This review reflects my experience with Dr. Susan L. Treiser only, not RMA as a whole. While her credentials appear impressive, my experience with her care was deeply distressing and, in my opinion, contributed to a failed egg retrieval.
At 44 with low AMH and diminished ovarian reserve, I was undergoing my fourth of five egg retrieval cycles. This cycle showed my strongest response to stimulation, and maximizing egg yield was critical because I had only one embryo.
Problems began immediately before the procedure. While prepped, Dr. Treiser approached my bedside and stated I did not have a chaperone. I explained I am single with no local support. Prior physicians had allowed discharge after two hours with a signed AMA form. Her approach felt combative and disingenuous because she did not appear genuinely concerned about my post-procedure safety and was instead focused on criticizing the absence of a support person. She chastised me, “You don’t have ANY friends? There’s NO ONE who can come to get you?” She suggested coworkers or neighbors, recounted her own experience requiring a chaperone after medical procedures, and ultimately refused the AMA option, saying dismissively, “We will need to cancel the cycle.”
Being questioned publicly and repeatedly about my lack of a support person was humiliating. Raising cancellation at that moment—after full preparation, daily cycle monitoring, medications, and financial cost—was outrageous, especially given my age and limited reproductive opportunities. I had to explain and defend that I manage major medical and life events independently. This interaction reflected poor judgment and insensitivity to the realities faced by some fertility patients, making an already difficult process even harder.
I agreed to pay $200 for a medical transport so the procedure could continue. After this, Dr. Treiser disappeared for nearly 40 minutes. I had already been waiting in the prep area for over an hour and became worried that the optimal retrieval window after my trigger shot had passed.
Then, the anesthesiologist, Dr. Chopra, came in and questioned me about transportation, asking, “Are you really going to pay for the medical transport?” Her questions seemed to stem from Dr. Treiser’s earlier fixation on the issue, and the implication that I might be dishonest in order to complete the egg retrieval added unnecessary stress at a vulnerable moment.
When I was finally wheeled into the OR, Dr. Treiser was not present and anesthesia began. I woke in recovery to a board showing “0,” and she appeared to inform me all follicles were empty.
Of the five egg retrievals I completed at RMA, this was the ONLY failed cycle, despite being the one with the highest response to stimulation, and the only cycle in which pre-procedure distress and delays occurred. Whether an appropriate intervention was missed, an inappropriate action occurred, or if emotional stress contributed to premature ovulation remains unknown. These are deeply troubling questions for any patient to be left with.
I ultimately went on to have pregnancy success with RMA and am grateful to other staff I encountered. I waited until after my pregnancy to write this review, as the failed retrieval was profoundly traumatic.
Based on my experience, I would not entrust my care to Dr. Treiser and caution other fertility patients to find another provider. I also recommend RMA ensure more than one physician is available for retrievals, as Dr. Treiser was the only doctor on site during my procedure leaving no alternative option.