Some days I felt unimportant because he [Dr. Arthur Castelbaum] never elaborates, but when I have needed answers and pushed for me, he has provided that for me...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.
I was put on the antagonist protocol. He [Dr. Castelbaum] 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...My only complaint is that there were a few times (twice maybe?) they forgot to call in my medication. This problem was easily rectified by calling the after hours service. The on call doctor would call my prescriptions in for me. Aside from that, the nursing team was my rock. They encouraged me, cheered me on, and always took the extra time to explain everything to me. They have been phenomenal.
How was your experience with Arthur Castelbaum at RMA of Philadelphia?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Arthur Castelbaum at RMA of Philadelphia?
Ask for more information when you need it.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Arthur Castelbaum at RMA of Philadelphia?
It was kind of neutral. Some days I felt unimportant because he never elaborates, but when I have needed answers and pushed for me, he has provided that for me.
Describe the protocols Arthur Castelbaum used in your cycles at RMA of Philadelphia and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at RMA of Philadelphia.
My only complaint is that there were a few times (twice maybe?) they forgot to call in my medication. This problem was easily rectified by calling the after hours service. The on call doctor would call my prescriptions in for me. Aside from that, the nursing team was my rock. They encouraged me, cheered me on, and always took the extra time to explain everything to me. They have been phenomenal.
Describe your experience with RMA of Philadelphia.
It’s very difficult to get in touch with the person you’re looking to talk to. You can’t call directly through to an office - you speak to someone who puts a message in to your office and then they call you back when they can. This isn’t convenient for my line of work because I can’t talk at certain times throughout the day.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Arthur Castelbaum at RMA of Philadelphia.
The cost of an IUI cycle was approximately $1,000 and for an egg retrieval and transfer, it cost just over $10,000.
Describe Arthur Castelbaum's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Philadelphia.
I appreciate his conservative approach because the thought of carrying multiples worries me due to the increased health risks for myself and potential babies.
What specific things went wrong at RMA of Philadelphia?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Lost paperwork
- Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at RMA of Philadelphia.
Minor problems - one being they didn’t upload my FET calendar of medication so they had to recreate it. Twice (out of many, many cycles), they forgot to call in my prescriptions.
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Clinic
RMA of Philadelphia
Langhorne