How was your experience with Joseph Garza at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio?
Poor communication. I almost always left the office with more questions than answers. Flat affect. I never got the impression he really cared for me as a patient, except the day I was crying in the office. Visits felt rushed. He did a big work-up to diagnose me, but missed a HUGE part of my fertility issues, which is my low AMH. Let me clarify: he tested my AMH and knew it was low, but he never really addressed it much or explained how much it is likely affecting my struggle to get pregnant. He also said I would start IUI almost immediately after work-up, but never did. I felt like he was stringing me along for as many visits as possible. All I ever did was 4 rounds of oral pills, that is all. Then got cysts and had to stop fertility meds. I know this is a possible side effect, but prior to cysts could have done IUI and he wouldn't; he just kept saying "next time." I had already done 3 rounds of oral pills for fertility (by my regular ObGyn) prior to coming to him. Other than the work-up, I feel like I lost time and wasted time here that I cannot get back, not to mention thousands of dollars.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Joseph Garza at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio?
Don't go unless he is your last option. Really. He is a nice person, but not a good doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Joseph Garza at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio?
Didn't even get to see him my last visit. He has a pretty flat affect overall with a few jokes to tell. Never asked how I was doing except for once, when I was crying in his office. I didn't always understand his treatment plan nor could I get an explanation on specifics of my treatment plan. Felt rushed during visits. Had to do very frequent urine pregnancy tests, even when not indicated or required- this felt like I was getting nickeled and dimed on top of paying out-of-pocket for visits. I truly felt like cattle in a herd and not a real person with infertility issues.
Describe the protocols Joseph Garza used in your cycles at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio and their degree of success.
Femara (oral pills). That is all. He kept saying he would do IUI next cycle (x3) but never did. He did say he wanted my progesterone higher, like 15 or more, but I was never low. He also said he would supplement me if needed, but never did even when I wasn't where he wanted me to be. He said they would supplement me once a positive pregnancy test and low. Why wait until then to see if low? Contradicting. I ended up with cysts after 4 cycles of oral meds only then had to be treated for those.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio. (Assigned nurse: Priscilla)
Poor communication with all office staff. I usually felt like a burden and rushed. If I asked more than a few questions they acted like I was inconveniencing them. Frequently communication took multiple attempts on my end to reach someone. Only time I truly felt like they cared was the day I was crying in the office and the nurse asked how I was and gave me card for a counselor, but never asked again. My last visit- I didn't even get to see the dr, only saw a nurse, but still charged the same amount of money and was not able to get my question answered by him after the visit unless I made another appointment with him. The question was regarding a med to treat the cysts and whether the med was safe for me to take with my diagnosis of clotting disorders. I had to play phone tag and patient portal messenger for 4 days to get a response and when I did the response was, "All meds have side effects" when I questioned the med label that warned stroke or death if I took the med with a known clotting disorder. That was my last straw and I never returned.
Describe your experience with The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio.
Nice big waiting room with coffee and water- and you will need it, because you will frequently have long waits. Poor communication throughout entire office. Patient portal is nice and convenient tool. Be prepared to give urine every single visit, regardless of home test negative or what the visit is even about- and don't question it unless you want dirty looks. The billing/insurance girl refused to send certain days of office records/visits/notes to my insurance because she said "They won't cover it," even at my request knowing it MAY be denied, but I wanted to try. My insurance did cover part of some visits. They also didn't send my records to insurance for my cyst visits, which should be covered. I had to call for over a month for them to be sent. I would only recommend this office as a last resort :(
Describe the costs associated with your care under Joseph Garza at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio.
Over the course of 6 months, I spent thousands of dollars. Visits ranged from $200 to over 350.
Describe Joseph Garza's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio.
NA
What specific things went wrong at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio?
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at The Advanced Fertility Center of San Antonio.
Multiple things, see previous comments on strengths and weaknesses. Poor communication, felt rushed, refusal to send records to insurance, frequently did not answer questions in office or by patient portal messages or voicemail. Staff booked my appointment earlier than dr in office, had me see nurse only, still charge same as if saw dr, then would not have dr answer question regarding med unless I made another appointment to ask 1 question about med. Lack of and/or delay of treatment for unknown reasons for 3 cycles. Did not relay importance of critical test result, nor ever treat for such.