Satu Kuokkanen

As a queer couple my insurance required me to perform 6 IUI's first before moving to IVF. I had two chemicals during that time which were unexplained. Once we were able to move forward with IVF my insurance would only cover 3 transfers. It was within the first two transfers that I experienced back to back blighted ovums/miscarriages and to which Dr. Kuokkanen suggested I seek out the help of a reproductive immunologist, before moving on to a 3rd transfer. On paper and all tests she ran for me, nothing explained my multiple losses and if not for her recommendation of looking into RI I would have simply thought my infertility was unexplained and never even known about the world of immunology for fertility. Once I got on a treatment plan with my RI, Dr. Kuokkanen was more than willing to work in conjunction with their protocol (which can be a challenge to find as many RE's reject the approach to RI) I truly believe that without Dr K, I would still have no idea how to treat my infertility and I wouldn't be preparing to welcome my baby come March.

Trust in the process and know that Dr. K will do whatever she can to provide the best care to you. Aside from my egg retrievals she also performed a polypectomy and a D&C for me and I would completely trust her to perform any other necessary procedures needed. She is highly skilled and a true professional.

Covered by insurance

Dr Kuokkanen leads a team of wonderful people who work hard and are dedicated. Working at a fertility office is a demanding job where they have to be there very early in the morning and despite weather and EVERY day of the week. There were many times they were there with cheerful dispositions during snow storms. The staff went out of their way to make sure I received medications that were time sensitive. The sonogram specialists were kind and informative. Every last one of them made a huge difference in my life to which I will be forever grateful, but the one I am indebted to is Dr Kuokkanen. She helped me make difficult decisions and gave me the information I always needed to make them, while always respecting my opinions on matters. I would recommend this wonderful caring group of people to my best friend as well as all of those who read this. You will not regret it!

Dr Kuokkanen is a doctor who is well educated with a good bedside manner. It is obvious she cares about people and loves her work. My recommendation is to have a tenacious optimistic perspective on the whole process. I have found that many good things in my life take time, patience and effort. Dr Kuokkanen and her team gave me the support I needed to make this journey happen.

My insurance paid for most of it.

From the beginning I trusted and always felt comfortable with Dr Kuokkanen. I knew she would take the time to look over every detail and think of what the best plan would be. She is very knowledgeable and helps you to understand the process and each step as well. She thinks of ideas “outside the box” that are good for the individual and not necessarily what might the generic way. You always felt like her goal was to get you to your end goal and always felt supportive along the way. I always felt comfortable asking any questions or bringing up any concerns and she was always quick to respond. I would definitely recommend Dr Kuokkanen to anyone.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It can be an overwhelming process and being comfortable asking them is important. She is always willing to answer and help you understand

Dr. Kuokkanen is an amazing doctor. She is very patient, kind, caring, and understanding. She takes her time to speak with me and never rushed me out of her office or on the phone. Dr. Kuokkanen is exceptional with her knowledge, skills, and always cares about her patients. I've seen other doctors in the office when Dr. Kuokkanen was out of the office and I would definitely choose Dr. Kuokkanen in a heartbeat. Dr. Kuokkanen is by far the most exceptional doctor I've met in my life. An amazing doctor like Dr. Kuokkanen is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget.

Dr. Kuokkanen is a wonderful doctor.

I've went through 4 IUI cycles and 1 IVF cycle. Each time an IUI cycle fails, Dr. Kuokkanen would think of other ways to help me conceive, such as by changing the medication and dosage. Although none of the IUI cycle was successful, Dr. Kuokkanen did not drag me on to continue to do more of the IUI cycle. Instead, she proposed the IVF idea, which I have successfully conceived on the first transfer and is almost 10 weeks pregnant!

All IUI cycles were covered by my health insurance. IVF Cycle was not covered by insurance: Phase 1: $12,950 Medication: $4,075 Genetic Testing: $2,425 (Cooper Genomics) Phase 2: $2,800 Phase 3: $1,750 Injections: $45

I think Dr Kuokkanen has great experience and is very well informed but I don't think her communication style was the best match for me. Many times she explained things in medical terms and it was hard for me to follow along or fully understand. She was on vacation while I started my IVF treatment and felt that I was left on my own. When my body was not reacting as expected to the injections she or any of the other doctors did not change my treatment in any way. The thing that most bother me was that after having 0 embryos from my first IVF treatment, I felt that she was very negative about my chances for future IVF treatment.

Ask her to explain things in clearer detail. However, I would not see Dr Kuokkanen while she is practicing at RS of NY.

1st IUI cycle I took Chlomophine, 2 pills a day for 5 days. Uterine lining was thin so I took estrogen twice a day vaginally until the IUI transfer and then I continued to take estrogen twice a day orally. This cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy. 2nd IUI cycle I took Letrozole, 2 pills a day for 5 days. Uterine lining was thin so I took estrogen twice a day vaginally until the IUI transfer and then I continued to take estrogen twice a day orally. I had an IUI transfer on Sunday and was given a trigger shot and then came back the next day for another IUI transfer because my follicles had stopped growing and my bloodwork was borderline surging. One week after IUI transfer I was prescribed progesterone suppositories to be inserted twice a day because my levels were low. My pregnancy test was negative and I was told I possibly didn't ovulate. 3rd IUI cycle I did a natural cycle because the sonogram on day 3 was showing a cyst or follicle. I was told to take estrogen from the beginning of the cycle and progesterone after IUI transfer. This cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy. IVF cycle- took 300 units of Gonal-F & 225 IU of Menopur starting 2/14 and did my trigger shot the night of 2/26. Had 4 eggs retrieved on 2/28. Only 2 eggs fertilized and none became embryos.

I had insurance coverage for most of my treatment.

Overall I have had a positive experience with Dr. Kuokkanen. As a newbie in this area, it was important to me to find a doctor who made me feel confident. I wanted someone to painstakingly explain everything in terms I could understand, and help me get to the bottom of my fertility issues. When I first began treatment with her we had a very thorough consultation, during which she outlined a series of diagnostic procedures and tests in layman’s terms. She me feel cared for and that I was in good hands. After that consultation communication has been a little spotty. She seems to rely heavily on nursing to communicate most aspects of treatment, which I hear is common at other practices. That said, I have been able to reach her by phone to discuss my treatment plan after leaving messages with nurses.

You have to be proactive about managing your appointments here. The clinic staff seem a bit stressed and don’t call with appointment reminders. Sometimes they are not great about returning phone calls or emails.

After we determined that I have one blocked tube using HSG and a follow-up MRI, I opted to try IUI with Clomid. The doctor suggested this approach given my age (34) and norma ovarian reserve, though she did warn that success rates with IUI were low. I tried one round that was unsuccessful, and felt discouraged. I had previously had 3 rounds of monitored Clomid cycles with my previous doctor without success. Dr. Kuokkanen suggested that the blocked tube could potentially limit IUI success if follicles developed on the blocked side, and suggested that we might consider IVF as a next step. We are going to try our first cycle in a few months.

$600 for IUI (medication and procedure) $13,000 for IVF with fresh transfer (single embryo) plus $5,500 for medication

My doctor only does single embryo transfers in the majority of younger patients who have high-quality embryos. I feel relieved about the lower risk of multiples but also apprehensive that a single embryo won’t implant.

Another doctor pushed us to donor eggs (for $20,000 not covered by insurance) without a valid diagnosis. We left in tears and never went back. We explained this to Dr. Kuokkanen and she never once said we needed donor anything. She said “as long as you’re willing to try, I’m willing to try.” It was under her guidance that we eventually were able to have our own genetic child. When she said “I’m sorry this cycle didn’t work” I felt in my heart like she meant it. Dr. K is an amazing doctor and I highly recommend her!

Trust her.

We used menopur, follistim, and gannirelix for two cycles. We switched to gonal f for third cycle due to a shortage with insurance company. For the third cycle we also added lovenox due to a join decision (hey, why not? was truly the suggestion I had). My husband used Clomid for all cycles. Baby was born from third cycle with Dr. K (our fifth total).

Well oiled machine. But it still takes time because Lake Success is a small office so get there early.

This practice is a ‘Center of Excellence’ within NYS employee health insurance. For us, that meant no co-pays for appointments associated with cycles but co-pays for medications. I think for all of our cycles we spent approximately $400 in total.

Dr. Kuokkanen were extremely kind of patient with me. I could feel her compassion for her clients and she's so professional and capable with her skills. She had administered two IVF cycles for me and both were successful. She was able to accomplish what other doctors couldn't. I'm extremely happy with her.

put all of your trust in her and communicate with Dr. Kuokkanen about all of your feelings and thoughts

I was successful with my first IVF cycle with Dr. Kuokkanen in 2013, and 2 years later, I experienced two failures with another doctor. I decided to go back to Dr. Kuokkanen and chatted with her about my concerns. She put me on estrogen patches before I started my injection cycles. along the injection cycle, she broke the usage of the meds into morning dosage and evening dosage. I felt that her strategies were very flexible and carefully planned out. and the best thing is, it definitely worked!

the monitoring appointments are in the mornings so it was pretty smooth

approximately $20,000

Dr. Kuokkanen sets the standard for patient-centered care. She treats her patients with dignity. She was the third RE that I tried, and on the first visit I knew she was the doctor I wanted to guide my fertility journey. During our first visit she took her time thoroughly reviewing my medical history with me, and didn't rush to determine a diagnosis and treatment. Her attention to detail was especially important to me as Black patients often face certain health disparities and outcomes. She encourages her patients to take an active role in the process. As I would read and research new info, she was always open to my questions and made the effort to return phone calls on the same day. While this could be a taxing process, it was my best medical experience yet. I'm truly grateful for our healthy baby boy.

Do your own reading/research about the process to have a more productive and informed discussion with the doctor

Strong preference for single transfer. I did my homework on Fertility IQ to get comfortable with her recommendation.

Dr Kuokkanen is highly experienced and knows what she is doing. Based on her process and the way she communicates she cares about people and loves what she does. She is humble and does not boast her success rate, a true gem!!!

My recommendation is to stay positive, trust the process, and avoid having to worry. Dr Kuokkanen is a wonderful doctor, and she will walk you through step by step.

After the IUI process, there was an infection for which she was prescribed medication, which then caused an allergic reaction and other complications. She made sure all the proper care was provided to me before sending me off to a primary doctor.

IUI cost Consultation cost Seman analysis cost and other services

Dr. Kuokkanen makes me feel as though she is always rooting for me. She takes the time to ask how I am feeling and praises me when I can articulate how I feel. I was very honest in the beginning with my fears of infertility. I tend to see so often that since doctors do this so much they forget that the patient doesn't do this as much as them, as this is new for the patient but no so new for the doctor. I told her from the very beginning that at times I may need to be handled with "kid gloves". I am very fortunate that I am able to verbalize my mental state and emotions. And she takes that in to consideration when trying to convey what the next steps are for me, while also praising me for being able to articulate how I feel.

To be as honest as possible with how you are as an individual so she knows how to treat you, not just physically but emotionally as well.

Dr. K and her team provided an exceptional experience. She listened attentively, showed compassion, and tailored my treatment plan expertly. The staff was friendly and supportive, contributing to an overall positive journey. I highly recommend Dr.K for anyone on a fertility journey. Grateful for their expertise and care. Thank you Dr. K and staff!

Be patient, listen and trust her, she will guide you in the right direction and provide the appropriate treatments. She genuinely cares for you and your well being. Have faith.

I’ve have done lots of research before deciding which doctor to go with. Dr Kuokkanen was truly exceptional, warm, pleasant and most importantly very informative. It was also important to me, that I was able to reach her at any point, whether these were questions or concerns.

Prepare a list of questions or concerns regarding any treatment

Dr. Kuokkanen treated us like we're part of her family. She was very caring and kind. Most of all, she is great at what she does. We had a few failed IVF treatments with another doctor. We then came to Dr. Kuokkanen. She was able to find the root problem and recommended a day 6 transfer as opposed to the typical day 5 transfer. That solved the problem. This will be our 2nd child that Dr. Kuokkanen helped us with. She is an expert. A SUPER Doctor! We highly recommend her!

Be patient, it will happen!

Dr. Kuokkanen is incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to answer all my questions, is not only a skilled professional but also compassionate. I felt genuinely cared for during my journey. I am so happy and grateful with the result.

Undergoing IVF is a complex and emotional journey. While many people in my life expressed sympathy for the challenges it presented, I have only ever felt incredibly fortunate and grateful to have found Dr. Kuokkanen, an extraordinary doctor who has given me the most precious gift in the world. Despite encountering a few complications along the way, Dr. Kuokkanen not only resolved these issues but did so with a high level of professionalism and a calm demeanor that instilled hope and trust within me. She performed a range of procedures, including egg retrieval, embryo transfers, D&C, polyp removal, and more. Witnessing her extensive knowledge and expertise in performing these diverse operations left me in awe. With each surgery, Dr. Kuokkanen ensured that we maintained a sense of control and never wavered in our pursuit of success. I am so grateful for the countless hours she devoted to addressing challenges and devising strategies to reach the ultimate goal of bringing a baby into this world. To Dr. Kuokkanen, I owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude.

Trust in her guidance, follow her recommendations, and have faith in her ability to provide you with the best possible care.

Under Dr. Satu Kuokkanen's care, my IVF journey involved a personalized approach that included specific medications such as Lovenox injections, progesterone, and estrogen to ensure a successful embryo transfer. Additionally, Dr. Kuokkanen performed various crucial procedures, including D&Cs, polyp removal, and addressing a uterine lining defect. One significant instance was when she detected the lining defect and guided me through the process. Dr. Kuokkanen was upfront about the risks and collaborated with other specialists for second opinions, ultimately making the decision to proceed with surgery. I'm immensely grateful for her proactive approach, as it led to a successful 37-week pregnancy. The most significant challenge I faced was discovering the lining defects after a miscarriage, necessitating specialized treatment. However, the positive outcome is the birth of my perfect baby girl. Through this experience, I've gained an overwhelming sense of gratitude—for Dr. Kuokkanen's exceptional care, for the gift of my baby, and for the journey itself.

My experience with monitoring appointments at the clinic was quite efficient. They had an organized waiting room system where upon arrival, you'd wait for your name to be called and were promptly directed to the appropriate examination room. Even on busy clinic days, I never had to wait longer than 10-15 minutes in the waiting room. It's evident that the clinic had an effective system in place to ensure timely and smooth appointments.

For the initial years, my treatments were covered by insurance. However, during the final year, there was a change in my insurance coverage, and I found myself no longer covered. While this change was initially nerve-wracking, the actual costs turned out to be more manageable than I had anticipated. The frozen embryo transfer (FET) procedure cost approximately $4,200, and the additional care following a positive pregnancy test added roughly another $1,000 to the expenses. It's worth noting that I had the option to switch to another clinic covered by my insurance, but my trust in and attachment to Dr. Kuokkanen made me decide to stay at this facility and continue working with her. In hindsight, the cost was well worth it for the exceptional care I experienced.

Dr. Kuokkanen strongly recommended a cautious approach, advocating for a single embryo transfer. Her rationale was centered on achieving the best possible outcome while minimizing potential risks.

My husband and I tried conceiving naturally for one year without success and decided to seek help. We were placed with Dr. Kuokanen, and I feel very lucky that we were! She is extremely knowledgeable about this field and was responsive to our MANY questions as well as supportive of us during this stressful time. Sometimes, she’d even reach us after hours just to make sure that she responded to our question within the same business day. She listened to my concerns and made sure that my treatment plan was something that I was comfortable with. And last but not least, with her help and guidance, we achieved a successful pregnancy! My husband and I cannot be more grateful to her for all of her help, and we’d highly recommend her to anyone looking for a fertility specialist.

If you have questions or if something isn’t clear or you’re concerned about something, don’t be afraid to speak up. Dr. Kuokanen will make sure your questions are answered and that you’re comfortable with the treatment plan. If you’re not, she’ll work with you. But since this is a confusing process, sometimes patients withdraw or just go through the motions without understanding what’s happening, and you don’t have to feel like you can’t ask questions if you have them.

My husband and I first went through fertility screening tests to pinpoint the reason we couldn’t conceive naturally. I did not want to do the radiation sonogram as part of the screening, so Dr. Kuokanen suggested a saline sonogram instead which I much preferred. Through this, we discovered that I had uterine polyps that were preventing implantation. Dr. Kuokanen performed the surgery to remove the polyps and removed them all. After that, we trying conceiving for a month or 2 without success and moved forward with IUI. I took Clomid prior to the IUI. It was successful and I got pregnant. However, shortly after, we discovered the embryo wasn’t viable and I needed to have a D&C which Dr. Kuokanen also performed. She also found out the reason for the miscarriage which was chromosomal, and laid out the options going forward which were IUI and IVF. I preferred to try 3 more IUIs (2 of which were natural IUIs without Clomid at my request) which failed. We then decided to move forward with IVF and she recommended we do genetic testing on the embryos as part of IVF to prevent any other miscarriages. We went through the process, and I took the necessary injections and medications. The retrieval went very well and we ended up with 9 embryos. After genetic testing, 6 were chromosomally normal and 3 were not, but I explained I wanted to keep them all, but only use the abnormal ones if absolutely needed. I also asked Kuokanen not to perform assisted hatching on the embryo we transfer back unless absolutely necessary to which she agreed and not assisted hatching took place. Kuokanen performed the transfer back which was successful and she monitored the pregnancy up until 8 weeks before release to ensure everything went well. Overall, I’m thrilled with the results, and I’m glad I had a doctor who acknowledged my concerns and was flexible to help me get through this stressful time.

$5,000 (estimate)

Dr. kuokanen and I were on the same page about wanting a singly embryo transfer.

Dr Kuokkanen is extremely intelligent and was able to provide a diagnosis and adjust the plans accordingly whereas the physicians I had seen prior did not. She worked with us well and was honest about expectations and included us fully in decision making. I felt very comfortable with her and would definitely recommend her to anyone I know who needed help with this.

Ask questions! She gives very thoughtful answers

Tried IUI twice without success, recommended to try IVF, tried once, poor egg quality, genetic testing done on embryos I did not feel comfortable with mosaic embryo and asked for another cycle, which she agreed to. Did another IVF cycle with some adjustments to protocol, I asked for modified natural cycle transfer, which was done with success!

Monitoring did take a long time, was done in batches depending on when you got there--but they were really accommodating even if you got there late and would see you

covered by insurance, no out of pocket costs except for embryo genetic testing

not sure

After 3 failed IUIs and 2 miscarriages, Dr. Kuokkanen felt that I had immune issues so she referred us to a specialist. We truly appreciated her not trying to waste our time with continued attempts of doing more transfers. Dr. Kuokkanen really came across as trying to do what was best for us with her expertise. She was absolutely right with her diagnosis. Thanks to her suggestion of seeing the specialist, we welcomed our beautiful daughter.

Please be open minded and truly know that she has the best intentions for your family.

Dr. Kuokkanen never suggested multiple embryo transfers at same time and that was fine for us as we only always planned on transferring one at a time.

I am forever grateful to Dr. Kuokkanen. Her patience, kindness and knowledge about a topic I was originally very unaware about, made a true nightmare into an easier process. I do not wish infertility on my worst enemy and after months and then years of disappointment, I was able to become pregnant thanks to Dr. Kuokkanen and the wonderful staff at the practice. They all work diligently and are always very responsive to questions and concerns, especially when the timing of things is particularly important, I never worried I wouldn’t get an answer or the information I needed. It is a very difficult process, full of emotions, where having the right doctor is key. I would recommend Dr. Kuokkanen to anyone in a similar circumstance. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me bring a beautiful baby into this world. Always have hope- it is possible with the right help!

Try and be patient and trust Dr. Kuokkanen. She knows what she is doing!

Since it was unclear of a specific diagnosis, I was told I had unexplained secondary infertility, we started with an IUI cycle. After 3 failed rounds, we decided it was more productive time wise and financially to move forward with an IVF cycle and thankfully my first IVF transfer stuck! I followed all instructions religiously and made sure I did everything I was told. I know I was lucky the first transfer worked but I also believe it was also because of the guidance and advice of Dr. Kuokkanen.

It depends on insurance. I know a portion of the costs were covered by my insurance, but especially with sonograms, I had to pay for these as well as other visits. The storage of embryos is another cost, if needed.

I trusted that transferring more than one embryo could raise the risk of problems. I had waited so long for a baby that waiting another month to do things safely made more sense to me.

I feel as though I was treated very well. Dr. Koukkanen took her time & was thoughtful & elaborate and treated me well & with respect, not just as another person. Dr. Koukkanen made sure I felt comfortable and that I could call at any time during my treatment, and would constanlty follow up with me and discuss my results as needed.

I would also make sure that people do their own research in general about fertility and ask a lot of questions.

In the beginning we attempted natural cycles, with pre-natal vitamins & Co-Q10; and then slowly progressed to more aggressive treatment's lateron on, including estrogen and progesterone. We also implement a couple of cylces with Clomind and then progesterons shots in my last cycle once HCG levels was a positive.

I had to pay the mid self pay cycle as my insurance did not cover IUI cycles, as well as part co-pay for medications, consulation, psychologival evaluation, and additional genetic bloodwork, as well as the cost of sperm donation outside of the clinic. I woudl have to estimate the cost in total to be bewteen $15-20,000 for the 6 cycles.

n/a

She was wonderful. She made me feel heard and was very helpful as far as making me feel comfortable with the treatment and progress. I will add that she was never dismissive of my concerns and focus on ensuring that I was comfortable with all the steps including whenever I needed a small break before taking the next step in treatment.

Ensuring that you ask as many questions you have about the treatment.