Seth Derman

Dr. Derman has a way of being candid and honest about the potential results but still provided hope. At the end of the day, I have always felt like our best chances have been with him. So far, we have not had full success (no transfer yet) but he continues to update our treatment plan to achieve better results. I truly feel like it is a customized plan for me.

Ask all of your questions. He has always been willing to answer any questions we have.

Our first cycle, we used an antagonist protocol with the following medications: Menopur [75 units] x2 (150); Gonal-F or Follistim [600 unit pens/cartridges] x6 (375) Ganirelix 250mcg x5 doses; Novarel 5000units x1 (trigger); Doxycycline (Oral Pills) 100mg x10 pills; Femara (Oral Pills) 7.5 mg (3 2.5 mg tablets) x30 pills; Dexamethasone (Oral Pills) 1 mg (2 0.5 mg tablets) x30 pills. We retrieved only 3 eggs. However all were mature and fertilized. None made it to blastocyst stage. For cycle 2 we added microdose lupron for a flare protocol. My meds were as follows: Dexamethasone 0.5mg tablets; Doxycycline 100mg tablets (x10); Microdose 40mcg/0.2ml (x1 10ML vial); Menopur 75 units (x2) (150); Follistim 300 units (x8) (375 each day); Cetrotide 0.25mg (x5); Novarel 5000units x1 (trigger). This cycle was better with approximately 9 eggs retrieved. We had 4 embryos. One made it to blastocyst and has been tested to confirm is euploid. We have not transferred this one yet. Cycle 3 did not go well. We used the same flare protocol after the positive results from cycle 2. All the same meds. However, only 3 eggs were retrieved. Only one fertilized but did not make it to a blastocyst stage. We are proceeding with a 4th cycle and have started metformin and some supplements as the report from the lab in cycle 3 was that my eggs were fragile which is an indication of PCOS which I have not previously been diagnosed with. The doctor also intends to HCG to the next protocol.

My first cycle was covered by insurance. However, subsequent cycles I had to self-pay which has cost $6500 + ICSI ($600) + PGA testing ($2500 for 7 embryos) + medications. They are upfront with costs on their website. The $6500 includes one transfer.

Even if we have more than one embryo we intend to only transfer one given my age based on the doctor’s recommendation.

It was great to see him almost every visit. I do not feel my treatment was individualized and he did testing that I later found out I had a tube blockage and he did multiple treatments without further investigating the blockage. Money and time wasted for my tubes to be blocked since 2017. There was also a very long wait every time I went for bloodwork and ultrasound

Advocate for yourself

The first four medicated cycles I did were with letrozole. My dosages increased every time and I had little response. I then did three medicated cycles with iui due to not having a great response with the letrozole. My progesterone never reached above a 10 post ovulation/iui and I was not medicated until my last cycle when I continued to advocate for myself that my hormones were an issue. My last cycle I was on 300iu of gonal f and ended up being overstimmed.

Costs were reasonable

No

Dr. Derman is a very nice doctor, he is very knowledgeable about the entire infertility process. He always make sure I understand my treatment and the procedures that I need to undergo. On the first day of meeting him he gives out a folder of the whole process from beginning to end of what to expect and the types of treatment that may be needed depending on each patients need. He doesn’t have a tendency to make me feel more like just another number rather then a person who is going through a tough time, but his staff makes up for that. There is not much communication between patient and doctor which can sometimes be a bit hard, but overall I would recommend him for anyone that needs treatment.

Don’t mind his lack of Personability he is an amazing doctor and will do his best to not only give you the best treatment options but make sure you get the outcome you want.

I was diagnosed my Dr. Derman when I was 15 with at the time premature ovarian Failure now known as primary ovarian failure. When I was older and ready for children I went back to him and was given a folder of the options for my condition. We started with a Sonohysterogram And from there contacted Abington reproductive to choose the egg donor. Once I’ve chosen my donor we will begin the next steps.

Co-pay every visit, insurance cover most of it, and 10,000 for the donor egg IVF process, (egg donor & testing for donor)

Dr. Derman is a strong believer in not transferring to many embryos. Usually only one or two max.

Honest he never gave me false hope. He was willing to do what was best for my family as well for the outcome of having our baby. When I decided I needed a break he was very supportive and also he did not force an IUI or IVF.

Please follow his instructions thoroughly but also voice your concerns he will always listen

From the beginning we knew from my bloodwork and other testing I needed injectable medication. Initially my dose was very low I did not respond at all. The next several months we gradually increased my medication to produce more eggs they failed. I took a one month break from the IUI. I started back again with the same dosage we produced more eggs this time but no pregnancy. We finally sat down and had a long talk and decided I needed to move to IVF. I asked him could we try IUI one more time he agreed and increased my Gonal F to the max and it worked. I got a positive test at 44 years old.

All of my visits were covered by both my insurances the only thing not covered was the IUI which was $630 each time.

We did not find Dr. Derman to be a good communicator or thoughtful doctor. He was not attentive to our needs or family and regularly asked about a husband or sperm samples, despite working with us for over a year.

Know what you want and be prepared to advocate for yourself and your family. Also, be prepared for long waits and a pretty frustrating set of logistics.

We used Femara (letrozole) early in the cycle at increasing dosages, with IUI following a positive OPK result.

At the time we had insurance coverage for IUI, so we paid only deductibles ($150 each IUI) and a $25 copay per visit.

Dr. Derman is definitely up to date on the latest reproductive endocrinology research--I have a PhD and I had been reading everything I could find ahead of my visit. I knew I wanted Femara over Clomid based on thin lining, I knew I wanted someone who would perform specific tests, and who had knowledge of recent studies on vitamins D and E. He knew and brought up all that research before I did--I know he used to prescribe Clomid but has switched to Femara mostly because recent research shows better results and that was very comforting to me. He will thoroughly explain anything as long as you ASK him...he may not go into detail without you asking but he even pulled out a textbook and walked me through the biochemical reactions when I had a question. He isn't the warmest person but he is not at all cold, and I cared far more about his knowledge to get me pregnant than anything else. When a radiologist scared me by being a doofus, Dr. Derman was actually surprisingly confident and compassionate and helped me to stop freaking out and even checked in with me at the next appointment to make sure I was truly believing that things were ok (they were...the radiologist was an idiot who spoke out of turn). When I had an usual result on an HSG (which he squeezed me in for so that I could get it done that cycle and not need to wait a month), he got me in first thing the next morning for an SHG so that they could confirm all was well and I wouldn't need to worry for any longer than absolutely necessary. Once I was meeting with the nurse practitioner/MW and when I had a question about the medication beyond her knowledge she went and got the doctor and he came in and spent a good 15 min answering my question even though we weren't scheduled to meet--I can't ask for better than that. Also, I got pregnant on my first treatment so that's great.

ASK questions. Don't expect him to read your mind. Don't expect him to be warm and cuddly--he's super optimistic about getting you pregnant but he's not overt about it even though I do think he's very compassionate. If you like the details and science, go ahead and tell him so that he will go into more detail for you.

2.5mg (lowest dose) of letrozole (generic Femara) on days 3-7, plus trigger shot (Ovidrel) and IUI. I had thin lining and a low Day21 progesterone result so they induced ovulation with the letrozole...I was ovulating without the trigger with a thick lining by CD12 but was instructed to trigger anyway to be safe, have sex that night (just in case I ovulated at home) and return for IUI in the morning. Result is my beautiful son!!!

one round of letrozole was about $4 after insurance, the IUI with sperm wash came out to like...$500 and $36 after insurance? IUI would have been less but I have a high deductible plan. All testing was covered by insurance. Two doses of Ovidrel was $180, and I was able to donate the leftover dose.

N/A

My husband and I did not have a positive experience with Dr. Derman. We ultimately had to pursue IVF, so we could test our embryos for a genetic disorder. The stimulation protocol used by Dr. Derman was extremely long – about four weeks – and we later learned that it is an older protocol that is generally only used in specific circumstances, when the newer, shorter protocols are inappropriate. One downside to the older process is the possibility of overstimulation, which resulted in a week of extreme discomfort following egg retrieval. Our first FET was successful, but ultimately resulted in a miscarriage. Dr. Derman was extremely perfunctory in his interactions with us following the miscarriage. This turned out to be a missed miscarriage necessitating a D and C, which Dr. Derman performed. Significant discomfort and nausea persisted for several days after the procedure, at which point we decided to switch doctors. During the routine tests with our new doctors, we learned that the D&C was unsuccessful, and a second would be required. Dr. Derman had neglected to take the customary step of confirming via bloodwork that the D&C had been successful. I experienced significant complications during the second D&C in the form of a severe hemorrhage, which necessitated a much longer recovery and additional subsequent testing than would otherwise have been the case. Overall, we are extremely unhappy with our experiences with Dr. Derman. He uses older protocols rather than the most up-to- date techniques, neglects to follow up to ensure that procedures are successful, and lacks any compassion in the event of a miscarriage. We strongly recommend anyone considering his practice to go elsewhere.

We strongly recommend anyone considering his practice to go elsewhere.

Both my husband and I are carriers for a genetic disease, so we were told we should use IVF with ICSI. The stimulation protocol Dr. Derman uses, we later learned, is somewhat outdated and now more commonly used only under specific circumstances.

Bloodwork began at 6am, but ultrasounds did not begin until 7am. Both were first-come, first-serve, which meant arriving before 6am, and then waiting for over an hour to be seen after blood was taken.

We had to pay office copays and embryo cryo and storage fees.

Dr. Derman was indifferent to single vs. multiple embryo transfer.

Dr. Derman seemed very knowledgeable in the infertility domain. But he would often very quickly explain things and move on without us having an opportunity to openly ask questions. I found myself trying to write notes down as fast as possible to keep up. While every time he said he'd provide paperwork and material for us, we never received any. Moreover, there were critical times when we were supposed to start/stop medications and we would not get calls from him. We had to remind him of the treatment sometimes, which was a bit concerning.

Do your research. Interview at least two other doctors or groups along with Derman and decide based on who is the best fit for you. Dr. Derman may be good for some, but he wasn't for us.

It was "a cattle call with a line around the corner". Very rarely did we wait less than 15 minutes. Most often it was 30 minutes or more, and in some cases over 1.5 hours wait. There were times when the front desk staff wouldn't even look at the clipboard for over 15 minutes.

All of our expenses were covered under a co-pay (IUI and IVF), except for IVF injections which ended up having a co-pay of about $250.

I think he is trying his best, but he does not explain what is happening with each cycle. Since this is a small clinic, I see him every time, so one expects more explanations about the prognosis of my cycle. However, he is also busy, so he does not always remember exactly the treatment protocol. It is important to be proactive by reminding him of my exact protocol. Having said this, the procedures were performed on time and properly. Since I was a poor responder, I would gave appreciated that he let me know to escalate sooner towards IVF, than to spend an extra cycle on Femara and an extra one on IUIs. After 1 cancelled IVF cycle and 1 failed IVF cycle, he was willing to attempt 1 more IVF cycle, but I declines and decided to switch to another clinic. The next clinic declined to treat me because of my high Day 3 FSH level. So in retropsect, it is appreciated that Dr Derman was willing to try one my IVF cycle. Nevertheless, I contacted 4 more clinics and I am now trying a new protocol elsewhere.

Ask about the different protocols he uses and why he is selecting the patricular one for you.

First started with Femara. He prefers this to Clomid. We did 4 cycles, each at an escalating dosage, because I was not responding to the previous lower dosages. None of the cycles were successful. I then went to injectibles and IUI using Follistim. The first cycle was at 75 IU and I had a hormone surge. The next two cycles, Follistim was increased to 150 IU and ganirelix was used to prevent the surge. All three IUI cycles were not succesful, so I moved to IVF. I am a poor responder. Each time only led to 1 (or 2 at best) mature follicles. We found this out during the IUI and IVF cycles. The first IVF cycle used Gonal + Menopur + Ganirelix (to prevent LH surge). Unfortunately, I still had an LH surge and the cycle was cancelled. The second IVF cycle used Follistim + Menopur + Lupron (to supress the LH surge). This got me to egg retrieval, ICSI, and then transfer on day 3. Unfortunately, the cycle was not successful.

They are between 6 am - 9 am. Sometimes, the wait can be very busy. Most times, there is only 2-3 people ahead of me.

I had a good insurance plan, so I did not pay very much, fortunately.

He seemed confident that we would not need to move onto IVF, but that was not the case. Otherwise I have nothing bad to say about him. In fact, we went on to use him as the mohel for my son's circumcision!

Know that you can go in and be a person and not just a number in a factory line.

We started with Femara and timed intercourse, increasing the dose each cycle. I then moved to IUI with injectables and finally IVF. By the time we got to IVF he know how I would respond to the injectables.

I made sure to be there early so I could be one of the first in for monitoring.

Approximately $13,000 for the IVF cycle. Each IUI was $630, my insurance picked up the monitoring for IUI.

He prefers a fresh transfer and went by SART guidelines for a fresh transfer at my age (38 at the time of retrieval/transfer).

Dr. Derman was the only doctor at this practice (I am not sure if this has changed). It was a small practice, so the staff was often overwhelmed. Dr. Derman was great with responding to emails, but he was difficult to get in touch with otherwise. I felt that a lot of the decision making was made by the Physician's Assistant, rather than the doctor.

Stay on top of everything.

Dr. Derman did try different protocols with me. He did change medications from one round to the next. I honestly don't remember the details. My first round of IVF resulted in a chemical pregnancy. Dr. Derman was willing to let me go back to IUI while I was trying to figure out my insurance, rather than pushing forward with another round of IVF.

Monitoring appointments were first come, first serve. I would often get there about an hour before they began so that I could ensure that I would be able to be seen and get to work on time. The wait time was very long. You were called in for bloodworm first, then back to the waiting room, and later called back for ultrasound. On my first visit there, I had to ask what the procedure was because no one had explained anything to me.

I was fortunate to have great health insurance, so I was primarily responsible for copays.

I would recommend Dr derman and have to several friends. I am currently going thru another cycle w him. He is very knowledgeable in his field. You don't feel like a patient. Even in emergency situations he is easy to to contact.

Just be open about any and all questions. He will answer all of them. Keep in mind most appt are early in the morning so you must leave a vm and the office will def call you back.

We initially did 3 rounds of you. Followed by I vf. We also used icisi assisted hatching.

Almost all my appt were early in the morning. If i needed to go in after noon, they did make exception.

My ins paid all of it . I only paid min. Copay.

W1st I vf cycle we 9 embryos and we cud not decide on transferring 3 or 4 embryos and we leaned on Dr derman for advice and transferred 3.

Very informative, a little fast but never left you feeling like he didn’t care. He is to the point but with compassion. He helps explain all options when moving to a new step. Only seen him a handful for time and everytime is good

200 ultra sounds