Samuel Tarantino

We really liked Dr. Tarantino's personality, he is very friendly and jovial. He is easy for my husband to talk with from a man's perspective this is important, as it's such a sensitive subject to begin with. I think the hardest thing for us was just the fact that the practice as a whole was so large, you see the MD for consent signing and the procedure, but none of the monitoring throughout. I know this is par for the course for a practice this big, but sometimes I just wish we could have more one on one time. For our first round we had all abnormal embryos, and from my own research I felt we should change the trigger, Dr. Tarantino suggested this as well, so I felt comfortable that he was making changes instead of just sticking with the status quo.

He is experienced and knows what he is doing, just make sure you know what you need and ask for it! Don't be afraid to question decisions, make sure you keep track of your meds and everything.

The group is a very large group, there is just no way for the physicians to know you individually. I have had an experience where my MD mixed up why I was there, or had to review my chart while I was there to confirm.

Cycle 1 - Antagonist protocol with lupron trigger - they use lupron for everyone the first time because it is safer. I agree with this, but for me it did not produce good embryos. We retreived 11, 9 mature, 7 fertilized, 3 blasts (2 BB and 1 BC, so not great quality) and NONE came back PGS normal. Cycle 2 - Antagonist with HCG trigger, 14 retrieved, 11 mature, 8 fertilized, 2 blasts (but better quality, 1 AA and 1 AB), both were PGS normal! Dr. Tarantino thought that maybe the Lupron trigger hadn't worked correctly on me. He said some women's brains don't have the appropriate reaction to the Lupron and the eggs and not matured correctly or fully, creating the abnormalities, which he said the PGS indicated were all maternal issues. This is why he switched to HCG. I agreed after reading, although I was surprised that I only had two blasts, but thankfully they were great quality and both normal, so it worked out!

We have two sets of nurses, the nurses from my office location - clearwater, and the ART nurses, who handle all of the IVF retrieval and transfer cycles. The nurse at my main office location actually made an error on my second cycle and ordered lupron as my trigger, this mistake carried down throughout the ENTIRE prep for my second cycle. Every single nurse would call and try to confirm I was using lupron trigger, which i was not. I was very upset with this, because I know using HCG would change the way I was monitored when it comes to OHSS, etc. So i really didn't want there to be even a single trace of a lupron trigger being used. Finally right before stims started I called and spoke with the ART nurses and was firm but respectful in requesting that they review my charts and make sure all traces of lupron were removed because I was worried that the physician would make decisions based off lupron and not HCG (especially since I said the practice is so large and there is no way for the MDs to remember individual patients). Thankfully the ART nurses appeased me and made sure all lupron traces were removed and never mentioned it again.

Strengths - experience, ART nurse communication Weaknesses - the size

Pretty efficient, got there in the AM and they just take us one by one. The later you get there the longer it takes, so I try to get there before they open.

a full cycle with PGS and meds was around 20K.

I agree with him, I am fine with single embryo, since I have never been pregnant there isn't history showing I should try multiple and personally I don't want multiples.

He has a very different sense of humor that sometimes was hard to read. I also did not feel like he put enough effort into our treatments. I was the one requesting more test and asking for more meds to be used during the IUI's we had performed. There was no direction on how many we should do before exploring IVF. I was already almost 35 when I visited him for the first consultation so I feel like now after doing more research and talking to others going through treatments, that we should have been put on meds to increase our chances right away. We spent so much money in just IUI's doing 4 natural cycles and then only 1 cycle with chlomid on the 5th one, and again I had to ask for it. I felt like he would have just kept letting us waste money. It turned me off from going there and so I went to USF IVF starting in May of 2018.

You have to have a lot of knowledge about what you want going into it already because he is very passive.

I felt sometimes that we had to request things and there was not a lot of direction given to us.

4 natural cycle IUI with home OPK using donor sperm. 1 cycle with chlomid and home OPK using donor sperm. Also performed all testing for hormone levels during cycle and ovarian reserve (AMH) along with saline sonogram and HSG. Before we did the first cycle of IUI he removed polyps found in my uterus during the Saline sonogram. He also perform my D&C for my miscarriage (missed abortion).

Quiet and soft spoken but very nice. Also tended to be passive at times but helpful when approached with questions or concerns.

They have multiple offices so location choices were nice but only certain doctors at certain locations. It seemed each doctor would operate out of 2 of the 4 offices. If you were willing to see you doctor at either it made getting appointments easier. The N Tampa office also had a surgery center located in the same building.

Cost seem typical for fertility treatments

Never discussed this with him.

Dr. Tarantino has been very personable in each visit. I have felt like he always is honest with his opinion and the statistics involved. I have felt pressured to do things "his way" at times, but when pushing back he has been receptive and supportive.

Ask questions, and be sure that one, you understand what he is recommending but also that you are comfortable with that plan or push back.

I have seen the nurses and ladies in the office the most, they always remember me and are very sweet and encouraging each visit.

Already had tried clomid, so we switched to Letrozole/Femara rounds for medicated cycles. Had a ultrasound prior to starting meds, another one to check follicles and then Ovidrel shot followed by IUI 36 hours later. did 5 cycles, now moving to IVF. He recommended after the 4th try to switch, but insurance required a total of 6 prior to IVF.

Heather is the IVF coordinator and has been very helpful and responsive to all questions regarding testing to get ready to start IVF.

They have several locations and are able to do procedures on the weekends as needed at one location. They have been as helpful and supportive as I could have expected. The required IVF class is an inconvenience for sure ans would be better done as an online module to make it more cost effective and convenient for all involved.

I don't remember /know all of it without looking at the bills, my insurance covered 90% after Deductible.

He was very comforting when I got bad news about my results. He gave me a hug and had me stay until I was ok. Very warm and caring. Dr. T allowed us to do IUI even though he thought we should have started right with IVF but we can’t afford IVF

He will listen to you so if you have questions, write them down and ask to speak to him

He is very kind and listens to me

We have tried 3 rounds of IUI using Ferma and then a trigger shot. I have had a mature egg all 3 months and my husband also had good numbers. The procedures didn’t work. We will try my next cycle for the final time and then sit down with him and come up with a new plan if it doesn’t work

Lucinda is my favorite nurse. She remembers my story and is very kind and always makes me feel comfortable

The office is very clean and they have a friendly staff. They are very helpful and approachable. They also explain everything in great detail and they never leave a question unanswered. I would definitely recommend this office to anyone struggling with infertility

We only have to pay $65 for a copay when we go

Good experience. He walked me through miscarrying twins (a month apart) with compassion and helped me figure out next steps when it was time.

The clinic may not be the most Luxurious in terms of furnishings but I felt like I received excellent care.

He cared about my treatment. When we switched REs we interviewed several - the doctor at RMG (who is no longer there) was the only one to have actually read my file before he sat down with me and thus was able to answer my questions and help me make informed decisions. When I was transfered to Dr. T's care he also read my file and was prepared when he met with me.

Cindy is a plain speaking, get it done kind of woman. She is in charge of special services (donor eggs and surrogates) and knows how to juggle all of the different balls it takes to get these things done. She may not be warm and fuzzy all the time, but sometimes just getting things moving is more important.

When you are doing special services, sometimes there is a hiccup between the special services team and the IVF team. However the special services team will get it done. the results were worth the drive from Gainesville - we are now working on #2!

He wasn't a very good listener. He was only telling me what he wanted to do vs what options I knew existed I had to argue with him to agree to the treatment plan that I thought would be best. He reluctantly agreed and my plan was less expensive and was successful.

Speak up for yourself, be your own advocate and do your research

He would tell me what I needed to do vs listening to what I knew that needed to be done.

Clomid- to get more eggs to be produced- unsuccessful Ovulation predictors/kits- helped times intercourse. That helped. Fibroid removal-to stop recurring miscarriages and help sustain pregnancies. Successfully got pregnant

They were warm and welcoming. Some were a little cold but that was a minority.

Communication was good. Just don't be afraid to speak up for yourself if you don't agree with something say so. If you need to reevaluate something or look at other options say so. They have several clinic locations so that is a positive. When you arrive you will still have to wait a while so be prepared to do so. But don't be afraid to speak up. Many are helpful but one size doesn't always fit all when it comes to these situations. Most places are trial and error until they find out what works.

N/a

DR T has a great personality. He loves to smile and joke around. He gives brief descriptions and only explains things in detail when he you press him for more details. I enjoyed working with Dr T because I felt as though he was very knowledgeable and talented. I had 12 fibroids inside my Uterus and he performed surgery to remove them in a way to preserve my ability to have children. He also removed a polyp. I have taken all his advise and am currently waiting for response from the Genetics testing on our one embryo.

Trust his advise.

Strengths: years of experience, great suggestions. Weakness: The office is not great at explaining the next steps. They use a portal to communicate and if you want to talk to a nurse and ask questions you have to leave a voicemail and wait for a response.

He has a strong preference for eSET.

He’s been honest with us from the start. Let us know our options with or without fertility treatment. He’s very encouraging and it makes this process much easier. I like that he gets excited about the treatment because he obviously believes he can help us grow our family!

He has always been prepared with our history when we have our consultations as if he remembers our last conversation which I know is difficult with how many couples he sees.

Office staff is nice and welcoming a very organized, they have a lot of reading materials for every step of the way. So far things have been great. We had a bit of a hiccup with insurance but that’s not the offices fault

He really took the time to explain everything. He also explained each process and how it will would work. I would recommend him to any friends or family going through infertility. He shows great compassion and lets me know that I’m going to have a baby!

Just listen to him and he is very knowledgeable and he’s been doing this for many years. Just trust him!

He took the time to explain everything to my husband and I. He came up with a plan and let me know what we have to do. He always listens to my concerns I had.

We started using Ferma 2.5 and Ovidrel shot. We have had 2 IUI’s and we didn’t become pregnant with either IUI. Just going to see what we should do next.

I have talked to Heather a few times through email and phone calls and she has been wonderful. She explains everything everything and listens to all my questions and concerns.

Just be patient when trying to get through on the phone. If a tech can’t answer your questions.Please always ask for the nurse to answer your questions. The stuff is always working, but can always take time to answer and questions or concerns you have. The nurses explain in great detail in emails they responses to.

Consultant $285 x2 , two dye test $2700 and sonograms 5 at $775 and lab work it cost of 5,000 etc that we have spent.

I leave it up to the doctor what is best. He knows what works and doesn’t work.

Dr. T is great! I always feel well informed and that he cares for his patients. He has taken the time to talk to use and really explain our options. We have been able to make informed decisions and always feel like we are supported

He is the best.

I love everything about this clinic

During our IVF we used the antagonist protocol. After PGS testing none of our embryos were compatible with life

The only weakness in the clinic is that it takes them a while to return phone calls. I am dealing with the special services department and won't hear back for days. Other than that we are very happy with all the services that we recieve

Dr. T will only transfer 1