Ruth Lathi

Dr. Lathi has been reliable and has given us the facts. Unfortunately, she also led us to believe we did not have any major issues nor was there urgency for us to proceed with aggressive treatment. Ultimately she left it up to us. I do think the minimized our issues and did not adjust treatment to fit our unique issues. I like that she is down to earth, pragmatic and logical. I do think she was unprepared on several occasions not remembering our particular situation, not adjusting protocol. I think she let things slip and now we are paying for it. She also did not show concern or empathy. I do think she is experienced and knowledgeable, but perhaps a bit jaded.

Ask questions and insist on answers, don't leave until you get them. Get your doctor to do all major procedures. If you suspect something is going wrong, point it out and insist. Be your own vocal advocate.

We only had consultations twice: initial and second time upon our request as we were trying to make a decision to move onto IVF. Dr. Lathi walked into that meeting without much prep, even had to look up our diagnosis. We didn't get many answers to our question either. Over the course of my treatment I have seen 5-6 doctors and over dozen nurses. No one seems to know us, we have to keep repeating the same things, which should be in our chart or passed along somehow. I am never given any details about results or updates on my progress. I had to beg to get a printout with my ultrasound follicle numbers during stims. I ovulate early which had been obvious from out IUIs but no one did any post-cycle analysis and so during our IVF cycle the same thing happened and we had a poor retrieval result. No one reached out to explain what went wrong during retrieval. I had to ask repeatedly to speak with the doctor to get some answers. I do have to say most of the nurses are wonderful and very caring and attentive. The doctors - not so much.

IUI: 5mg Letrozole, estrace and endometrial in luteal phase due to poor lining - both cycles negative IVF: Antagonist protocols (Using Ganirelix and GnRH antagonist drugs: 300 IU Follistim, 150 IU Menopur), dual trigger (Lupron + HCG). We retrieved half as many eggs as we had follicles on the ultrasound (the rest of follicles were empty), we achieved 50% fertilization with ICSI, no other results yet

Most of the nurses are very competent and compassionate, especially those in procedure room. They did a great job explaining things, providing printout, scheduling, managing next steps.

Very experienced, lots of cycles (both good and bad), but lack attention to detail and individualized approach. The only opportunity you get to speak to a doctor is during a procedure or specially arranged consultation. They pass you back and forth to whoever is available in the practice. Also, this is not the practice if you want to combine your treatment with any integrative medicine, such as acupuncture or supplements - they don't believe in that here (also good and bad thing). This is a teaching hospital so you will get residents and medical students at your appointments and procedures unless you refuse that (we didn't mind).

We are completely out of pockets so IUIs were between $1000-$2500 and our IVF so far (up to retrieval only) has been about $25,000

Dr. Lathi recommends single embryo FET after PDG/PGD. We like that approach.

I had very few interactions with Dr. Lathi. She struck me as very knowledgeable and compassionate. There was a communication mishap that led to me getting a treatment protocol that was slightly different than what I had requested. It was very upsetting to end up with a lower yield than my last cycle, but after PGS testing, I ended up with the same number of genetically normal embryos as I did in my last cycle. And in the end, I got what I wanted - a healthy baby. So I'm very happy with my outcome, although I wish the process of getting to it had been smoother.

Dr. Lathi's bedside manner is good, but under Stanford's group practice model, you will see a dizzying array of doctors and nurses throughout your cycle. Although I saw Dr. Lathi for my consult, a fellow performed the retrieval and Dr. Nakajima performed the implantation. And I think I saw every single doctor in the practice for the ultrasounds. My care felt fragmented, to say the least. And bedside manner varied among the doctors. One of the fellows checked her phone during my visit -- first time that's ever happened to me with a doctor. And another fellow didn't even come see me after she did my egg retrieval. Instead, she sent a nurse to inform me of my results, which were far worse than those from my previous cycle, leaving me in tears. I'm sure this fellow didn't know what my expectations were because I had only discussed this with Dr. Lathi. I trust that both of them had very positive intent, but with all these hand-offs, it's hard to not feel like a number.

Over a year after my cycle, I can't really remember much about the nursing staff, which makes me think that there was probably nothing either incredibly amazing or horrible that they did.

I'm not a huge fan of the group practice model from a customer service standpoint. We based our decision of where to go on a) Stanford's good outcomes data and b) Stanford's size and length of the clinic's experience, and c) our assumption that the institution has strong laboratory infrastructure, so there was a decent chance the IVF lab was good or at least wouldn't make horrible mistakes. Having had a successful implantation and live birth on our first try with Stanford, and hearing how they were not one of the clinics that accidentally destroyed embryos, we still stand by our decision, even though our experience had some bumps along the way.

I can't remember, but they were minimal because we had good insurance coverage

We saw Dr. Lathi just a few times and every time she seemed very tired and overworked. She barely would touch on what was happening and I would ask her multiple questions to understand our treatment and her plan. I never felt that was aware of our medical history or our unique needs as patients. I didn’t feel that she was invested in us as patients.

Look for someone else or if you decide to stick with her - make the best use of the time with her fellows.

We were seen by multiple doctors who were never aware of our infertility situation and we had to correct them every time we were seen (same with the nurses). The clinic is run like a mad house, no one knows what’s going on. As a patient you have to keep track of everything what’s going on with your treatment and constantly keep calling the clinic to make sure you get what need.

There was a standard scheme of using Letrozole per our request. She didn’t hesitate to approve Letrozole and wasn’t pushing for Clomid. I can’t elaborate more, unfortunately, because we didn’t get much quality time with her. It was a quick 2 min Q&A session after the baseline ultrasound. Next time we saw her was at our IUI appointment.

The nurses are nice when you interact with them one on one, otherwise it’s difficult to get a hold of them. The person I liked the most was their ultrasound tech - Katie. She is amazing!

This clinic is a typical teaching clinic - disorganized factory line. If you’re looking for personalized treatment plan and an individualized approach - go elsewhere. You’ll be passed from doctor to doctor within your cycle per the schedule of the clinic.

We paid around $350/cycle due to our insurance coverage.

NA

Dr. Lathi is very smart and direct, however, she was so confident and then things went completely south so I lost faith in her very early on after our first egg retrieval. She tried to use ICSI for our 2nd round and was confident that was the issue, which it ended up not being. She was completely wrong about everything my body was doing so we had to switch clinics.

Careful to trust her, she has a one track mind and doesn't deviate from her set plan. Maybe if you're an easy, straight forward case IVF will work for you under her care, it sure didn't for me and that was a surprise even to her, which doesn't build my confidence in her. IUI was a success so I would go to her for that.

When you can actually get an appointment with her she is personable, however, she is very hard to schedule with. She listens but is very set in her own ways and does not let you try other options nor is she open to different treatment plans. She is direct and NOT warm and fuzzy. She left me hanging for LONG weekends after both egg retrievals which each had 9 mature eggs retrieved had poor fertilization. I feel like a good doctor should reach out at such an emotional and painful time. One was Thanksgiving weekend, the other Easter and no response from her.

Both cycles used Menopur (150) and Follistim (300) for 10 days. She said I was a straightforward case with this protocol. It generated 9 mature eggs both cycles but the fertilization wasn't very good. ONLY ONE the first cycle - we did an investigation to see what went wrong but no one would speak up. Something was off. The 2nd cycle 8 mature eggs, 3 fertilized and made it to Day 3 (I wish I would've transferred them at that point) but not to Day 5.

They are just plain too busy. They ordered the wrong meds at times - ovidrel instead of ganirelix. Hold times on the phone have improved but they are always very rushed.

Strengths - smart doctors, they will take almost any patient regardless of age or diagnoses. Weaknesses - VERY busy - the waiting room is always full, only offered Day 5 transfers with genetic testing for me, no Day 2 or 3. I felt more like a number and when it didn't work they were like..."Oh well"....I wished they had acted more like "What's next" since I still didn't have a baby.

My insurance did pay for some of my care and that is why I went to Stanford. Meds were over $5000 both rounds.

After my failed cycles she determined it was my egg quality but my results were much different when we switched clinics. She was only going to transfer one embryo. Stanford is very against multiples.

As I mentioned earlier, Dr. Lathi is not warn and fuzzy, but with that said, she is very compassionate. She talks through her line of thinking in a very palatable/understandable way, she addresses all of my concerns in a thoughtful manner, and she really blew me away when I learned I was about to miscarry for the third time. There was no sense of being hurried along. She sat with me, listened to all of my sadness and fear, and really helped me through the moment, and the “what next.”

Dr. Lathi knows her stuff. If you are someone who needs a lot of emotional coddling, she may not be the doctor for you. If you are looking for someone who can explain the ins and out, where’s and whyfores of the process, a doctor who will be honest with you both clinically and emotionally, then she is a great choice. I think she’s also a great choice for medical professionals undergoing the fertility journey.

Dr. Lathi is definitely not the most warm and fuzzy doctor that I have seen at Stanford, and I’ve seen a lot of doctors there. I am in the medical field, and what I appreciate most is her candor, her willingness to talk through her thought process, citing current research, and then pausing to recognize that there is more to the fertility journey than numbers and logic. I recently experienced my third miscarriage, first discovered as an empty sac on ultrasound with her. She was so gentle, kind and compassionate. She really took the time to help me through the moment, to encourage me to be gentle with myself, and to be realistic, but never give up hope. I so appreciated her way of being with me. For a doctor that I never really associated with “warm and fuzzy,” she was really really wonderful when I needed her to be.

I never thought I would do IVF. I’m a “choice mom” (meaning I’m single and used donor sperm to conceive my son), and had very little difficulty the first time around. I conceived him on my 3rd IUI when I was 39 years old. The second time around, I’ve had three miscarriages and three doctors, and now, at 43, I’m considering IVF. We went from natural (0 BFPs), to Letrazole (2 BFPs, 2 miscarriages), to follistim (1 BFP, 1 miscarriage) all with IUI. Dr. Lathi is now helping me to decide whether I will do IVF, or continue with Follistim and IUI.

Each doctor at Stanford is assigned a team of med techs who do the rooming and set up for ultrasound. Their nurses do much of the phone work, at least, when you are undergoing IUI. I suspect you see the nurses in person when you’re undergoing IVF a little more frequently. They are always polite, courteous, and empathetic.

I’ve been really happy with Stanford overall. I will say that if you are looking to have all of your care performed by the same physician, this may not be the clinic for you. There are a team of doctors here, and they all work together, so while you see your primary doctor as often as possible, it isn’t always your doctor performing insemination or ultrasound if they are not on duty when you require your specific treatment or intervention

My insurance doesn’t cover anything. About $345 per ultrasound. $600 per IUI. IVF with PGD testing is about 25K

Dr Lathi met all our expectations and I will definitely see her again for future pregnancies. Her and the team were professional and she most always was on time. We went through two IUI’s and moved forward with ICSI next. When it was time for the FET my lining was not responding to the supplemental protocol so we cancelled. Dr. Lathi changed my protocol which worked wonders because I’m pregnant now. Definitely recommend!

Come prepared with questions. She’s always willing to answer.

She treated me more like a human than other doctors. Answered all my questions. Was upfront about any news. Always ended our appts by asking if I had questions.

IUI 1&2 - Letrozole 2.5 with hcg trigger IVF cycle- low stim for pcos witb follistim, Menopur, ganirelix. Trigger was a Lipton trigger to prevent hyperstimulation. FET #1 attempt- estradiol to quiet ovaries and thicken lining. Didn’t respond to the estradiol so canceled. FET success- Letrozole cd3-7 - 5mg, cd8-14 Menopur, ovidrel trigger cd 15. Transfer cd 21. Lining ended up at 8.4.

I spoke to several nurses throughout my care but Nadia responded to most questions. She got me in for an emergency visit at one point and answered a lot of my questions. The weekend nurses filled in occasionally answered basic questions but Nadia was able to be more helpful to independent cases. Veronica the medical assistant was my life saver through this process. She laughed with me and cried with me. It makes such a difference when the staff is personable in a place like this. I would go back to this clinic just to visit Veronica. She is amazing!

Strengths- incredibly smart doctors. Short wait times. Quick responses via MyChart. Weaknesses- only negative experience was with Dr Agajonova. She made me feel like I never was going to be able to conceive more than once. At which point I switched doctors. I would have liked to know more about the behind the doors process with our embryos. What the embryologist did, what’s protocol was use to freeze and thaw?

We had 25k with insurance and went over the max between two IUI’s and IVF

Dr Lathi advised us to transfer one and gave the reasoning behind it. She told us our risks and let us make the final decision. After a lot of research, tons of time passing and listening to our gut we transferred two embryos.

Dr. Lathi's style was perfectly suited for me. After multiple pregnancy losses, I had seen a slew of doctors and run various panels. Everything looked "ok". Dr. Lathi was the only doctor who had me evaluated for endometritis, which I tested positive for. Although we'll never know if that was the real underlying reason for my infertility, it was the only anomaly that was discovered and she was the only doctor to identify it. Dr. Lathi is an academic and obviously abreast of the latest research studies/papers. That's exactly what I wanted - I didn't need my RE to be my life coach or spend a lot of time talking about my feelings. What I needed was someone smart, thoughtful and could ultimately get me pregnant! That's not to say she wasn't empathetic. I felt like she really cared about me but was also action-oriented. She was extremely efficient. Always on time for appointments, procedures with Dr. Lathi were quick and less uncomfortable than when other doctors did them, and she was direct in answering all my questions. I can see how some people may feel rushed, but my sense is that it's just her communication style. Also, both my husband and I loved how she was very forward looking. After each pregnancy loss, she was empathetic but also very positive about our next cycle. It was very much "ok, what's next", which was the push we needed. She also always had a plan - I felt like Dr. Lathi had the experience to adjust my protocol as needed, and based off of how my body was responding to the medication. Can't say enough how much I loved her and that I would highly recommend her to anyone suffering from Recurrent Loss.

Know that she is direct and to the point. Don't misinterpret that as cold.

Dr. Lathi spent a lot of time with me to walk through my history, diagnosis and IVF plan. I had recurrent miscarriages (5 pregnancy losses) and felt like she really took the time to read through my file, check prior test results through other doctors and then thoughtfully recommend other tests. She was always on top of my case file, even when I would sometimes forget certain events - after 3 years, even your personal medical history can get a little confusing. Her communication style is succinct, so I can understand why some may find her aloof, but I never felt rushed and she answered all my questions. With my 5th pregnancy, I had "graduated" from Dr. Lathi to my regular OB and then suffered another pregnancy loss at 16 weeks. I called Dr. Lathi and she took the time to call me during her lunch hour that same day.

Front desk and call service was a hit or miss. Sometimes they were great (super efficient, prompt at calling back after I notified them of a certain event in my cycle). Other times, you would wait at the receptionist's desk for 30+ minutes. I also had a couple times where I would call to notify the beginning of a cycle or of a positive OPK test. I knew that a visit to the clinic was needed within X number of days, and I wouldn't get a call back. It added a lot of stress, where I would call multiple times in the next few days and still get the answering service. Everything worked out in the end but I do think it added a lot of unnecessary stress to an already stressful time. Separately, the main phlebotomist at the clinic is AMAZING. Super calming, sweet and every blood draw was painless & smooth (I have tiny/difficult veins). Loved her.

Dr. Lathi strongly recommended single embryo transfers. When I asked her the reasoning why, she said there were less complications and risks associated with it. I completely agreed and still am very thankful that we only did single transfers.

I do believe that she is a good doctor and cares about her patients she just isn't good at expressing it. It took the loss of the child that we conceived through IUI for her to show emotion. She is efficient when it comes performing procedures, I do trust her and she shows confidence. However, she doesn't explain the process or show what is happening on the screen often. She doesn't present the statistics or lab results in their entirety. When she does explain something it is quick and short. She gets in and gets out.

Research the infertility process prior to the visit, come with questions and don't let her leave till they are all answered so that you understand.

It took several visits for Dr. Lathi to warm up and have some bedside manner. For most every visit she was quick to get in and out. She didn't volunteer information about he process or ask if we had questions. When I did have questions she would answer them but I felt rushed and like it was a bother. She was often running late, I one E airhead 45 min in an exam room. If it weren't for my husband being with me to ask what was going on, I probably would have been forgotten, I don't recall being asked "how are you doing?" I think it's important for Dr.'s to check in with their patients.

For my first 3 IUI's we did them all natural, no hormones and no trigger shots. This was a decision by Lathi, myself and my cardiologist. I have congenital heart disease and we wanted to minimize the chance of twins. We also were diagnosed with unexplained fertility so didn't feel like there was a problem with my eggs or ovulation. After this produced no results we opted to try clomid and and ovidrel. This was my idea and I wanted to take the chance. This worked and we conceived twins.(She didn't perform this IUI) LOL! It worked, but I lost one twin at 8.5 weeks and the other at 20 weeks. I was in the care of my OBGYN when I lost at 20 weeks.

For the most part the nursing staff is great. However it seems to be a different nurse every visit. It would be nice if the nurse was the same nurse at least with the same doctor to begin to develop a relationship.

He front reception staff is kind. Imani is the lead front desk manager and is amazing and a ray of sunshine! There is no financial consultation prior to treatment, they only give you a piece of paper breaking down cost without insurance. They have incorrectly billed for treatment several times and generally aren't very helpful, to their defense I think they only have 2 people in the billing department. Originally when we first started at the clinic it could take a 30 min wait on the phone to get through to a customer service rep to change an apt, ask a question, prescription issue etc. once you get the hang of how he call system works it goes a little faster. I did place a complaint and since then I have seen an improvement in wait time and question turn around time. There needs to be better communication between patient, nurse and Doctor. For example our last IUI my doctor (Dr. Shah) called to tell me my pregnancy results were negative. Later that evening a nurse called to tell me my results again. The next morning another nurse called to tall me my results were negative, 3 times of hearing negative is heartbreaking! For a new patient, don't expect to see the same Doctor every time. Don't expect to get a quick response for your questions, you will need to stay on top of people and advocate for yourself. Also don't hesitate to express your concerns they do listen and I have noticed improvements.

We have insurance that covers up to 50% of 6 IUI's. They didn't code my husbands lab visits correctly and we were billed 100%. I have yet to see a bill for our first 4 IUI's

Dr. Lathi is a good, friendly, competent doctor who would answer all my questions with one exception. No one at Stanford wanted to tell me my changes of successfully undergoing the process (I believe it is because my chances were good and they did not want to get my hopes up). In the clinic I saw a total of four other doctors when she was busy, so if continuity with the same doctor is very important to you, Stanford might not be the clinic for you. Wait times to see her would vary from 5 minutes to 45 minutes, which could be frustrating.

As I mentioned before there may be a wait to see the doctor, and depending on everyone's schedule you may not see her for important visits (she did neither my egg extraction or implantation), so again if seeing the same doctor and having a strong rapport is important to you, perhaps there is a clinic that does it better.

I do believe they cared about my outcome, and Dr. Lathi (and all the doctors I saw) were very happy when my progress went well. Again, I do not know what happens when things go wrong, which is when I think patient treatment is key. I was at times frustrated with the clinic as a whole because I at times felt my time was not all that important to them, but I did not feel that way when I spoke to any of the doctors.

The nurses were all very competent and very kind to me. Again I wanted to be informed and did not really want or care about being slowly lead through everything, so my desires may be very different than others. I got to know the receptionists and some of the nurses well and we would chat before I got to see the doctor, but in general they did their job (and did it well) but did not do anything extra (which is what I wanted).

Dr. Lathi was efficient. The entire practice was not very personable.

arm yourself with knowledge and coming with a list of questions. and also be ready to hear it bluntly... drs cant tell you they are going to get you pregnant.. they would not be doing their job if they did this. they can tell you what research says, and give % of success.

These clinics forget that we, the patients, do not understand every blood test number, every procedure, etc. They assume you understand exactly what is is happening, when you do not. They do not look at the individual... they move you through the clinic as quickly as possible.

they could not keep up with what medicines i was taking. very frustrating.

The office was scattered... always asking me what supplements/current meds I was on. It was very frustrating. After my 2nd IUI, I called to say I would be taking a break from treatments and never heard back from the practice. Seemed like I was a number and not important. I am sure they are very busy, but it made it seem like my fertility plan was not customized to me.

Dr. Lathi has been understanding and also follows up quickly with my questions in MyChart after my initial consultation. She adjusted my medications after my AMH results came back, and recommended supplements to get my body ready for the retrieval.

Ask as many questions as you have and feel comfortable following up after the appointments.

She listened to my questions and supported my decision to freeze my eggs.

I am still in the process and will start the cycle in June.

They were organized, kind, professional, understanding, and helpful.

The clinic was clean, organized, professional, and timely. I felt like I was in good hands from the moment I walked in. I also really appreciated the kindness the lab technician showed me and how she supported me and made me feel at ease during the bloodwork.

My next payment is $8000 plus bloodwork and medications.

She is friendly, but a little impersonal. I never felt like we got to know her well nor did she get to know us. I bet if you said my name to her, she wouldn't remember me. I do think she knows her stuff medically speaking. She suggested, given our situation, to skip IUI and go straight to IVF. It took just two transfers and we now have an adorable 7-month-old.

She is efficient and capable. If you don't need someone to hold your hand and make you feel better, then she is a good doctor to consider.

Stanford in general felt a little like a puppy mill. They had a process that I was pushed through. For the most part it worked, but I did not feel there was much warmth.

they put together a written plan of what hormones to take when which was really helpful. they were also available on call for emergency phone calls when I had some light bleeding post transfer.