Dr Jaswa is incredibly warm and compassionate. UCSF is a teaching hospital so I didn't always get to see her...Nonetheless I felt like Dr Jaswa truly cared about how I was feeling, how I was responding to treatment, and how I felt about the outcomes...made herself available to answer questions. I never felt rushed when I spoke with her. I was disappointed in the number of eggs retrieved in my first cycle, so Dr Jaswa reviewed my medications and how I responded and proposed a new protocol for my second cycle, which was more successful...
This clinic [UCSF] is great for care, compassion, and expertise. I was happy with all the doctors and nurses that I interacted with. Likewise with anyone in reception. But the billing department is TERRIBLE...I am constantly getting billed for services I don't owe...don't blindly pay bills received from UCSF CRH. Take a close look and determine if you think you really owe it; push back if you think you don't...
How was your experience with Eleni Greenwood Jaswa at UCSF?
Dr Jaswa is compassionate and warm. She is patient and made herself available to answer questions. I never felt rushed when I spoke with her. I was disappointed in the number of eggs retrieved in my first cycle, so Dr Jaswa reviewed my medications and how I responded and proposed a new protocol for my second cycle, which was more successful (yay!).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Eleni Greenwood Jaswa at UCSF?
You probably won't get to see Dr Jaswa very often (due to the style of the UCSF clinic), but you should absolutely take advantage of the portal and send along all your questions to the care team. They'll get back to you, and if you have concerns that you'd like Dr Jaswa to address specifically, they will forward to her for her response.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Eleni Greenwood Jaswa at UCSF?
Dr Jaswa is incredibly warm and compassionate. UCSF is a teaching hospital so I didn't always get to see her; additionally, because of covid many of our visits were over Zoom. Nonetheless I felt like Dr Jaswa truly cared about how I was feeling, how I was responding to treatment, and how I felt about the outcomes.
Describe the protocols Eleni Greenwood Jaswa used in your cycles at UCSF and their degree of success.
1st protocol (age 33): A week following ovulation, I started estrogen patches (replaced patch once every 48 hours) until my period. Once I got my period, I went in for a baseline ultrasound and bloodwork and then began injecting 150mg of Gonal F and 150mg of Menopur nightly. I was responding very quickly -- some of my follicles were growing much more quickly than others -- so by day 4 I started injecting cetrotide in the mornings to slow/prevent ovulation of the biggest follicles. I triggered on day 7 of medications with 5,000mg of Novarel/Pregnyl and 450mg of Gonal F. They retrieved 15 eggs, but 2 were too mature and 3 were immature, so they froze 10.
2nd protocol (age 35): Because my eggs hadn't really grown synchronously last time, resulting in too much dispersion in maturity, Dr. Jaswa suggested trying the lupron-down protocol to start my cycle. The idea was to better suppress my cycle at the start so that the follicles would grow together. This was more or less successful. One week following ovulation, I started injecting 10 units of Lupron nightly. On day 12, I went in for a baseline ultrasound and bloodwork; I had one more night of Lupron injections and on day 13 I began injecting 150mg of Gonal F and 150mg of Menopur nightly. I went in for ultrasounds and blood work every couple days. Again, I was responding very quickly to medication, but this time my follicles at least were growing more in synch. I triggered on day 7 of medications with 10,000mg of Novarel/Pregnyl and 450mg of Gonal F. They retrieved 12 eggs and all were mature and frozen.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at UCSF.
I worked most closely with Roshi, who was wonderful. Quick to respond to my portal messages and very sweet and compassionate. She answered most of my questions and directed a couple to Dr Jaswa when she wasn't sure.
Describe your experience with UCSF.
This clinic is great for care, compassion, and expertise. I was happy with all the doctors and nurses that I interacted with. Likewise with anyone in reception.
But the billing department is TERRIBLE. They seem to be almost completely incompetent. Several examples: (1) the financial navigators don't actually tell you anything about how to help pay for your services. I found out through my nurse during my first cycle that ARC Fertility offers a pre-negotiated egg freezing package with UCSF that lowers the cost of the cycle to $7,100, compared to the $8,500+ I was being quoted by the billing department. Thank goodness she told me, or I'd never have known. I have a friend who also used UCSF and no one told her about ARC - I did. (2) I am constantly getting billed for services I don't owe. When I paid through ARC, ARC submitted a payment to UCSF to cover my cycle. Yet I continue to receive bills from UCSF for $2,000+. Advice for others: don't blindly pay bills received from UCSF CRH. Take a close look and determine if you think you really owe it; push back if you think you don't. (3) Multiple friends have been told that they couldn't charge their insurance for general office visits or consultations, paid out of pocket, and then had their insurance billed.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Eleni Greenwood Jaswa at UCSF.
Egg-freeze cycle: $7,117 (package through ARC Fertility which included monitoring appts, ultrasounds, retrieval, anesthesia, freezing + 5 years of storage)
Medications: ~$3,800 (purchased through Alto Pharmacy)