Eldon Schriock

I have only been through the first half of one cycle so far: stimulation drugs and egg retrieval. Dr. Schriock. However my husband and I have already been unusual patients because my husband was hospitalized and had a few procedures to determine if he had lymphoma right before and during my cycle. Dr. Schriock spoke with us personally when this came up, listened well and gave advice. In our first meeting with Dr. Schriock I was a little overwhelmed by the pace of his information delivery, but every meeting after that I felt he listened well and responded to me as an individual.

If you take some time to think of questions make a list before your appointment, and be prepared to ask him to slow down if necessary .

Dr. Schriock always listens to my concerns and addresses them in a gentle manner. When I was super nervous and shaking before my egg retrieval he held my hand in his and told me that this was a perfectly normal reaction and that I was doing great and would be fine. I felt very understood and cared for.

The nursing staff has been great. Very gentle, comforting, and good at painless blood draws! For my IV for my egg retrieval they even numbed my arm a bit so I wouldn't feel it, and they had a heating pad on top of my hospital gown so it was warm when I got there. They explain everything clearly. The only criticism I have is that there were a few questions I asked that if they didn't know the answer they would say information I had already heard from them. But they also always talked to a doctor and got back to me when I pressed a bit.

I have only been through half of a cycle so far, so this is hard for me to answer. They have really early morning appointments for most things, so I didn't have to miss that much work. I feel the staff all works well together as a team. They have been very kind and pleasant all the way from doctors to receptionists.

Dr. Schriock initially seemed good. He was the first doctor we worked with, so we didn't have much to compare. He is definitely more of a facts and figures guy. He pulled out all of the stats to show that at my age and with my ovarian reserve, it would be ideal to attempt an IVF transfer using an embryo created with a donor's egg. He was encouraging and we had no complaints as we prepared for the first transfer. I did get pregnant, but the embryo did not develop, and I ended up having a traumatic experience clearing the pregnancy- including two rounds of medication, hemorraging, and an emergency D&C.

I'm not sure I would recommend Dr. Schriock given so many other options in the Bay Area. He gets good reviews from other people, so I don't want to be negative, but I did not have an amazing experience.

Pacific Fertility is very good at making patients feel attended to, and Dr. Shriock was available to answer any questions that arose.

We did one transfer with Dr. Schriock, using my partner's sperm and a donor egg to create an embryo. PFC does not test donor egg-created embryos (or they didn't in 2017), so we transferred the untested embryo and it resulted in a short-lived pregnancy and miscarriage. The only medications I took were estrogen and progesterone leading up to the transfer, and in the first weeks after transfer.

The nursing staff at PFC is for the most part fantastic. They are very organized and responsive.

We were initially excited about Pacific Fertility Center because they are very responsive, and I have a cousin who had a good experience there. I now realize that you are paying for a "boutique" experience and that they seem to be more about making money than having successful results. They are very reluctant to do diagnostics, or think about getting pregnant as a holistic experience. For example, when I asked what I should do to prepare the week before a transfer, my doctor simply said, "Don't get sick." They don't have any protocol around food, exercise, immune support, etc - all things that can help set the stage for a successful pregnancy. They are quite happy to keep doing transfers (and taking your money) without any diagnostic rigor.

$25,000

Dr Schriock has been very open to our questions, to trying slightly different approaches to our cycles, takes our feedback and input seriously and continues to apply current research to our situation. He has been open to trying things that may not be scientifically proven, but seem to make a difference for me in getting a positive pregnancy result. He has listened to us and while he gives us his medical opinion, there are decisions we are able to make based on the info he provides (rather than being told what to do). He's very open to collaborating with others and when we realized we were dealing with recurrent pregnancy loss, he created the path for me of what doctors/specialists to see (outside of the clinic) so that we could all come back together with all the info gathered to create a next step forward. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table and when I feel all hope is lost, he brings some hope back to us.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Even though you are the patient, be your own advocate. Speak up for what feels right for you and your situation. Dr. Schriock will answer your questions and listen to your concerns and ideas, so speak up! He tends to talk quickly so make sure if you are not done talking, or still trying to process what has been said, ask him to repeat it. Utilize Dr. Schriock's care team for asking questions during your cycle.

We have been through a very difficult and painful journey with male infertility and poor egg quality due to my age (after two rounds of IVF). We've had 3 miscarriages, one of which at 15 weeks. The doctors and staff at PFC have gotten to know us and care about what we've been through. Dr. Schriock continues to support us with realism but a sense of hope and is always open to talking to us and trying to figure out what to do next. He's been with us to see two twin pregnancies at the moment we discovered the heartbeats had stopped. We've been going to PFC for about 4.5 years so it is a place that has become part of our journey in addition to being our doctor's office.

My IVF cycles were in 2012 and 2013 so I don't recall the precise protocols. For embryo transfers post-IVF I did a few natural cycles but then had to cancel a cycle as my body was not cooperating. For the majority of my embryo transfer cycles, I have done "controlled" cycles with Delestrogen (20mg/ml) and Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate (50mg/ml). Delestrogen is a twice a week IM injection, then Progesterone is added in 6 days prior to FET and is a daily IM injection and would continue through 10 weeks of pregnancy. One of our treatment strategies we have tried several times is to do an endometrial scratch the cycle prior to the FET cycle. While there is no conclusive evidence that this will increase the chances of pregnancy, my last two pregnancies followed this plan. (these pregnancies ended in miscarriage). Results: IVF#1: pregnant but lost at 15 weeks IVF#2: negative 1 more FET with own eggs - negative Donor egg IVF Results: (I believe these were all controlled cycles) Donor FET#1-not pregnant Donor FET#2 - pregnant twins/lost pregnancy (did endometrial scratch prior to FET) Donor FET#3 - chemical pregnancy Donor FET #4 and #5 - negative Donor FET #6 - pregnant twins/lost pregnancy (did endometrial scratch prior to FET) Donor FET #7 - negative (did endometrial scratch prior to FET)

Since I have been going to PFC since 2012, I have met and interacted with many nurses and my main nurse contact has changed a few times. However, I have been very pleased with the nursing staff. Especially under times of emotional stress/trauma, there were a couple that stood out in particular with their support and compassion. I have always been pleased with my cycle coordinators, especially when I got to work with someone consistently who knew my history. Joanna in particular has been my main nurse contact for a while and she has been very quick to respond to questions and concerns especially with use of email. The front office has done very well getting me in touch with her over the phone. She has been very open to being a resource to me for questions and to reach out to when I have negative outcomes to my transfers. She's always been patient with me in appointments when I ask for explanations or extra help with coordinating my schedule with appointments.

The front office seems well coordinated with check-in, check-out and processing paperwork. I always get prompt service when calling in and getting directed to the appropriate person or coordinating a call back. Insurance claims are processed by the office even though for me they are out of network. Questions about my contract or financial/payment info has been handled professionally and promptly. I've dealt with several coordinators (cycle coordinators and sperm donor coordinator) and all were very good with communication, answering questions and providing all info needed (with patience). Possible weakness: there seems to be a somewhat high turnover of medical assistants. This can be somewhat frustrating. Other concerns: This clinic is likely not in your insurance plan. For me, they are out of network. Payment has to be made upfront, leaving you to figure out how to come up with the funds ahead of time (loans, credit cards, etc). It is important to consider what the cost will be to go with someone in network, vs out of network. Looking back on my process, Dr. Schriock was highly recommended to me so I decided to go there, but financially it would have been better to go to an in-network facility.

IVF #1 and #2 approx $12,000 each (2012, 2013) FET #3 approx $3,000 (2013) All further FETs were part of a contract for the Donor egg IVF. Our entire out of pocket cost for DEIVF with one year contract for unlimited FETs was approx $50,000. Contract was extended for further FETs until March 2017. Frozen Embryo storage fee per year: $600 Sperm storage fee: $300 per year (as I recall)

Dr. Schriock's plan is to limit pregnancy risk with multiples. He's very focused on the health of the mother and the baby. He takes into consideration, the quality of embryos, health of the mother and age and our personal preferences to guide us to a decision. While he highly encourages single embryo transfer in my case, he is open to our requests and to discuss pros/cons of transferring up to 2 embryos. I have transferred 2 on our first IVF round, got pregnant with 1. On one other occasion due to repeated FET's resulting in negative results, I decided to transfer 2 embryos in hopes of increasing my chances. NOTE: This was my decision with my husband, where Dr. Schriock recommended one, but supported our decision to try two. This did result in a twin pregnancy which i lost. The bottom line, is that Dr. Schriock will highly advise doing single transfer but is open to discuss your personal wishes.

Dr. Schriock is very knowledgeable and helped make a timeline and game plan for upcoming procedures. The office is kind and friendly. I’m still have treatment ongoing at the office and hopefully will lead to pregnancy soon

Do your research. Lots of info and details will come from meetings so it’s best to be prepared

He took lots of time to review all history even though I had already started treatment in NYC. He ran tests and reviewed with me personally. Has not rushed us into IVF but considering choices.

I have PCOS and was encouraged to see how the IUI process goes while also getting a sample from my husband and being able to see how those counts were. It’s was a good way to test the waters and the medications without a lot of risk.

She’s very kind and friendly. Seems to rush a bit but she knows what she’s doing and is very organized. Also friendly!!

Office is friendly and clean. Doesn’t feel like a factory. Everything flows easily and they are very welcoming. Check in and out at different counters. Nurses run the show and are very friendly and attentive. Doctors are informed and ready thanks to lots of office support.

First appointment was approx $300. During IUI each ultrasound is approx $325 total IUI was $3500 or so. The facility is “out of network” for all coverage except 2 very rare providers.

Eset is encouraged “for the health of the baby”

He is straightforward and still compassionate, reviews our file before every appointment so he is up to date. Sometimes I wish I could get more answers or even speculation out of him, or more ideas of alternative things we could try.

We were ok with it, but he does push IVF and donor eggs quickly, so push back if you're not ready.

The care team at PFC is quite empathetic and doctors are all nice, though overall the place is a bit of a factory and seem to minimize time with doctor as much as possible.

Nurses respond quickly to emails, and in person all are very nice and helpful. Coordinator was a bit annoying - kept getting mixed up with what our treatment plan was and forced a bunch of extra appointments.

Pros: Clean, fancy equipment, professional, beautiful location, allows phone appts, offers some mind-body services (but not by default), fairly good service-wise, pretty on-time and easy to get appts when you want them Cons: expensive, it is most definitely a factory and doctors stay on time by spending very little time with each appt, sticking to standard protocols with little customization, they definitely push donor eggs and IVF early Pro or Con: you will rarely see your own doctor - it's whoever is on duty.

IVF with genetic testing full cycle (stims w ICSI + transfer) is around $25k IUI around $2k, but i'm not sure about these numbers

promotes eSET, and i am good with that

Dr Schriock was a good doctor and I would recommend him. In general he was very willing to answer questions and explain information. He is kind and caring. Fertility treatment is stressful and time sensitive, and I definitely have some small quibbles with the overall Pacific Fertility Center process, particularly with the handoff to non-primary doctors late in the process, although I do understand why they need to rotate doctors on call on weekends etc. However overall I would definitely recommend Dr Schriock and PFC.

Make sure to proactively set up telephone consults if you need anything explained during the process rather than expecting detailed responses via email (which is primarily used for urgent/transactional communication only).

I felt that Dr Schriock was very good about remembering me and treating me as an individual, however this wasn't the case with the assorted nurses, admin staff and non-primary doctors (when I wasn't able to see Dr Schriock) that I saw during the process. They were all warm and caring, but didn't know me as an individual at all.

While I was assigned a care co-ordinator, I almost never saw that person during in person visits, and I believe that person actually moved on during my treatment period as suddenly someone else was answering my emails. All the nurses were generally kind and good at explaining, but because I saw so many different people there wasn't a sense of continuity and a few things got missed/were suboptimal along the way.

Hey was great! He clearly explained all my options to my in my initial consultation. He provided me with clear overview of the what the process would look like from start to finish. Myself and my husband were both extremely happy with him. We always felt like we could ask him questions and reach out at anytime. I would highly recommend him to anyone.

The initial consultation he gives you is extremely helpful. Come to that consultation prepared with all of your questions.

The care team always knew my name when I came in. He always asked how I was doing and if I had any questions. He clearly explained the next step in the process. The nurses that work for him are fantastic! They are extremely sensitive to the fact that this is an emotional process.

They remembered my name and were always very caring. The nurses that took my blood each time were very sweet. When explaining how to perform the last injections they were great and very understanding that it is a hard and emotional process.

The monitoring appointments were very well organized. There were several time slots I could pick on the day I needed to come in so i could make them work with my schedule.

Empathetic, caring and passionate. He is up on all the latest research as well as the way things were done in the past. He always made himself available to me and took every extra step and precaution possible.

Go in as soon as possible if you are 35 or older.

Eldon is extremely empathetic and always took time to answer my questions. This was very different than my experience with a different Dr. at PFC and another Dr. at another clinic. He seemed to truly care about the outcome.

On top of every detail and responsive. Never lost patience with my constant questions and desire for detail.

Very professional and organized. Extremely responsive and well-staffed. The one weakness would be that the place looks like a profit-making center. It's nice to go through this in comfortable facilities, but sometimes I wondered if I could have paid a couple thousand less if it wasn't a downtown location with beautiful views.

We only had one so there was no decision but PFC's materials made it very clear why they believe in eSET.

Dr Schriock is incredible. Took the time to speak to me about my options, years after the retrieval he talked to me about how to ship the eggs to NY, etc. He will explain everything to you in full detail, while also being compassionate. Highly recommended.

Ask to make ultrasound appoints/daily appoints during the cycle with him. His schedule is busy, so be flexible during that week or two, if possible!

Dr Schriock is amazing. He took time to explain my options to me and even helped me years after the egg freezing to help determine blood tests taken from a different doctor, in a different state. I now live in a different state and oftentimes consider going back to SF for another egg freezing round because I trust him so much.

Wish I had seen Dr Schriock everytime.

15,000 per cycle

He just seems to know cutting-edge technology, and how to get results. He isn't the warmest and fuzziest - but I think that is good.

Have a list of questions, and don't hesitate to ask. But I would give that with any doctor

The doctor and all the people at PFC were phenomenal. Straight-forward which I personally prefer. They all always knew exactly what was going on with us, never had to look at a chart. Very reassuring that you were in good hands.

For reasons that are not Schriock/ PFC's fault, didn't ultimately use them. We had lots of testing, counseling, but not procedures.

Beautiful surroundings which feel private and soothing. Helpful staff that always were up-to-date on our case. They will NOT accept egg donors who are less than 21 years old. That was an issue for us (even though the donor had donated twice before.)

Eldon was extremely kind and compassionate. He is an expert in PCOS and was extremely thorough and detail oriented in tailoring my protocol to my response. His reasoning was always sound and I always felt he had my best interests at heart.

I was greeted warmly by all staff, treated with compassion and warmth even in the worst situations.

I can't remember sepcifixally other than every other day monitoring and extremely low dose injections due to my history of extreme response. He ultimately did use an HcG trigger after discussing with me the real risks of OHSS - which did occur.

They were always available. I got great calendars of my timelines, they were helpful with my crazy schedule and always prompt with results.

It was expensive. But worth it.

IVF with PGS- 15k FET- can't remember. 1k or more

He would not transfer more than one due to risks of twin pregnancy. I had PGS tested embryos, but I believe he counseled all his patients this way.

He was thoughtful and easy to talk to. I felt like when things weren't happening he wasn't able to help me figure out a next course of action. At the end I left feeling lost and without hope.

Ask about the plan he has for you as well as what he might do if pregnancy doesn't happen. If you fall under unexplained infertility like I do, ask if there are other ways to give a more explained diagnosis.

He was very accessible. He took his time and cared about the outcome.

Engaged. Passionate. They understood how much was invested—monetarily and emotionally.

Weakness: If felt like a machine at times. When I left no one ever followed up to see how things turned out. They were on to someone else. After 2+ years I would have thought they would be more interested in how they could still help me. Strengths: Their retrieval process and nursing staff was excellent.

$13k for two cycles

I was very pleased as a patient of Dr. Schriock. He had an extremely warm bedside manner which was important for me. I never felt as though my fears or trepidation I had in the process was insignificant.

I never felt as though the doctor was rushing through my appointment to get to another patient.

PFC is beautiful and provide great car. Eldon was top-notch and got us pregnant with IUI when he thought the chances were less than 5%

Explore all the options and make your own educated decisions.

He was very kind, friendly and compassionate.

Too much detail, not comfortable sharing

Beautiful clinic, organized, friendly and encouraging.