HRC

It a pretty clinic, which was very misleading because the facade of looking good didn't match the behind the scenes medical experience. Strengths: the office is beautiful, the parking is free and it is convenient for people living in Pasadena. Weakness: there is awful communication and you are expected to know about fertility treatments at your consultation as a new patient.

We felt like a number because we had very little knowledge of the process in the beginning and we trusted Dr. Nelson. During the first minute of our consult he said we were already behind because of our age. If he thought that we were so far behind, why did he start so conservatively? When you've experienced your 4th failed attempt at IUI and the nurse practitioner, who you've only met for 5 seconds blurts out, you should just go to IVF, it dehumanizes you and makes you feel like a failure and you are out of options.

Justina had a heavy accent, which made communicating about things which require so much detail, like giving yourself injections on specific days very challenging. We had NEVER gone through any form of fertility treatment before and this information was not given to us like we should know the process and what to do.

We didn't know much about fertility treatment when we began our fertility journey. Upon consultation, we were told that we should have started our treatment years ago, which was discouraging considering we had just gotten married and there was nothing we could do about that. We began with all diagnostics to make sure that everything in my body was working as it should, which was Dr. Nelson's suggestion. We were never told that anything wasn't "good." HRC Pasadena in general had many miscommunications and directions given to us that were not clear, from both the medical assistant assigned to our case to the financial coordinator. As we began our treatments with Dr. Nelson, which was close to our home and convenient, he began conservatively. We appreciated this because I came in believing, and was under the impression even after all the labs, that I was fertile Myrtle. We were NEVER told that my AMH was under 1 when we began trying to get pregnant. It wasn't until we were out of funds in 2017 where we were just paying our OBGYN to do IUIs that we consulted with another fertility doctor who went over our labs from 2015 and said that she would have started with IVF immediately back in 2015 to retrieve the eggs I had! I have been so so so so so disappointed in the fact that 2 years and over $50,000 have been spent without us knowing the proper information. We have taken time off to build up our financials so we can try retrievals once again AND here we are in 2019 now with nothing. I'm SO angry, upset, resentful and frustrated that my bloodwork and personal lab results were withheld and not given to me clearly in 2015 when I was 34 as they would have changed our plan and how we proceed. I also know now that if someone says something to you like, "you should have started your fertility journey years ago," they are NOT the person you should trust to guide you on your way to making a baby.

Don't expect a physician to objectively explain your lab work or the process. Get educated and ask for all of your information and labs to be printed for you so you can get educated on your own.

Dr. Nelson wanted to start with bloodwork and diagnostics to make sure that my body was functioning properly. He suggested we start with an ICI, which was very conservative and in hindsight, we have no idea why he would start there if he knew that my AMH was below 1. We asked about using Clomid, which he didn't offer immediately. Going into our first insemination, we did use Clomid, per our own request, and we did request an IUI. After the first insemination, he thought the Clomid was pointless and he didn't suggest any other meds except the HCG trigger shot. We continued with 3 more IUIs using HCG trigger shots, none of them resulting in pregnancy. It was after our 4th insemination that the nurse practitioner, who we'd just met, said, "you should just do IVF." At that point we were done with this office and never received a call or follow up from Dr. Nelson.

Each time we did a round of IUI, it was $2000 for the procedure + the cost of meds + the cost of sperm = $3500-$4000 each round of IUI.

We never go to this point with Dr. Nelson.

It's a very well organized clinic. They can get busy later in the day but I usually book the earliest appointment available and I haven't had any issues with waiting too long. The financial department was slightly slower in responding to my questions when comparing to the rest of their staff.

I appreciated her being so matter of fact with us. Our previous fertility doctor was nice but also seemed to not give us the guidance we were looking for and Dr. Frederick has given us the guidance and confidence with this process. She met with me prior to egg retrieval and shared "Don't worry, I will take very good care of you" and that stuck with me, it was what I needed to hear, her confidence.

Liz was compassionate and a great communicator. She encouraged questions and took her time with us when going over protocol and medications. It felt like she genuinely cared about us.

Dr. Frederick is compassionate and direct and that's two qualities I definitely want in a fertility doctor. She has a confidence that also makes me feel that I am in good hands. In comparison to a previous doctor I was seeing, I felt I was always questioning him and advocating for myself, with Dr. Frederick I feel she hears me and is accessible.

You'll be in good hands with Dr. Frederick.

I began with birth control on my 3rd day of my menstrual cycle and about 5 weeks later of all active birth control pills I stopped taking it. Had a baseline appointment to go over medications and any other questions I may have had. 5 days later I began Follistim 375IU and Menopur 1 vial for 10 days each at 7:30pm. I visited the doctor's office 3 times for ultrasound and blood lab. I started Ganirelix at 7am for 4 days on day 6 of medications. Had my 3rd, last appointment before egg retrieval which was 4 days later and reviewed medications and expectations for egg retrieval day. I took Ovidrel 35 hours before scheduled egg retrieval and began doxycycline (antibiotic) 1 day before egg retrieval. They were able to retrieve 24 eggs. 17 of those eggs were mature and 17 eggs were successfully fertilized. 14 embryos came from the 17 and our final number after PGS was 7 embryos.

I was able to book my monitoring appointments at my convenience, so I made the appointments for as soon as they opened and it seemed smooth to me.

I believe it's more expensive than other clinics, however, what Dr. Frederick has provided to my husband and I is definitely worth it.

n/a, embryo transfer will be happening in June 2019

As a whole they are amazing. From dealing with the front desk to the nurses to talking to dr and financial advisors. I never had any issues with anyone or anything with HRC Rancho Cucamonga. They get back to within a good time whether it’s emailing or calling. The entire staff is very professional as well.

Dr Norian is very straight forward but also empathetic to the needs and wants of his patient.

Extremely friendly and comforting. They try to help you to the best of their knowledge and if they don’t know an answer they’ll direct you to someone that does know.

At first I was extremely nervous about what to expect from a fertility specialist and honestly expecting the worst outcome, that being that I won’t be able to have children with and without treatment. Dr Norian and his team put all those fears and worries to rest. The nurses are very comforting and friendly. Dr Norian was also comforting along with delivering the truth about my condition and treatments that would help us conceive. I really appreciate the empathic approach they have especially when infertility is a complete roller coaster of emotions.

Don’t be shy. If you have questions make sure to write them down before the consultation. The information given at the appointment can be extremely overwhelming and you might forget some of the important questions you have. He’s very open and understanding so don’t be afraid to ask about anything on your mind.

My Fallopian tubes are no longer connected after a surgery. Dr Norian suggested FET IVF and gave us all the statistics relating to it and said I’d be a great candidate but being that I’m going to be 35 soon we need to start right away. He gave me an ultrasound which we found a small polyp and soo I was referred back to my OB to get that removed before we could move forward. We were able to remove it but unable to go back for treatment due to the fact my husband is military and was sent to Korea for a year.

We have insurance that cover consultation and some fertility medications. I’m unsure of the costs.

The staff are very friendly especially the financial people. The in house acupuncture is also great. I still see Pei-Jen even though I've switched clinics for treatment. It's nice that the egg retrievals are done in the same location and you can get parking validated if you buy something at the cafe downstairs.

The staff were always very kind and the office never felt overcrowded or hectic.

Trey was inconsistent in her communication. Sometimes great and sometimes she'd go MIA. She was kind and encouraging but not super helpful in terms of the actual medical side of things. I was given incorrect needles for the instructions I was given, she didn't know how to use a Q-cap for the menapur (she would try and pop it out instead of putting it on the vial then releasing the packaging), and a few other glitches.

During our consultation Dr. Feinman told us there was nothing you could do to affect the quality of your eggs, they are what they are and nothing will change that not even drinking and smoking! He also had a coffee mug that said his medical degree trumps your google search. I should have gone with my gut but I just wanted to get started. He was nice enough during the visits if not seemingly little annoyed if I asked questions. The end result was that there were no normal embryos. He had no intention of changing protocol. I wasn't allowed to speak to the lab. I was given no information as to their grading or what abnormalities.

If you are young and have plenty of healthy eggs you will probably be fine but his one size fits all approach is not a fit for older women or women with special circumstances.

Clomid, Follistim, Ganerelix and Menopur. I was given no insight as to how or why.

Acupuncture is 100 a visit. The IVF cycle came to around 25,000

The clinic is gorgeous! one of the reasons I picked it was that I wanted to to be in a beautiful environment while undergoing this difficult process and HRC-Pasadena is stunning. The staff is very friendly and usually respond quickly. The waiting room is nice and cozy. Some hours it is packed and others not so much so you have to learn the flow if you'd rather avoid people. They are usually on-time, we have only had to wait around extensibly once out of the 20+ times we have been there. The pharmacy they work with is exceptional as well. Some of the weaknesses are that at times it has taken a certain staff member over three days to respond to important messages with time-sensitive questions. They resolved that by assigning someone else to our care but it was a bit frustrating at the time. Another one would be that there are signs that ask people to try not to bring children in the clinic as it can be difficult for some people, but there are days where there's lots of kids. Sometimes families with 4+ children which definitely deflates the spirit. I think staying open a bit later would be helpful as well.

The Nurses and staff at the clinic are amazing. Nurse Connie has been wonderful throughout the process. We are undergoing our second round of IUI and she has supported us through and has answered every question we've had. Other staff have not been so quick to respond which was difficult at times but once Connie became my contact person everything has been smooth sailing. Doctor's schedule tend to get a bit crammed/limited, especially if he is planning to be out of town. The pharmacy they use is incredible and the office is beautiful.

Connie has been absolutely amazing throughout the entire process. She is very responsive and one of the kindest people I have met and love that she got assigned to us. She always makes me smile and helps easy the anxiety when my husband and I are there for procedures. She is so compassionate and knows exactly what to say. She has actually been the highlight of my experience at this clinic.

Dr. Nelson comes across as genuine and kind. He has wonderful bedside manner and has always answered my questions with compassion and care. He seems very confident in what he does yet he has a calming presence at the same time (doesn't seem arrogant or stuck-up). Only downside is that I haven't gotten to see him as often as I would have liked as he has been traveling. IUI #1 was done by him, but baseline and followup ultrasounds have been done by nurses in his absence. Same thing has been happening with round #2. He also doesn't answer emails personally, you have to wait for the nurse or someone else from the team to talk to him, and then they relay the message. I would prefer if it was actually a bit more of a doctor/patient direct exchange.

Make sure you write down questions and bring to consults where he will be so that you can ask the doctor directly when he is in the room rather than have to wait for others to relay messages back and forth.

It is $2100 for IUI (includes ultrasounds, sperm washing, blood work if/when needed). It was about $450 for initial blood-work for STI and genetic testing which was sent to outside lab.

Weaknesses: They seem more responsive at the start of your process (consultation/diagnostic workup/treatment planning); yet if you wait a few months for the actual procedure, they seem less responsive to questions you might have. You can be on hold for a long time early in the morning. Financial people seem to change often. I would have preferred more direct contact with the RE to ask questions when they came to mind. Strengths include having a very well trained doctor (Dr. Ghazal) with great rates of success. The cost of treatment is clearly delineated in their forms, so you are not going in blind. They have one of the best labs in the nation.

Dr. Ghazal answered every single one of my questions each time I spoke with her. She has a great bedside manner and she makes it a point to answer your questions in a very detailed manner, so that there is no confusion. She listened to my struggle, and responded in a compassionate manner. I did not feel as though she was trying to rush me out of her office.

Regarding the clinic, there seems to be people switching into new roles often within the office. When it seems as if you are going to do a procedure right away, they are very responsive to emails and other forms of communication. Yet, it seems as though if your procedure is not happening for a few months, they take longer to respond to emails (if at all).

Strengths: Dr. Ghazal is highly trained and has a lot of great experience in the field and she has the highest fertility rates in the clinic. When you ask her a question, she is straightforward, authentic, and detailed. When she shared information that I considered bad news for me, she was compassionate and did it in such a way that made me feel that there was hope for my situation. The only downside is that I did not get much contact with her and everything is communicated through her nurses and coordinators. Yet, when she did meet with you over the phone or in-person, she made you feel as though she was present with you and not trying to rush off to the next patient.

If you want a doctor who will be available by phone or text or more available, Dr. Ghazal is not the one.

Because I am an older person, with great eggs but with numerous complications with my uterus, the goal was to try to go slightly more aggressive with my medications, so that I can produce a lot more eggs for my egg retrieval, in the hopes that when the eggs are fertilized, I can get the most genetically normal embryos possible. Then I would freeze these embryos, fix the problems with my uterus, and then do a frozen embryo transfer. The goal is to be successful in maintaining a pregnancy and reducing the chances of miscarriage. I believe the drug protocol is similar for most IVF cycles, just the dosage may be different. The overall goal is to have one successful IVF cycle with great outcomes in regard to have a number of genetically normal embryos.

For one cycle of IVF, including genetic screening of any embryos, and freezing embryos, I was looking at a bill around $21,000 out of pocket. This estimate also includes the price of fertility medications for the one cycle. You can also tack on an additional $2000 to 3000 for diagnostic procedures conducted prior to treatment planning. These are all out of pocket costs.

My doctor had a strong preference for single embryo transfer, primarily because there is a higher success rate for a single embryo transfer. Also, she explained that if you place more than one embryo into the uterus, you never know whether one of those embryos will split and produce twins and triplets. So she wants to reduce the chance of multiple unexpected growing babies.

Overall very happy with the clinic. Clean, short waits, professional staff and many services offered. Prices seem in line with other clinics as well. Didn't get great results on my first attempt, but hopeful that with a tweaked protocol will improve.

Consultations go pretty quickly, with not a lot of extraneous information given. He is very friendly and professional, but doesn't spend a lot of extra time going over results or the WHY of things.

She is great at going through and explaining what to expect and what comes next, as well as answering any questions that you may have forgotten to ask the doctor. Patient and professional, and seems to really care about my success.

He is warm and friendly, but on the move. He gives you the essential information and answers any questions, but doesn't spend a lot of time explaining why he's choosing the protocol he's choosing or going over what to expect. Unless you know what to ask, I feel like it would be easy to leave without some information. The nurse that is helping me fills that role instead.

Have a list of questions ready. He is very knowledgable but gives the impression of also being quite busy, and unless you ask questions the appointment will go very quickly and you may not get all the info you want. Overall, though, I think he knows what he is doing and is very good at what he does.

Microdose lupron, follistim and menopur. I don't know WHY these were chosen, other than I think my fibroids were taken into account with the lupron. I did not respond well, however, so we're changing the protocol next time.

Medication, monitoring, and the actual retrieval costs (anesthesia, etc), as well as the cost of freezing the eggs.

Everyone is very nice. Appointments are a breeze - they either get you in early, or right on time. Surgical facilities are beautiful and the staff there is great. Just ask a lot of questions. Sometimes i felt rushed or unable to ask, or even felt like i was supposed to know things, when in reality i didn't know what was happening and why at certain times.

I definitely felt like a human - the Dr. and staff were very caring. I would have liked more explanation and details around my care.

My care coordinator was a little robotic. Nice, but not super compassionate. Not a very good communicator - i had to chase via email for answers to a lot of things that were unclear.

He is very compassionate and nice. I can't complain about him or his care. I am a very analytical person, so would have liked to understand more of the "why"s around my course of treatment -- why one protocol vs. another, and whether or not that is due to his professional philosophies for treatment or due to my specific case.

Ask questions. If you feel rushed, slow it down.

They were never explained to me. At least, the rationale behind why. I don't know what my protocol was called, but i was on: Gonal-F 350/day Menopur - 1-2 vials, depending Added something else toward the end of sims Not sure what i triggered with First round, retrieved 5 eggs. 3 fertilized. All tested abnormal. No transfer 2nd round, retrieved 3 eggs. 1 fertilized. Never grew. No transfer.

First round with meds (and some insurance coverage) was roughly $15k.

We never got to transfer, so we hadn't discussed it.

Communication is adequate. Better than Dr. Potter’s response time. They are compassionate and apologetic for Dr. Potter’s consistent tardiness. They are proficient in their roles. Sometimes communication is great and sometimes it is very poor. For example, one time I had a time sensitive question, and did not get a response until the next day. I felt that it should not have been my responsibility to follow up, but had I not, I would not have gotten the information I needed.

With every encounter I had with Dr. Potter, he was at least 1+ hour late (consultation, surgeries, personal meetings). During our initial encounter (consultation) he failed to make eye contact, introduce himself, and the facility. We had selected him anyway, because he discussed a treatment plan that I felt was custom to my situation, and with that I was impressed. At one point, I intentionally called him out for being late, and I did not receive an apology, rather a poor excuse. Despite my dissatisfaction, I still proceeded with care as I told myself, I didn’t care about bedside manner as long as I had results. I also felt that I didn’t have a choice but to proceed as I had already made an out of pocket cash payment in full.

Natalija was my care coordinator, but not a nurse. She was an ultrasound tech. She seemed skilled and knowledgeable in her role. However, I also felt she was “spread way too thin”. Her role overlapped with that of Dr. Potter. I think a lot of what should be his responsibility fell onto her lap, just simply because he didn’t have the time for it. I actually never worked with a nurse from the clinic (only surgery center) during my whole treatment there.

Strengths: intelligent, high success rates, skill Weakness: lack of compassion, lack of time, consistently late (staff members had even candidly shared this with me), poor response time, flat affect. Dr. Potter has opened a Infertility Clinic in China in the past year. As a result, I believe he is spread “way too thin”. Procedures and communication, that I believe should be done and or shared by an MD is instead done by his staff. Considering the amount of money I have paid to the clinic, I had higher expectations. For example, I had questions for Dr. Potter at one point and was told I could not communicate with him because he was in China. Another example, I had very sensitive PGS testing results, and his ultrasound tech delivered the results rather than him. Another time, I paid an additional $100 for a 15 minute meeting with him (in which he was an hour late for), regarding a treatment plan for which I had already paid $20k+ for. These instances made me feel that his primary interest was money making vs me as a patient.

He is an intelligent infertility specialist. However, do not expect that he will ever be on time, you will always wait at least an hour or more with every encounter with him. Do not expect hand-holding, or compassion. He is a bookish, matter-of-fact type. Communication in my opinion is poor.

I had a uterine septum Dr. Potter corrected prior to any egg retrievals or potential transfers, with good outcome. He initiated a insulin resistant/metformin protocol, even though my GTT yielded normal results. This was in response to me yielding a low number of eggs during the first retrieval. It did not improve the outcome for my second retrieval.

Approx $20k for 2 retrievals, transfer, labs and US $2k for hysteroscopy/septal repair Approx $8-10k for medications

N/A

This clinic has the highest pregnancy rates in Orange County. I would recommend. Ask questions and advocate for your preferred method of treatment. The doctor has great credentials and a great success rate. Nursing staff is excellent. Don’t be afraid to send emails at any time. You are not alone in feeling like you are asking silly questions and the staff never makes you feel like you are. I hope my next attempt at a frozen embryo transfer is a success. Will have an appointment to discuss what went wrong with our transfer on Friday.

The staff and technicians at the office are warm and easy to talk to. My IVF coordinator never made me feel like I was bothering her with questions

All of the nursing staff is amazing. They make you feel comfortable and supported.

For blood work and ultrasounds he was only present for 2 appointments. I can tell he is passionate about his job and truly wants to succeed in getting couples a ‘take home baby’. Communication is sometimes hard due to his first language not being English. I would have liked to be informed more about my actual results. Ex: progesterone levels, follicle count, uterine lining

Ask questions and ask them directly.

We did 2 egg retrievals in order to bank as many embryos as possible prior to PGS/PGD testing. This was suggested to keep costs down and was the right choice as our first retrieval resulted in 0 normal embryos. Second round resulted in 2. Frozen embryo transfer was a standard protocol. Lupron, progesterone, estrogen. Resulted in a BFP then a chemical pregnancy. Still waiting to review what went wrong and what could have been changed.

We did pretty much everything that could have been offered. ICSI, assisted hatching, PGS and PGD testing, and one extra procedure for our second egg retrieval to pick better sperm for ICSI. Total cost associated with services approx $40,000

This doctor will only transfer one embryo. I would have liked to have the option to transfer 2 if we felt that was the right choice for us.

The facility is very nice but extremely busy. If you have an appointment after 9am, prepare to walk into a full waiting room. I literally had nowhere to sit a few times. That said, the clinic is clean and well equipped.

Dr. Wilcox is extremely busy and it seems like he uses a similar ivf protocol for many patients. However, my egg retrieval progressed just as he had predicted without OHSS which was one of my biggest worries. While he is quick in and out, his team will definitely take time to answer questions if needed.

Nanette is great at explaining the process every step of the way. She responds quickly to emails and definitely provided a lot of peace of mind throughout. When she is out of office, her backup Ana is amazing too. They definitely go above and beyond!

Dr. Wilcox is very capable and confident and has an impressive track record. Everything he told me to expect has happened during treatment (ie number of follicles to expect, predicted date of egg retrieval, etc). I trust that he will always prescribe the right protocol for me. However, I do wish he had more time to spend with his patients. Aside from our initial consultation, each appointment has lasted no more than 10 min and then he is rushing off to the next patient. I know this doesn’t compromise the level of care I’m receiving. Whether it results in a BFP for us, we will see in a few weeks once we transfer.

Have a list of questions that you want to ask ready to go at each appt.

Birth control pills for 18 days Ultrasound/bloodwork on CD2 Begin injections on CD3 Follistim 225 + Menopur 75 from CD3-6 Follistim 225 + Menopur 150 from CD7-9 Add in Ganirelix on CD8-9 Trigger with Lupron + HCG on CD10 Egg retrieval on morning of CD12

About $3K per IUI including injectable meds About $23K for IVF cycle including meds, ICSI, and PGS testing

N/A - currently awaiting number of day 5 blasts

HRC-Encino is warm and inviting. Every time I call, I am quickly transferred to where I need to be. They’re honest about their costs. Also, they call with results on time! My only complaint is expensive parking.

Dr. Peck never wasted my time with multiple IUIs or rounds of clomid. She was honest about my chances instead of just going through the motions. Dr. Peck took the time to explain the entire situation and provide honest feedback.

Kimberly is Dr. Peck’s nurse and is amazing! She will email me back about a nervous last minute question at 10pm on a weeknight! Shanise is another nurse who is the only person to get my vein on a first try. She’s also very friendly and nice to speak to, which is very important. Currently, she is assisting with having me join a clinical study. She’s amazing at answering all my pressing questions, being open about what is needed for me to do, and flexible with her scheduling!

Dr Peck took time to ensure I received the care I needed and received the answers for the questions I asked. She was candid about our results and helpful with recommendations. She also took the time to qualify us for an IVF study, which may be helpful for us.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Dr. Peck is very sweet, but honest.

Dr. Peck originally recommended medicated cycles for anovulation. She also urged a semen sample and HSG prior to treatment. I’m so grateful that she did because I also have a blocked tube/my husband has poor morphology, motility, and DNA fragminatation. Knowing these results, she recommended IVF to save us time and money. Moreso, she recommended us to an IVF clinical trial, which will hopefully save us more money.

300/ultrasound 80/bloodwork IUI/2,100

HRC in Newport Beach is a busy office. However, I never had to wait longer than five minutes for my appointment. The surgery center is exceptional. I especially want to recognize HRC’s lab because the Embryologists ensure the best environment and growth for embryos. I do not know the details but whatever they do, it works! We did genetic testing on all our embryos to ensure that we only transferred a healthy and normal embryo.

During the initial consultation she was very familiar with our reproductive profile and asked specific questions to get a better understanding of how she would help me get pregnant. She patiently answered all of my many questions. Every interaction with Dr. Frederick she said my name and knew the details of my progress.

I was assigned an exceptional nurse, Claudia who guided me during the entire process. I was reminded by Claudia to trust the process because it works. The day of the frozen embryo transfer all nurses and staff were positive and encouraging. They created a positive environment in the surgery center and I believe that also contributes to Dr. Frederick’s success rates.

I searched for a reproductive endocrinologist for two years and went to many initial consultations. Most fertility clinics in San Diego did not have great results for my age group, I am over age 35. Also, the labs were not great. For instance, at one lab in San Diego, I saw the Embryologist enter the fertility clinic through the public door wearing workout clothes. Then she put on a lab coat and entered the lab. In my opinion, that is not the best protocol for dealing with sensitive embryos. This is why I searched outside of San Diego. I also searched outside of California. I prayed to have a doctor like Dr. Frederick. Her expertise, professionalism and compassion far exceeds all other reproductive endocrinologists I have met. During the initial consultation she was very familiar with our reproductive profile and asked specific questions to get a better understanding of how she would help me get pregnant. She patiently answered all of my many questions. She exudes confidence and had a specific plan for us to be successful. Once we made our decision to continue with Dr. Frederick, the ENTIRE IVF process was smooth. I had two banking cycles before the frozen embryo transfer. This was recommended by Dr. Frederick to ensure greater success and she was correct. Both egg retrieval procedures were smooth. I did not experience any complications and minimal pain. Dr. Frederick’s techniques are exceptional. We transferred one embryo. Everything went smoothly and my husband and I were excited because we believed we were about to have our dream come true. I was on strict bed rest for three days and I started having pregnancy symptoms within one week. Ten days later I took a home pregnancy test and it immediately was positive. I was elated. I never seen a positive pregnancy test until that day. It was amazing. The day of the first pregnancy ultrasound Dr. Frederick showed us the baby and heartbeat. I immediately started crying. Amazing feeling seeing your baby’s heart beating and knowing that he or she is growing inside of you. The day of graduation from the fertility clinic, Dr. Frederick takes a picture with you. I started crying because I am so grateful to her for helping us experience our dream of having a baby. Currently, I am 10 weeks pregnant and baby is growing strong. We will go back to Dr. Frederick to have siblings for this baby. I recommend Dr. Frederick if you want to have a healthy baby. Her protocol and techniques work!

Pray and trust that you selected an excellent doctor. Dr. Frederick is experienced, professional and compassionate. She truly wants you to get pregnant and have a healthy baby. Trust her process, it works. I believe having a positive mindset will help in getting the results you want.

Because I am over age 35 and did not have many embryos at my first IVF cycle (with a different doctor), Dr. Frederick recommended two banking IVF cycles. She also recommended genetic testing and freezing embryos. This is to ensure she transfers a healthy normal embryo for a higher chance of success. Dr. Frederick recommended transferring one embryo because I had genetic testing. I used Gonal-F, Menopur, micro Lupron, Ganirelix, Lupron, Progesterone injections and suppositories, Estradiol, Doxycycline, Medrol

Dr. Frederick’s costs were better if you have more than one IVF cycle.

We agreed with Dr. Frederick to transfer a single embryo. We had our embryos genetically tested. We wanted the best success rate and agreed to transfer one embryo.

The clinic was very beautiful and clean. The phlebotomists were always very nice and welcoming. Front desk was okay (could improve). There is no waiting so that was great. The ladies from financial department were also great.

We were treated as a business transaction throughout the whole cycle. He also didn't perform the proper tests needed before starting our cycle and only went based on our age (27/30) giving us false hopes. I never got to see him the day of the egg retrieval or after. Never called even when we found out our cycle had failed and we had 0 embryos to transfer. He has no bedside manners. Wouldn't recommend him or his team.

My nurse coordinator always seem upset or bothered when I would ask for updates and for her to explain in detail what was going on with my eggs. She many times would forget to send me updates on my cycle during stims. For example when to start/stop a certain medication ect.

He has no bedside manners, he shows no compassion for his patients. The first consult is great but once you lock in the payment everything changes. I hardly saw him during my cycle and my follow up appt after failed cycle was only 5 minutes. He never explained to me about other alternatives.

To please not go based on yelp reviews. Dr. Wilcox treats many surrogates and that's a completely different scenario as surrogates never pay out of pocket. It's different when you are an actual infertility patient and you're only seen as a check.

Apparently he doesn't do fresh transfers, I was under gonal and menapour during stims. I had to and extra 5 days of stims and it was pointless and doing extra days can mess up the quality of the eggs.

I paid approximately $25,000 not including extra meds for pushing my egg retrieval and other basic blood tests needed in order to start cycle.

I didn't get to transfer.

Strengths include cleanliness. Weakness is that on some days, although your appointment is at 9 am, you won't be getting out of the clinic until 1030 or 11. This is due to how busy the clinic is. It makes it difficult to plan for when you have to take time off of work to make these morning appointments.

Dr. Norian has always been very friendly and professional. Always made my husband and I feel very comfortable.

I have a different coordinator for IVF, but am reviewing the coordinator I had for IUI. Michelle was very friendly. Unfortunately, she was difficult to understand while on the phone, in person, and though email. The language barrier was too difficult to overcome. She was very nice though. All the nursing staff at this clinic have been very friendly and compassionate.

Dr. Norian has been very helpful. Although our IUI attempts haven't been successful, we continue to go to him because we're confident in his work. He is always very friendly and when he says he'll call us, he does, which makes us feel very comfortable with him. The one negative thing I can say about Dr. Norian is that he is always VERY busy. So sometimes when we are seeing him he is trying to get off to another patient, which makes it a little uncomfortable when you're asking a lot of questions, since my husband and I are fertility newbies. Overall, I really like Dr. Norian, which is why we continue to see him.

Be prepared to wait past the time of your appointment.

Dr. Norian recommended two IUI attempts. If neither was successful, we would do IVF, which is what we are currently doing.

IUI attempt -- $2000 IUI meds -- ~$500 IVF attempt (insurance coverage included) -- ~$4000 IVF Medications (some medication covered by insurance) -- ~$5000 PGS -- $5500

Dr. Norian is always on the side for Singleton births, it seems. But always discusses with his patients their thoughts.

The clinic was fine. My only problem was I was closest to the Westlake office but the doctor was only there in the mornings only. The afternoons he was in Encino so it made scheduling harder (especially since I worked nights). Also all the procedures (minus basic ultrasounds) were done in Encino so it was a bit of a drive for those. The offices themselves were nice and the rooms were nice.

The doctor was great and very personable. However the medical team I did not feel like they made me feel like a human. I had to call them all he time to get results that were supposed to be called to me. They were not very kind during my miscarriages. It was frustrating.

They did not follow through with results, I had to constantly call. When I had my miscarriage they called me to come in for an ultrasound to check the baby (like I was still pregnant). They were not compassionate when telling me about my miscarriage after one of my blood tests. Overall it was a frustrating experience

I loved the doctor. He was very upfront with his opinions and thoughts. He didn't sugar coat things. Sometimes I wish he would explain a few things in more detail but thats about my only complaint. He was very personable and I felt like he was invested in our situation.

Ask questions and don't let him dismiss you. Make sure you understand everything for your own piece of mind

I did three embryo transfers with donor eggs. The first cycle ended with a miscarriage early on. The second we switched the type of progesterone and it didn't end being enough so we got a negative pregnancy. We did a faux transfer after that to make sure my progesterone levels were good before doing our third transfer. I got pregnant on my third but unfortunately miscarried again.

The initial cost for us was about $23,000 for the first cycle including meds (we used a donor, (this does not include the donor agency fees). After that not counting meds we paid about $2500 per transfer (and that was a military discount, I think the original price was around $3600).

He suggested a single transfer. Its less of a risk than with twins even though the percentage to get pregnant decreasing slightly. He allows you to choose and I elected to do a single each time.

The facility is nice and clean and everyone is friendly. I usually didn’t have to wait very long to be seen, but it does get busier later in the morning. Some places have you pay for each exam, blood draw, etc, but this one has kind of a package deal, which I liked. But maybe they average out to be similar in price, I don’t know.

Dr. Nelson is very personable and I enjoyed working with him. He explained things clearly, let me know what to expect, and I feel like he really cares about his patients. He was understanding and accommodating to my hectic work schedule and made sure to amp things up so that I got enough eggs during my second retrieval.

Elizabeth was very personable, responsive, and helpful. You actually email the nurse and another email address so someone else can also help you if your nurse isn’t available, which happened once.

I really like Dr. Nelson and would go back to him again. He’s warm and engaging and I felt very secure in going through this process with him. He explained things well and gave me a good idea of what to expect.

Start ASAP because some months are busier than others. I was lucky and got in right away when I called to make a consultation, but I think I just had lucky timing.

Because my hormone levels were good and I initially had a good number of follicles (I’m 41), I think we just did a more standard plan for egg harvesting. But then I only got 4 eggs, so he changes the regimen a bit and then I got 7 the next time.

It’s a package that includes visits, ultrasounds, and blood draws. And the retrieval costs.

N/a

Front staff was nice enough, but could have been a bit more welcoming of patients. I have spent a lot of time there, and they are consistently nice enough. This is a highly emotional experience, so I feel that the more smiles I see, the better the experience. It would be nice to be greeted to a warm, friendly, and understanding receptionist when I am going in for transfers, or going in for what I know is going to be a negative beta test. I will say that they are efficient and I am in and out as soon as possible. The entire facility is amazing and I can see that they value appearance. It is beautiful as soon as you walk out of the elevator. I love that it is always clean, and their coffee/tea station is fully stocked. There is always a place to sit, which is nice.

Dr. Wilcox is a great doctor with calm demeanor. He or his nurse practitioner did all of my ultrasounds, which is great. However, I never spoke to Dr. Wilcox after each failed transfer. Even just a quick phone call to show his support would have been nice. Maybe that is too much to ask, but this is an extremely emotional experience and sometimes the bad news/aftermath of bad news is better received when it comes from the doctor. His awesome nursing team called me by phone/email, and were always prompt. But that is the only thing I would have liked from Dr. Wilcox.

Dr. Wilcox's nurse team was amazing. From his nurse practitioner Tiffany, to my assigned IVF coordinator Teresa, to his awesome nurses Nanette, Ana, and Kat, I always felt that everyone knew where I was in my cycle and what the next steps were. I never felt that his team was confused as to which patient I was. i never felt like a number. My preferred mode of communication is email, and sometimes I would email a random question. If Teresa was not able to respond quickly, one of the other nurses was so quick to respond. I never felt like I was waiting for an answer. When I came to my appointments, I always felt like they knew who i was. I really appreciated that!

Dr. Wilcox's strength is his very calm demeanor, which I equated to confidence. He was always cool and collected, and his tone of voice was very comforting. He answered every question I had (except with the last transfer) as if he had always known the answer. He never faltered in his responses, which made me feel at ease. Dr. Wilcox's weakness, as previously stated, is that he could be a bit more supportive. After each failed transfer, I never connected with him as far as the next steps. I always spoke to my IVF coordinator, who would speak on his behalf. After each failed transfer (I had 3), I would have liked to connect with him or even have him call me with the next steps. I think that adds the human factor; the idea that he's not just a busy doctor, but a human who actually cares about my progress. During the last ultrasound prior to my 3rd FET, I asked him a question and he gave me a single word response before leaving the room. I did not feel very supported/validated at that time. I would say that for the most part, though, Dr. Wilcox was professional and I was confident with my treatment plan. His protocol always worked for me because I responded well to medications. Everything looked picture perfect beforehand. He adjusted the treatment plan with each failed FET, and I had cervical dilations and an ERA to help diagnose possible issues with implantation at the cellular level. I am confident in his treatment plans for me for the future as well.

He may come off a little too calm, but that seems to be his personality and bedside manner. If you don't feel comfortable by that, I would go with another doctor. He was always consistently cool as a cucumber.

EGG RETRIEVAL IN JUNE 2017: Birth control pills started on 5/19/17-5/28/17. 5/30/17 appt for ultrasound/labs. 6/2/17: Started Gonal F 300 units, Menopur 75 units, Omnitrope 0.25 mL every night. 6/6/17: Appt for ultrasound/labs. Based on lab results, I continued all medications as ordered and increased Menopur to 100 units. 6/8/17: appt for labs/ultrasound. Follicles growing well, responding to meds well. 6/10/17: appt for labs/ultrasound. 6/11/17: trigger injection. 6/13/17: egg retrieval under general anesthesia. 19 eggs retrieved, 13 eggs mature, 11 fertilized via ICSI, 10 blasts, 5 PGS normal embryos (3 boys/2 girls). FET #1 IN AUGUST 2017: 7/1//17:take last birth control pill. 7/12/17 appt for ultrasound, labs for BHCG and estrogen. 7/16/17: Start Delestrogen 0.1mL every 3 days for 2 doses. Start prenatal vitamins, dha, and folic acid daily. 7/22/17: increase Delestrogen to 0.2mL every 3 days. 7/26/17: Appt for ultrasound/labs for progesterone and estrogen. 7/30/17: Started Endometrin 100mg vaginal suppository 3 times daily and Progesterone 200mg lozenges sublingually 3 times daily. 8/4/17: FET with 1 male PGS embryo. Dr. Wilcox had difficulty accessing my uterus because my cervix is anatomically shaped differently. 8/16/17: Beta HCG negative. FET#2 IN OCTOBER 2017: 9/22/17: Dr. Wilcox completed a cervical dilation and endometrial scratch, because he had difficulty accessing my uterus during FET #1. 9/27/17 started Delestrogen 0.1 mL every 3 days for a total of 2 doses. Started prenatal vitamins, DHA, and folic acid daily. 10/3/17: increased Delestrogen to 0.2mL every 3 days. 10/6/17 appt for ultrasound/labs. 10/11/17 started Endometrin 100mg vaginal suppository 3 times daily and Progesterone 200mg lozenge sublingually 3 times daily. 10/16/17: FET with 2 PGS normal embryos (1 male/1 female) under general anesthesia. 10/27/17: Beta negative. ERA CYCLE IN DECEMBER 2017: 11/2/17 started birth control. 11/11/17 last birth control pill today. 11/15/17 appt for ultrasound/labs. 11/16/17 started Delestrogen 0.1mL every 3 days for a total of 2 doses. 11/22/17 Increased Delestrogen to 0.2mL every 3 days. 11/27/17 appt for labs/ultrasounds. 11/30/17 started Progesterone 1mL IM daily and Endometrin 100mg vaginal suppository 3 times daily. 12/5/17: ERA biopsy. Started back on birth control pills. FET#3 IN JANUARY 2018: 12/22/17 cervical dilation under general anesthesia. 12/28/17 took last birth control pill today. 1/2/18 appt for labs, ultrasound, and endometrial scratch. Started Delestrogen 0.1mL every 3 days for a total of 2 doses, and started prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and dha. 1/8/18 increased Delestrogen to 0.2mL every 3 days. 1/12/18 appt for labs and ultrasound. Dr. Wilcox saw what could have been hydrosalpinx on right side fallopian tube. 1/16/18 started Progesterone 1mL IM daily at 9am, and Endometrin 100mg vaginal suppository 3 times daily. 1/22/18 FET #3 with 1 PGS male embryo under general anesthesia. 2/2/18 Beta negative. CURRENT PLAN OF CARE: referred back to OB for possible laparoscopy of right side pelvic area, or placement of Essure on right side fallopian tube.

The cost for an IVF cycle (egg retrieval, 1st FET, PGS testing): $16,565. If I opted for no PGS testing, it would have been $12,110. Each FET $3150. General anesthesia $1500. Endometrial scratch $300. Cervical dilation $1100. ERA test $870. Biopsy $260.

My doctor felt that I would be successful with a singleton transfer, but ultimately left it up to me. He was willing to transfer 2 PGS embryos, though it was not his recommendation.

A few years ago when we first started treatment they had a strict policy about not allowing children especially babies to the clinic. That was great while I was childless at the time and going through so many different feelings related to infertility. I was disheartened to see that this changed during my last cycle. The lobby room is huge and has space for all of their patients.

He always makes me feel like a person with valid feelings and concerns. I like his personality. He always seems to remember details about our everyday life not related to infertility. He connects with his patients and spouses.

I think the biggest weakness is the number of patients Dr. Neslon treats now. When we first started seeing him it seemed it was easier to make appointments and their was more flexibility and availability. 2 years ago it seemed as if it was harder to book an appointment. That being said, he will go out of his way to book Saturday appointments if needed for the best treatment plan for your body.

He his knowledgable about infertility and comes with years of experience.

We had male infertility. We used ICSI with IVF with a fresh transfer the first time. With the second transfer we did a frozen transfer. We used typical IVF treatment and adjusted medicines based upon my levels since infertility was not female related. We have used 2 eggs every time because of my age and the high number of embryos created.

All of the cycle treatment appointments were under the IVF or embryo transfer bills. There was no seperate bills if needing extra appointment.

Yes, we were educated about the number used and the reasoning. We also, were informed that if something happened to one of the 2 embryos during unfreezing they would unfreeze another 2 and transfer 3 in that case or however many survived. That they would rather transfer 2 then just one. Again, BC i have a high number of embryos.

Sometimes the waiting area was overflowing with patients, and coordinators. I guess it's great for them, but sometimes no seating and long wait time isn't great for me. At times, the waiting area can get quit loud with everyone talking and the staff calling out patients names very softly so we cant all hear in the hallway near the elevators.

Dr. Kolb was the nicest ever. My husband & I felt very comfortable with him and he answered all of our questions. We never felt rushed, even though there were always many patients in the waiting room.

Flor is just the sweetest. Im sure I bugged her a few time with emailing so much, but she responded fast & answered all of my questions.

Dr. Kolb is very professional & caring. We really didn't feel as if he was trying the bare minimum in trying to help me conceive. He did what we wanted, (within reason, we wanted to try pills 1st & he explained why we would go the more aggresive route since I have PCOS). He's a wonderful, intelligent, well mannered physician.

Go with an open mind & have questions. Dont be disappointed if the route you want to try 1st is not the same route he wants to try. He will give you his honest opinion.

We checked blood levels, then we checked to see if my tubes were blocked with a water ultrasound (in office). My tubes were fine & I didnt have any polyps in my uterus. I do have PCOS though. So he wanted to try Gonal-f 200iu nightly injections. 9 injections all together. We checked on ultrasound if my lining was good & we did IUI on Nov 5, 2017. We did progesterone inserts daily as well. Unfortunately, a pregnancy did not happen. He says next time we will be more aggresive with medications.

All together, bloodwork, ultrasounds & IUI, (not incl. Meds as rhey were purchased from an outside company) we paid approx. $2300-$2500. (Meds were an additional $1600 from an outside pharm)

They are poor with communicating the finances. I was never warned of a drop cycle fee of a thousand dollars and was shocked the first time it happened. Also, I had a friend pre-pay my IVF procedure and the clinic promised me that it could not be refunded and was safe for me to continue no matter what, but then the head of finances called me and said that my friend got it refunded back right in the middle of me getting treatments and the lady who promised this could not happen did not even apologize for the screw up. The clinic's strength is that you never have to wait in the waiting room for very long and they are organized. They charge twice as much for bloodwork as an outside clinic, so I would say that they are overly expensive. .

His main nurse, Debbie treats me like a friend, but Dr Kolb can be mechanical at times. But I don't take it personally.

Nurse Debbie is the BEST. She even lets me text her on her personal cell phone because of the nature of the urgency with my scheduling. I understand ethical and professional boundaries, so I do not abuse this privilege and neither does she. She is very helpful and always there when I need to come in on a moment;s notice; and she always finds a way to get me in whether she is going to be in the office or not. She is warm and empathetic.

Dr Kolb was not a good communicator when I first saw him. He just told me that I only have a remote chance of conceiving and sent me on my way without telling me there were treatment options, I guess he assumed I knew about IVF and all of that, But I had never heard of anything prior. Dr Kolb has apologized to me before for seeming sterile and cold, but like I said, I don't take things personally.

Do not take his bedside manner personally. He is regarded as one of the top fertility doctor's in the world, I have seen the reviews and magazine covers and he has a wonderful nursing staff. He is non-threatening and would never be considered creepy or anything like that. You can trust him.

He makes it clear that he is trying to save me money by starting off with less expensive meds and overtime my eggs would not respond, he would up the medications and we would just keep trying. I am about to try my last cycle with the most expensive medications available thus far.

$500 for bloodwork. $600. a year sperm storage fee. $9.740.00 IVF procedure. $1,000. drop cycle fees, $240 Ultra sound visits. $50.00 consultation. $500 for sperm donation. $4,000. egg donor medications.

He will not transfer anymore than 2 at a time, but my nurse says that I might be able to talk him into trying 3.

The clinic is Pasadena was wonderful. The nursing staff was warm, friendly, patient and always made us feel very comfortable. All of the other staff was great as well - encouraged questions and never seems rushed. We almost never waited -- they were on time and efficient.

We liked Dr. Norian very much, but his staff always seems overwhelmed. The nurses assigned to us did not get back to us in a timely manner and there were often mistakes on the treatment plans. After 2 miscarriages with Dr. Norian (1 before we started seeing him I was diagnosed with Adenomyosis and I couldn't help but feel it could have been caught earlier.

The nursling staff always seemed overwhelmed. I rarely felt supported and always felt like I was chasing them down. The nursing coordinator was responsive, but she was not the one managing my specific treatment/ care.

Dr. Norian is kind and smart and was easy to talk to. He always addressed all of our questions with detail and patience. Dr. Norian explained all the options -- risks and gave his opinion on best course of treatment. In the operating room he was warm and made me feel comfortable even during a D&C. When any results become available Dr. Norian called himself and explained everything and made himself available for questions. He remained positive and was always optimistic. We have decided to switch Doctors/ clinics because in the end I did feel like he could have been more thorough and I believe things will missed and mismanaged.

I don't think I would recommend his practice -- if someone was set on going there I would advise them to ask lots of questions and push for more tests.

We did multiple embryo transfer and after the second miscarriage he suggested we leave the frozen embryo from the that retrieval and do a new retrieval with testing. I wish we did the testing from the start and wish that was suggested.

Strengths: The Surgical team, PA's and coordinators. HRC Newport Beach has a fascinating state of the art embryology lab, surgical center and office all in the same building. They have a very organized process in place to coordinate treatment. Lab and ultrasound appointments were always fast. Weaknesses: They are a very busy practice and might have some extended wait for doctor visits.

The HRC practice is very busy; it's hard not to feel like a number. The process is very transactional and initially it felt as if my treatment plan was the 'cookie cutter' for all new patients. Of course that was not the case and changes were made to my cycle as it progressed. There was great communication and I felt that I was in the best hands. I will also add that making me feel like a "human" is not my top priority, getting pregnant and becoming a mother is.

The coordinators and surgical staff are the most incredible and caring team. They are as compassionate and they are knowledgable.

Dr. Potter is very passionate about what he does. He's compassionate yet direct when discussing treatment and outcomes. He runs quite a bit late at times but most doctors who perform procedures usually do.

I would probably advise to prepare for a longer wait time and to not expect Dr.Potter to be the warmest. Everything "infertility" entails waiting periods. We're all there to get pregnant and if the main focus is the skill and success rates of the doctor and practice, then waiting a little extra is worth it.

The cycle began with birth control pills for 3 weeks, Lupron 10 units for 10 days then Lupron 5 units for 10 days, 10 days of Gonal and 10 days of Menopur. The cycle was monitored with ultrasounds and blood work. The dosages of Gonal and Menopur were adjusted once 4 days before the egg retrieval. I was also instructed to take 2 hCG Ovidrel (trigger) shots about 35 hours prior to the retrieval. The day before the egg retrieval, I began my 5 day dosage of Doxycycline (terrible tasting pills). After the retrieval, I began estradiol (injection), progesterone suppositories, baby aspirin and continued with prenatal vitamins. I observed the recommended 72 hours of bedrest with light activity after. After realizing my hCG numbers weren't doubling, Dr. Potter quickly ordered more blood work. My progesterone was low and had me come into the office on the same day and disbursed enough progesterone for the next few days until my rx from the pharmacy arrived. My hCG numbers doubled after that.

My insurance does not cover IVF. The IVF cycle including ICSI, PGD, anesthesia and labs: $15,900. Medications: approx $4,500 since a few were covered by insurance. The costs of IVF has increased as of the end of last year but I don't know what they are.

Dr. Potter briefly discussed this during our initial consultation and he appeared neutral. Since my cycle resulted in 1 normal embryo, it was not discussed in depth.