1st fertility appt - kinda depressed :(

N

nina_70

New member
Apologize for the longish post & little bit of a rant....Hoping I can get some feedback from some of the more experienced girls here. I finally plucked up the courage to see w/ Dr.Christina Choy yesterday. I was really excited given all the good things that had been posted about her, and had a ton of questions. Unfortunately things didn't go well. First of all, we waited almost 2 hours to see her...then, she spent all of max 10 minutes with us, stuck an ultrasound thing into me for all of 2 minutes, (HK$1,600 bill) and told me to come back for IUI treatment. I didn't get the chance to ask how the treatment works, or even any details. I just "barely" got the chance to ask her how much it cost before she ran off to her next patient. She was clearly rushed, and dying for us to leave the whole time we were there. I was so depressed with everything I went home and cried afterwards. This fertility treatment is a big deal, and our insurance only pays a small portion, so the costs are really important to us.

I guess my questions are this:

1. Is my "factory-like" experience unusual, or have you found most of the HK fertility doctors are very rushed?

2. Are there any doctors you would recommend that can really spend the time to explain things to us? I don't mind paying the prices, but I really would like someone I can feel comfortable with, and who can explain procedures/details for everything they're doing.

3. The doctor told us the treatment for IUI runs about HK$10,000-12,000. Is that about standard? Any cheaper options?

Thanks in advance for any tips!
 
You poor thing! Wish I could give you a big HUG! Hope you're feeling better today.

I don't have any experience with Dr Choy. But I would have thought as its your 1st appt she would have spent a bit more time explaining things with you. Have you done any tests yet? Have you been TTC for long?

I just went in for my annual check-up and my Dr spent half an hour with me. Admitted to him we're TTC#2 and we discussed various options if we're not successful in conceiving naturally. We're going to try for another 3 months.

Cost is important for many people. Most insurance companies do not cover fertility treatment. Perhaps you can ask her nurse for a breakdown. She may have it.

Would definitely look into getting a 2nd opinion.

Hang in there! :grouphug:
 
HI,

I think in your case, regardless of who the doctor was, you should not have been rushed. Infertility is a big topic - lots of choices / decisions to make, history to ask, costs to consider, etc. You should have been given time and information - and a game plan. Sometimes, the situation is not as bad as we think it is but it takes a medical professional who sees the numbers - your ovulation cycle, husband's sperm count, etc. - to tell you so.

Please check your inbox - i've sent you a private message for a doctor we highly recommend.

Please hang in there and know that things will get better!
 
Thanks everyone for the encouraging replies! Sounds like I just got unlucky and had a bad experience. I will go for a 2nd opinion.

We've been TTC for a few years, so I know we need "help". Had a bunch of tests some time ago with no conclusive results (we moved right after the tests, so never got to follow-through w/ that doctor).

Thanks again...it's really comforting to know our experience wasn't the standard one!
 
Hi Nina,
So sorry to hear about your terrible experience! I am also with Dr Choy, and I came away from my first appointment feeling similarly depressed. I've never actually had to wait 2 hours - had something goen worng that day? - but in my first appointment I also had the feeling that she was rushing me and I didn't understand what she was suggesting or why. It sems strange to say you should immediately have IUI without trying anything else first, but I don't know your personal situation.
All I can say is that I stuck with her and she got immeasurably better as the appointments went on and we got underway with treatment, and I am now 16 weeks pregnant. It definitely wasn't cheap though, and we don't have any insurance so it's all come out of our own pocket.
I actually wrote a very similar post to your at the time of my first appointment with her, and I got the impression from the replies that you can't expect too personal a service here in HK, and they all run more like a business.
Either way though, it's important to feel happy with your fertility doctor, so you need to get a second opinion if you're really unhappy.
Good luck!
 
Nina - I went through fertility treatments with Dr. Philip Ho and found him (and his wonderful nurse Kelly) to be wonderful. He specializes in more "complex cases" and his private clinic is well equipped for such cases. He's not a chatterbox so don't expect small talk (Kelly is more affable) but he is patient and gentle and will spend as much time with you as you need. He never rushed us at all and was happy to answer all questions, as rudimentary as they were. His speciality is in fertility and he was referred to us by Dr. Dawkins (who wasn't able to help us past a certain point with fertility matters). Dr. Ho was able to get my system up and running on the first cycle (with GonalF injections). Next step would have been a tubes xray and only after that IUI. Not sure where along the process you are, how much you have tried already. Dr. Ho is methodical, experienced, patient, and willing to explain EVERYTHING. The downside of him not rushing his patients however is that often there is a bit of wait to see him, but it's a reasonable and small price to pay, I think.

Best of luck!! I know how hard it must be for you right now but rest assured that while the service level in HK generally leaves much to be desired, doctors/clinics/hospitals here are very advanced in terms of the necessary bio-technology and infrastructure to be able to get you the assistance you need.
 
Hi Nina,
Sorry to hear about your experience. I would like to recommend my fertility doctor, DR. Derek Lo. He is very caring and personable, never hurries appointments and the most I've ever waited is 15 mins because his clinic does not believe in over-booking.

His clinic is in Pacific House on Queens Road Central and his no. is 25220691.

Good Luck.

Jojo
 
Hi Nina,

Sorry to hear about your experience. It sounded just awful! I have seen Dr. Derek Lo a few times. My first visit with him he was very direct which was a bit unsettling. My follow on appointments with him have been really good. I have not had to wait long and he has given me enough time to ask questions without being rushed. I am not sure if he was trying to set my expectations in our initial meeting about getting pregnant but overall I am happy with him.

Hope this helps and good luck to you!

hae_hk
 
I agree with the opinions about the patient Dr Dereck Ho. I went to him to seek fertility help 3 yrs ago but was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was pregnant on my first visit. I continued to see him for another 2 months and he was very patient. In the end, he has to refer me to another Dr cos he is more focused on fertility treatment.

I did asked about the treatment but I do not know if it is IVF or IUI....the total is about HK$80,000.

Anyway, just to share abit on my fertility issue. My cycle was very irregular about 2-3 mths interval. We went Yung Wo Hospital and found that the eggs in my ovary were very small.

We actually tried for 2 yrs. In the end, I took a chinese medicine called " bai Fong yuen" from Beijing Tong ren tong stores in Central. The medicines were not expensive. It was actually to regulate my menstruation. 6 mths later I was pregnant.

For my second baby, I took the same medicine and 6 mths later, I was pregnant with my second. I find it unbelievable as my cycle were so irregular. I am not 100% sure if it was the medicine but my friend took the same and few mths later, also got pregnant. Hope the above helps.
 
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