RMA Florida

Dr P is a very educated man. He knew a lot of information that I didn’t know about and this is the second clinic I’ve been to. In the beginning he is straight to the point but when you visit him often, he warms up and actually jokes around. When he is treating you, he is treating you with a personal plan. I felt every time I went to RMA, I was treated for my infertility and not a general treatment. I did one retrieval round and one embryo transfer and I’m currently 8 weeks. I feel blessed to have went to Dr. P because I was loosing hope on ever getting pregnant.

I would tell them to be patient because he will take his time with his plan for you. He will make sure he is not going ahead and he goes with how your body is taking the treatment. He is an amazing doctor and he knows his stuff.

He diagnosed me with endometriosis and because of that I had to be on a medication called orilissa. He was very patient in figuring out the diagnoses and coming up with a treatment plan even thought it meant delaying the transfer. This led to a successful transfer afterwards as my baby did implant! And before at the other clinic we couldn’t figure out why the embryos weren’t implanting but Dr P took his time and found out why :-)

I’m not too sure what the costs were. I have progyny insurance and the cost were fair to me.

Dr P has a process that has worked for him for years and he simply tells you during your first consultation how he plans to proceed with your case and he lets it be know he only does a single embryo transfer at a time. I appreciated him letting us know this from the beginning and he did a good job explaining his rationale for this.

Dr. George Patounakis is everything you want in a doctor. He's patient, caring, and so knowledgeable about not only the IVF process but about women's hormonal health in general. I've never had a doctor take the time to really get to know my history and what's caused my medical issues - until Dr. Patounakis. He is simply the best.

Be open to adjustments. Dr. Patounakis takes a very hands on approach, which means if something isn't working then he'll adjust it. It doesn't mean something's wrong - he's just extremely diligent in finding the best solution for his patients.

My body doesn't produce regular fertility hormones so I was put on Estrogen as a maintaining medicine (even between pregnancies and it was a life changer). Progesterone oil was added to prepare for each embryo transfer. I was on the progesterone oil for approximately 8 weeks for the first transfer (which result in a live birth). For the second embryo transfer (which is still ongoing at 16 weeks) I was on progesterone oil for approximately 10 weeks because two additional gestation sacs were present. Those sacs have since been absorbed and did not result in additional fetuses.

Not sure in total

I'm really happy that only one embryo was transferred. I know several people going through the IVF process with different clinics and one in particular has had 2 multiple embryo transfers and both have not resulted in a pregnancy. Of course every situation is different but I feel like it's harder on my friend that's going through it because at every failed transfer she feels like she's losing two chances to have a baby.

Dr. Patounakis is an exceptional Doctor that genuinely cares about his patients. I always felt comfortable and properly cared for when seeing him. He took the time to explain things in terms that I could readily understand and resonate with. I never felt confused or left wondering what the next steps were. I believe the IVF experience is very unique to each individual and felt like Dr. P tailored things to my body and unique medical needs. When the first transfer didn't work, Dr. P knew exactly what to do for the next one! I listened to his recommended course of treatment and everything worked great the second round. I am currently 15 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby and have had no complications. My husband and I trusted Dr. P implicitly throughout this entire process and we couldn't be more pleased with our results and how we were treated throughout the process. Dr. P truly went above and beyond!

Keep an open mind and really listen to what the Dr. says. Don't drive yourself crazy by doing a bunch of research and googling.

He is amazing. When we finished all of our diagnostic testing he went over each of our conditions in detail and helped us decide on a plan. Even during the diagnostics which are invasive and uncomfortable he always made you feel comfortable and respectful. The tests turned out to be not as bad as I thought they would be.

He really cares about his patients and wants them to be successful in starting a family. He will listen to you and go in with all your questions he will answer them.

We haven’t been able to start treatment just yet. He said with my septate uterus I could have surgery or I could not. He described the risks involved with both scenario. And we made an educated decision with him on whether or not to have surgery. He went over of family building options since my husband has male factor infertility. He referred us to a reproductive urologist in the area he trusts and have been treating with him for 2 months. My husband is on clomid and anastrazole to help increase his sperm count. Dr P office calls us after every appointment with the urologist to ensure it’s going smoothly. We currently have 1 more appointment with the urologist and then a semen analysis next month so we can start iui hopefully in May or June.if it doesn’t work after about 3 tries, Dr p said we will move onto ivf.

The diagnostics have been covered under insurance. With everything done after insurance we’ve spent around $3,000

Yes he will only transfer one embryo at a time.

Dr. Patounakis is extremely hands-on and knowledgeable. He is the person in control of everything. He knows every detail of the treatment plan, does every ultrasound and all procedures. He uses recent studies and data to back up every decision. He has even authored some of those studies. Dr. P can cite all risks off the top of his head, as well as percentage chances. He changes course and adjusts if need be. When things go wrong, he immediately delves into the why and what can be done to make things better.

Make sure to ask plenty of questions. He is a wealth of knowledge and you will get answers.

We used Follistim, HCG and Ganirelex. My first retrieval didn’t work out as planned. The Follistim was upped to the max dose for the second retrieval, which yielded more eggs. For the transfer, we used estrogen and progesterone shots to develop the lining and to support the baby. The progesterone shots were for ten painful weeks, but it was worth it.

Morning monitoring was generally quick. The clinic runs on time and gets you in and out. Dr. P runs between rooms, so if you have a question, you do need to stop him before he walks out the door.

$40,000 for two egg retrievals, meds and transfer.

Dr. P will NOT transfer more than one embryo. He is very strict about it due to ethics and risks that come with multiples.

Dr. P is extremely knowledgeable about all things IVF. He took special care to ensure that everything was explained thoroughly to me. He is extremely meticulous which can be a good and a bad thing. He takes close care to how you are progressing, but then is also a bit of a control freak when it comes to his practice, success rates, and working with other clinics or GCs. For example, when I got my GC she was not based in Florida. He wanted her to fly to Florida for two weeks during the transfer so she could do ALL of her local monitoring with him, all the blood work, etc. because he wanted to have complete control over the experience. This is not common for GCs, who typically do local monitoring where they live. My GC has kids, she can't really be away for weeks at a time because Dr. P wants total control. Then, when I needed to transfer the embryos to a clinic up in Chicago (since she couldn't travel down here), he called me many times to try and keep the embryos in his clinic and also tried to plant doubt in my head regarding my GC and her willingness since she didn't want to fly down to FL for two weeks. So I'm not sure that I would work with him in a GC program if your GC does not live in Florida. His bedside manner is very kind, but I wouldn't necessarily say warm. He's a little awkward, so he is very clear in his explanations but isn't going to chat about emotions and feelings.

He is very detailed and knowledgeable but may not be the person to go to if you want someone really warm and personable. I would also ensure if you are using a GC that you try to get one local or in FL because he wants to have a lot of control over the process.

We used typical treatment. I have PCOS so we had to take special care to ensure my ovaries did not get too inflamed but everything was pretty normal, no specific treatment strategy was used.

They had hours in the morning that you could schedule. I always scheduled them in the morning, first thing. It was easy to go in and do monitoring and then leave.

They worked with Progyny so I paid nothing because I had that insurance. Sorry!

Dr. P would only do SET with GCs. Not sure what his stance is if you are transferring to yourself.

Dr. Patounakis is very knowledgeable and experienced in the area of fertility treatments (you can tell by reading his bio and work history on their website), so his passion for this field has been a strength of his. Even more importantly, he is very good at what he does and is so approachable and caring that my husband and I are very happy and grateful patients/clients. We are still in the beginning phase of our fertility journey, but he has already proven accurate, thorough, communicative, and successful in getting us on the right track. Of note is his excellent and quick work diagnosing my uterine polyp and getting it removed asap, fitting me into his already packed schedule on short notice. My husband also says that Dr. Patounakis instilled confidence in him. My husband sat by my side and watched the doctor through every test, consultation, and procedure we've had so far. My husband's semen analyses were all done on-site in comfortable surroundings and he was informed of his results the same day, which was very helpful from a man's perspective.

Just give his office a call and go in for a consultation! You'll know after one conversation with him whether you'll want to proceed or not. I know that for us, we felt good after our first meeting and started with bloodwork that very same day. It was a bit of a drive for us (almost an hour each way) but totally worth it for the care we have been getting and hope for success we have in our future IUI procedure through him.

We are in the beginning phases of our fertility journey and I've gotten: all the preliminary bloodwork done, uterine sonogram, saline test and HSG (dye test), recommended vitamins and ways to communicate with nurses when my cycle begins and ends, successful uterine polyp removal surgery, and plan to proceed with IUI due to our financial budget constraints (can't do IVF) and my age (41 yrs old).

My husband and I both have differing insurance: I have BCBS, he has Cigna. Copay for each visit was usually about $40 for me and $45 for my husband. Bloodwork was covered by insurance for my husband, but not for me so for several lab draws it did end up costing me money but I'm waiting on the bills now. My husband's two semen analyses were covered completely by insurance (other than copays). My saline test, HSG dye test, and polyp removal surgery were covered by insurance because it's categorized as potential cause for infertility. Costs incurred for the surgery came because it was done at the Florida Hospitals and we had to pay for use of facilities (around $620) and anesthesia ($97). Dr. Patounakis has a surgery room at his practice but to get me the surgery asap, he was able to fit me in at the hospital, which was preferable to us. When the time comes for us to do the IUI procedure, we were quoted a total cost of $1500 for all that comes with it, and potentially around $500 for anesthesia. We also did genetic testing through Genescreen, a company the clinic uses, and haven't been billed yet but it should cost about $350 if out of pocket versus going through our insurance.

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Dr. Patounakis is an amazing doctor and human. He never made me feel dumb for not understanding and always took the time to answer all my questions and explain everything to me. We saw him every single time we went in and he was always knowledgeable of my history and my plan.

You will not regret going to this practice. Ask all the questions you might have, he will answer them. If he suggests something you don’t agree with don’t be scared to tell him. He will explain his thoughts and listen to yours.

We went there from another clinic that we were not happy with. After doing his own exams and tests he suggested a surgery to remove small polyps and then to try a medicated IUI. My cycles were regular and an IUI worked for us with my first pregnancy 4 years prior so he was confident we should try again even with 4 failed at the prior clinic, mostly because of the polyps. The first IUI after surgery I ovulated early and with small follicles so he changed my medication for the next cycle and we were successful. I am now 24 weeks pregnant.

Luckily our treatments were covered by our insurance so I only paid out copay but they went over our insurance coverage with us before we started anything.

We did not get this far since IUI worked but we did talk about single embryo transfer and he explained why he prefers that given the risks of a multiple pregnancy.

Dr Patounakis is extremely thorough in his explanation of diagnosis and proposed treatment. He's very patient when answering questions and is as available as necessary to address patient concerns. He is at every single one of my appointments, even ultrasound monitoring. He also took over personally doing my blood draws every morning. I couldn't recommend him as a doctor more!

Ask lots of questions! He's great at explaining

Egg retrieval cycle: antagonist protocol - Started at 300IU gonal-f and ultrasound monitoring every 2 days. Jumped to 450IU gonal-f after first u/s and added low-dose hcg to aid follicle growth. My follicle growth is erratic and unpredictable, so there were a few days where Dr. Patounakis considered cancelling the retrieval due to lack of response to medication. Growth picked back up and ganirellix was added to delay natural ovulation. Hcg trigger was taken 14 days after beginning injections. 9 eggs were retrieved, only 2 were mature enough to be fertilized. One arrested after day 3, the other arrested before day 6. Dr Patounakis only transfers day 6-7 embryos that have been frozen and pgs tested. For a second retrieval cycle he suggested a long lupron protocol. A second retrieval cycle has been postponed due to COVID-19

Co-pay as directed by insurance for regular appointments and consultations. One sum out-of-pocket amount for egg retrieval cycle that included all monitoring, blood work, retrieval surgery, and embryo freezing (did not include medication).

As far as I'm aware, he does eSET only.

Dr. Patounakis is an amazing doctor. When I went in to see him from the very first visit he made me feel at ease. After looking at my chart he predicted that I had PCOS, and told me what my ovaries would look like in an ultrasound... we did the ultrasound and bloodwork and he was spot on. He explained the process and our best options. I loved knowing that he would be at every visit.

Absolutely go with RMA of Lake Mary you will not regret it. They are wonderful and he really knows what he’s doing.

We used letrozole, a trigger shot of pregnyl, and progesterone once I was pregnant.

Our insurance covered all testing and diagnosis but not treatment. We did IUI and it cost $1,000 with all appointments, treatment, and medication

He is a very straight forward person. He is to the point but not callous. He works with facts and has a great capacity to deduce things and make fast decisions. He is confident and sure of what he is telling you. He is humble yet has a no nonsense attitude. He is a gentle person and has a warm demeanor about him. He shows compassion. He is gentle as well. He has a sharp mind and conveys that when he talks to you. He is honest. He prepares you for every aspect of things up front. He doesn’t surprise me with anything. He prepares me very well for tests and procedures so I know what to expect. He is a great phlebotomist! He drew my blood and i did not even feel it!

Understand that he is very straight forward. He has a sense of humor but his work and facts are very important to him. He takes the process seriously and will tell you if you do not follow the prescribed steps he will not work with you. His expectations are set and must be met for him to ensure his best results. He is not one to take chances on his end with your treatment.

He wanted to do IUI because my husbands sperm analysis from another doctor had some findings. He ordered me to take extra folic acid with a prenatal pill for st least three months before we started, which I have been doing. He then did two separate Sperm analysis of my husbands sperm, and a few tests on me. The deciding factor was the findings of the sperm analysis which made us change course. He told us we have to do IVF because there is very low likelihood of us getting pregnant. He has laid out the plan and made it very clear why we have not been able to get pregnant since our loss in 2015. He doesn’t give false hopes and he lets me know that nothing is guaranteed. No empty promises come from him so far.

From what I understand IVF cost about $10.000, genetic testing was $350, the medications run about $6,000, and it cost extra to test embryos.

He would prefer to do a single embryo because his goal is to get me pregnant with a healthy baby. He explained that múltiples come with higher risk.

Dr. P tells you like it is. He doesn’t sugar coat things and is very honest. He has always treated us with the utmost respect. He checks in his patients often and you see him at every visit. He calls you with every result and doesn’t hand it off to a nurse.

Trust him!

The most Efficient. Never waited more than 10 minutes!

Awesome knowledgeable doctor with respect for each patient! He was at each visit and took time to make sure I and my husband were aware of the next steps. I truly felt like he cared. I would recommend him to anyone looking for fertility care. Personally I just knew my husband and myself had male factor infertility and I needed more information on what this meant after two failed IUIs.

Trust the process pay attention to yourself and your feelings getting those in check is so important!

We did IUI in order to get the sperm closer to egg since my husband has low morphology.

Expensive but isn’t it always

Single

From our initial consultation, I felt confident in Dr. Patounakis and his expertise with infertility. He was great at explaining our options and treatment plans. He was honest when it was time to move on from medicated cycles to IVF and I trusted him completely in that. He was great during my egg retrieval even though it was more complicated than I had initially expected. He always called exactly when he said he would with updates about our embryos. I have a higher BMI and he never treated me differently due to my weight. He is truly the best doctor I’ve ever seen.

Trust the advice and instructions he gives you. He’s very by the book and won’t steer you wrong.

We first tried medicated cycles with a trigger shot to induce ovulation. It took a few rounds to get the dosing right to get a mature follicle. Once we did, we tried that 3 times with no positive pregnancy test. At that point, he suggested we skip IUI and move to IVF. He gave us the option to continue the medicated cycles or go to IUI, but we trusted his judgement and did IVF. We had a very successful egg retrieval, despite one of my ovaries not being visible on the ultrasounds leading up to it. He was able to retrieve from both anyway, but did warn us upfront that it might not have been possible. In the end, we got 9 day 6 embryos, 8 of which were PGT normal. We did a frozen transfer of our highest quality embryo and are now 12 weeks pregnant from that first transfer.

We never waited more than 5 minutes for our monitoring appointments. Morning monitoring is from 6-8am so it was very easy to schedule and still make it to work.

We were lucky to have insurance through my husband that covered almost everything. We did need to meet a $4000 deductible first, and that was the largest out of pocket expense so far. We are still working out some insurance issues right now, so I’m not sure what else we will owe.

Their philosophy is one healthy baby at a time, so we only transferred one embryo. I’m not sure if they ever do multiples, but we didn’t ask to do that.

We used Dr. P. for two separate pregnancies. The first resulted in my son and I am now pregnant with my next. I cannot express enough how much I truly appreciate and loved the care that we received. I saw him personally at every appointment, on occasion he had even drawn my labs (as a nurse it is so rare a physician would do something like this). He always took his time and explained things so well. I always felt like I could trust him and that my best interest was his priority. I never felt the needs to “google” things or second guess him. Infertility is really an unfair and frustrating experience but he made it as easy as possible. I will never forget what a kind human he is and how well he treated us.

TRUST HIM! Your best interest is his priority.

We did IUI with letrozole and a trigger each time. Post IUI my progesterone was closely monitored and I was on occasion put on supplements for it.

About $1500 each IUI cash price not including meds.

Dr P is the best doctor I have EVER had. He called once when I reported starting my period to the after hours Line on a Sunday. He called on a Saturday after I sent photos of my positive pregnancy test post transfer. He was sensitive to my trauma from a previous loss not related to IVF. I couldn’t have asked for a better doctor.

Be patient because every step is a step closer to getting your baby

I’d did two retrievals to bank embryos then a hysteroscopy to deal with scar tissue from a previous d&c prior to transfer. It was a longer journey but getting my uterus perfect before transfer was what made the difference

It was so easy. No waiting around and no time wasted. It was great being between 6-8 because of work hours. Also one Saturday Dr p came 30 min early for me because of my job.

I’m not sure because my insurance covered it

He only does single and as someone who lost a set of twins, I wasn’t interested in multiple.

After a friend recommended RMA, I saw Dr. P to pursue pregnancy for a second child, following a bad experience with a local clinic that felt like an IVF factory. The difference was immediately apparent. Dr. P thoroughly reviewed my history, discussed his thoughts on how we would proceed, provided recommendations for my concerns (I was currently breastfeeding our first child), and beautifully, he communicated any changes he made to that plan, explaining things along the way. Through 5 cycles (two retrievals & three transfers), my body threw us a few curve balls. He was always calm and reassuring. He provided factual information and statistics about risk, balancing risk and reward in a way I thought was responsible and still results oriented - I probably would’ve thrown caution to the wind! Anytime I called or emailed with questions, I received a thoughtful prompt response. He coordinated my thyroid treatments at one point almost bi-weekly with my endocrinologist and now, even after treatment has ended and I’ve been released to regular OBGYN care, his office has asked me to call them to ensure I’m being seen within two weeks. Despite the challenges of the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Dr. P (& his staff - but this is only supposed to be about him).

It’s a hard process. Be gentle with yourself and others…and choose to wait before reacting to whatever you’re feeling. You can’t trust your emotions in this process. The hormones do crazy things!

I don’t recall the treatment strategies in sufficient detail to feel I could accurately portray them.

too many cycles to remember all of the costs

None.