RMA of Philadelphia

Dr. Allison Lange was very knowledgeable and thorough when she created our treatment plan. She was able to walk us through the plan and answer any questions regarding our specific case. When I had blood work or ultrasounds done, if she was not the doctor on call, she still reviewed all of the results and made the final decisions. When we went through our unfortunate ectopic pregnancy, she was there to tell me the next steps. Dr. Lange went out of her way to personally make arrangements for me and made sure that I understood everything fully. She was very compassionate and made me feel like I was important. After, she personally called to check in on how I was doing physically and emotionally. She set up another appointment to review our treatment plan and answer any questions we may have had.

One piece of advice would be to go in with an open mind. She will take the time to review your case and create a plan for you based on your specific needs or goals.

Since we are an LGBT couple with no known fertility issues, Dr. Lange recommended starting with IUI using a sperm donor. I did 2 medicated cycles using Letrozole and Ovidrel as a trigger shot. The first round was unsuccessful. The second round resulted in an ectopic pregnancy. We will be moving towards IVF due to the concerns of a higher chance of another ectopic pregnancy.

IUI cycles were about 1,200 with monitoring but not including medications IVF cycles range from 10,750-26,000 depending on need not including medication

In our case due to age and egg reserve, Dr. Lange recommended when we proceed with IVF to do a single embryo transfer. I am unsure of other cases.

Dr. Gutman is very patient, caring and experienced. While you can tell she is very busy with many patients, the appointments never felt rushed. If questions aren't asked, she won't got into much detail. However when questions are asked, she will tell you what she is was thinking. Overall I would say her methods are on the traditional/conservative side. While I appreciate her not pushing any products or treatments that don't have proven success rates, I do wish we would explore more out of the box options. Overall, I feel a sense of trust working with Dr. Gutman and feel like she truly cares about my outcome.

If you have a question, ask it. Don't assume. She doesn't give much detail if you don't ask for it. If you want to try something new, you need to start that conversation as well.

I have been through 2 IVF cycles with Dr. Gutman. The first cycle we used BC for a week prior to starting stims. We then followed the agonist protocol with an aggressive med list. We did 300 follistim iu and 75iu menopur for twelve nights. About a week into stims, we realized I wasn't responding to the meds as we would expect for someone my age. I was producing fewer eggs than normal. The word "cancel" was tossed around once or twice, however we went through with the retrieval. 8 follicles were retrieved, 6 were mature, 4 fertilized and made it to day 5, however only 1 was able to transferred. That round ended in a negative beta. We took a month off, and then started another round of stims. This time instead of BC, we primed with estrogen ( we thought the BC may have suppressed me too much). We then did the same agonist protocol with the same dosages. We stimmed another twelve nights and all monitoring appointments showed more follicles than the first round. However, retrieval yielded only 7 follicles, and none fertilized. We haven't done another IVF cycle since then. We have done 4 IUI's with follistim and follistim/clomid. The first IUI resulted in a chemical pregnancy. The other three ended in negative betas. Each IUI showed at least 3 mature follicles.

Early morning monitoring appointments were hit or miss. Some days I would be in and out very quickly, other days I would be there for almost an hour. I would say they were usually on the quicker side for the most part, however there were still a handful of times that took way longer than needed. The days that did take long however, once I got into the monitoring room, I did not feel rushed out.

My insurance covered monitoring and bloodwork for IUI cycles. Nothing was covered for IVF. RMA prices are high and they don't offer any bundled packages which is the main reason I am holding back on moving forward with another cycle. If they offered better more affordable options, I would have started another retrieval already because I do feel comfortable and trust them. They did offer a tiny discount however with my next cycle being my third round, I was hoping for a deeper discount than offered.

We never had the option to transfer more than one embryo. However for our IUI with injections, Dr. Gutman was ok with proceeding with 3 or 4 mature follicles.

Strengths and weaknesses Dr. Schlaff was knowledgeable, compassionate, warm, and direct. He made several small adjustments during my cycle that I truly believe made a difference in our outcome, such as delaying our retrieval by two days to allow for more follicles to mature (resulting in a couple more eggs being retrieved than would have otherwise) and also delaying our FET because I had fluid in my uterus. He adjusted medications to reduce the fluid down to almost none by transfer day. I found him to be an excellent communicator and felt from the beginning that no matter the outcome, we would have been satisfied that we gave it one last try under his care. I would wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Schlaff to anyone and can think of no weaknesses whatsoever.

Do not hesitate to meet with him if you are thinking about undergoing fertility treatment.

self-pay: 18K for single IVF cycle with PGS and ERA biopsy, including meds, though some meds were covered by insurance

Dr. Gutman is brusk and and no-nonsense, but she is also incredibly intelligent and honest, which makes her very trustworthy. The way she casually talks about the procedure puts you at ease and makes you realize that she has done this a hundred times and knows what she is doing. Her treatments are kind of drawn out, however that's because she requires constant consultations and re-evaluations to make sure that you are completely safe and avoid any potential risks during the treatment. She's funny and I never once felt judged or uncomfortable with her. Once visit, I told her I was on my way to a baby shower and she said, "Well, if you need me to write you a doctor's note, I will absolutely do that." She understands how hard the journey is but doesn't dwell on it and always pushes forward.

Trust the process. She is not a terribly warm individual, especially when you first meet her, but that's because she is still evaluating what the absolute best options are for you. Every time you talk to her, you will be reminded as to why you are in her care. She's great if you like someone who is straight and to the point - no sugarcoating bad news. It might be a long treatment, but she will be invested the entire time and is open to suggestions if you feel as though you'd like to try a different treatment which I appreciated!

After our initial consult, she scheduled me for an MRI of the pituitary, which showed a small tumor, meaning that I would very likely not respond to oral medications and advised we go straight to injectables. I began 75iu of Menopur for three days, then after my blood and ultrasound, continued for three more days. I was then bumped up to 150 iu after my estrogen was still <100. I had bloods and ultrasound every 3 days throughout the entire process. I triggered with Ovidrel after day 14 of Menopur and my IUI was performed 32 hours later. I received my period prior to the pregnancy test. Our second IUI followed the same protocol, with 16 days of stims before trigger. This time, she started me at 75IU, but shortly bumped me back up to 150iu, as my estogren dropped after the first three injections. The second IUI resulted in a positive HCG test, but the level was 34 and quickly dropped to 6. I got my period shortly after. Our next IUI baseline is scheduled for this week and will likely follow the same protocol.

The out of pocket IUI package was $1800 and included everything but medication for a full cycle. I paid an additional $1800 for Menopur and $200 for ovidrel. We have no insurance coverage for fertility treatments, monitoring or medication. Total was about $3300 per IUI. We completed two unsuccessful cycles and are beginning our third.

Not applicable for our treament

Dr. Castelbaum is a very smart man. He is not an alarmist - he only gives you the information you need, and I think that’s to keep you for over analyzing or overthinking. I do, though, prefer to have more knowledge than I may need, so this has bothered me from time to time. When in his care, you need to have the mindset that he’s a professional and you need to trust him. Sometimes this can be hard for me, but I have seen many people have great success with him, so I do trust him.

Ask for more information when you need it.

I was put on the antagonist protocol. He never explained the logic for this protocol. This yielded 14 eggs and resulted in 10 frozen embryos. We transferred 1 embryo each time. First transfer resulted in a negative test and the second resulted in a miscarriage.

The cost of an IUI cycle was approximately $1,000 and for an egg retrieval and transfer, it cost just over $10,000.

I appreciate his conservative approach because the thought of carrying multiples worries me due to the increased health risks for myself and potential babies.

Dr. Guttman has been a perfect balance of no-nonsense and compassion. She doesn't sugar coat and gets right to the point (which I greatly appreciate), but when I had my miscarriage she was gentle, compassionate, and sympathetic. She has always answered and addressed my questions (even the crazier ones), and I feel very comfortable and confident continuing treatment with her.

See her.

When I first went in, Dr. Guttman immediately suggested a medicated cycle with IUI. I wasn't mentally prepared to start treatment right away, so she suggested trying Ovasitol and prescribed a thyroid medication. Over the next few months, RMA checked in on me periodically and Dr. Guttman continued to monitor my thyroid levels and adjust my medication accordingly. Once my husband and I were ready to begin treatment, his sperm was tested and I went in for baseline monitoring and an HSG. I was prescribed Clomid, and once my follicles were the appropriate size, Ovidrel. I had an IUI 36 hours later. I got pregnant on the first try, but unfortunately miscarried at 7 weeks and subsequently had a D&C. I am currently waiting for my HCG levels to return to 0. Once my period returns (and assuming "elective procedures" are possible given COVID-19), I'll be undergoing a hysteroscopy to help determine our next steps.

My insurance has covered most of my treatment so far, with the obvious exception of copays. The billing department gave me a vey clear break-down: if my pants come off, it's considered a specialist visit and I have a copay. If I'm just coming in for bloodwork, I don't have a copay. I've only had to pay for one medication out-of-pocket (Ovidrel), but the clinic referred me to a specialty pharmacy where I was able to get it for a low price.

N/a

He put on a great show for my initial consult but after that was a train wreck. I had nothing but un-monitored cycles. I had an adverse reaction to a fertility medication that I was prescribed and was told to go see my ob/gyn..theres nothing that they can do for me. He never wanted to increase my dosage nor did he want to do a monitored cycle out of the four cycles that I did with him. At my last visit he decided to put me on a different medication and suggested that I not do IUI and go straight to IVF but that I would need to find a new job that covers IVF. As I was leaving he loudly said now go make us look good and get pregnant. WHO SAYS THAT?!

Don't waste your time and do not fall for the caring doctor that he acts like he is during your consultation.

Nothing but un-monitored cycles. Does not want to change any dosage for medication and does not respect your wishes when you want to have a monitored cycle.

The insurance co-pays, the outside facility co-pays for blood work and imaging and the costs of the medications

I saw Dr. Gutmann 4-5 times initially, during the various exploratory & diagnostic phases (consultation, a monitored clomid cycle, HSG, blood and semen tests, etc.) that led to unexplained fertility diagnosis. While not stereotypically warm and fuzzy, she has a great style that really clicked for us: remembering personal details and preferences/goals, informed by the latest science, with a bit of dry humor thrown in there.

1. First semen analysis showed slightly low sperm count and motility. She recommended supplements. My husband also decided to cut from ~3-6 beers a week to 1. Three mos later Dr. Gutmann said test results had rebounded so well that she thought one of the tests was inaccurate, and the answer was most likely somewhere in between. 2. We weren't ready to fully dive into IVF yet so our first step was a Clomid + timed intercourse cycle. 1 ultrasound monitoring appt showed 5 eggs. Negative test. 3. Dr. Gutmann informed us of a research opportunity that would pay for the entire IVF cycle except medication. This sort of kick-started our commitment, but I got busy for 2 months and put off the diagnostic tests. Study was closed to my age bracket by then but we decided to go ahead anyway. 4. IVF cycle with injectables. Started at 400iu Follistim, but as my estrogen levels climbed sky high they switched me to daily monitoring & bloodwork, and tweaked dosage every day. Inconvenient, but great care. On trigger day I screwed up a medication pickup and did not have the prescribed trigger med at home. The doctor on call was great about prescribing an alternative w that I could do within the hour. He explained this alternative would put me at higher risk for OHSS, but they would monitor me closely.

Yes, doctor had strong preference to transfer 1 for goal of healthy singleton pregnancy.

Dr. Gutman’s balance of bedside manner and intellectual prowess were so good that, as dreaded as the process could be (and it was since I had a miscarriage at first), We still always looked forward to seeing her.

Prepare questions. She will answer them, but as others have said, your time is limited. She will always answer questions though. I read these docs often do over 50 monitoring appointments from 7-9, for context. So she wouldn’t go into a monologue about my treatment plan, but always more than happy to explain my treatment plan.

First 9 weeks was just monitoring because, against all odds, my first appt revealed my first natural pregnancy. We lost this baby and Dr. G was great, and suggested a slightly more aggressive approach of letrizol, progesterone, trigger shot, and IUI which we did. I ended up bleeding and having low hcg levels, which made me very anxious and I asked to terminate the pregnancy rather than finish what I thought was a miscarriage. From there, doc monitored me for 9 weeks, even answering my questions by phone immediately before the holidays. At week 9 Dr. G graduated me because against the odds, this pregnancy looks viable. Nurse still did follow up after final appt. it was a great process- wish I could stay w dr. G a couple more weeks because of my anxiety, but I understand that a reproductive specialist has to draw a clear line of time to move on to OB.

I have great insurance so costs we’re $40 copays, trigger shot was $100, other meds $60....total costs under $1,000.

Dr Castelbaum is amazing! I thought I would never have children of my own and now I have a daughter and another little one on the way! He gave me the family I was dreamed of! I HIGHLY recommend Dr Castelbaum and RMA!

If your having trouble conceiving, see Dr Castelbaum. You won’t regret it!

I did two cycles of IVF. The first cycle I used Gonal-F, Meopur & cetrotide. My ovaries did not respond well to the medications and they only retrieved 4 eggs resulting in one embryo which did not work. Dr Castelbaum expressed his concerns but said we could try a more aggressive protocol and added in micro Lupron. I responded much better with the added medication. This time they got 19 eggs and I ended with 3 embryos. We transferred one embryo, which resulted in a miscarriage, and froze the rest. The first frozen transfer worked and I had a daughter. I just had my second frozen transfer which always worked!

My insurance only covered diagnostics for IVF so most of the cost was out of pocket. I paid total around $17,000 for the 2 fresh cycles. Medications for fresh cycle were around $3-4K (with discounts). The frozen cycle was $3,000 and meds were about $500.

Doctor Freedman is one of the kindest and most empathetic doctors I have ever had. It was a long process, however from my first consult I knew I was in the right hands. Every set back we had, I never doubted my doctor and knew we would have the end result we had been waiting for. I can't recommend him enough.

IVF is a long and sometimes confusing process, Doctor Freedman is at the top of his field. Trust the information he’s providing, but remember to ask plenty of questions.

IVF was the first suggestion, due to male fertility factor. Doctor freedman started with standard IVF protocol, however initial round I did not develop enough follicles. Second cycle, estrace priming was utilized along with increase dosage of gonal f. After slight tweak moved forward with successful egg retrieval which resulted in 5 fertilized embryos.

Insurance lifetime max was utilized, after this was hit I paid the difference cash.

Doctor Freedman is adamant on one embryo at a time. Due to my age and first IVF attempt, we opted not to have embryos tested. After 3 failed single embryo transfers, doctor freedman suggested putting 2 in. Which resulted in singleton pregnancy. If embryos were tested, we would still do one at a time.

When i first met with dr Lange she thoroughly reviewed my records from previous doctors and cycles and explained how we would approach treatment with her and what to expect. Once I went through an egg retrieval and then frozen transfer which resulted in a chemical, she recommended further testing as far as a miscarriage panel and ERA biopsy. I also recommended some further tests like natural killer cells and she agreed and wrote for it. Once we reviewed all results she took a different approach this time around which i am currently in the process of getting ready for a transfer. We made adjustments like synthroid for my borderline tsh, also started me on letrozole for a month to suppress my system for my endometriosis, along with testing my pituitary by ct scan due to elevated prolactin levels and started me on a medication for hyperprolactinemia, and I will get intralipid infusions for elevated NO cells . And will adjust my progesterone injections from the results of my era. To say the least I think that is very thorough and shows she is trying to everything she can to make this cycle work.

You are in good hands with a genuine and kind hearted physician that truly cares about her patients and developes a plan that works for you and if you have any questions or recommendations in your care she will take it into consideration and help as much as possible.

Unfortunately I don’t have results yet because I am getting ready for another transfer which I discussed earlier the different protocols she is currently using in my care.

Not sure

She recommended single but was willing to do multiple due to recurrent miscarriages but explained the risks

Dr. Gutman is very knowledgeable, compassionate and has a great sense of humor. During our first consultation and workup she was completely upfront and honest with what my test results revealed and the potential difficulties that could lie ahead. However, she was always very empathetic and made it known that she was confident in her abilities and was going to work very hard to achieve my desired results. I felt very comfortable in her presence and confident in the treatment decisions that she made throughout my care. She understood how crazy the back and forth almost daily visits at times for monitoring could be and did her best to take my life/work schedule into consideration. I don't know that I could have had a better experience. She truly made this very stressful process go much smoother than I ever anticipated. I am blessed to have found such an amazing fertility Dr.

Dr. Gutmann is straight forward when it comes to describing your care, potential issues, all of your potential options. She doesn't sugar coat the facts, but she also lets you know she is here to help and fight with you through the entire process. My percentages for a successful pregnancy were extremely low and she was up front with that, but also had a thorough game plan in place to beat those odds. She is determined and very skilled at what she does.

My first cycle began with Clomid and Ovedril leading to my IUI. My second cycle we used Letrozole to regulate my ovulation and Ovedril prior to the IUI. Throughout both cycles there was constant blood work and ultrasound monitoring to track my ovulation.

With each visit I had a $30 copay. All other treatment was covered except the cost of my donor sperm. I had to pay out of pocket for two rounds of donor sperm which ran around $2000.

N/A

Dr. Gutman seems to be a no-nonsense doctor. While my partner and I have been having fertility problems she said our outlook is optimistic. I don’t think she would have said this if she didn’t believe it. We went to her for a second opinion and she discussed different ways she would change our current fertility regimen. This was helpful in that we were able to discuss these suggestions with our primary fertility doctor. Dr. Gutman also offered us the single best piece of advice we have received in our fertility journey. After 2 years, multiple IUIs, a cycle of IVF we were unsure of how to proceed on this journey. Dr. Gutman stated that whatever we decide we should be able to look back and be comfortable with the decisions we made. In this painstaking, emotional journey those words ring very true as we proceed in trying to make our family.

No non-sense, not the warmest person but very knowledgeable and willing to try different regimens.

Having one failed IVF cycle Dr. Gutman stated that If I did more IVF treatment cycles she would add Menopur in addition to Follistim. Also, having had one chemical pregnancy she suggested doing a hysteroscopy and ERA testing.

I thought I would be eligible for a clinical trial which would cut my expenses but Dr. Gutman quickly informed me that I would not be eligible. Other than that, they did set up an appointment for us to speak with the financial team which we have not followed up with because at this point we only went to Dr. Gutman for a second opinion.

She would elect for in the future doing PGS testing and then transfer one embryo. She said, ultimately it would be our decision on transferring one or two embryos.

I felt like Dr Castelbaum has a very high opinion of himself and his clinic. He spent a lot of time talking about how his clinic did well when inspected by the FDA. This seemed like a strange thing to talk about during our consult with some difficult news. I felt like he was pressuring us to use a donor egg without asking how we felt about it. He really dumped a lot of difficult information on us at once without much compassion. He suggested we have a cry and beer at home before coming back and talking with him again. If felt very strange and like we were taking up space in his office is we weren’t totally on board with his plan after 5 minutes of discussion. He was very blunt and said “you’re a complicated case” immediately after we entered the room. He prescribed Clomid and did not offer to monitor or follow up with me. I had a very bad drug reaction and spoke with a nurse who said she spoke with the doctor and told me there was nothing they could do and I should see my general doctor. When I called a week later seeking guidance after I got my period, I spoke with a nurse who said she would talk to the doctor and get bs m to me and they never did. I’m so glad we went elsewhere!

Don’t expect a great deal of compassion. He is very blunt.

He prescribed clomid but had me start on day 6, which another doctor confirmed didn’t do anything. I had terrible side effects (tingling in limbs and panic attacks) and they did nothing to help me or advise me after I called reporting the side effects.

The HSG test costs seemed high. Other costs were for office visits.

Dr. Castelbaum genuinely cares about the patients he works with. He was warm, friendly, and funny when appropriate. He treated me and my partner with the utmost respect and dignity. He worked extensively to help us with the situation we had, and constantly expressed empathy and compassion for our specific case. I absolutely love being a patient of his and wish all doctors had the knowledge and kindness he freely displays.

Take him over any other doctor, he is truly one of a kind.

We did a fairly aggressive antagonist protocol with Gonal-F and Menopur then Cetrotide. I responded extremely well to the protocol. At retrieval I had 25 eggs, with 23 being mature. 16 fertilized with ICSI and 8 embryos made it to day 5 for PGS biopsy and freezing. I did not respond well to the oral/vaginal estrogen, so we performed a mini-stim protocol for the FET. I did 10 days of follistim 75IU injections, with PIO starting a few days before transfer. Unfortunately the transfer resulted in a negative pregnancy test. I am hoping to generate more embryos before prepping for a new FET.

I had insurance coverage so the total cost of meds plus treatment was under $5000 total.

RMA's policy is to transfer a single embryo unless it has been shown to be absolutely necessary to try multiples.

I wish I would see Dr. Freedman more often as well as hear from him throughout a cycle. I know he is making decisions behind the scenes, but I usually only hear about them through the nursing team. He makes small adjustments as needed, but I'm not always aware of what those changes are expected to accomplish.

Come with lots of questions and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself.

My first retrieval I did 2 weeks of birth control followed by an antagonist protocol. Part way through my Menopur dosage was raised. I stimmed for 11 days and retrieved 8 eggs, all were mature, 6 fertilized, and 2 made it to blast. Both came back mosaic. My second protocol we eliminated the birth control because Dr. Freedman thought it may have over suppressed me and we could get more eggs. Same medicine and we retrieved 13 eggs, 8 were mature, 6 fertilized, and none made it to blast. We were shocked and have no good reason why it happened. I am planning a microdose lupron protocol next month.

Currently covered by insurance

He is very adamant that single is best, especially at my age.

I honestly can't think of a single weakness when it comes to Dr. Castelbaum. He is knowledgeable, compassionate, thorough, and kind. No two people are the same and he knows that and it shows in how he interacts with each of his patients. My husband and I brought embryos with us to Dr. Castelbaum from another facility. He was up front in telling us that he wanted his embryologist to review them because every clinic has their own guidelines for freezing and storing embryos and he wouldn't know what we had until they could look at them for themselves. After the first transfer with him from those embryos it resulted in a successful pregnancy where I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Upon returning to the office two years later we did 4 additional transfers. The first 2 were with our remaining embryos we had brought with us from the other facility. From those, we had 1 early miscarriage (blighted ovum) and 1 chemical pregnancy. We then did another round of injections for egg retrieval. First transfer from this round was a chemical pregnancy. Second transfer was successful and I'm currently 10 weeks, 3 days pregnant and was discharged to my OB a week ago. It's so easy to blame doctors for a failed embryo transfer. My failed transfers were devastating to me; but I also remember how shocked and upset Dr. Castelbaum was for us. We did not do genetic testing although it was recommended to us to reduce the risk of miscarriage. Even though we chose not to, we were never judged for it. I almost gave up after the third failed transfer. Emotionally, I didn't know if I could keep going. Mentally, I knew I wasn't ready to give up. I'll never forget what Dr. Castelbaum said to me on my last appointment: "I know you were ready to jump ship and I understand why. But I'm so glad you didn't. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did. I'm glad I got to be a part of this and am so happy for you." These words will stick with me the rest of my life and I still tear up thinking about it. I could never thank him enough for all he's done for me and my husband.

Please realize Doctors are human. They can't give guaranteed results and they aren't perfect. Dr. Castelbaum loves what he does and it shows. If you want someone that will give you the brutal truth, yet deliver it in a compassionate way and someone who will truly fight for you Dr. Castelbaum is the guy to see.

I had insurance coverage for almost all of my treatments.

Dr. Castelbaum is a strong believer in only transferring one embryo. I was hesitant to agree but after he gave us the facts, I understood why and I knew he had my best interest in mind.

Dr. Freedman did exactly what he set out to do. His role was to help me get pregnant with a healthy baby. We got pregnant with our first transfer (under his care) with a PGS normal Male embryo. He followed our progress daily and called personally to congratulate us! He made sure our questions were answered the same day we asked. You can't ask for much more.

Trust in what he believes...his experience in this process speaks volumes.

My protocol was metformin and estrace daily. We added gonal-f and menopur with a lupron trigger. At age 39, we retrieved 35 eggs, 30 were mature. I ended up with 6 5AA embryos, sent for PGS. After PGS we had 3 normal males and 2 mosaic males. We got pregnant on the first transfer of a 5AA PGS normal male.

We had insurance (at the time) with a $6500 deductible. The deductible was met quickly,.then 80 percent was covered. For a full cycle, including monitoring, recurrent loss blood panel, karyotype testing and PGS testing, we paid about $5000 out of pocket.

He believes in PGS testing with one common goal, which is helping each mom have a healthy pregnancy with a healthy baby. He doesn't transfer multiple embryos if PGS tested.

I saw Dr. Gutmann primarily for our diagnostic work up as we then moved out of state. The clinic has you complete a through form outlining your medical history and history trying to conceive. During my initial appointment with her, Dr. Gutmann reviewed my answers with me and asked follow up questions when needed. My husband had to participate by phone and she answered his questions as well as mine. She explained the benefit of getting a HSG completed. I ended up getting my HSG done by her a few weeks later. I was very nervous and found the procedure to be painful She was kind and compassionate throughout.

She will be direct and very scientific about what your chances are of conceiving.

I saw Dr. Gutmann for diagnostic workup.

My diagnostic tests were covered by my insurance.

NA

Dr. Castelbaum was very positive and kept my spirits up during the low points of fertility treatments. He seemed confident that he would help get me pregnant and he did. There were some roadblocks that we had to get through but he always found the solution. He misdiagnosed me with unexplained infertility at first. During IVF, hydrosalpinx was found on my one fallopian tube. He quickly set up surgery to remove the tube and assured me that my chances of IVF success would be the same after my unilateral salpingectomy. Even though the diagnostic test missed the hydrosalpinx, I still felt confident with his care. It took longer than anticipated but the end result was a pregnancy. I'm currently 31 weeks and am forever grateful for his care.

Ask a lot of questions! He doesn't mind answering them

With my insurance, IUIs we're covered. I paid a $40 copay each visit. And I paid for the medicine out of pocket. I don't recall the medicine prices. For IVF, we paid all out of pocket. We did the RMA assure plan which costs in total with meds about $30,000

He suggested one embryo transfer at a time because of my age.

She was very pleasant and compassionate each time, however she didn't communicate well and never explained each step well or as to why we were doing it. I did like the fact that I saw her each visit and for my procedure. After my failed IUI she didn't seem bothered and basically said let's do it again. We didn't like that approach at all.

Ask questions and ask why she is doing things

I did clomid on it's own 3 times first days 3-7 which resulted in failed cycles. Then for our IUI, we were on 75 of Gonal F, 100mg clomid and did the trigger shot. We went in every other day for monitoring

Clomid was cheap with our insurance but for the IUI package insurance covered nothing so we spent a total of about 2300$ for that cycle

N/A

We went to Dr. Freedman based on a recommendation. However, we barely saw him or spoke to him. He put us on some medications and supplements and then we had a retrieval 2 weeks later. Both our retrievals resulted in eggs but they didn't fertilize. However, after the second he said there is nothing he can do for us and we should look at adoption and/or donor eggs. I spoke with other doctors who said that it would take a minimum of three months for the metphormin and supplements to fully make an effect on my body which he didn't give a chance. When we went through the percentages in the beginning it wasn't until the third chance where we would reach a higher percentage chance. We weren't given a proper explanation when we were told this almost a week after our retrieval (the week was the worst). I believe the clinic is more concerned with their national success rates.

If you prescribe and recommend medication and supplements, give the patients a fair chance in allowing them to work. Also, provide better communication methods if you are not available have another doctor call. Do not leave hopeful patients waiting for over a week to get any answers.

VERY high dose shots of Gonal F/Follostim with Menopur and then a trigger shot (cetrocide).