Stephanie Dahl

We first met with Dr. Dahl in August of 2018. We were sent to her due to male infertility. She instantly connected with us on a very personal level and made us feel comfortable from the start. She explained all the possible diagnoses, tests, and labs. After going over a complete history with my husband and I she said her assumption is my husband is a cystic fibrosis carrier. We did genetic testing, which confirmed that diagnosis. With the diagnosis of a double carrier for CF, she instantly talked about available options and connected us with urology and a genetic counselor. For my appointments, I was always excited to see her because she made me feel at ease. She always explained to us what the ultrasounds were showing, what medication changes to make and the rationale. We always felt very informed and that she had our best interest at heart. She connected us to all the right medical staff and resources, and felt that overall she cared about us individually and as a couple. She shows great care and compassion for her patients and shows enthusiasm for the job she does.

I would recommend writing down a timeline of your appointments. I kept a notebook that had our appointment and what we did at that appointment, what was discussed, what labs or ultrasound results were, etc. Another thing I would recommend is always writing down questions you have. She is more than willing to answer questions and to take the time to have open discussions about any topics with fertility and health.

The only way for us to conceive is through IVF. The first round I was started on progesterone only birth control due to a clotting disorder we did not want to use estrogen. I had my baseline labs which were all within normal limits and started on Follistim/Gonal F 300 units. I was unable to use menopur due to a dairy allergy. I continued on for 5 days of "stims" and labs all were within the range that was expected, but I had discordant growth with my follicles (2 large and 2 small follicles). At that time we decided to stop with this first round of medications and restart. The second round I did use a birth control with estrogen but then took lovenox injections during that time. I was started on gonal F 375units. On day 3 after labs we increased the dose to 450 units. On day 6 I had 4 follicles, day 8 I had 6 follicles that were all growing at the same rate and appropriate size to lead up to an egg retrieval. After a few more days of stimulation it was time for the trigger shot which we used Lupron. We successfully retrieved 5 eggs, and 3 successfully fertilized. We did PGS testing on our embryos. We had 1 chromosomally normal. We had a different provider do our transfer due to the timing of it, which did not lead to a successful pregnancy. Since then, Dr. Dahl has met with us and talked about the future options and different medication protocols to try.

Overall we feel that the cost at the clinic seems to be average for IVF in our area. They do pair up with ARC fertility so that is an option for patients to look into for "plan" options. We did have some insurance coverage so for us it was best to use our insurance first before using other resources. When you first start with the clinic and before you start IVF they have you meet with the financial counselor to discuss cost and prepayment. We were given a break down of costs for trial transfer, cycle monitoring ( which included 5 office visits, 7 lab draws, some ultrasounds), egg aspiration with ICSI, freezing of embryos, thaw and transfer, and post IVF lab work. Also if you plan to do PGS testing they have you pay part of that cost up front. We did end up having some confusion with insurance, but the financial counselor was so willing to look through each bill, each charge, and even contact our insurance to help make the process run smoother. Even during visits with Dr. Dahl she would mention an approximate cost of testing and let you know if she thought if it was covered by insurance or not. We really appreciated that. We also felt that she would include us in on the decisions and what is best for us to get the results we want and can financially afford.

From the start we primarily talked about a single embryo transfer. She did say it would be an option for us to do 2 embryos but we felt it just depended on our situation and the number of embryos. We only had 1 embryo to transfer so that made the decision easier because 1 embryo was our only option.

Dr. Dahl was very warm and compassionate. She was a clear and direct communicator and was very willing to talk through her thoughts and processes. She spent over an hour with us during our initial consult and was very thorough in answering questions, proactively asking targeted questions, and devising a plan of care which included consults with several third-party specialties. Dr. Dahl completely exceeded both mine and my husband's expectations in communication, warm bedside manner, and medical knowledge/expertise. I've worked with three other infertility doctors, who all approached my treatment and care like I was just a number, not wanting to answer my questions, and not individualizing my care. After just one visit with Dr. Dahl, we are in awe of her personalized approach to treating our infertility. We have so much trust in her approach and expertise.

Be open about your medical history and lifestyle. Be ready to hear the pros and risks of treatment and possibly to see other care professionals prior to beginning treatment.

Dr. Dahl referred us to a maternal fetal medicine doctor, geneticist, and possibly cariologist prior to starting any workup or treatments on us. After we are "cleared" by these other consults, she plans to do a full one-day workup for both my husband and myself at their clinic in Minneapolis.

She was the first doctor who took the time and let us ask every question we had. During our first consultation we were able to be with her for over an hour, she made us feel very comfortable. Our first doctor consulted Dr.Dahl during our treatments, it was nice to have both doctors talking with each other. But, I did feel like Dr. Dahl led us in the wrong direction. After getting another opinion/consultation about our Male Factor portion we were told that we should not have been continuing with IUIs. I felt like if we were given the raw facts we could have saved our money to go towards a treatment with a higher chance of a positive outcome.

Ask her to be a little more blunt. Do not sugar coat the facts.

I felt like she never personalizes a plan to me, rather what ever partner I saw that day I went in their protocol. One month I was on Leterzole, and one month I was on chlomid. I was on estradiol and progesterone with my previous doctor. Dr. Dahl did not continue with that protocol, and we did not see any improvement from not being on them.

One IUI generally cost around $5000. I was seen at a Satellite clinic as the clinic was 4 hours away, so my cost could be widely different from what they would have been if I were to do everything at her clinic.

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She is very quick to start treatment. Was very good about answering questions. We are dealing with male infertility as well as female and she set us up with a urologist she liked and we are now able to move forward with our treatments again. My only complaint is it can take a few days to hear back when you ask a question. Other than that I love the clinic in Fargo.

Go in with all the questions you have and don’t be afraid to ask. These doctors are here to help you and you should be comfortable to ask those difficult questions.

We did a ton of lab work and uktrasound. Did a semin analysis on the first visit as well. Scheduled another HSG since it’s been over a year since my last one. Started with promethium to induce cycle, ultrasound cycle day 3, femara 5mg cd 4-8, Menopur 75iu days 9-12, folicules can day 13 and ovidril trigger if ready, timed intercourse or iui and progesterone suppositories in the two week wait.

They charge what I’ve seen a lot of places charge. Nothing outrageous but not the cheapest either.

Stephanie was the 1st doctor to really sit down with us and assess our situation in a way that we weren't even sure we were able to experience she explained a new medication and looked into our insurance helping us understand how this medication could help and that is covered by our insurance

Doctor Dahl is very understanding and compassionate she is kind and easy to speak with I would highly recommend her

Most treatment protocols were similar to my experience with another doctor at the same hospital at this point she just reviewed my medications last and discussed any changes that we are comfortable way she also identified some changes to our medical intervention and next steps if this was unsuccessful

Most medicated cycles were covered by my insurance as far as timed intercourse I you I was about 3000 for the 1st time due to additional labs and 2500 every time after IVF was 20000 and up

I could tell she throughly reviewed my results and my history. She explained what the numbers for each test meant. She also would go through my options if my current cycle didn’t work. She was always positive and encouraging.

She is thorough and is very knowledgeable about her field. I trust that she is doing everything she can to help me achieve my dreams!

I started with just pills to grow follicles. My body was responding well but she wanted to lay down the facts about being aggressive because of my age. She said we would be as agressive with treatment as I felt I could handle. We are currently using injections and IUI. I fear we will not be able to afford the IVF stage if nothing else works.

Every office visit or telemedicine visit cost around $200. Ultra sound $300. Medicine ranged from $100 to $600 a month. The IUI and sperm washing about $800 a month.

Was unreasonably optimistic and quoted statistics that were incorrect. Explained risks of treatments and was empathetic. Didn’t have good continuity of care due to clinic set up, which made it difficult to develop rapport with individual providers.

Check your bill carefully to determine if you have had the services you are being billed for.

Clomid, has hyperstimulation with it, cycle was cancelled

Really really liked her. She is personable and compassionate and super helpful. She listened well to our concerns. We knew going in that our chances of conceiving were low, but she was willing to work with us.

Not sure

We did injections and IUI. Only a couple cycles because we knew our chances were really small. Not successful so we moved on to donor egg. We went elsewhere for a larger donor pool and a clinic with more donor experience and better statistics.

All out of pocket

I loved Dr. Dahl. She is very patient and compassionate. She is very through in the care provided and explains everything! She is good to email or call you back if you have any questions or concerns too!

Go to your appt with h an open mind. Science​ and doctors can only help you so far...In the end the man upstairs knows the plan for you. I went with the expectation if becoming pregnant right away...Don't do that.

Clomid and an injectable to make me ovulate bc I think I ovulate later than normal and IUI due to poor Morpology with my husband's sperm.

Per IUI was $1500

She was amazing very understanding. Listened to my thoughts explained the whole process step by step. Would return my calls right away. Made me feel comfortable. Explained the risks told me the good and the bad of everything. She was very forthright with me and my husband.

Be open ask the tough questions

We spent 3500.

She was a great communicator however I wish she could/would’ve told me exactly what step she’d take text as a result of my cycle results. She was great to explain everything and made sure we understood everything upcoming or the reasons we had done things the way we did.

Be open with her and don’t be afraid to ask any questions you may have

Dr Dahl was also worried about the emotional aspect of IVF and discussed canceling the cycle when quality eggs were not retrieved.

$26,000 without meds