in advance

using Clomid to hopefully produce multiple eggs and then IUI to increase the odds of conception

around $400 for the IUI treatment, $1400 for ultrasounds if we want to do monitoring each cycle as well

Dr. O'Neill has a warm and engaging demeanor. She is thorough and accessible in her explanation of options and procedures. She is understanding of the financial pressures of using donor sperm and makes sure my wife and I are fully on board with the plan at each step of the process. I appreciate her careful balance between expressing optimism and hope, and being realistic about the process of fertility care. I would recommend her without any hesitation to any of my friends or family members in need of fertility care.

Be open and honest about your needs and desires, and never shy away from asking questions about your treatment. Dr. O'Neill will truly partner with you in this process.

I have PCOS, and was put on letrozole protocol (days 4-8), as it is shown to be more effective than Clomid in PCOS. Given that we have the expense of donor sperm, Dr. O'Neill offered to do monitored cycles with trigger shots to optimize our timing for IUI insemination. She also offered to let us use home OPKs if we preferred to have a less invasive/clinical approach to conception as a lesbian couple without "proven infertility" (by insurance standards). We opted for the monitored cycles, but appreciated her sensitivity to our situation. We have not been successful in our first four cycles so far, and are in the TWW for our 5th.

IUI cycles are $1000 plus meds

N/a

Dr. O'Neill was great she empathize with my pain but was candid in her decision making for our care. She did lab orders that I asked for without question and supported us throughout our journey with her.

Always use your voice. You are your biggest advocate.

Her plan if we got to egg retrieval and transfer was to put 2 back in. I have a proven uterus, we have an 8 year old but are struggling with DOR, secondary infertility with male factor. So she felt putting in 2 gave us a better chance of conception.