Kaiser Permanente NorCal

There is a team of providers all working together, so you are likely to see different doctors for different visits. The benefit of this is they can usually get me into clinic when I need to but the challenge is getting used to interacting with different groups of people.

Dr. Nelson has done a great job spending time to explain my test results and what they mean and make himself available to answer questions.

I interacted with a nursing team over the phone that was really helpful with setting appointments, getting my lab work ordered and updating me on test results that I couldn't see online or didn't understand. I also worked with a second nursing team at my appointments who were always really helpful.

When I first met Dr. Nelson, we had a lengthy appointment to go over all of my lab results and talk through next steps. It was a lot to absorb since I was just starting this process. He took time to answer all the questions my husband and I had at the time and really provided a lot of information. He was super attentive, thoughtful and a good listener. However, I realized later that when I left, I really wasn't sure how to move forward. He talked through all the benefits of IVF but didn't necessarily recommend that I start that immediately. Should we just keep trying? How soon should I start fertility treatments? At what point do I need to seriously consider or move to IVF, etc? I had a lot of information but really wasn't sure how to move forward. After a couple of months with no success, I expressed this frustration to him and we started putting together a plan. One of the hard parts about this process is never knowing when to start something different. I kept getting pregnant every few months, which gave me hope but the pregnancies didn't last. Once I expressed all of this to Dr. Nelson, he was really helpful in starting to put a plan together, which included beginning to take medication and then a few months later moving to IUI. Kaiser has a team of fertility doctors all working together. Every month I would put a plan together with Dr. Nelson but wouldn't see him for my visits; my baseline appointments, my check ups just before ovulation and IUI were all with other doctors. I would then have a phone appointment with Dr. Nelson around the time by period was due to talk next steps and a potential plan for the next cycle. At first the interaction with all of the other doctors was a little challenging, this is hard and emotional and it was difficult for me to share some of this with a small group of physicians, even though everyone was professional and thoughtful. After a couple of cycles, I got more comfortable with the process and the team. Since I have been unsuccessful with IUI, I'm now beginning the process of preparing for IVF. Dr. Nelson used to perform IVF and has a wealth of information to share about the process, what to expect and how my body might react to the medication. Although I have watched videos and read books about the process, his consultation has been comforting and really informative. I feel like I understand the process much better and what I might expect. Overall, Kaiser moves slowly with fertility- I was frustrated by the initial process of getting my lab work done, identifying needed tests and treatments. As a patient you have to be really proactive and articulate what you are looking for and what help you need. Once the process started moving and I got connected with Dr. Nelson, it was important to maintain regular communication and let him know what I was looking for and what questions I had. Once he was aware of what I needed, we mapped out a plan for my care and how best to move forward. Overall, I have been really happy with him.

Think about your questions ahead of time (if you can) and be upfront about your needs. He has a ton of information but none of that matters if he doesn't know what you are looking for. He is much more comfortable with phone calls than email but his schedule fills up so its good to get on his calendar regularly.

We tried three cycles of ovulation stimulation (one round of clomid and two of letrozole) with timed intercourse. When those didn't work we tried three rounds of IUI- all with letrozole. I initially wasn't ready for IUI so we tried the first process to see if we had any luck and then moved to IUI. I got pregnant my second cycle with IUI but my HCG levels were low (around 10) so I knew the pregnancy wouldn't last. I got my period 3/4 days later.

I have good health insurance coverage for Kaiser so all of my appointments and treatments were covered. I had $10 co-pays for some medications but overall very little out of pocket costs. If I move to IVF- at Kaiser or elsewhere none of those services will be covered.

Prescriptions are given quickly, responsive by email, and clean facilities. Weaknesses include feeling like a number, no assignment to a primary nurse so you work with different people all the time, and no 24 hour on call nurse should something come up after hours or on the weekend.

He was over 30 minutes late to our 60 minute consultation, talked very fast and talked as if I was dumb or ignorant.

I had a really great experience with the NP Carla Schouten, where she walked me through my baseline ultrasound and my IUI. I also had a really negative experience with NP Deborah Pluckhan during my follow up ultrasound where she did not explain the number of follicles or give me my lining measurements. Additionally, she gave me the options to my new treatment and was did not provide me with information to make an informed decision about my care

I was very disappointed with his time management skills and felt very rushed by how quickly he was taking. He sounded very optimistic for our chances of getting pregnant, but did not describe our options well.

Give yourself extra time to be at the office in case he runs late.l and don’t be afraid to interrupt him to ask questions.

I was switched to letrozole as a result of negative side effects from clomid. He then encouraged us to do IUI with ovidrel to trigger ovulation to time the insemination to increase our chances since my cycles are so inconsistent and at times I have anovatory cycles.

60 minute consultation was covered by our insurance at 50% and cost $170 for us. Ultrasounds were also covered at 50% cost and were $117. IUI was covered st 50% and cost $172.

This is a Kaiser clinic, so like any Kaiser service you have to advocate for yourself. You don't see the reproductive endocrinologist more than once or twice and most care is with the nurse practitioners. I think I've seen four of the NPs, Carla, Debbie, Marion and Lori and I've liked them. I'm considering a cheaper option for IVF but I hope if I do go somewhere else that the staff are as good. They are quite aggressive (in my experience) with treatment, but I do have PCOS so it can be hard to stimulate my ovaries. Overall I've been very happy with them.

Dr. Ikhena-Abel is great about getting back to me. She clearly cares about her patients and I feel like she really wants me to succeed.

Overall, I've had great care with the nurses at Kaiser. One nurse was a little too heavy-handed with the ultrasound wand but lightened up when I asked her to do so. I was unhappy with one when she talked about next steps during my third IUI but I didn't want to think about another cycle or IVF at that point. I understand everyone is different. They've been very understanding throughout my fertility challenges and given me hugs with bad news. They're all very caring and kind.

Overall, Dr. Ikhena-Abel is an excellent doctor. She responds quickly to my questions and is caring about my situation. There have been a few times where she references discussing something in my initial appointment that I don't remember talking about but it was a lot of information in a short amount of time. I was diagnosed with PCOS during my first ultrasound and I wish I could have talked to her more about the implications. It took a while, and a lot of research on my part, to understand what PCOS and anovulation meant for my fertility journey. I appreciate that she and the nurse practitioners changed my protocol each time to try to have a better outcome and that she's been honest with me through each step of the process.

Take copious notes at your first consultation!

1st cycle: Femara 5 mg. days 3-7, IUI 1, failed 2nd cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 3-7, 2 days of Menopur ml. at the end of the cycle to try for more than one egg (cancelled) 3rd cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 2-6, Menopur 75 ml. days 3-10; IUI #2 with 3 eggs, failed 4th cycle: Femara 5 mg. days 2-6; Menopur 75 ml. days 3-13; IUI #3 with 1 maybe two eggs 5th cycle: Femara 7.5 mg. days 2-6; Menopur 150 ml days 3-4; Menopur 75 ml days 5-9; Menopur 37.5 ml day 10; IUI #4 pending

I have IUI fertility coverage so my generic medication was $7 and my non-generic was $25. My ultrasounds and IUIs are $20 per appointment. I did not pay anything for my HSG or blood tests.

Kaiser - San Ramon is a small office with 3 doctor's and quite a few nurses. They're organized and efficient, which I like. I do think the clinic could use a few more doctor's because I think the doctor's that are there are overworked.

Dr. Tan has good bedside manner. He is the only doctor that does IVF cycles at this clinic so he is very busy. He still knew my daughter's name and some of my medical background so that was impressive. He is easy to talk to.

The nursing staff is excellent. They're compassionate and organized. They make the schedule work for you, even if they're busy because they know how important a well timed treatment plan is.

I had a good experience with Dr. Tan. He performed my most recent IUI. I only had 1 follicle so I knew the chances were slim, but he still made me feel good about it. We discussed my potential IVF protocol as well. He also did my saline ultrasound and my mock transfer which all went well.

I would advise them that the only way you'll see him is if you're doing IVF or potentially doing IVF, as he pretty much only does IVF cycles. I would suggest they go in armed with questions.

In 2015 when I was receiving treatment I saw Dr. Tan on my follow up ultrasound after 5 days of 50 mg clomid. I didn't have any growing follicles so he suggested stair stepping me to 100 mg clomid and when I went back after that I had a ton of follicles. I was pleased he didn't give up and kept my cycle going, because that cycle was successful!

My infertility coverage is excellent for IUI's. I only pay a $10 deductible for IUI, ultrasound's, hsg, saline ultrasound, etc. and my meds are covered as well. However, if I move onto IVF everything is out of pocket.

He's for eSET. Kaiser does not agree with multiple embryo transfers.

I go to the Kaiser infertility clinic in San Ramon. It's a smaller office and there are only 3 doctor's. I think the doctor's are overworked, which is one of the clinic's weaknesses. I think things could be run more efficiently if there were a couple more doctor's. I also hate that you are either an IUI patient or IVF patient. You can convert an IUI cycle to IVF should there be too many follicles, and only one doctor does IVF. This clinic has a lot of strength's too though. The nurses keep the place organized and I feel like they really care. I believe they have a good success rate too.

Dr. Grosskinsky has very good bedside manner and he definitely remembers details about me, my fertility history, and my family which makes me feel like a human. However, there are times when I think he could be a little more thorough in my treatment.

The nursing staff is excellent. They're on top of their stuff and get back to voicemails very quickly. They're helpful and informative!

Dr. Grosskinsky is a good doctor. He's getting close to retirement so I don't think he has the same passion and drive that he used to, but he's still aggressive and obviously wants the best for his patients. I do feel like I had to be my own advocate at times and wish he had been a little more thorough in my treatment.

Be your own advocate! Do your own research and suggest new things to try.

I have done IUI's with donor sperm. Dr. Grosskinsky did not think a natural cycle would be beneficial but I did one back in 2015 that didn't work. We then did clomid and I produced a lot of follicles and that cycle worked. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter. We're trying for number 2 and I've done 6 failed IUI's. We've tried natural, clomid, combo cycle (clomid + injectables), and injectables. We've added in ganirelix to help with the timing, and all negative. Most of my IUI's have been 36 hours post trigger shot, so I'm thinking about trying a back-to-back IUI next to help with timing.

I have insurance through Kaiser where I only pay a $10 deductive for IUI's, ultrasound's, etc. Bloodwork is free. I only pay $25 for injectables, and $10 for trigger shot or oral drugs. My insurance is great until I move onto IVF, and then everything is out of pocket, including medications. IVF will be about 14k with only a fresh transfer, and another 4k for medications.

I have not done IVF yet but I know Kaiser is very against multiples.

The doctors always seem to be running behind. I would plan on being there longer than you expect. If you are not meeting with a doctor, the appointments are much more timely. The staff is friendly and helpful. The clinic is clean and has up to date technology.

Dr. Eways is very warm and welcoming. She takes time to build rapport with her patients. I felt like she was an old friend I was catching up with by the end of our first meeting.

All of the nurses I encountered were very helpful, professional, and knowledgeable. One of them even went out of her way to ensure I got a call back from the Fremont clinic, and followed up with me later.

Dr. Eways is very professional and personable. She takes the time to explain everything in detail. I did not feel like she was rushing me out to get to her next appointment. I have my first fresh cycle IVF planned for next month. She did a hysteroscopy to remove a polyp 2 months ago, which went smoothly. She made me feel safe and taken care of. Great bedside manner. My only criticism is that I had a phone appointment schedule with her once and she called me 40 minutes after our scheduled time. In her message, she stated that she usually calls within 2 hours of the scheduled time. Nobody in her office told me there was a timeframe, so I was unable to take the call. We were able to connect later that day, however.

She is great, but her schedule is packed and you have to wait several months for treatments.

I have not yet started my treatment protocol yet. No results yet.

About $500 for HSG, about $1000 for Hysteroscopy, $13,200 to book fresh cycle IVF

She mentioned that she prefers eSET, since there is higher risk for complication throughout the pregnancy with multiples.

Strengths: knowledge of clinicians and success rates are excellent. Can’t argue with miracle results! They were also very responsive to any questions or immediate needs. Weaknesses: the clinic is very busy which makes appointments feel rushed at times. Wait times can be quite long. Also the ohlone kaiser pharmacy the clinic works with is awful. I switched to Walgreens discorx and had a much better experience AND my coverage was maintained even though it was Walgreens and not kaiser.

Dr. Proctor took a personal interest in our journey and always made us feel important and cared for.

They were always compassionate and helpful. No negative experiences at all.

Dr. Proctor was knowledgeable, compassionate and very responsive whenever I contacted him. He coordinated well with my husband’s male factor infertility specialist (Dr. Turek). Dr. Turek is picky about providers that he will coordinate with and he was happy to work with Dr. Proctor and his team. His faith in Dr. Proctor speaks volumes.

Appointments are quick because of the volume at the clinic. Come prepared with questions and do not expect long conversations. Dr.Proctor is very knowledgeable and responsive but does not have all the time in the world to sit and talk at every appointment.

We used a standard stimulation protocol (follistim, Menopur, ganirelix). I was allergic to follistim and dr proctor was very responsive and quickly switched me to gonal-f. I had an excellent response and 30 eggs were retrieved (25 nature). My husband has severe male factor infertility causing only 4 eggs to fertilize normally. Of the 4 embryos at day 1, 3 made it to freeze (we had to do a frozen cycle because my husband’s Soren retrieval surgery occurred weeks after my egg retrieval due to his doctors schedule). We transferred one embryo in December 2017 and I am now 15 weeks pregnant with a baby girl and we have two more high quality embryos on ice for later.

It was efficient, but busy! They recommended I get there early and as long as I did the wait wasn’t bad at all.

We had 50% coverage for one cycle, so the IVF cycle cost $6500 (without medications, including ICSI but no PGS). Our FET was full price and cost $4000 without medications m. However, since we did eset, we would get additional transfers of single embryos for free until a live birth.

Dr. proctor explained the risks and benefits of each thoroughly. Because I have no known fertility issues and we wanted to try and avoid multiples, we went with eset, which resulted in my current pregnancy (1st FET was a success).

This clinic is very convenient for me in Oakland. The building is a little older, but the facilities are fine. It is Kaiser so there is a bit of a bureaucracy with dealing with check-in and costs, but it is all very manageable. I like Kaiser because it is all integrated and I can email with the doctors and staff.

Dr. Hirata and her staff were always friendly and personable when I went in for treatments, either consultation, ultrasounds, or IUIs. It is Kaiser, so they do run you through the process of a big medical system, but I have been with Kaiser for many years so that is par for the course. Once you get through the bureaucracy, the staff are great, and even dressed up for Halloween!

There are 2-3 nurses that I see regularly at the clinic. At my first IUI they were very helpful and informative about the whole process. They didn't mind when I took photos of the vial and they commented warmly about my lucky socks. Because I have had multiple IUIS now, it is more of an in and an out, partly because that is my approach to this too.

She is down to earth and pragmatic. She has a sense of humor and is blunt. Being that I'm over 40, the news on fertility rates isn't great and she was always very honest about that. But I am not sold on IVF so she was willing to work with my for more IUIs that others may endure. She listened to my concerns, hopes and fears.

She is down to earth and has heard it all so don't be afraid to ask any questions you have.

I did 3 natural IUIs with frozen sperm, using an at home OPK test. Then I had 3 IUIs with Letrozole during day 3-7, with an Ovedrel trigger shot for one and an at home OPK for the other. I had to have ultrasounds before the Letrozole and then before the trigger shot. Then I took 2 months off and am doing Letrozole with the Ovedrel trigger. I will have my 6th IUI tomorrow.

My insurance covered half of the costs for the IUIs. I think it was about $150 for the IUI and $120 for the ultrasounds. The Letrozole was very cheap, $4, but the Ovedrel was about $100.

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The clinic is clean and they have all the supplies needed during my treatments. They have inviting waiting room, and very accommodating staff. The rooms are organized and directions are very clear.

He was understanding and very direct in his explanations. He is soft spoken and made us feel comfortable all the time. He will call us back as soon as he can and will stay on the phone until he's sure that he answered all our questions. He never rushed our appointments. He was honest and we felt like we gained another friend. He responds to email promptly.

We had different nurses when we visit. Some worked there for a while some are new to the job. Some are very short when answering questions, some are very warm. Most of the time, they are willing to answer our questions, and will try to make us feel comfortable. One of the things that I like about them, is that they always wants us to think positive and be happy.

Dr. Huang is a compassionate doctor. He knows our names and he knows our history every time we visit him. He doesn't need to go back to the computer to remind him what treatments we had. If another nurse practitioner or doctor will see us, he will communicate to them to let them know where we are in the process. I will never forget the time when I was so distress in my email because of a negative result, he immediately called me to follow up and explain our next steps and answered all our questions. He was giving us different options without being pushy. He is very personable and we felt that we gained another friend.

Be trustful because he will be honest with your situation.

He put us on Clomid with IUI for 3 cycles then Letrozole with IUI for 3 cycles. Unfortunately, all were unsuccessful.

We are lucky that most of the treatment fees are covered by our insurance. We only need to pay the copay for a very reasonable price.

The clinic, being Kaiser, has its limitations including the level of patient education you receive, the inflexibility around being on the pill in preparation for the scheduled cycles, and the feeling that I was being "shuffled through." I once received an email from a nurse addressing me by someone else's name. The substance of the email was appropriate to me but it was very much a "copy paste" scenario. I could deal with all of this though until we encountered some issues with the embryology lab that have me looking into other clinics. In short, we lost one high quality PGS normal embryo because, as we were told, there was a very rare instance when the embryologist was unable to remove all of the oil from the embryo before freezing, rendering it unlikely to thaw successfully. Our doctor and the head embryologist explained what happened very thoroughly and patiently. We were offered a sympathetic "these things happen" but they did not claim responsibility nor did they offer a free cycle. I did another retrieval and our next PGS normal embryo had to be thawed, re-biopsied, and refrozen because the first biopsy came back as "No DNA present." I don't know where the breakdown occurred this second time (whether at Kaiser or the genetic testing lab) but it's enough of a question mark that I have trouble trusting the Kaiser lab. We will likely have further conversations with Kaiser.

Dr. Moy always tried to remember details about us and made conversation during the routine appointments. She has a great sense of humor and attitude and I really felt that she was rooting for us. During some more difficult news, she called us or made time for a phone call and answered all of our questions. Even when she had a cold.

Nursing staff were good. It would have been nice to have a designated nurse/coordinator throughout the process but instead it was whoever called back. That worked fine. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and helped answer my questions. The nurses during the actual retrieval were also friendly, some seemed new. Getting an IV needle in was difficult during all three retrievals.

I really love Dr Moy. We got to know each other quite well over three retrievals and the monitoring appts and phone calls and emails that surround it. She was our point person during all of it and was readily available for our questions. I really felt like she was rooting for us and we had many phone calls to hear news, discuss next steps, or answer questions. When issues arose, she reached out to the labs to understand what happened on our behalf and I do feel she went to bat for us as best she could. She was always good humored, patient, and understanding. There were times when I would have liked more information about the protocols and medications, and how/why she decided on the changes that she did. Overall though, I had a wonderful experience with Dr Moy. It's the limitation of Kaiser that were ultimately disappointing.

If you have questions during an appointment, ask them quickly. She will make time to answer your questions but she does seem to be in a rush. She's matter of fact and to the point which we appreciated.

All three retrieval protocols included Follistim, Menopur, and Ganirelix. The second two added Omnitrope and included a dual trigger which appeared to help the number and maturity of eggs retrieved. As with all Kaiser protocols, I was on the pill for a good portion of time prior to and after stimulation and retrievals.

Retreival: $9,305; ICSI: $1,900; Biopsy for PGS:$3,00; FET: $2,365 (unused credit); ~$8k in meds for each round

While we never got to the transfer stage, Dr Moy recommended transferring only one PGS tested normal embryo or more than one only if they hadn't been tested bc of risks of carrying multiples.

The front office staff is amazing. The team is professional and patient. They swiftly get me checked in and ready for my appointment. Some patients attended the appointment with their baby and the staff would naturally congratulate them, but it stung a little bit. It felt inconsiderate for the staff to celebrate a baby in the wait room around patients who are there because we cannot get pregnant. Maybe the can have blank cards at hand saying: congratulations! Instead of talking about the baby’s arrival in front of patients.

Dr. Harris has a warm personality. He always greets me with a smile and listens to my questions/concerns.

Three different Nurse Practitioners did my IUIs. It wasn’t ideal, however, between managing both our work schedules and the NP’s availability, we had to work with what was available to us. Before, I was very receptive about who I would book my appointments with. Now, I am happy to take an appointment that works with our schedules and gets me pregnant! :)

Dr. Harris has great bedside manners. I can trust him because he gives me all the information I need and warns me about risks. For example, he warned me that I am at risk for OHSS and confidently told me he would closely manage my medication to prevent OHSS as much as possible.

Dr. Harris is friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, and funny. I can ask him any question and he will promptly have an answer. I can book a consultation, request a phone call, or my personal favorite: email through kp.org. He answers within 1 working day and makes notes for his team (in case they have to follow-up with me).

I was diagnosed with PCOS. My husband was diagnosed with non-obstructive azoospermi (NOA). We knew we’d be using donor sperm and Dr. Harris said we could try IUI cycles or IVF ICSI. We are paying out of pocket so we opted for IUI. We knew the chances were slim (5-8%), but we had to try before seriously considering IVF ICSI. Before starting the IUI cycles, Dr. Harris and his team of Nurse Practitioners helped regular my thyroid hormone by taking Levothroid once a day. It took about 3 months to get my thyroid under control. Each IUI cycle consisted of: Femara 3 times a day for 5 days, vaginal scan to see if I was ovulating soon (periods are irregular), trigger shot in my belly (Ovidrel). All of this was painless and mildly uncomfortable. The vaginal scans and inseminations are uncomfortable. All 3 IUI resulted in negative pregnancy tests. We decided to move forward and try IVF ICSI. We have our date booked for January 6, 2019 and we’re looking forward to be under Dr. Hariss’ care.

For the 3 IUI cycles we spent about $3,000 (including medication: insurance covered 50%). Plus, another $4000 for 3 vials of donor sperm. Currently we placed a deposit for $13,000 for IVF ICSI (cost of medications not included).

This question isn’t applicable because we haven’t done IVF, but Dr. Harris did stress to me that he wants to do a single embryo transfer. We’re okay with that decision because we want to do what will be most safe for myself and the baby.

The clinic is amazing honestly I never waited longer than 5 minutes to be seen. Just be very diligent on what you want and need and they will be on board! Thy really listen to the patient and their needs and will give good advice but also move forward with whatever plan makes you most comfortable

He answered my emails that seemed ridiculous sometimes after hours and on he weekends and listened o all my concerns as crazy as they may have seemed

They were amazing. These are the people who usually saw me for ultrasounds and my iui procedures and they were so amazing I actually go back and visit now. They comminuted great and we’re 100% on board with my treatments plan

He was amazing honestly I have no complaints. This clinic gave me my rainbow twins and that’s exactly what I wanted. They supported my decision to be a mom even though I ended up doing it alone and they supported me every step of the way.

Definitely don’t hesitate to go as big as you feel you want. Unfortunately fertility isn’t always covered and it can be expensive. This team went for it when I asked for a higher chance of success faster and never questioned m.

I had a natural cycle first with iui, then 2.5mg femara which resulted in no ovulation, we changed to 5mg for 3 days and it resulted in early ovulation unfortunately and we missed the window, then he changed to 7.5mg and this resulted in a negative pregnancy test after iui so he changed protocol to 5mg over 5 days rather than 3 and I chose to have 2 iui procedures rather than 1 and it resulted in my now 11 week old twins.

For me everything was covered under my insurance I was very lucky. But I was told without my insurance coverage the cost of the iui would have only been about 300$ and each ultrasound may have been maybe 100$ I was not told exact amount. I did have to pay for donor sperm though.

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Strengths - Since it's Kaiser, everything is done in house. Online communication is easy. Pharmacy is easy. They saw how distraught I was about my fertility journey and they paired me with a "chronic pain therapist" which was caring. Weaknesses - It's REALLY, EXTREMELY hard to get anyone on the phone which led to multiple breakdowns and tears. When you leave a message, they give one call back. Then you have to call them and leave another message. If you miss another call back, you have to wait another 24 hours until they call you back. If you miss that call.....good luck. It was worrisome how frustrating their phone system is. Also, don't expect dim lighting during your baseline and IUI. VERY bright and feels......exposing.

Dr. Huang was gentle and kind, but direct and informative. He allowed me to help make decisions and be an advocate and he was honest when he saw that we needed to take the next steps. It was my job to reach out to him when I was ready to move forward, but when I did, he was always quick to answer and make a plan. I even forgot my meds at home during a vacation, and he made sure I could pick them up at a local Kaiser.

Most were kind, one was on the rougher side. Overall, they were organized.

He's warm and personable. During our consultation, right before I started to tear up he handed me a tissue with no hesitation. I could tell he knew this is a hard journey. I could always count on him to communicate in a timely manner. I wished that I could have seen him during my baseline appointments and IUIs, but I knew timing was key and he was often booked far in advance.

Set expectations by asking how often you will see him. Not just communicate over the Kaiser portal, but if he will be treating you. I would also ask the if he's willing to prescribe more than just the lowest dose of clomid or letrozole. I found that he was very conservative.

I was young with unexplained, so Dr. Huang was conservative. He told us to try naturally for 6 more months, but I only made it 3 before I asked to try medication. Then we did 3 cycles of Clomid trying naturally for three months, and 3 cycles of Letrozole with 2 IUIs for two months. 1 IUI was cancelled due to early ovulation. No babies produced.

$150 for each ultrasound and IUI, and around $200 for Saline Sono and HSG.

I did not do IVF through Kaiser.

I live in Oakland, so the commute was not ideal for me to Fremont. There is ample parking though so that's good. Staff don't answer phones and I left a message every time I called the office. Staff rarely returned my calls. I was not assigned a nurse or case coordinator so I just had to hope for any of the staff to follow up with me. The lack of communication was abysmal.

Dr. Shen did not acknowledge my personal situation or previous diagnosis(es) when telling me my treatment plan. My treatment plan was not a discussion and was not negotiable, and it felt as if she gave the same treatment plan to everyone who works with her. Dr. Shen only referenced statistics of people in my age range rather than specific treatment goals for someone in my unique situation.

Nursing staff were cold and dismissive, similar to Dr. Shen. When Dr. Shen frequently did not communicate steps or instructions in my IUI procedure, they shrugged it off and said that Dr. Shen frequently forgets to tell patients crucial information. I was never able to reach them by phone and at least half of the messages I left were never returned.

Dr. Shen was cold and clinical, which is fine, but frequently gave incorrect information or neglected to tell me details of my treatment all together. Each appoint,met was rushed and short. I often left with more confusion and questions than when I arrived at each appointment due to Dr. Shen's poor communication. She was not receptive to any of my feedback when sharing previous IUI procedures and experiences and was set on her idea of how to proceed with IUI.

Be prepared to be treated like a number. Be prepared with thorough questions.

I did one IUI using letrozole and HCG trigger shot. Dr. Shen did not explain her rationale for this medication regimen even though I had done this previously without any resulting pregnancy. The IUI I completed with Dr. Shen did not result in a pregnancy or an answer to my years of infertility.

I did not have insurance coverage for my procedure or medications. My HCG shot was around $150.

We did IUI so this is not applicable.

We are very lucky to have some fertility coverage through my insurance with Kaiser, so the process of medicated IUI cycles has been very affordable for us. The downsides are you see different nurses, doctors, and that they are only open normal business hours. I know some clinics do monitoring ultrasounds very early which would be great because you have to miss work frequently for these apts due to the hours they are open. If we didn't have the insurance coverage we do through t hem, I think I would already have considered other options/clinics/ maybe have moved on to IVF.

Dr. Nelson is very generous with his time, considerate of your questions, and realistic about expectations. In all our conversations I feel listened to and supported in this difficult journey.

The nursing staff is mostly very helpful, responsive, at times there have been some scheduling conflicts and changes but overall if I had a question they would respond in an appropriate time manner to help me answer it.

Dr. Nelson is a wonderful provider, and I've felt very informed and supported by him throughout the process of IUI's and one miscarriage. He has adjusted treatment as needed, and is the right amount of realistic and hopeful.

Unfortunately, many of our contacts are on the phone and because of the nature of scheduling apts around my cycle and schedule I don't often see him for ultrasounds, IUI's.

I have regular, but anovulatory cycles. All treatment is aimed to help me ovulate. Clomid + HCG trigger + IUI x1, negative with short luteal phase Clomid + HCG trigger + IUI + Progesterone x2, negative pregnancy tests Letrozole 5 mg + HCG trigger + IUI + Progesterone, positive pregnancy test ended in miscarriage due to chromosomal abnormality Letrozole 5 mg + HCG trigger + IUI + Progesterone, negative pregnancy test Letrozole 7.5 mg + HCG trigger + IUI + Progesterone, awaiting results

Because our insurance covers medicated IUI's, co pays for each visit were $15 dollars and all medications have been between $10 and $15 as well.

N/A

Kaiser SF was wonderful to us after an awful experience at Kaiser Oakland RE. They always called us back the same day and we were able to get our medicine and lab results quickly. They were wonderful!

I chose to travel far, past other Kaisers, to work with Dr. Huang because he is extraordinarily kind. His bedside manner is superb. He was always calm, informed, and present with us. He responded to all my emails and calls quickly. I appreciate him so much!

Nurse Peters seems competent and confident. She is not as warm and as personable as Dr. Huang.

Dr. Huang is a kind and gentle doctor. I am very glad we went to him for our IUIs. Unfortunately, we have had to move on to IVF due to unexplained infertility. Dr. Huang was very hopeful since we have a lot of eggs and sperm that IUI would work. I am very disappointed that that my eggs were not stimulated more since I could have gotten more eggs than 2 in a cycle. But he is very conservative and errs on the cautious side with minimal drugs.

Do not be afraid to ask him questions, he is very patient and understanding.

I completed 4 IUIs - one with letrozole (2 eggs), one with clomid (1 egg and it thinned my lining), one with letrozole and injectables (1 egg), and one with injectables only (2 eggs). I have a very high number of eggs so they kept saying they were concerned I would overstimulate. It is frustrating I only got 1-2 eggs with this cautiousness, but understand the risks of being too aggressive.

My job covered IUI so I very gratefully only had co-pays. If only IVF was!

N/A (IUI only)

It's Kaiser. With this comes a lack of education and information, but it's great for all procedures and medications. Just make sure to do your research or ask more questions. Also, there are also sometimes long waits to be seen. For example, IUIs are scheduled at 10am and the last two times, I haven't been seen until 11. All women are prepped at the same time and then have to wait until their turn in the room.

She always addresses my questions, helps address my feelings throughout the process, and makes jokes. She has a great sense of humor.

She is amazing. She is super comforting, explains everything, and keeps it real. She is great at understanding my individual needs for paperwork, protocol directions, and next steps. She's also very great at her response time to emails when Dr. Moy is out.

Although Dr. Moy is not the primary physician in the clinic for IUIs, she has been my point person thus far. Dr. Moy specializes in IVF and often works in both the SF and Fremont clinic. Other doctors and NPs in the office performed my procedures, but she always responded to my questions immediately and with compassion. For example, I was nervous prior to a sedated HSG (due to a terrible first HSG) and she went above and beyond to reach out to my husband and me to review the whole procedure keeping my concerns in mind. Of course, everything went beautifully after her encouragement. She goes above and beyond.

Dr. Moy doesn't sugar coat treatment. She does deliver it with a sense of humor. I have since met other patients who found that uncomfortable, but personally, I appreciate it. Also, always feel comfortable reaching out to her with anything. She's awesome!

We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility. I have completed 3 full rounds of Letrozole (7.5mg) with IUI. We have been unsuccessful thus far, but knew our statistics going in. We are going into injectible IUIs this cycle.

My insurance covers all but $15 copay on most treatments. Because it's Kaiser, I never see a bill except for the copay. Some of my prescriptions are even less! Our quote for IVF is $20,000 because my insurance pays none of it.

You are there to see Dr. Shen. Unfortunately, the rest of the office is not up to her standard! The clinic is functional, not beautiful. It's clean and the lab is right there. This is not a glamorous place, but the job gets done!

Dr. Shen knew my treated my husband and I like we were long time friends. She always had time to answer questions and we felt like she was personally invested in our success.

While Dr. Shen was top notch, the rest of the clinic staff had some drawbacks. I was frustrated many times by the procedures and protocols at the clinic. While they were friendly, I didn't find everyone to be as compassionate as they could be, especially considering this line of work. I remember crying on the phone trying to set up an appointment and they had a policy which wouldn't let me. It felt to me the policy was to see as many people as possible, rather than make relationships with the clients they had. Even signing the paperwork and the class on how to do injections was poorly organized and left me feeling unprepared. HINT: I got my medication at the Disco Rex Walgreens in Palo Alto and they gave me a private tutorial on how to do injections. Much better than the nurses at Kaiser.

We interviewed 4 doctors in total including doctors in Marin and San Francisco. None of them compared to Dr. Shen. She let us make decisions and always offered candid and compassionate advice when we struggled with choices. She was extremely professional and up to date on any new discoveries. Paired with her professionalism was a modesty and humbleness which made working with her easy during a difficult time. I know for a fact that Dr. Shen is the reason I am pregnant now and enjoyed (if that's possible) working with her so much, I considered using her name as our child's middle name!

This process can be so daunting, trust Dr. Shen. She is both professionally knowledgable and down to earth. Choosing her is the one decision we never doubted.

Monitoring was done on specific days and in the morning. The lab for blood work was in the next building. We'd do blood work, walk to the clinic, and wait about 20 mins- 1 hour for an ultrasound. Even with an ultrasound appointment. HINT: You can make a lab appointment which they will honor.

They messed up a billing thing. When I contacted the doctor about it, he said he would let their billing person know, and that she would get back to me. That never happened. I still need to deal with the billing issue. Other than this, and what I have already described, everything was good. (Much better than my previous clinic!)

Answered all my questions. Had a pleasant demeanor. I didn't wait too long in the waiting area. Doctor was open to my feedback about side effects and made some medication changes as a result.

Things were mostly good with the nurses. Two exceptions, though. One was that they didn't warn me when in the cycle I would get my period. Maybe that should have been obvious to me (?), but I really didn't understand that I was going to get it right then, and it came when I was at the airport headed on a flight. Quite annoying. I wish they would have just explained that to me. The second was that I had a lot of pain injecting into my buttox. I had done these shots before without much pain. They really didn't help me figure out what was going on. They said apply hot, they said apply cold, they said massage. But it was really painful; I was limping around, and it hurt to sit and stand. Then, a friend suggested that the needle might not be the right size for me. That fixed it. But I was really in pain for a while, without help from the nurses (I asked them for help with this more than once).

He always answered questions, at appointments or by e-mail. He was pleasant, down-to-earth, and realistic. I didn't wait for long in the waiting area. I also didn't feel rushed during appointments. Everything went smoothly. When I experienced some side effects, he was able to adjust the medication. I was very pleased, of course, to get pregnant and have my baby.

I remember signing a form regarding the risks of IVF, and there was a wrong statistic on there. It said that 10% of babies from IVF would have birth defects, and it really scared me. When I contacted the doctor, he said that it was incorrect, and the risk was much lower, but they hadn't changed the wording on the document yet. Jeesh. I hope they have since changed it, but if not, consider this your heads up.

I did a single-embryo transfer from a frozen embryo that was retrieved at another clinic. He was unsure of how to predict success given that the embryo came from elsewhere, but the cycle was ultimately successful.

He was open to my preference.

Since I was already a Kaiser patient, I thought it was the logical step in going to their REI. It was an easy transition since they already had my information and other lab work results. The front desk people were always pleasant as well. I would suggest that if your insurance doesn't cover the expenses from the Kaiser REI, you should also explore other clinics.

I felt he just went through the protocol of my statistics based on my age and the procedures that would be done. It would have been nice if he tapped into how I was doing emotionally through the natural conceiving process.

Marion seemed to be very knowledgeable as she was able to patiently answer all my questions. She was very pleasant during my visits and had a calm demeanor. Although it could have been a more thorough check up if she asked how I was doing physically and emotionally. Since going through these fertility treatments can be frustrating and emotional, it would be nice to be able to see her check in on an emotional level.

I only saw him during my first visit at the initial REI consultation. I felt his communication style was a little awkward as he would throw in jokes that weren't exactly tactful, in short, his bedside manner was less than desirable. He wasn't rude or brash though. I just didn't particularly felt we clicked.

I would go with a different Dr. at the Kaiser REI.

The suggested treatment plan was to do three cycles of Chlomid, then two to three cycles of IUI. However, after the first cycle failing, I asked my nurse if I could go straight into IUI. She said yes, which led me to question why I wasn't initially given this option. She just said that based on my age, the Dr. didn't see a need for me to do IUI right away. However, I'm glad I proactively requested an adjustment to my treatment strategy or else I would have "wasted" more time.

So far I've spent about $1,500.

Kaiser is a well oiled machine. For all fertility workup, it's pretty standardized, meaning they do initial blood work, semen analysis, saline sonogram, HSG, and hysteroscopy regardless of diagnosis (I think). I never felt like diagnostic testing was hard to get or was missed. For IUIs, they don't perform them on Sundays, so they'll do it a little early or late if the ideal time was a Sunday. For IVF, it's a full 7 day/week system. They batch patients as the Dr does every ultrasound and you see him at every visit. Unfortunately, that meant a pretty long wait in between cycles. But, that does mean a ton of face time with your dr and consistent scans. They also made you pay to reserve your spot. This meant we paid almost 6 months before cycling (which was a nice break), but now I wish we had gone somewhere else or paid for IVF while still doing IUIs to not have that long break. We ended up switching clinics simply because we couldn't do another 6 month break before cycling again. If we could have cycled more quickly, we would have stayed with Dr. Harris and Kaiser.

Dr. Harris is warm, friendly, knowledgable, and really partners with you. He shares pieces of his life with you, knows who you are, and asks about partner/life/work.

Kaiser does not assign you a primary nurse for IUIs or IVF. The IUIs are all done by rotating NPs-- all of whom are competent, kind, and engaging. The IVF nurses reinforce what Dr.Harris just told you when he did your ultrasound. I was surprised that it was the nurse who gave the results; not Dr. Harris. Unfortunately, they informed me I was not pregnant (beta 17) and to stop all meds. I now understand that while the chance of sustaining the pregnancy is almost nothing; I was technically pregnant. I wish they would have told me to continue meds and re-test in 2 days (rather than stop and re-test a week later) I'm 99% sure the outcome would have been the same, but I wish they would have given it a shot. And I didn't know enough to push for it.

Dr. Harris is really incredible. He talks very fast, but he is so well versed in the research and gives rationale for why he wanted to do a protocol. He did every monitoring ultrasound during IVF, and would make adjustments as he saw you. He tried to set expectations about how many he expected to retrieve and why he was making adjustments to the protocol. He batches patients so that he can do every ultrasound-- so he'll go from retrieval to ultrasound to transfer to ultrasound all day long. I'm pretty sure he doesn't sleep for 3 weeks at a time. However, he always manages to light up the room with his infectious smile and laughter.

He doesn't recommend lifestyle changes (ie supplements, diet, etc). However, he fully supports you if you want to do them. He knows how out of control this feels and will support you if want to try to find some control. So please be honest with your supplements; he'll give you an honest opinion about when to start/stop them during your cycle.

I did a couple of injectable IUIs where the lead follicle stopped growing with a step-down approach (meaning I started at higher doses and then decreased the dose). Based on this data, he made some adjustments to my IVF protocol. We did the antagonist protocol. We started with 150 follistim/150 menopur and then added in the ganirelix after day 6 or 7 of stims. We increased the dose of one or the other med at each appointment, with my max being 375 for both meds by the end. We did ICSI just as a precaution and I'm glad we did; it just took the guesswork out of it. We expected 12 mature eggs, but only ended up with 8 (this was a huge blow!). 7 fertilized and all 7 were growing well at day 3, so we opted for a day 5 transfer. When we got to transfer, we spoke with Dr. Harris and the embryologist who informed us that we had an early blast and a morula. Both of these were a little behind where they "should" have been. All the rest had already arrested or were so far behind they most likely wouldn't make it. They encouraged us to transfer both despite our terror of twins. He did the transfer and then he has a little dance/ritual he does over all his patients after transfer (waving his hands over your abdomen-- maybe a little prayer?) I loved it; as I really felt he was giving us extra love (even if medically it doesn't make a difference). Unfortunately we did not have anything to freeze and our transfer ended in a chemical pregnancy.

The monitoring could take 10 mins or 3 hours. Since Dr. Harris does all of his own monitoring, he would go from retrieval to ultrasound to transfer to ultrasound. It was great that you always saw your doctor, but it could lead to some very LONG waits. Additionally, you're given a specific time for monitoring, but it's actually first come/first serve. So ignore the time you're given and just show up as early as possible.

Fertility workup, IUIs were all covered under insurance, so very minimal. IVF was completely out of pocket. I believe it was about 12k for IVF + ICSI. Meds were separate and ended up at about 6k.

He favors eSET, but since both of our embryos were a little behind (early blast and morula) he felt that the morula would probably NOT make it, so it was less risky.

The front desk is very personal and warm. The medical assistants can be kind, but often seem stressed. They can sometimes be rude when you call in for information or to make changes to your appointment. They have made me cry. The nurses are knowledgeable. There are many of them at this clinic. You may get a different nurse for each of your appointments. Each nurse has her own style, and so you will have to adjust according to who you have. Dr. Nixon made me very uncomfortable. He talked about his personal life a lot and didn't give me or my husband clear answers. After my initial appointment with him for infertility, I never saw him again. Dr. Harris has been very kind, knowledgeable, and thorough. He has a warm bedside manner. He answers questions promptly via email. I met with him for our initial IVF consult and he performed my saline sonogram and mock transfer. When I begin STIMming, I will see him for every appointment.

Dr. Harris is very warm and has made me feel very comfortable. He responds immediately to emails and answers all of my questions. However, there are times when I'm directed to speak to someone else in Dr. Harris' staff rather than Dr. Harris himself.

The nurses were kind and warm, and I had the genuine feeling that they were "on my side." However, there was a large team of them, and I had different nurses rotating through my different appointments. The nurses didn't know me personally and they didn't seem to communicate among one another. There were times when I had to update nurses on what had happened during my previous cycle, or even my previous appointment (which often was just a few days before).

I have seen Dr. Harris for our initial consult and for my saline sonogram. At each of those appointments he answered all of my questions thoroughly. He was warm and kind. We have not started STIMming, but I have been informed that once that starts, I will see him for each appointment. He answers his emails promptly and gives me next steps and reassurance when needed.

Ask a lot of questions and have Dr. Harris explain what is happening and what is going to happen to your body. It will save you the research time later and he is thorough and easy to understand.

I did 3 rounds of Femara with Menopur injectables, along with HCG trigger shot and IUI. All 3 cycles resulted in negative pregnancy tests. One cycle was cancelled due to too many follicles and the staff feared that I would have OHSS.

$11, 500 for IVF $1900 for ICSI ~$4000 for medications ~$96 for ultrasounds (out of pocket cost) ~$136 for IUI (out of pocket cost)

My biggest beef was with Kaiser itself. Here's a list of the things I didn't like or felt could be improved: -It's a little thing, but the Kaiser clinic is called the Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology department. I don't need the reminder that I was having infertility issues; the clinic I switched to (at a different hospital) was called the Center for Reproductive Health. It's a little thing, but really made a difference to me. -For some reason, Kaiser has regular OB patients check-in at the same desk where the fertility patients check in and wait for their appointments. I wasn't overly bothered by this, but it did strike me as very insensitive to have visibly pregnant women standing in line and checking in for appointments in front of women (and men) struggling with fertility issues. -It drove me crazy that almost every single appointment I had scheduled I was seen late. Sometimes 10 minutes, sometimes as long as a half hour. I showed up for an IUI appointment one Saturday a half hour ahead of time because I had been running other errands in the neighborhood, and wasn't seen until nearly an hour after I'd been told my appointment was. I found out later that the timing of when you are seen for an IUI has to do with when the sample from the man was taken or dropped off, but no one ever explained that to me when I had my appointments and all the waiting around with no explanation made a stressful situation worse. -Overall, I felt I got no guidance from the Kaiser fertility team regarding my treatment. It was all left up to me to ask, "What's do you think about what's happening, should we keep trying this next month or should we try another approach, etc." If I didn't ask these questions, no one followed up with me and I would miss a cycle.

I only met with Dr. Moy in person a few times while I was her patient. Once was the meeting to discuss our initial diagnosis and once was when she happened to be on one weekend when I had an IUI. We also spoke on the phone a couple of times, though I felt she did most of the talking and could have listened better.

I had far more contact with the nursing staff than with Dr. Moy. Most of the nurses were compassionate and kind and I enjoyed my interactions with them.

Dr. Moy was clearly very knowledgeable about fertility issues but I felt very disconnected from her during the whole process. I saw her fairly regularly over the course of about eight months but didn't feel like I got much guidance from her on what was working, what wasn't, what we should try next, etc.

You will need to be very proactive, and it will be up to you to push for treatments, ask questions, etc.

Since IVF is so expensive, my goal was to start with the least invasive (and least expensive) options first, and then work our way up to IVF only if necessary. We first tried letrozole to try to boost my egg production, coupled with both timed intercourse and IUI . I had mixed responsiveness to the medication, producing anywhere from one or two eggs up to six at the most. We tried two (or three, I can't remember) cycles with injectable medications to boost egg production, coupled with IUI. I had limited responsiveness to the injectables.

I was lucky in that I had insurance that covered up to 50% of my costs (office visits and medications) for procedures up to (but not including) IVF. It was still very expensive. As I recall, with my 50% coverage, office visits were between $50 and $150 for ultrasounds and IUI, and medication was anywhere from about $20 for Letrozole up to the hundreds of dollars for injectable medications.

It is off the kaiser campus in an office building across the street. The receptionist is great and very sweet. The price structure is clear and communicated really well.

She does all monitoring for the cycle herself and was involved in all aspects of our ivf cycle. She listened to us and answered all of our questions when I came in with 4 pages of them and was patient and kind the whole time.

You see different nurses each time so I didn't have a point person. The communication system was a bit frustrating because it involved leaving messages and getting called back. The nurses during my procedures were wonderful and they all were very compassionate and helpful.

She managed my cycle beautifully. I was at risk for ohss and was still able to do a fresh transfer and I credit a lot of that to how well she managed my response to the meds, which can be very unpredictable. She was very competant and explained everything to us in detail. The office itself is not the best at communicating as you often had to leave messages and get called back and they batch cycle which is frustrating but Dr. shen was amazing and worth the inconvenience for me.

The batching is worth it because it means she handles all aspects of your care. Even routine ultrasounds with her were much better than with other REs I have seen and she was wonderful throughout all our procedures.

Antagonist protocol, 150 gonalf 75 menopur. I have pcos so we needed the option of a lupron trigger which we used but my ovaries tend to be resistant to stims so we did this higher dose than normal for a pcos patient and stimmed for 12 days.

10k flat fee for ivf and $1190 for icsi.

Most of the clinic's support staff - front desk and back desk - were excellent. They were compassionate and caring, offering a cup of water and early check-in when my emotions got the better of me. Even when I often ran late, due to traffic or emotional delay, they accommodated me.

He was friendly every time, as well as compassionate, never cold or "clinical".

Two of the 3 NPs were wonderful - compassionate, open, empathetic. One was a bit more clinical and the one that told me, without hesitation or apology, to stop taking progesterone when it was discovered that the short-lived pregnancy was ending.

Dr Harris always had a smile for me and/or my husband, but was also sympathetic to setbacks and disappointments. He was appropriately physical, like a pat on the hand prior to draining a cyst or polypectomy. He even gave me a [well-received and appreciated] hug when I started crying after learning about an ovarian cyst.

Enjoy his humanity and write down all the info and options he shares with you.

Because of both male factor infertility (high abnormality) and diminished ovarian reserve, we started immediately with IUIs. They were delayed due to an occlusive ovarian cyst, about the size of a large kiwi. It was first treated with birth control, then with 2 different drainings, and finally a cystectomy. The cyst remains. We were told early on that IVF would be more successful, and that using donor eggs would provide still higher chances of success. Due to emotional and financial stress, we decided to try 7 IUIs over 2 years, interspersed with other procedures like a polypectomy and cyst-related procedures.

Our insurance covered 90% of the treatments associated with IUIs, so each cycle was $50-$200, depending on injectables.