Dr. Purdy went above and beyond to ensure I felt safe, comfortable, and knowledgeable about every single step of my treatment...I felt 100% respected and cared for as a member of the LGBTQ community. In fact, I was never treated any differently, which is what means the most to be. I was treated like any other fertility patient looking for outstanding care....Dr. Purdy was our advocate and our ally and will continue to be as we navigate out next steps after a devastating unanticipated loss...Feeling validated by a physician is rare and when you find it, you cherish it
To say that I’ve been totally pleased and happy with experience with VIOS, outside of medical care, wouldn’t be true. From the start, they are hard to communicate with via phone. Often times the phone will ring and go to the answering machine with no one calling back for hours...The clinical team ALWAYS answered my messages in a timely manner, but not the back of house side including billing and patient care coordinators...I felt 100% respected and cared for as a member of the LGBTQ community. In fact, I was never treated any differently, which is what means the most to be. I was treated like any other fertility patient looking for outstanding care.
How was your experience with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Purdy from the moment we had our initial phone consultation made us feel like her only patients. I appreciated that she had reviewed all of the medical records I had sent to VIOS ahead of my appointment, this just reiterated that she cares about her patients enough to come prepared to appointments. Dr. Purdy coordinated my treatment through a hysteroscopy, 2 egg retrieval’s, one transfer, and one devastating MVA. Dr. Purdy knew our journey had been a tough one before ever coming into her care with 6 failed IUI attempts under our belt. Dr. Purdy knows that my wife and I are very data driven people, so she always was prepared with what the current research says and all percentages. She never made us feel like our countless questions weren’t valid, in fact her typical response was “that’s a great question”, which always brought a quick smile to my face. Feeling validated by a physician is rare and when you find it, you cherish it. Dr. Purdy is always a message away wether that be through the VIOS patient portal system or via her cell phone (another example of how much she cares for her patients). Dr. Purdy was our advocate and our ally and will continue to be as we navigate out next steps after a devastating unanticipated loss.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, this is YOUR treatment cycle.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Purdy went above and beyond to ensure I felt safe, comfortable, and knowledgeable about every single step of my treatment. She let me know I had a voice in this process and was also respectful and patient with my countless clarifying questions.
Describe the protocols MacKenzie Purdy used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
IVF cycle 1: birth control, femara, gonal f, menopur, and trigger shot (progesterone oil after retrieval)
Egg retrieval 1: 10 retrieved, 7 mature, 2 fertilized, 0 day 5 embryos
IVF cycle 2: femara, gonal f, menopur, luprolide, omnitrope, and trigger shot (progesterone oil after retrieval)
Egg retrieval 2: 7 retrieved, 5 mature, 3 fertilized, 2 day 5 early blastocysts
Transfer 1: 2 day 5 early blastocysts
How competent was MacKenzie Purdy at LGBTQ+ care?
Dr. Purdy was beyond respectful of my female partner and our relationship. She always ensured that my wife knew about my appointments, was present before she began virtual appointments, and fought for her to be in person (COVID restrictions) with me at major milestones in treatment (ultrasounds, transfer, and MVA).
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Danielle )
Danielle has been my main nurse thought treatment at VIOS. She is kind, compassionate, highly informed, and funny (which I appreciate more than I can probably describe). Danielle was available 24/7 via her cell phone which proves her commitment to her patients. If it wasn’t me reaching out to her, she was texting me to check in and make sure I was doing okay both physically and emotionally. She supported me emotionally just as much as she did with medication management, ultrasounds, and lab work. Danielle has been an integral part of my team and I hope she remains one as we navigate my next steps.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
To say that I’ve been totally pleased and happy with experience with VIOS, outside of medical care, wouldn’t be true. From the start, they are hard to communicate with via phone. Often times the phone will ring and go to the answering machine with no one calling back for hours. The billing department has been an absolute nightmare to deal with. At every appointment I am told my balance, but front office staff can never explain to me where the balance came from, just that I owe one. In recent visits, they have been able to print billing statements, so that has alleviated some of my frustrations. I’ve also been asked for a copay about 10 times after explicitly having them rerun my benefits to show a $0 copay. After recently speaking with someone in billing directly, I was told VIOS is in the process of getting a new billing system to streamline this process for patients. She knew exactly my frustrations and validated my every concern. That was definitely a breath of fresh air.
In regards to the patient portal, you’re unable to message someone directly, it goes to a “department” name and then gets assigned out from there. The clinical team ALWAYS answered my messages in a timely manner, but not the back of house side including billing and patient care coordinators.
On a more positive note, all of the lab technicians and ultrasound technicians have been fantastic to work with. Their professionalism and ability to communicate personally with me made me feel valued and respected by EVERY person on my team. Remembering me from previous visits means a lot to me because I certainly remember each of them.
In all, with VIOS working to solve the billing issues, I would still highly recommend them to anyone I know. Their doctors, nurses, lab techs, and ultrasound technicians make an amazing and incredible team that I am proud and lucky to have met.
Describe the costs associated with your care under MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis.
1 retrieval with 2 transfers: $12,500
1 retrieval: $8,800
$50 co pay per visit including ultrasounds and doctor visits until out of pocket spending maximum had been reached, then $0.
Medications ranged from $800 (not covered by insurance) to $0-45 (when covered by insurance)
Describe MacKenzie Purdy's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
After our second retrieval, we had 2 early blastocysts after 5 days. Early blastocysts meaning they weren’t quite mature enough to be given a true grading. Dr. Purdy advised we transfer both because of this. Had they been mature, she would have advised a single transfer.
Dr. Purdy informed us that there was a 60% chance of pregnancy with a 15% chance of multiples with transferring both early blastocysts.
How competent was Kindbody - St. Louis at LGBTQ+ care?
I felt 100% respected and cared for as a member of the LGBTQ community. In fact, I was never treated any differently, which is what means the most to be. I was treated like any other fertility patient looking for outstanding care.
Describe your experience using 3rd party reproduction (donor eggs, donor sperm, or gestational carrier) at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We used donor sperm from Fairfax Cryobank. VIOS provided us with a list of recommended banks which helped us find the perfect donor. After purchasing through Fairfax, the delivery was sent directly to VIOS who handled EVERYTHING from there. All I had to do was confirm my donor number at the time of my retrieval. I appreciated this smooth process.
Dr. Purdy was warm and I never felt rushed with her. I felt that I had plenty to time to ask all the questions I needed about every step of the way and she was happy to answer...I'm an older mother and we talked about the options of IVF or IUI. I opted to try IUI first...I loved that she is open to talking about the latest research on fertility and how to best prepare my body prior to pregnancy and during.
With the way that Vios works, I never actually met my nurse. I would come in for scans and the nurse would follow up via phone. She was wonderful when I spoke to her...The only downside to Vios is communication. When I would call, I never got a live person on the phone and would have to leave a message...You can also communicate through their portal. The turn around time is quicker, but still a challenge at times when you wish you could have a quicker answer.
How was your experience with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
I was so pleased with Dr. Purdy. I wish she was my regular OB so I could continue seeing her. Throughout the entire process I felt like I could ask her whatever questions that came up and she was happy to answer them. I loved that she is open to talking about the latest research on fertility and how to best prepare my body prior to pregnancy and during.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Lean into what Dr. Purdy suggests. She knows what she is doing. Obviously, ask the questions you have and she will answer them. I had concerns with multiples and we talk about adjusting protocol so I would have the best chance of conceiving while reducing the risk of multiples.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr. Purdy was warm and I never felt rushed with her. I felt that I had plenty to time to ask all the questions I needed about every step of the way and she was happy to answer. I felt like I could completely trust her.
Describe the protocols MacKenzie Purdy used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I'm an older mother and we talked about the options of IVF or IUI. I opted to try IUI first. Prior to my first cycle, I did all the lab work, got an HSG, and everything was in order. We moved forward with do a combination cycle of letrozole and follistim for my IUI cycle. This helped produce the mature follicles I needed and wasn't ask risky as a full injectable cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Kristen)
With the way that Vios works, I never actually met my nurse. I would come in for scans and the nurse would follow up via phone. She was wonderful when I spoke to her. She was knowledgable on everything I asked. The struggle is with the system Vios has with emailing through the portal and calling. It's a challenge to hear from someone quickly.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The only downside to Vios is communication. When I would call, I never got a live person on the phone and would have to leave a message. Sometimes I wouldn't hear from them until the next day, which can be problematic if it is cycle related and time sensitive. You can also communicate through their portal. The turn around time is quicker, but still a challenge at times when you wish you could have a quicker answer. If this problem was remedied, I would be overall very pleased.
Describe the costs associated with your care under MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I did not have fertility benefits with my insurance. I spent a total of $5500. This included my diagnositic testing, genetic testing, HSG, medications, IUI, Baseline, monitoring. Again, insurance did not cover any of this.
Dr Purdy is amazing! I would have loved for her to see me more often during my treatments. Instead I only saw her once during monitoring, and then again at egg retrieval...I wasn’t told the actual protocol. This is another thing that I wish had been discussed thoroughly with me. I was just told to start medications after baseline assessment. I was started on follistim and menopur to begin stimulating my ovaries to mass produce.
I received a financial breakdown of covered services [at Vios Fertility Institute]...The clinic has 3 locations but only 1 that performs transfers and procedures of the such. It is usually quite busy and appointments were always running behind schedule. The clinic felt cold especially in the waiting areas. Not warm and cozy like you would expect. Also I found it not to be the cleanest. The lobby has photos of cute little babies that have been conceived using IVF but I didn’t feel any relation as none were African American. I would love to see a more cleaner, diverse, warm, and inviting clinical area.
How was your experience with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr Purdy is amazing! I would have loved for her to see me more often during my treatments. Instead I only saw her once during monitoring, and then again at egg retrieval. I also had one teleheath visit with Dr. Purdy. All other visits were handled by other physicians in the practice and because there were lots of patients to see during the COVID-19 pandemic I always felt I had no communication or education on how to administer medications, the IVF process and what to expect. I was constantly googling or watching YouTube videos for answers. Not good.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
The advice that I would give is to always do your research. Know that the process is very emotionally, physically and financially draining on both partners. There aren’t any guarantees with IVF so it is important to understand and prepare for that. Know all of your options and choose what’s best for you!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
On several occasions I wasn’t seen by my doctor but by other doctors in the office. My doctor was very good at explain things but the other physicians would just do their duty and not answer questions. I felt I was just a task to them as I wasn’t “their” patient.
Describe the protocols MacKenzie Purdy used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I wasn’t told the actual protocol. This is another thing that I wish had been discussed thoroughly with me. I was just told to start medications after baseline assessment. I was started on follistim and menopur to begin stimulating my ovaries to mass produce. After a few days cetrotide was started. I was told this was to prevent me from ovulating. I continued this regimen until told to trigger with hcg two nights before egg retrieval. I was told the hcg would mature the follicles in preparation for retrieval.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The nurses seemed very busy all the time. I didn’t get educated on procedures and what to expect especially with medications. I was told to watch videos. Amy, my nurse at egg retrieval and also at transfer was amazing! She took the time to explain everything to me and she was very warm and personable. Also the lab techs were amazing! Always very friendly.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
The clinic has 3 locations but only 1 that performs transfers and procedures of the such. It is usually quite busy and appointments were always running behind schedule. The clinic felt cold especially in the waiting areas. Not warm and cozy like you would expect. Also I found it not to be the cleanest. The lobby has photos of cute little babies that have been conceived using IVF but I didn’t feel any relation as none were African American. I would love to see a more cleaner, diverse, warm, and inviting clinical area.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I took A LOT of days off work for monitoring. I missed A LOT of pay due to this. I was only able to schedule appointments on Monday, Wednesday and Friday as this is the monitoring schedule for VIOS. Well I work Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 5am-5:30pm as a dialysis nurse and this conflicted horribly with my work schedule. Unable to get any other days I had to take a leave of absence from work to get through stimulation, egg retrieval and transfer. Not happy about the inability to have flexibility in monitoring schedules and times.
Describe the costs associated with your care under MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I was referred to VIOS by my insurance provider and WINFERTILITY. I received a financial breakdown of covered services. Although it states covered I have been charged for lab services totaling $2000 and medications approximately $300 also I am charged a copay for doctor visits, $50 each visit. Not yet sure what will be sent to me as I just completed egg retrieval, transfer and cryoperservation of 1 embryo. We shall see.
Describe MacKenzie Purdy's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
I agreed with the decision to transfer the 1 grade 4AB embryo on day 5. I had 1 expanded blast, 2 morulas, and 3 early blast. So on day 5 we transferred the best quality embryo. On day 6 4 of the 5 embryos arrested and 1 developed to a expanded blast grade 4AB. That embryo has been frozen.
What specific things went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Upon first consult I was called and the representative had my patient and partner information totally incorrect. Secondly, there was a 3-4 month delay and missed chances for cycle due to the clinics inability to get my medical records from previous providers. It kept getting totally mishandled. Finally when starting my cycle I had to get an emergency dose of cetrotide from the clinic because this prescription was not called in properly. I have an allergy to latex and was unable to use the medication ganarelix which was called in. Thankfully this was caught by the pharmacist. Several times I wanted to use another provider but VIOS was the only covered infertility specialist with my insurance provider. Supposedly. I am still receiving bills that have been unpaid by insurance and stated as not covered.
Every time I met with Dr Purdy she was up to date on my history and somewhat unique situation. She helped us determine what treatment possibilities were and execute them when we could both timing wise and financially...Dr Purdy was able to adjust my medication dosing for what I had on hand and was in contact through her nurses within an hour of my panicked phone calls. At the retrieval she was personable and I felt completely comfortable through the entire process...
Vios O'Fallon was super comfortable the entire time we were there. The receptionist knew me as soon as I walked in to get me checked in and I was always brought back to testing or monitoring quickly...My primary nurse was very punctual and called every day of monitoring at the same time. She went over my protocol in an easy to understand way and kept my calendar posted on my portal for easy reference....
How was your experience with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr Purdy was great at our initial consult on explaining the testing required and timelines to expect. At our follow up she went over all of our numbers in detail and gave us odds of successful retrieval and fertilization. She didn;t have all of our numbers ahead of the appointment as some reults came in just as the appointment startedbut she still was able to review them and explain them to us at that appointment time. While we were very happy with her and the results we were not quite ready to start treatment at that time due to other factors and she was able to set up a follow up for when we felt we would be more ready. At that follow up we again went over the details of what to expect during the retrieval process and she also was able to coordinate care with my cardiologist to change my other medications during the retrieval cycle. After that I dealt primarily with the clinic staff but when multiple snow storms delayed medication deliveries multiple times Dr Purdy was able to adjust my medication dosing for what I had on hand and was in contact through her nurses within an hour of my panicked phone calls. At the retrieval she was personable and I felt completely comfortable through the entire process. While our retreival resulted in fewer eggs than we had hoped she was able to discuss our results and PGT testing at our final follow up comfortably and made us feel comfortable with the future possibilities and odds of having a successful pregnancy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Though Dr Purdy was great with our situation and waiting to initiate treatment until after consulting my cardiologist I do feel like she is best when moving quickly so be ready to go as soon as you meet with her becuase things move fast.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Dr Purdy and everyone at the clinic knew me by name every time I walked into the clinic. Every time I met with Dr Purdy she was up to date on my history and somewhat unique situation. She helped us determine what treatment possibilities were and execute them when we could both timing wise and financially
Describe the protocols MacKenzie Purdy used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
I was using Gonal-f nightly, Menopur nightly but my dosage was increased early in my cycle. An antagonist was started in the morning on day 5, and my trigger was HCG. I was also using an injectable blood thinner Enoxaparin during the cycle so mostly my side effects were bruising, though I was also bloated and somewhat irritable during the cycle. My cycle last 15 days before the transfer and resulted in 9 eggs, 6 mature and 5 which fertilized. All 5 reached blast but 2 were PGT abnormal.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Kindbody - St. Louis. (Assigned nurse: Lexi)
My primary nurse was very punctual and called every day of monitoring at the same time. She went over my protocol in an easy to understand way and kept my calendar posted on my portal for easy reference. The nurses in the clinic every morning were good at predicting the plan and keeping me scheduled as I should be
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Vios O'Fallon was super comfortable the entire time we were there. The receptionist knew me as soon as I walked in to get me checked in and I was always brought back to testing or monitoring quickly. The phlebotomists were freindly and very comforting. My husband is terrified of needles but they were able to keep even him calm and comfortable through his lab testing. The ultrasounds technicians were all great and kept me very comfortable. We visited 2 ifferent locations through our cycle and each office was comfortable, professional and clean.
Describe the costs associated with your care under MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We were presented with various package prices for retrieval and transfer cycles. This was the only miscommunication we experienced with the clinic, they initially provided us the prices for a non-third party package. When I questioned this they apologized for the mistake, provided the correct package details and offered a discount on their best package. We ended up paying 11000$ for the retrieval cycle and the transfer we have not done yet is quoted at about 6000$ but I'm not 100% sure on that number not having paid it yet
Describe MacKenzie Purdy's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Kindbody - St. Louis.
We have not yet reached transfer stage, but we are looking for a gestational carrier and our agency recommends SET only
Mackenzie Purdy is passionate and considerate about her patients. She strives to give the best options of our fertility journey. You can tell she loves what she does. And continues to give us a break down of each procedure and or cost...Each treatment and or procedure I was giving she told me results and if something was abnormal she told me how I could fix it...
Clinic [Vios Fertility Institute] is very organized and punctual when providing patient care. They show compassion for their team that is under your care. If you need anything they go above and beyond with giving you just that...Nurses staff are very welcoming when you enter the room with a smile on their face...give us a break down of each procedure and or cost...
How was your experience with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Mackenzie Purdy is passionate and considerate about her patients. She strives to give the best options of our fertility journey. You can tell she loves what she does. And continues to give us a break down of each procedure and or cost.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Mackenzie Purdy is passionate.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis?
Doctor gave us good options and opinions on what our next step will be.
Describe the protocols MacKenzie Purdy used in your cycles at Kindbody - St. Louis and their degree of success.
Each treatment and or procedure I was giving she told me results and if something was abnormal she told me how I could fix it.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Kindbody - St. Louis.
Nurses staff are very welcoming when you enter the room with a smile on their face.
Describe your experience with Kindbody - St. Louis.
Clinic is very organized and punctual when providing patient care. They show compassion for their team that is under your care. If you need anything they go above and beyond with giving you just that.
Describe the costs associated with your care under MacKenzie Purdy at Kindbody - St. Louis.
The cost varies depending on your treatment of care, for example genetic testing costed $300.