Alin Lina Akopians

Dr. Akopians is a very smart and compassionate doctor. I trust her completely with my treatment. Even though I'm older and have an egg quality issue, she never once suggested that I shouldn't proceed with my own eggs, which I appreciate. I trust that she's up to date on recent fertility treatment advancements.

Dr. Akopians is on your side and always rooting for you to succeed. Do not hesitate to ask her any questions, as she always takes the time to explain everything thoroughly.

My first cycle was an antagonist protocol, without any priming (300 Gonal-F, 150 Menopur, 25iu Omnitrope, 10k Pregnyl trigger). We retrieved 6 eggs, 3 fertilized, 2 made it to blastocyst, but both tested genetically abnormal. The next cycle we tried a Lupron Flare protocol, but I developed a lead follicle at my baseline scan, so the cycle was converted to an IUI which was unsuccessful. For my third cycle we went back to an antagonist protocol, but with estrogen priming this time (same dosages of medications as the first cycle, except we used a dual trigger Lupron/Novorel). I retrieved 8-9 eggs (can't remember exactly), but only 1 made it to blastocyst and subsequently also tested genetically abnormal. I have an egg quality issue, as I was 39 at the time of those retrievals. We are planning to do more retrievals, and Dr. Akopians will adjust the protocol to try to get better quality embryos.

Cycle fee - $14,750 (includes monitoring and egg retrieval), PGT-A testing - $3,800 for up to 8 embryos, Sperm DNA fragmentation test - $500, Genetic testing - $600 per person, Karyotype test - $500 per person, Embryo storage - $750 for 1 year, Embryoscope - $2500, Zymot - $500, medications paid directly to pharmacy.

Dr. Akopians has said that she prefers single embryo transfer, however, we have not yet gotten any viable embryos to transfer, so we have not discussed this issue any further.

Initial consult was amazing. She explained everything in a away that was easy to understand and gave a lot of insight as to what to expect. Once the ball started rolling; almost two weeks in, several scans completed and medications ordered; no one provided a specific treatment plan or reviewed the treatment cycle with us. After requesting this meeting, the doctor called and had a tone in her voice and stated that "this was already explained in the first meeting" We were able to point out that the "consultation" was great but that conversation involved many what if's and nothing specific was reviewed with us directly. Not even the medication calendar was reviewed. Her tone changed and we moved forward. Her bedside manner at time of retrieval was very gentle and warm. And her communication with updates was great.

I would say this any patient to any doctor: Speak up and ask the questions.

I wasn't given specific reasons as to why she used the specific protocol but I remember being told that "these medications I feel would be best" I wasn't very satisfied with the answer but at that point we just have to trust the doctor. Post retrieval Dr.Akopians did discuss a different treatment plan that could possible have better results.

scans, genetic testing,

Honestly, out of all the doctors I've seen this year, she was the worst. Came off a bit arrogant, lectures on the basic of fertility 101 which most women going through IVF already know, and does not seem able to think outside the box. She was the only one to suggest donor eggs and does not seem confident or knowledgeable in working with older women 40+. She agreed to do my cycles but who wants a doctor that doesn't believe in their journey and wants to try innovative ways so they can maximize their potential?

Don't see Dr. Akopians if you have a complex fertility issue because she can't think outside the box and won't try different protocols that aren't standard textbook approaches. I can't really recommend her for older women because she'll probably try to sell you donor eggs when you still have a couple years to try.

She recommended donor eggs when I still have regular periods and mature MII oocytes/eggs that all fertilized. I was able to find another doctor (Dr. Amin at Reproductive Partners in Beverly Hills/Redondo/Westminster) who put me on estrogen/estradiol for 5 days before my cycle start, and I was able to grow 9 eggs instead of 3!

She is pessimistic regarding older women trying IVF and suggests donor eggs too early. Does not seem to have alternative approaches to try and does not think outside the box.

Dr Akopians is intelligent, thorough and above all kind. She truly cares about her patients and their success. After two unsuccessful egg retrievals with a previous doctor I had a successful egg retrieval with Dr Akopians that resulted in 6 genetically normal embryos. During our next steps we found that I had polyps and needed surgery, which she preformed. We started again and then found the polyps returned. Although I was skeptical to do the surgery again and anxious to just go ahead with the transfer we did the surgery again as she suggested. After that we transferred two embryos (though Dr Akopians suggested only transferring one to be conservative and see how my body responded to a transfer) She honored our request and transferred two. After a positive pregnancy test, I miscarried at 6 weeks. Devastated, Dr Akopians walked me through our next steps which included a D&C. I remember being so emotional and as the anesthesia kicked in as I laid on the operating table I remember her holding my hand and tears welling in her eyes right along mine... She is a one of a kind doctor, who truly cares! After healing we discussed our next steps which this time we took her advice and transferred one embryo. At our first ultrasound after a positive pregnancy test we found there were two yolk sacs....twins! Although we were all excited she was quick to let us know the risks, including "vanishing twin syndrome". We left the appointment hopeful. Fast forward, we graduated our 12 weeks of care with Dr Akopians and now have healthy identical twin girls. Miracles! Let me conclude by just saying that I drove 4 hours one way to see Dr Akopians in Beverly Hills for every appointment (8 hours total for each appointment) and I did it a second time when we looked to expand our family. We now have a healthy 3 week old baby boy, again because of Dr Akopians. We have since moved out of state, but if we were still in CA I would continue to drive that 8 hours for every appointment for Dr Akopians; that is how phenomenal she is and how much she is worth the investment (time, money, emotion, etc) if you are looking to grow your family, and get the best out of an already stressful experience. I cannot recommend or complement Dr Akopians enough. We are truly grateful to her for making our dreams come true.

When she recommends something, she has a reason. Although time and money may lead you to disagree with her, listen, there is a reason she is recommending it and it is not to make things take longer or cost more. She truly cares and wants to get you the best results as quickly as possible with the least amount of heart-ache.

I cant remember the specific medication, but we started with some of the standard dosages, and found that polyps kept returning. She decided to lower my dosage and it ended up helping the polyps not return as quickly after we had just done a surgery to remove them. She really looks at your specifics and she will alter her strategies to get you the best results.

She preferred to transfer one, but she did transfer two for us as we requested. however it resulted in a miscarriage. For our next transfer we listened to her and only transferred one. God still has a hand in all of this and we ended up with identical twin girls after transferring just one.

Dr Akopians was everything I could ask for as a patient. She was straightforward about the process, risks, and recommendations. She was very confident and intelligent and immediately upon meeting her, I had faith in her ability to help us to our dream baby. The road was longer than we expected but she was always available to talk and plan our best course of action. She really wanted us to be successful — you could feel that from the care she took with our case. Whenever we needed her, she was fully present. For example, we met to discuss the Frozen Embryo Transfer process and she didn’t rush us, didn’t look at her watch, made us feel like her top priority. I loved that she was so vested in our success, and she led us down the right path.

She’s wonderful, warm and considerate. She is also very straightforward. She will explain all of your treatment options and recommendations. Trust in her because she wants your success as much as you do.

All four of our retrievals were antagonist treatment. We had success in retrieving exactly the amount of eggs forecasted in ultrasounds and almost all fertilized. We did 2 cycles with HGH and 2 without, to see how it impacted results. We did PGS/PGD testing due to a genetic condition we are both carriers for. In the end we wound up with 41 eggs retrieved, 17 embryos, 7 of which tested normal. We were thrilled with the outcome.

I was lucky enough to have insurance cover a large portion of my IVF costs. She made sure to discuss overall costs of each treatment plan. She managed them as well as possible so we never felt like we were overpaying.

I originally came in wanting multiple embryos transferred. I was convinced I wanted twins! But Dr Akopians patiently explained the benefits and drawbacks of single vs multiple, especially with PGS testing. In the end we went with a single embryo and it was absolutely the right decision for us.

We love that Dr. Akopians did not try to put us through a "general IVF" plan like prior doctors wanted to do. She was thorough and came up with a plan for our diagnosis. When I looked up the specific course of action, a lot of women only find out about this on their second or third try after failed attempts. So I feel like she is doing everything she can for this to work on the first try.

Since we don't know our final results yet, all I can say is trust her and know that she isn't a "one size fits all" RE.

We are in cycle now so I have no results to provide at this time. But she is doing luteal phase estrogen priming for us in order to optimize our changes of quality eggs due to diminished ovarian reserve. I have not started stims. I will say, my first start up was cancelled due to Covid-19. However, the doctors office stayed in contact with us about next steps, restarting and completing any necessary tests and other issues in the interim in order to "hit the ground running" once the restrictions were lifted. I didn't feel like I really even missed a beat.

We are not complete with the process yet. But at the consult we were given a cost/fee sheet with breakdowns of SCRC's fees, the lab's fees, the anesthesiologist fees, testing fees and an estimate of prescription costs. So far it has been very accurate and helpful. I estimate we will have paid around $28k when complete with one cycle (including ICSI, PGS testing, etc).

Dr. Akopians quickly assessed my anxiety and need for control at the beginning of my IVF process. She took time to explain each detail. She wrote steps down for me so I could focus on listening but also having note to reference later. I pride myself in being organized and detail oriented so her notes were wonderful for me. She was patient with all my questions that constantly diverted the conversation. She provided me with data and additional process facts that helped educate and reassure me. She gave me a sense of comfort due to her communication, reassurance, empathy and her confidence. Her ability to make me feel at ease and confident in her abilities has been essential.

She is accessible in person if you like that type constant interaction. If you’re like me I didn’t see her in person very often but I spoke with her over phone calls which worked well with my lifestyle.

Due to the know low sperm count and motility my husband had she had him take medication to increase his quantity and motility. Due to all our infectious disease labs being expired we had to re do them. We had sperm frozen in another facility. Dr. Akopians asked us to transfer it to her facility as backup for our process. Due to our sperm ICSI was recommended and used. Due to our sperm it was recommended to use an embryo scope to reduce the amount of times the embryos are manipulated to give them a higher chance to do well. We used the embryo scope.

Consultation $275. Transvaginal US $230. Labs:Assay of Estradiol $85, FSH $85, Lh $85, assay thyroid stim hormone $85, venipuncture $30. Embryo freeze all: Cycle management fee $715, monitoring $3140, retrieval $2440. Frozen Embryo transfer: cycle management fee $715, monitoring $1590, embryo transfer $1065. Had to pay other fees for the surgery center and for the cryobank facility.

Due to our specific scenario and factors only one embryo will be transferred. Dr. Akopians made it sound like all other scenarios also only one embryo is encouraged to increase the transplant success rate. Ever couples scenario is unique.

I came from working with Dr. Surrey who had the worse bed side manner. I wanted a doctor who was going to coddle me enough but also treat me with respect during this hard time. Dr. Akopains was a lot of that and more. She is incredible, hands on, explained everything/broke everything down, incredibly kind, patient, caring, gentle but stern when necessary...I love everything about her. I was so sad to graduate.

Ask questions...she will answer it all!

IVF egg retrieval: Birth control. Followed by: Gonal F 200 units Menopur 75 units Omintrope 25 cc - for egg quality Cetrotide Trigger shot (don't recall the name) Mock ERA cycle - to up my odds for an embryo to stick during transfer. Saline ultrasound Transfer cycle: Birth control. Lupron injections. Estrace orally Endometrin Medrol Progesterone in oil 1ML

Insurance did not cover anything. I do not know the exact number but it was somewhere between $20-25k including freezing, genetic testing, procedures, medications, etc.

We did the mock ERA cycle for this reason. I did not have many embryos and we did not want to take the risk of losing any.

She is genuinely warm and compassionate. She explains everything in great detail. She personally called me to give me my results after each test I have had up to date ( US readings, Blood test, Genetics, etc) I never had to chase her down or wait long for my results, Dr. Akopian was on top of it.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. She has answers and is more then willing to educate.

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I personally paid out of pocket. Insurance covers some portions. A financial advisor is present to assist in the payment options

She seemed focused on my age. We discussed IVF, but she did not want to proceed. When the IUIs did not work out, she did not adjust my treatment, she just kept recommending IUIs. When, at her suggestion, I decided to use donor eggs, only one usable embryo was obtained. Dr. Akopians was cavalier in her delivery and attitude. I asked her why a 25-year old donor was only producing 1 usable embryo, and she said, "Sometimes, that happens." Well, it shouldn't happen when you're charging $15,000 for an unusable egg lot. It also goes against everything she told me with regard to the link between maternal age and usable eggs. If a young woman is producing good-quality eggs, then we should have more than 1 usable embryo.

Look for another doctor. She misrepresents data and does bot communicate with her patients in a timely, trustworthy, or direct manner.

I went to her to undergo IVF. She said that we could try. Even though I had a low ovarian reserve, she started me on birth control (I was told by another doctor this is the exact opposite course of treatment one would take for a woman with low ovarian reserve). No surprise, I only had 2 follicles grow when I started the medication. She then told me that she would not do the IVF because she needed at least 4 follicles to "make it worthwhile." We then opted to do IUI. She had me take FSH, which is unnecessary in a "natural" cycle, as you only need 1 good egg, not multiples. That did not work out, so she recommended I go with dobir eggs, which I did. I had to take out a loan to get the eggs, and chose a healthy, 25-year old female. The paperwork they have you sign indicates you are only guaranteed one blastocyst, not a euploid embryo, which means, in layman's terms, you'll get at least 1 embryo, not a chromosomally-normal embryo, not a usable embryo. Thus, you could get an entire egg lot with no usable embryos. She never explained this to me. I had to figure it out on my own. The healthy, 25-year old donor only produced 1 chromosomally-normal embryo. That means out of the 7 eggs, only 14% were normal, a far cry from what Dr. Akopians told me and no relevant nexus between the science and the results. She then recommended an ERA, which added on $2,740 to the costs. An ERA has not been tested significantly, and has not been shown to yield higher success rates in pregnancy. I feel that Dr. Akopians is not motivated by her success in getting patients pregnant, but rather on how much money they will spend in doing so.

Strangely, even though my insurance provides for ultrasounds, they charged me for each and every one. Same goes for bloodwork. My insurance does not provide for fertility treatments, so I had to pay for that. IUIs were incorrectly charged. At one point, I was charged $345, another point, $270. Ironically, even though the IUIs are a medical procedure m, they cost less than the ultrasounds and bloodwork, which can be performed by any nurse. Costs associated with donor egg and FET: $15,000 for donor eggs (no guarantees) $15,000 for egg thaw, insemination, testing, ERA, and FET.

For me, this was inapplicable, as I only had one usable embryo.

Dr. Akopians is one of the warmest, compassionate, and honest doctors I have ever met. During my consultation, I immediately knew that she was the answer to our issues. She had such a great understanding of exactly what was going on. She explained to me what her plan was going to be, which was completely different than my past treatments. She was very quick to identify a few contributing factors that weren’t looked into in my past appointments with different fertility centers. I felt refreshed, I was so comfortable and felt hopeful for the first time. She truly restored my hope into being able to use my own eggs (which is the opposite of what I was told by two other doctors). I was so nervous and anxious that she would say the same thing- luckily that was not the case. As if the emotional distress wasn't enough, the financial distress of having to use donor eggs was just not some thing my husband and I were prepared for at 32 years of age. She looked me in the eyes and told me she was going to try and get me pregnant naturally! I was shocked. A few weeks ago we were getting ready to clean out our savings account while I was trying to come to terms with having to use a donor egg. Her intelligence made me trust her. I knew her protocol was not financially driven. This was a HUGE relief for me. I had my evaluation the same day. She called me next day with all my results and we confirmed our protocol as it was apparent I was close to ovulation. Her nurse emailed me everything in writing after our call and fast forward to 2 weeks later, I’M PREGNANT !!!! I honestly couldn’t believe it. Still in shock. I can’t imagine if it wasn’t for Dr. Akopians I would be in the process of choosing donor eggs. I can’t believe she was able to make this miracle happen for us with such minimal intervention And monitoring!!

Trust her. Her intentions are to truly help with the least amount of intervention possible. She will take the time to listen and answer all of your questions and make sure that you understand everything so don’t hesitate to ask questions.

She is very real and honest. I appreciate a doctor who doesn’t try to make everything seem perfect. I came to the fertility clinic for a reason. I want to know what to do and how I can get to the point of holding my healthy baby in my arms.

Make sure to be on time. Because it’s courteous. She’s a busy doctor. She respected my time, so I try to do the same.

We tried 2 IUIs with Clomid. I responded well, but no pregnancy. I was ready to move ahead with IVF. We had an entire new phone talk about IVF and the success rates (SCRC has the best success rates), the hormones and side effects, the length of treatment, and potential outcomes. It was all very thorough. And I felt secure that she was treating me individually, rather than prescribing a protocol that’s “generic” for everyone. This was tailored to ME. I felt very cared for.

My insurance doesn’t cover anything diagnosed as infertility. The cost was around 25K for my whole treatment. My meds were expensive, but Julia have me $200 with of coupons to use at the pharmacy

She said we can discuss when we get to that point. I’m probably aiming to transfer 2 embryos....if she would be willing. I will do what she recommends.

Dr Akopians was always so knowledgeable and respectful of my wishes to have a baby . She informed me of the whole process step by step and never made me feel rushed or pushed to make decisions. She is a wonderful Doctor.

I would send all my friends to her because she will respect your wishes and make a plan just for you . She is the right choice .

I I did a clomid/iui cycle I also did progesterone

Most of my visits were covered by insurance. If any payment was made it was my co-payment, my co-insurance balance and my cycle management fee for my treatment.

Dr. Akopians is an incredible doctor. she is so compassionate and knowledgable. she replied to every text I sent her right away and she answered each and every one of my questions. She comforted me when I was in destress and overall she made the whole experience so easy.

I absolutely loved Dr. Akopians! She’s caring and so knowledgeable, and went the extra mile for me to ensure that I was fully informed about certain procedures that needed to take place. She answered all my questions and spent a crucial amount of time with me making me feel that I was comfortable throughout the whole experience.

Don’t be scared or nervous!

I had a very positive experience with Dr. Akopians. She is clear and concise from the very start and gives you options based on your information and her knowledge. It was easy to talk to her about what was going on and next steps. She was very upfront about the process and our chances, given my history and my age. I was very happy to work with someone that didn't sugarcoat things, but also was warm and compassionate about our situation. I would recommend Dr. Akopians to any of my friends looking into IVF.

Definitely give her a call. Dr. Akopians changed our life and helped us grow our family. I can't thank her and her team enough.

Due to my age (41) and low AMH (0.7), Dr. Akopians recommended IVF right away on our initial consult call in January 2021. I was scheduled for bloodwork and an ultrasound on day 3 of my next cycle. From there I was started on birth control pills and the STIM injections and meds. My egg retrieval in March yielded 7 eggs, 4 mature, and 2 that went through PGS testing. In April, as we were preparing for the FET, Dr. Akopians found polyps that needed to be removed. This delayed us out until June for the transfer. I am currently 10 weeks pregnant and transferring over to my regular OB.

We had some costs paid through insurance, but the bulk of it was paid out of pocket.

Dr. Akopians is extremely knowledgeable in reproductive medicine but, throughout my time with her, she remained open-minded and flexible in terms of crafting protocols that met my unique needs. I never felt like she was operating from a cookie cutter approach; she continuously monitored my case closely and would adjust my IVF cycle medications with great care. As appropriate, she treated me like a partner in the process by providing me with full details as to what was being prescribed and why; feeling this fully informed put my mind at ease. While she was clearly operating from a place of tremendous skill and expertise, her empathy and compassion shone through. I always felt cared for as a human going through something very difficult.

Be direct about what it is you expect out of your relationship; she listens!

Overall strategy used was an antagonist protocol. Dexamethasone was added for egg quality and prednisone was added to combat any potential inflammatory issues (I have auto-immune disorders in my family). While the number of eggs did not greatly increase, the overall quality did as these cycles produced more blastocysts / embryos than previous cycles at a different clinic that did not employ these drugs.

My insurance covered the vast majority of the costs.

My doctor strongly recommended only transferring one embryo due to the risks involved with transferring multiples (I did not have many embryos to transfer); my age at the time of transfer (42) was a factor here.