How was your experience with Gayane Ambartsumyan at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
Dr. Ambartsumyan was a good fit for me. She was a good combination of practicality and optimism, always encouraging but not without making sure our expectations were realistic. For example, Dr. had indicated that I would likely not produce many eggs during my atom cycle. I knew that up front so I never felt discouraged when my scans only showed 6 follicles. However, I was very excited when Dr. A retrieved 12 eggs on retrieval day. Dr. A was always bubbly and personable, easily making conversation. She was always mindful of our time and schedule as we commuted 2-4 hours one-way (depending on traffic) to visit the Rendo Beach office.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Gayane Ambartsumyan at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
Be open about concerns and have them addressed instead of worrying about them alone.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Gayane Ambartsumyan at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
Dr. A and the entire staff made it a point to address me in a way that made me feel they were familiar with me and my medical history. They were always warm and friendly and accommodating. I know they have many patients, but I always felt I received the time and devotion I deserved. Dr. A was especially devoted, providing her personal phone and email contacts. She would always respond within 24 hours or sooner (sometimes replying to emails in the middle of the night or early morning hours).
Describe the protocols Gayane Ambartsumyan used in your cycles at Reproductive Partners Medical Group and their degree of success.
Dr. A recommended a estrogen-priming cycle, I believe because of my diminished ovarian reserve. I was on a specific birth control pill before starting. Then transitioned to estrogen. The last part of my stim cycle included Follistim and Menopur followed by Ganirelix and Pregnyl. My stim medications were increased during monitoring. I produced 12 eggs, 10 of which fertilized via ICSI. 4 embryos arrested; a few had to grow longer than expected. 6 were sent for PGS, including a 5AC embryo that did not meet the clinics standard. 2 of the 6 were found to be chromosomally normal--a 5AA the 5AC. After this freeze-all cycle (and after my embryos underwent PGS), I was on birth control for a month or so. Then I went on estrogen at the beginning of my frozen embryo transfer. Luteal phase support included Endometrin. Since we were transferring a PGS-tested embryo we were happy to follow Dr. A's suggestion that she perform a eSET.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
At the practice I went to immediately before Reproductive Partners Medical Group, each doctor had his own nursing staff dedicated to him and his patients. In contrast, RPMG shared its nursing staff across doctors (and even clinics for staffing reasons). I found RPMG's nursing staff to be much better at communicating. Every single nurse was clear and detailed in communicating the doctor's protocols. The nurses tasked with making sure I had the correct medication on time were cognizant of the financial pressure fertility treatments can place on a person. That being said they always gave suggestions for how and where to get the best prices and would fully pursue discounts I found on my own. The clinic was organized with the nursing station open and centrally located. The staff always demonstrated a high level of professionalism toward me and toward their colleagues. I always felt calm going into the clinic because the staff and doctors were calm (no matter how busy they were).
Describe your experience with Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
Some of this clinic's strengths are 1) it has a small practice feel and 2) it's comfortable and updated but not overtly pretentious. I do think that although it seems like a small practice, the clinic is taking on more and more patients. I say this because of some longer waits I experienced (especially on weekends) and from staff indicating they had more patients. Even when it was busy, the nurses and the doctor did their best to move patients along without sacrificing face-to-face appointment time. On a particularly busy day, I even witnessed Dr. Andy Hoang assist the nursing staff by prepping rooms and calling patients back himself. I appreciated that and felt it spoke to Dr. Hoang's commitment to the practice and his patients.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Gayane Ambartsumyan at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
Treatment costs were straightforward and clear. My consultation was $324 including ultrasound. Each ultrasound outside of my stim cycle was $195 and labwork was approximately $60. The global fee for my freeze-all egg retrieval cycle was approximately $14k including the PGS biopsy, ICSI and assisted hatching. The cost of PGS payable to Igenomics was approximately $2k. A mock transfer/ saline sonography was performed before the transfer and cost $720. The frozen embryo transfer cost approximately $1600. Medications for the stim cycle and FET cycle totaled approximately $5400 (and includes Progesterone support after positive pregnancy test.
Describe Gayane Ambartsumyan's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
Our situation seemed straightforward. We wanted to avoid multiples. Having our embryos PGS-tested gave us peace of mind when deciding on the suggested eSET. Had they not been PGS-tested, I don't know what our doctor's suggestion would have been. I do think our decision on the number of embryos to transfer would have been much more difficult.
What specific things went wrong at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
These issues were minor and did not diminish my confidence in the clinic. On one occasion I saw a different doctor, Dr. Lee, and on entering the room and greeting me, he indicated that I was in a different phase of my protocol than I was. When I corrected him, he quickly revised his initial comments making me feel comfortable that, although he wasn't my regular doctor, he had educated himself on my medical file. On another occasion at the end of my treatment, I had to call to request my lab results. The lab work monitored my estrodial and progesterone levels as they weaned me off Estrace and Endometrin. Usually the doctor or nurse called within 1 to 2 days with results. On this occasion, I had my labwork done (by a separate lab) on Thursday and when I didn't hear from the clinic by Monday, I called them. I don't think this information was as critical as results would have been during the stim phase of my treatment.