Dr. Rosenbluth is great. He listens and asks how you are doing emotionally. While we didn't spend too much time with him during appointments, he was sure to be the one to call after the egg retrieval as we went through the ups and downs...We turned to IVF after our second IUI cycle ended in an ectopic pregnancy and removal of the damaged tube
The monitoring appointments [at Reproductive Science Center] went fairly well. I was glad to get the print out at the end of each appointment with the number and size of follicles. Some clinicians were better than others in terms of discomfort and explaining what they saw...Full cycle from baseline ultrasound to retrieval with ICSI and freeze all was ~$16,100 to RSC. IVF stimulation meds were ~$4000. PGS lab fee was ~$2000.
How was your experience with Evan Rosenbluth at Reproductive Science Center?
Dr. Rosenbluth is great. He listens and asks how you are doing emotionally. While we didn't spend too much time with him during appointments, he was sure to be the one to call after the egg retrieval as we went through the ups and downs. When we had near total fertilization failure with no genetically normal embryos, we made a follow up appointment and talked at length about next steps.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Evan Rosenbluth at Reproductive Science Center?
We did a lot of our own research and asked a lot of questions. I would definitely recommend other patients do the same as I'm not sure we would have gotten as much information from him if we hadn't been so engaged.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Evan Rosenbluth at Reproductive Science Center?
During our initial consultation, where we were very clear we were ready for IVF, Dr. Rosenbluth and our cycle coordinator, Jennifer P. took the time to review all of our records and listen to us. While RSC is a large and very efficient operation, they did a great job of communicating throughout our IVF egg retrieval cycle. Unfortunately, our cycle coordinator had to take leave and we were bounced around to a few different members of the care team during the IVF egg retrieval cycle, which presented some challenges in addressing the unique issues with the cycle.
Describe the protocols Evan Rosenbluth used in your cycles at Reproductive Science Center and their degree of success.
We turned to IVF after our second IUI cycle ended in an ectopic pregnancy and removal of the damaged tube. My numbers were good for my age (AMH 4.7 ng/mL; FSH was 5.6 mIU/mL) and my husband's sperm were also good (TMC 77). Given my numbers, Dr. Rosenbluth decided on a antagonist protocol with Luperon trigger to minimize the chance of ovarian hyperstimulation. We went with the recommended ICSI and "freeze all" cycle so that we could avoid some of the uncertainties associated with fertilization and so that we could do genetic screening (PGS) on the embryos. I ended up with an antral follicle count of over 30 and 24 mature eggs after retrieval, which was really high for my age. Unfortunately, my husband caught pneumonia right before the stimulation cycle. When we asked the cycle coordinator on our baseline exam whether it was a good idea to continue, she indicated that it should be fine as long as he did not have a fever on the day of retrieval. I asked again the day of our first stimulation injection if it was okay to continue given he had had a fever for the past week, and same answer: it should be fine as long as he does not have a fever on the day of retrieval. Well, on the day of retrieval, my husband's sperm were "not good" (TMC less than 1) per Dr. Rosenbluth. We ended up with only 3 of my 24 eggs fertilizing (compared to typical fertilization rate of ~75% with ICSI). Of the 2 embryos that made it to blastocyst stage, neither were genetically normal. ICSI should have solved the sperm issue but it didn't and we are left scratching our heads and likely going to freeze sperm for our next cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Reproductive Science Center. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer Patterson)
Jennifer P. was great. Unfortunately, she had to take leave and we were bounced around to a few different members of the care team during the IVF egg retrieval cycle. It was really tough switching coordinators after doing all the cycle prep with Jennifer P. I didn't have the same level of communication from the other coordinators nor, frankly, the insight. Given my husband got very sick right as we started the stimulation, I would have expected the cycle coordinators to make sure Dr. Rosenbluth knew. After speaking with Dr. Rosenbluth, I don't get the impression he did.
Describe your experience with Reproductive Science Center.
I think RSC does an amazing job for a clinic that is open 365 days a year and staffed to be prepared to address all patients needs during their cycle. However, I found their answering service to be quite challenging because we were told we could not speak with the doctor when in fact he was able to call us right back. It added unnecessary stress during our cycle.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Reproductive Science Center.
The monitoring appointments went fairly well. I was glad to get the print out at the end of each appointment with the number and size of follicles. Some clinicians were better than others in terms of discomfort and explaining what they saw.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Evan Rosenbluth at Reproductive Science Center.
Full cycle from baseline ultrasound to retrieval with ICSI and freeze all was ~$16,100 to RSC. IVF stimulation meds were ~$4000. PGS lab fee was ~$2000. There were a number of appointments and bloodwork prior to the baseline exam that probably added up to another ~$1500 or so. All in all, the IVF cycle prep through embryo testing was less than $24,000. Frozen embryo transfer would have added ~$5000. Note that a lot of the diagnostic appointments including bloodwork are covered by health insurance and I was able to pay for a lot of it using an HSA.
Describe Evan Rosenbluth's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Reproductive Science Center.
It seemed that there was no question in Dr. Rosenbluth's mind that we would do the pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) and a single embryo transfer. I believe this was the best approach for us despite the added cost (ICSI included in cycle, PGS lab fee ~$2000). Having gone through a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy, I liked the relative assurance provided by transferring a single, genetically normal embryo. I was less sure about ICSI given the slightly increased chance of birth defects but I decided to go with his recommendation because ICSI makes the blastocyst biopsy taken for genetic screening less prone to "contamination" from all the other sperm that may have otherwise "stuck" to the outside of the egg.
What specific things went wrong at Reproductive Science Center?
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Reproductive Science Center.
My husband caught pneumonia right before the stimulation cycle. I would have expected the cycle coordinators to make sure Dr. Rosenbluth knew. After our failed cycle, we spoke at length with Dr. Rosenbluth and I don't get the impression he was alerted either time we communicated to the cycle coordinator (in person and in a portal message) that he was very sick. I think RSC could have reacted better to this unforeseen and unusual circumstance but it seemed that the cycle coordinator (not Jennifer Patterson, as she was on leave) was on "autopilot."
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Clinic
Reproductive Science Center
Oakland