USC

They are great at communicating and providing warm bedside manner. Sometimes the finance department was not the best at communicating our bills clearly but was always cleared up by asking more questions. They do their treatments in the morning, so the earlier you arrive, the better!

Dr Chung and everyone else in the clinic was very caring and gentle with us throughout our treatment and always made time to answer questions or listen to our concerns.

Every nurse was very warm, friendly, and informative at every appointment. I always felt like I was in good hands.

Dr Chung sat down with us and explained in great detail our options, risks, and benefits of treatment. She went over every possible detail and answered every question we had. We never felt rushed or dismissed. At the appointments where she promised to meet with us, she always kept her word. She predicted we would get 4 embryos and we ended up with 7, exceeding our expectations which made us very happy.

Go in with a list of questions, ask everything you want to know. She has all the answers and will take the time.

I completed a typical egg retrieval cycle using hormone injections daily and for the first week had appointments every other day at the clinic. After that, it was every day to monitor progress. Dr Chung used the best method for our situation, including ICSI to create embryos. She recommended we do not risk harm to the embryos by testing them with PGS and we agreed, because we have had no abnormal embryos in the past through our recurrent miscarriages (cause by a uterine septum).

The waiting room was pleasant with free coffee and plenty of seating. There is a sign in sheet that is used to call patients in order. Some days were busier than others but we never had to wait an intolerable length of time.

The consultation was $350 I believe, but went towards our treatment once we decided to move forward. The clinic offers a 40% discount for the fertility preservation treatment due to my cancer diagnosis. This was very helpful to us. We also had to do a FDA screening because we likely will have to use a surrogate in the future. The clinic also set us up with organizations that provided free medication to cancer patients which was so incredibly helpful, they took a lot of stress off our shoulders. Our total costs after discount was around $7,000.

Dr Chung recommends we transfer 2 embryos when we decide to move forward with IVF, to increase our chances of having one baby. I agree with this.

They have a big waiting room with coffee, tea and magazines. Inside, there are plenty of exam rooms that have more magazines, a mirror, wipes, etc. Anything we could possibly need to get ready after the examination.

Dr. Baker is a warm caring person. She explains the plan and or options in a very understandable way. She is awesome.

Everyone is so friendly at my clinic. Even though we go in very early, no one is ever in a crappy mood.

As I am an older patient, Dr. Baker was compassionate in explaining to me the risks I face with my egg reserve. In no way did she ever make me feel bad for waiting so long to try for a baby. She has such a beautiful manner, almost like if we have known each other for ever.

Keep in mind the game plan can always change. Be open to those changes.

My 2 IUIs had similar protocols using Menopur. The 1st one, my dosage started high and was lowered as I got close to the procedure. My 2nd one, my dosage remained the same until the procedure. I responded very well to the medication both times. Unfortunately my IUIs didn’t work. I was warned in advance that they probably weren’t the best choice for me but I still wanted to start there. For IVF, I did 2 bottles Menopur and 300 iu Follistim for 4 days only. That resulted in 2 huge follicles & lots of little ones. Dr decided to have me trigger and my IVF was officially cancelled. On my follow up visit afterwards, ultrasound sound I had a cyst on my overy. I am about to go back on Sep 26 and see if the cyst has gone away so that I can start Stims hopefully soon.

For the IUIs, my insurance covered 25% minus medications and I paid the rest out of pocket, in total about $2000 for each IUI. For the IVF, so far I’ve paid $2900 in medications alone.

My clinic will do single or multiple.

Even though USC is a huge establishment, their clinic has a wonderful calm, welcoming vibe. They have a wonderful facility. Always kept clean. It seemed as if each doctor had their own rooms to examine their patients. The technology they used seemed upto date, possibly because they are affiliated with the university. I can’t think of any weaknesses to add. I’m looking forward to starting treatment at USC with Dr. Chung.

Dr. Chung was the first doctor willing to try something different compared to the four other clinics I had originally looked into. She told me I didn’t need to do PGS testing and I could do a fresh cycle rather then a frozen and highly recommended it in my case. Which, in the long run would save me $$. Any time I had a question i would email her and she responded quickly.

Our nurse was ready to answer all of our questions. She helped us to apply to a few grants to help us pay for medication. She said to email her with any questions and would get back to us promptly. She wasn’t kidding she always reached out to us within the day.

Dr. Chung made me feel comfortable from the moment I met her. At first, I wasn’t so sure I would like USC as a fertility clinic, but upon my first visit I realized that is where I belonged from the get go. She answered all the questions my husband and I had and she was very compassionate toward our concerns. She explained everything thoroughly. Every other doctor I went to visit before her would tell me I had to do PGS testing, but she advised against it. When I asked her why, she explained it and it made sense to me. She said I didn’t need it because I am so young and healthy and my overall genetic testing came back great. She is seeing me as an onco-patient (cancer), so, there is an added discount to my costs. She let me know where I could apply for more grants. I was applying for a grant and needed her to fill out a portion of it. She helped me out and did it quickly, it seemed like she genuinely cared and I felt like she was rooting for me.

Be prepared to feel at home. She gets right to the point and is ready to get you your baby.

Unfortunately, my cycle with Dr. Chung was canceled due to ovarian cysts which I had to get surgically removed. But next month I am going back to start our first cycle. I am super excited.

Due to my case of being seen as a cancer patient. I was given a 40% discount on a portion of the IVF procedure. The procedure will be $9,000 as opposed to $12,000

Dr. Chung mentioned to me that she wanted to transfer two rather then one and if we would be ok with that. My husband and I agreed we would be comfortable with two. She didn’t pressure us, but she felt like the chance of one surviving in my case is higher then if we were to only transfer a single embryo.

Honestly it was a really good experience. I had a couple of appointments that they got me in sort of last minute (because things were looking a little off in my pregnancy) and the wait time to see a doctor was waaay too long but again, I was scheduled sort of last minute. The only other time I had a long wait time was for my initial consult.

Dr. Paulson - of three IVF doctors that I've seen - is the most real and candid. He's got a great bedside manner but also doesn't sugar coat things to make you feel better. I have his personal cell phone number and will text back and forth while we are doing treatment (and even when we aren't if we have a question). There is never a time I can't reach him and that's a good feeling. We did two natural cycle rounds (totally recommend this if you have time and money). It was a big area of research for him and it was no drugs in my body which was great. When that didn't work we said we wanted to go back to what did work - our very first round that yielded our son - and do mini stim. He basically let us guide treatment (which after 8 total IVF rounds I felt pretty good about doing). We ended up transferring two good quality embryos on day 4 and I got pregnant. I miscarried a baby girl at 10 weeks. We still have one more embryo in the freezer and will be returning to Dr. P for a frozen round.

The nurses were amazing and so compassionate. I can't say enough. They were just wonderful!!

My experience as a patient has been wonderful. I came from another clinic that was just terrible. They focused on the money and you were just a number it was a once size fits all approach and there was no thought given to individual patients. Dr. Paulson tailored my treatment to ME. I wasn't even approached for payment until well after the cycle had ended and he was just a real human being. When my pregnancy wasn't looking good he told me he was concerned and why but also to remain hopeful because he also had patients that had similar markers make it out with a happy, healthy baby (didn't happen in my case but he was honest and kind). He is approachable and handled all of my 1,000,000 questions with ease. He is truly one of a kind and I have referred others to him. My only regret is that I ever went to the other clinic and wasted time, money and my emotions on it all. I wish I had found Dr. Paulson sooner. He is worth the commute up to LA from SD county. He is real, honest and approachable and truly cares for his patients.

Ask about natural cycle or mini stim! There is no reason to be pumped more full of drugs that your body may not need to do the job so to speak and he is an expert in that type of treatment!

Natural Cycle - didn't use any drugs just monitored my own body and ovulation! Actually created embryos like this!!! I had a negative pregnancy test but it could work! Mini stim - menopur (75 iu) and gonal-f (75 iu). Then triggered after 6 nights of stim (I tend to respond a little quickly). Got 4 eggs - 3 were mature and fertilized beautifully. Transferred two - got pregnant and miscarried at 10 weeks. One is still frozen.

Well run - basically had a very small wait time if any and was in and out pretty quickly.

I believe each round was 10k. Medications of course are extra.

I haven’t been with the clinic long enough to establish a good opinion of their strengths and weaknesses unfortunately. I followed Dr. Baker over from Kaiser Permanente Infertility clinic as Kaiser doesn’t do IVF (only IUI) and we are moving on to IVF.

Dr. Baker always takes the time to either answer my inquiries directly, or to have her nurse contact me and it’s always timely. She’s always answered my questions kindly and honestly and adjusts the cycle protocol according to my needs and feedback in addition to what she thinks would be the best protocol. She takes into consideration my busy schedule and her office always does it’s best to accommodate me, even during busy times. Her and her office staff have always referred to me by my name and most of them have obviously read my file and taken the time to get to know my case.

The staff have been great. An occasional nurse here or there lacks the same “gentle” hand that Dr. Baker has. But overall I don’t have any complaints thus far.

Dr. Marsha Baker is intelligent, well spoken, knowledgeable, warm, compassionate, and has an amazing bedside manner. She is a rockstar in her field and definitely the best RE I have encountered. She has always answered my questions honestly, intelligently, and kindly. She treats me like a human with actual emotions and needs. She keeps me in the loop and takes into account what I want/need when deciding on protocol. She also doesn’t stick with the same protocol over and over. When we don’t get results, she switches meds or dosage. I always feel like Dr. Baker genuinely has my best interest in mind when making decision, even when I don’t like it (a cancelled cycle for example). I have never felt like she makes a decision “just because.” There is always sound reasoning and she’s always willing to explain it to me. I wouldn’t want any other RE treating me.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! She’s not intimidating and she will answer, either directly or through staff. I’ve never had a question go unanswered.

My first two IUI cycles were unmedicated except for the trigger (ovidrel). Dr. baker, my partner, and I came to the agreement that it was the best place to start since I was only 28 at the time and had all the infertility testing done with a clean bill of reproductive health. We thought this would be a “one and done” deal. We used donor sperm. I triggered when I had a single mature follicle and had the IUI done 36 hours post trigger both cycles. Negative pregnancy test followed both. 3rd cycle I did clomid CD4-8. I didn’t respond as well as we had hoped (I only had one very mature follicle @ 26mm). We triggered and did IUI the next day. Negative beta 2 weeks later. We then moved on to menopur. First cycle of menopur I did 1.5 vials for 5 days, triggered, IUI 36 hr later. Negative. For the next cycle we did back to back iuis with 4 days at 2.5 vials of menopur and 2 days at 1.5. Then trigger. I had 3 mature follicles. IUI was 12 and 36 hours post trigger. Also negative beta. The cycle after that I hyperstimulated and the cycle was cancelled. I did 6 days of menopur on 2.5 vials, and 2 nights on a single vial and my e2 levels went from 700 to 1861 in only 36 hours, something that was very unexpected for all of us. My body just over responded, and it would have been too risky to do an IUI (higher order multiples were extremely likely). Dr. Baker put me on birth control to calm everything down before moving on to the next IUI cycle. For our next cycle we plan to try to find the happy medium medication-wise between the cancelled cycle and the cycle preceding it. This will be my 7th and hopefully last IUI.

I haven’t started the cycle yet. But I was quoted $15,200 for everything except meds. This quote includes 100% icsi and pgs testing, all lab fees, physician fees, freezing, etc..

Dr. Baker plans to transfer only a single pgs tested frozen embryo if I move on to IVF. This is due to my age and the fact that I don’t really want multiples.

The clinic is very state of the art and updated. Parking can be difficult, but they do have a parking structure and I have been able to find street parking every time I have gone. So far, no complaints. I do also like that they have open office hours in the morning, although, I have found that it is best to get there 30 minutes early, because it is first come- first serve, so it gets you an earlier spot in the wait.

Dr Paulsen is extremely thorough and caring.

They are super sweet and accommodating and put me at ease.

So far, I am very pleased with Dr. Paulson. He made me feel confident and safe from the moment and I met him and I find him to be very knowledgeable and has a good personality. We are in the early stages of my fertility treatment and I am very hopeful that he is going to help me reach my goals. I have found myself getting very emotional while at the doctor's office and even feeling like a "failure" in that I cannot get pregnant naturally, however, he has helped me put my mind at ease and helped me explore my options and figure out a plan of attack. My biggest regret is that I did not start on this journey earlier. My husband has also been coming with me on appointments and it is great to have him there and see that he also has faith in the doctor and what they can do for us. I currently need to have a large fibroid removed, which my OB-GYN had identified but not made as big of a deal out of as Dr. Paulson has. I have had a much greater opportunity to discuss my treatment in detail with Dr. Paulson, where normally when you are at the doctor's office you feel as though the doctor's time is limited and you cannot have a thorough conversation. I sit with Dr. Paulson in his office and do not feel rushed in the least.

You are going to really enjoy working with him. Stay confident and patient and take things one step at a time.

So far, we are removing the Fibroid and I had a Hydrosonogram to identify it in addition to an HSG Xray. Once removed, I will be going through with IUI cycles.

$350 initial consultation, $350 for Hydrosonogram $1500 for IUI

no comments

We love our clinic! It was recommended by my primary doctor and we could not be happier. Everyone there is super supportive and kind. When we have seen other doctors for scans and monitoring, they have all been exemplary. The front desk staff is patient and kind and the folks in the financial department are too.

Dr. Chung is incredibly kind and knowledgable. She is able to be a superb medical professional at the same time as being a compassionate cheerleader. We couldn't have asked for a better doctor on this emotionally sensitive journey. We have a nurse who is our contact person for any questions and Dr. Chung makes herself available for questions anytime as well.

Leslie was our initial nurse who was our point of contact for all of our IUI procedure and the start of our IVF. She left on maternity leave shortly before we began stimulation for our egg retrieval. We have been working with Pam ever since and she has been just as wonderful. Both Leslie and Pam are incredibly compassionate and patient. Both have always been available to answer questions and provide reassurance at any time.

From our first meeting with Dr. Chung for a consultation, we knew she was a great fit for us. She is incredibly knowledgeable in her field and extremely thorough. That day she took the time to explain everything, but also approached the interaction with us in a way that made it feel like we were a team. Moving forward in our journey, she always provided a wealth of information and support. She was always supportive and hopeful through our three failed IUIs. Now that we are working through IVF, I could not imagine working with another doctor. She has been so supportive! Always available when I had questions during my egg retrieval process and when I had concerns afterward and leading up to our fresh transfer. It ended in a chemical pregnancy, but throughout the time where we were tracking our beta, she was realistic, but optimistic which was super helpful because it was such a sensitive time. We just saw her this week for our frozen transfer. It is always a pleasure to work with her and we always feel at ease.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. She is so kind, thoughtful, and thorough. She always put our minds at ease.

For my egg retrieval we used a long protocol. I was on birth control and Lupron then Gonal-F and Menopur. I responded very well and 25 eggs were retrieved, of which 5 reached blastocyst stage.

Monitoring hours were very convenient for both mine and my husbands schedule. They are early from 7:30-9:30 on weekdays and around the same time on weekends. There were options seven days a week which was incredibly helpful. If I had any conflicts, the clinic was willing to work with us. There was sometimes a long wait, but it varied and did not impact my work schedule.

Since I am an employee at USC, I did receive a slight discount on select portions of our IVF retrieval/fresh transfer, but not on our Frozen Embryo Transfer. The IVF retrieval, fresh transfer and medication was around $15,000 and the Frozen Embryo Transfer and medication was about $3600.

Our doctor used standard guidelines for our transfers given my age and diagnosis. She was very clear about the potential outcomes of transferring two embryos. We felt very comfortable with the information provided to move forward with her recommendations.

The clinic was in a convenient area for me which was really nice . It was a block away from my job. There was always coffee and someone to greet you even at 5 am in the morning. The clinic was clean and very will decorated.

I felt like a human due to DR. K 's daily attention to me and my questions. She was always willing to talk or answer any questions I had either during my appointments or through email and phone . WE made decisions together and she always gave me more than one option . She was honest yet sympathetic to the situation

everyone was great at USC. My primary nurse Elena was amazing . she was always so happy even at 630 in the morning. The rest of the staff was also great and so compassionate even on those negative pregnancy days. They always reminded me that we would try again and not give up. I always felt like a had a great team behind me cheering me on

As a patient I felt completely taken care of with Dr. K. I trusted her knowledge and opinion . If she thought something would help us or was concerned about something we went with her advice . I never felt like she didn't have our best interest in mind. We never thought we would need fertility treatment but we were so Thankful to have had Dr.K as our Doctor. She has been the best Doctor I have ever had .

ask every and any question you might have . I had a lot of anxiety about certain decision I had to make but I always felt better after Dr.K and I talked . I would just ask her for her honest opinion and what she would do . She always made sure I understood everything and that we had a plan for the next cycle that we were both comfortable with . We both had the same goal :)

I

costs were expensive but actually very reasonable compared to other clinics . I think any type of medical out of pocket seems like a lot at first . I looked into other clinics and USC was actually one of the most reasonable

Clinic was crowded and only had walk-in hours for monitoring which led to hours and hours of waiting if you showed up too late. It was conveniently located for me. We had a billing issue that was difficult to resolve and entirely avoidable on their part.

There were different medical residents or fellows seeing me every time I went in for monitoring. But Dr. B's nurse was pretty good.

The nurse was good and very cheerful, but a little overworked and not always very responsive.

Dr. B was great at first, during our initial consultation taking a lot of time to explain things to me. But was not always the one conducting my US's and the US's themselves were extremely painful. After about 5 of them she mentions off-hand DURING the US that I might have endometriosis, something she had never mentioned before and is not part of my medical history. When my ovaries did not seem active after only about 3 months off of OCP (after 20 years on them) she wanted to start me on Clomid and just plow forward with a cycle. After leaving her and seeing my current RE, I realized that that course of action would have been completely wrong and ineffective given my hormone levels. I am very happy that I left then and did not waste any more time. Because she was ultimately totally incorrect about the course of treatment that was right for me and her abrupt manner and painful US's, I would never recommend her to anyone.

Find someone else.

Her strategy was to let my ovaries recover after years of OCP, and then administer Clomid which would have had NO effect given my hormone levels. I had zero results.

Costs were pretty similar to other providers in this area.

Everyone is extremely nice and welcoming, the only down fall would probably be sometimes getting someone of the phone to actually to talk to right away with out having to wait a couple of hours to get a call back.

Dr. Chung is an amazing Dr. should would take the time to call be back when i had a question or concern. Her nurse as well did the same i never felt alone.

Terry was an amazing nurse, she always made sure to get back to be by then end of the day or sooner. all the staff was extremely nice warming and friendly. always felt like an amazing place to be. with many helping hands

Dr. Chung treated me exceptionally well, she always explained everything in detail when I didn't understand the procedure or had any sort of question Dr. Chung and her staff was always a call or email away. I never felt as if i was just a "number" or "another" patient I truly felt like Dr. Chung really cares for each and one of her patients, we felt she was helping us reach our #1 goal to have a family..

I would advice a feature patient to walk in with an open mind. Dr. Chung will load you up with information like no one else she will make sure you understand everything as well as have answered all your questions. Follow all advice given by Dr. Chung and nurse.

As a male fertility factor one of our protocols was to try the semen analysis protocol to try and get pregnant naturally since husband suffers of retrograded ejaculations do to cancer and the first time we tried this protocol his sperm reversed,so we were told to try it again which consisted of being abstinence 3-5 days. 1. Begin Sudafed (with pseudo ephedrine) 2 tablets (30mg each) three times a day starting three days prior to semen analysis 2. Take 2 alkaseltzer tablets in the morning.

our estimated care cost is at about 8k.

our Dr. recommended that we get two embryos transfer. why? because or odds would be greater incase one doesn't attach maybe the other one will, and if they both do then we'll be blessed with twins.

The clinic has "clinic hours" in which you show up whenever during a window of time and get seen. It sounds unorganized but I love it. It is flexible and you rarely have to wait long for whatever service you are there for. My husband didn't love the atmosphere of the "donation room" as it was just a bathroom and felt a little gross for what he needed to do. The waiting room is comfortable and they offer a keurig with options and water. The rooms are clean and all but one have plenty of space. They work well on scheduling especially if you want to bring in an acupuncturist.

Dr. Bendikson is a very caring doctor. When we suffered our miscarriage she was quick to give me a hug and say how sorry she was. Along the way if we were concerned she answered our questions and was very empathetic. I feel she truly understands (as much as she is able) what we are going through. She also makes it so easy to trust her as she is so knowledgeable. Being able to trust your doctor is key in your treatment.

Our nurse Vicki has been amazing in communicating with us. She is very available and explains everything. She has a great personality and makes you feel very comfortable. She gets back via email very quickly. She is good at explaining things as well. But of course, she has days off. When Vicki was not there I called the clinic to ask a question on two separate occasions and was told the head nurse would call me back. On both of these occasions no one called me back which was very disappointing. But I emailed Vicki and she answered on her next available day.

Dr. Bendikson is a very thorough doctor. She is very knowledgeable as well and I would describe her as a top doctor in her field. She is caring and kind. She is very understanding of how emotional this situation is. She is very blunt and up front with what is going on and what she thinks of it which I think is good because she doesn't set false hope. On the flip side of it, if something is good she doesn't hesitate to say that either. I think this just makes her trustworthy. I prefer a doctor who just tells me the truth. She is good about answering emails from patients as well. On rare occasions she has been a little rushed with us so we haven't felt able to take our time and ask questions but calling or sending an email solves that.

Definitely go with Dr. B. You will not be sorry you did. And of course, if you are a prospective patient for infertility, I wish you lots of baby dust and hope.

I was prescribed 2 estradiol 2mg tablets per day and 2 microprogesterone inserted vaginally morning and night initially to thicken my lining. I did not experience any side effects from these medicines. My lining thickened very quickly and early on. My dosage of progesterone was increased to 3 a day, morning, noon, and evening. This was sufficient hormones to support a pregnancy according to Dr. B. I had a transfer of a single fresh embryo using a donor egg. I did get pregnant but sadly the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage due to blighted ovum. We did the genetic testing on all embryos so it is unclear what happened to cause the blighted ovum. I had frequent blood work and ultrasounds done to check progress.

The clinic gives you a price sheet up front with all associated costs at your very first consultation. The consultation does cost $350 but you get so much information. You meet with the doctor, nurse, and billing personnel. We paid roughly 20k to the clinic for the egg retrieval from our donor, icsi and fertilization of our eggs, transfer, follow up ultrasounds and blood work.

Dr. B recommended a single embryo transfer due to my age and size. She felt I could carry a singleton fine and it would make delivery easier to have one. I expressed my desire to have a natural birth and she agreed a single was the way to do this.

Clinic was amazing, warm and friendly. The waiting room/lobby was nice as well; we spend so much time waiting, it helps that the environment is welcoming and soothing. It appears as though everyone involved loves their job and it shows in the way they treat their patients. I also appreciated the time in which you wait is not astronomical and they give you updates, (I've experienced LONG wait times elsewhere).

My first impression was this sweet doctor who truly cared about her profession and each person who came into her office. She was genuinely interested in my well being and how to help us with our goal. She went out of her way, gave me her cell phone number, and when I was hospitalized with OHSS, she drove 25 miles to visit me in the hospital and worked with the doctors on staff to manage my care. LOVE HER!

Vicki Paddock is a wonderful nurse care coordinator. She communicated well, and her disposition is one of love and support. The nursing staff was amazing, calming, and supportive (Allison in particular was the best, though I don't believe she works there anymore).

Dr. Bendikson is truly a Godsend. She took it upon herself to befriend me, while helping us to achieve our dream. She is compassionate and loving and it shows with her care. She hurt when I hurt and helped in every way possible. She communicated everything to me, and when my husband was unable to attend an apt, she made herself available to him to explain treatment. She listened to all of my ideas and considered them in my treatment. When I was hospitalized she made herself available to the doctors on staff to help manage treatment. She also made the trek 25 miles to the hospital and visited me. She goes above and beyond. I'm not sure if this was just for me, but believe this is the type of person she is. She engages other doctors when she needs a second opinion and bounces ideas off them for the best course of treatment.

Know that she will go out of her way (for you) to ensure the best possible care.

I underwent my first IVF with Dr. Bendikson June 2015 due to severe endometriosis, as a result, hydronephrosis and multiple endometriomas. Medications used: Gonal f, Menopur, Ganirelix. I responded very well and opted for a freeze all - 38 eggs retrieved, 25 fertilized, 15 frozen blasts [13 PGS tested (9NL, 4ABNL) and two untested]. Although we froze all embryos, I overstimulated and was admitted due to pain management and hydronephrosis. Retrospectively, performed NGS and mitochondrial levels screening of embryos (I had an extremely high number of embryos with abnormal mitochondrial levels). AUG'15 we transferred one normal embryo and suffered a chemical pregnancy. The following three cycles results in negative results. During monitoring, my uterus appeared enlarged and globular and Dr. Bendikson recommended an MRI to look for adenomyosis. MRI showed endometriosis and adhesions from pelvis to diaphragm, adenomyosis and hematosalpingx. On Lupron depot from August to February. Underwent surgery in February to remove tubes (tubes were open and did not need to be removed), remove as much endometriosis as possible, remove adenomyoma (this was done outside of RE). Moving forward in May'17, will undergo a mock transfer and ERA.

Monitoring occurs within a time frame by physician, which works great for those of us who work. This was we are in and out. This also means that we get results mid afternoon and don't have to wait until the next day.

$27,185 excluding meds

Based on my medical history, initially it was determined that due to acute renal failure, we would only transfer one embryo. After the second failed transfer, we discussed the possibility of transferring one normal embryo and one untested embryo. While the decision was ultimately in our hands, we trusted Dr. Bendikson to help us make the decision based on optimal health.

The clinic was nice. The financial coordinator was easy to work with. No concerns overall. .........................................................................................................................................................................

Dr. Bendikson and her nurse Vickie were extremely helpful, caring, and knowledgeable.

Very responsive 99% of the time, though they do take Tuesdays off. She often had detailed answers to questions I thought only the doctor might be able to answer. Most of my interaction with the clinic was through Vicky and she was excellent.

She was extremely knowledgeable and made me feel completely at ease with her management of our cycle. She also came well recommended. She did have me do an endometrial receptivity assay, which I understand is not common, but it did come back showing our best day for implantation was 1 day later than expected. She also had me use progesterone suppositories instead of injections, which I greatly appreciated. I'm not sure if these things affected our success but so far so good.

We used a donor egg. There was a mock cycle to assess my response to estrogen patches and progesterone suppositories. This included several ultrasounds and 2 endometrial receptivity biopsies. We also did a genetic screening for my husband and our egg donor. My cycle was started based on timing with the donor and my biopsy results. I've stayed on 2 estrogen patches and progesterone suppositories until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

$1600 for IVF cycle with a donor, around $3500 for meds.

She gave us the opportunity to decide and we opted for single transfer due to lower risk of prematurity and better outcomes than multiple gestation.

I think Dr. Jabara is no longer working with USC. However, based on my experience with the other doctors, nurses, and staff. I would totally recommend the clinic. You just have to be organized and also not to be afraid to ask questions. One thing is that most of the doctors have other positions, therefore, all of my appointments started at 6a.m. Typically, each appointment last 15-30 minutes. If you are working, it's perfect so you don't have to miss too much time at work. However, if you are not working, it may be tough to get up so early and get your blood work and everything else done.

Always spend time with me and make sure that my questions are answered. Also Dr. Jabara is very knowledgeable, and supportive. Good bed side manner and go out his way to do his best to accomplish the goal. Set the right expectation, but still being hopeful and helpful.

All the nurses and staff were very helpful. Can tell they are very compassionate about their job and try to help people to achieve goals.

Very knowledgeable and helpful. Set appropriate expectation while remaining neutral to do his job. Willing to respond to all of my questions to make sure that I understand the implications and procedures. Make me very comfortable to ask questions and share communication with him

Make sure you know what you want and ask questions.

Had been trying to get pregnant with my significant other for over 3 years. As I was approaching the age of 40, started seeing a fertility dr to find out the I have multiple issues. First time meeting Dr. Jabara, he was able to order different test in order to diagnose me properly. Also, he would explain the results of the tests to me properly and tell me the implications and the procedures. He was straightforward in regards to my situation, but also able to deliver the message with compassion, straight facts, without making me feel uncomfortable. Also, he would spend time to discuss different options and explain very detail on the results/expectations for each choice.

Going through the whole IVF cycle with embryo implementation is about $15,000. Eggs freezing procedures is about $12,000

He followed the medical guideline to transfer the max. embryos based on my age, even though I was reluctant to do it.

Everyone I encountered was friendly and professional and seemed competent. Usually had to wait 20 - 50 minutes during the morning open clinic rush hour for monitoring. Saw different doctors every time, which was off-putting/unexpected at first. Maybe all clinics are like that? Not sure. They were all good doctors, but would have preferred the consistency of the same person on dildo-cam duty or what-have-you. I didn't feel like I really got to know any of them or that they got to know me. At the same time, I got the results I wanted, which is what matters most, so I would recommend this clinic and use it again. I was pretty upfront about my financial situation (which wasn't so hot at the time - between jobs), and appreciated that they were willing to scale down treatments accordingly and didn't push me straight to IVF.

My only complaint is that it seemed like I saw someone different every time I went in. Granted, all the doctors I saw were great, but it was quite a rotation. Primary doctor didn't perform the procedure because she was with another patient. It could be more consistent if someone is doing a more intensive treatment like IVF, but I can't speak to that.

Victoria was very friendly, bubbly and upbeat, almost so much so that it made me uncomfortable, but that's just me. I'm a bit shy, low key. She's really nice and was quick to respond to emails. Really can't complain.

I only saw Dr. Kristin Bendikson for my initial consultation and initial appointment. The rest of the time I saw different doctors for monitoring and treatments. My impression of her is that she's intelligent, thoughtful, competent, and warm. She was recommended to me and I'd recommend her to others. I also particularly liked one of the other doctors I saw a bit more often.

If it is important to you to consistently receive most of your treatments from the same doctor, I would ask about how that is handled at this clinic. I'm not sure that it's standard.

1st, lots of diagnostic tests. Then, because of financial considerations (was unemployed at the time), I started with trying Clomid + timed intercourse without monitoring: 50mg a day. She actually prescribed 100mg but I didn't follow it (I Know - bad patient!). I am usually really sensitive to meds and had a feeling it would be rough. Sure enough, I had a strong negative emotional reaction to the 50mg of Clomid (the horror to imagine what 100 would have done!). Having twice as much in hand, I stretched it over 2 cycles. No luck. Decided to go for IUI + full monitoring for the 3rd cycle and she recommended I switch to Letrozole which was much better for me (no side effects - modest dose). Only got 1 decent follicle and no one was super optimistic about it, but the 1st IUI worked! I feel EXTREMELY lucky. I think we would only have been able to afford one more IUI and probably not IVF, so were on the verge of giving up.

Letrozole, Bloodtests, 3 monitoring ultrasounds, HCG trigger shot, 1 IUI treatment = about $1600

Amazing clinic. Everyone seems to care about each patient. Very organized. Can't recommend it enough.

Dr. Bendikson has an amazing bedside manner. She is warm and makes me feel like she really cares about helping us succeed. She gave me a hug after my last transfer, which was very much appreciated. i can ask her any question and she takes the time to respond. I can email her any time and she is so responsive. I feel like she really cares so much about all of her patients.

Vicky is a ray of sunshine! She is very knowledgeable and it looks like she has a very good working relationship with Dr. Bendikson. She calls exactly when she says she will call and she is very responsive.

Dr. Bendikson is extremely smart and warm at the same time. I trust her completely. I feel like she looks at my specific conditions and thinks about a strategy/protocol specific to me. She is well versed on the newest research. I am extremely happy with her care and cannot recommend her enough.

I can't recommend her enough. Please see her if you need help with fertility. She is beyond amazing.

I went to Dr. Bendikson after a horrible experience with another clinic. She looks at the records from my three previous IVF cycles and the prior clinic and I felt like she took the time to figure out what went wrong and what to do differently. She used an entirely different protocol and added hcg boost and human growth hormone. I'm still not pregnant, but the results have been better under her care.

Monitoring hours are convenient and there usually isn't a very long wait.

This is at Kaiser, so you have to have Kaiser insurance. Dr. Baker also works at USC. Strengths: - Dr. Baker is wonderful. Weakness: - I rarely see my doctor; the NPs are the ones who do ultrasounds and prescribe meds - No consistent NP. - wish the after visit summary would include more data (number & size of follicles) - Receptionist, though efficient, is not pleasant. - Payment, though transparent, is obtuse. When you visit, you pay for the time AND the ultrasound. It should just be combined in 1. - Sometimes payment is required before services are rendered (lab tests, pregnancy test) whereas others are after.

She was very thorough in explaining treatment and very warm. Her receptionist, Alma, was not. Most of my anxiety/negative experiences are with the receptionist, who does not smile, does not explain things clearly, and makes me feel like a number, not a human.

it's frustrating to see a different nurse each time. Some did a good job of explaining the ultrasound every time (whether we're looking at the uterus, how many follicles there are, etc). Others, I had to ask things like the size of the follicles. I wish they would share that information in the after-visit summary. Instead, I have to take out my phone to take notes during visits.

She is thorough and talks to me like a smart human being. She will draw diagrams and pull up our data to help us interpret it.

Dr. Baker is great. I wish all my interactions were just with her. Unfortunately, it's mostly with RNs. She's only available for consults or irregular procedures.

All the tests came out fine, so the plan was to start with Clomid. Clomid only lasted for 2 months because it only yielded 1 and then 2 good-sized follicles, respectively. Then we moved onto injectables (Menopur). I got a good response 3-4 follicles. For this next cycle, she'll increase the dosage of Menopur.

I have 50% insurance coverage, which covers most things except for IVF. The annoying this is even if you just go for an ultrasound, the charge you for their time (15 mins). ultrasound (including time)- 119 blood estradiol test - 24.5 suppositories (projesterone)-102.73 ovidrel Shot- 61 needles and shit- 2.33 10 Menopur shots- 322.5 IUI- 69 Sperm wash - 12.5 10 min visit - 50 Preg test - 13.5

I love that they had my estradiol levels ready before leaving each follicle scan so we knew exactly what the next step was in the protocol before leaving. I didn’t like that they did not do IUIs on Sundays.

Dr. Jabara always made time for me and addressed my needs. Even if he couldn’t call back right away, someone from the office was always in touch within a few hours.

She was my main contact. I had her direct phone and email. She was a total support system for me and if I couldn’t speak directly to Dr. Jabara, she would always be sure to reach out and let me know if she was able to speak to him for me. I never waited longer than 2-3 hours for a response!

Dr. Jabara knew I had been through so many rounds of treatment and he was aggressive when he needed to be to get the outcome we were seeking. He didn’t hesitate or cancel my cycles with unnecessary nonsense. I appreciate that he was willing to be so aggressive and fight for my quest to be a parent. He’s attentive and responsive. We had to adjust medication a few times so once we found the proper cocktail, I was grateful he didn’t waste even more time trying meds that we knew I didn’t respond to.

If you’re weary and tired, go see this man.

We initially started with menopur injections and I would only get one follicle every time we tried. No matter what my dose was, menopur only gave me one follicle. He then switched me to follistim and I started at 225iu. Doseage gradually decreased over 9 days and I triggered with ovidrel on CD 11 with 5 mature follicles and IUI 36 hours later. BFP on 11 dpiui!

Thankfully, I had 50% coverage so I was able to save a lot on medication and care.

This clinic is pretty easy to get to, located downtown. I’ve not had long wait times, and people are always kind when I go for blood draws and ultrasounds. They seem orderly and clean. Sometimes I wish the hours were more flexible, but I’ve never had a problem making an appointment.

Dr Chung is quick to reply to my emails when I have any questions and shows empathy with my worri s or feats. She shows compassion as we work together to do what we can to achieve our pregnancy goals.

They are kind and helpful. They are quick to communicate with me anything I need to know or answer my questions.

Dr Chung listens well to our concerns and addresses them knowledgeably and carefully. She seems very proactive in helping us as an individual couple. She explains things in ways we can understand. She is candid yet talks about our situation in a way that maintains our dignity. I really appreciate that, especially for my husband because fertility treatment can feel so embarrassing.

Trust her to listen to what you want and feel. Then trust her judgment in how to best move forward.

She ordered tests for me first to rule out any physical reasons why I’d been unable to conceive. We tried a cycle of clomid with timed intercourse. We are now mid-cycle with IVF

The prices seem very competitive with other clinics.

Our doctor was great about listening to us and agreeing to transfer multiple embryos, especially at my age. I think she takes each case individually and adjusts to the patient.

They really try to make you feel better if something terrible like a miscarriage happens. They are very positive about trying again when you have a negative result. They are super optimistic. The wait times are often a little long during the morning monitoring hours. This is to be expected at any busy health care facility.

The office is pretty good about knowing all patients' names.

The nursing staff dropped the ball when calling to update on my embryos. No one called and I called on day 7 only to be told all embryos were dead.

He is really compassionate and has a great bedside manner. He reviews your chart thoroughly at each visit. The only problem is that you do not see him every visit. You often see a fellowship student.

Go there if you need basic iui or Ivf. Do not go there if you are interested in pgd/pgs or if you need surgery. The office does not do pgd/pgs routinely so there is some doubt regarding their skills doing the biopsy procedure.

I was put on high dose stims due to DOR. I am not sure if these doses were a little too high or not.

The costs are reasonable but the billing staff is horrific. If you ask for a receipt to submit to your insurance company, you may wait over a month to get it. The billing staff always answers calls when they are collecting your payments but send you to voicemail when you need copies of bills or receipts.

The doctor likes to transfer all available day 3 embryos on the over 40 crowd. It may be a good approach because it gets every embryo a chance at implantation. However, you need to be prepared for potential abnormalities that may cause miscarriage. Worse yet, you may have to make a heart wrenching termination decision.

One weakness is the parking :-) its L.A. I had to mention that--you will need to pay for parking, metered or they do have a garage. Also, you might have an appnt. with Dr. Bendikson and in the examination room an intern could be present or be the one providing the hands-on care. This isn't unusual in Dr.'s offices and the staff are all amazing but just an FYI.

Dr. Bendikson and the staff at the office always gave us their full attention any time when my fiance and I had visits with them. We had what felt like a hundred questions and the entire staff was accommodating and patient and informative at all times.

Victoria is exactly what you need after having any treatment or care. She is so patient, sweet, and polite.

Dr. Bendikson is professional, very knowledgeable and generous with her time. I appreciate her candor and what we've learned while in her care. Her approach plus the team she works with make visits feel productive and like we are taking the right steps toward our goals.

Ask questions and don't be afraid to get additional clarification if you need it. She is wonderful about explaining and giving info.

The prices seemed right in line with those for clinics that provide similar higher-levels of care. It wasn't "cheap" but not overly expensive.

The clinic hours were convenient for me, as a single woman who works full-time. The waiting area is comfortable and the wait times for appointments and monitoring visits were not typically long (usually 10-20 minutes). All of the staff were warm and caring.

Dr. Bendikson was warm and caring throughout the testing and treatment process. It felt as though she was genuinely invested in my feelings and the outcome of the treatments. She was direct, but without the coldness friends have described who went to other clinics.

Vicki was amazing to work with - very thoughtful and compassionate. I had a lovely experience with all of the nursing staff at the clinic.

Dr. Bendikson was wonderful to work with. She was very caring and non-judgemental about my somewhat unorthodox circumstances (single mother by choice). She was also very helpful when I needed to make a decision about whether to do another round of IVF or to explore embryo adoption, providing pros and cons of both. I've been meaning to bring my gorgeous 6 week old daughter to meet her and Vicki. I'll probably do that in the next couple of weeks.

Best of luck - you're in very good hands.

Monitoring visits were convenient. They have early morning hours, so I was able to go in before work. Wait times were generally fairly short (10-20 minutes).

$23,000

For both the IVF fresh transfer and the embryo adoption (frozen transfer), Dr. B and I had candid conversations about the best number of embryos to transfer to optimize chances of success while minimizing the chance of multiples. We decided to transfer the maximum number of embryos (day 3) because of my age, which led to a chemical pregnancy. For the embryo adoption frozen transfer, we decided to transfer 1 embryo. I got pregnant with my daughter as a result!

I have nothing but good things to say; the financial coordinator could have been a little quicker to respond via email to my questions, but she did get back to me within 3 business days usually.

From what I know, Darlene Chavez is no longer with USC Fertility.

Dr. Jabara, although no longer at USC Fertility, was wonderful. He is very direct, and doesn't sugarcoat much, but at the same time he is compassionate and very confident in the plan he lays out for your treatment. He explained everything in a way so that we felt comfortable with what the next steps and plans were going to be in order to conceive. You can tell he is passionate about his work, and while at time I could tell he was busy with lots of other patients or with teaching his residents, when it was time to meet with us, he gave us his full attention. We did 4 IUI's (4 negative pregnancy tests) with him at Kaiser, and one (successful) round of IVF with him at USC Fertility.

Come with all your questions written down on paper when you meet with him. We did this and he spent time going through each question, one by one with us.

4 IUI's - 2 with clomid only, 2 with clomid and Menopur. 1 round of IVF (Gonal F, Menopur, Boost, Cetrotide)

one IVF cycle, with medications, was just under $20,000 approximately.