Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2021 - 2022, Successful
Review of
I only saw Dr. Uzelac in person maybe twice; my initial consultation and for my egg transfer. We spoke on the phone a couple times, but mostly I saw his NP or clinic RN's...Dr. Uzelac wasn't always available for procedural things and a doctor that doesn't even work at the practice comes in to help when he is out of town...I only produced two genetically normal embryos and I wanted to transfer both. Dr. Uzelac preferred to transfer one, but agreed to do both...
I had no issues with the nurses [Marin Fertility]. They were friendly, approachable and very good at blood draws...There were many speedbumps in the process at this clinic...I received my medication for the stimulation phase and there was no trigger shot ordered...I received a medication that the prescription stated on the bottle to insert vaginally. When I had taken the med previously, it was orally. I called the nurse to confirm and she said, yes it is to be taken orally...
How was your experience with Peter Uzelac at Marin Fertility?
I only saw Dr. Uzelac in person maybe twice; my initial consultation and for my egg transfer. We spoke on the phone a couple times, but mostly I saw his NP or clinic RN's. I had seen other fertility doctors prior to Dr. Uzelac so I did know what to expect for a round of IVF. That being the case, I felt I knew what questions to ask him and he was very knowledgeable. I knew what meds worked for me since I had a successful IVF pregnancy in another state before this and he listened to me attentively. He performed my egg transfer as well, and he did the best job of any of the 2 other ones I had before. I definitely would recommend him as a provider.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Peter Uzelac at Marin Fertility?
I would definitely try to speak with someone who has done IVF before so they can tell you what questions to ask. Sometimes doctors assume you know things, but there are a lot of moving parts with IVF. I felt I had a leg up since I went through it before and knew what to ask. Also, don't expect to see Dr. Uzelac on every visit, but he will call you if you need.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Peter Uzelac at Marin Fertility?
When I was present in the office and face to face with someone, I definitely felt like a human. I was listened to and felt like I had everyone's undivided attention. When I tried to communicate via email or calls, it sometimes took awhile to hear back from someone. When everything you do with fertility treatment is dependent on time frames and schedules, it was anxiety inducing to not know when you were going to hear back from someone.
Describe the protocols Peter Uzelac used in your cycles at Marin Fertility and their degree of success.
Fortunately for me, my body responds pretty well to basic IVF stimulation meds. I took Menopur, Follistim and Ganirelix. The only reaction I had, which is common I was told, was from the Ganirelix. It produced a raised red bump with every injection that was super itchy for a few hours after.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Marin Fertility.
I had no issues with the nurses. They were friendly, approachable and very good at blood draws!
Describe your experience with Marin Fertility.
The strengths are Dr. Uzelac and the nurses. They are very competent and patient with families that are more than likely a little bit nervous and scared. A weakness was that Dr. Uzelac wasn't always available for procedural things and a doctor that doesn't even work at the practice comes in to help when he is out of town. I had a doctor perform my egg retrieval whom I had never met before, but I didn't have a choice. It all worked out ok for me, but I can see how some people would not be ok with that.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Peter Uzelac at Marin Fertility.
$29,000..about $24,000 for the procedures and $5,000 for meds
Describe Peter Uzelac's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Marin Fertility.
I only produced two genetically normal embryos and I wanted to transfer both. Dr. Uzelac preferred to transfer one, but agreed to do both. It's so emotionally and physically draining to go through a transfer that I really just wanted to do it once, no matter what the outcome and he was open to that.
What specific things went wrong at Marin Fertility?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Marin Fertility.
OK, so I really hate to complain or say anything bad about this clinic because I have a healthy, gorgeous 2 month old son because of them. There were many speedbumps in the process at this clinic and I wrote them all down as they were happening. Most of them would have probably gone unnoticed but since I had been through IVF before, I knew what to look for. Unfortunately that is why I think if you are going to do IVF at this clinic, you need someone in your corner who has gone through it before.
1. I received my medication for the stimulation phase and there was no trigger shot ordered. If that shot is not given at the exact time before retrieval, the cycle will have been a waste. Now I noticed this right away when my order was placed and was able to call the clinic and the nurse ordered it. I am also a nurse so I am knowledgeable about meds and I immediately picked up on it that the med was not there. I am not so sure everyone would have done that. you have enough on your mind doing IVF that you should be able to expect your meds to be ordered correctly.
2. I received a medication that the prescription stated on the bottle to insert vaginally. When I had taken the med previously, it was orally. I called the nurse to confirm and she said, yes it is to be taken orally. So had I not known to question the route of this med, would it have been effective if taken incorrectly?
3. They forgot to do the genetic testing on my embryos before freezing them. I'm not even sure how this happens and I never got a direct answer as to why either. Once the eggs are out and fertilized, you really don't talk to anyone any more (which is another downer). All communication is by email from the embryologist with growth updates and embryo counts. I got my final email with how many made it to the final stage and were frozen, but nowhere did it say that the biopsies were done. The letter simply stated, "9 embryos frozen." I thought the wording was weird so I called the office and the embryologist was gone for the day and I guess the RN staff had no way to check if the biopsies were done, they did confirm that the biopsies were ordered and paid for. The next day the NP called and said the biopsies hadn't been done before freezing the embryos, she didn't know why and she informed me that it shouldn't be a big deal that embryos get thawed and refrozen all the time. I didn't agree with her, and I felt right there that my embryos would probably not survive. I was offered no explanation as to how it was missed/forgotten, just that it wasn't done. I was not offered any apology from the staff or embryologist and I almost wondered if this happens a lot? It was another day or two before the embryos were biopsied and sent out.
About a week after the biopsies were sent out, I got a call that blood work needed to be done from myself and my husband that is to accompany the biopsies. So the biopsies were just sitting in another state waiting, because we needed to have blood work done. I asked why no one told us this before and never got a straight answer. I said we don't want to do it, can they just do the biopsies? The answer is no. The system can't run the biopsies without the blood work. So then it was at least another weeks delay til we could both get to the office for the blood test and have it sent across the country to meet the embryos.
4. I went for my lining check prior to the implant and the covering doctor was there that day. He didn't know how to use the ultrasound machine and just guessed/ visualized how thick my uterine lining was. This made me very uncomfortable and I had the clinic tell Dr. Uzelac to call me. He called me later that day, and was very apologetic and I said I would like to come in again tomorrow to have the lining rechecked and that is what we did. The doctor's eyeballing of the depth of my lining was pretty much correct, but that is not the point. The doctors should be able to use the equipment in the office.
4. Lastly was the communication. Like I said before, once the eggs are out, I feel like you become a number. You get email correspondences only from the embryologist and whether that news is good or bad, you're getting it from a computer screen. Obviously if you have questions, you can call, but I really didn't understand how you can't just call someone. Most fertility patients are super fragile and getting bad news from a screen probably doesn't sit well with most people.
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