Ruben Alvero

We went to Dr Alvero after having had 2 failed egg stimulations with [another doctor]. We really felt something was “wrong “ and “ “missing”. Dr Alvero found that my thyroid levels were really poor and did my first ever saline infused sonogram- and found an endometrial polyp- which could have caused my infertility or miscarriages. The polyp was removed and then he proceed with a much more aggressive stimulation protocol then the other doctor, which led to 28 eggs retrieved.

All of the nursing staff there [at Stanford Fertility] are very compassionate, professional and well versed in infertility treatments...The strengths are organization, well spaced appointments, cleanliness , state of the art equipment and protocols that process patients quickly. The only weakness is that they are very busy and because of this maybe there is less privacy in the waiting room.

How was your experience with Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

As stated earlier my husband and I were both very happy with his care. We also live 3 hours away from the clinic and he kept that in mind when making our appointments and also to accommodate us with some tele conference calls. This was super beneficial.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

Just know your medical history well and be prepared to make copies of all of your infertility documents if you started with another clinic.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

Dr Alvero has a fantastic bedside demeanor, kind, patient, and never seems like he is in a rush. I also felt that he always knew US and our medical history. I’m addition, he never pressures you to make a decision or makes you feel like there is only his opinion. He’s great!

Describe the protocols Ruben Alvero used in your cycles at Stanford University and their degree of success.

We went to Dr Alvero after having had 2 failed egg stimulations with Dr Alex Steinleitner. We really felt something was “wrong “ and “ “missing”. Dr Alvero found that my thyroid levels were really poor and did my first ever saline infused sonogram- and found an endometrial polyp- which could have caused my infertility or miscarriages. The polyp was removed and then he proceed with a much more aggressive stimulation protocol then the other doctor, which led to 28 eggs retrieved.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Stanford University. (Assigned nurse: Erica )

All of the nursing staff there are very compassionate, professional and well versed in infertility treatments.

Describe your experience with Stanford University.

The strengths are organization, well spaced appointments, cleanliness , state of the art equipment and protocols that process patients quickly. The only weakness is that they are very busy and because of this maybe there is less privacy in the waiting room.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Ruben Alvero at Stanford University.

I really can’t remember off the top of my head. I do remember about $5,000 for egg stimulation medications, $1200 for endometrial polyp removal, all with insurance.

Describe Ruben Alvero's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Stanford University.

Due to my age, we were advised to do genetic testing ( something Dr Steinleitner did not recommend), and if we had had a genetically viable embryo, he would have transferred only that one. That made sense to us, after having had 2,2,2,3 embryos transferred with Dr Steinleitner with no genetic testing, that led to no pregnancies or miscarriages. We felt it was a ton of money wasted and extra emotional pain .

Doctor

Ruben Alvero

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Stanford University

Sunnyvale

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Ruben Alvero Stanford University

2019 - 2020, Unsuccessful

Age 41 - 42

1 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Poor Egg Quality

South Asian

Income $100K - $199K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Ruben Alvero Stanford University

For my case, Dr. Alvero believed in multiple embryo transfer. He was going to transfer as many embryos as possible...The conversations felt rushed, brief, and not open ended. I felt like I had to come ready with many questions, otherwise no extra information was going to be given to me. I never had any contact with [him] outside of the clinic, meaning the only way for me to have any follow up was to send the clinic an email and a nurse will get back to me...

The [Stanford University] clinic was clean, organized, and updated on technology. The receptionists were professional and nice, but just average. The financial counselor was the worst at managing my case. I had to reach out many times to get my questions answered because the follow up was poor. The only way to communicate with anyone with questions was to email my nurse and I will get directed from there

How was your experience with Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

I was assigned to Dr. Alvero. He is the Medical Director of the Stanford Fertility and Reproductive Health clinic. Upon meeting Dr. Alvero, he met my stereotype of a doctor, very professional yet not "warm". The vibe I got was his time was limited. His communication was average. He only communicated the minimum necessary. He didn't elaborate unless I asked questions. I felt like I was constantly pulling for more information, but I always left the clinic with more questions. I felt like I was constantly looking for more answers. I never got a clear picture of what was the next stage. I would like to believe that Dr. Alvero made the medical decisions he did for me because it was right and in my best interest, but in retrospect, I was just a number.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

Go with all the questions you can think of, and ask why a lot.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

The conversations felt rushed, brief, and not open ended. I felt like I had to come ready with many questions, otherwise no extra information was going to be given to me. I never had any contact with my doctor outside of the clinic, meaning the only way for me to have any follow up was to send the clinic an email and a nurse will get back to me. When the nurse responds to me, it was also very short responses.

Describe the protocols Ruben Alvero used in your cycles at Stanford University and their degree of success.

I was given the antagonist protocol. I was never given the rationale for using this kind of protocol, and I never had the chance to ask because I never saw Dr. Alvero after the beginning of my treatment. I was put on Follistim & Menopur. I had a 3 day fresh cycle transfer. Dr. Alvero did not recommend genetic testing because he felt like I was not going to produce many eggs anyway so he didn't want me to spend money on genetics testing. He felt like a fresh cycle was more beneficial in my case because I did not yield many eggs. It just seemed to me that everything came down to having diminished ovarian reserve. I was presented with many odds up against me from the very beginning.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Stanford University.

I have never met my primary nurse. She was assigned to Dr. Alvero so she answered any questions I had over the patient portal. Her responses were timely which I appreciate. The only nurse I met in person was on the day of my egg retrieval. She helped me prepare for the transfer. That nurse seemed nice, warm, and compassionate.

Describe your experience with Stanford University.

The clinic was clean, organized, and updated on technology. The receptionists were professional and nice, but just average. The financial counselor was the worst at managing my case. I had to reach out many times to get my questions answered because the follow up was poor. The only way to communicate with anyone with questions was to email my nurse and I will get directed from there. When you truly want to feel like just a number, then this clinic will make you feel like one.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Ruben Alvero at Stanford University.

$20,000

Describe Ruben Alvero's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Stanford University.

For my case, Dr. Alvero believed in multiple embryo transfer. He was going to transfer as many embryos as possible.

What specific things went wrong at Stanford University?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Provided conflicting information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Stanford University.

A medication I needed for the egg retrieval was not called in even though I was told it was and I had to make many phone calls between my pharmacy and the nurse to prove that in fact it was not called in. Meeting with the financial counselor was a joke. He just came out of training, and clearly was very green. He didn't know answers to many questions. It was like pulling teeth to try to get to the bottom of things. We were charged for things that we didn't get on the protocol.

Doctor

Ruben Alvero

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Stanford University

Sunnyvale

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Ruben Alvero Stanford University

2019, Unknown Success

Age 37

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Poor Egg Quality

Tubal Blockage

Latinx

Income $50K - $99K

1st of 2 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Not sure

Review of

Ruben Alvero Stanford University

Dr.. Alvero told me I could not conceive due to various reasons. I’m addition he said I shouldn’t waste my money in attempting an IUI and I should forget about using my own eggs and use donor eggs and even then with IVF my percentage to conceive is very low. I sat there in shock not wanting to cry as all three doctors stared at me coldly. It was as if they were saying “ok, now you know you can’t conceive on your own. Chose a method and get back to us.”

I felt like I had to call in [to Stanford University] all the time. I was always unsure of what I was doing. Nothing was explained well. One nurse was very kind and helped me set my appointment at another facility for my scan. This clinic has little room to actually preform exams the day they are needed...I was never informed my scan results had arrived. I called in the day of my appointment to make sure they had. I was told they arrived but they could not be found. The nurse had to call the clinic where I got my test completed to obtain another result. I called a second time to ensure the doctor received the results. I was told they were unsure. I arrived and asked in person and was told the doctor had just received my results when I arrived. I was given erroneous information regarding my coverage. I had to request the financial advisor call my insurance once again to confirm her version. She was incorrect.

How was your experience with Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

Initially I thought he was very informative and easy to talk to. However; upon explaining my test results he was very cold and matter of fact. I didn’t feel that he saw me as a person just another patient. I was given a very low percentage in regards to getting pregnant and I asked for an explanation especially since my test results had been received by the doctor minutes before my appointment. I was essentially told not to have high hopes in getting pregnant with very little explanation.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

Go in informed. Be prepared to potentially be treated as a number and not a person. That’s terrible to say but true.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ruben Alvero at Stanford University?

I went in on my own and I explained I wished to conceive but have never tried to do so. I was given somewhat high hopes in my first visit. I was sent for some tests. After completing said test I had to call back and schedule another appointment. During that appointment Dr. Alvero and Teo unknown doctors who were never introduced to me and I was never asked if I was okay with being present followed him into my room. I again was all alone. All three were straight-faced when Dr.. Alvero told me I could not conceive due to various reasons. I’m addition he said I shouldn’t waste my money in attempting an IUI and I should forget about using my own eggs and use donor eggs and even then with IVF my percentage to conceive is very low. I sat there in shock not wanting to cry as all three doctors stared at me coldly. It was as if they were saying “ok, now you know you can’t conceive on your own. Chose a method and get back to us.”

Describe the protocols Ruben Alvero used in your cycles at Stanford University and their degree of success.

I went in having already had a few test completed by my obgyn. The results were not great. I was asked to complete them again. The tests included hormone levels, thyroid test etc. I was asked to conduct a scan as well during my first cycle due to symptoms I had exhibited. My tests results showed I had poor egg quality, a diminished ovarian reserve and Salpingitis isthmica nodosa.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Stanford University.

I felt like I had to call in all the time. I was always unsure of what I was doing. Nothing was explained well. One nurse was very kind and helped me set my appointment at another facility for my scan. This clinic has little room to actually preform exams the day they are needed.

Describe your experience with Stanford University.

Strengths are the phlebotomist was very kind. One nurse was also kind and listened to me when I became emotional. Weaknesses, the financial coordinator was terrible. She misinformed me about my insurance coverage; she told me I had 100% coverage when I only have partial coverage. Good thing I called before hand. I was also given a treatment plan without having completed my exams and scan. The doctor I saw was not the most kind or informative. The front desk was also kind and cordial. The building was clean and there was plenty of parking.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Ruben Alvero at Stanford University.

I had to pay $500+ for a scan. Overall I believe I paid $500 for visits. There were few because I went to another doctor.

Describe Ruben Alvero's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Stanford University.

N/A

What specific things went wrong at Stanford University?

Failed to call with results
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Scheduled the wrong procedure

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Stanford University.

I was never informed my scan results had arrived. I called in the day of my appointment to make sure they had. I was told they arrived but they could not be found. The nurse had to call the clinic where I got my test completed to obtain another result. I called a second time to ensure the doctor received the results. I was told they were unsure. I arrived and asked in person and was told the doctor had just received my results when I arrived. I was given erroneous information regarding my coverage. I had to request the financial advisor call my insurance once again to confirm her version. She was incorrect.

Doctor

Ruben Alvero

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Clinic

Stanford University

Sunnyvale

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Ruben Alvero Stanford University

2016 - 2018, Unknown Success

Age 32 - 34

3 IUI

1 IVF

Anovulation

PCOS

European

Income $100K - $199K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Ruben Alvero Women & Infants Hospital

Dr Alvero is patient and clearly explains the reasoning for choosing a particular treatment. He respected my opinions and assessed my comfort level with the treatment at every visit. When I had questions or concerns in between appointments he returned my calls promptly.... He is very willing and comfortable discussing the reality of the situation and the steps that we will take to address the issues... I did eset for insurance reasons.

Communication! Not being able to call directly is frustrating. On the weekends I’ve had to send a fax to get the attention of the clinic staff [Women's & Infants Hospital] because their answering service answers the phone. The coordinator did not check to see what I needed in terms of my insurance company before proceeding with my last round so I had to change my plan to complete a test required by the insuranc. This set me back another month. Communication is poor at best.

How was your experience with Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

Bring a notepad. Write down questions as you think of them during treatment.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

He is very willing and comfortable discussing the reality of the situation and the steps that we will take to address the issues

Describe the protocols Ruben Alvero used in your cycles at Women & Infants Hospital and their degree of success.

3 letrozole 3 iui Ivf

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Women & Infants Hospital.

Some of the nurses are excellent. Go above and beyond - one spent hours on the phone helping me deal with a prior authorization issue over a weekend that would’ve resulted in a cancelled cycle. Some of the others are less compassionate. They’ve done it a million times and forget that as a patient I may not have done this before.

Describe your experience with Women & Infants Hospital.

Communication! Not being able to call directly is frustrating. On the weekends I’ve had to send a fax to get the attention of the clinic staff because their answering service answers the phone. The coordinator did not check to see what I needed in terms of my insurance company before proceeding with my last round so I had to change my plan to complete a test required by the insuranc. This set me back another month. Communication is poor at best.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital.

I’m unsure of the costs, my insurance has paid for everything so far.

Describe Ruben Alvero's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Women & Infants Hospital.

I did eset for insurance reasons.

What specific things went wrong at Women & Infants Hospital?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Women & Infants Hospital.

I had an issue with prior authorization for drugs. And then when I had my retrieval a different doctor questioned the meds that I took, even after I confirmed them with the staff. This doctor then told me I wouldn’t be having a fresh transfer while I was in the recovery room. My doctor called me later to confirm I took the correct meds and was having a fresh transfer.

Doctor

Ruben Alvero

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Women & Infants Hospital

Providence

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Ruben Alvero Women & Infants Hospital

2017 - 2018, Successful

Age 26 - 27

2 IUI

3 IVF

PCOS

Poor Egg Quality

Unexplained

European

Income $100K - $199K

Teacher

Only Doc Seen

Fertility Medications With Other Docs

Strongly Recommends

Successful

Review of

Ruben Alvero Women & Infants Hospital

We tried the antagonist protocol twice [with Dr. Ruben Alvero] , the second time being with higher doses of meds. The last cycle, we did estrogen priming protocol due to my poor response...always made me feel important and that my feelings mattered. He always made me feel like I could ask any questions I had or share all my concerns...did everything he could to try to figure out what was causing our unexplained infertility. Each IVF cycle gave us more information and as hard as it all was for me to hear, he always did a great job explaining everything and giving us all our options. He never pressured us into anything but gave his expert advice and what our chances were for each cycle.

Although we decided to stop treatment, if we decide we are going to pursue treatment again, we will 100% return to this facility [Women & Infants Hospital] and under the care of Dr. Alvero. Communication was great and I never felt like I annoyed anyone when I called to ask a silly question. I loved this facility. They made a very difficult time in our lives a little bit easier... My husband and I were pleased from start to finish.

How was your experience with Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

Dr. Alvero did everything he could to try to figure out what was causing our unexplained infertility. Each IVF cycle gave us more information and as hard as it all was for me to hear, he always did a great job explaining everything and giving us all our options. He never pressured us into anything but gave his expert advice and what our chances were for each cycle.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

Choose him for your doctor!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

Dr. Alvero always made me feel important and that my feelings mattered. He always made me feel like I could ask any questions I had or share all my concerns.

Describe the protocols Ruben Alvero used in your cycles at Women & Infants Hospital and their degree of success.

We tried the antagonist protocol twice, the second time being with higher doses of meds. The last cycle, we did estrogen priming protocol due to my poor response.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Women & Infants Hospital.

The nursing staff was absolutely AMAZING. I cried my last appointment simply because of how compassionate they had been to me. When they called with updates, they always made a personal connection and made me feel like they truly cared about me and the outcome of our cycles.

Describe your experience with Women & Infants Hospital.

I think the clinic is a great place to seek infertility treatments. My husband and I were pleased from start to finish. Although we decided to stop treatment, if we decide we are going to pursue treatment again, we will 100% return to this facility and under the care of Dr. Alvero. Communication was great and I never felt like I annoyed anyone when I called to ask a silly question. I loved this facility. They made a very difficult time in our lives a little bit easier.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital.

We are lucky to have great health insurance in Massachusetts. The costs were mostly covered by insurance, which the exception of medications and some of the surgery costs.

Doctor

Ruben Alvero

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Women & Infants Hospital

Providence

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Ruben Alvero Women & Infants Hospital

2018, Unsuccessful

Age 31

1 IVF

Male Factor

Latinx

Income $50K - $99K

Nurse or HC Services

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Strongly Recommends

Unsuccessful

Review of

Ruben Alvero Women & Infants Hospital

My first visit he said, “first god and then me,” which was very comforting to me. I think Dr Alvero was too vague, I wanted more information. I felt each doctor visit, he was right to the point and I wish he was more empathic...I wish he did multiple embryo transfer so we could have a higher change of getting pregnant, but the state that I live in they don’t do that

[Women & Infants Hospital staff] They always call when they say they going to call. Also they make themselves very available for whatever you need. The staff were very friendly and always had a smile on their faces. If you had any questions, they would make a point to answer them...[nurses] They would hold my hand and give me encouragement words as I cried when I received bad news

How was your experience with Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

Ask questions, which I did that more

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital?

During my egg retrial, I told they could not find any sperm from my husband’s sample. When I asked if he from any spent from the frozen sample that my husband’s prior sample. The doctor was surprised to know that we had reserve. When we went to our follow up, he was not able to explained what went wrong he just suggested that my husband would have to do a more intense procedure the next time we did ivf.

Describe the protocols Ruben Alvero used in your cycles at Women & Infants Hospital and their degree of success.

I think it was basic. There was always a doctor on call if you had any questions. He was also able to clam my nerves the day of the transfer

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Women & Infants Hospital.

I loved the nurses. They would hold my hand and give me encouragement words as I cried when I received bad news

Describe your experience with Women & Infants Hospital.

They always call when they say they going to call. Also they make themselves very available for whatever you need. The staff were very friendly and always had a smile on their faces. If you had any questions, they would make a point to answer them.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Ruben Alvero at Women & Infants Hospital.

About 10,000 dollars

Describe Ruben Alvero's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Women & Infants Hospital.

I wish he did multiple embryo transfer so we could have a higher change of getting pregnant, but the state that I live in they don’t do that

Doctor

Ruben Alvero

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Women & Infants Hospital

Providence

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Ruben Alvero Women & Infants Hospital

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