Rated 8.7
Strongly recommend: 57%Neutral: 43%8.7
57% strongly recommend
2 reviews
Humanity
10
10
Humanity

Ratings of 1 mean patients felt this doctor treated them as "a number."

Ratings of 10 mean patients felt this doctor treated them as "a human."

Communication
10
10
Communication

Ratings of 1 mean poor communication.

Ratings of 10 mean excellent communication.

Frequency Seen
6.8
6.8
Frequency Seen

Ratings of 1 mean patients only saw this doctor once or twice during treatment.

Ratings of 10 mean patients saw this doctor at every appointment.

Responsiveness
8
Good
Responsiveness

Scale is "poor, ok, good, excellent" and measures how responsive a care team was when patients needed to speak to them.

Education

Medical School
UCSD
Residency
Kaiser
Fellowship
UCLA

How Doctor Communicates

nurse available by email
doctor available by directline
doctor available by directline
doctor available by personal cell phone
doctor available by personal cell phone
Carrie Riestenberg works at

Coastal Fertility Specialists
Rated 7.8
Strongly recommend: 63%Neutral: 12%Don't recommend: 25%7.8

Explore Clinic
Lexington
4723 Sunset Boulevard, Suite C
Lexington, SC 29072
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9100 White Bluff Rd, Suite 201
Savannah, GA 31406
Summerville
342 Brighton Park Blvd.
Summerville, SC 29486
Mount Pleasant
1375 Hospital Drive
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Myrtle Beach
1115 48th Avenue North, Suite 122
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
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2 patient reviews

Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2021 - 2022, Successful
NPS
10
NPS
9
Age 38 - 39
1 IVF
Male Factor
East Asian
Income $200K - $499K
Accountant
1st of 2 Docs
2 IVF With Other Docs
Strongly Recommends
Strongly Recommends
Successful
Dr. Riestenberg had great bedside manners, she always took the time to answer all my questions. She answered my text messages with care and understanding, she made sure I understood exactly what was happening with my process. I felt cared for and in good hands under. Dr. Riestenberg...Whether I was concerned about the injection area, medical insurance, my FSH and etc. she always kept me calm with a solution and awareness.
RPMG Redondo Beach was a very busy clinic, you are assigned one Dr. but you do not always see your doctor during your visits. But they do their best to ensure that your Dr. will handle you retrieval, transfer or any other important surgeries. The staff are very nice, friendly and helpful. The only thing is that if you have any questions, you would have to leave a message for a nurse to get back to you, they always get back to you usually on the same day. Gina from the call-center is especially helpful, she always listens to your message and reiterate to the nurse instead of sending you straight to the nurses voicemail, I really appreciate that, plus she is so kind and nice!
How was your experience with Carrie Riestenberg at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
From day one, my husband and I was intrigued and very comfortable under Dr. Riestenberg's care. Even during our consultation, she took the time to draw out how the IVF processes works and was frank with us that IVF was the only factor for us to conceive children as our infertility was MFI specifically non obstructive azoospermia. Dr. Riestenberg was a new doctor at RPMG as the time we were a little skeptical to see her as we wanted someone with more experience but we do not regret our decision at all! Dr. Riestenberg had wonderful bed-side manners, I felt cared for and in good-hands under her guidance. She was able to answer all my questions and she even told me that if there is something bothering me at home and needed her attention to feel free to message her to ease my mind. Whether I was concerned about the injection area, medical insurance, my FSH and etc. she always kept me calm with a solution and awareness. I had two canceled cycles and 1 egg retrieval under Dr. Riestenberg, she canceled my cycles as I wasn't reacting well to the medication and believed that I can do better since I had a good AFC and AMH. For the cycle that we retrieved, I ended up with 14 eggs, 4 blastocysts and 2 Euploids. Today I am pregnant with one of the two euploids thanks to Dr. Riestenberg and also Dr. Ambartsumyan who completed the transfer (Dr. Riestenberg had moved to another state and and clinic by the time I did my transfer). We are forever grateful to Dr. Riestenberg and cannot wait to meet our child! Thank you so much!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carrie Riestenberg at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
Dr. Riestenberg had great bedside manners, she always took the time to answer all my questions. She answered my text messages with care and understanding, she made sure I understood exactly what was happening with my process. I felt cared for and in good hands under. Dr. Riestenberg.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
The nursing staff was very helpful, they were able to answer all my questions on the same day whenever I had them. If they weren't able to answer me, they would ask the Dr. in charge for the day and get back to me with the answer. The nursing staff was quite large at RPMG about 15 to 20 including the admin/billing staff. I enjoyed the IVF calendars and injection instructions that the nurses provided, it was truly helpful! My favorite nurse at RPMG is Fara, she treats you with respect, so personable and understanding, she was so supportive of my journey, made me feel so welcomed and cared for.
Describe your experience with Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
RPMG Redondo Beach was a very busy clinic, you are assigned one Dr. but you do not always see your doctor during your visits. But they do their best to ensure that your Dr. will handle you retrieval, transfer or any other important surgeries. The staff are very nice, friendly and helpful. The only thing is that if you have any questions, you would have to leave a message for a nurse to get back to you, they always get back to you usually on the same day. Gina from the call-center is especially helpful, she always listens to your message and reiterate to the nurse instead of sending you straight to the nurses voicemail, I really appreciate that, plus she is so kind and nice!
10
Doctor
Carrie Riestenberg
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
3 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
5 of 5
Adaptability
4 of 5
9
Clinic
Reproductive Partners Medical Group
Redondo Beach
NPS
Operations
5 of 5
Scheduling
5 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
5 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
4 of 5
Educational Resources
7 of 5
Verified
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2020 - 2021, Unsuccessful
NPS
7
NPS
6
Age 37 - 38
2 IVF
Endometriosis
Male Factor
East Asian
Income $200K - $499K
1st of 2 Docs
Neutral
Doesn't Recommend
Unsuccessful
[Dr. Reistenberg] was very data-driven and very textbook in her treatments...We initially got diagnosed with male factor, as my husband had low sperm count, mobility and motility. Dr Riestenberg suggested doing ICSI...When it came time for transfer, [she] did not believe in many of the tests that I had heard about and wanted to try (ERA, Alice, Emma, ReceptivaDx, natural killer cell testing and immunological testing)...
Most appointments I would wait about an hour before getting seen [at Reproductive Partners Medical Group]....If your physician is not present at the day of your appointment, you will be seen by one of their associates. The doctors there seem to have differing opinions about treatments...Overall, the nurses are not in sync with each other and can use a lot of organizational improvement...
How was your experience with Carrie Riestenberg at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
Dr Riestenberg was the newest physician to RPMG Redondo Beach when I was her patient. I took the earliest consultation available which was with her in October 2020. Initially I was happy with Dr Riestenberg as my RE because she was very kind, caring and took time to listen and answer all my questions. However as time passed after spending several months as her patient, I began to realize how her short experience affected how she practiced. She was very data-driven and very textbook in her treatments. I knew going into IVF, I wanted to do all the preventative/preparation/mock procedures to ensure the best success for the first round. We initially got diagnosed with male factor, as my husband had low sperm count, mobility and motility. Dr Riestenberg suggested doing ICSI which we for sure wanted to do. I got 21 eggs retrieved but only 1 made it to blast stage, which was incredibly disappointing. I wanted to do a second round to bank more embryos and asked how we can achieve better results. My husband researched Zymot and I brought it up to Dr Riestenberg. She brought it up to the lab director but said PICSI was better for us in being even more selective with the sperm. It did result in much better results, retrieving 28 eggs and 6 making it to blast. It did make me wonder why she did not suggest PICSI to us in the first round since she knew we were dealing with male factor. When it came time for transfer, Dr Riestenberg did not believe in many of the tests that I had heard about and wanted to try (ERA, Alice, Emma, ReceptivaDx, natural killer cell testing and immunological testing). She said that the only procedure she recommended for me prior to transferring was a hysteroscopy, which we did that came out normal. We proceeded with a modified natural cycle which failed. This resulted in the loss of my only female embryo which I cannot describe how painful that was. Dr Riestenberg chalked it up to just not having luck on our side that time and said that there's a high amount of success after 3 euploid transfers and suggested doing the exact same protocol for the second attempt. We did that and second transfer failed as well. After this, she still thought a 3rd attempt wouldn't be a bad idea but I was adamant that something needed to change at this point. She suggested either a laparoscopy to look for silent endometriosis, which was she said was more clinically proven than doing a ReceptivaDx biopsy. I opted for the biopsy and wanted to do an ERA at the same time. Results came back as positive for high levels BCL6 which suggested silent endometriosis. The treatment she suggested for that was either 2 months of Lupron Depot or 2 months of birth control. I started on the birth control but after 3 weeks I decided to switch to a different clinic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carrie Riestenberg at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
If you feel strongly about doing certain testing, push for it as she will most likely be skeptical of it if there is not much data supporting it.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carrie Riestenberg at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
Dr Riestenberg is great at answering all questions in a kind, caring and thorough manner.
Describe the protocols Carrie Riestenberg used in your cycles at Reproductive Partners Medical Group and their degree of success.
For my first stim cycle, I primed with Estrace then was on 2 vials of Menopur and 300 IU of Gonal-F daily until trigger. I triggered with Lupron and Cetrotide. 21 eggs were retrieved with my first cycle but only 1 embryo made it to blast stage. For my second stim cycle, we followed the same protocol but added Omnitrope to the priming stage and continued until trigger. That round yielded 28 eggs and 6 made it to blast. For the transfer cycles, we used a modified natural which meant I was not on any meds during my follicular phase. I was monitored every few days and triggered with HCG when the dominant follicle became large enough. Then I started on 1mL of progesterone in oil until the transfer and until blood HCG test. I did this transfer protocol twice and both times resulted in a negative pregnancy test.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
The nursing staff all have their own ways of doing things and that can cause a lot of confusion for the patients. For example, some nurses provided a detailed calendar of my protocol however when something needed to be shifted, another nurse would replace that calendar with Word-doc-like written instructions. Another nurse didn't provide documentation at all and only told me verbally. There was a time when I did not switch to the proper dose of a medication because a nurse did not inform me on time. One nurse told me that all patients must have hysteroscopies before transfers while another nurse told me they are optional and up to the patient. Overall, the nurses are not in sync with each other and can use a lot of organizational improvement.
Describe your experience with Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
There is always a long wait at this clinic. Most appointments I would wait about an hour before getting seen. People's time are valuable and I think its disrespectful to constantly make your patients wait that long. They should not be overbooking or taking on new patients if they can't even handle their current load. If your physician is not present at the day of your appointment, you will be seen by one of their associates. The doctors there seem to have differing opinions about treatments.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Carrie Riestenberg at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
Even with my insurance, there were many out of pocket expenses. I paid about $16K out of pocket for two stim cycles and two transfer cycles. Expenses included medication, anesthesia, surgical facility fee, PGS testing and testing (Receptiva and Igenomix).
Describe Carrie Riestenberg's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Reproductive Partners Medical Group.
Dr Riestenberg was a big supporter of only transferring one euploid embryo per transfer and I agreed with her in this regard.
What specific things went wrong at Reproductive Partners Medical Group?
  • Provided conflicting information
  • Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
7
Doctor
Carrie Riestenberg
NPS
Humanity
5 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
4 of 5
Trustworthiness
5 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
4 of 5
Adaptability
4 of 5
6
Clinic
Reproductive Partners Medical Group
Redondo Beach
NPS
Operations
3 of 5
Scheduling
4 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
3 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
4 of 5
Educational Resources
5 of 5

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