CARE Fertility California

My overall experience w/ Dr. Thomas is that she unprofessional. I have a long review, but the biggest takeaway is that she knowingly performed a surgery on me while she was mentally impaired. I was originally going to obtain care with another clinic but found out last minute that Care Fertility was having a promotion for 2 cycles of egg freezing for $12,000, so I decided to go with Dr. Thomas here since I was paying for this out of pocket and this price was significantly lower than what the other clinics quoted me. I had obtained 2 consults with other REs in the LA area within a month prior to seeing Dr. Thomas, so this was going to be my 3rd consult. Both of the 2 other REs informed me during my consultation of the following structural abnormalities on my pelvic ultrasound: 1. The presence of a left endometrioma, whose size needed to be monitored during injections because it will grow w/ the hormones, and also it will need to avoid being punctured during egg retrieval bc it would bleed into the abdominal cavity and potentially cause an infection 2. The presence of a benign uterine fibroid (leiomyoma) in a specific location in my uterus that would make implantation of an embryo difficult - its size would need to be monitored and it would need to be surgically removed in the future before I try to get pregnant. My initial consultation with Dr. Thomas was very rushed, and I wrongly made the assumption that she noticed the same things the 2 other RE's did on the ultrasound bc they both had noticed the endometrioma + fibroid immediately and commented on them. In general, all my appts with Dr. Thomas felt very rushed and I felt like she would get annoyed when I would try to ask her questions to try to understand something. Throughout the stims, Dr. Thomas mentioned to me at every pelvic ultrasound appt that she was expecting to retrieve around 10 eggs. Fast forward to my egg retrieval/surgery day: I was in the pre-op room lying in the hospital bed waiting to be taken to the OR. The RN was already tending to me. Dr. Thomas comes in around 7AM and says to the RN "OMG I'm sooo tired I didn't get any sleep last night" and then proceeds to complain to the RN about her personal problems with her boyfriend for 20 minutes....while I am lying there waiting for her to take me to the OR! By the way, she knew I was there, because the RN had said a few minutes into the conversation "BTW Jacqueline is already here". Dr. Thomas didn't even acknowledge me. I was REALLY upset to hear the comment about her being tired right before performing a surgery on me and wanted to say something, but I felt stuck because I had already done the trigger injection and the surgery had to be done at that specific time. My biggest regret is not speaking up for myself at this time. When I woke up from the surgery, Dr. Thomas informed me that she was shocked that she punctured an endometrioma on my left ovary bc it bled and that she will be prescribing me antibiotics to prevent an infection. She apparently didn't know it was there. She was only able to retrieve 3 eggs from my left ovary, and 0 from the right, because the ones on the right "were not ready yet". It was at this moment in time where I realized she wasn't aware of the endometrioma to begin with, like the 2 other RE's had noticed :( I had a follow up visit where I wanted to ask what happened - why did we only get 3 eggs when ~10 were expected. I asked her if she triggered me too early bc she mistook the endometrioma for a follicle, and she was defensive and said no. I also told her how I felt it was unprofessional for her to state in front of me before a surgery that she was tired/didn't get enough sleep and complain about her boyfriend and how that conversation made me uncomfortable. Her response was literally "OK". I pointed out that 2 other REs had noticed the endometrioma and uterine fibroid and I asked her if she had noticed these things, would the outcome have been different? She literally responded, "Jennifer, I don't understand what a growth in your uterus has to do with your egg freezing" (my name is Jacqueline btw). Umm, bc I am freezing my eggs to get pregnant some day, so if I have a growth in my uterus that will prevent pregnancy, you need to be aware of it when I come back in the future to use these eggs?? I am in shock an RE made such a statement. Additionally, during ~9 days of stims, I had 4 pelvic ultrasound appts and my blood was drawn only 1 of these times. Most clinics in LA draw blood at every ultrasound appt, but this clinic only checked it once. Just FYI, Dr. Thomas told me that she didn't need to check it every time, but it makes me wonder why other clinics check it every time and she didn't. I wonder if that would have altered the poor outcome.

I wouldn't recommend

I have no negative feedback for Dr. Thomas. From our very first consultation, she was kind and positive, while also setting realistic expectations and what problems and roadblocks we may or may not face. Everything went according to plan and I think she did a great job in adjusting medication based on how my body reacted. We love her and if we ever need a little extra help, we're going back to her.

I would tell them to trust her and the process, while also having realistic expectations. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

For IUI we had half a dose of letrozole so that we're only producing one egg. our IUI failed. For IVF: Egg retrival: we took 300 units of gonal and then 150 iu of monpur, and then gonal decreased to 150 on the 5th day. we did around 10 days of medication before getting novarel and lupron trigger shot 2 days or so before retreival Transfer: We did 4 mg of estrace for first 6 days, then increased to 6mg every day for the rest of the cycle. we started progesteron in oil + progesterone suppositories on the 10th day onwards, and we did the transfer on the 16th day after starting medication. We kept taking estrace, progesterone in oil + progesterone suppositories until the the 12th week or so of pregnancy

The cost was out of pocket for me. While they were closed during the pandemic they were a little harder to reach and coordinate with as we were preparing, which is understandable. I had a scheduled call with their finances, but I ended up getting a call from their CEO who walked me through financial options as well as what was covered. All procedures, testing, ultrasound and consultation was part of a packaged price, and medication and genetic testing was extra. Tests that were done with my hospital prior to starting care with CARE fertility were taken out of the package price.

We did single embryo transfer because of my uterus' limitations. She had warned me that it was risky for me to carry multiples.

Dr. Quintero has a great attitude. He genuinely wants the best for his patients. He is compassionate and warm. I felt taken care of the minute I met with him. I had a few consultations before I met Dr. Quintero, where I felt like it was all about money. One Dr. told he that IVF was my only option and he would not do any other treatment, when I told the Dr. I was not ready since I did not have a low AMH and I’ve never tried any treatments, he still said no. It wasn’t until the front office called for a follow up and I said no due to financial reasons that the Dr. changed his mind and said we could do IUI and even went down to timed intercourse. That’s when I knew I was just a number and looked elsewhere. Dr. Quintero was not like that at all. He went over all treatments and helped up choose the treatment for us. Money was not even an issue, it was not forced.

Listen to what he says and take his advice. Be patient, infertility is so hard, he is doing all that he can to help.

I had a Hysteroscopy to check my uterus. I started letrozole and Menopur. Letrozole for about 4 days and 10 days on Menopur injectables. We had scans throughout treatment, then we did a retrieval. I felt really good after retrieval. I was not able to do a fresh transfer due to elevated progesterone. We did ICSI and froze the 1 embryo that was created. We were planing for a transfer, started letrozole and vaginal Estrace. The transfer was canceled due to covid 19. I don’t have any children so I would love to do another retrieval, so I have more of a chance.

All my monitoring appointments we very easy. I never had to wait. I looked forward to seeing the staff and Dr. at my appointments.

We started with Invocell and I think the package was about $9k we added a few more medications which cost maybe $1200 and then we had to switch to IVF last minute and we paid an additional $1600

I believe that age was a big factor in how many they would transfer. Since I am over 35 I want to say that they would transfer 2 but we only got 1 embryo.

He is kind and gentle and explains things as simply as he can. He is forward and honest without being harsh and insensitive. He always asks me my opinion on things and truly cares how I feel. He sits down and gets eye level with me and addresses me by my name, he has gone out of his way on numerous occasions to make sure I’m comfortable.

My first appointment with him in 2017 he told me “come hell or high water you will have a baby.” I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to endure a lot of hell and high water. If I could give one of his prospective patients advice, it would Be to trust the process and take his advice.

We did a “natural” cycle of IVF. They explained the reasoning to me in great depth but of course as I sit here 2 months after my miscarriage of that IVF cycle I couldn’t tell you why. But I can tell you that if we ever get the chance to transfer again, I will advocate for a medicated cycle.

Roughly 15k including ultra sounds and meds

We were lucky to be able to transfer 2, now I kind of wonder what would have happened if we only transferred 1

Although when we started Dr. Quintero was very friendly and showed concern as each treatment passed and failed it felt like we were just an obstacle taking his time. In the end he had no answers for us. He didn’t suggest pgs until we only had 3 embryos left.

Make sure you do all your own research before entering your appointment. He will only discuss what you ask.

We did one round of IVF. I did injectables. I can’t remember meds. Our transfers were all frozen. First and second transfer were done with injectables. The third transfer Dr. Q wanted to change things and try a “natural cycle” with oral meds which proved to not work to which he then simply started me on injectables again.

The clinic linked us to a loan company and we were able to pull a loan to start treatment. IVF cost were $20,000, $5,000 for meds. Each additional transfer was $1,500, $500 for meds each transfer. With ultrasounds, surgeries and all services not covered by insurance we spent $35,000.

Dr. Thomas was attentive, encouraging, and also very honest with me. She made a good balance of respecting my wishes to try lower intervention methods before higher intervention procedures while also being honest about the odds and potential challenges should I wait until after or closer to age 35

Her nurses/clinical staff are very helpful. Get their contact info/email addresses. Sometimes you’ll see them during visits and phone sessions instead of the doctor

Clomid used because I had conceived once before on that medication. We tried Clomid and injectables (Menopur) for 3 cycles before switching to Letrazole because Clomid made me very emotional/depressed. I was on Letrazole and Menopur for 1 cycle before I conceived

I had to pay for medications and some visits although I have fertility insurance through my employer (Progyny)

She is well informed and knowledgable and does her best to have fertility treatments happen as quickly as possible. I appreciate being able to get in touch with her to ask questions when I very much need to and find her to be someone who is easy to communicate with. Her only weakness is that at times she can speak rapidly without always giving enough time for information to be digested but her kindness and compassion are still present.

Just to follow up with her directly and be persistent if need be as she's busy and seems to want to be responsive.

First IVF without transfer done was about 24K, Second was around 16K and third 11K +6K for medication

She made me feel like nothing was my fault. Everything was great until the transfer. I’m very thankful that her team saw what was really wrong with my donor eggs. She knew I would be disappointed on the out come of treatment. But she was very professional.

She listens to what your concerns are.

I was doing a donor egg cycle. I was take estrogen, baby aspirin, progesterone injections and progesterone cream also. When the six eggs were thawed three didn’t survive. Then the other three fertilized two stopped growing. One was left Dr. Thomas put in my uterus. But the embryo was a poor. I waited 10 days to do a blood test. The cycle failed. Just like every cycle I’ve gone through.

It was different price than I thought.

I feel like when he noticed the Clomid wasn't having the rite affect we should have changed it up. Instead we stayed on the original course. I ended up with a cyst. I'm pretty sure I didn't ovulate at all that month due to Clomid. He noticed the follicles weren't "blowing up" like he expected so kept prolonging the process

Don't jump straight to Clomid if you don't have fertility issues that are hindering ovulation

We started with Clomid rite away. Each visit I wasn't progressing like he hoped. Just pushed back my hcg trigger shot till my 2 follicles got big enough.

I spent around $3000 for everything

Honest, affordable, compassionate, accessible, resourceful; Dr. Q. made me feel welcomed, informed,,and had optimism when I lost it. I had two failed IUIs on Clomid. At the beginning of my third round, my ovums were misshapen and there were dramatically fewer. He did blood work and diagnosed poor ovarian reserve. I had already paid for the next spermicide sample. I was ready to give it away and give up on having a child on my own. He suggested one more round as every month was not necessarily the same. He gave me a very high dose of Follestim. I produced one egg...and got pregnant.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Clomid x 2 rounds Follestim one round

Flare fee Er cycle including ultrasounds, IUI, and care up to 6 weeks when pregnant including ultrasound w/file.

I had a very positive experience working with Dr Thomas. She’s very sincere and caring. She does everything possible to help you achieve your goal of expanding your family. She has a gentle yet forthright and transparent delivery. She’s great with managing expectations and preparing you for what to expect

Manage your own expectations and know that fertility treatment is not a foolproof method no matter the doctor you work with. With that being said, Dr Thomas will do everything in her power to help you have a child.

We did 2 rounds of IUI’s, 2 egg retrievals and 3 IVF embryo transfers. Our 3rd transfer was successful

$20,000 IVF

We discussed and decided the best course of action for my situation was single embryo transfer due to my total number of viable embryos and my history of reoccurring pregnancy loss

People often use the phrase "dream come true". I had a goal without a reasonable path until I met Dr. Semara Thomas, I love this physicality and their process because the decision was all mine and they facilitated that as a possibility. They never gave up on me, and made me feel supported till the day my goal was met. If it was up to me I would rename them "A dream come true" I love my baby already and I haven't even met him. Thank you Dr. THOMAS you are TRULY my dream come true.

Be patient and trust the Dr. Follow her instructions and pray

She did ivf.

The financial department worked with me to make it affordable and make my dream come true

Multiple embryo transfer , 1 took and I am 5 months pregnant now

Genetically normal embryos outcome was better than Dr Thomas and I predicted. Egg retrieval recovery was 9/10 compared to previous egg retrieval with another doctor. During egg retrieval, she suspected an underlying medical issue which was true and now my overall health has improved. Our first FET was unsuccessful but we are taking a break in hope to do a second FET in Spring 2025. I just had a 30 minute phone consult with her prepping for the next FET.

If you are looking for a female thorough Reproductive Endocrinologist… she would be my best pick. She is my 4th Reproductive Endocrinologist. Her knowledge, expectations and bedside manner have been the best thus far.

Individualized protocol for PCOS

Out -of-pocket Costs Egg retrieval $600 Storage fee $800 Genetically testing $5,000

Standard approach with some individualized treatment

Dr. Thomas was everything my husband and I needed and more! I had experienced a miscarriage at 7 weeks (Feb. 2019) and a loss at 20 weeks (Feb. 2020). We had done all types of testing prior to meeting with Dr. Thomas to determine if I or my husband had fertility issues, but everything came back normal. We were told to keep trying, but after 10 months of ttc after the loss of our daughter, we felt that IVF may be our best option. We were uncertain if a doctor would see us because we technically hadn't been diagnosed as infertile, but Dr. Thomas listened to our story, understood our fears, and explained that she would do everything she could to ensure that we achieved our goal of having a family. She conducted fertility testing on both my husband and I and found out that I had a low number of eggs for my age and possibly poor egg quality. We started the first cycle for egg retrieval in Feb. 2021. However, I grew a cyst in my ovary from the medication and needed to cancel that cycle. I was devastated, but Dr. Thomas was compassionate and ensured that the journey wasn't over and that we needed to change the protocol. We started our second cycle in March, 2021, and Dr. Thomas changed the protocol to a more gradual approach. Throughout the monitoring period my eggs were growing, but not quickly enough. Because of that, Dr. Thomas made additional changes and added medications to ensure that we were able to retrieve quality eggs at the end of this cycle. Fortunately, we were able to do a retrieval and get 6 eggs, 3 matured, and from there 2 embryos were formed. Initially, my husband and I were a little disappointed with only retrieving 6 eggs because we've heard retrieving was about getting as many eggs as possible. However, Dr. Thomas was elated and reminded us that it's also about quality and that we produced 2 beautiful embryos. In May, 2021, we decided to transfer 1 embryo and it was such a special experience. Dr. Thomas and her staff made it such a calm and enjoyable moment for my husband and I. We watched as Dr. Thomas transferred our embroyo and she held my hand when I stated to cry from joy. Those days following the transfer were stressful, but Dr. Thomas and her staff were attentive and answered all of our questions. It felt that they were just as invested in ensuring a positive pregnancy test as we were. Fortunately, we had a positive test and my hcg numbers continued to double throughout the week! At 7 weeks we went in for our last appointment with Dr. Thomas and it was probably one of the saddest visits because my husband and I didn't want to leave Dr. Thomas. She treated us like family and the thought of continuing this journey without her and her staff was hard. But again, Dr. Thomas ensured us that this is a good thing! That we were pregnant and that her job was done. It was time for us to move on and watch this embryo grow. We are currently at 14 weeks and Dr. Thomas is still checking in on us.:) She is an amazing doctor and there are no words to express how much we appreciate her.

As fearful and stressful as this process is, trust Dr. Thomas because she will do everything she can to get you pregnant and having that dream family.

I went through 2 cycles before being able to retrieve. The first cycle was a more aggressive approach because we wanted to ensure that I produced quality eggs. The protocol was, Gonal F (225 units), Menopur (150 units), Dexamethasone (1 pill), Omnitrope-growth hormone (0.25 mL), Provera (10 units), HCG (10 units). Sadly, at 5 days in to the cycle I developed a cyst in my left ovary and we canceled the cycle. My second cycle we initially planned to be a fresh transfer, but changed into a frozen transfer. We started with Gonal F (225 units), Menopur (150 units) and HCG (10 units). Dr. Thomas later added Omnitrope-growth hormone (0.25 mL) because my eggs were not growing quickly enough. Once we added the Omnitrope my eggs grew and we were able to do a retrieval. I must note, that my left ovary was quiet/did not produce any eggs this cycle. We retrieved 6 eggs just from my right ovary, 3 were fertilized and 2 embryos formed. We chose not to do any pre-screening or testing on the embryos and transferred 1 embroyo in May, 2021. We're currently 14 weeks pregnant.

Dr. Thomas and Care fertility were in our insurance plan. However, we did have certain co-pays for tests, visits, ultra-sounds and medications not covered by our insurance. When we started, our insurance estimated out-of-pocket expenses to be $5000. We ended up needing to $4000 out-of-pocket, which we're currently on. payment plan for.

Dr. Thomas did not have a strong preference and left that up to us. We discussed with her my age, prior pregnancy history and the risk factors for transferring multiple, but in the end my husband and I decided on 1 embroyo.

My time with Dr. Thompson was very neutral. Nothing good or bad to report. I will say she talks extremely fast and so its hard to process everything and think of questions at the same time She is very knowledgable on topics related to fertility and will adjust her suggestions based on medical history

I know you probably say the same thing 10 times a day but if you could slow down that would be great!

$15 copay $300 ultrasound (my insurance covers 100% of this, they did not bother checking ahead of time and they did not bother to submit a request after the visit)

My wife and I have been trying to conceive for 6 years. After another OBGYN misdiagnosed my wife we saw another doctor who dx her with endometriosis. After this we saw Dr Quintero and he gave us Letrazole to try for 5 months and if that doesn’t result in pregnancy we will try IVF. We are currently on the 3rd cycle but now complicated by an endometrioma that will need to be surgically removed before we continue. We will use dr Quintero and his staff once the surgery is done.

Ask for as many details as possible he does t mind giving them out

Letrozol for 5 months, no results

The consultation was free and we received a prescription the very first day and didn’t have to pay a dime

None

With dr Quintero being fertility dr #4 I was beginning to lose hope but when I met dr Quintero I was amazed by his knowledge, honesty compassion and just all around care he takes his time! I never feel rushed I truly believe he cares about his patience and myself I'm honored to have dr Quintero treat me I trust him 100% my trust and hopes were broken by other doctors and dr Quintero erased all of that worry and mistrust he goes above and beyond and I am vey thankful I found him!

Be your self if you have questions ask him. If u don't understand ask again he won't let you leave until you fully understand. Don't feel rushed dr Quintero takes his time

Birth control Lupron 5mg Menopur 75 Gonal 450 Growth hormone

Around $7,000 plus medications