Life IVF Center

During one of our retrieval rounds, we were told that we need to pay an additional $1,000 if we want the doctor to release the next day's medication protocol based on my blood test results. We were shocked. So they were holding hostage my medication protocol, which the doctor would recommend based on my blood test results unless we paid them $1,000. If we didn't pay the $1,000, we would not get what the doctor deemed necessary for a successful retrieval cycle. So my husband and I sat in our bedroom thinking if we don't give this $1,000 now, we may not get the optimal medication protocol, and that could ruin our chances of getting to our goal of pregnancy/baby. But if we pay this surprise additional $1,000 now, the doctor would release the updated medication protocol and we may have a better chance (maybe). We could not figure out what to do. How could a doctor put his patient through this? What kind of clinic are we working with? We were trapped. If we don't pay the $1,000 we may regret it for the rest of our lives. If we pay $1,000 and it fails, we would never know if it was related to this updated medication protocol or not. This doctor put us through hell with this extraordinary situation. I feel like the standard of care at Life IVF is the lowest possible that can be legally provided in the US. I feel that they are unethical for putting us through this $1,000 debacle. They discourage women from having anesthesia and pressure them to get all retrievals done without any anesthesia or pain meds. I have more examples: 1) For one of my retrieval cycles, the embryology lab decided to not test my two 4BB day-5 embryos and just froze them without asking us. Of course, we transferred those and they didn't work, and that cost us a lot of money when a PGT-A test could've saved us heartbreak, time, and money. 2) During one of the FETs, Dr. Yelian was late and my poor little 5BB hatching embryo sat out in the cold operating room temperature for over 45 minutes as I laid there prepped and ready for the transfer. I think he caused my embryo to terminate by being late. The embryology lab should not have allowed this to happen, why bring out the embryo if the doctor isn't ready for it. One of the biggest factors in an IVF cycle is the Embryology lab and the Life IVF Embryology lab did not meet my expectations. I rate this doctor and the lab below zero.

Do not go to this doctor. Please go to literally anyone else. Run away from this doctor. Every dollar you spend is a dollar you've burned. I feel that this doctor is worthless, unethical, and did not provide proper care to me as his patient.

They called the protocols "minimal" or "optimal". it was a combination of Estrace, Clomid, Gonal-F, and Menopur. I've had 5 retrievals with this doctor and each was mostly identical to the other. I have kept all the medication protocol records in a google sheet.

We spent over $50,000 on procedures at this clinic, not including medication and driving back and forth.

Dr. Yelian took the time to listen to our story without interrupting and truly listened. It felt very validating to be able to explain our journey. He said that with every appointment, we could see him if we wanted to, but that we might just have to wait longer. He explained his suggestions clearly and was able to provide solid statistics, which my husband who is in the science and medical field really appreciated. He was very nice and warm. We really liked meeting with him the couple of times we did.

I would tell a person who is going to see Dr. Yelian to releax and that Dr. Yelian has a lot of experience in Mild Stimulation IVF so he's trustworthy. I'd suggest to write down all your questions incase you get nervous in the moment and can't remember them.

The nurse met with us to go over our treatment strategy. They were very detailed and precise of dosages to take and when to come in for monitoring. On Day 3 of my cycle, I started by taking Chlomid and 50 mg 1 x per day and Gonal F 75 units 1 x per day for 6 days. On day 7, I returned to the clinic for a blood and transvaginal ultrasound. My medication was then tweaked to: continue Clomid 50 mg, Gonal F 75 units, and added Provera 1 x per day for 4 days. I took this combo for 3 more days before returning to the clinic. I continued to take the Clomid and Gonal and Provera adn thbut added a few more injections 2 days before my egg retrieval. The added medicatioins were: Ganirelix Acetate 125 mg (they gave this to me in the clinic), Menopur 150 units injected, Pregnyl/Novarel JCG 2000 units and Lupron/Acetate, 30 units. All of the injetions listed above had a very specific time I had to give them. Egg retrieval was scheduled for 2 days later and I was provided instructions on what to eat/drink the morning of. I was given 1 valium and 1 Norco to take the morning of the egg retrieval. I was given the option to be sedated if I wanted to, but they said many people can handle the pain, so I opted to do it with just the pain pills.

Typically a mini IVF is between $14-16 K. We were lucky to be granted a promotional package for $10,000 to do all the services in their new location in Arcadia. However, due to Covid, we wound up doing most appoiintments in their Irvine location.

If I remember correctly, he said typically they put in a single embryo for the first one and I believe would re-evaluate if that doesn't work.

Dr. Yelian is very kind and will answer your questions IF you get the chance to see him. Mostly you will have contact with nurses. He is very optimistic and gives everyone a chance at success, though I was under the impression that this would be much easier than it has been. I'm not sure if I'm just that unfortunate or if they present an inflated success rate.

Ask questions. Don't let them treat you like a number. If you just go along with things, they will continue to take your money even if there is little chance for success. For one cycle, the follicles weren't growing very much so they more than doubled the drugs I was on. The next time I went in they hadn't grown at all, even with all the extra injectables. I went in a few days later and all the follicles had atrophied except one, which hadn't grown for days. By day 18 it was clear this cycle wasn't going anywhere, but they wanted to trigger me and try to get the (1) 13mm follicle that hadn't grown in a week. At no point did anyone talk with us about the unlikelihood of getting a healthy egg from this. They just pressed on. We had wanted to cancel a week before this, but were encouraged to keep going by the nurse, since that is what the doctor's treatment plan had in it. My husband and I ended up cancelling the cycle on day 18, but we had wasted thousands of extra dollars on meds at that point (plus they charged us $250 for the extra office visit because we went over 5x). If we hadn't cancelled the cycle, we would have been out all of the money when the egg retrieved was (presumably) unusable. At least by cancelling it we were able to use the package again, though we had to pay the $850 monitoring fee and purchase meds for another cycle. So little counsel through the process.

Mini IVF. 50mg Clomid (or less if your FSH is over 15). Injectables starting on day 2, 3, or 4, usually of Gonal-F. If that isn't working they either switch over to Menapur or add it in. Once follicles get to the appropriate size they will trigger you with Lupron and (usually) HCG. The retrieval is 35 hours later. The reason we went with a clinic that did Mini IVF was because we had read that embryo quality could possibly be better with less meds. Also, because I have diminished ovarian reserve I probably wouldn't be able to get a lot of eggs even with more medication. Since going through all of this, I have come across some clinics that disagree with the Mini IVF protocol. In their opinion the quality isn't better and you waste a lot of time getting just a few eggs per cycle. I've heard it takes twice as many cycles to conceive.

Dr Yelian approached IVF totally differently and I appreciate that. He changes his protical for each patient and adjusts meds along the way if necessary. He's not much of a talker so be prepared to ask questions if you have them because after your first meeting with him you you have to pay to see him which feels pretty wrong to me. I had to pay to have a phone call with him after my miscarriage at 12 weeks to discuss his thoughts on it. I feel like that phone call should have just happened.

Be clear about your desired outcome and method. Also, go prepared with all of your questions. Don't expect to see him really ever....but if that is important to you, spend the money to get the face to face time.

This is a mini and natural IVF clinic so meds are used at a minimum. I did mini IVF which for me meant clomid starting CD3 and then only 4 days of low dose stims (menopur and gonal-f). I had 15 follicles but had an early LH surge so I lost the dominant follicle and only had 2 mature eggs out of the 10 that they retrieved. Second transfer took less meds (less menopur) and resulted in 9 mature eggs of which I got 5 5-day blasts. Pretty good numbers for mini IVF at 40.

Very busy but they get everyone in quickly for bloodwork and ultrasounds but then you wait sometimes for over an hour for the results and any changes in protocol. If you're in a hurry, you can leave and have the nurse call you with results.

I believe the cost has gone up but I paid about $10K for one mini IVF including monitoring, meds, retrieval and frozen transfer. PGS testing is $1k per embryo.

He's a strong advocate for single transfers but will do 2 on a case by case basis.

Dr. Yelian is incredibly intelligent and has developed unique protocols to help a variety of patients using the lowest doses of medication as possible. He speaks very quickly but always took the time that I needed. He doesn't always explain unless you ask, but once you ask he will provide detailed information. He was responsive to my needs and desires as a patient and adapted protocol to best work for me.

Don't be afraid to ask questions of Dr. Y, get on his call log frequently for any reason, and know that he will talk very fast.

Dr. Yelian has developed and perfected mini IVF protocols for IVF and prefers to use a natrual/modified natural protocol for FET (use body's own ovulation when possible). It is not helpful to post doses for meds because each protocol is individualized based on labs and ultrasound monitoring; typically he uses a combination of clomid, menopur, and gonal-f/follistim.

Fortunately, my fertility treatments and medications were covered by health insurance. Some services were billed as cash-only, for instance, PGT testing of embryos is $1000 per embryo. $250 per cycle is charged if you are doing remote or offsite monitoring for a cycle. The clinic regularly changes pricing and package options (for instance, 3 retrievals + transfer + monitoring).

No comments; I planned to transfer one PGT-A euploid embryo and that was allowed.

As the lead doctor of the clinic he oversaw all the treatment even if I did not see him at every visit. He made himself available to answer questions or consult before the start of a new treatment and at the end of treatment. Overall, I felt he provided excellent care and treatment and adjusted medications accordingly to what was needed. I really appreciated that his priority was to choose the least invasive treatments as possible for the most optimal results for each patient.

Attend his information seminars! He offers many opportunities for couples to win a free cycle of treatment. He's incredibly generous with his patients and you can tell his heart is in all that he does.

Yelian did not do a generic "one size fits all" treatment, as I recall. I remember that I would often not know the date of my next treatment until the treatment date before. While this was frustrating from a certain standpoint because I had to often give short notice of my time off from work, from a treatment standpoint, it meant that he was basing his treatment protocol off of the levels my body was giving from lab tests. He used what he called minimal/optimal stimulation IVF. Meaning, the least invasive procedures and medication necessary for the most optimal results.

I don't remember but it was similar if not more affordable than another clinic I was looking at.

Generally, my first FET I was recommended to do a single embryo transfer. After a successful live birth, he had no problem putting more than one embryo in. I think he also considers the age and health factors of each patient. So I don't think he gives the same recommendation to each patient.

Dr. Yelian is the kindest, most compassionate physician. I have been told that my only option is egg donor due to POI and he didn't hesitate to take me on as a patient. He understood my need to try with my own eggs and has been extremely hopeful despite two cancelled cycles; with my third cycle I was able to retrieve my own egg which is essentially a miracle in my eyes given my high FSH and multiple previously cancelled cycles.

Please don't let any negative online reviews deter you from this clinic; if you have DOR/POI, please, please, please give this clinic a chance.

Dr. Yelian does minimal stimulation IVF; for my first cycle we did estrogen 2 mg every day followed by adding necon; this was cancelled as I didn't develop any follicles. My second cycle was 2 mg estrogen bid with added necon once daily; I had a cyst during this cycle that was read mistakenly as a follicle during my outside monitoring; I underwent cyst drainage and this cycle was also cancelled. My third cycle was estrace 2 mg bid with necon once daily every other day; I finally developed a follicle around day 35 and he added low dose gonal (50 daily) which resulted in an 18 mm follicle that was retrieved successfully.

The prices are fairly reasonable; I did the precision monitoring package.

At the seminar, Dr. Yelain seemed hopeful for every patient. He explained the difference of traditional and mini IVF. I was sold with his hopeful words and also won the free natural cycle. When attending the first consult, I felt like I was talking to a different person. He didn't really pay attention. He was busy typing away on his computer. He didn't really explain anything and answered my questions very short. I let it pass by, understanding that he is a busy doctor and of course I had won the natural cycle. The cycle that I won is not 100% paid, there were other fees that needed to be paid. It was better than nothing. You only see the doctor during the retrieval and transfer. There are other doctors that will do your retrievals. I have only seen Dr. Yelian 4 times during the whole process. I felt like he doesn't care as much after the seminar. I have discussed an issue about my thyroid and he doesn't believe that it has to be lower than 2.5. He said as long as your are in normal range, I was fine. I asked about using baby aspirin after the embryo transfer and he said there is no need. He doesn't seem to be open to other options. He only has his ways. Only positive thing I would say is that he is quick with his hands doing the retrievals and the transfers.

You will only see the doctor during retrievals and transfers so take advantage during the time to ask questions and concerns.

This a mini IVF which used low dose of medication and not as many as traditional IVF. Always started with clomid. Then incorporated shots menopur and gonal-f. The shots were not everyday. Did four retrievals and resulted 2 normal embryo that are PGT tested.

I went to Arcadia location mostly since it was closet. There weren't that many patients as much as the Irvine. It was easy to make appointments in the morning since I had to go to work afterwards. On the weekends I went to Irvine and there is a wait. Mostly you go in and out. Very fast paced.

It depends on which package you buy. First egg retrieval $5800.00. Medication about $1000-$2000. Embryo transfer $3800.00. Also, they have all inclusive package that I bought for $10,000. It includes, egg retrieval, embryo transfer, medication and PGT testing.

Dr. Yelian, himself, is great. He is quiet, let’s you talk, is confident and then will give you all the details. We have only met with him 3 times, he did call after our first failed round and was very sincere and made us feel confident in our future treatments.

Communicate any concerns and ask as many questions as you can. You have every right to know what is going on with your treatment plan and your body.

Dr. Yelian’s preferred approach is “natural IVF”. Our first egg retrieval we actually did not use any medication at all. For the transfer I took progesterone and estrogen, then a few days after the transfer I ended up having to do daily injections. For the second egg retrieval I did have to use light stimulation which included a daily injection for seven days, and 2 oral medications. His thought process in doing natural IVF is focusing on your own eggs and not overstimulating your body to overproduce eggs. Focusing on quality rather than quantity. Our first round we did a fresh day 2 embryo transfer that unfortunately did not take. We’re in the midst of our second cycle, we have 1 day 6 embryo but due to Covid-19 our transfer has been cancelled.

We got lucky with our insurance which covered the majority of our monitoring appointments. We had to pay for the egg retrieval on the first day of our monitoring appointments and the transfer about a week before. So far for 2 cycles I believe we have paid about $15k.

For us personally, because I have not been pregnant yet, Dr. Yelian preferred to do one embryo transfer and said once I have been pregnant and had birthed then he’d feel more comfortable transferring 2 embryos.

First of all, I would like to point out that their nurses are very professional and responsible. Every time I get a detailed explanation from the nurse, even the treatment plan, because the doctor hardly explains it. I am very satisfied with that. I did three failed Mini IVF in other clinics, none of which passed the PGs blastocyst. So when I went to doctor ye, I made it clear that I wanted to try new treatments, such as long-term ovulation. Dr. Ye agreed. You can give me a try. According to doctor Ye's plan, I can enter the cycle after taking estrogen for 2 weeks. However, before I entered the cycle, doctor ye did completely change his previous plan. He asked me to start my next cycle again after menstruation, because the endometrium is a little thick. I don't understand. I just take the eggs, and I don't do the transfer at that time. It's like going back to my old plan. But I still did it according to the doctor's advice, and the result was the same as the previous failure experience.

No matter what kind of failure experience or good experience you have in other clinics before, Dr. ye will not refer to the previous data when making treatment plans or medication. Because every time I have questions, he doesn't know the failure cases that these drugs will cause to me. So either you start a new life with him, or you don't expect him to make sustainable plans based on your past experience.

Please refer to my explanation of the previous question. He didn't give me any plan. He didn't think the cycle would perform well, so he cancelled the cycle directly.

4500 per mini cycle

none

I had my consultation with Dr. Yelian and then had my egg retrieval performed by him. He was available to answer any questions or concerns that I had. Very responsive, polite and informative. I appreciated that Dr. Yelian believed that we could still keep trying with our own eggs.

I went through two other clinics before coming to Life IVF so knew what to expect with an IVF cycle. I appreciated the direct approach and efficiency of this clinic. If you are looking for more hand-holding from a fertility clinic then this might not be a good first choice. Dr. Yelian was very kind and easy to talk to. The other Doctors in the clinic were also very respectful and encouraging. I've had a positive experience with this clinic and the Doctors.

I went through 3 mini-IVF protocol at Life IVF. Cycle 1: Clomid 50 mg CD2-CD10 Menopur 150 IU CD6, CD8, CD10 HCG 2000 units CD111 Trigger: Lupron 30 units CD 11 Egg Retrieval CD12 Retrieved 2 eggs, both fertilized but did not make it to freeze at day 3 Cycle 2: Clomid 50 mg CD2-CD8 Gonal F 150 IU CD4, CD6 Trigger: Lupron 30 units CD8 Egg Retrieval CD10 Retrieved 1 egg, fertilized and made it to blastocyte and froze Cycle 3: Clomid 50 mg CD3-CD7 Gonal F 150 IU CD4, CD6 Trigger: Lupron 30 units CD7 Egg Retrieval CD9 Retrieved 2 eggs, fertilized but did not make it to freeze at day 5

One of the most propelling reasons that drew me to Life IVF was the cost of the IVF cycles. I was able to undergo 3 mini-IVF cycles for a base cost of ~$13,000. Every cycle incurred an additional $750 cycle management fee (x 3 cycles) The cost of my medication was minimal as I had a lot of medication still left over from previous cycles. For the price of approximately 1 IVF cycle in the bay area, I was able to have 3 mini-IVF cycles done in Irvine. The cost of flights per each cycle averaged about $1000 per cycle (x 3)

I have one frozen blastocyst that I plan on transferring as soon as I feel physically and mentally prepared for the process. I feel fortunate to have even gotten this far after 5 IVF cycles.

He knows his job, i feel in safe hands with him. He is very confident. It’s my first cycle with him, and i trust him on every step we do in this journey. He doesn’t explain you much, not risks nor expectations, but somehow he makes you believe in his success in your case.

Ask questions, insist on getting answers. But also trust him.

I am only to start my stims, so nothing to tell about IVF protocols. We did one natural cycle with trigger shot and timed intercourse. Dr Y insisted on retrieving the one follicle i had saying that can be my only chance to get pregnant. I didn’t agree. And then i felt like they made me trigger and closed this page pf history.

Frank Yelian seemed quite distracted the first time my husband and I met with him. He only gave us about 5 minutes of his time after we waited for 3 hours. He seemed to want to rush us through that first appointment. During the first egg retrieval cycle, I felt quite anxious as a patient and had some questions about the protocol because it seemed very similar to my IUI protocol which wasn't successful for me at another clinic. I brought this up to the coordinator, she seemed to be offended by the questions and told Dr. Yelian this. Dr. Yelian asked to speak with me, did not address my concerns about the protocol but instead asked if I had depression and told me that I needed to be nicer to his staff or I could find another place to go. This ofcourse made me quite upset but we had already paid and so felt stuck. The course of treatment that Dr. Yelian prescribed was a mistake according to him which only resulted in 3 eggs being retrieved. We only bought a 2 cycle package so this was devastating to us because he did 2 retrievals within 1 cycle because of a luteal phase he wanted to try. That being said, he met with my husband and I after we were very upset with the outcome and not being listened to by him in the first place. He did rectify his mistake and gave us a free retrieval cycle to try and get blastocysts. Dr. Yelian finally started to listen to me and adjusted my medications on the free retrieval and I was able to get 8 eggs! I was very pleased and finally felt like I was being treated like an intelligent individual. He did both of my transfers and my ERA test. He was very pleasant and spoke to me personally after each transfer and upon my negative betas for both transfers. The beginning with Dr. Yelian was quite rocky but he definitely redeemed himself in our eyes.

The one piece of advice I can offer is to not expect a hand holding experience with this doctor. He has his own agenda in mind and will pursue it until he is proven incorrect then he will be more flexible. We did grow to trust this doctor however we would not be coming back to this clinic because mini ivf and optimal ivf is not the right protocol for us. Also, do not expect to have much contact with Dr. Yelian outside of the first appointment and your transfers. He is available to be put on a waitlist for phone conversations.

The protocol that was used for my first retrieval was Clomid ,Gonal F, and Menopur with a Lupron trigger. This was a mini ivf cycle which only resulted in 2 eggs. He continued with a luteal phase cycle within that same cycle because he felt that with my PCOS I would not produce many eggs if he did another mini cycle by itself on the next cycle. This luteal phase was only with Clomid and Menopur with a result of only 1 egg. No blastocysts from any of these 3 eggs. Optimal stimulation cycle with higher dosage of Clomid, Menopur, and Gonal F with Lupron trigger. They retrieved 8 eggs , 6 of which were mature. We got 2 blastocysts , 1 with a bb rating and the other with a bc rating. Both embryos failed to implant during both transfer cycles. The transfer cycles consisted of Estrace, progesterone suppositories, and progesterone in oil (every other day).

The cost was 10 k for 2 mini ivf cycles and 2 transfers. It cost 1500 for an ERA cycle. It was 750 for any cycle (retrieval or transfer) for labs. We spent over 5 k on medications.

The doctor prefers to do single embryo transfer, his motto is 1 embryo and 1 baby.

Dr Yelian is very caring and friendly. You can tell he cares about you. Even in passing he’ll stop and put a hand on your shoulder and say hello. My first egg retrieval was done by Dr Yelian and it went smoothly. My second one was done by a different Doctor and that was not a pleasant experience. I personally think Dr Yelian is the best. Also watching him interact with other patients in passing.. he is caring to each one.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

My first round I took a half a pill of clomid for 4 days and had two trigger shots. One of Lupron and one of Gonal F I believe. That resulted in 2 small eggs, neither of which were viable. My second round. I took Clomid and multiple injections for several days. I do not remember exactly what all the names & the doses were. That one resulted in 3 eggs being retrieved. Two of which were fertilized and made it to Day 3 of culturing and are now frozen and waiting for transfer.

Monitoring appointments seemed to be very organized. I can usually get in at anytime I want in the morning. I am always called in within 10-15 min of arriving. The wait to speak to the nurse about the treatment plan usually takes quite a bit longer, which isn’t ideal but with the amount of patients it is understandable.

Initial phone consultation: $150 2 egg retrieval package: around $10,000 Medications range a lot Clomid for first cycle:$4.00 Lupron I had to buy in San Francisco $800 Last egg retrieval round: over $1,000 for medication Monitoring fee for each separate round: $750

We decided that transferring both would be the best.

Dr Yelian was very kind. He truly cares for all of his patients. The day I got my negative beta I met with him and we talked about what happened and what we could do the next time around. He listened to my concerns and was truly sorry that we weren’t successful

Make sure you get all the required testing out is the way as soon as possible after your initial consult.

For my iui we used a combination of clomid, menopur and progesterone suppositories. I did fairly well but given the iui rates it did not succeed. For IVF egg retrieval I used clomid, menopur, gonal f and lupron for a trigger shot - we used minimal amounts. With my PCOS I did not react as atinicpated we only were able to get 3 egg and only 1 made it to blastocyst/embryo stage. For transfer I used a combination of estrogen, progesterone, and tamoxifen. Unfortunately the embryo did not take.

The clinic is open from 730 to 6 but monitoring only happens from 730 to 2. Appointments are in 15 minute increments but is well oiled. If you check in early sometimes they will pull you in early but it depends on their schedule.

for our iui we paid everything entirely out of pocket. I think overall we paid about 4500. Our last round of ivf our insurance covered it so we only had to pay for the donor sperm and medications.

Dr. Yelian is the expert in treating sever DOR ladies (high FSH, low AMH). He is creative in his treatment plans and he seldom gives up (cancels cycle) on his patients. He is optimistic by nature and truly believes that every egg can be the golden one and will go for every egg he can get, which is very important in the case of DOR ladies. He creates individualize treatment plans base on your ultrasound result and hormonal levels but as a patient you need to stay on top of the details and be there to remind him of your histories as it's a busy clinic and they have a lot of patients.

Trust and rely on his expertise but also stay on top of things, voice your concern if the treatment plan does not make sense base on your understanding of your history.

Dr. Yelian is one of the few Drs. who knows how to treat sever DOR ladies. A lot of the patients went to Dr. Yelain as last resort as most Drs do not know how to treat ladies with high FSH and would have told them donor egg is the only hope. Dr. Yelian would test your baseline FSH and E2 and will prescribe stimulation if your FSH is lower than 15. If your FSH is high, he may give you estrace or bcp to lower the FSH so to allow follicle(s) to grow. I was able to successfully bank embryos under his protocols.

Life clinic offers low costs package. A three cycle mini IVF package is around $15K and a three cycle natural IVF package is around $12K.

Dr. Yelain will only transfer up to two embryos at a time. His motto is to help his patient has one healthy baby at a time so he tries his best to avoid high risk pregnancies.

Dr Yelian is a very nice man, but you never receive followup after the retrieval or an assessment of how the cycle went. There is not much of a feedback loop. For the first three cycles, he kept us on natural cycle. After asking about minimal stimulation, he did move us to Clomid cycles and one gonadotropin cycle, but other than that did not really reassess and change treatment based on the previous cycle. Following leaving Life, two other REs were of the opinion that Clomid, after your 40s, has an adverse effect that sometimes inhibits conceiving and can temporarily cause menopausal symptoms for 3 months, by changing or missing cycles. On the very first cycle with my new doctor, we used gonadotropins instead and I conceived.

To talk to a second and a third opinion, and to consider ovulation induction and/or IUI with gonadotropins instead of IVF.

three natural cycle IVFs, two with clomid, and one with gonal F.

Life uses remote monitoring which is very convenient, and there are many long distance patients that monitor close to their home and have lab tests and ultrasounds emailed to the clinic. You pay a monitoring fee of $600 per cycle.

$12000 for three minimal stimulation cycles or 11000 for three natural cycle.

None transferred.

He's wonderful, and he has a very busy practice. He's limited on time, but I felt taken care of throughout. He's very kind and compassionate, and has had great success. He was realistic about my chances, while remaining encouraging. He's very knowledgeable and I would recommend him.

Avoid Dr. Lee C. Kao, and request you never work with him.

What I liked most about Dr. Yelian was his approach not to do conventional IVF for someone over 40. He does mini IVF and natural IVF. We did natural IVF, where it just follows my natural cycle. We were going to try minimal stim but my cycles became too irregular. To regulate them, I went on birth control, but then that made my FSH through the roof, and he suggested I take a break.

$6,000, which is why I wish I could work with him again. Now, I'm looking at ~$40,000. :(

Dr. Yelian is very excited about the science of IVF and ready to explain every detail. It really seems to be a passion. He's confident, but also practical. I wanted facts, I wanted to know what could be done, how and when. He could give all the answers and answers for what ifs. I like to read studies on Fertstert and I wanted someone who could discuss them with me. His scholarly background makes him a good fit for anyone approaching this as science and research. He also framed the answers in a positive way and recognized the importance of this. Another doctor had said you only have a 5% chance of a live birth as a dismissal of trying. Dr. Yelian estimated a similar percent as a positive -- you still have a 5% chance of a live birth. It's subtle, but important. I liken it to finding out you are diagnosed with a terrible disease-- I want the doctor that says, I can help you fight this, it's hard but we have these options, you have a 5% chance. I don't want the doctor that says you only have a 5% chance of survival, why bother? Dr. Yelian combines both science and compassion. I had hoped to have more appointments where I saw him. At this clinic, you will only see the doctor for your consultation, for your first appointment with the clinic, for retrievals and transfers. Theoretically, you can make additional appointments for a fee, but this is downplayed when you actually try to do it.

You should be prepared to keep track of everything and ask a lot of questions. You won't get many opportunities to talk to the doctor, so you will want to be fully prepared for every chance you get.

I did three mini-IVF cycles in a row, but had started four cycles. I then have started two FET, only one of which progressed to a transfer, which was negative. My FSH is high, my AMH is low and I am old. I was 39 when I started, 40 now. The theory on mini-IVF is that I was not going to produce many eggs regardless of how much medication I used because my FSH was already high, further stimulation wasn't going to do much. However, by doing three cycles each with less eggs collected, I could end up with a similar number of eggs to a standard cycle. My first attempt at a cycle was cancelled the first week as I already had a lead follicle. The thought was, this could be normal for me or it could be an off cycle. If we wait a month and it is the same, we're essentially in the same place, but maybe by waiting a month it would be better. Fortunately, it was a little better the next month. I was sad, but appreciated the practical approach. My first cycle to progress used clomid daily, Menopur every other day and a trigger with Lupron. I did not prime before. I had two eggs from six follicles, which was disappointing that day, but both made it to 5 day and were frozen. At the end of the cycle, I realized two from two is amazing. My second cycle used clomid daily and Follistim every other day with a double trigger. Because the first cycle had resulted in only two, the second was a change just to see if it worked better. I was to take 10 days of BCP, but started my period after 7 days, even on the BCP. I had four eggs from five follicles, but only two made it through the first day. Only one made it to 5 day and freeze. I then skipped one month because my cycle put my retrieval right in the middle of their week closed for the holidays. My third cycle was clomid daily, Gonal F every other day. I did not prime before. I triggered with just the Lupron. I had three eggs, two of which survived the first day and made it to day 5 to freeze. My first FET cycle I used estradiol, lots of it, then threw in tamoxifen for 10 days. There was not priming before, it followed my natural cycle. My lining wouldn't get above 7.6 at cd20 and the doctor decided to transfer because it seemed to be as good as it would get. My pregnancy test was negative, not even a chemical. My second FET cycle I used lots of estradiol, tamoxifen for 9 days and had an endometrial biopsy. I had more follicles growing, all of similar size than I had on any of my retrieval cycles, I regret not being able to switch it to a retrieval. My lining was 7.8 at cd14, and we tried going through the weekend to see if it would thicken. At some point over the weekend I ovulated and the cycle was cancelled. The plan is my next FET cycle would follow the protocol of the second, but transfer at cd14 and not risk going longer.

I'm uncomfortable giving numbers, we're asked not to. My three mini cycle package was a similar price to one full cycle at another local clinic. Monitoring is in addition to the package price, as are medications. At this point, three retreival cycles and two transfer cycles, with medications and monitoring I am over 20,000 and under 30,000. I did not use PGS.

Life IVF is very strongly pro eSET. Because I am older, I felt transferring at least two would be reasonable and they agreed to it while cautioning that it is not their recommendation. (I ended up doing eSET)

The doctor was quite busy. Wife and I consulted with him a couple of times in the beginning and then had to work with various assistants unless paying for a follow-up consultation with him, regardless of how long that took. He was eager to sell us frozen eggs, none of which developed into embryos.

Buyer beware. We would not recommend using him.

Treatment started trying to use wife's eggs, but quickly shifted to the recommendation that we purchase eggs from a donor. Eggs were frozen and all failed to developed after fertilization rather quickly. We were quite surprised as we were sold on the idea that we would get embryos.

About $17,000, which included $12,000 for just three frozen eggs. The rest of the money was for blood tests, various examinations, and doctor consultation fees.

Dr. Yelian is super busy, but it's because of his success and because he is so well known for being the best doctor to go see if you have high FSH. People travel from all over the world to see him. I am caucasian and was almost always the only non-asian in the waiting room as many of his patients are chinese. There are usually many patients with their suitcases as well. Despite the high throughput I found the office to be well run and have had a very positive experience there. Because he sees so many patients you have to pay $75 to see him after your initial consultation (except for when you have transfers and retrievals) but having him call you is free and he always called when I asked and did not make me feel rushed. He is very personable and honest and he is really compelling and enthusiastic in his monthly seminars for prospective patients. I was really impressed at the seminar, and my experience with him after many months of treatment with him has lived up to that.

Go see his seminar, you won't be disappointed! If you have DOR or high FSH, no other doctor can compare.

Dr Yelian specializes in natural cycle and minimal stimulation IVF and most of his clients have DOR, POF, high FSH, and/or are in their 40s or beyond. He mostly uses estrogen and birth control pills to treat his patients and the goal is to produce "one good egg" (his mantra) each cycle. So your cycle won't be cancelled if you only have one follicle. :) My FSH was 136 and Dr Yelian tried several different protocols of natural cycle IVF on me, and despite being in premature menopause and age 41 I actually grew follicles after a few tries and he retrieved a mature egg which successfully fertilized. Those of you with POF (premature ovarian failure) will recognize how amazing this is. The cycle that worked, I was just on birth control pills, that's it! After about 34 days on the pill my FSH was suppressed enough that my follicles grew. I had my transfer last week and even if I don't get a positive pregnancy test, I am still grateful for Dr Yelian's help in getting this far, and we can always try again. :)

I paid about $5,000 for one natural cycle IVF cycle. It would have been $12,000 for three cycles but we decided to just pay for one.

From the 1st phone consult I knew Dr Yelian was the one for us, despite ivf being our on,y option to conceive after being told by our primary physician that my husband and I would never conceive with his sperm or my eggs, it was like a breath of fresh air when Dr Yelian assured us that we would be prefect candidates for mini ivf. He explained thoroughly how mini ivf works and the benefits also why we should do icsi and assisted hatching and hope was all we needed. Dr Yelian conducted my transfer and it was fast, detailed and painless, also I took no medicine for transfer.... Dr Yelian showed and explained every step before and during each step of transfer. Dr Yelian was always open for questions or concerns and had prompt responses. I truly appreciate how he made my husband and I feel like the only patients and always up to date on where we were in our cycle without us having to back track to catch him up. We felt special and important and that made our cycle easy and stress free.

Listen and follow his instructions even tho you may feel different. Dr Yelian really knows what he is talking about and doing and there is a reason for whatever instructions you are given by him. I thought for sure I would never produce eggs on my lowest dosages of fertility medicine but I produced more than with my highest dosages from my primary doctors.

I love that I didn't have to take birth control before starting my cycle, went right into stimming and I was on my lowest dosages of clomid 50mg and Gonal F lowest dosages and every other day, I'm not going to lie I didn't think it would work since I was on the max of both when doing iui's at my primary doctors office. But on my first ultrasound after starting swimming it was actually working and normally I stimmed for about 14 days or more I only stimmed for 9 days before triggering for retrieval. I produced 4 follicles and I was a rare and hard patient to retrieve because my ovary is far up and back, my retrieval was done abdominally and 3 out of the 4 follicles had eggs, 2 eggs were mature and fertilized with icsi, they both made it to 5 day blasts and were frozen. Following cycle was on 1 estrace (estrogen pill) daily and progesterone oil injections nightly and to my surprise my transfer was sooner than they expected and it went smoothly.

The mini ivf cycle I chose was affordable, medicine was the lowest around to purchase, monitoring cycles after pregnancy were very affordable as well

Dr. Yelian seemed positive and gave me confidence in using my own eggs. But at the same time, I felt there was an air of arrogance and cockiness to him that he was sure he could get me pregnant. He does not seem willing to deviate too far from the box with regard to treatment protocols. It seems like every patient is doing pretty much the same protocol but with tweaking to the dosage of medications. He did humor me once by letting me try a different priming method, which was my best responsive cycle. I also had to push to get additional bloodwork and testing done to rule out other issues that could have had an impact on my success. I learned after starting cycles with him that he would not allow medications when FSH levels were too high. There was one cycle when I started stims and at a subsequent monitoring appointment he had me drop most of my medications because my FSH was higher than he liked. I know of other doctors that would continue the stims, and with this cycle I felt like had I continued stims I would have gotten more mature eggs. Overall, Dr. Yelian seems like a decent doctor if you are looking for a more natural or less medicated form of IVF. If you are someone with Diminished Ovarian Reserve, I would stay away because you just are not getting the number of eggs you should be getting by doing mini IVF.

Be your own advocate, challenge his treatment plans if something doesnt feel right or if you have questions or concerns.

If FSH is higher than 15-20, he will not let you use any stims, specifically Gonal-F (FSH). Sometimes he will allow Clomid only. He seems to use the same standard protocol with everyone: BCP or estrogen priming prior to cycle. Begin Clomid on day 3 every day until right before retrieval (dosage ranges from 25-50 mg). Begin Gonal-F on day 5, every other day for 4 dosages. Each dosage was 150 IU. If FSH levels are too high on day 3, no stims at all. If FSH levels are borderline, he will start you out on Clomid only, 25 mg (half a tablet).

We were offered a Risk Share, Money Back plan of 5 retrievals, 5 transfers for $25,000. This included all monitoring ultrasounds and labs, and the first pregnancy test. Medications were not included.

Good if you want natural cycles or are older. Less expensive. Only does one thing and maybe not so flexible. I think he is good at explaining however he acts as if there is a good chance. Also, I am not sure if the lab is that good. He doesn' t try an advanced techniques or new ideas on the cutting edge. Doesn't work with immunological concerns. He will treat older patients and patients with diminshed reserve but he doesn't give an accurate impression of your chances nor does he fully help in terms of getting where you want to go. He is more of a one pony show or whatever the expression is.

Don't expect full service. Guide your own treatment. Only work with him if his one standard protocol is what would work for you in your condition. Be sure to ask for him to come in to do your ultrasounds. Try to get him to level with you fairly on chances. Research the lab to determine if it is up to paar.

He does natural cycles and mini cycles for people who do not respond well to FSH and other fertility drugs. or who are older and would do equally as well with minimum stimulation. He does use clomid regularly however. He also triggers using lupron not just HCh or will double trigger which is good for women who are older and do not respond well to the hormone because their levels are so high already.

He prefers single. which I agreed with. I was mad at drs who insisted on multiple transfer for their own success and numbers

Dr. Yelian is very concise. He does not speak much during consultation, but when he does, you can tell that he knows what he is doing. He is open to all questions and answers in a way that you can understand. He is also willing to call you just to answer those random questions that may pop-up during your cycle.

I would recommend just trusting his judgement and realizing that he knows what he is doing with your care.

PGT-A testing is $1000 per embryo. I wish they had a group pay amount.

They do embryo transfer on a case by case basis. They primarily lean towards eSET.