2022, Successful
She [Dr. Maria Costantini-Ferrando] is very kind and knowledgeable, which is what you want in an infertility doctor. I am a person who likes to know things, and there were certain things I didn’t know to ask until later. I think this is great for patients who don’t want to know all of the information, it keeps patients from worrying...I didn’t see my doctor often, and this seems the norm...Your nurse is always your go-to person.
[RMA of New Jersey] Strengths: the success rates. They know what they’re doing. When you’re waiting for results, the most comforting thing that can come from a clinic are the success rates. Weaknesses: you can often feel like a number. Personally, I didn’t mind. It made me feel like pregnancy would happen eventually...I didn’t see my doctor often, and this seems the norm for RMA. Your nurse is always your go-to person.
How was your experience with Maria Costantini-Ferrando at RMA of New Jersey?
She is very kind and knowledgeable, which is what you want in an infertility doctor. I am a person who likes to know things, and there were certain things I didn’t know to ask until later. I think this is great for patients who don’t want to know all of the information, it keeps patients from worrying. But I wasn’t told that my 9 eggs retrieved was a low number for my age until I asked, I wasn’t told the grading of the embryos until I asked, what protocol I was on for the egg retrieval and why, how many follicles I was growing, etc. If I must do another egg retrieval, I will know to ask these things because I want to know, but for my first retrieval, it was assumed that I didn’t need to know this and perhaps I didn’t. Still, this relationship may be hard for patients who need to know everything and who do their own research. I didn’t see my doctor often, and this seems the norm for RMA. Your nurse is always your go-to person.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Maria Costantini-Ferrando at RMA of New Jersey?
Trust her, she knows what she’s doing. Also, ask a lot of questions and do your own research as well.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Maria Costantini-Ferrando at RMA of New Jersey?
RMA does feel like a baby making machine, which I personally liked. You are shuffled in and out of morning monitoring, appointments with doctors are quick. When I did see Dr. C, she was very kind and answered all my questions. It’s hard to explain, but at RMA, there’s a feeling of giving yourself over to the powers that be. They make the decisions and you trust them, this seems to be the norm.
Describe the protocols Maria Costantini-Ferrando used in your cycles at RMA of New Jersey and their degree of success.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t told the name of the protocol or why I was on it. I had three shots and it resulted in 9 eggs retrieved, 6 were mature, 6 fertilized, 4 made it to day 6 embryos and 3 were euploid. My first transfer failed. My second transfer, I was on a steroid, Benadryl (half a pill at night because it makes me too sleepy to function and aspirin). I had an allergic reaction to the steroid and stopped it after day 2. My second transfer worked.
Describe your experience with your nurse at RMA of New Jersey. (Assigned nurse: Sara)
I thought Sara was great. Very kind, organized and always took the time to answer questions.
Describe your experience with RMA of New Jersey.
Strengths: the success rates. They know what they’re doing. When you’re waiting for results, the most comforting thing that can come from a clinic are the success rates.
Weaknesses: you can often feel like a number. Personally, I didn’t mind. It made me feel like pregnancy would happen eventually.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at RMA of New Jersey.
Some days I was in and out. Bloodwork is always quick. Sometimes if I needed an ultrasound too, I could wait up to an hour from arrival time to departure.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Maria Costantini-Ferrando at RMA of New Jersey.
I have great insurance and everything was covered except for the OGT-A testing. That was $2,700 plus $300 per embryo.
Describe Maria Costantini-Ferrando's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of New Jersey.
I would love to have twins, but RMA doesn’t do multiple embryo transfers. I was told it was because carrying twins is a high risk pregnancy and that two embryos may compete with each other. Either way, you have a higher chance of taking home a baby if you transfer one at a time.