How was your experience with Caryn Selick at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology?
Dr. Selick is a competent doctor, but her bedside manner could use a lot of work. Sometimes she could be very nice and compassionate, but other times she was terse and gave short answers to questions, or would comment as she walked out the door about something. She was also taking direction on meds from RMA and consulting with them with regard to timing of everything, which I actually liked.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Caryn Selick at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology?
Just go straight to RMA. The fact that she is affiliated with them didn't provide me with any extra benefit at the end of the day. Had her bedside manner been completely different, it would be a great thing to experience.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Caryn Selick at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology?
Dr. Selick has her own practice which is affliated with RMA in Manhattan. All of my monitoring was done at her office, but the actual egg retrieval and embryo transfers were done at RMA. This is potentially good, since you get the "boutique feel" while also getting the benefit of services from a big fertility clinic and lab.
Describe the protocols Caryn Selick used in your cycles at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology and their degree of success.
I don't remember the specifics of the drugs used at this point, but it was driven by RMA's protocols at the time. The first several IVF cycles I did were Day 3 transfers, but then RMA changed its policy to 5 Day transfers, so my last one was a Day 5 transfer. At first, Dr Selick put me on the pill for a month before doing an IVF cycle, but I hated that part, so we stopped doing that towards the end. She did listen to me about that, and didn't insist on it. However, when I requested and alternative to the progesterone shots (i.e. Crinone) she felt that the shots were more effective (I ultimately got pregnant elsewhere using Crinone).
Describe your experience with your nurse at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology. (Assigned nurse: Rebecca)
Rebecca likes to call everyone "sweetie" or something like that, which got annoying. She is VERY no-nonsense, and also didn't have a great bedside manner.
She also overused the same vein in my left arm to the point it got completely shot and can no longer be used for a blood draw. Sometimes it would take her a long time to get a blood draw, which I didn't experience elsewhere.
Describe your experience with Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology.
I would have early morning appointments and still wait, which was annoying. They were pretty good about calling with instructions for the following day during and IVF cycle.
I did end up going back to Dr Selick after I got pregnant with RBA in Atlanta for early pregnancy monitoring, and she was truly happy for me. When we said goodbye, she gave me a big hug and told me she loved me! I was very surprised by that, but I guess it just goes to show that even a bad bedside manner doesn't tell the whole story. I guess that's just her manner.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Caryn Selick at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology.
Her costs were the same as RMA. I did all the paperwork, etc at the RMA offices.
Describe Caryn Selick's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Manhattan Fertility & Gynecology.
Given my age and the number of embryos, we transferred everything.