Ndeye-Aicha Gueye

I was very hesitant when we had to switch clinics due to insurance purposes because I really trusted and valued the previous doctor. However, after our first consultation with Dr. Gueye she put our mind at ease and was very confident of being able to achieve our goal of starting our family. She can be more raw at times but that's what I needed on this journey. At the end of the day her goal is the same as mine, a take home baby. She's passionate about what she does and truly cares about her patients.

Listen to what she says and trust her recommendations. She's a professional and only wants the best for you in order to achieve your family goals.

Egg Retrieval Protocol: Birth control started day 3 for about 10 days (this didn't work and I still ovulated through). Switched protocol - Estrace (4mg/day) started day 21 until start of period (day 35). Day 3 started injection protocol - Gonal F 300 units + low dose hCG 20 units. Day 6 added Ganirelix. Day 10 (after 7 days of stimming stopped the previous injections) Ovidrel trigger shot + Lupron 40 units. 2 days later we had a successful egg retrieval with 22 eggs retrieved! 16 mature + fertilized. 9 made it to Day 7 blastocysts

The hours at this site are from 7-8:30 and I never had a problem making it within this time frame. I think the most I ever waited was maybe 10 minutes if that. Wait times are significantly less compared to my previous clinic.

Luckily, my employer started a Fertility care Program beginning of 2020. My deductible and out-of-pocket max were reached with the medications alone which were about $4700. For an IVF freeze all cycle we were quoted ~$15,275 not including PGT-A testing which was $1700 for the embryo biopsy and ($300/embryo). We paid for PGT-A out of pocket. For the FET the estimated cost was $4,475

Dr. Gueye highly recommends eSET which we were in agreement with

Knowing I had to take the next step and go to fertility was a hard pill to swallow. It meant that trying to conceive on our own was no longer a viable option. Dr Gueye did confirm my biggest suspicion: that IVF would be our best option. However, I wasn’t ready for IVF, so follow testing, Dr Gueye is allowing me to try multiple medicated cycles with timed intercourse, even though the odds are against me due to my diagnosis. She has never pressured me to start IVF since these cycles aren’t working, which I really appreciate, since starting IVF is a very big decision.

Do your research ahead of time. Know what different types of fertility treatments are available so you are educated going into your consultation. Dr Gueye is very willing to answer your questions with not only a professional demeanor, but with an empathy that is rare to find this day and age.

I am currently taking Letrozole 5 mg on cycle days 3-7. I will go in for an U/S on cycle day 12 to determine when to trigger. Since I am not quite ready for IVF, I am allowed to do one more cycle of medication/ times intercourse since IUI really won’t be of any advantage.

Right now we are using our insurance to pay for most of it, but we only get a set amount as a lifetime max. When we begin IVF in January, the out of pocket cost will be much higher

I think eSET is more safe for someone my age, especially since multiples increase risks exponentially.

To know Dr. Gueye is to like her instantly. Her smile and humor puts you at ease and her patience and tenacity in the face of failure after failure (which it's been for me) is a comfort. I always felt like she had my best interest at heart, and I appreciated that when things went wrong she addressed what DID work and what changes we were going to make and why.

Don't be afraid to ask LOTS of questions. You are your own best advocate and so it's OK to come to the table with ideas and questions. Some doctors are dismissive but Dr. Gueye is very understanding and quick to explain everything in detail. She has her opinions but will also emphasize that it's YOUR body and your decision.

After three failed IUIs and some Clomid cycles we moved onto IVF. All my labs and tests (saline sonogram and HSG) were totally normal so I was 'unexplained.' The only thing she put me on right away was a thyroid med, as it was a little elevated, which put me at a risk for miscarriage. We started with an antagonist protocol, which she said usually worked best for most. My ovaries were slow to bloom and a few days in Dr. G upped my gonal from 300 to 450. In the end, we only got 8 eggs. 4 were able to be ICSI-ed. 3 fertilized. We got 2 blasts. With PGT we learned we had 1 normal embryo. Our FET failed, so we got ready for a second retrieval. Given my poor response to my first protocol, Dr. Gueye wanted to try a microflare lupron protocol next. She said she believed the antagonist suppressed ovulation and follicle development a little TOO much. The microdose of lupron would be gentler for my eggs, which she said she now suspected had a quality issue. She also started me at 450 gonal right away, recommended acupuncture and upped my dose of CoQ10. This time, we got 20 eggs, 15 were able to be ICSI-ed and 7 fertilized. 4 made it to blast. After testing, we (again) had 1 normal embryo. We added a few extra meds for this next transfer. Baby aspirin, a steroid to limit any inflammation, etc. This FET also failed. Third retrieval was the same protocol as the second, since numbers-wise it was successful. 16 were retrieved. 10 were ICSI-ed. 6 fertilized. 3 made it to blast. 2 were abnormal and 1 is mosaic. We're still deciding what comes next.

Monitoring hours were well-run but - like any clinic- pretty unpredictable depending on the day. Sometimes you'd be seen immediately. Other days you could wait 30-60 minutes to be seen.

RMA is not inexpensive, but in my limited experience it's comparable to other clinics of its kind. Retrievals were about $18K and transfers about $6K (without insurance.)

Dr. Gueye was truly fabulous. I didn't know what to expect from this whole process but from the beginning she was respectful, reassuring, and honest. I started seeing Dr. Gueye with hopes of becoming a SMBC at 38. My labs didn't look terrible and we were hoping an IUI or 2 would be all that I needed. After 3 we switched to IVF. Unfortunately I was a poor responder to the meds and after 2 retrievals that failed to produce a single blastocyst we started to talk about donor eggs/donor embryos. Something in my gut told me I needed to do a 3rd retrieval so we talked at length and she was agreeable a final round. 5 days after I turned 40 I ended up with my 3 genetically normal embryos! I (my body) seemed to always do what was not expected from the beginning and she respected me enough to trust me and not worry about numbers/statistics. She genuinely seemed as excited as I was when we saw that little baby on ultrasound. I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done for me and my soon to be little family!

For my IVF cycles I did "priming" with estrace for a week or so before the start of my cycle. Then 2 of my 3 retrievals I did gonal/low dose HCG and ganerelix. The 1st cycle resulted in 8 eggs/7 mature/6 fertilized/0 blasts. The 2nd cycle resulter in 4 eggs/3 mature/3 fertilized/3 blasts. The cycle that was my least successful I did lupron/low dose HCG which only resulted in 2 eggs/1 mature and fertilized but no blast.

There is morning monitoring at RMA Allentown from 7-8:30 am. Some days that was tricky because I am a nurse and work at 7 am so I'd have to arrange coverage for an hour or so. I'd imagine even thought it wasn't super convenient for me it could be tricky for others who work and travel more of a distance.

Being over 35 and knowing that already made me a high risk pregnancy, I only wanted to transfer 1 embryo so we didn't discuss this.

I had my consult with Dr. Gueye and after meeting her, I knew I was making the right decision choosing RMA Allentown. At 38 years old, I ended up doing three cycles to ensure I had enough eggs frozen to make me feel comfortable. Dr. Gueye’s expertise in timing the trigger shot was key in maximizing the number of eggs we were able to retrieve each cycle. Dr. Gueye was really invested in my success in getting enough eggs to feel confident that I would be able to rely on using them in the future if needed. I felt very thankful to have had the opportunity to go through this process with her.

Dr. Gueye used the most aggressive approach for all three cycles due to my age, which was the micro flare cycle.

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Dr. Gueye is thorough, compassionate, and intelligent. She is knowledgeable and is straight forward when she needs to be. This does not translate into her being unkind, just direct and transparent, which I appreciated. She adjusted my stim meds early on to increase my follicular response and answered my concerns and questions even if I only saw her briefly. During the stim phase, I saw her each and every visit at RMA of PA. I don’t know if this is the case at all clinics, but she always conducted the ultrasounds, which I could reassuring.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

I believe I stimmed for 12 days as I was a “delayed responder.” I started at 300 units of Gonal, but after 3 nights of that, it was increased to 375 units and then eventually to 450 units, the maximum dose. It was increased to encourage more follicular growth as I had follicles but they were (besides a few leads) staying at 10 mm or below. I took Ganirelix for 5 nights; Dr. Gueye correctly timed when to initiate that. This resulted in 8 eggs being retrieved; based on my AMH and my AFC, Dr. Gueye had hoped for 10 to be my number, but the day before the trigger, her great estimate was “7” and they ended up retrieving 8. All 8 of my eggs were fertilized. After 1 week, we were informed that we had 3 embryos.

Monitoring takes place from 7-8:30 each morning (including holidays and weekends). Usual wait time was 15 minutes; once it was backed up and I waited for an hour. I live 1.5 hours from this clinic so I tried to get there early each time so I could leave and get back to work. Usually this could be achieved with shifting of my hours at work. Typically blood work was done first followed by transvaginal ultrasound but not always.

These figures are all approximate. Egg retrieval including medication ran around $15,000. Frozen embryo transfer was $4,500. Laser acupuncture before and after FET was $200.

I believe RMA as a whole stands by single embryo transfer given my age and history.

Dr. Gueye is an excellent shoulder to lean on during our infertility treatment process. From day one she has always been optimistic and empathetic towards our situation. After an ectopic pregnancy (prior to infertility treatments) my husband and I felt broken. We met Dr. Gueye a few months after that. We did three IUIs with her that all lead to negative pregnancy tests. Some people would give up on their RE but we did not lose hope with her. Our next step is IVF with Dr. Gueye and we believe in her and that this is the best decision for us. When we met with her for her to explain IVF, she explained everything thoroughly. Every question we had she had an answer. When talking to Dr. Gueye she is kind, thoughtful, and wants the best for her patients. She assured our time to have our miracle baby was coming. She is the calming voice my husband and I need during this time and I know she’s going to do everything she can to make our miracle come true!

One piece of advice I would give to a prospective patient of Dr. Gueye would be don’t feel overwhelmed. I know that’s easier said than done in this situation, but Dr. Gueye will explain everything to you to your understanding. She is compassionate and not just a great RE, but a great person as well!

My husband and I did three IUIs. We only did three because we were both physically and mentally exhausted with the results of being negative every time. Going into the third IUI, I was forming a cyst on my left ovary. That was also a factor in not continuing to a fourth IUI. On day three I would go into the office for an ultrasound. Days five-ten I took Clomid 50g. Day twelve I went in for another ultrasound to see if my follicles were ready. That night I had to inject Ovidrel prefilled syringe exactly twelve hours before my first IUI. The morning of day thirteen and fourteen, my husband and I would go into the office for the insemination. The night of day fifteen I would start my progesterone suppositories every morning and night during my two week wait. Two weeks after the IUI, I went in for a pregnancy blood test. Unfortunately all three of the IUIs came back negative. The IUIs were our first option in our journey since we have unexplained infertility. My right fallopian tube is absent due to my ectopic pregnancy.

In Pennsylvania, most insurances cover the diagnosis of infertility but not the procedures of infertility. Unfortunately, mine does not cover the procedures. We had to pay out of pocket for IUI (roughly between $700-$1,600) each cycle. My husband and I are still not sure how we will be able to afford IVF. Our financial worker from RMAPA is calling me in a few days to give us the total cost of how much IVF will cost. I would think roughly around $15,000? My husband and I unfortunately may have to push off IVF even though we would want to start it right away just because we cannot afford it.

My doctor didn't get into detail talking about this with my husband and I yet.

I only met with Dr. Gueye on the first visit and once more while getting my ultrasounds during pregnancy. She was patient and kind and so excited when we succeeded. She made sure we knew that even if we didn’t see her, she was behind the scenes running the show. I never felt ignored and I always knew she was listening and had my best interests at heart.

Don’t be afraid to be honest about your lifestyle with her.

I started with metformin for PCOS and we added coq-10 for finished ovarian reserve. I also started synthesis for a slightly elevated TSH which I have continued through my pregnancy. We were getting ready to start clomid and an IUI cycle but I fell pregnant naturally first.

I didn’t end up doing a cycle but my blood work and ultrasounds cost me about $180 total. I was made aware of all expenses before I started anything.

It was only briefly discussed.

I did not have a great first impression of Dr. Gueye - I felt she was lacking some bedside manners and compassion. Also at one of my appointments she gave me the wrong info because she forgot I was doing a natural cycle. But after our transfer failed I did feel she was more helpful and really looked at what had worked when my first transfer worked. She was very informative and helpful then as well.

Ask any questions you have

First transfer was natural because of my request but was unsuccessful. Second transfer we used Lupron, progesterone in oil, estradiol. This has resulted in positive pregnancy.

Everything was paid out of pocket due to no insurance coverage for fertility treatment. The cost of each transfer was around 5,000 and the cost of medication was around $2,000 so far. The cost of acupuncture at transfer totaled around $500.

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Dr. Guest was very welcoming and made me feel completely comfortable from the moment I walked through the door to her office. We talked about my expectations and how she could help me reach them. All of my questions were answered fully and completely. I was very impressed and would recommend her to my friends and family.

Be open about what you are expecting and open to her suggestions. Her main goal is to help you achieve pregnancy and she will make suggestions on how to keep you at your healthiest.

My insurance is great and I will only need to cover the cost of a donor and a test or two.

Dr. Gueye is intelligent and knowledgeable in her field. Her attention to details and follow up is superb. She’s friendly, welcoming and open to feedback. She roots for you and expect positive results. I remember her taking the time to make sure my blood pressure was good due to my anxiety because of pre-eclampsia being a concern. Dr. Gueye is nice, optimistic, trustworthy, truthful and compassionate.

Do research before you go. She’s collaborative with your protocol/plan and if you’re aware of the process you’ll be able to give her a better idea of your family goals.

I have PCOS so what I remember was to be aggressive and get as many eggs as possible. I ended up with 18 mature retrieved.

Monitoring appointments are easy breezy. They’re organized and efficient. Depending on the day I’m there no longer than 45mins. Blood work then scanning then leave. Great process!

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I appreciated that she knew me as a person and took the time to call me personally at times. She was thorough and listened to me, took the time to answer my questions and respond to concerns. The only negative is that she wouldn't deviate from what was her norm until there was an issue, she could have been more open-minded to changing standard procedure based on patient need. But overall I feel very lucky to have been her patient.

Ask her any questions or concerns you have and don't be afraid to talk to her.

I do not remember specifics.

The wait could get a bit long, but the times were easy enough to attend without interference at work.

My insurance covered half of IUIs and one full round of IVF

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I thank the doctor very much from the first day, she explained everything very well and everything was done in a very good way, always explaining each step to follow, and everything was an excellent process with a beautiful result

I would tell you to never miss your appointment with the doctor and to always do everything the doctor recommends.

I don't remember everything well with names and details, what I can say is that, thank God and the doctor, everything recommended worked very well and the results were always excellent.

I don't remember.

nothing to say everything is good for me.

Dr. Gueye is so compassionate, understanding and answered all the questions no matter how silly they may have been! She always greeted me by name and always asked how my son was. She remembered everything about me and was always smiling(even under the mask). She called to check in on me after I had a chemical pregnancy.

Nothing, you will love her!

Dr. Gueye was extremely personable and knowledgeable. I always felt at ease under her care. She made sure I understood my treatment plan and answered all of my questions that I had. She has amazing bedside manner as well. She is a very caring doctor.

Make the appointment now. You will not regret it.

She was very compassionate and empathetic to my specific fertility complications. I enjoyed our conversations and never felt rushed or as if my questions went unanswered. I will forever be grateful for her care.

Be prepared for the best and worst when it comes to fertility and know that Dr Gueye will do her absolute best in giving you what you want.

She changed my dosing protocol and method of taking the medications.

Dr. Gueye really took her time in our consultation to fully understand and explore options for my husband and I. From the beginning, we knew the risks and understood the plan of action. Dr. Gueye did a tremendous job making us feel comfortable and heard in her office.

One piece of advice I would give a prospective patient is to ask all the questions you can! There is no silly question.

I only paid my co-pay for each visit.