RMA Long Island IVF (formerly Long Island IVF)

I think he really cares about his patients. I’m in constant communication with him via email and he always always answers my questions. He tells me what he thinks is beneficial for me and my husband. I haven’t gotten pregnant yet but I have faith in my dr and he has come highly recommend by woman I know that he has gotten pregnant !

This process takes time. Be patient

Well we started off with blood tests for our hormones sono, genetic testing, we decided to do three months of clomid and trying naturally. Then we did clomid and IUI. Now we are on round two of IUI with letrozole. If this fails one more IUI then IVF. We have unexplained infertility fertility

The cost was average for our state. The billing department is not organized and difficult to deal with

He’s so sweet, takes his time with you. He goes over everything with you and you feel like he’s just as invested in your journey as you are. He gives you his honest opinion and explains everything that you should expect and he’s funny too.

We did IUI’s with clomid with the HCG shot and progesterone, unfortunately none of them worked just like the ones at my regular OB’s office. Then we did an IVF cycle with Follistim, gonal F, HCG, progesterone in oil, estrace, baby aspirin. We did the egg retrieval and got 7 eggs out, 4 fertilized and 1 made it to day 5 for the transfer. I got a positive pregnancy test and my second beta test showed my numbers doubling. My first sono went well waiting for my second to confirm there’s a heartbeat.

IUIs were mostly covered by insurance, just had to pay for meds and shots. As for IVF it was around $14,000 plus meds. Genetic testing was $200.00

Before we found out we only had 1 viable embryo to transfer My Dr. suggested single transfer because I was a healthy 35yr old and the risks with multiples were higher.

I have no doubt he is an excellent doctor. He is smart and very knowledgeable. But he is missing the personal touch. Conversations seemed surface level even though this is a very emotional and personal experience.

I asked him to be very aggressive since we were paying out of pocket, but he was not. I was on a very minimal protocol of medications that only resulted in 2 low quality embryos. My cycle should have been cancelled.

I was on 3 menopur a day for almost 15 days because my follicles weren't growing and he didn't want to cancel. After the first 7 days the injections were changed to intramuscular which did help. Dr Kreiner did want me to hyper stimulate so he was cautious (which i did NOT appreciate since we were paying out of pocket)

It was a fairly well oiled system. I never waited too long

IVF Cycle was $22,000 plus meds.

Dr Kreiner was amendment about only transferring 1. Had i had more then 2 I would have pushed back to transfer 2. But i wanted to freeze one for a FET

Strengthens was that he was able to diagnose us with male factor ( we saw another doctor there who never mentioned it ) weaknesses is that he treats you like a number not a human ... he has poor bedside manor most days. He never changed protocol and had no real answers or explanation for us after 2 years and 3 losses other than “seems like bad luck “ .

Try a different doctor :( .

He uses the same one each time. Birth control for a month . Then start estrace for a few days then start injections. No rationale . Very cookie cutter plans. We asked to change something to yield better results but did not happen .

Morning monitoring appointments went smoothly . However I would show up 45 minutes before it opened to make sure I was first in line so I could be to work on time.

About 15,000-25,000 depending on PGS

Overall a strong preference for single transfer if you are under 35.

I feel that Dr. Brenner is a true professional. His experience, knowledge and desire to help those of us who are unable to conceive on their own is a true blessing and gift. During our visit he discussed the clinical results and offered us his professional opinion of our current situation and what we should do if we wanted to continue with treatment. We needed a doctor who was going to be straight forward, making sure all options were explored and explained so we could make a decision on what our next steps should be and/or to be comfortable with the possibility of an "only option".

Trust Dr. Brenner and have faith.

It was explained by Dr. Brenner that donor egg was our only option at this point. When treatment began we did all the necessary blood screenings, physical evaluation and testing, we where evaluated by a psychologist and assigned a RN who monitored our treatment and find us a donor if we could not find one on our own. A year after treatment began, a donor was found whom we were comfortable with and preparation for transfer began. Blood screening was continued, when my last menstrual cycleI began I was put in a protocol of estogen and baby asprin. Eventually I was put on progesterone and oil and had to take Medrol and Doxycycline for 5 days which started pre transfer and ended the after transfer. My husband produce seman specimen to be frozen, just in case the day of he was able to. We had 7 eggs, my husband was able to produce a fresh specimen on the day the eggs were to be thawed and ICSI was used to fertilize the eggs. Only 5 eggs fertilized and on day 3, post fertilization, 2 embryos were transferred. We were told 3 days later that the 3 remaining eggs did not make it to day 5. My medication protocol continued with estrogen, baby asprin and progesterone and oil. Day 10 post transfer we had a positive pregnancy test. The same medication protocol continued and blood screenings to evaluate levels. I was told by Dr. Brenner on my second HcG blood test that the levels were normal but on the low end, but that didn't mean I couldn'thave a normal pregnancy. The same continued on the following HcG test. The first sonogram showed a small embryo, Dr. Brenner said they like to see it bigger, but they would continue monitoring. The next sono was with Dr. Kreiner an associate, he stated the same and added that he could not determine if there was a sack or not. 6+ weeks post transfer sonogram with another associate Dr. Zinger showed no development in the fetus. Dr. Zinger and the RN were very consoling as the devastating news was delivered. Dr. Zinger discusses the options of letting a miscarriage happen on it's own or have a DNC. I said I would like to discuss that with Dr. Brenner, he understood. Dr. Brenner called that evening, offering his condolences, at that point my husband and I had already decided on the DNC because I couldn't put myself through expecting a miscarriage, that would have been to much for me to bare. The DNC was scheduled 2 days later and Dr. Brenner preformed the surgery. The tissue was taking to have genetic testing done. Dr. Brenner had me continue taking the estogen for 2 weeks post surgery, stating it would help build up the lining of my uterus. Now I am waiting for my menstrual cycle to begin. Dr. Brenner stated I could take medicine for it to come, I declined the medication, I rather it happen on own. Genetic testing is in process.

Our medical insurance does not cover IVF treatment, it will only cover treatment prior to treatment and post treatment if pregnancy occurs.

Due to my age, they ( the facility, doctors) only allow up to 2 embryos to be transferred at a single time.

Dr. Crane are provided us with a wonderful experience. He had a lovely bedside manner and during each visit communicated his interest in us. He was fairly accessible. He was upfront about our odds when we first started the process, not overly pessimistic but neither did he set unrealistic expectations. There were a couple of instances where we weren't completely clear on the information he provided to us but in each instance he was able to provide clarity when requested. Overall it was a positive experience and I would definitely recommend him and have recommended him to my friends.

While Dr. Kreiner provided us with a good deal of information I would still recommend that my friend do their own homework and get informed so that they can ask the right questions.

As informative as Dr. Kreiner was, he never did actually provide me with the name of the protocol that he was using come to I think of it. But I did have was a list of medication that I was supposed to take. Our objective was to be conservative and produce a good amount of eggs but for me not to be overstimulated since I didn't want to have to make a decision about discarding embryos. Meds: Menopur, Ganirelix, Gonal F, Progesterone

It was fairly efficient, I never had to wait for very long. It was convenient for me and never significantly disrupted my day.

~13k

I believe he suggested a single embryo transfer but I don't recall that he had a very strong position .

I really liked Dr. Pena as a doctor. He had great bed side manner, I always felt comfortable with him. On our first consultation he explained everything perfectly and I felt much more confident and in control with my treatment with him as my doctor as opposed to my first fertility doctor. Things went as smoothly as they could during infertility treatment and I had no issues with Dr. Pena.

My one piece of advice would be to always do your research and ask the subsequent questions. With my first fertility doctor I felt completely out of control and it was extremely frustrating.

We started with 100mg of clomid usually on CD 4/5 for five days. Clomid was used because of my PCOS w/annovulatory cycles. My follicle growth was then monitored for the next 2 weeks (give or take) using ultrasound until my follicles were about ready to release. I was then given the "go-ahead" to inject myself with a trigger shot to further help my follicles release the eggs. About 36 hours after taking the trigger shot I went in for the IUI procedure. Two cycles produced negative results, one of which had a "weird" result with slight positive at home pregnancy tests, a negative blood test at first and with a second blood test it came back positive. With a third blood test, it was negative again and I concluded was a chemical pregnancy. The third time was the charm, however, and I am currently (as of 7/29/16) 7 and a half weeks pregnant.

I had around a 700 dollar deductible when we started. A few co pays of 40 dollars each (probably totaling around 120). 2 Rounds of trigger shots costed about 200 (give or take). I believe the third round was covered by insurance. Clomid medication for 3 rounds costed about 90 dollars if not covered by insurance. All monitoring (blood and sonograms) were covered by insurance.

Dr. Brenner is quite dry and gets right to the point, which is not something I mind. While I have only seen him in person 3 times (consultation before starting treatment, once during treatment, and one for an HSG) he has been available via telephone and has personally returned all phone calls I have placed to him. My wife and I did not feel rushed during our appointments with him and we felt that he took time to answer our questions clearly.

Ask the questions you want answered!

So far I have done 4 IUI cycles. The 1st cycle was a natural cycle and the subsequent cycles were with 5mg clomid and Ovidrel to trigger ovulation. I have gone for bloodwork and sonograms to monitor hormone levels and the growth of follicles. Following my 3rd failed IUI Dr. Brenner conducted an HSG to make sure my tubes were open. I was then diagnosed with an arcuate uterus which he explained should not affect my ability to get pregnant. I am currently in the TWW of my 4th IUI cycle, following this cycle Dr. Brenner has suggested moving on to IVF.

Co-pays for various testing, and $100 thawing fee for each IUI cycle.

Dr. Kuokkanen were extremely kind of patient with me. I could feel her compassion for her clients and she's so professional and capable with her skills. She had administered two IVF cycles for me and both were successful. She was able to accomplish what other doctors couldn't. I'm extremely happy with her.

put all of your trust in her and communicate with Dr. Kuokkanen about all of your feelings and thoughts

I was successful with my first IVF cycle with Dr. Kuokkanen in 2013, and 2 years later, I experienced two failures with another doctor. I decided to go back to Dr. Kuokkanen and chatted with her about my concerns. She put me on estrogen patches before I started my injection cycles. along the injection cycle, she broke the usage of the meds into morning dosage and evening dosage. I felt that her strategies were very flexible and carefully planned out. and the best thing is, it definitely worked!

the monitoring appointments are in the mornings so it was pretty smooth

approximately $20,000

Dr. Brenner was very informative. His approach is very direct and blunt and could easily be a turn off to people. After our first failed cycle they were very quick to schedule the next one but we wanted to look more closely at all of our labs. They were open to doing so once we asked. Whether or not that made the difference but their second cycle will never now but if we had not asked they probably would not have looked into some of the things we brought up.

Be prepared for a very direct approach.

I cannot remember exactly but we did have to use Lupron, progesterone, and estrogen. The estrogen had to be modified throughout the cycle and they upped it a lot. We ended up having to take three pills a day as well as an injection every other day. Progesterone also went past 12 weeks under their supervision. Because of my irregular hormone levels we were monitored very heavily throughout the first 12 weeks by both of them and my regular OB/GYN.

My insurance covered a lot and anything that we owed them was discussed and planned out for payments

We found Dr. Brenner responsive and easy to talk with.

We had co-payments, but costs were generally manageable. This may be because we only had IUIs and not IVF.

Dr Brenner was the second Doctor we saw at LIIVF. The first doctor took a personal phone call during our consultation and we walked out. During my initial consult and exam with Dr Brenner, I specifically asked what the side effects of the medications were that he was prescribing. I was told "similar to a period" and that was it. After the first IUI failed, an ultrasound revealed several cysts which I had never had before. The nurse told me that cysts were a common side effect of the medication. Dr Brenner never mentioned anything about cysts. He also had me coming in daily for blood work and ultrasounds - something that was deemed superfluous by another doctor. I felt that Dr Brenner's number one priority was to see as many patients as possible without much concern for outcomes.

Find someone else.

He was great for all textbook infertility issues. Anything with very complicated issues was not something he seemed interested in entertaining like looking into immunological components. While in my case never was able to get pregnant. I inquired endometriosis is an autoimmune problem but the thought of immunological complications was basically disregarded and said he didn’t believe in that. He wanted to do egg donor very expensive process but we never got pregnant so I couldn’t justify it and figured adoption would be. A better option especially if we could get a tangible result. Persistence paid off and Dr Braverman figured out the problem.

If you are not textbook and have stage 4 don’t waist your time go to a Reproductive immunologist because I wish I knew sooner I might have 2 kids already.

I can’t remember

Cattle call

I loved Dr Kennigsberg. When I met him, I knew immediately that he was the one that would be able to get me pregnant. I had two prior not so great experiences with other doctors and was losing faith. All restored when meeting him.

Have faith!

i was started out on birth control so they could "control" my ovulation. I don't recall the names of the 2 injectables that I used. I believe I injected for 10-14 days. There was an hcg shot and 2 progesterone injects. 12 hours after my hcg I had my eggs retrieved. I was getting bloodwork and ultrasounds during this process. I had a 5 day transfer and was using progesterone vaginal suppositories until my 9th week of pregnancy .

It was done at my convenience due to my work hours. I never saw other people waiting or felt like I wasn't the only patient there.

12,000 all included.

I feel that he cares. He is offering me additional help and guidance such as accupuncture. He explains things in detail. He provides numbers and breaks things down to where you can understand. I emailed him when he was on vacation and responded.

He understands what you are going though and is there to help

I did two rounds of clomid iuis next round is with injectables because it will increase my chances.

Not sure

I only saw Dr Brenner three times. Once for the consultation, once for a hysterosalpingogram and once for bleeding after the HSG. The 2 insemination were done by other doctors I had never met before. When I got the negative result, I was called by the nurse and never heard from Dr. Brenner again.

Don't expect more then medical care. I wanted more attention. To me this process should be so much more personalized then it is.

I don't remember perfectly, but I was on Clomid and had minimal follicles.

We paid out of pocket for the IUI, cost was $2,000 plus medications

God awful. I had a miscarriage on his watch ( after a failed fresh transfer) and he didn't even have the decency to answer a question when I was standing 2 feet away from him in his office.

Don't even waste your time with him or this clinic.

He seemed knowledgeable and very nice the 2 times that I saw him. One was the first consultation and the second was at the hospital were he performed an HSG. Otherwise only dealt wi th nurses.

Get to know your nurses ..they will be your link to your dr

He is know to be very knowledgeable and a pioneer in infertility treatment but his personality and bedside manner are lacking warmth. As a first time IVF client and a single woman and felt uniformed and floundering during my first cycle.

Ask question and detailed explanations.

I don’t recall specifics. It was a Clomid protocol.

I was like a cattle call but not the worst I have experienced.

I was mostly covered by my insurance. I paid minimal copays and for the psychological evaluation. And any additional outside treatment. Acupuncture and vitamins/supplements.

The only downside was that I had asked him to do a uterine biopsy and he said there was no need. Then later after getting pregnant naturally with my ectopic I found out that there was an infection that could’ve been cleared up easily had he done the biopsy

Advocate for yourself. You know your body

Don’t really remember

9600$

We didn’t do that

Dr. Pena is an exceptional physician. He is very professional and provided information in a way that easy to understand. He is always available by phone and email. There were many times I have emailed Dr. Pena and received a phone call shortly after. He never made me feel like my many questions were too much and I never ended a conversation with Dr. Pena unclear on any information. I appreciate his direct manner and ability to convey difficult information in a very matter of fact yet sensitive way. Most importantly, Dr. Pena is incredible at what he does. There were many times in our journey where it would have been easy to lose hope but I truly trusted Dr. Pena and his process. I am fortunate enough to be pregnant now and it is a direct result of the care I received from Dr. Pena.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Dr. Pena is very easy to talk to and presents information very clearly.

Because I have PCOS Dr. Pena was very careful to develop a protocol that would develop quality eggs while minimizing the risk of OHSS. He started me on a low dose of medications and adjusted my trigger shot (lupron instead of hcg) and timing of my retrieval in order to maximize our outcome while minimizing potential risk. He explained this entire rationale and we ended up with the results he planned for.

My name is Christine and I’m 42 years old. My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for 5 years. In 2019, I went through my first IVF cycle in Boston, MA with no success. In July 2020, I went through my second IVF cycle in Manhattan with no success. During both of these cycles, I was diagnosed with DCIS (breast cancer), hydrosalpinx (fallopian tube blocked), 3 large fibroids, and endometriosis in my right fallopian tube. After multiple surgeries and radiation therapy, my husband and I moved to Long Island New York and found Dr. Joseph Pena at RMA. In December 2020, I went through my 3rd IVF cycle with Dr. Pena and we finally got a healthy embryo! We did genetic testing to make sure there were no chromosomal abnormalities and now, I can happily say that I am pregnant. Dr. Pena and all the staff at RMA have been wonderful. At 42 years old, doctors will often tell you that it’s going to be harder to get pregnant and that your chances are lower. I literally had 4 doctors before Dr. Pena and they all told me the same thing. But it’s not true. Dr. Pena never made me feel like I was “too old” or that “my chances were lower” of having a healthy embryo and getting pregnant. He is very compassionate and cares about his patients. He jokes with you and makes you feel comfortable. I’m always smiling when I go into the East Patchogue office (and Melville). I know that with the combined efforts of Dr. Pena and his staff (Peggy, Karen, Jess, Alexis, Stephanie) and my willingness to truly believe that I would hold my baby in my arms, is the reason the I am pregnant today. Thank you Dr. Pena.

I definitely recommend Dr. Pena. Just be aware that because RMA Long Island is a big practice, you are not going to see him at every visit and you will most likely be communicating with the nurses a lot. Dr.Pena responds to email very frequently and since he doesn't always see you in the office, you can simply send an email and expect a quick response.

I only did 1 IVF cycle with Dr. Pena. (I had 3 total with other doctors). This was a typical cycle where I took Letrozole tablets, Menour, Gonal-F and Cetrotide. The trigger shot was a bit different this time. I injected it into my belly as opposed to my buttocks. I was told that due to lower weight the trigger would work the same . That was the only thing that I did differently with Dr. Pena than with my other doctors. This time, my husband and I got a healthy embryo and I am now 7 weeks pregnant.

The monitoring appointments are typical of any clinic. 6am-8am for the most part. The patients usually would receive appointments via text or email, but sometimes not. You just need to know when to come in.

My insurance covered my cycle, but I had deductible costs and PGS testing costs. PGS testing was approx.$2400.

N/A

My first visit with Dr. Pena was a consult. My husband and I had been using another clinic the year prior and left very unsatisfied. I could tell immediately Dr. Pena was different. He was honest, personable, and didn't push and extra treatments on us. He reviewed all of our records from our previous clinic and explained the best option. We had a check an Ivf checklist and things moved quickly from there. I saw Dr. Pena at least once a week, and the nurses in between. But he was always and still is a present part of my treatments. I was not shuffled between different doctors never knowing who I would see. He was easy to get in contact with and always in communication. As I stated earlier, I knew I picked the right clinic when Dr. Pena called an anxious new patient in the middle of his Christmas Eve celebration.

Don't wait to seek treatment, get a consult, and trust your gut. The hardest part of IVF and any fertility treatments is the unknown. There will ups and downs along the way, find a support group or a friend, and talk about it. Be nice to yourself and know you are brave and strong. Also, you are in great hands!

Prior to starting my first round of IVF, I had some basic blood work drawn. Dr. Pena also performed a sonohysterogram which pretty painless. Before coming to Dr. Pena I had most of my fertility testing done already. My husband went for a semen analysis, he had some morphology issues but was considered in the normal range. I was diagnosed with unknown infertility. My hormone levels were normal, tubes clear, uterus in good shape, eggs young for my "age" etc. Because we had already gone through 3 rounds of failed medicated IUI's at our prior clinic and our age we moved onto IVF. I was put on birth control to monitor my cycle. After about 3 weeks we moved on to stims. Because I am a petite women Dr. Pena started off less aggressive with the medications to prevent swelling. I was taking gonal f and menopur injections in the eve to start. A morning injection was added into my routine closer to my egg retrieval. I was monitored multiple times throughout the 17-18 days i was on the medications(sonograms and bloodwork). Medications were adjusted as needed. My body responded well to the treatments and we had two successful egg retrials. The medications taken for both rounds were the same with adjustments made to dosages. Our first IVF cycle resulted in 11 eggs retrieved, 7 mature, and 5 fertilized. Two made it to freeze and onto PGT testing. This was something not covered by insurance but recommended for women over 35. This prolongs the process, it takes a couple of weeks for the results. Unfortunately, covid hit when we were about to move onto the transfer phases. We had one "normal" embryo ready to go but covid put things on hold. When we were finally able to prep for our transfer Dr. Pena put me on oral medication and the dreaded progesterone in oil injection (it's really not that bad). I started the injections 5 days prior to transfer and continue through my pregnancy test. On the morning of our transfer, we were hit with another setback, our normal embryo did not survive the thaw. We knew there was a small risk this could happen, but we were still devasted. We were back to the drawing board and starting round 2. The pros of a second round, you know what to expect, and the big box of medications that arrives in the mail is not as scary. Our second cycle went just as smoothly with even better results. We had the same amount of egg retrieved the second time but 9 were mature and 7 fertilized, 4 made it to freeze and one was a fresh transfer. We opted not to do the PGT testing this round. We knew this could lead to failed embryo transfers and it did. After 2 failed transfers, Dr. Pena asked if we wanted to be more aggressive and try transferring 2 embryos at a time. We opted to transfer 2 embryos on our third transfer which was successful! I am a little over 7 weeks pregnant, still under Dr. Pena's care. I see him weekly for bloodwork and sonograms. I am also still taking oral medications, the progesterone in oil injections, and a vaginal insert (endrometrain). Hoping to start decreasing my meds after this week's appointment. All of these medications help keep your hormone levels where they need me to keep the baby growing. So far my beta numbers have been good and where they need to be.

Precovid the appointments were very quick, fast turner over. Occasionally the wait would be a little longer if another location(office) was closed. With covid because there are more protocols for our safety and with the west Islip office closed the wait can be a bit long. As of now, you call when you arrive, you get added to the list, and then they call when you can come up.

We were very lucky and have amazing insurance. We have 3 full rounds of IVF covered. We do have medication copays, and copays after the first positive pregnancy test. We did pay $2,500 for PGT testing to the clinic and then $150 per embryo being tested to the lab. That was our largest expense.

I think it is smart to start with single embryo transfers. With a multiple embryo transfer, you have an increased risk of multiple births.

Dr. Pena is a wonderful doctor and I truly mean that. It’s so evident that he cares about his patients. He is very level-headed which I’ve needed during the emotional rollercoaster that is family building. He explains the risks of every thing and is honestly about all aspects of treatment. He also celebrates in your milestones and moments of joy. I’ve have nothing but positive experiences with Dr. Pena which is why I’m a returning patient - I wouldn’t trust anyone else!

Listen to him, he knows exactly what he’s doing. It may be frustrating when things take longer than expected or if a cycle isn’t successful but he’ll help you get there. Just trust the process.

1 IUI not medicated. 1 IUI 50mg clomid. 2 IUIs 100mg clomid. 1 fresh IVF cycle (lots of meds - Estrace, gonal-F, menopur, cetrotide, etc.). 2 frozen transfers (Estrace 2mg 3x daily, Endometrin 100mg 3x daily, progesterone in oil 100mL once daily)

Monitoring runs smoothly here! They have a great system. You get your bloodwork done first then move to sono so they constant have people rotating out of each. In the larger office (Melville) they can draw blood on 2 people at once and have 4 sono rooms so it moves quickly. At East Patchogue there are two sono rooms and the wait isn’t bad.

My insurance wouldn’t cover anything initially so we did self pay for everything. IUIs cost $2,000 a cycle and medication was a few dollars. Our fresh IVF cycle was based on tax returns so I believe it was $10,025 and then we paid maybe 3-4K in medications. The frozen cycles cost $4,425. Besides medications, everything is included in that fee. Once I became pregnant my insurance kicked in and it was $40 copays per visit.

Dr. Pena strongly recommends eSET. I had pushed on two different cycles for 2 embryos and each time he was adamant that only one was needed and explained the risks of multiples. He was so right - both of those cycles ended up in pregnancies, each with a singleton.