Hanabusa IVF

There are many emotions that come with the fertility process. Having fertility difficulties and can be a sensitive topic and at times you feel hopeless. But, the team at Hanabusa Fertility clinic helps encourage you and understands the importance of the process. They are empathetic to your emotions, they are with you every step of the way, and take your success or difficulties to heart.

The staff and Dr. Chang greet you by name and remember details about your care that makes you feel important. From the front office receptionists, nursing staff, and embryologists, they are all there to serve you and help make your treatment as seamless as possible.

My care coordinator provided specific details of my plan of care after each office visit and after my lab results were assessed. She would provide specific medication dosages and details of when to take these. The only trouble I had was one instance of miscommunication. I needed a medication to be ordered from a specialty pharmacy, and it was not placed. However, the mistake was quickly corrected in a timely manner.

I was referred to Dr. Chang at Hanabusa Fertility Clinic after finding out that I had a low AMH level indicating low ovarian reserve. This news was heart breaking, as I was only 30 years old. My husband and I tried IUI treatments, without success for a few years. We finally met with Dr. Chang and his team to discuss our options. He spent time with us, discussing those options and reviewing my health history to assess for potential difficulties. He helped ease our minds about the IVF process, and we decided to move forward with the egg retrieval process. Dr. Chang understands that each patient is unique, therefore he has developed a patient-driven clinic that is far from cookie-cutter.

Dr. Chang and his team are very willing to give you time in person, via email, or on the phone to discuss any questions or concerns. Use that to gain as much knowledge and ask as many questions as you can to help you decide what treatment route to take.

Due to my low AMH levels, I had to have a low-stimulation IVF cycle. This meant that Dr. Chang would monitor me with blood work and ultrasounds every 2 days to ensure that the medication dosages were correct. He would make changes to increase or decrease certain medications dependent upon lab results. His team of nurses would then communicate with me via email to make a specific detailed itinerary of when to take certain meds and at what dosage. Very specific to my body and cycle.

I did my research before choosing Hanabusa, and realized that their prices/costs seemed to be in line with other facilities. They are very clear about the costs for each specific procedure, so there are no hidden fees or surprise costs that arise.

My husband and I never made it to the transfer process. However, Dr. Chang did discuss that he prefers eSET vs multiple embryo transfers to decrease chances of one embryo degenerating and taking the other one with it.

The clinic overall is great! It's modern and welcoming. The receptionists are fantastic - even complementary coffee and/or tea while you wait. There is plenty of free parking and easy access to the clinic off the highway.

Dr. Chang has an incredible bedside manner. He's caring and you truly feel that he wants the best for you.

The nursing staff is great at Hanabusa! They area always gentle and supportive, always patient with answering any questions we have. The only minor critique would be that in communicating with nurses via email, sometimes I think they assumed that Dr. Chang was getting information on an email thread, but I don't think he really did. Or it went un-noticed by Dr. Chang as I'm sure he's bombarded with emails. I think any follow up information that needs Dr. Chang to take action on should be communicated differently to ensure he receives the information. That only occurred once, but I find that there can be some minor miscommunication via emails. I think calling or making a follow up appointment with Dr. Chang is more effective way to ensure all follow up questions are answered as he is more than happy to sit down with you. But overall, everything usually is great!

Dr. Chang is very personable and always greeted us warmly. He was gentle and thorough at our appointments and always answered all of our questions. My husband and I truly trust Dr. Chang's expertise as I know he is a leader in the field with MiniIVF. One of the big differences I hear from others, when I describe my experience with Dr. Chang, is that he customizes your protocol throughout your cycle and adjusts it depending on how your follicles are responding. Where as other clinics will put you on a pre-determined protocol. You're truly getting individualized treatment.

MiniIVF is unique and although it's cheaper than traditional IVF, you're more likely to have to do multiple cycles. That's why it's better, in our opinion, to do this approach when you're older and have DOR. The focus is on quality, not quantity of eggs. So you might only get a few per cycle but it increases your odds to potentially get a 'normal' embryo.

As mentioned previously, he individualizes each protocol for each person. But typically, I would start on birth control to suppress and then come in for monitoring on day 3 of my period. If all looked good (follicles and hormone levels from blood tests) then we would proceed with usually clomid and gonal F. As another reviewer mentioned, yes there were many times when a cycle didn't look like a good start, so we had to skip it. But with miniIVF, the beauty is that you can try to start again the next month with your cycle. So you have to be patient. We are still going through the process and have one PGS normal embryo so far - fingers crossed we get at least one more!

Costs for egg retrevials are dependent upon how many eggs Dr. Chang retrieves - varies but around $6500 I think. Typical cycle with monitoring appointments ran around 12k. Billing is ala cart - you only pay as you go for what you need. So it's easy to cancel a cycle because you didn't pay anything up front. Know that medications are determined at each monitoring appointment, so you can't order medications ahead of time. He'll only order what you need until the next monitoring and you can pick it up that day.

Although we have not progressed to the point of transferring the embryos yet, Dr. Chang has recommended transferring 1 embryo at a time. For us, I think that is the best approach as it allows us for multiple opportunities for a successful transfer.

Small staff means everything is tightly controlled. Dr Chang is personally involved in every step, which I loved. I felt all the way like they cared about me personally. Clinic seems to be state of the art. Also, they charge for IVF by steps, rather than in one global payment, so it ends up being cheaper than other clinics I encountered.

Dr Chang deeply cares about his patients. He is always prepared for our meetings, and is extremely transparent about his thinking. It's very clear that he takes ever success and failure very personally.

Generally very sweet and caring nursing staff. I had a couple of bumps in the road when one NP read my record wrong and said I had an abnormal pap, and one time an incorrect dose of meds was called in to the pharmacy (or the pharmacy messed up the order). But generally they are really on top of things.

The thing I love about Dr Chang, as compared to other doctors I've had, is that he has been completely transparent with us each step of the way, formed theories about what might be going on, and explained those clearly each step of the way. It also appeals to me that he does not blindly want to medicate you, but rather wants to determine the minimal course of action that will lead to the desired result. Dr Chang believes that your body knows best, and I love that about him. He is also far more transparent about the probability of making a normal embryo for a woman my age than my previous docs, so that the expectations were set more realistically. Finally, he takes your success or failure personally. It's clear that he deeply cares about his patients.

Ask questions - he welcomes them.

Mini IVF - clomid and gonal F only.

About $10,000 per cycle so far

The clinic tailor's the treatment according to each patient. I had talked to another patient (who is my acupuncturist) & realized her treatment was different. This was assuring and satisfying. Elizabeth & Laura who are at the front desk provide excellent customer interaction and care. Effie - Finance lady once charged me $4900 for IVF cycle even though they had retrieved 3 eggs. The actual price would have been approx $5900. In addition, she send me research paperwork and gave me insight into a product. Words alone would never capture my sincerest gratitude and caring staff

Dr Chang and his staff are truly kind and genuinely caring and warm. They have always remembered my name. Unlike other clinics they would recall me by my chart #.

They were all kind and warm in every interaction with each one of them.

More than being a professional, Dr. Chang is an extraordinary human being. Strengths: Caring, Willing to try out different plans each time, knowledgeable in that he will always inform me of the best options & give me a suggestion. He has once humbly admitted a mistake in the timing of a failed retrieval in which I ovulated early. That did truly touch me. He even asked the finance lady not to charge me for that visit. Who does that?? Weakness: I have not noticed any.

Listen to the doctor at all times and ask as many questions as he truly does listen

He used the mini IVF with minimal drugs 1) 1st treatment: Clomid (50mg), Gonal F 150IU & Lupron - 6 eggs retrieved and none progressed to blastocyst 2rd treatment: Clomid (100mg) & Ovidrel - Ovulated same day I was scheduled for a retrieval 3rd treatment: Clomid (100mg) & Ovidrel - Ovulated 10 minutes before my scheduled retrieval. However, they performed IUI. Negative pregnancy result 4th treatment: Gonal F 150 (2 times) & 225IU (once), Cetrotide 0.25 mg & Ovidrel 250 mcg - 3 eggs retrieved and none progressed to blastocyst again

I always love monitoring as I am able to see the progression of my follicles

Blood work & Ultrasound monitoring = $ 400 per visit IVF cycle (local anesthesia, frozen donor sperm, ICSI, culture to blastocyst & freeze) = approx $12,800 Initial Consultation = $250

I have not reached that stage yet nor had the conversation with the doctor regarding eSET vs. multiple embryo tansfer

I have nothing but nice things to say about my doctor, the staff, and the clinic as a whole. The clinic itself is located in beautiful San Diego and it is very modern and clean. It is very nice in appearance & quite comfortable as well (always soothing music playing in the background, etc.) I never feel weird walking into the clinic & the staff are actually quite a joy to talk to. It sounds strange, but I look forward to saying hello to them each time. All staff (doctor, nurse, embryology team, admin., finance) are all very helpful & super friendly. They always have a smile on their faces, even though I'm sure they are exhausted from the level of work they do! I hope they know how appreciated they all are.

Dr. Chang has wonderful bedside manner & explains all treatment plans in detail. He is incredibly knowledgable, but still simplifies for patients who may not have a strong medical background. He is personable & empathetic towards his patients' needs (without pitying them, of course). You can tell he genuinely cares about your success.

The nursing staff at Hanabusa IVF are incredible. They are utterly dedicated to your care & they work tirelessly to email your lab test results, set up egg retrieval appointments, etc. I have tests nearly every week and I know there are many other patients in the same situation, so the nurse are doing A LOT of follow up work! I sincerely appreciate all of the work they and the doctor put in. It doesn't go unnoticed! I see food & gifts patients have brought them and it's no surprise because they are all so wonderful.

Dr. Lyndon Chang is a wonderful doctor. He knows what he is talking about & is very effective in his communication with his patients & staff. He takes the time to answer questions, even though he is a busy man. He is very sincere & genuine, with a great attention to detail. He works with great precision completing egg retrievals, ultrasounds, medication schedules... he does it all! I appreciate the time he takes to handle my very complex fertility situation.

My advice for a prospective patient of Dr. Chang's would be to come prepared with all of your former treatment notes, lab results, & goals/aspirations to your initial consultation. This will allow the doctor to get a clear picture of what your situation is so that he can formulate the best care plan for you. He will make his own assessments of course, but the more info. you prepare in advance, the better for all parties! At Dr. Chang's clinic, you will be treated better than most all other clinics you will attempt to visit first. Not only that, you will also likely have more successful treatment with Dr. Chang as well. He & his entire staff are extremely dedicated to a high level of care for the patients. They all deserve huge rewards for their continued efforts!

I have been treated mostly with bio-identical hormones (estrogen troche & vaginal progesterone pills), but I also take Ovidrel, Cetrotide, & Gonal F injectible medications to prepare me for an egg retrieval cycle. I have occasionally taken Clomid pills as well. I undergo routine bi-weekly blood tests to determine my hormone levels. After receiving those lab results, Dr. Chang emails me with my new treatment plan (he adjusts the dosages of the estrogen & progesterone) or he notifies me that an egg is growing & that I will need to prepare for an upcoming egg retrieval.

All of Dr. Chang's costs are very reasonable compared to what most all other IVF clinics will charge. He makes sure to keep costs low, especially for patients like me who will need to undergo several egg retrieval cycles. It's just another way that I can tell he cares. He even provided me with the name of several pharmacies in the area who sell my medications at the best prices. I appreciated this! Hanabusa IVF doesn't price gouging like so many other clinics do. Fertility struggles are already hardship enough for most people & they understand this very well :-)

I have not discussed multiple vs. single embryo transfers with my doctor yet as my fertility situation will only allow for a single embryo transfer anyway :-).

The clinic is only one year old, but it is already thriving. The staff is great and quite organized. However, because they got so busy so fast, communication became a little challenging. I think they have it squared away now, though.

Most of the time, Dr. Chang is amazing, returning emails promptly and calling me back even late into the night when I am confused or worried. He explain everything at great detail. However, after our 6th retrieval with him that failed miserably, we didn't get an email and it took several weeks to communicate with him. While it was a busy time (the holidays), we felt devastated and would have loved to have received an email or phone call regarding such a bad cycle. Following that cycle, he and I eventually talked and I relayed to him my disappointment regarding the lack of communication. He now replies to all of my emails and phone calls within a few hours. He gets it. :)

So patient. Very educated. Top notch service.

Dr. Chang is VERY knowledgeable. He is cutting edge. He is an out-of-the-box thinker and doctor. He takes some of the most difficult cases with woman such as me whose egg count is diminishing significantly and whose egg quality is not always the best and gives them hope. I was told to use donor eggs after our embryos didn't make it past day three during our first egg retrieval with another doctor. I found Dr. Chang, who uses a unique approach called "Mini IVF," which simply means less medication so as to coax out the eggs and not drown them with medicine. At first, it was tough, because each new cycle, Dr. Chang would check my hormone levels and follicles and if they weren't perfectly balancing each other, he didn't want to move ahead with the cycle. He taught me patience in that respect. But eventually, his methodical approach worked and we got two normal embryos after cycle 3 and 4. Following those cycles, we didn't have much success with retrievals 5, 6, and 7, all of which ended in abnormal embryos. While we had a few issues with communication with Dr. Chang from time to time, he eventually understood how important it is to me to promptly return my emails and calls. He provides thorough information and ensures I gain clarity.

Make sure you tell Dr. Chang how you best prefer to communicate and what works for you in regards to communication. He is an amazing doctor--so progressive. However, his clinic is getting busy, so it's really important that he knows you need very quick communication, if necessary.

With Mini IVF, you approach each cycle quite methodically. I often have a dominant follicle that is very quick to develop. So, at first, I hated cancelling a cycle, but I soon learned how to be more patient and wait for the "right" cycle, so that my dominant follicle didn't kill off all the rest. With each Mini IVF cycle, on day 4 or 5, you typically take Clomid. Then, around day 7 or 8, you begin taking low doses of Follistim. Ganirelix might be added around day 10 to avoid premature ovulation. But each cycle could be different. For example, I would sometimes start Follistim earlier, or take Clomid for less time. It just depends on how many follicles I have and what my hormone levels indicate. For Dr. Chang, it's a balancing act--one that requires patience and precision. I would trigger and 36 hours later go in for egg retrieval. Because Dr. Chang is San Diego, and I live in Los Angeles, I did all of my ultra sounds and blood work with Dr. Jain in Los Angeles, and he would fax the results down to Dr. Chang. It was a little tiring, because I'd often not get results back until later in the day. Nonetheless, come egg retrieval time, my fiance and I would drive down to San Diego the night before, get a hotel room, and then wake up the following morning for the procedure. During the procedure, I am completely awake. I don't take any medication, aside from a few IbuProfen. I am not medicated because Dr. Chang uses a very tiny needle to extract the eggs and has a unique method where you breath very deeply as he pulls out the eggs. Most of my procedures didn't hurt; however, for some of them, they were painful. But, I liked not being zapped out for the rest of the day, as you would if you were under normal anesthesia. As a result of such a unique method, one cycle one with Dr. Chang, we got 4 eggs. All fertilized and 2 made it to blast. They came back abnormal. Cycle #2, we got three eggs. 1 fertilized normally, and 1 abnormally. The other didn't fertilize. One made it to blast and came back PGS normal. One cycle #3, we got 4 eggs. All 4 fertilized and 2 made it to blast. One came back PGS normal. On cycle #4, 3 were retrieved, 2 fertilized, and only one made it to blast, which was abnormal. For cycle #5, we got 2 eggs and both fertilized; one made it to blast and was abnormal. On cycle #6, we retrieved 5 eggs, 3 fertilized, and none made it to blast.

I did outside monitoring at another office, since Dr. Chang was not in my area.

Because it's Mini IVF, it's less expensive. Nonetheless, we did 6 retrievals with them. They gave us a discount for doing so many cycles.

The clinic is a smaller one but regardless they try hard to support patient’s needs. It was at times challenging to communicate and get answers on time as we are doing outside monitoring elsewhere and located in another city. The clinic is very modern and the mini ivf egg retrieval is a big plus in its technology and with the doctor’s expertise. The clinic’s manager also tries very hard to solve issues and make improvements.

He is a warm, emphatic doctor, knowledgeable, and took time to communicate with us in a caring way.

It was great that they tried to answer my questions as soon as they could however at times I didn’t get a response quick enough, or follow-up when needed on issues, also a bit distracting to be communicating with various nurses over one cycle instead of one dedicated to my case.

He has years of experience in mini ivf, and helping women of different issues and ages. He shows support in terms of our care, and has a positive but realistic view on tough cases. He takes time to explain options when needed. At mini ivf egg retrieval surgery he has great bedside manner and makes the procedure as pain free and positive as he can.

Prepare for the emotional and financial hardship with ivf process.

Lowering fsh with birth control pill. Gonal f, cetrotide, ovidrel before egg retrieval. Letrozole before iui. No positive pregnancy results yet.

mini ivf procedure cost varies depending on egg retrieval medications for ivf less than general ivf

He suggests transferring one embryo unless they are mixed.

The clinic and facilities are quiet, tranquil, and very clean with easy parking. The staff are all very helpful and caring. You can tell that they are all rooting for your success. There are no weaknesses that I can think of.

Dr Chang always took the time to answer my questions and respond to them thoughtfully. He has a soothing and calm persona that I appreciate.

Helpful, nice, pleasant, caring

Dr Chang is knowledgeable and extremely intelligent. He is reasonable and open to modifying the treatment plan according to my wishes. He listens and is responsive to my questions and concerns. Treating another physician can often be difficult, but he has treated me fairly and compassionately. He is able to speak to me as a medical professional without condescension or judgement.

Be patient with the process- I’m still working on this myself

Dr Chang specializes in mini-IVF, so I took clomid and lower doses of gonal F the weeks leading up to egg retrieval. He was able to retrieve 5 eggs and 4 made it to PGS testing at day 5, unfortunately every embryo came back abnormal. Currently gearing up for my next round

Egg retrieval $6800; PGS testing $800 per embryo, lab draws $350 per draw, medications $1800, frozen transfer $3500; total for one cycle approximately $13500

In my experience, each and every person there has made an attempt to get to know me. They are willing to go above and beyond for me, and have really helped guide me throughout this entire process. The clinic is run very well, and they do a great job at keeping it a happy, yet calming environment.

The office staff and doctor would remember personal things about me every time I would come in. They were friendly and nice to me at every visit. When I had a miscarriage they cried with me.

They are all a wonderful bunch of people. They all know me by name, and they remember personal details about me every time I come in. They really started to feel like extended family.

Dr. Chang is a smart, and compassionate physician. He appears to love what he does. He took the time to talk to me, and consider me and my body in every decision we made, and did not try to put me in a "cookie cutter" plan that is used at other clinics.

I wish I would have seen him sooner, so my advice would be to start with him.

He did a mini IVF cycle. This worked for me with diminished ovarian reserve.

I do not remember the exact costs, but they were similar to other clinics in the area.

none

Very responsive, knowledgeable. They book up quick so scheduling appointments. is sometimes difficult due to schedules. They help develop cost effective strategies to help manage your budget. Centrally located in San Diego and easy to find. Facilities are clean, modern and have an inviting feel.

He seemed to listen to all our issues, ideas and concerns. He approached all the situations with an open mind and seemed to be there to help us, not sell us and force us in a certain direction.

Everyone there greeted us with a smile and were very engaging. You felt a good family vibe here which is one reason we continued our journey with them.

Dr. Chang seem truly passionate and well educated to help guide you on the journey you partake on when it comes to IVF. He was very willing to take the time to answer all our question and explain in detail. He never made us feel rushed.

Maybe not use the term "an act of god" when explaining why a transfer unexpectedly did not result in a pregnancy. We already feel punished in some way due to the fact we can't be blessed naturally with children.