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Why Alta Bates?
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In our patients’ own words...
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Dear Dr. Chetkowski:
Four years ago my husband and I were faced with infertility. We were fortunate to find Dr. Chetkowski and the Alta Bates In Vitro Fertilization Program. We were With the hope of adding to our family, we recently went through a procedure under the guidance of Dr. Chetkowski and his team. We have just learned that we are pregnant again!! We are truly grateful for the years of commitment we continue to receive from the Alta Bates In Vitro Fertilization Program. They will always hold a very special place in our hearts. |
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I'm 42 years old and 13 weeks’ pregnant. I owe it all to the extraordinary efforts of Dr. Chetkowski and his staff. While I would never call being infertile a glorious experience. It was made more than tolerable (and yes, sometimes even humorous) by the expertise and the emotional support they gave me.
Dr. Chetkowski's practice provided three critical things. The first is that I got the benefit of the most up-to-date and sophisticated medical care available. The second is I found that the office is set up to make things as easy as possible for the patient. The third is that interacting with Dr. Chetkowski and his staff was a joy, they were as kind and supportive as they could be. All Dr. Chetkowski does is help women get pregnant. So, he and his staff know all the new research results, which techniques would give me that extra edge, etc. I saw the doctor and his nurses on every visit. I never got "pawned off" on a lab technician or a physician's assistant. (This is something that had happened to me at another infertility practice.) So every time I went into the office I got a chance to see the Doctor. He got a chance to evaluate how I was doing, to adjust my medications. As Dr. Chetkowski's entire practice is devoted to helping women get pregnant, his office had everything I needed right there. All the lab work was done in the office so I never had to make an extra trip anywhere (and there were a lot of lab tests). The Doctor did all the ultrasounds in his office himself. I never had to go to an Imaging Lab (and there were a lot of ultrasounds) They made it as convenient as it could get. Dr. Chetkowski and his staff were wonderful people to work with. Infertility is not a great experience, but I always felt I was part of a winning team. They were extremely supportive during this stressful process! The staff was well informed and very helpful. All my questions got answered and they always took the time to explain everything. And when I was a nervous wreck after experiencing some spotting they told me I could come in as often as I wanted for ultrasounds. I was in there once a week for more than a month and they never made me feel like a hypochondriac. There are lots of doctors I could have seen for infertility. The bottom line is that Dr. Chetkowski's office gave me the best medical care available, was convenient and was kind and supportive to my husband and me. I can unequivocally recommend them. You can e-mail me at marciest@pacbell.net if you have any questions. Good Luck!! - Marcie Stewart |
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From a patient’s point of view:
If you're reading this, you're probably a woman struggling with infertility, and if you're like, me it's the hardest, saddest problem you've ever confronted. First I tried to solve it on my own reading books and trying acupuncture. Then I used my take a number and wait HMO, but they would only approve a certain number of limited procedures. Next, I went to a private practice, three visits and three physicians later, a friend recommended the Alta Bates program. Of course I'd studied and obsessed over all the available statistics and couldn't find any significant differences, the numbers were too small, But I could see the Alta Bates program performed a lot of donor procedures, had a high proportion of older woman patients, and screened their own donors. Quite frankly the egg donor brokers I've spoken with scare me to death. They have no regulations and no oversight of any kind. Since I was older and looking at the eventual possibility of using a donor egg, I chose this program. My advice to you is; find a physician you trust implicitly both for skill, and for having your best interests in mind. These procedures are expensive and emotionally wrenching. Experience, ability and knowledge are critical to their success. As a patient the decisions you make are difficult, you need people who are thoughtful of your needs and desires, who will give you trustworthy and honest guidance. This is one time in your life you don't want stand in line medicine. This is not like treating a cold. In the Alta Bates program, I felt safe and well taken care of. I trusted their skill and abilities. I knew they were caring of my welfare and thoughtful about the outcome in my life. I joke with my husband; I'll probably never receive such attentive care again. I hope I never have to, since the hardest part is over. I'm 44 years old and this is just another routine pregnancy. My baby is thriving and will be born in August. Thank you all, - A.F. |
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Dear Dr. Chetkowski:
It has been over 11 years since we had any contact, but I just received the invitation for the IVF reunion party in June. I am now living [out of state] so will not be able to attend the reunion, but wanted to take the opportunity to, once again, thank you and the IVF team for the incredible gift that you all helped me to achieve. My daughter, Mara, is now 11 years old and in the 5th grade. She is healthy happy, and beautiful! There is not a day that passes that I do not send out thanks to the universe (and you all!) for the incredible child that I have in my life. She is an incredible human being that has taught me so much and brought a level of joy into my life that no words can describe. The journey to bring her into my life was tough. I learned a lot about myself in that process and about believing and trusting in the process of creating that even go beyond the elements of science. Thank you for your expertise and the opportunity to take the journey of parenting. It is the greatest gift of my life. With love and appreciation, - D.J. April, 2000 return to top |
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My husband and I went to Dr. Chetkowski seeking a second opinion after having a total of five miscarriages and seeing reproductive specialists after the first three. Basically we were told by the previous doctors that the problem must be egg quality and therefore we only had about a 5% chance of conception and live birth using my own eggs. I had been diagnosed with a luteal phase defect and had been treated with progesterone supplements for pregnancies four and five but they still miscarried.
Dr. Chetkowski noted that there were a couple of tests I still had not undergone. After undergoing a hysterosalpinogram, I "accidentally" became pregnant before we could do the second test. Dr. Chetkowski immediately had me come in for blood tests and put me on the progesterone supplements, daily baby aspirin and two shots of HCG per week. It was much to my husband and mine's astonishment when we went in for the first ultrasound and heard the heartbeat and it was still there in our subsequent visits. I'm now entering my second trimester and everything is proceeding as normal. Although we do consider this a miracle, it was a miracle that came into being under the careful watch of Dr. Chetkowski and his caring staff. During the entire process, my husband and I felt that we were being treated with the utmost respect and dignity. They really took care of us and made us feel that they were part of our team. Our excitement was their excitement. From our deepest hearts, thank you all! - D.K. March, 2000 return to top |
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We are profoundly grateful to Dr. Chetkowski and the Alta Bates IVF Program. The expert medical care he gave us and the kindness of all the staff will always be remembered with deep appreciation by our family.
Our best wishes to all! |
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Dear Dr. Chetkowski & Staff,
I am writing you to express my tremendous gratitude for helping my husband and I bring Evan into the world. As you know, when I came to you I had almost lost all hope of having my own child. My husband has severe sperm quality problems and things looked pretty bleak. We had tried 2 unsuccessful IVF treatments at another clinic and you were my last hope. The first clinic I went to treated me like I was part of an assembly line and did not take the time to  analyze our specific problem. In contrast, you and your staff were professional, experienced, warm and patient with me as I underwent this very emotional process. Amazingly, after just one IVF treatment I became pregnant with Evan.Evan is now 6 months old. He is this incredible miracle. He is the only grandchild on both sides of the family and is treasured by everyone. Again, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your work in bringing Evan to our family. I recommend you to everyone I know who are experiencing fertility problems and if we decide to have another child, there is only one doctor that I would trust !!! Hope all is well with you! All the best, - T. S. |
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My husband and I are 37 years old and in our 36th week of a fraternal twin (boys!) pregnancy. We owe our two little treasures to the medical expertise, listening skills and sincere care of Dr. Chetkowski and his staff.
We previously sought assistance from another reproductive infertility facility and while they were pleasant, they didn't seem to really try to get a handle on why we were not getting pregnant. We underwent several unsuccessful IVF cycles at that facility before we decided to leave and try our luck with Dr. Chetkowski. Right away, we saw a vast difference in our treatment. Dr. Chetkowski not only listened patiently to our long diatribes and questions about information we found on the Internet, but also, he had lots of information and suggestions as to how we might tweak our IVF protocol to increase our likelihood of success. In addition, we found Dr. Chetkowski's staff to be ever available and helpful. We were never kept waiting for clarification to the questions we had about our treatment and everyone was supportive and friendly. It wasn't long before we viewed our first ultrasound in Dr. Chetkowski's office and discovered that we were pregnant with twins. We are overjoyed about the impending birth of our little boys, and should we decide to try again (for a girl?), we'll definitely go to Dr. Chetkowski. - M.H. November, 2001 return to top |
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Dear Dr. Chetkowski:
Back in early 2000, we came into your office seeking your infertility services. After examining our medical histories, you recommended the removal of my blocked left tube. In June 2000, I had my left tube removed. I also had my left ovary removed because it was diseased.
We are ecstatic to tell you that in September 2000 I became pregnant. After three years of trying to conceive a baby, you are the one who helped our dream come true. We want to thank you and your staff from the depth of our hearts for our beautiful daughter. With sincere gratitude, |
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Dr. Chetkowski:
I wanted to send you long overdue thanks for the quality of care you and your team provided me during the past two years. I appreciated everyone’s professionalism, cheerfulness and well-tempered enthusiasm throughout the process. The atmosphere of your office – the music, the reading material and décor (including tropical fish covers) helped make it a very comfortable experience despite the odds of success. My only regret is not having done my homework and found Alta Bates IVF a few years earlier, when my odds for success with my ova would have been greater. I think you have spoiled me for life, raising my expectations for a level of quality health care that is rarely found today. - A.S. August 2002 return to top |
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Thanks
My husband and I would like to thank Dr. Chetkowski and his staff for our twin pregnancy. I came to Alta Bates in total despair, after an unsuccessful treatment at another IVF center in the Bay Area. The diagnosis there was " bad egg quality" and I was told that it was very unlikely that I would ever be able to conceive kids of my own. Our only hope, we were told, was to use donor eggs. I was devastated by this news. A few months later I went for a second opinion to Dr. Chetkowski's clinic. After only one IVF cycle at Alta Bates I am now pregnant with twins. So much for bad quality eggs! I definitely recommend Dr. Chetkowski's clinic for infertility treatments. I found the whole staff to be very professional, accurate, attentive and very sympathetic with our case. Dr. Chetkowski was available for emergencies and questions even on Saturdays and Sundays, was very helpful in answering questions, and rightfully very cautious in giving diagnosis and predictions. With our most sincere gratitude, - M.B. and R.S. |
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In our late 30s my husband and I decided to have a child. I conceived in the first month of "trying" and had a healthy, effortless pregnancy. Three years later, we decided to have a second child, but this time we weren't so lucky. A simple FSH blood test revealed that my egg quality was poor and it was unlikely I'd become pregnant even with medical intervention. I was devastated but immediately invested my energy in researching Bay Area clinics that did IVF with donor eggs.
I attended seminars given by clinics' medical directors, took advantage of free consultations and researched donor egg agencies, since most clinics here have few or no donors. I quickly realized how commercialized the infertility industry had become. Clinics distorted success rates by reporting "clinical pregnancies" rather than live births, sidestepped issues like the risks of multiple births and refused to provide a ballpark of how much an IVF cycle would cost until a "financial consultation" took place. Donor-egg agencies routinely charged $5,000 and compensation for donors went up to $10,000, depending, in some cases, on a donor's reproductive history, her looks and her IQ. The whole experience smacked of genetic engineering. After all my husband had such undesirable traits as dropping out of college, and having close family members who were obese and struggled with alcoholism, yet I had never considered switching his DNA with that of a sperm donor, so why would I be so selective about an egg donor? Dr. Chetkowski's approach was different. There were no glossy brochures, no seminars or free consultations but from the get-go we trusted his honest no-frills approach. The clinic's donor pool had already been screened and would receive a set fee regardless of their looks or IQ. Split cycles in which two couples share the eggs of a proven egg donor provided an attractive alternative to couples like us who were not covered by our insurance plan. Patients who failed to become pregnant had the option of being considered for the clinic's embryo donation program. For less than the cost we would have paid an agency and donor alone, we underwent a split cycle. Both myself and the other recipient couple became pregnant. Dr. Chetkowski and his staff made themselves available to me throughout my pregnancy long after I had graduated to the care of an ob/gyn. Our precious second child was born a few weeks ago. I realize that no reproductive endocrinologist has a 100 percent success rate and that I could well have not become pregnant. But even if this were the case we would still wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Chetkowski and his staff. Sincerely, S. & K. July, 2004 return to top |
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Here are the latest pictures of my little miracles. I am just so thankful that Dr. Chetkowski was there to help my dream come true. I was told by my OB that I would have to use donor eggs and these three beautiful babies proved that she was wrong. My eggs!
Thanks again.....I have already sent someone else to see you.... |
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immediately impressed by their knowledge and professionalism. On numerous occasions we had questions and situations which needed immediate attention. Dr. Chetkowski and his team took a personal approach and responded to all issues with a sense of urgency. This consistent follow through and support helped us a great deal. As a result, we have three-year-old twins.
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