Life IVF Center

The clinic runs like a well oiled machine. The doctor usually doesn't get in until after 10:00am so if you have an 8am appointment and want to speak to the nurse, you wont get to until the doctor reviews your lab work. I would usually just do my labs and ultrasounds then leave because all of the directions are sent to your portal. If I had known this during my retrieval cycle then I would not have had to take so much time off of work! During the retrieval cycles, I would wait for up to 3 hours to speak to a nurse after Dr. Yelian reviewed the results. Also, the coordinators are not very honest. Our patient coordinator Taylor, gave us much misleading information regarding what waivers that Dr. Yelian would give us at the beginning of the protocol and would get frustrated with any questions asked of her. It was quite frustrating to speak to someone that should know the office protocol but instead spoke out of place and not only that asked us not to mention her name to Dr. Yelian when we were asking about the waivers! This seemed very odd.

The wait times with Life IVF are horrendous. We would wait for 2 hours sometimes to just see a nurse and only got to see Dr. Yelian before we began treatments and transfers. The doctor is very difficult to get a hold of and it is mainly the nurses that you speak with. That being said, the phlebotomists, ultrasound techs, and nurses were very kind. The front desk staff got to know us by name and we felt very comfortable with them.

The nurses were amazing, they knew everything! If I had any questions, I just needed to pick up the phone and I could always talk to one of them. They held my hand after the retrievals and spoke warmly to me during the cycles.

Frank Yelian seemed quite distracted the first time my husband and I met with him. He only gave us about 5 minutes of his time after we waited for 3 hours. He seemed to want to rush us through that first appointment. During the first egg retrieval cycle, I felt quite anxious as a patient and had some questions about the protocol because it seemed very similar to my IUI protocol which wasn't successful for me at another clinic. I brought this up to the coordinator, she seemed to be offended by the questions and told Dr. Yelian this. Dr. Yelian asked to speak with me, did not address my concerns about the protocol but instead asked if I had depression and told me that I needed to be nicer to his staff or I could find another place to go. This ofcourse made me quite upset but we had already paid and so felt stuck. The course of treatment that Dr. Yelian prescribed was a mistake according to him which only resulted in 3 eggs being retrieved. We only bought a 2 cycle package so this was devastating to us because he did 2 retrievals within 1 cycle because of a luteal phase he wanted to try. That being said, he met with my husband and I after we were very upset with the outcome and not being listened to by him in the first place. He did rectify his mistake and gave us a free retrieval cycle to try and get blastocysts. Dr. Yelian finally started to listen to me and adjusted my medications on the free retrieval and I was able to get 8 eggs! I was very pleased and finally felt like I was being treated like an intelligent individual. He did both of my transfers and my ERA test. He was very pleasant and spoke to me personally after each transfer and upon my negative betas for both transfers. The beginning with Dr. Yelian was quite rocky but he definitely redeemed himself in our eyes.

The one piece of advice I can offer is to not expect a hand holding experience with this doctor. He has his own agenda in mind and will pursue it until he is proven incorrect then he will be more flexible. We did grow to trust this doctor however we would not be coming back to this clinic because mini ivf and optimal ivf is not the right protocol for us. Also, do not expect to have much contact with Dr. Yelian outside of the first appointment and your transfers. He is available to be put on a waitlist for phone conversations.

The protocol that was used for my first retrieval was Clomid ,Gonal F, and Menopur with a Lupron trigger. This was a mini ivf cycle which only resulted in 2 eggs. He continued with a luteal phase cycle within that same cycle because he felt that with my PCOS I would not produce many eggs if he did another mini cycle by itself on the next cycle. This luteal phase was only with Clomid and Menopur with a result of only 1 egg. No blastocysts from any of these 3 eggs. Optimal stimulation cycle with higher dosage of Clomid, Menopur, and Gonal F with Lupron trigger. They retrieved 8 eggs , 6 of which were mature. We got 2 blastocysts , 1 with a bb rating and the other with a bc rating. Both embryos failed to implant during both transfer cycles. The transfer cycles consisted of Estrace, progesterone suppositories, and progesterone in oil (every other day).

The cost was 10 k for 2 mini ivf cycles and 2 transfers. It cost 1500 for an ERA cycle. It was 750 for any cycle (retrieval or transfer) for labs. We spent over 5 k on medications.

The doctor prefers to do single embryo transfer, his motto is 1 embryo and 1 baby.

There are a lot of people going on and out all the time. The clinic itself runs really well I think. They all know what they are doing and get it done. Expect to wait several hours and do not ever leave without speaking to the nurse beforehand!

Dr Yelian visited with us personally twice, once before we started IVF and again before our second retrieval. When we see him in passing he always stops to say Hello. Most of the nurses and ultrasound techs are very nice and caring. One in particular is not very gentle when it comes to doing the ultrasound, which I understand can be uncomfortable but I told her it was painful and she just kept on without changing anything. Most everyone in the office are very nice.

The nurses are all very sweet and nice. I wrote earlier about one of the ultrasound techs not being very gentle or caring, that is the only bad experience I have had in the office.

Dr Yelian is very caring and friendly. You can tell he cares about you. Even in passing he’ll stop and put a hand on your shoulder and say hello. My first egg retrieval was done by Dr Yelian and it went smoothly. My second one was done by a different Doctor and that was not a pleasant experience. I personally think Dr Yelian is the best. Also watching him interact with other patients in passing.. he is caring to each one.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

My first round I took a half a pill of clomid for 4 days and had two trigger shots. One of Lupron and one of Gonal F I believe. That resulted in 2 small eggs, neither of which were viable. My second round. I took Clomid and multiple injections for several days. I do not remember exactly what all the names & the doses were. That one resulted in 3 eggs being retrieved. Two of which were fertilized and made it to Day 3 of culturing and are now frozen and waiting for transfer.

Monitoring appointments seemed to be very organized. I can usually get in at anytime I want in the morning. I am always called in within 10-15 min of arriving. The wait to speak to the nurse about the treatment plan usually takes quite a bit longer, which isn’t ideal but with the amount of patients it is understandable.

Initial phone consultation: $150 2 egg retrieval package: around $10,000 Medications range a lot Clomid for first cycle:$4.00 Lupron I had to buy in San Francisco $800 Last egg retrieval round: over $1,000 for medication Monitoring fee for each separate round: $750

We decided that transferring both would be the best.

Their biggest strength is their approach to IVF using little or no drugs. They are able to help many women with DOR and advanced maternal age with his methods. The downside is that the clinic is crazy busy and appointments are long while you wait for your results to be reviewed by the dr. Because they are so busy, some of the details get lost in the shuffle so you need to be super organized. They also told me the gender of our embryos when we said we didn't want to know.

This is a very busy clinic. You get called in to see the dr, he glances through your information in front of you and then begins your consult. He is very friendly, just maybe would like if I felt like he knew my info before I entered his office.

The nurses are crazy busy but super kind and compassionate.

Dr Yelian approached IVF totally differently and I appreciate that. He changes his protical for each patient and adjusts meds along the way if necessary. He's not much of a talker so be prepared to ask questions if you have them because after your first meeting with him you you have to pay to see him.

Be clear about your desired outcome and method. Also, go prepared with all of your questions.

This is a mini and natural IVF clinic so meds are used at a minimum. I did mini IVF which for me meant clomid starting CD3 and then only 4 days of low dose stims (metapur and gonal-f). I had 15 follicles but had an early LH surge so I lost the dominant follie and only had 2 mature eggs out of the 10 that they retrieved.

Very busy but they get everyone in quickly for bloodwork and ultrasounds but then you wait sometimes for over an hour for the results and any changes in protocol. If you're in a hurry, you can leave and have the nurse call you with results.

I believe the cost has gone up but I paid about $10K for one mini IVF including monitoring, meds, PGS testing, retrieval and frozen transfer.

He's a strong advocate for single transfers but will do 2 on a case by case basis.

The entire Staff is very friendly - you will soon learn to everyones names that you interact with. The clinic has a friendly feel and everyone treats you as a person. I love that I can either call or email them if I have any questions. The only downfall is the wait in the waiting room sometimes is a bit longer than anticipated. But thankfully you can let the office staff you are stepping out to get some food and return and still be in the queue to see the nurse. There’s also outlets to charge your phone if needed and a tv with cable.

Dr. Y is very friendly. He truly cares for all of his patients. He takes the time to get to know all of his patients and it’s very kind and understanding.

The nursing staff was amazing! Very friendly and caring. I was very nervous leading up to the egg retrieval and every time they were comforting and explained everything. I even asked their opinions on oral sedation versus iv Sedation and they explained the procedure. The day of transfer I saw one of the nurses I typically see and she Said to me “I was so excited when wrote your bracket last night! good luck!” She was also the one to give me the news that my transfer didn’t take but was very kind about it and talked to me about it.

Dr Yelian was very kind. He truly cares for all of his patients. The day I got my negative beta I met with him and we talked about what happened and what we could do the next time around. He listened to my concerns and was truly sorry that we weren’t successful

Make sure you get all the required testing out is the way as soon as possible after your initial consult.

For my iui we used a combination of clomid, menopur and progesterone suppositories. I did fairly well but given the iui rates it did not succeed. For IVF egg retrieval I used clomid, menopur, gonal f and lupron for a trigger shot - we used minimal amounts. With my PCOS I did not react as atinicpated we only were able to get 3 egg and only 1 made it to blastocyst/embryo stage. For transfer I used a combination of estrogen, progesterone, and tamoxifen. Unfortunately the embryo did not take.

The clinic is open from 730 to 6 but monitoring only happens from 730 to 2. Appointments are in 15 minute increments but is well oiled. If you check in early sometimes they will pull you in early but it depends on their schedule.

for our iui we paid everything entirely out of pocket. I think overall we paid about 4500. Our last round of ivf our insurance covered it so we only had to pay for the donor sperm and medications.

The clinic has a great lab, which is important in the success of IVF outcome. Dr. Yelain is talented at treating tough case patients and does not give up on his patients easily. The clinic also offers low price packages, which makes it possible for severe DOR ladies to find success, as most will need a few IVF cycles to get enough embryos to transfer. It's a busy clinic and you don't get your own nurse. The service you get corresponds to the price you pay.

Dr. Yelian is personable and he is optimistic by nature and truly wants you to succeed.

Most of the nurses are very nice and organized but sometimes they can be frustrating to work with.

Dr. Yelian is the expert in treating sever DOR ladies (high FSH, low AMH). He is creative in his treatment plans and he seldom gives up (cancels cycle) on his patients. He is optimistic by nature and truly believes that every egg can be the golden one and will go for every egg he can get, which is very important in the case of DOR ladies. He creates individualize treatment plans base on your ultrasound result and hormonal levels but as a patient you need to stay on top of the details and be there to remind him of your histories as it's a busy clinic and they have a lot of patients.

Trust and rely on his expertise but also stay on top of things, voice your concern if the treatment plan does not make sense base on your understanding of your history.

Dr. Yelian is one of the few Drs. who knows how to treat sever DOR ladies. A lot of the patients went to Dr. Yelain as last resort as most Drs do not know how to treat ladies with high FSH and would have told them donor egg is the only hope. Dr. Yelian would test your baseline FSH and E2 and will prescribe stimulation if your FSH is lower than 15. If your FSH is high, he may give you estrace or bcp to lower the FSH so to allow follicle(s) to grow. I was able to successfully bank embryos under his protocols.

Life clinic offers low costs package. A three cycle mini IVF package is around $15K and a three cycle natural IVF package is around $12K.

Dr. Yelain will only transfer up to two embryos at a time. His motto is to help his patient has one healthy baby at a time so he tries his best to avoid high risk pregnancies.

This is an IVF clinic that markets to diminished ovarian reserve patients, specializing in natural or minimal stimulation. The clinic doesn't seem to have as much experience with other types of treatment.

Life is a very crowded clinic due to the low cost. The only way they can manage this is to have standardized procedures. You never see the doctor, and communicate via email with the nurses.

The nurses are very organized and due to the sheer number of patients, rely on procedures. There are set times that lab tests and ultrasounds need to be submitted to the doctors when remote monitoring, and a set time that you can expect them to email you regarding the next days' order.

Dr Yelian is a very nice man, but you never receive followup after the retrieval or an assessment of how the cycle went. There is not much of a feedback loop. For the first three cycles, he kept us on natural cycle. After asking about minimal stimulation, he did move us to Clomid cycles and one gonadotropin cycle, but other than that did not really reassess and change treatment based on the previous cycle. Following leaving Life, two other REs were of the opinion that Clomid, after your 40s, has an adverse effect that sometimes inhibits conceiving and can temporarily cause menopausal symptoms for 3 months, by changing or missing cycles. On the very first cycle with my new doctor, we used gonadotropins instead and I conceived.

To talk to a second and a third opinion, and to consider ovulation induction and/or IUI with gonadotropins instead of IVF.

three natural cycle IVFs, two with clomid, and one with gonal F.

Life uses remote monitoring which is very convenient, and there are many long distance patients that monitor close to their home and have lab tests and ultrasounds emailed to the clinic. You pay a monitoring fee of $600 per cycle.

$12000 for three minimal stimulation cycles or 11000 for three natural cycle.

None transferred.

The lab is great according to the women who have worked with Yelian (and who are pregnant/have children with his help). The challenge for me is that I live in SF and he's in Orange County, so that was inconvenient. Because it's a busy clinic, don't expect serenity or a "spa-like" experience I've hear about other places. But it's quality care at an affordable price. Right now, I'm looking at donor eggs, and the expense is unbelievable! I wish I could work with Yelian with their donors, but I can't choose that path because it's anonymous.

Dr. Yelian is a warm, sweet man. I've moved onto needing egg donation, and the only reason I can no longer work with him is that their egg donor program is anonymous, and I don't think that's a wise move on my part. I want the donor to be open to being contacted down the road. Dr. Lee C. Kao is AWFUL! No bedside manner and rude, and he did my consultation. After that experience, I asked Dr. Yelian to make sure I never work with him again.

Yelian has a very large team, and they're on it. They took whatever time I needed to answer my questions.

He's wonderful, and he has a very busy practice. He's limited on time, but I felt taken care of throughout. He's very kind and compassionate, and has had great success. He was realistic about my chances, while remaining encouraging. He's very knowledgeable and I would recommend him.

Avoid Dr. Lee C. Kao, and request you never work with him.

What I liked most about Dr. Yelian was his approach not to do conventional IVF for someone over 40. He does mini IVF and natural IVF. We did natural IVF, where it just follows my natural cycle. We were going to try minimal stim but my cycles became too irregular. To regulate them, I went on birth control, but then that made my FSH through the roof, and he suggested I take a break.

$6,000, which is why I wish I could work with him again. Now, I'm looking at ~$40,000. :(

Life IVF's patients are almost all "hard" cases for other clinics. If you are of advanced age, have DOR and/or high FSH, they are ideal. It's what they are dealing with all day, everyday-- you won't be a problem patient. I sort of feel like no matter how awful my numbers are, I don't scare them. It makes treatment more promising and waiting in the waiting room more pleasant... at 40 I'm never the oldest there. Considering the patients, I think their success rates are amazing. The clinic's emphasis is on the least amount of drugs/procedures/extras to make IVF as minimally invasive and as easy time management-wise as possible. If you are uncomfortable with the sheer amount of medication involved in a cycle elsewhere, Life would be ideal. They just don't do the everything and the kitchen sink style cycle. Retrievals can be done without anesthesia. I had read other patients posting that they did retrieval completely drug free, so I tried my first cycle and I highly recommend Norco and Valium. It wasn't the most awful experience of my life, but some pain killers made it so much more manageable the second time. Anesthesia is an option if you'd prefer. With the exception of one, all my cycles were based solely on my natural cycle and did not include taking injections or birth control to get on a schedule convenient to the clinic. It was important to me to know that I would not be cancelled if I had even a little chance. Other clinics cancel if you don't have lots of follicles, Life advocates "it only takes one". If you only have one or two and want to proceed, they will and if you feel a moment of panic and consider canceling, they will reassure you without pressuring you, either. Almost all information will come through emails with great brevity. I almost always would like more information and sooner... but the information that you need always arrives in time (just not as immediately as my anxiousness would occasionally like). I don't think this clinic would be a good option if you want to feel you are being guided and hand held. In general, I feel that the pain involved in all aspects of a cycle is slightly underestimated by the nurses and doctors. I am tough, but, goodness. Last cycle I learned that an endometrial biopsy is much more painful than a pap smear (which it was presented as being just like). If I started over with them again, I'd very much like to feel confident asking for painkillers and valium before procedures. Once I said I was interested in them, they are happy to advise and proscribe without making you feel weak.

The clinic is very busy and I'm not able to see the doctors often, but when I have talked to them they seem to understand how this is important and emotional. I met with two previous doctors at other clinics who didn't seem to understand that not being able to have a child is upsetting. I don't feel like with Dr. Yelian that his success rates are more important than me.

Almost all of the nursing staff and staff in general is exceptionally nice, kind and thorough. I think with any workplace there will be a couple that are less pleasant or that you encounter on an off day. I had been warned by another patient that the staff wouldn't be friendly, but I found everyone friendly and warm, just also efficient. You won't be seeing the same people each time and they see a lot of patients, so while I felt I was familiar to everyone after my second cycle, I didn't expect them or need them to know much in the way of details about me. When some did I was pleasantly surprised. Of all my visits, and I have been there a lot, I've only had three instances of a not completely pleasant interaction -- and none of them were problems that would affect the results of the cycle.

Dr. Yelian is very excited about the science of IVF and ready to explain every detail. It really seems to be a passion. He's confident, but also practical. I wanted facts, I wanted to know what could be done, how and when. He could give all the answers and answers for what ifs. I like to read studies on Fertstert and I wanted someone who could discuss them with me. His scholarly background makes him a good fit for anyone approaching this as science and research. He also framed the answers in a positive way and recognized the importance of this. Another doctor had said you only have a 5% chance of a live birth as a dismissal of trying. Dr. Yelian estimated a similar percent as a positive -- you still have a 5% chance of a live birth. It's subtle, but important. I liken it to finding out you are diagnosed with a terrible disease-- I want the doctor that says, I can help you fight this, it's hard but we have these options, you have a 5% chance. I don't want the doctor that says you only have a 5% chance of survival, why bother? Dr. Yelian combines both science and compassion. I had hoped to have more appointments where I saw him. At this clinic, you will only see the doctor for your consultation, for your first appointment with the clinic, for retrievals and transfers. Theoretically, you can make additional appointments for a fee, but this is downplayed when you actually try to do it.

You should be prepared to keep track of everything and ask a lot of questions. You won't get many opportunities to talk to the doctor, so you will want to be fully prepared for every chance you get.

I did three mini-IVF cycles in a row, but had started four cycles. I then have started two FET, only one of which progressed to a transfer, which was negative. My FSH is high, my AMH is low and I am old. I was 39 when I started, 40 now. The theory on mini-IVF is that I was not going to produce many eggs regardless of how much medication I used because my FSH was already high, further stimulation wasn't going to do much. However, by doing three cycles each with less eggs collected, I could end up with a similar number of eggs to a standard cycle. My first attempt at a cycle was cancelled the first week as I already had a lead follicle. The thought was, this could be normal for me or it could be an off cycle. If we wait a month and it is the same, we're essentially in the same place, but maybe by waiting a month it would be better. Fortunately, it was a little better the next month. I was sad, but appreciated the practical approach. My first cycle to progress used clomid daily, Menopur every other day and a trigger with Lupron. I did not prime before. I had two eggs from six follicles, which was disappointing that day, but both made it to 5 day and were frozen. At the end of the cycle, I realized two from two is amazing. My second cycle used clomid daily and Follistim every other day with a double trigger. Because the first cycle had resulted in only two, the second was a change just to see if it worked better. I was to take 10 days of BCP, but started my period after 7 days, even on the BCP. I had four eggs from five follicles, but only two made it through the first day. Only one made it to 5 day and freeze. I then skipped one month because my cycle put my retrieval right in the middle of their week closed for the holidays. My third cycle was clomid daily, Gonal F every other day. I did not prime before. I triggered with just the Lupron. I had three eggs, two of which survived the first day and made it to day 5 to freeze. My first FET cycle I used estradiol, lots of it, then threw in tamoxifen for 10 days. There was not priming before, it followed my natural cycle. My lining wouldn't get above 7.6 at cd20 and the doctor decided to transfer because it seemed to be as good as it would get. My pregnancy test was negative, not even a chemical. My second FET cycle I used lots of estradiol, tamoxifen for 9 days and had an endometrial biopsy. I had more follicles growing, all of similar size than I had on any of my retrieval cycles, I regret not being able to switch it to a retrieval. My lining was 7.8 at cd14, and we tried going through the weekend to see if it would thicken. At some point over the weekend I ovulated and the cycle was cancelled. The plan is my next FET cycle would follow the protocol of the second, but transfer at cd14 and not risk going longer.

I'm uncomfortable giving numbers, we're asked not to. My three mini cycle package was a similar price to one full cycle at another local clinic. Monitoring is in addition to the package price, as are medications. At this point, three retreival cycles and two transfer cycles, with medications and monitoring I am over 20,000 and under 30,000. I did not use PGS.

Life IVF is very strongly pro eSET. Because I am older, I felt transferring at least two would be reasonable and they agreed to it while cautioning that it is not their recommendation. (I ended up doing eSET)

I was initially a bit overwhelmed by the high volume of patients that obviously go through the clinic (the waiting room can seem a bit like an airline terminal on busy days!) but it has turned out to benefit me because they have an in-house blood lab because of their high volume so they do monitoring from 7am (I think, I never went that early!) to 2pm, even on Saturdays. For me, afternoons worked best so I would go in at 1:45pm for monitoring and they would have the results one hour later (it's one hour processing no matter what time you go). I think most other clinics have only morning monitoring times and very limited hours on Saturdays. It's a busy place but it really does run smoothly, I have been impressed!

Dr Yelian treats thousands of women each year so it's inevitable that he cannot remember each one individually. That said, I have a bit of an unusual case so he does remember me but no matter what I think he treats his patients well and is a kind and caring doctor who really wants to help people get pregnant. He is super busy because of his success with DOR/POF/high FSH patients but he always took the time to call me when I requested it and if a cycle was cancelled and always asked if I had any questions about my treatment. I don't think he turns anyone away for treatment but I think it's because he wants to give everyone their best chance, not because he wants the money.

The nurses work in team mode (you are not assigned one point of contact) which can lead to disjointed communication when you speak with a different nurse each time you call or go into the office. It all seemed to work out fine in the end, though. There are a lot of nurses and I came in a lot and always seemed to see a different one. :) I did get to know the ultrasound techs and blood drawing technicians as there were only a few of those. Overall, my experience was fine and they were always polite and professional.

Dr. Yelian is super busy, but it's because of his success and because he is so well known for being the best doctor to go see if you have high FSH. People travel from all over the world to see him. I am caucasian and was almost always the only non-asian in the waiting room as many of his patients are chinese. There are usually many patients with their suitcases as well. Despite the high throughput I found the office to be well run and have had a very positive experience there. Because he sees so many patients you have to pay $75 to see him after your initial consultation (except for when you have transfers and retrievals) but having him call you is free and he always called when I asked and did not make me feel rushed. He is very personable and honest and he is really compelling and enthusiastic in his monthly seminars for prospective patients. I was really impressed at the seminar, and my experience with him after many months of treatment with him has lived up to that.

Go see his seminar, you won't be disappointed! If you have DOR or high FSH, no other doctor can compare.

Dr Yelian specializes in natural cycle and minimal stimulation IVF and most of his clients have DOR, POF, high FSH, and/or are in their 40s or beyond. He mostly uses estrogen and birth control pills to treat his patients and the goal is to produce "one good egg" (his mantra) each cycle. So your cycle won't be cancelled if you only have one follicle. :) My FSH was 136 and Dr Yelian tried several different protocols of natural cycle IVF on me, and despite being in premature menopause and age 41 I actually grew follicles after a few tries and he retrieved a mature egg which successfully fertilized. Those of you with POF (premature ovarian failure) will recognize how amazing this is. The cycle that worked, I was just on birth control pills, that's it! After about 34 days on the pill my FSH was suppressed enough that my follicles grew. I had my transfer last week and even if I don't get a positive pregnancy test, I am still grateful for Dr Yelian's help in getting this far, and we can always try again. :)

I paid about $5,000 for one natural cycle IVF cycle. It would have been $12,000 for three cycles but we decided to just pay for one.

I feel as if each staff member was hand picked and each are compassionate, comforting, informative, and patient.

Each staff member from check in to the doctors were all compassionate and knowledgeable and tended to all my needs

The nursing staff was my extended family, you see them so much and they communicate with you daily regarding protocol and checking up on you. They were encouraging, comforting, knowledgeable, compassionate, and eased your stress with humor and gave amazing tips to survive ivf.

From the 1st phone consult I knew Dr Yelian was the one for us, despite ivf being our on,y option to conceive after being told by our primary physician that my husband and I would never conceive with his sperm or my eggs, it was like a breath of fresh air when Dr Yelian assured us that we would be prefect candidates for mini ivf. He explained thoroughly how mini ivf works and the benefits also why we should do icsi and assisted hatching and hope was all we needed. Dr Yelian conducted my transfer and it was fast, detailed and painless, also I took no medicine for transfer.... Dr Yelian showed and explained every step before and during each step of transfer. Dr Yelian was always open for questions or concerns and had prompt responses. I truly appreciate how he made my husband and I feel like the only patients and always up to date on where we were in our cycle without us having to back track to catch him up. We felt special and important and that made our cycle easy and stress free.

Listen and follow his instructions even tho you may feel different. Dr Yelian really knows what he is talking about and doing and there is a reason for whatever instructions you are given by him. I thought for sure I would never produce eggs on my lowest dosages of fertility medicine but I produced more than with my highest dosages from my primary doctors.

I love that I didn't have to take birth control before starting my cycle, went right into stimming and I was on my lowest dosages of clomid 50mg and Gonal F lowest dosages and every other day, I'm not going to lie I didn't think it would work since I was on the max of both when doing iui's at my primary doctors office. But on my first ultrasound after starting swimming it was actually working and normally I stimmed for about 14 days or more I only stimmed for 9 days before triggering for retrieval. I produced 4 follicles and I was a rare and hard patient to retrieve because my ovary is far up and back, my retrieval was done abdominally and 3 out of the 4 follicles had eggs, 2 eggs were mature and fertilized with icsi, they both made it to 5 day blasts and were frozen. Following cycle was on 1 estrace (estrogen pill) daily and progesterone oil injections nightly and to my surprise my transfer was sooner than they expected and it went smoothly.

The mini ivf cycle I chose was affordable, medicine was the lowest around to purchase, monitoring cycles after pregnancy were very affordable as well

Strengths: Accepts all patients regardless of how dire their situations and cases are. Financial portion was well explained at the consult, with all the treatment costs and packages explained in great detail. It was very clear how much things would cost at this clinic. Dr. Yelian seems to show compassion and has a good bedside manner. Weaknesses: This place is way too busy and you feel like a number. The care didnt seem as individualized as it was portrayed to us at the consult. Doctors are not willing to try new or experimental techniques. Everything is pretty standard and they seem to use the "one size fits all" approach to treatment. Retrieval and transfer procedures seemed rushed especially when the "rest area beds" were full with patients. Patients walk from recliner "bed" to the procedure room for retrievals and transfers, have the procedure done with no anesthesia, and then need to walk back to their "bed". I felt like I was not given enough bedrest after procedures, especially the transfer procedures. You never see a doctor during monitoring. Emails are sent to you after each monitoring appointment with continued instructions for treatment plan. I was lucky to see Dr. Yelian on the day of my retrievals and transfers, but I didnt always see him. Sometimes the other doctors would be there in his absence.

At our initial consult, Dr. Yelian gave impression that treatment was tailored to each individual patient (i.e. no one size fits all approach would be used). However I felt like I was given the one size fits all by having birth control and estrogen priming prescribed, which only suppressed my response and I felt like I wasted a good amount of the cycles in my package with this. This clinic is very busy, they have what I think is too many patients for what they can handle. On retrieval and transfer days, I felt like I was rushed into the procedure room to get my procedure done, then I was left in a recliner to rest for a few minutes before I was told I could leave. They obviously had too many patients to accommodate in their clinic. With my negative pregnancy tests, another doctor (Dr. Kao) called and he was sympathetic yet I felt that Dr. Yelian should have had the decency to close out my case at his clinic. I'm not sure if its the norm to have a final "what happened?" appointment after all treatment unsuccessfully concluded, but I was never offered that or felt that this kind of dialog would be welcome at Life IVF.

Nursing staff is primarily Chinese speaking, which is targeted to Life IVFs target patient base. I felt like most of the Chinese nurses did not communicate well with me. Most nurses were nice, but I got the feeling they did not care about the patients (my opinion is they are overrun with patients and this is why they seem this way). I looked to the nurses to help me with insurance pre-authorization, handling my prescriptions, and for any guidance with medication usage. Only one nurse was actually helpful to show me how to use medications and to give me more information so I could make a choice on medications for my transfer. Separate issue, but I felt that the doctor shouldve made the choice on the type of progesterone I should use, not give me the choice. Overall, some nurses were incompetent (seemed to just play around while at work) while some went the extra mile for me.

Dr. Yelian seemed positive and gave me confidence in using my own eggs. But at the same time, I felt there was an air of arrogance and cockiness to him that he was sure he could get me pregnant. He does not seem willing to deviate too far from the box with regard to treatment protocols. It seems like every patient is doing pretty much the same protocol but with tweaking to the dosage of medications. He did humor me once by letting me try a different priming method, which was my best responsive cycle. I also had to push to get additional bloodwork and testing done to rule out other issues that could have had an impact on my success. I learned after starting cycles with him that he would not allow medications when FSH levels were too high. There was one cycle when I started stims and at a subsequent monitoring appointment he had me drop most of my medications because my FSH was higher than he liked. I know of other doctors that would continue the stims, and with this cycle I felt like had I continued stims I would have gotten more mature eggs. Overall, Dr. Yelian seems like a decent doctor if you are looking for a more natural or less medicated form of IVF. If you are someone with Diminished Ovarian Reserve, I would stay away because you just are not getting the number of eggs you should be getting by doing mini IVF.

Be your own advocate, challenge his treatment plans if something doesnt feel right or if you have questions or concerns.

If FSH is higher than 15-20, he will not let you use any stims, specifically Gonal-F (FSH). Sometimes he will allow Clomid only. He seems to use the same standard protocol with everyone: BCP or estrogen priming prior to cycle. Begin Clomid on day 3 every day until right before retrieval (dosage ranges from 25-50 mg). Begin Gonal-F on day 5, every other day for 4 dosages. Each dosage was 150 IU. If FSH levels are too high on day 3, no stims at all. If FSH levels are borderline, he will start you out on Clomid only, 25 mg (half a tablet).

We were offered a Risk Share, Money Back plan of 5 retrievals, 5 transfers for $25,000. This included all monitoring ultrasounds and labs, and the first pregnancy test. Medications were not included.

factory like you need to understand all their processes and protocols so you can maximize your time there and understand how you can get through it quicker. I am not sure if the lab was any good and if they were good at reading ultrasounds and tracking your case

He was very hopeful and like to tell a lot of success stories. ON the other hand the office was run like factory and the financial person was not very understanding although the Dr was more sympathetic.

A lot of different nurses more assembly line

Good if you want natural cycles or are older. Less expensive. Only does one thing and maybe not so flexible. I think he is good at explaining however he acts as if there is a good chance. Also, I am not sure if the lab is that good. He doesn' t try an advanced techniques or new ideas on the cutting edge. Doesn't work with immunological concerns. He will treat older patients and patients with diminshed reserve but he doesn't give an accurate impression of your chances nor does he fully help in terms of getting where you want to go. He is more of a one pony show or whatever the expression is.

Don't expect full service. Guide your own treatment. Only work with him if his one standard protocol is what would work for you in your condition. Be sure to ask for him to come in to do your ultrasounds. Try to get him to level with you fairly on chances. Research the lab to determine if it is up to paar.

He does natural cycles and mini cycles for people who do not respond well to FSH and other fertility drugs. or who are older and would do equally as well with minimum stimulation. He does use clomid regularly however. He also triggers using lupron not just HCh or will double trigger which is good for women who are older and do not respond well to the hormone because their levels are so high already.

He prefers single. which I agreed with. I was mad at drs who insisted on multiple transfer for their own success and numbers

I would say they are in good hands, everyone is knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. They take time with you always and you don't feel rushed. At time it did take longer to get your results based on the number of patients Bing Sen.

I have always been treated with kindness and they take there time to explain the process in details to me and with a friendly smile. I never felt being rushed.

I have had a good experience with all the nurses, they take there time to explain my treatment plan, provide information and education to me. All staff if friendly and have good customer service.

When we have met with Dr. Yelian he has explained our specific treatment in details. Dr. Yelian takes time to answer all of our questions in details, for example one time we had a total of 35 questions and he answered all of them, he took his time with us. He is kind and we felt that he really was aware of our individual treatment plan for each cycle.

Go for it!! You are in good hands!

Since I'm diagnosed with DOR stimmimng was minimal consisting of clomid and menopur, we also had natural cycles in between, all cycles stimulated my follicles.

We purchased a three cycle package includes, egg retrieval, hatching assist, and egg transfer. Fees for monitoring was separate and medications are separate cost.

Our plan is to do a single embryo transfer.

Strength is a nice, professional-looking office. In the beginning, the office staff was nice. After you start the treatment, the staff tends to avoid you or, if that is not possible, the deal with you quickly and move on to the next customer.

Live IVF runs a very busy, factory-like operation, when we were under its care. One had to pay extra $ to "consult" with Dr. Yelian. The nurses and medical assistants were always quite busy. At the front desk one had to try hard to get their attention, in competition with phone calls and other anxious customers.

One had to wait for a long time to see a nurse, and they were sometimes too bust to talk to you.

The doctor was quite busy. Wife and I consulted with him a couple of times in the beginning and then had to work with various assistants unless paying for a follow-up consultation with him, regardless of how long that took. He was eager to sell us frozen eggs, none of which developed into embryos.

Buyer beware. We would not recommend using him.

Treatment started trying to use wife's eggs, but quickly shifted to the recommendation that we purchase eggs from a donor. Eggs were frozen and all failed to developed after fertilization rather quickly. We were quite surprised as we were sold on the idea that we would get embryos.

About $17,000, which included $12,000 for just three frozen eggs. The rest of the money was for blood tests, various examinations, and doctor consultation fees.

Poor communication. You never see Dr. Y unless it is in a procedure room. Whenever you talk with any of the doctors, they dismiss your concerns.

Office very disorganized and I had to manage my own case each cycle

You never communicated with the same staff, and they do not answer about 50% of their emails. Some are not native English speakers, which is fine and of course is common in CA, and are extremely difficult to communicate with over the phone. I had 4 egg retrieval cycles and one transfer, and every cycle had an annoying communication error.

This clinic is a last-ditch stop for women with DOR or POF to use their own eggs. There really aren't many other options out there.

Be your own advocate! This is the most disorganized fertility office I have been to.

Mini-IVF

3 mini cycles are about $13,000, including ICSI, excluding monitoring. Cycle management frustration is included gratis. :)

If you are trying to find an amazing clinic that actually cares about you as a person not just a as a number you have found the place! I can not even begin to say how much Life Ivf Center changed our lives. They made the impossible possible and were beyond generous in doing so. I don’t think I could ever do anything to thank them enough. Losing both of my ovaries before the age of 18 was beyond devastating to me and I never thought I would be able to carry a child. Life Ivf Center was dedicated to ensure that this was not my reality. After two failed transfers they could have given up but they didn’t they pushed me to keep going and now I am pregnant with our miracle baby. Dr. Yelian, Julie, JoJo and the entire staff at Life Ivf Center made us feel like family. We were greeted every time with hugs, encouraged by all of the staff and checked up on even when they did not have to. I can not recommend Life Ivf enough. If you’re searching stop you’ve found just where you need to be!

Dr. Yelian always makes sure you are comfortable and know exactly what is going on. He helped us beyond what anyone could imagine and made sure that we would have a family through this process. Never did I feel as if we were a number Dr.Yelian and his entire staff made us feel like family.

Julie was basically our rock through this entire process. She was there whenever I needed her which was often with all of my questions! She made sure that we were completely comfortable with every decision and that we understood exactly what was going on. Flying in from out of state was stressful but she always made sure to accommodate us the best that she could and always checked on us Incase we had any questions or concerns I can’t thank her enough!

If you are trying to find an amazing clinic that actually cares about you as a person not just a as a number you have found the place! I can not even begin to say how much Life Ivf Center changed our lives. They made the impossible possible and were beyond generous in doing so. I don’t think I could ever do anything to thank them enough. Losing both of my ovaries before the age of 18 was beyond devastating to me and I never thought I would be able to carry a child. Life Ivf Center was dedicated to ensure that this was not my reality. After two failed transfers they could have given up but they didn’t they pushed me to keep going and now I am pregnant with our miracle baby. Dr. Yelian, Julie, JoJo and the entire staff at Life Ivf Center made us feel like family. We were greeted every time with hugs, encouraged by all of the staff and checked up on even when they did not have to. I can not recommend Life Ivf enough. If you’re searching stop you’ve found just where you need to be!

Be confident that you have chose the right clinic Dr. Yelian knows what he is taking about. Trust him and trust the process.

3 transfers with donor eggs 2 fresh 1 frozen ( current pregnancy) Medications used during treatment: PIO, endometrin, estrace.

The weakness I experienced was I had to make more then one dr app to dr Frank Becuase he is a very busy dr they kept canceling my appointments more then one time which was getting frustrating. There strength was they do care about there patients They will take there time getting to know you and you’re history.

I felt like a human because he took time explaining my Fertility.to me and my husband he really cares about your infertility journey. problems he made sure he explained everything to the both of us he took his time with us knowing the day we went in for our consultation he seems very busy but still made us feel very comfortable and made sure we understand everything and asked us if we had any questions he is the best i won’t not change to go to any other Dr but him hands down.

The nurse made us feel very comfortable at this clinic. Asked us so many questions about our Journey they all interdeuce their selves to us and took me and my husband on a Tour to show us every where everything we would be doing step by step asked us if we had any questions please call or email us if you have any questions or concerns.

Me as a patient he showed us so much compassion talking to us making us feel welcome to open up about anything he took his time to listen to us both why it’s been 7 years as a struggle for the both of us made different options for us to do ivf it was such a blessing.

That he was very honest dr and will try to help you with the best option for you my advice I will give him is that make sure he continue to be a honest dr to every patient he gets to know just like he did us please don’t change for anyone.

We wasn’t able to do any treatments do to our finances.

He advised us To do natural Ivf which is no medication as much with not so many multiple embryo transfer.