Reproductive Medicine

How was your experience with Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Kang is very warm and does take the time to answer my questions when I have them. My appointments are usually very short since they are mostly monitoring and there are always a lot of people so it is easy to feel rushed. I had a few HSGs with her, which were painful for me and she was always very understanding and encouraging. She was also able to spend more time with me when I had an appointment as opposed to the monitoring visits. I do wish I had more time to spend with Dr. Kang, but she did encourage me with my personal situation from the get-go.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College?Don't expect to have long appointments with her. During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College?The place is definitely a factory, so the face-to-face time is usually quite short. Dr. Kang, however, is very good at still making me feel like she knows who I am. She's always very warm.Describe the protocols Hey-Joo Kang used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.I started with natural IUIs because I have regular cycles and had good ovarian reserve etc. My "advanced" age is a factor we considered throughout as well as being single. I tried IUIs three times and all failed. I used donor sperm so my egg quality was seen as a factor. I had a blocked Fallopian tube as well, but after repeating the test, it eventually opened. To help with egg quality, she recommended I try CoQ10. We were going to try a medicated IUI, but based on my attempts, my age and egg quality, we went to IVF after failed IUI #3. I am just starting that cycle but it is much more complicated. Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer)Jennifer (IUI nurse) was great. She was usually available when I called or at least gave me a call back that same day. Super organised and willing to answer my questions without rushing me off the phone. Diana, the care coordinator was also super helpful and she worked pretty seamlessly with Jennifer to schedule my IUIs and other appointments. The IVF team is different and I am just getting started there. The nurse I was assigned, Sarah, is different from Jennifer and a bit less warm and more "rushy". While I haven't had many interactions with her yet, so far I am not as satisfied as I was with the IUI nurse. Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.It's so busy. Monitoring hours are between 6:30 and 8:30 am so the waiting room is usually crowded. The staff is good about getting everyone checked in quickly and the nurses are constantly calling patients in so there is movement in the "line", but you just have to wait. The nurses drawing blood are quite skilled so the blood work is usually quick and painless. The system works like clockwork. The IUI scheduling didn't work out that great for me. They tell you to arrive by 8:30am, which is when the andrology lab opens. From there, if you are using frozen sperm, it is an hour-long thawing process, but it can be a long wait. For one IUI, I didn't actually get into the room for the IUI until after 10:30am (which I did not expect) so I was stressed out. I saw at least two other women in the waiting room who were also complaining about waiting for a long time. I don't know what they were in for, however. I would recommend that if you have other obligations, try to reschedule those obligations for hours later or another day if you go for an IUI. It takes much more time than they tell you. Describe the costs associated with your care under Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College.My insurance covered most of my IUI appointments so I just had to pay co-pays.

How was your experience with Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Spandorfer has an excellent bedside manner. He puts you at ease with his humor. He gives you hope even in the most grim situation while still being frank about the circumstances. He gave me treatment even when a previous doctor had given me no hope. When the first round of IVF was unsuccessful, he carefully tailored and alternative method of treatment for the next cycle. Ultimately, he helped me to successfully have a baby girl and for that I am eternally grateful to him.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?Know that you will not see him at every visit which is typical of larger fertility clinics, however, he will call you back if you leave messages with his assistant.During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?The doctors and nurses at the clinic were very responsive and willing to take time to answer all of my questions. Dr Spandorfer puts you at ease with humor and gives you hope.Describe the protocols Steven Spandorfer used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.39yo, dimished ovarian reserve, 6 failed IUI cycles at age 33 with another doctor, 1 miscarriage (natural pregnancy) at 7 weeks at age 36, 2 cycles IVF at 39 yo,1 live birth of singleton girl at 39 yo 1st IVF Cycle 4 eggs retrieved, 1 fertilized but did not make it to day 3, day 3 transfer cancelled. Estrogen patch Gonal-F Menopur Garilinix 2nd IVF Cycle 4 eggs retrieved, 4 fertilized with ICSI, 4 transferred on day 3 (14 cell, 10 cell & (2) 8 cell). 1 implanted. 1 successful live birth of healthy baby girl. Birth control Lupron Gonal-F ProgesteroneDescribe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Jackie Stahl)Jackie was absolutely amazing. She called me back instantly, was very informative and always full of hope. The other nurses at the clinic are nice and attentive as well.Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.Several doctors who meet together to determine e best course of treatment. Clean, modern facility. Very large so tons of patients.Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.Tons of patients, however, wait time was not too long.Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.For 2 cycles about $40k including all medicationsDescribe Steven Spandorfer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.Because of my history, age, low AMH, we transferred all 4 embryos (per doctors suggestion)