[Dr. Stephanie Estes] is nice and listens to concerns but if you question too much she gets frustrated. She seems almost like she’s done this a lot and is numb to the pain of mentally getting unexpected results and having losses...Very personal care, until you question things based on evidence based research. Then you get attitude and a cold shoulder and told you can seek care elsewhere if you don’t trust the way they are treating you.
[Hershey Medical Center] Very old school clinic that does not offer the newest technologies. No PGS or any embryo testing. If you bring up additional supplements or books like “it starts with an egg” they will tell you they don’t really believe in that stuff and IVF is “either going to work or it’s not.”...Very personal care, until you question things based on evidence based research.
How was your experience with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Dr. Estes is nice and listens to concerns but if you question too much she gets frustrated. She seems almost like she’s done this a lot and is numb to the pain of mentally getting unexpected results and having losses.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
If you do not take things personally and are tough minded, you will be fine.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Very personal care, until you question things based on evidence based research. Then you get attitude and a cold shoulder and told you can seek care elsewhere if you don’t trust the way they are treating you.
Describe the protocols Stephanie Estes used in your cycles at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State) and their degree of success.
Lupron start, proceeding to gonal F. Cycle yielded no results because it was cancelled mid cycle due to covid-19.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
One nurse, Jamie was fantastic. Another newer nurse, however, is not my favorite. Jamie is kind and knows her stuff, however Lindsey is newer and does not seem to have the same reputation of being as well liked as Jamie.
Describe your experience with Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
Very old school clinic that does not offer the newest technologies. No PGS or any embryo testing. If you bring up additional supplements or books like “it starts with an egg” they will tell you they don’t really believe in that stuff and IVF is “either going to work or it’s not.”
Describe the costs associated with your care under Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
Copays for every clinic visit even when there’s multiple in same week and only 5 minutes was spent there. Insurance covers IVF up to 15K once deductible is met.
What specific things went wrong at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Provided conflicting information
Lost or damaged samples
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
One provider told us to continue to try to get pregnant while we waited to start IVF even knowing we have two blocked tubes. So we tried per our provider and got pregnant, only to find out it’s ectopic. When we came in for follow up the other provider in the clinic asked us why we were having unprotected sex even knowing my tubes were blocked because ectopic pregnancies are common with this. We were just following what the first provider said. And it ended it a sad loss. The second provider instructed us to no longer have unprotected sex to prevent this from happening again.
While we are new patients, we can not thank Dr.Estes enough for her care and consideration as we start this journey with a new practice. She has taken the time to listen to us I’m a short period of time, and ultimately has given us a lot of hope moving forward. While she won’t sugarcoat the facts, her kind disposition and open communication makes the information more palatable. After having a poor experience elsewhere, we made the decision to see Dr.Estes and now drive over 2 hours each way for appointments with her.
We [Hershey Medical Ctr] are still quite new to the practice, but have been very happy thus far. The physical setup is spacious and welcoming, as some clinics have a more sterile appearance. The rooms were clean and orderly. I didn’t care for the reception area as sensitive information can be overheard by those in neighboring cubicles as well as those walking in the front door.... I was not impressed with the nurse we saw in the practice, (just a personality thing, really) but communication via phone and email with the nursing staff has been wonderful!
How was your experience with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
While we are new patients, we can not thank Dr.Estes enough for her care and consideration as we start this journey with a new practice. She has taken the time to listen to us I’m a short period of time, and ultimately has given us a lot of hope moving forward. While she won’t sugarcoat the facts, her kind disposition and open communication makes the information more palatable. After having a poor experience elsewhere, we made the decision to see Dr.Estes and now drive over 2 hours each way for appointments with her. She made us feel at ease, and treated us as individuals, rather than numbers on her caseload. We are so thankful to have found her!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Bring a notepad or something to jot down notes. She is very knowledgeable but the process is overwhelming and it will help make sure nothing is overlooked.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
After an incredibly disheartening experience with another dr, I was referred by a friend to Dr.Estes. I drive over 2hrs each way to see her, because she genuinely listens to and cares about her patients. Infertility is stressful enough- finding the right providers can make all the difference.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
I was not impressed with the nurse we saw in the practice, (just a personality thing, really) but communication via phone and email with the nursing staff has been wonderful!
Describe your experience with Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
We are still quite new to the practice, but have been very happy thus far. The physical setup is spacious and welcoming, as some clinics have a more sterile appearance. The rooms were clean and orderly. I didn’t care for the reception area as sensitive information can be overheard by those in neighboring cubicles as well as those walking in the front door.
Dr. Estes is very straightforward and gives you the facts, but also delivers with compassion. She is really intelligent and I felt confident that she knew what she was doing throughout all of my treatment. At first she did come across as less emotional at times, however as I got to know her better and she got more involved I felt she was definitely emotionally invested in our case. I felt more and more confident with her as time went on and especially after my failed IVF cycle, because she was very honest and did not sugarcoat anything. She came up with a new treatment plan and was confident that we would eventually find success, and she was right.
Strengths [for Hershey Medical Center]: It is a small enough practice that you are treated like an individual but you still feel that they are experienced and knowledgeable enough that you are getting top quality care.... They are open 365 days a year and rotate the schedule so you will see any one of the three of them on any given day. The doctors do all of the ultrasounds and procedures, and you either get called by a nurse or directly by the doctor with your treatment changes later in the day during monitoring... Cons: They do not have PGS testing.
How was your experience with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Dr. Estes is very straightforward and gives you the facts, but also delivers with compassion. She is really intelligent and I felt confident that she knew what she was doing throughout all of my treatment. At first she did come across as less emotional at times, however as I got to know her better and she got more involved I felt she was definitely emotionally invested in our case. I felt more and more confident with her as time went on and especially after my failed IVF cycle, because she was very honest and did not sugarcoat anything. She came up with a new treatment plan and was confident that we would eventually find success, and she was right.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Don't be offset if she initially comes across as less "warm", once you get to know her you will see that she truly cares about your success and will do everything in her power to achieve it, and she is definitely good at what she does!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
The clinic is relatively small, so I felt like the doctor and nurses knew me and my specific diagnosis and history very well. I was not treated like a number. It was relatively easy and convenient to get appointments, the monitoring clinic is open every morning 365 days a year and the nurses always returned my phone calls that day or the next if it was after hours. Often the doctors themselves would be the ones to call with the treatment plan, to answer questions/return phone calls or to discuss results.
Describe the protocols Stephanie Estes used in your cycles at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State) and their degree of success.
For my first IVF cycle we did the long lupron protocol, however I got overstimulated and ended up with mild OHSS (which was somewhat unexpected given my endometriosis). We froze everything and later did a frozen transfer once I was recovered. This was unsuccessful. For my second IVF cycle, she came up with a new plan to keep me from getting overstimulated but still obtaining as many eggs as possible safely. We used the antagonist protocol and I was very closely monitored so that she and the other two doctors in the practice made sure I did not get overstimulated and had better quality results. At the three day mark after retrieval, we only had 2 viable embryos so she changed the plan to do a day 3 fresh transfer (instead of day 5), and this was successful (I am now 14 weeks pregnant).
Describe your experience with your nurse at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State). (Assigned nurse: There are only a few - Joni, Jamie, Michelle)
Joni, Jamie, and Michelle were all excellent, they got to know my husband and I and our specific case very well and they were so compassionate. They were genuinely rooting for us the whole way. During both of my egg retrievals and at all the monitoring appointments they put me at ease. They always called back in a timely manner and were very clear when giving directions. They went above and beyond to try to find the cheapest medications possible, they even looked at multiple specialty pharmacies to find the best price for me when my fertility med coverage ran out.
Describe your experience with Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
Strengths: It is a small enough practice that you are treated like an individual but you still feel that they are experienced and knowledgeable enough that you are getting top quality care. There are only three doctors in the practice, all three were wonderful, but my primary doctor was Dr. Estes and she was my favorite. I definitely felt confident that all three were taking good care of me during all of my treatments. They are open 365 days a year and rotate the schedule so you will see any one of the three of them on any given day. The doctors do all of the ultrasounds and procedures, and you either get called by a nurse or directly by the doctor with your treatment changes later in the day during monitoring. The whole team meets every Friday to discuss all the cases going into the weekend, so the weekend team is always up to date on your current status. Their success rates are higher than a lot of the bigger clinics in my area, yet they were the most convenient (a lot of other clinics are not open on weekends, so you would have to travel to another location for monitoring, and also for procedures like egg retrievals and transfers). They are an academic institution so you don't feel like they are forcing you into certain treatments for the money, you feel like they are truly trying to do whatever it takes to find success. Also because I am an HMC employee, I paid a very small amount for all my treatments (including laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, 3 IUIs, 2 IVFs), because our doctors advocated and were able to give their employees infertility insurance coverage.
Cons: They do not have PGS testing. This did not end up affecting our treatment because we wouldn't have done it even if it were available. However, if we did need it we would have had to change clinics. We were almost in this situation when I tested positive as a cystic fibrosis carrier - my husband tested negative, but if he had been positive too we likely would have left our clinic to get PGS testing somewhere else. Luckily this didn't end up affecting us but may affect other couples depending on their situations.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
The costs were minimal because through my employee insurance I had $10,000 lifetime prescription coverage and $15,000 lifetime procedure/test/lab draw etc. coverage. One thing I would have liked to know prior, however, was how quickly my prescription coverage would run out (for example, gonal-F alone during my first cycle cost over $5000 which was over half my lifetime coverage). However, it was a huge blessing to have the coverage that we had.
Describe Stephanie Estes's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
I don't think my doctors use a cookie-cutter approach to this controversial topic. They looked at me and my situation individually and we decided together whether to transfer one or two embryos based on the quality of embryos we were working with during each cycle. For my first IVF cycle we were given the choice of one or two embryos after being given the risks vs. benefits, and transferred two because one had been lower quality. This cycle did not result in a positive pregnancy test. During my second IVF cycle, because we had such low fertilization rates again and only had two embryos at day 3, we again decided to transfer two together based on her advice and risks vs. benefits.
She [Dr. Stephanie Estes] was very understanding of my infertility. She made me understand everything I need to know to move forward with my treatment...Very compassionate about her patients. I felt she understood my pain with my DOR and endometriosis. She was the one that told me to look into donor eggs. We had conversations on everything step of the treatment...Listen on what she thinks and then make your own decision off of that.
When you have questions they [Hershey Medical Center] reply back to you with what doctors opinion. Very nice and professional office. The same office has OBGYN doctors if you don’t have one yet. Very quite waiting room. Love the environment...[nurse] Communication was with in minutes. Very nice and professional...She [Hershey Medical Center] was very understanding of my infertility. She made me understand everything I need to know to move forward with my treatment.
How was your experience with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Very compassionate about her patients. I felt she understood my pain with my DOR and endometriosis. She was the one that told me to look into donor eggs. We had conversations on everything step of the treatment.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
Listen on what she thinks and then make your own decision off of that.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State)?
She was very understanding of my infertility. She made me understand everything I need to know to move forward with my treatment.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
Communication was with in minutes. Very nice and professional.
Describe your experience with Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
When you have questions they reply back to you with what doctors opinion. Very nice and professional office. The same office has OBGYN doctors if you don’t have one yet. Very quite waiting room. Love the environment.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Stephanie Estes at Hershey Medical Center (Penn State).
Myself and husband insurance paid for more of it. We had co pays $300
