Dr. Royster has a calm demeanor and I have never felt rushed out of his office...maintained professional conduct and explanations of each treatment or procedure...did not feel confident the doctor remembered all relevant information to our case...do feel confident in his surgical abilities and his swiftness to see me during a missed miscarriage (unassisted pregnancy)...produced 15 eggs
The clinic [Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine] is clean and quiet...bathroom was always clean...check in process is quick and easy...plenty of seating in the waiting room to space out...Each appt was with a different nurse (at least 5 different nurses)...All but one nurse was efficient and skilled at blood draws. 1 particular nurse blew my vein twice. They were always kind. Some spoke to me more than others
How was your experience with Greene (Don) Royster at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Dr. Royster has a calm demeanor and I have never felt rushed out of his office. He has maintained professional conduct and explanations of each treatment or procedure I have undergone with him. I have personally disagreed with a couple of recommendations from him but I understand his clinical rationale for making them.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Greene (Don) Royster at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Ask as many questions as you need and if you ask for the medical research on the topic he will provide it.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Greene (Don) Royster at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Each appt was with a different nurse (at least 5 different nurses). I did not feel confident the doctor remembered all relevant information to our case at every appt. I do feel confident in his surgical abilities and his swiftness to see me during a missed miscarriage (unassisted pregnancy).
Describe the protocols Greene (Don) Royster used in your cycles at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
1 egg retrieval that included Gonal-F, Cetritide, and Meno Pur. The gonal-F dosage was adjusted a couple times throughout. I was seen in the office every 2-3 days to start then every other day the week of the retrieval. I am unsure why these particular medications were selected but they seemed effective for me since I produced 15 eggs (as viewed on ultrasound and as retrieved).
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine.
All but one nurse was efficient and skilled at blood draws. 1 particular nurse blew my vein twice. They were always kind. Some spoke to me more than others. They all often forgot to introduce themselves to me and did not always wear a name badge.
Describe your experience with Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine.
The clinic has paid parking (unless you are there more than 1 hour) or you can try to park on the street (but surrounding apartments make it difficult). The building is nice and quiet. The clinic is clean and quiet. The bathroom was always clean. The check in process is quick and easy. Even on busy days there is plenty of seating in the waiting room to space out. Some of the exam rooms are smaller than others but they always make space for both the patient and one other person. The front desk staff have always been professional. They are wonderful with directing calls to the accurate person and they responded so compassionately when I called to inform the doctor of our missed miscarriage (they immediately got the Dr to the phone once he was out of an exam room).
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine.
The clinic always asked what time in the mornings worked best. It was often the first appt they had for the day so there would be many people in the waiting room but we never waited more than 10 minutes to be taken back to our room. They were completed efficiently and as long as I didn’t have questions or need to learn how to use something new, the appointments were very quick.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Greene (Don) Royster at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Costs were explained up front according to our measly insurance coverage. We paid large sums up front which meant we were not billed or paying every visit. I thought I wouldn’t like that, but it actually helped make the appt’s a little less daunting. Egg retrieval ended up costing us somewhere around $10k out of pocket. However, we had plenty of appts prepaid after that and were able to use that for some of the procedures I later had with this doctor (d&c, laparoscopy). Medications were almost fully covered by insurance.
Describe Greene (Don) Royster's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr Royster and the office always state “one embryo one baby.” Safer for mom and baby.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Bloodwork showed high ANA titers and the nurse who called told me that if I get pregnant unassisted again it will likely result in a miscarriage. After speaking with the doctor, and scouring many medical research articles, I identified that is in fact not a valid statement.
I had a very positive experience and found him [Dr. Royster] to be very caring. He has a great bed-side manner and is soft-spoken. If I ever encountered a setback, he was able to explain things in a way that alleviated some of my concern...I think he has a very high emotional IQ because it seemed like he could read between the lines when I was struggling from the fertility treatments but not being forward about it
[Brooke Army Medical Center] Strengths - more affordable IVF than a private fertility clinic. Free IUIs. Kind doctors. The nurses are organized and knowledgeable. Doctors provide realistic expectations and provide stats on success rates ahead of time based on each patient’s medical situation. Weaknesses - sometimes labs aren’t put into the system but they correct it right away when you bring it to their attention. I didn’t like the 6 am lab draws but that was more of a hospital issue than an issue with the REI clinic.
How was your experience with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
I had a very positive experience and found him to be very caring. He has a great bed-side manner and is soft-spoken. If I ever encountered a setback, he was able to explain things in a way that alleviated some of my concern. The IVF process is inherently stressful so there would always be some degree of concern in my opinion. I never felt rushed in my visits with him which is somewhat unique in the realm of fertility clinics/doctors. My fresh embryo transfer was successful and he did a good job explaining every step of the process as the transfer was happening. l appreciate that I was given the option to use either progesterone suppositories or progesterone in oil injections. This made me feel like I had some choice in the whole IVF process. I also liked how during my attempts at IUI he immediately recognized that I would feel better on an alternative to Clomid. I think he has a very high emotional IQ because it seemed like he could read between the lines when I was struggling from the fertility treatments but not being forward about it (mostly because I had no reference point as to how much discomfort was normal because it varies by person and each transfer/treatment).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Write down questions ahead of time on your phone (notes section) so you don’t forget what you want to ask. Feel free to share your feelings throughout the process because he’s very kind.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
He was very kind and respectful when conveying information.
Describe the protocols Greene (Don) Royster used in your cycles at Brooke Army Medical Center and their degree of success.
We did a fresh embryo transfer with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) due to male factor infertility. It was successful. ICSI helps the sperm make it into the egg.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brooke Army Medical Center.
The nurses were very nice and helpful. They share in your joy and sadness.
Describe your experience with Brooke Army Medical Center.
Strengths - more affordable IVF than a private fertility clinic. Free IUIs. Kind doctors. The nurses are organized and knowledgeable. Doctors provide realistic expectations and provide stats on success rates ahead of time based on each patient’s medical situation.
Weaknesses - sometimes labs aren’t put into the system but they correct it right away when you bring it to their attention. I didn’t like the 6 am lab draws but that was more of a hospital issue than an issue with the REI clinic.
Describe Greene (Don) Royster's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brooke Army Medical Center.
I’m really glad he only transfers one embryo at a time because from my work in public education I’ve seen a lot of twins with learning disabilities from mild to severe.
What specific things went wrong at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Failed to order appropriate test
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Dr. Royster did not always show me the screen during ultrasound checks or explain what he was seeing. He didn’t explain my lab results or where he would like them to be. Dr. Royster was nice enough, but I don’t feel like he spent enough time explaining things. ... Dr. Royster did many of my follicle checks for two TI cycles and three IUI cycles, though he did not perform the actual IUIs himself. ... Be ready to do some Google research because things will not be explained well. ...
Clinic operates for military affiliated patients at a free/reduced cost. Very early morning labs required (by 6:00 AM) then sitting around for 1.5 hours for clinic to open to do follicle checks. Everything feels very rushed. ... IUI is free at Brooke Army Medical Center for eligible patients and IVF is significantly reduced. Medications are included free of charge for both through a grant program.
How was your experience with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Dr. Royster did not always show me the screen during ultrasound checks or explain what he was seeing. He didn’t explain my lab results or where he would like them to be. Dr. Royster was nice enough, but I don’t feel like he spent enough time explaining things.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Be ready to do some Google research because things will not be explained well.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Appointments felt very rushed.
Describe the protocols Greene (Don) Royster used in your cycles at Brooke Army Medical Center and their degree of success.
Dr. Royster did many of my follicle checks for two TI cycles and three IUI
cycles, though he did not perform the actual IUIs himself. He had me taking 7.5 mg letrozole CD 5-9 for the TI intercourse cycles, both unsuccessful. I did one IUI cycle with 7.5 mg letrozole CD 5-9 and two with letrozole 7.5 mg CD 5-9 and 75 units Follistim CD 10-13. All unsuccessful IUIs.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brooke Army Medical Center.
The nursing staff was fine. They were nice enough, but not overly nice. I did not have a lot of nurse interaction overall.
Describe your experience with Brooke Army Medical Center.
Clinic operates for military affiliated patients at a free/reduced cost. Very early morning labs required (by 6:00 AM) then sitting around for 1.5 hours for clinic to open to do follicle checks. Everything feels very rushed.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center.
IUI is free at Brooke Army Medical Center for eligible patients and IVF is significantly reduced. Medications are included free of charge for both through a grant program.
What specific things went wrong at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Failed to order appropriate test
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brooke Army Medical Center.
One morning I showed up for my labs before 6:00 AM and there were no orders in. I had to go sit in the clinic for an hour and half and wait for the nurse to arrive to put the order in.
He [Dr. Royster] is the most caring infertility doctor I have encountered. He was always more than willing to answer and fully explain his answers to any questions I had. He has a way of putting your mind at ease and it is easy to trust him...the time limit you have with him at your monitoring appointments is not his choice. Schedule a one on one and let him know you need more time to answer questions or concerns.
Monitoring appointments are very much like a cattle call. Everyone for that day is told to be there at the same time for labs and then you sit in the waiting room [at Brooke Army Medical Center] to be called back 3 at a time for monitoring....Nurses are amazing! I always felt like they were just as invested in our infertility journey as we were....The clinic has a very rushed feeling. Be prepared to be there REALLY early on monitoring days and know you will only have a few minutes with the doctor to discuss results. When you call the clinic you you will have to leave a message on the answering service which is frustrating but they are very good about calling you back before the end of the day.
How was your experience with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
He is the most caring infertility doctor I have encountered. He was always more than willing to answer and fully explain his answers to any questions I had. He has a way of putting your mind at ease and it is easy to trust him.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Understand that the time limit you have with him at your monitoring appointments is not his choice. Schedule a one on one and let him know you need more time to answer questions or concerns.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
He definitely knows how to treat you like a human but unfortunately the clinic pushes so many patients through at a time you become just a number.
Describe the protocols Greene (Don) Royster used in your cycles at Brooke Army Medical Center and their degree of success.
We used Lupron, Menopur, and Follistim for stims. Ovidrel for egg release and PIO for transfer.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Nurses are amazing! I always felt like they were just as invested in our infertility journey as we were.
Describe your experience with Brooke Army Medical Center.
The clinic has a very rushed feeling. Be prepared to be there REALLY early on monitoring days and know you will only have a few minutes with the doctor to discuss results. When you call the clinic you you will have to leave a message on the answering service which is frustrating but they are very good about calling you back before the end of the day.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Monitoring appointments are very much like a cattle call. Everyone for that day is told to be there at the same time for labs and then you sit in the waiting room to be called back 3 at a time for monitoring.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center.
IVF was $7000 including meds, IUI is free and no charge for meds.
What specific things went wrong at Brooke Army Medical Center?
He was the first REI specialist I saw so I was very worried and emotional about what he would say and find. My diagnosis was a shock and he was very empathetic and did not make me feel uncomfortable for crying. He has great bedside manner but also is very candid and knows his stuff ... He explained a ton of information slowly and in ways I could understand, and made sure I didnt have any questions before moving on.
Weakness: [Brooke Army Medical Center] only does ivf 3 times a year, bmi to do IVF is 30 which is lower than most clinics ... Strengths: great team who knows their stuff and will work with you and use any resource they can to get you to your goal. They understand how hard and emotional the process already is and they are there to make it as smooth as possible
How was your experience with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
He was the first REI specialist I saw so I was very worried and emotional about what he would say and find. My diagnosis was a shock and he was very empathetic and did not make me feel uncomfortable for crying. He has great bedside manner but also is very candid and knows his stuff
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
Dont be afraid to ask questions or be scared to cry in front of a man. He wont make you feel uncomfortable about it
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center?
He explained a ton of information slowly and in ways I could understand, and made sure I didnt have any questions before moving on.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Great communicators good at getting back to you and answering questions. Very friendly
Describe your experience with Brooke Army Medical Center.
Strengths: great team who knows their stuff and will work with you and use any resource they can to get you to your goal. They understand how hard and emotional the process already is and they are there to make it as smooth as possible
Weakness: only does ivf 3 times a year, bmi to do IVF is 30 which is lower than most clinics
Describe the costs associated with your care under Greene (Don) Royster at Brooke Army Medical Center.
This clinic charges less than most we only paid about 7k