Dr. Martinez has always been great about explaining every step of the process and not rushing us during appointments. We have had a really hard time through this process (have been able to retrieve eggs, create embryos, but then they never make it to Day 5) and when we've received bad news he shows genuine care and concern. He is the one who will call with both good and bad news. From Day 1 meeting him he made us feel comfortable and that he cared.
[nurse at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey] was wonderful - I called her the vein whisperer. She was the only one able to draw blood from my tiny veins. She was compassionate and took pride in her work...issues with other nurses, specifically after my first retrieval relaying information regarding my results...It felt very unprofessional. I informed Dr. Martinez what happened at our next appointment and he made sure I always got my results directly from him.
How was your experience with Alan Martinez at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey?
He is very compassionate and explains the process very well. With each set back we've had, he's taken the time to sit down with us and develop a game plan for the next treatment. A previous doctor I visited made me feel stupid and talked down to me as if I was a child - it was horrible. Not once has Dr. Martinez made me feel anything close to that previous experience.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan Martinez at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey?
Don't be afraid to ask questions because he will answer them for you, no matter how silly you think they are.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan Martinez at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey?
Dr. Martinez has always been great about explaining every step of the process and not rushing us during appointments. We have had a really hard time through this process (have been able to retrieve eggs, create embryos, but then they never make it to Day 5) and when we've received bad news he shows genuine care and concern. He is the one who will call with both good and bad news. From Day 1 meeting him he made us feel comfortable and that he cared.
Describe the protocols Alan Martinez used in your cycles at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey and their degree of success.
Retrieval Cycle 1: Based on my bloodwork, my PCOs and my age, the first cycle was an antagonist cycle. Follistim (150 units), Menopur (1 vial) and Ganirelix. We retrieved 14 eggs, fertilized 10, and 0 embryos made it to Day 5.
Retrieval Cycle 2: The results of the first cycle were a bit of a shock because throughout the first cycle everything went as smoothly as anticipated. Since none of my embryos made it past Day 5, Dr. Martinez changed my protocol to a downregulation cycle to help with the egg quality. Follistim (225 units), Menopur (1 vial), and Lupron. I also started taking 600mg of CoQ10. We retrieved 12 eggs, fertilized 10, and 1 embryo made it to Day 5. We did genetic testing and the embryo was abnormal.
Retrieval Cycle 3: We decided to take some time off since we did Cycle 1 & 2 back to back. Dr. Martinez was understanding of our decision to take time off and thought it would be beneficial to take a break. He recommended continuing with the CoQ10. After a 4 month break, we did Cycle 3. We utilized the same protocol as Cycle 2 because he believed I made less eggs that were of a better quality (based on the 10 fertilized embryo results this was true despite the final one abnormal embryo). We retrieved 17 eggs, fertilized 8 successfully, and 1 embryo made it to Day 5. We did genetic testing and the embryo was normal.
FET 1: Lupron, Estace, Progesterone, Crinone. We just found out our transfer failed. He was upfront in letting us know that 60 - 70% of transfers are successful. We will be pursuing a fourth retrieval cycle once our clinic opens up again.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. (Assigned nurse: Michelle, Marianella)
Marinella was the main nurse at the Lawrenceville office and she was wonderful - I called her the vein whisperer. She was the only one able to draw blood from my tiny veins. She was compassionate and took pride in her work. I did have issues with other nurses, specifically after my first retrieval relaying information regarding my results. The nurse coordinator Michelle should have made those calls to me directly but instead I had to call the office.
Describe your experience with Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
There are multiple offices and if you work with the Lawrenceville staff be prepared to drive to Eatontown for specific appointments and procedures. The nurses are very attentive (Marianella especially). It might be hard to take to contact specific nurses when you call however.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
It was first come, first serve from 7:00am to 8:00am. I had no problem with this since I always showed up at 7:00am. Depending on the day I could be first in line or fifth in line. I really didn't mind that much.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan Martinez at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
Retrieval 1: $17,200
Retrieval 2: $11,547
Retrieval 3 with transfer: $13,637
We paid upfront for a Retrieval and 1 FET which was $17,200. Since we weren't able to do a transfer, we had a credit that rolled over to our second retrieval and then to our third retrieval.
Describe Alan Martinez's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
This has not been an issue since we have never had more than one embryo. Dr. Martinez is most comfortable transferring one - however he is open to doing multiple embryo transfers if the Day 5 embryos are good enough for a fresh transfer but would not necessarily work for a frozen transfer. This works for me.
What specific things went wrong at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey?
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
After my first retrieval, the nurse coordinator failed to call with my embryo results. Dr. Martinez wanted to wait to see how my embryos would develop to Day 6. He told me the nurse would contact me with the results. By 3:00pm no one had called me. I called the office and the nurse transferred me to a lab tech who gave me my results (which were negative). It felt very unprofessional. I informed Dr. Martinez what happened at our next appointment and he made sure I always got my results directly from him.
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Clinic
Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey
Lawrenceville