Sara Mucowski

Dr. Mucowski communicates based on facts, statistics and her past experiences with patients. That being said, she doesn't sugar coat things. She tells you facts, straight up, and sometimes they are tough to swallow. However, this is the type of personality my husband and I needed in order to make sense of everything. She asks what your ideal family looks like, then from a scientific angle, explains how that reality can or cannot be possible and offers up ideas and solutions to get you to where you want to go.

Trust Dr. Mucowski's judgement, but don't be afraid to advocate for yourself in wanting to pursue something further.

\I was diagnosed with Diminshed Ovarian Reserve. Due to my fragile X carrier status, our plan was to do PGD on our embryos, since I had a family history of fragile X tremor and ataxia. Round 1: Baseline- AMH was .3 at my first doctor, then .7 with Dr. Mucowski right before my first round. Estrogen was 26.3 pg/mL. I started with birth control for a week and then stims (Menopur 150 IU and Gonal F 225 units). After 3 days of stims, I went in for my first sonogram + blood work. During the sonogram there were only 5 follicles and it was clear that this wasn't what Dr. Mucowski wanted to see. We waited for blood work- and my estrogen was still really low- it only went up to 37.8. My first round was cancelled after 3 days of stims due poor response. Round 2- Second cycle I started with no BC (Dr. M thought it may be suppressing me too much), but with microdose Lupron 20 units. Did this 2x a day morning and night and started stims after 2.5 days of Lupron. This time increased to Menopur 225 IU, Gonal F 225 units. At day three, sonogram showed only 4 follicles this time, only 3 at 7mm+ (Dr. M says if they're over 7.5 mm at first sono, they have a chance of making it to good size eggs). Blood work came back with estrogen at 55. We wanted to hit over 100 after day 3, so still wasn't looking good. Dr. M called me personally to tell me this cycle would be cancelled and to start thinking about donor eggs because my body was just not responding. I asked for an even more aggressive protocol, but her standpoint was that increasing dosage would just put me at risk for hyper ovarian stimulation. Her advice was to start thinking about donor eggs and to move on from IVF completely. This was hard to hear because I went straight to IVF very quickly, then to be told I'd need donor eggs was super emotional. My gut instinct was, there ARE follicles, even though there aren't many, and all it takes is one good egg. I felt like at 33, what if this was my only chance with my own eggs? I called Dr. M back and asked her to please let me move forward with the cycle, and to not cancel. I knew this was a financial risk. I really had to advocate for myself, and I felt like my body COULD do this. She came around, and said she'd support my decision. We continued the cycle (I stayed on stims an extra 3 days) and then had my first egg retrieval. All 4 eggs were retrieved, 3 were fertilized, and 3 were mature enough to be frozen! Because of my fragile X carrier status (64 repeats, no AGG interuptions), we wanted to do PGD. Chances of a baby with fragile x carrier was 50%. Chances of full mutation was about 10%. Only 3 embryos was risky, knowing the odds and we really want more than one child. So, we decided to go for another round. Round 3- This was it. I went into this knowing it would be my last round. Dr. M gave me the same protocol, microdose Lupron 20 units. Did this 2x a day morning and night and started stims after 2.5 days of Lupron. Menopur 225 IU, Gonal F 225 units. But on top of this, she added Clomid for the first 5 days of the cycle. Went in on day 3 for sonogram and bloodwork. Estrogen was finally where she wanted it to be! 145 pg/mL! 5 follicles growing. Went in the next appointment and we were both quite shocked. This time, there were 13 follicles, all growing nicely. Who's ovaries were these? I don't know. But it was exciting, that finally something was working! At egg retrieval, there were 13 retrieved, 12 ICSI, 9 fertilized, 7 frozen embryos. We batched embryos together from 2nd and 3rd round and sent 10 embryos for PGD testing. In the end, we have 3 healthy embryos. We are awaiting a transfer once COVID is over. Notes: At my first consult Dr. M told me to begin taking DHEA supplements to potentially help with egg quality- she said there were some initial studies on this and it wouldn't hurt. I took DHEA for about 3 months already before starting any cycles, and kept taking it throughout. Also took other vitamins with approval from Dr. M: -DHEA -Prenatal -Vitamin B, C, E -COQ10 -Fish Oil Though Dr. M did not prohibit acupuncture, she told me there was no scientific proof it helps or hurts and that it was a personal choice. I decided to move forward and did acupuncture about a month before starting any cycles, and went once a week throughout all cycles. I did a session the day before each egg retrieval as well. I do feel like it made a difference in my stress level and controlled my anxiety more. It also helped me sleep better. Which could in turn have helped.

My insurance did not cover any costs. Dallas IVF gave us cash discount, fees below. Each cycle was around $15K. Medication was separate and cost us around $4K per cycle. Transfer is separate and will be around $4K per transfer.

Because of my age (under 35) and potential risk of multiples, she recommends only single embryo transfer when we are ready.

Dr. Mucowski is wonderful if you are seeking someone to share things in a matter-of-fact way with no emotion. She delivers all results/news in the same manner - good or bad. She isn't warm, but I find sometimes that is helpful because I don't like things sugarcoated.

She could provide more care when things do not go as planned. Even a simple "I'm sorry you're going through this." would be appreciated.

I believe we followed pretty standard protocols for my retrieval and two FETs.

It has cost far more than originally anticipated because I have had to go through multiple FETs (about to start the third). Upwards of $60,000 at this point.

Dr. Mucowski is incredibly passionate about what she does. She is thorough in making sure she understands what is going on before she begins treatment. She identified my issues that no one else had before including a precious fertility doctor. She is kind and caring. There were times along the way I was upset or anxious and she took the time to explain every step to me and keep the hope for me when I was losing it. She will tell you exactly what is going on and not sugar coat anything.

Be patient with the process and Dr. Mucowski will be by right by your side.

I do not remember the exact treatment Dr. Mucowski used for me, I just know she adjusted accordingly and it worked.

Dr. Mucowski is clear she wants to help all families but is very clearly an Ally. Her Instagram presence demonstrates support for the community.

I don’t remember all of them.

She told us she would only do 1 embryo at a time due to my unique uterus.

It was great. They had the sperm delivered and handled flawlessly.

Dr. Mucowski is very straightforward and somewhat stoic, but still a kind person. She adjusted my treatment every cycle, and responded to my requests very well. She definitely pushed for IVF sooner than I had planned, but I understand that it has a higher chance of success.

Understand that she helps a lot of couples in very high emotion situations, so she isn't very emotional with you. But she was very helpful and never un-friendly.

I have really mild PCOS, and we were there mostly for LGBT related reasons. I did Letrozole and follistim every cycle since I responded well to them the first time. We did four IUIs so far, none of them successful yet.

I was out of pocket, so the ultrasounds were about $200-$250 and the IUI was $300. Medicines made up a large portions of my cost, but I was able to enroll in a discount program for my injectables, and GoodRX really helped with pills! Highly recommend looking into those. I could have saved a few hundred dollars if I had done that from the start.

We only did IUI, but every time I had more than 3 follicles she let me know she would recommend selective reduction if more than 2 eggs were fertilized.

Dr Mucowski is incredibly intelligent and knows what she is doing. She comes at IVF from a scientific angle. She is very thorough, providing handwritten notes after appointments with every detail. For the IVF process, I appreciated her approach. Others who prefer someone super "warm and fuzzy" may not like her approach. She is empathetic, but direct. Again, I appreciated that for this process after everything we had been through previously.

There will be a lot of appointments, but Dr Mucowski will be there for all them.

Prior to egg retrieval, I was did Gonal-F, Menopur and Ganirellix. My trigger shot was Lupron because I have PCOS and my numbers were high. We did a freeze all cycle, so I did not develop OHSS. I began estrogen shortly after my next period. I was given a choice between progesterone suppositories or progesterone in oil shots. I chose the PIO shots and started those 6 nights prior to my FET.

My insurance covers infertility. However, the Dallas IVF Surgery Center is out of network for all insurances. For all surgical procedures, it was less expensive for me to pay the cash option than go through insurance for out of network costs. For my entire cycle - egg retrieval and frozen embryo transfer, we paid about $10,000 out of pocket.

Single embryo transfer was strongly recommended. However, she did provide the choice to consider two, but no more.

She was not a warm person to be around. She was very matter of fact and removed a polyp during a test with only a simple “hey if we find one are you okay with us removing it” and of course signing a consent. The potential additional costs were never relayed until after I walked out. She did not inform me of the potential pain that would come during or after any test. I left each visit excited about the process but lacking in confidence in her.

Go to a different doctor.

She seemed like she was pushing us to go straight to IVF when there really didn’t seem to be a reason to start so aggressively. She didn’t seem confident in IUI and did not really provide a reason why.

I had my testing done there, which my insurance doesn’t cover. $400 for one, and then was supposed to be $600 for another test - they removed a polyp though and charged me double $1800. I don’t think she even used any additional tools to do it. Makes it seem like all the clinic cares about is the money.

N/A

She is extremely good at explaining the process step by step. She does not use a one protocol for all process. She allow your body to make the schedule not place you on a clinical rotation. She is well organized and on time. She personally greet you as a patient in the waiting room. She is a take charge type of doctor and make very well throughout decisions explaining all risk and benefits.

Relax ask as many questions as you need to and obsorbe all of the information she has to offer.

Baseline ultrasound, blood work, genetic screening, infectious disease testing, semen analysis, apply for medication discounts, schedule medication teach, trial embryo transfer, and follow up for treatment plan. The treatment plan included follical stimulating hormone injections including menopur and Follistim. Ganirelix was added later to prevent premature ovulation. The protocol also used a double trigger Lupton shot and freeze all protocol.

All patients were scheduled for a financial consult. Prices generally went down and not up which is always a plus. They always found ways to save us money.

I would have perfered multiple embryo transferred. I do trust her judgement and understand that there were risk.

She has a pleasant personality and I didn’t have any issues with her. She was always very positive when I went for my ultrasounds and insemination. I can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed when I didn’t hear from her after negative pregnancy tests but that isn’t the way most practices run so it wasn’t something I would of held against her.

After a failed cycle be sure to ask for direction on what to do next so that your not left hanging.

First IUI cycle was clomid only for a few days and only produced one follicle. The second cycle I took follistim and clomid and ended up with 3-6 follicles and no pregnancy. Third attempt also used clomid and follistim-same protocol as second cycle except I ended up triggering 48 hrs before IUI instead of 36hrs (I did this on my own not per orders). I had 3 large follicals on the ultrasound 2 days prior to the IUI. I had a faint positive urine pregnancy test and some pregnancy symptoms starting about 4 days before my period was due but on the 14th day post IUI, urine hcg was negative and serum hcg was only slightly elevated to show positive but was back down to zero two days later instead of doubling.

Each cycle included 2 ultrasounds, Estrogen level, consultation and IUI and came out to be about $1100 not including donor sperm and meds which I purchased elsewhere.

I was able to be very open and honest with Dr. Mucowski. She listened to my fears and agreed with them. We developed a game plan with each other 3 months before my FET. We stuck to the game plan and we conquered our goal. I was down to my last two embryos and this was my last chance to conceive a child before needing a hysterectomy at age 32. Now I am 15 weeks pregnant with my last embryo and will deliver by my 32nd birthday.

Dr. Mucowski is straight forward and to the point. She does not beat around the bush. She will give you the facts and you can take them or leave them. She has a quiet demeanor but you can tell she is processing and planning in her head. She has been down this road with her own egg retrieval so she understands your concerns and complaints. Don't be discouraged by her quiet nature.

I used Dr. Mucowski for my last and final FET. We met 3 months prior to my FET and had a game plan that we stuck to. I started Estrace 2mg on CD2 for two days, then increased to Estrace 2mg twice a day for CD4-9. On CD 10- 10 weeks pregnant, I was on Estrace 2mg three times a day. I started PIO (progesterone in oil) injections on CD 14 at 0.5ml. CD15 I was on 1.0ml of PIO and by CD16 I was on 1.5ml of PIO to assist with building the uterine lining. I continued PIO injections until 12 weeks pregnant. I had a positive urine pregnancy test on day 7 days post 5 day transfer. My beta HCG on on 10 days post 5 day transfer was 363.

My insurance covered doctor's visits and sonograms and I only had the $30.00 copay. One of my sonograms- the lining check sonogram- was not covered and I had to pay $277 for the sonogram. My FET was $3200 and my meds were around $100 total with insurance.

Due to my age and diagnosis, and history of failed transfers, she was open to me transferring my last two embryos with no complaint.

Dr. Mucowski was very direct and explained everything that was happening. At times she spoke very softly and it was difficult to understand. She was quick but made sure you understood the procedure.

Come in knowing what questions you want to ask. She tells you what you need to know, but will answer any other questions you have.

I became pregnant on my 4th IVF transfer, third IVF retrival. I experienced one chemical, one miscarriage at 8 weeks, and one negative. I never used birth control on any cycle. During the second and third cycle clomid was added into my protocol.

The first cycle was mostly covered by insurance. The final three were part of a multi cycle program. Overall all, I think we paid 20K out of pocket for the 4 cycles.

We always transferred two embryos.

Dr. Mucowski was recommended to me by my OB-GYN. I definitely feel like she is very knowledgeable and competent. She will tell us what we need to know, but doesn't spend too much time elaborating. The appointments with her are very quick, so I always need to think of questions ahead of time. She went over all of our fertility testing in detail with us, so I guess we are dealing with some MFI and/or unexplained - she hasn't really labeled us.

Feel free to speak up with questions with her.

We used clomid for our first IUI cycle. We never tried clomid prior to this because I did not have issues with ovulating. At the ultrasound the day before the IUI, I had 3 follicles but my lining was thinner than she would like (I believe due to clomid). She gave me a prescription for estrogen pills (estrace?), and we continued with the IUI the following day. This cycle failed I believe mostly due to the lining as my menstrual cycle was very light. We are in the middle of our second cycle, and we are trying femara this time. At the beginning of this cycle we had an ultrasound, and I had one cyst (leftover follicle). We waited for the blood results to see the estrogen level (determines whether we would have to skip this cycle.) It was higher than last cycle, but they told me we could proceed. Hopefully the ultrasound in a few days will show thicker lining this time and good follicles.

When using self-pay, the IUI costs $650.

We have not discussed any of this with her yet, but I did see one chart on the wall about how they suggest you only transfer one embryo at a time to reduce the risk of multiples.

Dr Mucowski is calm and serene, which is exactly what we needed. We were a bundle of nerves, and we always left her office calm and relaxed. I never doubted her confidence or her decisions - even when her plan was outside the box of what we had learned with previous doctors and research. We started with 17 eggs to fertilize. As the number of surviving embryos continued to drop, she listened, she consoled as I cried, and she never rushed our appointments or phone calls.

Dr Mucowski is brilliant. Do not confuse her calm nature and personality as her not caring. The wheels are constantly turning and she’s always putting you first.

I only have one ovary. Dr Mucowski correctly hypothesized that my numbers were falsely showing overstimulation. We maxed out dosages for the entire stimulation. Drugs used were Lupron, Follistim, Menupur, And Hcg. After the day 5 transfer (done late afternoon), progesterone shots and suppositories were ordered until week 14 of pregnancy. There is research that shows doing the day 5 transfer in the afternoon rather than first thing gives the embryo additional time to cleave and possibly hatch. One of the two embryos transferred was hatching when time to transfer.

Approximately $20,000 for everything. Medications, Stimulation, retrieval, freezing the eggs, freezing a sperm sample from my husband, processing a fresh sperm sample from my husband.

Dr Mucowski prefers to transfer 1 embryo at a time. However, since we had a history of 2 previous failures, she recommended transferring 2 embryos. I begged her to transfer three embryos and she adamantly refused.

We liked Dr. Mucowski and felt she gave me excellent medical care. Our biggest complaint is that we often felt unprepared for timing and process of what would happen next. We ended up moving halfway through our treatment and continued with two IUIs while being monitored at a clinic local to us--otherwise, we would have eventually moved to IVF with Dr. Mucowski. She ended up referring us to our RE now whom we adore. All in all, we liked her and felt confident in her abilities, but felt a little fragile throughout the process and it might have helped us if she had held our hands more.

Advocate for yourself. If you are like me and need more support, ask for it. Dr. Mucowski and her staff are very kind and I'm sure would gladly have held our hands more--we simply needed to communicate that.

Two monitored and medicated IUIs. Both were unsuccessful.

We never discussed costs and had insurance coverage.

She’s kind but straightforward with her bedside manner. She’s not about patting you on the back and giving you empty promises. She lays out the facts and gives you the best plan for your needs. She could do better in being up front on the costs of procedures etc.

Don’t look for her to coddle you. She will care for you and treat you gently, but she’s to the point and doesn’t sugar coat. She’s not harsh or abrupt, just matter of fact.

She is the third specialist I have seen. She’s the first to do a hysteroscopy & found I had polyps and endometriosis. Of the 7 years of treatment, not a single MD put a camera in there to look around. She did & found something! She surgically removed what she could. Quarantine hit before we could plan our next step.

Co pays for all visits $50 each $40,000 surgical procedure, most covered by insurance. But we have paid a little more than 10%.

We haven’t discussed this, yet.

Dr. Mucowski was always very clear every step of the way. she provided us with many information possible. She gave me hope to continue on my infertility journey. She understood and respected our decision of not continuing after the 3rd IUI. She also did a HST exam to see check for any blockage and everything was great. She does an amazing job.

All instructions and medications were as clear as water. I had no problems whatsoever on any of my cycles. I did not have any problems with any of the treatments.

Over all each cycle of IUI was about 1,000-1,500 with all medications and all.

Very happy with Dr. Mucowski. She told me exactly what to expect with compassion and understanding for my situation. I am no longer able to have children naturally as I have had both Fallopian tubes removed but I have no doubt Dr. Mucowski will do everything she can to make our IVF process smooth and successful.

Have as many questions ready as you can. She is thorough and very open to answering them.

Dr. Mucowski was incredible. She made us aware of our specimen numbers after the first IUI (they were low and the clinic ultimately helped us get a refund from our cryobank) and guided us through our second IUI as well. We performed the second IUI on a Saturday when she was unavailable, so we had Dr. Havemann there with us and it was incredibly comfortable. Second time was a charm and our beautiful little girl is 6 months old!

I saw Dr. Mucowski for almost every visit, including all of my sonograms. She always gave me an updated "to do" list so it was easy to know what steps were next. I felt very comfortable in her care.

She is extremely intelligent, and you can tell she is an expert in her field with a lot of experience. Her bedside manner isn't talking in a sweet voice or lots of smiling and back pats. If you want a qualified doctor that will get the job done, she is it. If you need more support, I would advise another doctor.

Do your research so that you have questions to ask during the consult. Once you start the process, it happens very fast, and you are working with different nurses most times, so you may not feel as comfortable asking questions.

Follistim Menopur Ganirelix Lupron

Oocyte Retrieval under ultrasound guidance $2,600 Surgery center/facility fee $1,800 Oocyte cryopreservation/freeze, includes up to 16 eggs (8 straws) and 1 year of storage *Additional straws (more than 8): $900 $1,200 Oocyte culture fee $1,400 Anesthesia Fee: $525 Annual cryopreservation fee $750

Did not transfer

She explained everything very thoroughly and even had a presentation prepared on my consultation and explained every step that could be taken and why they do the treatments. I had no questions when I left

None

She did diagnostic testing first with a lot of blood work. Results came back normal so she did a HSG and hysteroscopy. Everything was normal. She then referred my husband to a specialist.

A lot. I can’t remember how much

Dr Mucowski was very straight forward & to the point, while still being caring & compassionate. She wasn't overly emotional, yet always had a way of making you feel comfortable & at ease in very uncomfortable situations.

Round 1 - started with clomid & moved to injections when the clomid wasnt producing the desired results. Round 2 - increased injections

$300 per office visit while in treatement

I feel she is patient, calm and calculated, in a good way. I enjoy speaking with her and feel like she is very assured in her knowledge. I like knowing she takes the time to familiarize herself with my case before I sit in her office.

Be patient at visits.

Not yet done a cycle.

Dr. Mucowski is extremely open and willing to work with all patients including LGBT. She was very hands-on for the course of my treatment and was always professional. She was quick to answer all my questions and calm my fears.