Jennifer Ratcliffe

I have put off writing a negative review because I did have success with Dr. Ratcliffe in my first IVF cycle in 2015. She presented as brash and rude but I had been warned about her bedside manner. She was confident in her ability to get us pregnant so we minimized her negative behaviors. During that cycle and subsequent cycles she dismissed my questions and concerns, she literally told me a question I asked was "stupid." She told me my eggs "sucked" and there was nothing we could do to improve egg quality. When I asked her about evidence based suppliments that other clinics were using such as CoQ 10 and DHEA she laughed them off. She did not explain to me that she only does day 3 transfers. When I asked about our embryo grading she told me she doesn't believe in this practice, an embryo is either "good or it isn't." She never gave me a diagnosis. After failed cycles when I asked if we could do things differently she said there was nothing different that could be done. We did not know how many embryos made it to transfer day until the day of transfer while medicated on Valium. We were asked to make decisions about the number of embryos to transfer at that time. While medicated. With her I transferred three, three and four embryos respectively. I had no idea at the time that this was against industry guidelines. Dr. Ratcliffe never called me with results, positive or negative. During each of my embryo transfers and all of my ultrasound appointments she spoke about her personal life, mostly about her cats, sometimes negatively about her daughter and husband. Her mother covers the front desk of the clinic at times, I have watched her yell at her mother and call her stupid. I have witnessed her yell at office staff. She discusses confidential patient/treatment information in the hallway with patients that can be clearly heard in the waiting room. Despite all of these negatives we kept returning to her practice because we had success with her the first time. It wasn't until I began educating myself and working with a fertility coach that I realized it doesn't have to be this way. When I switched clinics I felt a huge amount of relief.

Educate yourself about industry standards and best practices and have your questions ready at the time of consultation. Don't be afraid to challenge her and don't accept her opinion as gospel.

Dr. Ratcliffe has very poor bed side manner . The office environment lacks professionalism and delicacy in dealing with sensitive and often overwhelmed patients. I was fearful of making phone calls to otherwise "bothering" the doctor or clinic staff. Dr. Ratcliffe never rarely spoke to me about my treatment plan and often dismissed my concerns or questions. They knew who I was when I walked into the clinic but they just didn't seem to care.

Each cycle was an antagonist protocol. She insisted on using birth control to suppress despite my DOR (A diagnosis she never informed me of, I only learned later when I requested and reviewed my records). No information was provided about treatment strategy or reason for the protocol.

In general Bonnie is a nice person. She wasn't great at returning phone calls but was good about responding to emails. There were times I felt she was irritated with my questions or concerns and I frequently felt the need to begin emails to her with "Sorry to bother you." However, Bonnie was by far the most professional person in the practice. The ladies at the front desk are very nice and friendly. The other nurse, I believe her name was Natasha (She never introduced herself to me) was self involved and lacked basic patient care.

This is a small, single doctor practice in Santa Rosa. For many years, she was the only clinic in the area. The building is old and drafty, the office decor is seriously outdated and dingy looking. There is little respect or thought given to privacy practices and patient information is openly discussed in hallways or at the front desk where those in the waiting room can hear. The lab facilities are outdated.

Retrieval and transfer was approximately $14,000 without medications

Dr. Ratcliffe believes strongly in multiple embryo transfer. The only risk of multiple transfer that was explained to me was the possibility of multiple children. This was done while medicated on Valium.

At our first consult she layed out all the facts and bluntly advised us of our treatment plan and potential need for IVF later on. We waited a year before coming back so we met for a mini-consult to see if treatment plan needed to be changed. It did, so we adjusted and started right away.. We are now waiting the results of our 3rd cycle and have another plan to adjust trestment if this one doesnt work. At first, I felt Dr.Ratcliffe was cold and shut-off to her patients. Until recently when I had many questions and since her visits are fast I knew I wouldnt have a chance to ask them all. The clinic had given me a flyer with my new patient folder to email with any questions, so I did. Dr. Ratcliffe responded within 1 day, she had answered my questions and clarified my concerns and reitterated the next steps in our plan. Although she lacks the bedside manor and empathy I would like my RE to have, she does answer questions when asked (via email) and gives me the most important/sensitive information directly.

Every patient experience is different and what I may need for my care, another person will have their own wants and needs. I had read bad reviews mainly about her manors before seeing her as a patient. She is intense and that can be offputting and scary when dealing with such a volnerable situation. Especially since I'm so young. But I really do appreciate the directness and her willing to answer my questions.

Her visits are fast. (Like less than 10 minutes fast.) She is in and out of the room by the time you want to ask questions.

Our first consult included an extensive ultrasound where Dr.Ratcliffe concluded the likely cause of my infertility. She requested diagnostic lab work and S/A .Once confirmed that our cause was not Male factor infertility, she then performed a sonosalpingogram to see if the tubes were damaged with scar tissue from having surgery as an infant and/or an appendectomy in my teens. After the test showed they were ok, she then narrowed the issue to my potential poor egg quality and low follicle counts. Started on me 100mg clomid D3-7 to increase the chances I could release a "good" egg and recommended we start with IUI. Dr.Ratcliffe checked the results the clomid had on my follicle count by ultrasound on CD10-12 that showed I had 2 large follicles 23mm/18mm. She ordered for me to have a "trigger shot" of HCG to ensure timing of ovulation. The Medical assistants instructed me on how and when to administer the injection.We scheduled the IUI 36 hours after the Hcg shot. We showed up and gave the specimen to the nurse who then performed a sperm wash of the sample. When ready, we went to the exam room where Dr.Ratcliffe performed the IUI. I was given a blood test order to check for pregnancy 2 weeks later. RESULTS: 1s Cycle(no Hcg shot): failed 2nd Cycle:failed 3rd Cycle: a waiting results. If this one fails we plan to stop clomid and start Constrolled Ovarian Hyperstimulation Injection medication with 1 last IUI...and last resort is IVF.

There are a couple who I feel they know what they're doing and another few that seem very inexperienced. All very kind though.

I trust the course of treatment and Dr. Ratcliffe's expertise and the office is always clean and tidy. However, the office staff doesnt seem comfortable with their level of knowledge and I dont always feel welcome when I am there..more like a number. If you're a person who needs a very comforting, hand holding and empathetic clinic, this one is probably not for you. But if you can be okay with bluntly direct information and an in and out and done process then Dr.Ratcliffe is your gal!

Consult: $260 Diagnostic labs: $1200 Seven analysis: $30 Medication-hcg shot-ultrasound-sperm wash-IUI: $800ea.

Jennifer Ratcliffe is a very good doctor. She is smart and knows what she is doing and is good at it. But, she's not the nicest and does not have good bedside manner. I left appointments with her many times in tears. I was seeing another Fertility doctor but moved away so needed to see her. She talked bad about everything my prior doctor had done for me. She is very cocky and is rude to her staff. Many times I felt uncomfortable being in the room and hearing how she treated her staff. I would go to her again because she did get me pregnant but I just have to try and ignore her personality and not let her get to me.

Don't expect her to be sympathetic at all to you and what you are going through. She is a good doctor and knows what she is doing.

She is known to not be the nicest and she does not have good bedside manner. She talked bad about the doctor I was seeing before.

I have PCOS and I usually produce way too many eggs and they aren't very good quality. She decided to lower my dose of meds to try and not make so many follicles. She wanted less so that hopefully the quality of the eggs would be better. I do think it was a good decision and I did produce the best quality eggs that I had ever done before.

I loved the nursing staff!! They were all so great. Really nice and sensitive to your situation.

I think that the clinic was okay. It wasn't super nice or anything but it was clean and comfortable.

I think we ended up spending around 10,000 including all the meds for a full cycle. For the frozen cycle it was around 5,000.

I don't have a comment on this subject.

We are very happy with our experience with Dr.Ratcliffe - she is a knowledgeable Reproductive Specialist who got us pregnant on our first iui. Before her, we had eight IVFs with clomid or natural cycle with doctors in Europe and in SoCal and 3 miscarriages. She changed our treatment, as the clomid seems to work against you at a certain age (another doctor also confirmed it). She changed our protocol, and we were successful - I’m now 14 weeks along. She is extremely precise, although you will find out that it’s a small office and very busy. We are so grateful we found Dr Ratcliffe.

She is very honest and direct.

Dr Ratcliffe’s office is well-verses in the ups and downs of fertility treatment. There were times that I was sure that my treatment failed, but they were really good in providing information on what could happen without giving me the sense of doom of a worst-case scenario that I often got with other doctors’ offices.

Lupron down regulation with gonadotropins

There are two primary nurse coordinators, Natasha and Ashley. They are great.

It’s a small clinic with Dr Ratcliffe. I highly recommend it as she changed our protocol and helped us achieve our pregnancy on the first cycle, after 8 failed ivfs elsewhere. She knows what she is doing, and the office is also great. They also have different pharmacies they can use for meds, so that the costs are better with those options.

$400 per visit, approximately $2000 for IUi plus $1200 in meds

Dr Ratcliffe was very thorough in her explanation of the embryo attaching to the uterus. In the interview process prior to selecting me for a surrogate She was very clear about the possible emotions I might go through and my rights as a surrogate. I thought that was very nice of her to do that. She communicated what she was doing during the embryo transfer. She was funny but may seem brisk.

If you are a very emotional person and need any emotional connection to the doctor, I don't recommend Dr Ratcliffe!

Dr Ratcliffe is very matter of fact and blunt. I loved this about her. I can see where someone that prefers a warmer bedside manner would hate her. I felt like all of my questions and concerns were answered matter of factly.

folic acid, vitamin d, estradiol, lupron, progesterone, a muscle relaxer the day off transfer, baby Tylenol.

Bonnie was excellent! She was my first experience with surrogacy. She "held my hand" through the whole process. She sent me my medicine calendar, was available almost always, very warm and loving, set expectations. Followed through with everything that needed following through on.

I didn't have a lot of interaction with the clinic. Mainly Bonnie and Dr Ratcliffe. The clinic is clean and has a warm feel in the lobby. The transfer room is low lit for relaxation, it feels more like an upscale massage place than a Drs office.

It was paid by the intended parents

It felt like Dr Ratcliffe left the choice up to the intended parents and I.

Dr. Ratcliffe is a scientist. She was the first person who told my husband that it wasn't his fault we weren't getting pregnant. She is quirky. She tells you like it is. She was always prompt, on time. She explained everything in a manner-of-fact way. She is very particular in her ways. Everything is very organized.

Take her with a grain of salt. She has a reputation of not having a great bedside manner but she is a scientist who gets people pregnant.

Dr. Ratcliffe is a scientist who surrounds herself with very friendly staff. She told us she would get us pregnant. She was firm on my weight but I understood that I needed to weigh a certain amount to get pregnant. Dr. Ratcliffe hosts a Celebration of Success Picnic each year where all of the children she helped to "create" attend with their families. It is at this picnic that you get to see a more human side to Dr. Ratcliffe.

NA - I can't remember the specifics. It was too long ago.

Fabulous!!! All the nurses were wonderful!

Clean, organized. Short wait times. Easy to book appointments. They offered financing. Everything was done in the office, even blood tests. The clinic referred me to low cost pharmacies because our insurance didn't cover infertility treatments.

IUI was around $500, IVF was $12,000 (meds not included)

Dr. Ratcliffe would only transfer 2 embryos maximum.

During our initial consult, I was giving her my medical history and mentioned three very early miscarriages. She waved her hand and said, "Oh, those don't count." If she doesn't believe they're important to my fertility struggles, I trust her, but I was just trying to give her the complete picture and her careless attitude really turned me off. She never encouraged and was always annoyed by me educating myself outside of her office. I became scared of even sending her emails asking questions because she would tell me to "stop reading out-of-date articles on the Internet." I was always asking about things that other current fertility patients I was in touch with were going through, so my information wasn't out of date. These questions could have been handled with more tact and care to say the least.

Don't expect a warm bedside manner.

My husband made the initial phone call and spoke to the doctor about a consultation. During that call she diagnosed my issue, and never wavered from it. I felt like there was no way she could make a diagnosis without a full medical history - and without speaking to me directly at least! And even if she had a hunch what was keeping us from conceiving, it seemed unprofessional to make that statement over the phone to my husband. It made me question her thoroughness and curiosity to find the real issue.

Definitely on the expensive side compared with patients at other clinics I spoke with.

Dr. Ratcliffe was not able to get us pregnant, but we were an usual case. I have no doubt that she did all that was in her power to educate herself on our situation and advise accordingly. She was clear, informative, and always left the decision making up to us. She probably could have sold us on all kinds of treatments to try and improve our situation, but did not. In the end we were not successful with pregnancy, but also had a pretty minimal financial investment.

She's not warm and fuzzy and talks fast, so be sure to listen, not take it personally, and ask her to repeat things if necessary.

Like everyone says, Dr. Ratcliffe is blunt and does not sugar-coat. She is also very smart, gives a lot of information, and covers the black-and-white detail. I appreciated this as I'd rather have a doctor be a master of their craft than a master of personal skills. That being said, her assistant, Bonnie, was very kind and compassionate and offered a nice balance.

Bonnie was great, responded to emails promptly and in detail. There were minor miscommunications at first but nothing out of the ordinary

A round of IVF goes for about $12K, Meds another $3.5K

When your struggling with infertility your extremely sensitive and once your in cycle times that by 10! This woman never showed empathy or good bed side manner. Very short with us. Seemed annoyed when questions were asked. I always felt uncomfortable but we felt stuck since she was the only local fertility doctor. My husband and I couldn't afford a commute. She made our experience so much worse then it needed to me. Certain interactions I remember with her still make my stomach churn.

Please don't give this Doctor your money. She treats her patients so badly. There are other choices in S.F.

My husband and I were treated like a number. We felt like cattle and as if we were entering the tunnel of doom everytime we went to that office.

Bonnie talks at you makes you feel incompetent. Poor communication skills and not patient at all.

Very blunt. Funny. Prefers easier cases that won't hurt her numbers. Good communicator if she thinks you are worth her time.

Don't take the bluntness personally and if you don't get pregnant quickly, find a bigger clinic.

Dr. Ratcliff pushed her own agenda and disregarded our wishes for our treatment. Once we needed egg donors, she became disinterested in our treatment, ignoring emails or blowing us off. She is very blunt. So if you are an easy case that doesn't need much help and don't mind very blunt conversations, she is ok. Otherwise, go elsewhere.

They were all really kind, but terrible at blood draws.

She is very straight forward, doesn't sugar coat. She also pressured us to try treatments we had no interest in, at which point she seemed to lose interest in helping us. She offered to help vet egg donor candidates, but when it came time, she blew us off.

She is good if you have simple issues, otherwise, go elsewhere.

It is a small group, so they treat you like a human. She doesn't candy coat things though, which can be off putting.