He [Dr. Guarnaccia] clearly had not looked at my file before he came in to perform surgery on me. ... . He asked me if I had any medical concerns. This was the first bad sign. When I said heart disease, history of fibroids, cysts and a clotting disorder, he started scrolling through his stack of papers. ... All I know is that this was an unexpected result and that I got infected under his care. ... He proceeded to go to the computer to get acquainted with my record as this was not necessarily going to be a walk in the park
They [Extend Fertility] failed to inform me that the doctor that I worked with for 6 months to freeze my eggs was not going to actually going to do the procedure! A per diem was going to take on my complex case. That was not what I signed up for. I paid this hard-earned money with no help from a loan or an insurance, that is the least I could have expected. ... That is unacceptable. I should have had the heads up to make a sound decision, instead of feeling pressed 10 mins before surgery in my hospital gown.
How was your experience with Michael Guarnaccia at Extend Fertility?
Dr. Guarnaccia came in as a tourist to perform surgery on me. It was the first time I saw him, ever, he was the per diem who came in to cover for my actual doctor that Saturday. Unlucky me. He asked me if I had any medical concerns. This was the first bad sign. When I said heart disease, history of fibroids, cysts and a clotting disorder, he started scrolling through his stack of papers. I was a little nervous at that point. He also asked me who "Jane Doe" was and I said she works here. I got alarmed then. He proceeded to go to the computer to get acquainted with my record as this was not necessarily going to be a walk in the park as he had expected. I took that moment to asked the nurse who that was. They explained my doc who I was confident in and choose to care for me, was away for Sabbath and this was the per diem who was going to perform the surgery. No one informed me of this ahead of time and I almost felt obliged to accept it. All I could think of as a patient was, I don't even know him, I just meet him and he doesn't seem competent; as well as all the money, injections, time off that it took to get to that day to freeze my eggs. I told myself it will all be fine, although I almost wanted to call my boyfriend who was sitting in the waiting room. However, the anesthesiologist came in, he knew exactly what he was doing and I thought it would be ok.
A day after my surgery, I had intense pain at work ( i have a high pain tolerance) and my boss sent me home. I called my actual fertility doctor who said everyone reacts differently, if pain persists come for a visit. As far as the results, I am young with no ferlility issues whatsoever, but from the expected 12 eggs to be frozen, we only got 5. My actual doctor admitted it was very unusual. Unfortunately, the pain came back stronger a few weeks later. Basically, I was rushed to the ER from work - they said I had a cyst. Went home, still in pain for a week so I went to my actual doctor and he prescribed me medications. One more week of pain, I am rushed to the ER from my obgyn's office! She tells me this is bad and that I might lose my ovary. I got emergency surgery as the doctors at the hospital feared me losing my ovary due to an hemorraghic cyst. I was crushed. They said consent to have your ovary removed and I just felt numb at that point. When I woke up from surgery, my boyfriend tells me, you still have both your ovaries, instead I had been carrying a 6-week old infection that spread puss to my ovaries, uterus, abdomen, colon/rectum. You can imagine how I felt, emotionally and physically, all this pain.
Infections are extremely rare and this was a very bad one. Because of all of this, my fallopian tubes are scared and I will probably need IVF to conceive as is will not happen spontaneously. I was just freezing my eggs as an option because of my heart and fibroid history. Basically, I have reduced my options when I thought I was being smart. And I wonder if this is what killed half of my eggs at retrieval. When I found this site and saw his reviews, I cried, I knew I had been screwed by this doctor.
I had to be out recovering for about 3 months, not working. Ended up having to move upstate due to my precarious situation. My living condition is good but very stressful. I got the flu and to top it all, my second heart attack now. I will stop here but you get the point, my entire life has been hanged for the worst.
I am thankful to this site and the other reviewers for sharing their story.
I am not one to leave a review ever but I felt like a responsibility for anyone debating Dr. G’s care. With such a low review rate, I wonder why he’s even practicing and those hiring him to still be out there are to do their due diligence and be responsible.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Guarnaccia at Extend Fertility?
Save yourself a bad ending. In my opinion, he should not be practicing and not hired as a per diem. You would think he is qualified and that you should trust him. I fell victim of an unprepared doctor with overwhelmingly bad reviews. Perhaps he has a calling in another field but not fertility.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Guarnaccia at Extend Fertility?
He clearly had not looked at my file before he came in to perform surgery on me. My medical history is complex so it was obvious, he was scrolling through his stack of papers. He had to continuously leave the room to search for more information on the computer.
Describe the protocols Michael Guarnaccia used in your cycles at Extend Fertility and their degree of success.
Dr. Guarnaccia was the per diem performing my retrieval, the most crucial part of the process. He was not part of that process. I was unaware he would perform the surgery on me. 12 eggs were retrieve and only 5 were frozen. All I know is that this was an unexpected result and that I got infected under his care. Also, had extra anti-coagulant shots to take during the hormone treatment because of my blood disorder.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Extend Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Jordana)
I do not have any grievances with the nurses, they were all very nice, so was my care coordinator. Actually, the time I came in a week after my first ER visit, 2 of the nurses asked me if I needed help getting dressed. That is how bad my infection was, they felt sorry for me. I am fair and would rate them fairly, according to my experience.
Describe your experience with Extend Fertility.
The clinic did not inform me that on Sabbath day my doctor will not show and that instead I would get a low-rated 'fertility' doctor. That is unacceptable. I should have had the heads up to make a sound decision, instead of feeling pressed 10 mins before surgery in my hospital gown.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Guarnaccia at Extend Fertility.
8,500 total
What specific things went wrong at Extend Fertility?
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Extend Fertility.
They failed to inform me that the doctor that I worked with for 6 months to freeze my eggs was not going to actually going to do the procedure! A per diem was going to take on my complex case. That was not what I signed up for.
I paid this hard-earned money with no help from a loan or an insurance, that is the least I could have expected.
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