LGBTQ
Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2019 - 2022, Unsuccessful
Dr. Ringler seems reserved, when it matters most, he is extremely compassionate. Dr. Ringler is not "warm and fuzzy" upon meeting him. He is serious and business-like. However, we learned that he is incredibly supportive during a traumatic experience. It is easy sometimes to write off people whose personalities do not jump off the page. This is true of Dr. Ringler but based on his calls from a European vacation to counsel us, among other things, he is all we could have expected and more.
Our experience with the clinic as a whole was very good. I would say that the strengths are the staff and particularly, Dr. Ringler's combination of compassion and obvious excellence in his field. The only weakness is that the accounting staff did not initially present any insurance or financing options. I would advise prospective patients to do their own research in that regard. They have been very helpful with our specific challenges but general financial counseling does not seem to be their forte.
How was your experience with Guy Ringler at California Fertility Partners?
Although there have been hurdles along the way, our confidence in Dr. Ringler never faltered. My husband and I have as much faith in him today as we did when we entered his office for the first time over three years ago.
Without going into great detail, our experiences thus far with our journey to parenthood have been disappointing. While we had hoped to have a healthy baby long before now, we also realize it is no one's fault. We are also aware that other intended parents often have much longer roads.
Everything went very smoothly during the process until the retrieval and outcome of PGT-A testing. All of our embryos were mosaic to varying degrees. At first, we did not fully understand the gravity of the situation. Dr. Ringler took the time to call us from his vacation in Europe to discuss the results. He was candid in saying that he was quite surprised due to our donor's age of twenty-four and excellent history. It was a rare but troubling result.
During that call and subsequent conversations, Dr. Ringler laid out our options. He was supportive when we needed it most. In order to fully explore the possible ramifications of transferring a mosaic embryo, we met with a genetics counselor at Harvard on Dr. Ringler's recommendation.
We ultimately decided not to proceed with a transfer based on the high degree of mosaicism. Several weeks later, COVID struck and our plans to immediately resume the process were dashed. Life also intervened when my husband lost his father unexpectedly.
During this lengthy period, Dr. Ringler checked in periodically which was much appreciated. We met with him again recently in person to discuss our three potential egg donors. He provided guidance which led to our final selection. If all goes well, we are hoping for a retrieval to take place in several months. We are cautiously optimistic and feel that we are in great hands as far as Dr. Ringler and his entire office.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Guy Ringler at California Fertility Partners?
I would tell a prospective patient that while Dr. Ringler seems reserved, when it matters most, he is extremely compassionate. Dr. Ringler is not "warm and fuzzy" upon meeting him. He is serious and business-like. However, we learned that he is incredibly supportive during a traumatic experience. It is easy sometimes to write off people whose personalities do not jump off the page. This is true of Dr. Ringler but based on his calls from a European vacation to counsel us, among other things, he is all we could have expected and more.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Guy Ringler at California Fertility Partners?
From the moment we entered Dr. Ringler's office, his nurses and staff were cordial and respectful. Our first meeting was with Dr. Ringler and it set the tone for an excellent visit. I was particularly nervous and expressed my concerns immediately. Dr. Ringler was extremely patient without seeming even slightly patronizing. When it became clear that my husband and I needed a tutorial on the basic elements of the process, Dr. Ringler drew several easy to follow diagrams. In fact, I still refer to those diagrams to this day.
Our journey has been a bit bumpy and through it all, Dr. Ringler has shown us kindness and empathy. His staff and nurses have also been wonderful. We moved back to the East Coast after our initial appointment which caused several logistical hurdles. The office was very sensitive to our travel issues. Additionally, his office manager in particular has been a delight. She and Dr. Ringler are cognizant of the financial demands presented by fertility treatment. They have gone out of their way to recognize our specific circumstances and work with us.
Describe the protocols Guy Ringler used in your cycles at California Fertility Partners and their degree of success.
Our course of treatment was standard in terms of a gay couple intending to be parents. We had a detailed physical examination and semen analysis during our initial appointment. Thereafter, our egg donor was cleared and began her cycle.
We actually traveled to Los Angeles on the day of the retrieval to provide fresh samples. The retrieval went smoothly; unfortunately, the result was not what we hoped for.
For our second attempt, we are proceeding similarly. My husband and I feel confident we were simply victims of bad luck. There was nothing that could or should have been done differently.
Describe your experience with your nurse at California Fertility Partners. (Assigned nurse: I believe her name was Desiree.)
Our nurses and the entirety of the Doctor's staff was excellent from being to end. They were extremely organized and returned calls within twenty-four hours. Whenever we had a question for Dr. Ringler, it was transmitted to him immediately. We had a number of issues with travel plans and they did their best to work with us. Honestly, we could not be happier with our treatment from the beginning.
Describe your experience with California Fertility Partners.
Our experience with the clinic as a whole was very good. I would say that the strengths are the staff and particularly, Dr. Ringler's combination of compassion and obvious excellence in his field.
The only weakness is that the accounting staff did not initially present any insurance or financing options. I would advise prospective patients to do their own research in that regard. They have been very helpful with our specific challenges but general financial counseling does not seem to be their forte.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Guy Ringler at California Fertility Partners.
I believe that the total cost of treatment from initiation through transfer was about $40,000.00. This seems consistent with similar practices in LA.
Describe Guy Ringler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at California Fertility Partners.
Dr. Ringler encouraged eSET as the healthiest option for our gestational surrogate. We had not considered otherwise so everyone was in full agreement.
How competent was California Fertility Partners at LGBTQ care?
Yes, absolutely! We felt completely comfortable during every interaction with the office. The best compliment I can provide is that it was entirely a non-issue.
Describe your experience using 3rd party reproduction (donor eggs, donor sperm, or gestational carrier) at California Fertility Partners.
Unfortunately, we did not get to that point with CFP. That said, we have no reason to believe there would have been any problems down the road.