Reproductive Medicine Institute

I had a horrible experience here. I am writing this review after going to other reproductive clinics. This is NOT a review based on my success rate of pregnancy, but a review on the initial consultation and first appointment for egg freezing. I'll start with all they care about is money. When I went in for blood work and an ultra sound (which also was a horrible experience and I'll get to that), I went to the front desk to find out next steps, i.e when I should expect to get my results, and she immediately goes "have you spoke to the billing department, the cost is ~$5K, are you ready to pay right now?"...I just got my blood work done, I don't know if I'm going forward with the egg freezing process and I need to talk to a doctor first about next steps. I ended up telling them I would not pay for the process yet since I need to get my results first. They charged me over $600 for the blood work and ultra sound. I am now working with a different clinic and I sent them my blood work and ultra sound and they were shocked the ultra sound result didn't include some crucial information. After coming the lab work and ultra sound from both, I can see how much more thorough other clinics are. Now let me get to Dr. Trukhacheva. I was not impressed with her during my consultation and after speaking to other doctors, I have a good comparison of what a "good" doctor should be. I had some serious questions about my ovulation and lack of period with my birth control. The reply to all my questions was basically "yeah yeah that's fine." After speaking to other doctors at different clinics, when I brought up my concerns to other doctors, they said we can do these tests to confirm I'm still ovulating and based on the results we would see if I have to go off birth control for a couple months before I freeze my eggs. Luckily after those tests, I found out I was still ovulating normally. I won't get into every question I asked, but I can say that the doctor I'm speaking to know was more thorough and thoughtful on making sure I'm optimizing my body for egg freezing, where Dr. Trukhacheva seemed like she just wanted a new client to pay her as soon as possible.

Dr. Nayak is a fantastic doctor but as the case with many medical practices, there are a lot of patients and during this very scary journey it is important for the physician and the billing department to be in sync. This unneeded stress was difficult to navigate and made us feel like a number a few times.

My time with Dr. T is very personal. She speaks candidly and does seem to actively care. Unfortunately, sometimes the staff forgets about you, or Dr. T is late and sitting at the clinic for hours makes you feel like a number.

She takes the time to listen to your concerns and takes your thoughts into consideration.

My husband and I ended up having a horrible experience at RMI. We initially were with Dr. Nayak and thoroughly enjoyed our experience with her. However, when she went on leave we were informed that Dr. Rinehart would oversee our IVF process and was assured that we were in good hands and he had the experience and qualifications necessary to oversee our IVF process. I was told that Dr. Rinehart would meet with us before the egg retrieval and conduct the ultrasound. I brought my husband with as I thought he would enjoy meeting him as well but the experience was not what we had in mind. When Dr. Rinehart entered the room, he barely introduced himself, didn’t shake my husband’s hand and went straight to business of conducting the ultrasound. I didn’t feel that he took the time to read up on my case because for one, he read my previous ultrasound results incorrectly and I had to correct him. He also made a comment “that would only occur if you have endometriosis which you don’t” but if he read my history correctly, he would have seen that Dr. Nayak found signs of endometriosis from previous ultrasounds. After concluding that I had three follicles in my left ovary and zero in my right ovary, I was shocked that he wanted to go forward with IVF. When I asked him if IUI would be a better option, he indicated that IVF is more successful than IUI. While that may be true, my insurance covers only 2 IVF cycles. A doctor should take into consideration ones financial situation as it is a highly risky financial decision to proceed with IVF with only 3 follicles. After consulting with a nurse from Progyny, she agreed that number was low for egg retrieval. Additionally, after meeting with another doctor at a different fertility clinic and telling him our experience, he confirmed we made the right decision to not proceed with egg extraction with only 3 follicles. In our opinion, he wasn’t concerned about the success of my IVF round – he just wanted to get it over and done with. The most upsetting thing that occurred is when I asked him if it is normal to have an ovary produce no follicles. This is when he told me “Well you’re not normal. If you were, you would be sitting in an OB/GYN office instead of a fertility clinic.” That is absolutely uncalled for and he caused his patient to go home and cry. It is already emotionally difficult enough for women going through this process. The last thing I (or any other woman) deserves is for a doctor to tell her that she is not normal. I am disgusted with his behavior and lack of bedside manner. I highly caution any couple seeking fertility services to see this doctor.

Everyone in the office showed courtesy and was extremely helpful and understanding.

Annie and the nurses are wonderful and so supportive.

We visited the Oak Lawn location for consults and monitoring, and never had to wait more than 5 minutes. The staff and nurses were very friendly and compassionate and always took time to answer our questions.

Dr Rinehart was direct and to the point. He took the time to talk to me and my fiance after each unsuccessful transfer and listen to my concerns. He does come off a bit pretentious (with his Harvard and John's Hopkins degrees and very data driven language).

The doctor and nurses were all very friendly and helpful. They really took the time to explain things and were great about getting back to us right away when we had an questions or concerns.

Dr. Rinehart understood my concerns and took steps that made me comfortable and confident. I was very nervous and concerned and he put me at ease and LISTENED to me.

Dr T. always takes the time to talk to you during appointments and procedures. She is often running late and it's because she answers every single question from every patient. The front desk and nurses are also very friendly. Not at all like previous experiences.

Dr Nayak took the time to explain processes and results over the phone or in the office whenever I needed.

Every time I step into RMI I am greeted by my first name and the staff always makes an effort to engage in conversation. They make the process short and sweet, but always take the time to answer any questions you may have.

Dr spoke candidly about our options, always gave me step by steps regarding what would happen/what to expect before doing anything, knew my name, and took the time to answer our questions to our satisfaction.

The doctor and her staff care so deeply for their patients. I never felt rushed and she carefully answered any question on had. On my retrieval day when I had only 3 eggs, she cried right along with me. They checked in during and after my pregnancy. She truly is one of the kindest and smartest people I've ever known.

I feel the care and treatment protocol at RMI is a bit more individualized than other local clinics, which is great! The nurses gave me their email addresses and would answer my questions quickly at any time - weekends and holidays included. Annie and Stacey at the Chicago office are amazing! Dr. T only works in the downtown location three days a week so there were only certain days I could see her or come in for procedures. They batch their IVF and FET cycles since doctors only have certain weeks they are in the lab. She is often running quite late - 1-1.5 hours late. However, I know she tailored my IVF stim protocol specifically to me, and when I did see her, she took as much time as I needed to answer all my questions. I think the reason she runs late is because she spends so much time with her patients. She is also extremely empathetic, which I valued during such an emotional trying period of my life.

Every time during my visits I felt my issues mattered. The doctor showed she was concerned about my infertility problems. She gave my husband and I hope and confidence that one day I would birth a child. She was thorough with her plan of action and made sure we understood all of the steps that were a part of her plan. She always made sure that all of my questions were answered and I always felt comfortable asking her for help. I definitely recommend her to all of the people who are also trying to conceive.

We did not see the doctor much, and it was mostly the nurses who treated me during my visits, but the nursing staff was terrific, and Dr. Trukacheva was great when we saw her.

Dr. Rinehart and his staff were always personable and helpful. Every question was answered, every concern addressed. I got to know everyone personally as well as professionally. They recognized that while I was there for treatments, that I was a person with other facets to my life and could hold conversations about other things and not just infertility. They were great when I had to drag a child or two along. I never felt like I was being rushed out the door. I really felt like part of their family.

Nurses knew me by name, extremely friendly, responsive, friendly

I thought Dr Rinehart was very open, communicative and extremely knowledgeable. I found him compassionate and and encouraging yet realistic about our chances given my advanced age

The team there was incredible. The nursing staff was caring and very responsive.