How was your experience with Victor Fujimoto at UCSF?
We met on my first visit with my wife present so we could start talking about what it would take for us to start a family. I come from a medical background, but a totally different field, so I knew some things, but still needed a good amount of background information and anticipatory guidance. He sat down with both of us, which I appreciated, and laid out what we could expect. He explained the blood work we'd need and the potential ancillary testing. I did feel a bit pressured to get an HSG and the genetic testing, even though neither was something I really wanted. I think it was around that point that I felt like he perhaps saw me more as a woman with infertility than a young lesbian with her wife trying to start a family. At the time, I had no such diagnosis, and had never had any sort of blood work to suggest infertility, so I was a bit taken aback when the ICD9 code associated with the visit was for Anovulatory Infertility. Later down the road, that changed, but it wasn't something that was known at the time of our initial encounter. Dr. Fujimoto was knowledgeable about the process though, and even went the extra mile to print off a recent study from a journal to show me more concrete examples of conception data in my demographic group. I remember him saying "My concern isn't getting your pregnant, it's not getting you TOO pregnant". Subsequently, I felt like my access to him was slightly guarded through his gatekeeper/assistant, who would forward my emails to her on to him.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Victor Fujimoto at UCSF?
Come in with a list of questions in advance--when directly approached, he is direct in response.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Victor Fujimoto at UCSF?
I think that he appropriately met me where I was--I come from a medical background and wanted to discuss data and details, which is what we did. I may have projected more confidence than I had because I was nervous, but there wasn't much in the way of assessing me/my wife's psychological state of being, other than mentioning there was a therapist on staff.
Describe the protocols Victor Fujimoto used in your cycles at UCSF and their degree of success.
I had an elevated Anti-Muellerian Hormone and a history of irregularity, so we went with Clomid for our IUI. I took 5 days of 50mg Clomid each night (CD2-CD6). Then on CD10 I had a transvaginal ultrasound, but my dominant follicles were still too small. So we are planning for a repeat on CD13 with a tentative plan of doing a trigger HCG injection (Ovidrel) prior to IUI.
Describe your experience with your nurse at UCSF. (Assigned nurse: Danielle)
Danielle was actually super helpful during the process. She was our primary contact point as we figured a lot of things out for ourselves. We had some back and forth on whether or not to use a known donor or a sperm bank, and she explored both of those options with us. She was very responsive via email and gave quick responses. Every time there was a new hoop in my care to jump through, she helped to delineate it and help us through it.
Describe your experience with UCSF.
The clinic is pretty great--in a fairly new building that has other things in it like a restaurant. I don't know why, but somehow it made me feel better that I didn't have to walk into some sort of clinic labeled from the outside INFERTILITY in giant red letters. It felt nice to go somewhere that felt more private, but still spacious and nice. The lobby is nice. I also appreciate that there are dedicated financial coordinators who email you. They are a little bit hard to get an immediate response to, but at least I didn't feel like there were surprises in this (very expensive) process. The rooms were always very clean, and there was a quick turnaround from check-in until the time that I was seen. The Nurse Practitioner led class on IUI and injectables was very helpful as well.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Victor Fujimoto at UCSF.
The bloodwork bill that my insurance generated for the preliminary tests (CBC, HIV, RPR, Rubella, GTT, Prolactin, FSH, Estrogen, Testosterone, Free Testosterone, Estrone, Blood type, Insulin, Glucose, LFTs, Hgb A1C, CRP, Cholesterol pannel, VZV, Androstenedione, SHBG, AMH, Estradiol, TSH) was about $6,100 plus about $300 of doctor/lab worker fees. The IUI Package was $1566 plus an additional $288 thaw fee. Each sperm vial from the sperm bank was $795. The Clomid and Ovidrel were both partially covered by my insurance, so I paid something to the tune of $40 total.