How was your experience with Aykut Bayrak at LA IVF?
Dr. Bayrak uses a cookie cutter approach to his patients, or at least to me. He chose a protocol from the start and stuck with it without considering adjustments along the way to go with my body’s response. He was afraid of one egg being too big and not being viable, so abandoned several other opportunities for other eggs to catch up. I believe I had poor results because of his lack of finesse and hurried approach. He would not offer education on the medications and treatment, but would answer questions thoroughly when asked. Despite our attempts to consider male factor, he dismissed it due to my age. We later learned with our second doctor that it is male factor. His bedside manner is somewhat sensitive and I believe he does care for his patients. He just always appears to be in a rush and seems to need either another doctor or to cut back his patient load.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Aykut Bayrak at LA IVF?
Be your own advocate. If the doctor says one thing and the nurse says another, question it and make sure the nurse double checks with the doctor. I was given incorrect instructions more than once.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Aykut Bayrak at LA IVF?
I was given results, even devastating results, by email. Several times my appointments were changed at the last minute, even the same appointment multiple times, even though I was working full time and had to make arrangements with my job. The doctor was almost always backing out the door like he was late for his next patient while my husband and I were trying to ask questions.
Describe the protocols Aykut Bayrak used in your cycles at LA IVF and their degree of success.
I did two cycles of IVF. The first cycle he started me on lupron injections and birth control. The second only birth control. He told us this was to help the smaller follicles catch up to the bigger one. We then used Gonal-F and Menopur for a short period. Each cycle, only 2 eggs were retrieved although I had seven follicles with the first cycle. I learned with my second doctor that birth control and lupron are the wrong choices for someone with low AMH since it only suppresses the follicle production. The second doctor got 9 mature eggs. Ultrasound monitoring was very minimal and almost no blood tests during the cycles. He just picked a date for the retrieval and went with it.
Describe your experience with your nurse at LA IVF. (Assigned nurse: Amy Cervantes)
I can’t say enough to describe how terrible it was to work with Amy. She made an already difficult situation even more unbearable. I would get instructions from the doctor, then she would tell me something else. When I would ask for clarification, she would act annoyed, but eventually double check with the doctor and give me updated information. She was never available to speak when I called, but would email me back instead, sometimes while I was leaving a voicemail. All news was given via email. She would give devastating news over email. Absolutely terrible. She emailed me to tell me our embryo did not make it to day 5, said she was available if we had questions, then did not answer the phone five minutes later. I sent 2 emails after that and she never responded. I have not heard from her since that email. She would not send instructions when promised. She was always very short with us, sighed a lot, always seemed put out and annoyed, and overall very rude. It caused me so much anxiety knowing she was the only point person to contact. The day of my egg retrieval, I was in the operating room and she was prepping something while speaking to another person in Spanish (I don’t speak Spanish) and laughing while I was clearly anxious. She did not take time to tell me what was going on or what to expect. It was terrifying. Amy does not belong in healthcare, especially in such a sensitive environment.
Describe your experience with LA IVF.
They all seem annoyed with patients. No one is outwardly helpful or friendly. No one really smiles in this office. Follow-up is not done, except with several phone calls and reminders. The billing person, Linda, saw us once or twice in the beginning, then we never saw or heard from her again. She stopped answering emails and was never available to speak on the phone. Stacey was the most helpful person and the most compassionate. After our second failed cycle she seemed genuinely sorry and hugged me. I don’t know anyone else’s name. No one introduced themself.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Aykut Bayrak at LA IVF.
Dr Bayrak offers “packages”. You pay for everything up front. Even if you don’t make it that far, you’ve paid for it. You get a better “deal” if you pay for two or more cycles up front. It’s like he is planning to fail before he starts.
Describe Aykut Bayrak's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at LA IVF.
We had no embryos to transfer, but I believe Dr Bayrak only transfers a single embryo.
What specific things went wrong at LA IVF?
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at LA IVF.
I don’t feel like anyone in this office handled our case well. If we didn’t ask, we weren’t going to know. We were very new to this and didn’t know what to ask most of the time. Having now seen an excellent doctor and clinic and knowing now how things should have gone, I’m amazed I made it out safely. Just considering the egg retrieval alone (both times), no one called or followed up the next day to make sure I was ok. No one called the day before to make sure I knew what to expect. A lot of waiting and wondering is what we did. I feel like all we did was waste valuable time and money at this clinic.