I'm definitely the "worried" patient with plenty of "what if" questions and Dr Shapiro always had an answer or a plan of action for every step of the process. One of the most comforting aspects of the experience was learning that Dr. Shapiro herself would be performing the egg retrieval. It was heartening to know that the person overseeing my fertility treatment and who was already familiar with my medical history would be the one carrying out the procedure. This added a sense of ease and trust that is invaluable in such a delicate process.
The [RMA of Northern California] clinic is conveniently located in SF downtown and close to the Bart/Muni station, so it was incredibly easy to attend regular check-ups without disrupting my daily routine or requesting any time off from work...I found everyone at the clinic to be both warm and skillful. I also had no issues communicating with staff via Spruce and appreciated having a tool that provides 24/7 support.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Every individual's fertility journey is unique, and my situation was no exception. I'm definitely the "worried" patient with plenty of "what if" questions and Dr Shapiro always had an answer or a plan of action for every step of the process. One of the most comforting aspects of the experience was learning that Dr. Shapiro herself would be performing the egg retrieval. It was heartening to know that the person overseeing my fertility treatment and who was already familiar with my medical history would be the one carrying out the procedure. This added a sense of ease and trust that is invaluable in such a delicate process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Don't be afraid to ask questions!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
The egg retrieval process is undoubtedly a sensitive one, and from the moment I stepped into the clinic until the final moments of the procedure, Dr. Shapiro and her team provided unwavering support and care, making the journey remarkably smooth. Dr. Shapiro's approachability and warmth further elevated the entire experience. She made herself available to address any questions or concerns I had, no matter how small, and her genuine care for her patients was evident in every interaction.
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
Initially, we had to postpone the medication cycle due to an unexpected large cyst in one of my ovaries. Interestingly, it was Dr. Shapiro who discovered the cyst before my medical provider could. While this news could have been unsettling, Dr. Shapiro's feedback and guidance immediately put me at ease. Her ability to communicate complex medical information in a reassuring manner made the situation feel less scary and overwhelming.She skillfully timed the process to ensure that the cyst did not interfere with the subsequent medication cycle. Her precise planning and careful monitoring allowed me to grow the follicles without any harm to my ovaries, which was a tremendous relief.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Northern California.
I found everyone at the clinic to be both warm and skillful. I also had no issues communicating with staff via Spruce and appreciated having a tool that provides 24/7 support.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
The clinic is conveniently located in SF downtown and close to the Bart/Muni station, so it was incredibly easy to attend regular check-ups without disrupting my daily routine or requesting any time off from work.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
Dr Shapiro always welcomed me and was always really honest about what was going to happen with every step that I went through. She always had great bedside manner. She had a very warm demeanor. She was very thorough with explanations as to what was going in medically in a way that made me understand. She was always willing to answer questions. She was present at all my appointments
The [RMA of Northern California] nurses and front desk always soo nice and welcoming. Didn’t feel like a clinic which was very nice. Even if you run late they never turned you away. They don’t just tell you what you want to hear and they really work with you...Dr Shapiro always welcomed me and was always really honest about what was going to happen with every step that I went through. She always had great bedside manner. She had a very warm demeanor. She was very thorough with explanations as to what was going in medically in a way that made me understand. She was always willing to answer questions. She was present at all my appointments
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr Shapiro always welcomed me and was always really honest about what was going to happen with every step that I went through. She always had great bedside manner. She had a very warm demeanor. She was very thorough with explanations as to what was going in medically in a way that made me understand. She was always willing to answer questions. She was present at all my appointments
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Don’t be afraid to ask any questions, even if you think they are silly. She will answer honestly.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr Shapiro always listened to my concerns and was always available to to talk to me
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
She decided that I would do a more natural cycle because my body reacted to the estrogen so I was on progesterone (insert) 3 times a day. my body didn’t over react to that. She also suggested we do a hyperscopy to remove the polyps and make sure they weren’t anything serious.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Northern California.
Very welcoming
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
The nurses and front desk always soo nice and welcoming. Didn’t feel like a clinic which was very nice. Even if you run late they never turned you away.
They don’t just tell you what you want to hear and they really work with you
Alice was a great doctor. She truly was amazing the whole way! Very professional and very respectful. She was very patient with us and always answered all of our silly questions at any given time. She’s the best...She did every test to make sure my body was ready for the embryo transfer...She was very patient with us and always answered any questions we had at any given time. She truly cares for her patients.
The [RMA of Northern California] clinic from my experience had no weaknesses. They were all great and professional! Made me feel like family every time I came in. Answered questions at any given time and always had medication for me whenever my medication didn’t arrive on time...The nursing staff were very professional and caring. Took care of all my needs at all times...Alice [Shaprio] was a great doctor. She truly was amazing the whole way! Very professional and very respectful. She was very patient with us and always answered all of our silly questions at any given time. She’s the best!
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Alice was a great doctor. She truly was amazing the whole way! Very professional and very respectful. She was very patient with us and always answered all of our silly questions at any given time. She’s the best!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
That she is the best and professional doctor that I’ve dealt with.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
She was very patient with us and always answered any questions we had at any given time. She truly cares for her patients.
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
She did every test to make sure my body was ready for the embryo transfer,
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Northern California.
The nursing staff were very professional and caring. Took care of all my needs at all times.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
The clinic from my experience had no weaknesses. They were all great and professional! Made me feel like family every time I came in. Answered questions at any given time and always had medication for me whenever my medication didn’t arrive on time.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
Don’t remember the total amount since insurance covered a big portion of it.
Describe Alice Shapiro's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Northern California.
We had one embryo transfer and have 2 more embryos saved for our next round after I give birth.
Dr. Shapiro's strengths include her response time and ability to use technology like the Spruce application that RMA NorCal uses to communicate with you - but they end there...She is not a proactive doctor who will respect your timeline for conception and is disinterested in developing a plan specific to your needs, timeline, and concerns. She will continue to point to your lab work, your ultrasounds, and age as reasons to push off exploring IVF, IUI, hormonal treatments, etc. Unless you are ok trying for multiple years and doing things exactly by the book (try unassisted for 6 months if you are 35+, try unassisted for 12 months if you are under 35) even though you have your own data that there may be underlying issues - I would strongly NOT recommend this doctor.
The [RMA of Northern California] clinic's only strength is that they use the Spruce app. They are otherwise difficult to reach, have long waits for tests, and keep all of your results private. If you want to see any of your test results you have to fill out a release form for each test and then they send them to you individually as a message...The nurses who drew my blood were excellent...When I ended our engagement with RMA NorCal, it took them over two weeks to send me all of my test results because the nursing staff "was with patients." Complete disregard for me, who is also a patient.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Shapiro's strengths include her response time and ability to use technology like the Spruce application that RMA NorCal uses to communicate with you - but they end there. In our initial consultation I explained that we would like 3 biological children, before age 38 to avoid any complications with geriatric pregnancies. I'm 33 and have had 3 anovulatory cycles after trying for 5 months - which I only discovered on my own using an ovulation predictor kit after the first 2 months of trying (having sex every other day, taking supplements, leading a healthy lifestyle etc.) were unsuccessful. Even with this information, Dr. Shapiro was disinterested in speaking with us, developing a plan, and told us to "keep trying for at least 12 months before taking any additional steps" but if we wanted to continue running tests with the clinic we could.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Simply, do not see Dr. Shapiro. She is not a proactive doctor who will respect your timeline for conception and is disinterested in developing a plan specific to your needs, timeline, and concerns. She will continue to point to your lab work, your ultrasounds, and age as reasons to push off exploring IVF, IUI, hormonal treatments, etc. Unless you are ok trying for multiple years and doing things exactly by the book (try unassisted for 6 months if you are 35+, try unassisted for 12 months if you are under 35) even though you have your own data that there may be underlying issues - I would strongly NOT recommend this doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Shapiro consistently dismissed concerns or questions I had by saying that I my ultrasound and blood work were "within normal ranges." She reiterated my age, how many months we had been trying, and my hormone values as reasons to not pursue any planning or proactive measures. To me, this demonstrated she was very clearly stack ranking me against numbers and statistics for what is normal - and would not engage in any planning or additional conversations around why I wasn't getting pregnant because I did not demonstrate any "abnormal" numbers vs. getting curious to investigate why I wasn't getting pregnant or discussing options with me that we could start to look into.
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
Dr. Shapiro ran LH, E2 (estradiol), and TSH blood work as part of the standard baseline protocol. However, I've now come to learn that that was not even a full panel as she left out FSH, Progesterone, T4, prolactin, HGH, Estrogen, DHEA Sulfate, Vitamin D, folic acid, testosterone, and cortisol; and didn't measure my baseline or continued values in a way that would determine if I was ovulating regularly. I had to ask for an ovulation confirmation ultrasound, and she mindlessly scheduled it for her next free available date - vs. speaking with me about the length of my cycles and mapping out a schedule for when I should come in to best check for ovulation. This led to a few mindlessly run tests that were inconclusive because she didn't care to run them on a specific date based on my personal cycle history.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Northern California.
The nurses who drew my blood were excellent. However, the main nurse - Sabrina, who was responsible for coordinating my care was as clueless and disinterested as Dr. Shapiro. She knew that my husband and I had already had a full 500 gene screen done outside of RMA Norcal, but made us both do another full 500 gene screen panel. My husband's results came back before mine, and she made me schedule a GeneScreen appointment for us to review next steps. This obviously makes no sense because I had not gotten my results back yet so there was nothing to discuss. When I mentioned this to her, her response was "You're right - you should wait until your full panel comes back also. Apologies for the confusion." If you aren't someone who is experienced in WHY you'd have a gene consultation in the first place, you would have wasted time with a carrier consult. She was incredibly disorganized and also not interested in helping me create a care plan. When I ended our engagement with RMA NorCal, it took them over two weeks to send me all of my test results because the nursing staff "was with patients." Complete disregard for me, who is also a patient.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
The clinic's only strength is that they use the Spruce app. They are otherwise difficult to reach, have long waits for tests, and keep all of your results private. If you want to see any of your test results you have to fill out a release form for each test and then they send them to you individually as a message. There are no patient portals or platforms where you can see all your appointments, agendas from each appointment, test results, or scheduled tests - so you will need to keep track of all of your appointments (past and future), tests / labs and dates, completely on your own. You also need to follow up proactively on the status of the tests as there is a bit of a lag in turn around time that would honestly be faster if you just requested the blood work on your own.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
We spent roughly $2,000 with insurance for appointments and testing over the course of 3 appointments, and 6 tests.
Describe Alice Shapiro's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Northern California.
We did not get to the point where we discussed my egg quality, harvesting, IVF, IUI, or embryo transfer because "We had not been trying for a full year." However, she made an off-handed comment about the "thinness" of my uterine lining and when I asked how that might impact an egg's ability to implant her response was "not to worry about that."
What specific things went wrong at RMA of Northern California?
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at RMA of Northern California.
I've mentioned all of the specifics in the previous section but ultimately i had many tests run with no specific strategy in mind and then those results were all hidden from me, which I had to request on an individual basis after the fact. None of my ultrasound imaging was provided and is still missing.
We met with Dr Shapiro once or twice and she handled the communication of the end results. Unfortunately, we ended up with 0 frozen embryos from ~16eggs - an unpleasant and unexpected result. Our main issue is that we didn't get an explanation on the result: we were asking why / what went wrong and we were being told numbers and percentages of failures...Don't expect transparency of the embryology lab through her.
We were satisfied with our physical visits there [RMA of Norther California] We are displeased with the laboratory results and the statistical improbability we suffered. Ending up with 0 embryos from 16 eggs was very frustrating; no clear diagnosis was given and we had consistently below expected success rates at every step...No complaints on the nursing staff...No issues on billing whatsoever
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
We met with Dr Shapiro once or twice and she handled the communication of the end results. Unfortunately, we ended up with 0 frozen embryos from ~16eggs - an unpleasant and unexpected result. Our main issue is that we didn't get an explanation on the result: we were asking why / what went wrong and we were being told numbers and percentages of failures.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Don't expect transparency of the embryology lab through her.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Northern California.
No complaints on the nursing staff.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
We were satisfied with our physical visits there.
We are displeased with the laboratory results and the statistical improbability we suffered. Ending up with 0 embryos from 16 eggs was very frustrating; no clear diagnosis was given and we had consistently below expected success rates at every step. we didn't understand precisely why, their explanation being that it happens sometimes.
Another issue we had was with the re-biopsy scheduling: we had 1 frozen embryo with no sufficient data from the PGT test, so had to re-biopsy it; it took the laboratory 2 weeks to get to it, thaw it, only to then _disintegrate_.
Again, we don't have visibility in the laboratory as to why it took so long to re-test.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
No issues on billing whatsoever. They took insurance and handled it and paying copay is straightforward online.
I was really impressed with Dr. Shapiro's ability to customize my treatment to my needs and goals. I was a difficult case, someone with very severe diminished ovarian reserve and a genetic issue. I came to Dr. Shapiro after doing 6 cycles at another clinic (all failed). She was willing to take me on, was honest and upfront about our chances while still providing us with hope it could work for us. During the cycles led by Dr. Shapiro, she was at most of my appointments, was very caring and warm, and shifted my treatment plan with each appointment as needed. I could tell she kept up to date with the very most current research and was so knowledgeable on other things we could try, which I didn't see in my past clinic. Under her care, I am now pregnant with a healthy baby, something I was beginning to lose hope was ever possible.
I am in the East Bay, which made their [RMA of Northern Califonrnia] new Danville location very convenient. I do wish the clinic was open on the weekends (instead of having to drive into their SF location on the weekends for monitoring / transfers) but that was not a deal breaker for me. The clinic was very organized, clean, and has amazing staff all around...The nursing staff was also amazing, they are so caring and empathetic and hold hope for all of their patients.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
I was really impressed with Dr. Shapiro's ability to customize my treatment to my needs and goals. I was a difficult case, someone with very severe diminished ovarian reserve and a genetic issue. I came to Dr. Shapiro after doing 6 cycles at another clinic (all failed). She was willing to take me on, was honest and upfront about our chances while still providing us with hope it could work for us. During the cycles led by Dr. Shapiro, she was at most of my appointments, was very caring and warm, and shifted my treatment plan with each appointment as needed. I could tell she kept up to date with the very most current research and was so knowledgeable on other things we could try, which I didn't see in my past clinic. Under her care, I am now pregnant with a healthy baby, something I was beginning to lose hope was ever possible.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
One thing I learned in general going through IVF, find out as much information as you can upfront. Ask any and every question. Dr. Shapiro was always willing to meet with me to answer questions and talk through next steps, whether in the office or over Zoom. Take advantage of that so you don't get months down the line and wonder why you hadn't asked something / tried something / etc.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Shapiro always treated me like a human. She knew and understood my case really well (which was a difficult one). She felt for my husband and I, was always extremely empathetic, and was willing to try new things even when they were low statistical chances because she worked with me like an individual, not just a number or statistic for the clinic.
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
We tried a few different things, but in the cycle that worked best for us, we did a duo-stim cycle on lower-dose injectable meds. The reason for this was my very diminished ovarian reserve & my historical response in previous cycles.
Describe your experience with your nurse at RMA of Northern California.
My care coordinator was always quick to respond, which I REALLY appreciated. I got an almost immediate response on any question or feedback, which you don't get from any other doctor (outside of fertility world) these days! The nursing staff was also amazing, they are so caring and empathetic and hold hope for all of their patients.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
I am in the East Bay, which made their new Danville location very convenient. I do wish the clinic was open on the weekends (instead of having to drive into their SF location on the weekends for monitoring / transfers) but that was not a deal breaker for me. The clinic was very organized, clean, and has amazing staff all around
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
I was lucky to have insurance coverage. Without it, it was quite expensive, I believe would be around $20-30K per cycle (which is typical in the Bay Area based on other clinics I've been to as well)
Describe Alice Shapiro's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Northern California.
I am unsure, I believe the clinic prefers single embryo transfers.
Our experience with Dr. Shapiro was the best. We had been struggling with infertility for years and had gone through negative experiences with many other providers until we met Dr. Shapiro. She helped me and my partner through the IVF process, she took the time to explain each step of the IVF process and answer all of our questions in detail. She was patient, compassionate, and understanding, always making sure we felt comfortable and informed throughout the entire process. Thanks to Dr. Shapiro's guidance and expertise, we were able to successfully conceive our first child through IVF!
[RMA of Northern California] is an excellent fertility clinic and I highly recommend it. The care team is very professional and they make you feel feel that you are being treated as human (as opposed to a patient). They helped me and my partner during this long process of getting and staying pregnant and I'm forever grateful...Thanks to Dr. Shapiro's guidance and expertise, we were able to successfully conceive our first child through IVF! She's an outstanding doctor who goes above and beyond to ensure her patients receive the best possible care.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Our experience with Dr. Shapiro was the best. We had been struggling with infertility for years and had gone through negative experiences with many other providers until we met Dr. Shapiro. She helped me and my partner through the IVF process, she took the time to explain each step of the IVF process and answer all of our questions in detail. She was patient, compassionate, and understanding, always making sure we felt comfortable and informed throughout the entire process. Thanks to Dr. Shapiro's guidance and expertise, we were able to successfully conceive our first child through IVF! She's an outstanding doctor who goes above and beyond to ensure her patients receive the best possible care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
You are in the best hands!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Shapiro treated me with kindness, empathy, and understanding. I felt valued and respected. It really helped me to alleviate stress and anxiety from past experiences. Her caring established a foundation of trust and I'm forever grateful for being her patient!
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
Dr. Shapiro tried the Lupron microdose protocol with me given my history and previous outcomes of other retrievals. This cycle had the best outcome out of the three. We were able to retrieve 7 eggs (compared to 5 and 1 from previous retrievals with a different doctor) and created 3 embryos (compared to 1 from previous retrievals).
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
rma is an excellent fertility clinic and I highly recommend it. The care team is very professional and they make you feel feel that you are being treated as human (as opposed to a patient). They helped me and my partner during this long process of getting and staying pregnant and I'm forever grateful!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
Dr. Shapiro is knowledgeable about the latest research and treatments. If I heard of other treatment options, I felt comfortable filtering them thru her and trusted she would guide us in the right direction. Dr. Shapiro also took special care to let us know, which doctor would be on site for egg retrieval and transfer and assured us we would be in good hands. Additionally, she was always responsive via Spruce and was the main doctor that followed up with us on all our results.
The [RMA of Northern California] clinic is clean, organized and well stocked with pads! I very much appreciated the latter! RMA only advises patients to do single embryo transfers, so if you want multiple embryos transferred at once this isn’t the place for you. All the doctors work great together and provide the best cross coverage. I never questioned who was doing my retrieval and transfer. I really felt like I was in the best care.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Shapiro is knowledgeable about the latest research and treatments. If I heard of other treatment options, I felt comfortable filtering them thru her and trusted she would guide us in the right direction.
Dr. Shapiro also took special care to let us know, which doctor would be on site for egg retrieval and transfer and assured us we would be in good hands. Additionally, she was always responsive via Spruce and was the main doctor that followed up with us on all our results.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Expect to be actively involved in the decisions made during your treatment. Dr. Shapiro provides you with background about all the options available, but never forces a direction. I always made a point to ask her what her preference was and that helped me gauge what to do.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Shapiro was always kind and attentive to my needs and questions. She provided insights into alternative solutions and made me an active member of the decision making process. She remembered my history when I was a patient of hers in Kaiser and was always compassionate with us as it relates to our pass lost.
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
We committed to IVF and during our first month with Dr. Shapiro she advised that we put off our cycle for a month given the fact that I had a few cysts that could reduce the number of eggs retrieved. We are so glad we waited, because when we did start we retrieved 27 eggs. Dr. Shapiro also advised us to go thru with ICSI for th best results.
Dr. Shapiro also did a great job adjusting our meds based on follicle checks and blood tests and always explained why.
She also recognized that progesterone injections can be rough for some people, so leading up to and post transfer she had me on progesterone suppositories.
Describe your experience with your nurse at RMA of Northern California. (Assigned nurse: Alizea Perez)
I primarily spoke with the staff thru spruce. They were always responsive and attentive.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
The clinic is clean, organized and well stocked with pads! I very much appreciated the latter!
RMA only advises patients to do single embryo transfers, so if you want multiple embryos transferred at once this isn’t the place for you.
All the doctors work great together and provide the best cross coverage. I never questioned who was doing my retrieval and transfer. I really felt like I was in the best care.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at RMA of Northern California.
I loved that the monitoring appointments were in the early mornings hours, which prevented me from having to over explain things at work or take time off.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
About $30K give or take
Describe Alice Shapiro's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Northern California.
Dr Shapiro provides world-class treatment. This was my first time undergoing any type of fertility treatment. I couldn't have asked for a better process and experience. What I especially love about my experience with Dr Shapiro is was the time she took to explain each step. I never felt rushed or hurried. I would highly recommend Dr Shapiro to any of my friends and family. My husband feels the same way...She was caring, and always available every step of the way.
The [RMA of Northern California] clinic has almost no weaknesses - I can't think of any issue or area of improvement. In terms of strengths, I believe that the use of the Spruce app, and clear instructions, cleanliness and ease of the office visits, all make this a great experience for any new patient...The nursing staff was amazing - every visit was a breeze. The whole team is professional and I never had to wonder about my treatment plan or schedule. They took wonderful care of me. This entire team has been the best care team I've had in my life - not an exaggeration.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr Shapiro provides world-class treatment. This was my first time undergoing any type of fertility treatment. I couldn't have asked for a better process and experience. What I especially love about my experience with Dr Shapiro is was the time she took to explain each step. I never felt rushed or hurried. I would highly recommend Dr Shapiro to any of my friends and family. My husband feels the same way.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Ask questions - she is so knowledgeable and an excellent communicator.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr Shapiro is a fantastic doctor. From day 1 (our consultation) she put me at ease with her sheer knowledge of fertility treatments and the various probabilities we could be faced with. She was caring, and always available every step of the way.
Describe the protocols Alice Shapiro used in your cycles at RMA of Northern California and their degree of success.
At the onset of this process, I was struggling with a thick uterine lining and elongated period flow. Dr Shapiro first help me tackle this issue and prescribed a round of progesterone to cease bleeding. It worked exactly as she described. Next we went through the steps of growing eggs for egg retrieval (treatments were highly successful). After egg retrieval, we waited to allow time for my ovaries to recover and rest. Finally we prepped for embryo transfer, and transfer was successful as well (current active pregnancy). Dr Shapiro outlined why medicated transfer had better probability due to knowing timing of transfer and also the fact that my period were irregular. I felt comfortable with her explanation and rationale at every step.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Northern California.
The nursing staff was amazing - every visit was a breeze. The whole team is professional and I never had to wonder about my treatment plan or schedule. They took wonderful care of me. This entire team has been the best care team I've had in my life - not an exaggeration.
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
The clinic has almost no weaknesses - I can't think of any issue or area of improvement. In terms of strengths, I believe that the use of the Spruce app, and clear instructions, cleanliness and ease of the office visits, all make this a great experience for any new patient.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California.
N/A through insurance
Describe Alice Shapiro's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Northern California.
Dr. Alice Shapiro took extra care and was very attentive to my concerns and was there at every step of the way. Helping and discussing our best next steps during our whole IVF journey. We had a very positive experience with Dr. Shapiro and I highly recommend her for anyone who's ready to start the IVF process...She was there for every other visit and was constantly keeping in touch and following up on the next course of action. She listened and helped us to understand our concerns and our next steps.
[RMA of Northern California] Strength: Clinical team Weaknesses: All the procedures are done at the San Francisco office so commuting to SFO from East Bay was a trip. No other cons about the clinic they were so warm and welcoming...Dr. Alice Shapiro took extra care and was very attentive to my concerns and was there at every step of the way. Helping and discussing our best next steps during our whole IVF journey. We had a very positive experience with Dr. Shapiro and I highly recommend her for anyone who's ready to start the IVF process.
How was your experience with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Dr. Alice Shapiro took extra care and was very attentive to my concerns and was there at every step of the way. Helping and discussing our best next steps during our whole IVF journey. We had a very positive experience with Dr. Shapiro and I highly recommend her for anyone who's ready to start the IVF process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
Trust the process and ask questions at every step of your treatment to get a better understanding.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alice Shapiro at RMA of Northern California?
She was there for every other visit and was constantly keeping in touch and following up on the next course of action. She listened and helped us to understand our concerns and our next steps.
Describe your experience with your nurse at RMA of Northern California. (Assigned nurse: Sophia)
She was constantly in touch with me on Spruce
Describe your experience with RMA of Northern California.
Strength: Clinical team
Weaknesses: All the procedures are done at the San Francisco office so commuting to SFO from East Bay was a trip.
No other cons about the clinic they were so warm and welcoming.
