I never expected to find a doctor so openly compassionate and caring, but Dr. Brahma was all of that and more. She was easy to contact and easy to talk to. She spoke of my infertility in ways that made it easy to understand and sought out treatment for me and my partner that would get us as close to a successful outcome as she could. We always felt welcomed with her...We initially had my partners semen tested and found that due to male factor infertility, we would need to move on to working on him first. We then saw a doctor for him, he underwent a biopsy and medication to improve his sperm count and motility. We then tried clomid to induce ovulation in me for an IUI cycle, but I didn't respond. We then tried clomid and injectible medication but the she was unhappy with the time it was taking for my egg follicles to mature and was worried that even with my partners improved sperm, the chance of success with IUI would be low. She then suggested IVF. We began planning for that, but found out during planning that I had been diagnosed with a rare visual impairment. With this diagnosis, we decided to pursue using an egg donor. We spoke with 2 counselors and chose our donor and then had the eggs fertilized with my partners sperm. The eggs that survived to day 5 of maturity were then frozen. We then began our frozen embryo transfer cycles. The first cycle I was put on antibiotics, estrogen, baby aspirin, and progesterone in oil injections. The transfer was a success and I found out I was pregnant 10 days later. Unfortunately, I then miscarried at 5.5 weeks. After the miscarriage, a SHG was performed to make sure my uterus was clear and we moved on to the next transfer cycle. This cycle I was on estrogen, baby aspirin, folgard, prescription folic acid, progesterone in oil injections and lovenox to rule out any possible blood clotting issue. That transfer was a failure. The third transfer she decided on a more aggressive approach and I was on 20 days of antibiotics then estrogen, baby aspirin, folgard, prescription folic acid, progesterone in oil injections, crinone and lovenox. This transfer was successful and I was released from Dr. Brahms's care at 9 weeks pregnant.
We had decent insurance coverage so most of our office visits and routine procedures were mostly covered. The largest expense was the transfer cycles that were out of pocket and all together cost about $22,000...The nursing staff was excellent and easy to communicate with via phone or email. The always took time answer my questions and were kind and supportive...This clinic [RBA] is very busy and travel to and from can be tedious if you do t live nearby. However, the entire staff is beyond friendly and the office is nicely appointed with complimentary classes and seminars available to prospective, new and existing patients.
How was your experience with Pavna Brahma at RBA?
I never expected to find a doctor so openly compassionate and caring, but Dr. Brahma was all of that and more. She was easy to contact and easy to talk to. She spoke of my infertility in ways that made it easy to understand and sought out treatment for me and my partner that would get us as close to a successful outcome as she could. We always felt welcomed with her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Pavna Brahma at RBA?
She is a sought after and busy doctor, so it may take awhile to get in to see her initially, but she is definitely worth the wait.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Pavna Brahma at RBA?
She was caring and kind. She always remembered me even though I'm sure she had many, many patients. She never made me feel like I was just one person out of hundreds.
Describe the protocols Pavna Brahma used in your cycles at RBA and their degree of success.
We initially had my partners semen tested and found that due to male factor infertility, we would need to move on to working on him first. We then saw a doctor for him, he underwent a biopsy and medication to improve his sperm count and motility. We then tried clomid to induce ovulation in me for an IUI cycle, but I didn't respond. We then tried clomid and injectible medication but the she was unhappy with the time it was taking for my egg follicles to mature and was worried that even with my partners improved sperm, the chance of success with IUI would be low. She then suggested IVF. We began planning for that, but found out during planning that I had been diagnosed with a rare visual impairment. With this diagnosis, we decided to pursue using an egg donor. We spoke with 2 counselors and chose our donor and then had the eggs fertilized with my partners sperm. The eggs that survived to day 5 of maturity were then frozen. We then began our frozen embryo transfer cycles. The first cycle I was put on antibiotics, estrogen, baby aspirin, and progesterone in oil injections. The transfer was a success and I found out I was pregnant 10 days later. Unfortunately, I then miscarried at 5.5 weeks. After the miscarriage, a SHG was performed to make sure my uterus was clear and we moved on to the next transfer cycle. This cycle I was on estrogen, baby aspirin, folgard, prescription folic acid, progesterone in oil injections and lovenox to rule out any possible blood clotting issue. That transfer was a failure. The third transfer she decided on a more aggressive approach and I was on 20 days of antibiotics then estrogen, baby aspirin, folgard, prescription folic acid, progesterone in oil injections, crinone and lovenox. This transfer was successful and I was released from Dr. Brahms's care at 9 weeks pregnant.
Describe your experience with your nurse at RBA. (Assigned nurse: Karen Brierley)
The nursing staff was excellent and easy to communicate with via phone or email. The always took time answer my questions and were kind and supportive.
Describe your experience with RBA.
This clinic is very busy and travel to and from can be tedious if you do t live nearby. However, the entire staff is beyond friendly and the office is nicely appointed with complimentary classes and seminars available to prospective, new and existing patients.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Pavna Brahma at RBA.
We had decent insurance coverage so most of our office visits and routine procedures were mostly covered. The largest expense was the transfer cycles that were out of pocket and all together cost about $22,000.
Describe Pavna Brahma's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RBA.
Dr. Brahma had a strong opinion on eSET. She felt that the risk to the unborn child and mother were too great to risk a pregnancy with multiples and that transferring more than one embryo did not give us any statistical advantage in becoming pregnant. To her, the risk was not worth the reward and I agreed.