[Dr. Mok-Lin] explained things in a way that was clear and direct, but she was also warm and kind. We felt very glad that she was our doctor, in general. But a moment that really struck us was during the IVF orientation. She unapologetically corrected the embryologist and other patients who asked about finding out the gender of the embryo, when they were actually wanting to know the sex. We loved that she did that without hesitation and felt it was a simple thing, but made a huge difference for us as an queer family. It’s also just accurate!
She [nurse at UCSF] was very helpful and accessible, and always positive. The team was so kind, as a whole...From the doctor, nurse, phlebotomists, receptionists, they are an incredible team of people who get to help people make families and it shows that they value their role in that work. We only had communication issues with one person, Eugenia. It was difficult to communicate clearly with her via email and at times it was very frustrating. However, we only interacted with her in the early stages of our treatment, and once we no longer had to everything else was great!
How was your experience with Evelyn Mok-Lin at UCSF?
I honestly can’t think of anything I’d have wanted in a doctor that Dr. Mok-Lin didn’t do. She was professional and compassionate. She communicated clearly and in a way that we could understand. We had such a wonderful experience with her and her team that we have already recommended her to anyone we know who is pursuing starting a family. Dr. MoK-Lin was respectful, kind, courteous, and we fully trusted her judgement during the entire course of treatment. We are so glad to have gone through this process under her care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Evelyn Mok-Lin at UCSF?
Be open about challenges you may be nervous about. Dr. Mok-Lin was great at setting our minds at ease when we were worried about anything, but also offered solutions and took our opinions into account, so don’t be afraid to voice concerns.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Evelyn Mok-Lin at UCSF?
Dr. Mom-Lin explained things in a way that was clear and direct, but she was also warm and kind. We felt very glad that she was our doctor, in general. But a moment that really struck us was during the IVF orientation. She unapologetically corrected the embryologist and other patients who asked about finding out the gender of the embryo, when they were actually wanting to know the sex. We loved that she did that without hesitation and felt it was a simple thing, but made a huge difference for us as an queer family. It’s also just accurate!
Describe the protocols Evelyn Mok-Lin used in your cycles at UCSF and their degree of success.
Dr. Mok-Lin did a fresh cycle. She shortened my treatment for egg retrieval because I responded very positively to the injections. I ended up with OHSS, but it resolved after about a week. I can’t remember too many specifics other than that she allowed me to not do the steroids due to my risk for mania.
Describe your experience with your nurse at UCSF. (Assigned nurse: Shem Lewis)
Shem was in red empathetic. She was very helpful and accessible, and always positive. The team was so kind, as a whole. It felt like everyone loved their jobs and wanted to support us as much as possible.
Describe your experience with UCSF.
They are organized and have excellent systems in place that keep you informed throughout the treatment cycle. The staff are all incredibly kind, positive, knowledgeable, and helpful. We loved that we chose UCSF. From the doctor, nurse, phlebotomists, receptionists, they are an incredible team of people who get to help people make families and it shows that they value their role in that work. We only had communication issues with one person, Eugenia. It was difficult to communicate clearly with her via email and at times it was very frustrating. However, we only interacted with her in the early stages of our treatment, and once we no longer had to everything else was great!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Evelyn Mok-Lin at UCSF.
We paid for a test out of pocket, but financed the treatments totaling a little over $13,000.00. We also paid for the medications out of pocket and those were about $250, if I remember correctly. I also had acupuncture regularly and we purchased donor sperm and had it shipped, which added about $3,500 to our total costs.
Describe Evelyn Mok-Lin's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at UCSF.
I’m very glad we transferred just one embryo. She explained that there was a high likelihood that the embryo would take on the first cycle because we had such positive result with retrieval and fertilization and that the best bet for a singleton was transferring just one blastocyst.
What specific things went wrong at UCSF?
- Lost paperwork
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at UCSF.
The only person we had issues with both of the before mentioned topics was Eugenia. I had emailed some paperwork over, and I can’t quite remember the details, but she said they didn’t have them. I think it was related to lab results. The only other thing was that we asked Shem if Dr. Mok-Lin wanted us to do ICSI, because the financing company (Arc) asked us. We didn’t know what ICSI was and why, so when Shem emailed back and said Dr. Mok-Lin recommended it, we told them yes. However, since we had purchased donor sperm, it had been tested and when we met again with Dr. Mok-Lin, she said there must have been a misunderstanding because ICSI is done when there are issues with sperm, which there shouldn’t have been because the sperm banks screen for those issues. In the end, we had to pay $200 to the financing company to “cancel” the ICSI procedure financing aspect of things because we were told the wrong information.