Alin Lina Akopians

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!