Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

Hi, I know a while back some ladies had recommended Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio to me. Can anyone give me any personal experience with them?

Specifically, does anyone know how they are with Male Infertility and retrieval? - OR - a better recommendation?

I'm doing some calling but am nervous.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I've seen both doctors. I was not happy with Dr. Brenner. I would definetely recommend Dr. Tortoriello. He is very caring, on top of being a good doctor. Good luck!

Message edited 7/19/2011 5:43:04 PM.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

Hi,

I do not know Dr. Brenner but am a patient of Dr. Tortoriello. I can't recommend him enough. He is amazing and has gotten this 44 year old pregnant twice...albeit a m/c and a chemical. He also does each and every u/s, ET and ER unless for some reason he is not around which has never happened to me. You can get a taste of who he is by following him on the SIRM East message boards:

http://forums.haveababy.com/

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I've been patients of both as well. Dr. Brenner goes by the book, doesn't think outside the box, and I think I wasted 5 years with him. Dr. T did 2 retrievals and transfers for me while I was a patient of Dr. Braverman. I LOVE Dr. T. He is knowledgeable, kind, patient, sweet, funny, AND got a ton more eggs out of my ovaries than Dr. K (who is at LIIVF with Dr. Brenner) "Sorry I couldn't get to your left ovary" (BS!) I wish I could cycle with SIRM, but I couldn't get into the city for monitoring.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I would not recommend Brenner due to my personal experience.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

Ohhh no I made an appointment with Dr. Brenner and now I definitely feel like I jumped the gun and made a mistake. I have to say, even the process of getting an appointment was terrible. She put me on hold literally every 3 seconds to the point where it was comical. Just that alone took 45 minutes and I'm not exaggerating.

Maybe I should cancel and try Dr. T....

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

Dr. Brenner got me pregnant and I had a great experience at LI ivf...I have posted about this before and have a 3 month old daughter..

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I have had a good experience so far with Dr. Brenner. He is smart and made us very comfortable. Dont let opinions on here scare you- go with an open mind and make your own decision. I have been happy and I feel good going into my next cycle with him. Please FM me with any questions at all.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I used Dr. Brenner and then switched to Dr. Braverman with Dr. T doing the retrieval and transfer. The others are right. Dr. Braverman/Dr. T are much better than LI-IVF. Got pregnant first try with them. LI-IVF wasted my time with no answers and three BFNs.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

IMHO, i dont think getting pg on the first shot is indicative of it being a good doctor/practice. Sometimes it is luck.
I am a pateient of Dr brenners and have done 2 iuis so far. The office/staff is WONDERFUL. Unfortunately Ive been to many doctors and this office is so unbelievably professional and efficient. Dr Brenner is compassioante but he doesnt hand hold. He tells you the facts. And him going by the book is oftentimes to avoid the risk of multiples and many other pg complications. I cant speak to anyone else's experience but I can say that so far LIIVF has been a great experience. We are dealing with male if. He cant do much for DH (a urologist normally would do that) but he clearly laid out all my options and allowed me to make the decision.

I want to add that wait time is a breeze. I am in and out sometimes in 15 minutes for blood work and sonograms... They start at 6:30 am so lateness is never an issue... also I have NEVER had to make a follow up call for blood results.The nurse calls me and i receive my blood results by 12 pm the same day every time. In addition, Dr Brenner calls me after all procedures to review the results and next course of action. I always feel informed and in control of the process.

HTH, good luck!!

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

i think no matter which dr you choose, you will find people who like them and people who don't.

i recommend making several consultations and seeing who you like the best.

i went to LI IVF and had a very positive experience.

good luck!

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I would like to clarify my post. I agree that sometimes it really boils down to a numbers game... i truly believe in my case i was bound to wind up pregnant, it was just at what cost and how much time. That being said, I believe I was succesful the first time with Dr. T for many reasons, one his lab it is just superior than the lab I was previously at, two, he changed my protocol (obviously to the right one for me, where in the past my doctor pretty much stayed the course, three, he monitored me very closely throughout the entire cycle, four, he paid attention, to me, my case, my history, the meds I was on, when and where I was in my cycle, which for my other doctor seemed impossible. five, he was smart, attentive and kind without trying to be my bff and hold my hand, which is exactly what I wanted and needed.

To the OP, everyone here is going to obviously love the doctor that got THEM pregnant. Choosing a doctor is one of, if not THE MOST imortant decision you will make in this process. Don't be rushed, and try to not to let a board of strangers, lol influence your decision too much.

Best advice I can give you is look up the stats on sart, make consults for the top 3 best clinics you can afford, ask a lot of questions, bring paper to write down the answers, chances are you will forget half of what he said an hour after you left. Go home and talk it out with your DH who you feel is best for you. It could also be trial and error. If you start off with a certain doctor do not feel you have to stay with him for yearssssssss, like i did. I didn't want to hurt anyones feelings. BS! This is your life and your family, do what is best for you,,, if you do not like him or his office for whatever reason and you feel it best to try a cycle with another doctor, make another appointment somewhere else.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU i know the process seems overwhelming but you will get thru this. and we are all here to help u !

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

You got some great advice. I wish there was a like button. Basically...the two pieces of advice I would echo...go and do consultations with more than one doctor and second, do not feel compelled to stay with a particular doctor just because "most" people like him and others have found success with him/her. It's all about what a particular doctor is doing for you and how YOU feel about a Dr. If something feels off...get out of there!!

In addition..I just feel compelled to say whenever I see someone post the stats that Braverman has...that those were SIRM-NY stats...stats under Dr. Tortoriello. Braverman sent patients to Dr. T to do his ER's and ET's...so some of Dr.T's stats are from Braverman patients that were seen by Dr. T...but most are Dr. T's stats. Which brings up another good point...it does not matter one bit how good a Dr. is if his/her lab is not a good one. Good follies can become crap in the hands of the wrong lab. Wherever you go...make sure the place has a great lab.

Re: Dr. Brenner or Dr. Tortortellio? Any other?

I am sure that Dr. Braverman and Dr. T are great doctors and I also think that what doctor you see should partially depend on your condition. Yes, Dr. Brenner is a "by the book" kind of doctor... But I deal with male IF, like the OP, and fortunately, his by the book nature works for me. It might not for someone with unexplained IF. He has been willing to change up meds for me this cycle, since I didn't respond well last time, so he is willing to budge a bit.

I agree that the OP should go for consults until she feels that she found the right RE. Everyone has different needs and expectations and will therefore have different experiences.

Take your time choosing- a consult isn't a committment, so I think you should keep the appointment with Dr. Brenner. It can't hurt and you might really like him.