Ratings of 1 indicate that a clinic was poorly operated.
Ratings of 10 indicate that a clinic operated very well.
Scheduling
8.8
8.8
Scheduling
Ratings of 1 mean it was difficult to schedule appointments with this clinic.
Ratings of 10 mean it was easy to schedule appointments.
Billing Department
7.1
7.1
Billing Department
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory billing department.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent billing department.
Nursing Team
8
8
Nursing Team
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory nursing team.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent nursing team.
LGBTQ+ Care
8
8
LGBTQ+ Care
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory LGBTQ+ care.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent LGBTQ+ care.
Attention to Detail
7
7
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail is on a 1 - 10 scale, and is scored based on the rate, and severity, of errors committed by the clinic according to the patients.
For example, a severe error might be failing to inform a patient of critical information, while a small error might be failing to call a patient with results.
CDC Success Rates
This is the most recent data from the CDC. The CDC cautions that it should not be used to compare doctors and clinics. This data represents the outcomes of IVF cycles when using a person's own eggs.
For more information please see our FAQs.
Where you see a “?” on the chart, a clinic has done fewer than 20 cycles in this category and age range, so the CDC says showing percentages from this small data set would be misleading and unreliable.
My doctor [Dr. Akopians] strongly recommended only transferring one embryo due to the risks involved with transferring multiples (I did not have many embryos to transfer); my age at the time of transfer (42) was a factor here...I never felt like she was operating from a cookie cutter approach; she continuously monitored my case closely and would adjust my IVF cycle medications with great care
The [S. California Reproductive Center] clinic itself is beautiful and well-maintained. It feels like a spa and the waiting area has a gorgeous view. The privacy of each patient was always very carefully respected. They renovated earlier in 2020, separating the lab facilities from the floor where transfers and retrievals are performed. I found this to be very convenient as the former is on the ground floor; during cycles, when I was being monitored, I could get in and out very quickly.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians is extremely knowledgeable in reproductive medicine but, throughout my time with her, she remained open-minded and flexible in terms of crafting protocols that met my unique needs. I never felt like she was operating from a cookie cutter approach; she continuously monitored my case closely and would adjust my IVF cycle medications with great care. As appropriate, she treated me like a partner in the process by providing me with full details as to what was being prescribed and why; feeling this fully informed put my mind at ease.
While she was clearly operating from a place of tremendous skill and expertise, her empathy and compassion shone through. I always felt cared for as a human going through something very difficult.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Be direct about what it is you expect out of your relationship; she listens!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians took the time to deeply listen to my concerns and needs and answered all my questions directly and compassionately. She found the perfect balance between setting expectations appropriately and having empathy for the difficult journey I was on. She always called me herself with any important news or updates as opposed to deferring it to her nursing staff.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Overall strategy used was an antagonist protocol. Dexamethasone was added for egg quality and prednisone was added to combat any potential inflammatory issues (I have auto-immune disorders in my family). While the number of eggs did not greatly increase, the overall quality did as these cycles produced more blastocysts / embryos than previous cycles at a different clinic that did not employ these drugs.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Julia Fletcher)
All of Dr. Akopians’ nurses, but particularly Julia Fletcher, were amazing.They were super kind, responsive, and just lovely to work with. IVF is an exceptionally emotionally and physically grueling process and they operated with that awareness in mind. They were all very timely with their communications; I never had to call the clinic to find out what my next steps were and any questions I had were responded to quickly, whether via email or phone.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinic itself is beautiful and well-maintained. It feels like a spa and the waiting area has a gorgeous view. The privacy of each patient was always very carefully respected. They renovated earlier in 2020, separating the lab facilities from the floor where transfers and retrievals are performed. I found this to be very convenient as the former is on the ground floor; during cycles, when I was being monitored, I could get in and out very quickly.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center.
My insurance covered the vast majority of the costs.
Describe Alin Lina Akopians's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
My doctor strongly recommended only transferring one embryo due to the risks involved with transferring multiples (I did not have many embryos to transfer); my age at the time of transfer (42) was a factor here.
Dr. Ghadir recommended a second retrieval immediately. I wanted to transfer the 1 good embryo but he suggested that if that embryo took and I wanted more kids, I'd end up doing another retrieval when I was not only older, but also trying to juggle a toddler at home. He suggested an immediate retrieval and to freeze the embryo's from cycle 1. I'm SO thankful he recommended that...I would have preferred to have a little more face time with my doctor.
Strengths [of SCRC] are they they have STATE of the ART technology, materials and protocols. The office is clean, updated, welcoming, and very streamlined. The weaknesses are the billing department. They are by far the reason why I would not recommend a friend to this clinic. If it was just Dr. Ghadir and his nursing staff, i'd give it a 10... I got the feeling that my questions were bothersome to the nurses
How was your experience with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Ghadir loves what he does, you can tell! However I think the size of the practice makes it hard for him to really give each patient the time they deserve.
However when I was with Dr. Ghadir, he explains whats happening, he shares in your joy and in your sadness (if things didn't go as expected). He cares and you can tell.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
To expect that he'll do his absolute best to get you the results you desire. But to also make sure you FULLY understand the way his office bills patients and whether or not certain services go through insurance or not.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
In person, Dr. Ghadir is wonderful, so is the staff. They are friendly, caring and make you feel taken care of.
However, in ramping up for a cycle, or in between procedures, I sometimes felt that the staff was too overwhelmed for calls or questions. To me, this is critical, and I had lot's of questions and wanted to really understand everything. But to them, they've done it a bunch of times and I got the feeling that my questions were bothersome to the nurses. Unless I was seeing my doctor, which really only happened at a Transfer, I mostly dealt with the nurses and I would have preferred to have a little more face time with my doctor.
Describe the protocols Shahin Ghadir used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Starting in 2012/2013, we had insurance that covered IUI. Dr. Ghadir recommended 3 IUI's however, because we had insurance we pushed to do more cycles. In retrospect, we wasted valuable time. But we were so hopefully one would take and would save us the time and money for IVF. After 7 IUI's we moved to IVF.
We did our first retrieval and got 5 embryo's. However only 1 was splitting and developing the way it should by day 5. Dr Ghadir recommended a second retrieval immediately. I wanted to transfer the 1 good embryo but he suggested that if that embryo took and I wanted more kids, I'd end up doing another retrieval when I was not only older, but also trying to juggle a toddler at home. He suggested an immediate retrieval and to freeze the embryo's from cycle 1. I'm SO thankful he recommended that. It was a hard pill to swallow at the time, since the retrieval is so taxing on the body and the bank account, but a second retrieval allowed us to gather more embryos. And the other embryos from cycle 1 were late, but they split and developed and we were able to freeze them. After the second retrieval we had a total of 9 embryos that we sent off for genetic testing. 7 passed genetic testing. We got 2 females and 5 males.
I'm so thankful we did two retrievals and we had a few more embryos to "work with". Our first FET failed, and that prompted Dr. Ghadir to do an autoimmune panel on me. He changed my medication protocol and for the second FET I was put on progesterone in Oil, a blood thinner and several other medications that I did not take during my first FET.
Our second FET was successful and we welcomed a healthy baby boy in April of 2015. We returned to SCRC in 2016 for our third FET. Thankfully, that FET was also successful and we welcomed a healthy baby girl in February 2017.
We now had 4 embryos remaining. In February of 2020 we did another FET and sadly that failed. Dr. Ghadir suggested an ERA (a mock transfer to ensure that my protocol and meds were at the levels they needed to be). Our ERA confirmed that my meds (mostly the progesterone intake) were where they needed to be. So for my next FET, the protocol would remain the same. Then Covid interrupted us!
Due to COVID we had to take a break in-between, but resumed with another transfer in August of 2020.
That FET was successful and we're currently pregnant with our 3rd child.
While IVF is expensive and emotionally and mentally taxing, i'm so thankful we did it and got the results we got with Dr. Ghadir.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Angela & Gabby)
In person, everyone was fantastic. I really resonated and connected to one nurse in particular, however it was the other nurse who mostly called me and connected with me and with this nurse, I did not feel the warmth and care that I expected.
The billing department is awful. They are the reason I'd rate this facility low. They are NOT willing to explain things, and they hope you don't ask questions because they are able to sneak charges in that are not expected to the patient. IVF is already so expensive, and when charges are thrown on me on top of what I already expect to be paying, I feel taken advantage of. When you're trying to get pregnant you're so desperate to make it happen, and they use that to their advantage.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Strengths are they they have STATE of the ART technology, materials and protocols. The office is clean, updated, welcoming, and very streamlined.
The weaknesses are the billing department. They are by far the reason why I would not recommend a friend to this clinic. If it was just Dr. Ghadir and his nursing staff, i'd give it a 10. But the billing department is the sole reason i'd warn a friend or family member before sending them to SCRC.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center.
We paid out of pocket with our two Retrievals, however I had insurance that covered the cost of labs and ultrasounds. This greatly reduced the cost of our Retrievals. In my FET's and transfers in the past, I had the same insurance that covered labs and ultrasounds, which also greatly reduced the cost of my FET's.
However in the FET in February 2020 and the FET which resulted in my current pregnancy, I felt very unclear about charges. We did not have insurance that covered Labs or ultrasounds so the charges were very different from my previous FET's.
In asking about the charges the billing department was very unforgiving, not helpful at all, simply said "it is what it is" and were not willing to understand that they failed to explain the charges to me. I even emailed PRIOR to my FET's this year and said "I do not have fertility coverage through insurance, what costs can I expect to pay". I have lengthy emails that show the billing department simply responded with a fee sheet, which does not answer the question because as a patient, I don't understand if or when certain procedures on the fee sheet even apply to me.
I was very disappointed with the level of service from the billing department. This is not some small time facility. But I felt that they assumed because it's beverly hills that patients have money and simply pay what is asked of them and do not ask questions. And once I asked questions, they were very bothered and flustered.
Describe Shahin Ghadir's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
We never considered multiples, we always expressed that wanted to do a single transfer each FET and Dr. Ghadir never once tried to sway us any other way.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Each time I did an FET, Dr. Ghadir had different nurses. In my last cycle, the nurse I dealt with made decisions on my protocol that did not follow along with what I did in my previous cycles. I had to flat out refuse her instruction and insist she check with the doctor since she was not listening to me or my questions about her instruction.
SCRC charged me for procedures that were NOT explained to me. In speaking to the billing department, I was made to feel like I was the idiot who did not understand. I feel as though it's the clinics job to make charges clear, and to explain when a cycle starts and stops. There is a "flat" fee for an FET cycle, however what they consider "in cycle" was NOT explained to me. And I'm not a new patient, I've been with this clinic since at least 2013, so I felt very bamboozled when it came to charges that were not expected or explained to me.
Dr Ghadir took the time to have a comprehensive conversation with myself and my partner where he got to know us as people - our lifestyle, professions, hobbies etc. and he remembered these details when he saw us. It built up a relationship of care and trust...The procedure was conducted by Dr Ghadir and was simple and painless and I laid down for 15 minutes after as is protocol for it to take effect...is direct and thorough but also engages with warmth and tremendous delicacy and care. He is very attentive and caters to your particular needs based on factors of age, etc. He draws upon his experience to provide anecdotal guidance and advice and left me no doubt that he wanted to help me realize my dream of creating a family.
The clinic [SCRC] is clean, bright and airy. They are exceptionally well-organized so you don't feel like you have to be your own patient advocate. Sometimes I was a little unsure as to whether I was supposed to leave a urine and/or blood sample that visit but I was able to find out the answer pretty quickly. Due to the sensitivity of the practice they ask that patients refrain from bringing children which is something that I appreciated. They do play karaoke backing tracks of popular songs which is a little weird but provided a good distraction.
How was your experience with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr Ghadir is direct and thorough but also engages with warmth and tremendous delicacy and care. He is very attentive and caters to your particular needs based on factors of age, etc. He draws upon his experience to provide anecdotal guidance and advice and left me no doubt that he wanted to help me realize my dream of creating a family.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
The guy knows what he's doing. Trust him!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr Ghadir took the time to have a comprehensive conversation with myself and my partner where he got to know us as people - our lifestyle, professions, hobbies etc. and he remembered these details when he saw us. It built up a relationship of care and trust.
Describe the protocols Shahin Ghadir used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
I went for an initial consultation with Dr Ghadir after 6 months of TTC. He conducted a comprehensive base reproductive test to check amH levels and semen analysis. We concurrently laid out a strategy for moving to IVF due to my age, but decided to try IUI that cycle as I was nearing ovulation. My partner and I had to do blood tests (which the office was able to do and receive results quickly), my partner going in on the Monday and me going in on the Wednesday and Thursday to have an ultrasound to ensure ovulation. On the Friday my husband went in to give a semen sample and I followed in an hour later to have the IUI. The procedure was conducted by Dr Ghadir and was simple and painless and I laid down for 15 minutes after as is protocol for it to take effect.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Gaby and Angela)
The nursing staff is very communicative. I had blood drawn each week of falling pregnant and they would call same day with the results and to book next appointment in a timely fashion. They provide a personalized forum so that you are able to reach them quickly with any questions you may have.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinic is clean, bright and airy. They are exceptionally well-organized so you don't feel like you have to be your own patient advocate. Sometimes I was a little unsure as to whether I was supposed to leave a urine and/or blood sample that visit but I was able to find out the answer pretty quickly. Due to the sensitivity of the practice they ask that patients refrain from bringing children which is something that I appreciated. They do play karaoke backing tracks of popular songs which is a little weird but provided a good distraction.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center.
My insurance covered a lot of it so I was just responsible for a $30 co-pay per visit (including ultrasounds).
I had started with a different doctor at the same clinic who I adored, but I wasn't getting results. After 3 retrievals we finally got 2 fertilized embryos, but then we couldn't get my uterine lining ready for the transfer...she had me consult with Dr. Danzer..thought I might do better without medication. So we tried a natural cycle with no injections...It worked perfectly and I'm now pregnant...just some pills and vaginal suppositories of progesterone.
Nurse
Nurse
Most of the nursing staff [at Southern California Reproductive Center] I liked a lot, but the primary nurse for Dr. Danzer didn't seem to care all that much. I felt like my questions annoyed her...felt like my regular ultrasound technician Amanda and all the lab people were rooting for me and genuinely cared about what happened to me. Some other staff members don't bond with the patients as much, but overall I felt like I was in great hands and I'll actually miss seeing a lot of the people over there.
How was your experience with Hal Danzer at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Danzer really listened to all my concerns and took a complete medical history. He paid attention and I never felt rushed. I really appreciated his bedside manner. It was easier for me to get questions answered in person rather than over the phone, but I never had trouble getting an appointment.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Hal Danzer at Southern California Reproductive Center?
If you feel he hasn't answered your question, ask for clarification. I think some patients don't want as much detail as I did so he starts with the simple answer, but will explain further if you ask him to.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Hal Danzer at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Danzer always took the time to answer my questions and returned phone calls promptly. He also attended my ultrasounds personally instead of just reviewing the results afterwards. I always felt like he listened and cared.
Describe the protocols Hal Danzer used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
I had started with a different doctor at the same clinic who I adored, but I wasn't getting results. After 3 retrievals we finally got 2 fertilized embryos, but then we couldn't get my uterine lining ready for the transfer. She kept trying higher levels of estrogen and progesterone but nothing worked. Finally she had me consult with Dr. Danzer and he did an ultrasound and thought I might do better without medication. So we tried a natural cycle with no injections, just some pills and vaginal suppositories of progesterone. It worked perfectly and I'm now pregnant.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Debbie)
Most of the nursing staff I liked a lot, but the primary nurse for Dr. Danzer didn't seem to care all that much. I felt like my questions annoyed her. That was just one person though, the others were great. And when I was working with Dr. Alexander I adored her staff and really felt like they were personally invested in what happened to me.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinic on the whole was great. I joined the extended program because Ari in particular is fantastic and I loved being able to text her any time. I also felt like my regular ultrasound technician Amanda and all the lab people were rooting for me and genuinely cared about what happened to me. Some other staff members don't bond with the patients as much, but overall I felt like I was in great hands and I'll actually miss seeing a lot of the people over there.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Hal Danzer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
I had several failed attempts at the clinic before seeing Dr. Danzer, and each of those cost money, so it was very expensive.
Describe Hal Danzer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
In my case because I only had 2 embryos, Dr. Danzer recommended we only transfer one, so if it didn't work we'd be able to try again.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
There was one time someone forgot to call in a prescription for me, but it got taken care of the next day and only happened once.
Dr. Ghadir recommended transferring 1 embryo, unless I really wanted twins. We chose to transfer 1 at a time...He was very responsive and empathetic...stood by me despite multiple disappointing results and set backs. His optimism encouraged me to push forward. He was very responsive and always empathetic. I felt like we developed a partnership over time and that he listened to my concerns...He may be busy but he will take time to respond.
[Nurses at Southern California Reproductive Center are] Always empathetic. Sometimes took a long time to call with blood and ultrasound results from the morning but always did get back to me....There were one or two times when I showed up for blood work and ultrasound and was told that I was not on the schedule even though the nurse called me with the appointment. Overall, this was not a problem though...The clinic has a lot of experience and has a very good embryology lab. Various fertility specialists in the are use the lab because it is well regarded. I've heard good things about most of the doctors at the SCRC. One negative is that the clinic can be very busy at times.
Clinic Nps
How was your experience with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Ghadir stood by me despite multiple disappointing results and set backs. His optimism encouraged me to push forward. He was very responsive and always empathetic. I felt like we developed a partnership over time and that he listened to my concerns.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Don't be afraid to ask questions. He may be busy but he will take time to respond.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
He was very responsive and empathetic
Describe the protocols Shahin Ghadir used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
I used Lupon for most of my cycles, along with Menopur and Gonal-F. We tried the low dose protocol a couple of times but this did not work as well as the normal dosing.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Always empathetic. Sometimes took a long time to call with blood and ultrasound results from the morning but always did get back to me.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinic has a lot of experience and has a very good embryology lab. Various fertility specialists in the are use the lab because it is well regarded. I've heard good things about most of the doctors at the SCRC. One negative is that the clinic can be very busy at times.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center.
I believe each IVF cycle was around $30, 000. My insurance paid for 80% of this.
Describe Shahin Ghadir's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Ghadir recommended transferring 1 embryo, unless I really wanted twins. We chose to transfer 1 at a time.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
There were one or two times when I showed up for blood work and ultrasound and was told that I was not on the schedule even though the nurse called me with the appointment. Overall, this was not a problem though.
We had an HSG, HSS [with Dr. Shahin Ghadir] to make sure everything was open and working well. We did clinic and trigger shot for IUI and timed insemination. Along with bloodwork and ultrasounds. For IVF we did Gonal-D and menopur injections...He treated me with respect and understanding. He did not rush me through or ignore my concerns or needs...was easy to talk to. He was not intimidating at all. We felt like we had made the right choice with our doctor right away. He made sure we understood every part of the process and answered all of the questions and concerns we had.
Angela [nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center] was great. She answered every question and concern I had regardless of the amount of times I messaged her. She never lost her cool or treated me with disrespect. She taught me how to do the injections and made sure I had all the medications needed...The strengths would be that they are available all the time. They do have an on call nurse too and a way to reach your dr if it’s an emergency. A weakness would be one of their on call nurses. She was pretty rude and the only time we encountered such problem.
How was your experience with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Ghadir was easy to talk to. He was not intimidating at all. We felt like we had made the right choice with our doctor right away. He made sure we understood every part of the process and answered all of the questions and concerns we had.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Ask all the questions you may have. He will answer them. He will inform you about the good, the bad and the ugly. And make you feel as much calmness as possible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
He treated me with respect and understanding. He did not rush me through or ignore my concerns or needs.
Describe the protocols Shahin Ghadir used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
We had an HSG, HSS to make sure everything was open and working well. We did clinic and trigger shot for IUI and timed insemination. Along with bloodwork and ultrasounds.
For IVF we did Gonal-D and menopur injections. We also took trigger shots, centrotide. And a couple others I can’t remember.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Angela)
Angela was great. She answered every question and concern I had regardless of the amount of times I messaged her. She never lost her cool or treated me with disrespect. She taught me how to do the injections and made sure I had all the medications needed.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The strengths would be that they are available all the time. They do have an on call nurse too and a way to reach your dr if it’s an emergency.
A weakness would be one of their on call nurses. She was pretty rude and the only time we encountered such problem.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Not sure.
Describe Shahin Ghadir's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Our doctor has mentioned that a successful single transfer is possible without having to do multiple embryos at a time.
Dr Chang is diligent, kind and honest. Will not perform any procedure that is not in your best interest and will cover all bases before any procedure. I was delayed several times in my transfer cycle due to low vitamin D. Though frustrating at the time, Dr Chang covered all bases to optimize chances of successful pregnancy...Dr Chang assured me that single embryo transfer was the best least risky option for me...
The only frustrating part of using a larger clinic [Southern California Reproductive Center] was communicating with several people and miscommunication among departments. For example, hearing one thing from nursing staff and then another from billing. This part of the process could be improved....Large clinic, can feel intimidating. But, good results. Make sure to advocate for yourself and ask questions. Find the staff members who make you feel comfortable and stick with them. Be on top of billing…charges get confusing and server miscommunications....
How was your experience with Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr Chang is diligent, kind and honest. Will not perform any procedure that is not in your best interest and will cover all bases before any procedure. I was delayed several times in my transfer cycle due to low vitamin D. Though frustrating at the time, Dr Chang covered all bases to optimize chances of successful pregnancy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Be patient and trust the process!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Individualized care… even in the midst of Covid. Genuine care from Dr Chang and her nurse staff.
Describe the protocols Wendy Chang used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
I don’t recall
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Kimberly )
The only frustrating part of using a larger clinic was communicating with several people and miscommunication among departments. For example, hearing one thing from nursing staff and then another from billing. This part of the process could be improved.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Large clinic, can feel intimidating. But, good results. Make sure to advocate for yourself and ask questions. Find the staff members who make you feel comfortable and stick with them. Be on top of billing…charges get confusing and server miscommunications.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center.
IVF is expense… we paid, $40,000+ all said and done for cycle, meds and transfer
Describe Wendy Chang's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr Chang assured me that single embryo transfer was the best least risky option for me.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Miscommunication at the clinic did cause some anxiety in my treatment.
Dr Danzer was kind from the beginning to the end. He passed on disappointing information at one point when I had no viable eggs after retrieval, but was encouraging and realistic about the next steps. He always had time to discuss and explain procedures and answer my questions with patience and compassion...He recommended single embryo transfer to me.
The Southern California Reproductive Center] clinic was professional and organized. They had great communication and guided me through the process with compassion. They always took the time to explain things, were mostly on time, and always called when they said they would...Everyone I came into contact at the clinic was kind and professional.
How was your experience with Hal Danzer at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr Danzer was kind from the beginning to the end. He passed on disappointing information at one point when I had no viable eggs after retrieval, but was encouraging and realistic about the next steps. He always had time to discuss and explain procedures and answer my questions with patience and compassion.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Hal Danzer at Southern California Reproductive Center?
He was warm, patient, always had time to explain something in detail.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Debbie)
Everyone I came into contact at the clinic was kind and professional.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinic was professional and organized. They had great communication and guided me through the process with compassion. They always took the time to explain things, were mostly on time, and always called when they said they would.
Describe Hal Danzer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Ghadir has been transparent, helpful and understanding, whether we were communicating virtually or in person. He encouraged me to not only live a healthy lifestyle for egg retrieval but to live healthy for myself and my future pregnancies. It was very important for me to find a Doctor that I can connect with and that understood my story as an individual.
In addition to the support I received from Dr. Ghadir he had an amazing staff that worked with him [at Southern California Reproductive Center] as well...No matter when I called day or night they always made me a priority, there were times I felt like I was their only patient...made me laugh and supported me through the motions whenever I had a stressful moment...prioritizing my egg retrieval as if it was their own.
How was your experience with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I want to start off by saying from the beginning to the end of my egg freezing process Dr. Ghadir has been transparent, helpful and understanding, whether we were communicating virtually or in person. He encouraged me to not only live a healthy lifestyle for egg retrieval but to live healthy for myself and my future pregnancies. It was very important for me to find a Doctor that I can connect with and that understood my story as an individual. As women we don’t talk about fertility much and in my family that is something we do not discuss at all so this journey was new for me. I strongly recommend Dr. Ghadir. He keeps up with the latest medical changes in the fertility world, he is compassionate, transparent and reliable. Dr. Ghadir is knowledgeable not only in Western medicine but open to taking a Holistic approach as well. Even though everyone’s journey and outcome will be different, you want a doctor that will never give up on you even when there are times you may want to give up on yourself. You want a Doctor that is going to go above and beyond to ensure your journey is nothing less than successful just like mine. I couldn’t have asked for a better Doctor.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Be open an honest in the beginning lay everything out because that is the only way he is going to be able to help you completely and give you realistic expectations.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
No matter when I called day or night I was always a priority, there were times I felt like I was Dr. Ghadirs only patient because he never skipped a beat with me. He supported me through the motions whenever I had a stressful moment. It meant a lot to see the care that Dr. Ghadir showed me by prioritizing my egg retrieval as if it was his own.
Describe the protocols Shahin Ghadir used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
The treatment strategies that was used for me was taking my daily vitamins in addition to taking my injections which I was on for about a month and once a week getting an ultrasound and blood drawn to make sure that my body was reacting properly to the medication to determine if I would need to decrease or increase what was prescribed.
With my experience my follicles actually produced very quickly to the point I did not need to take all of the medication that was prescribed in addition I ended up having taking my medication for 2weeks, and my eggs were retrieved almost 1 week earlier than anticipated.
I made sure to work out, take the prescribed vitamins, eat right, and be stress-free which I feel are the reasons why my egg retrieval was so successful.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Layla, Gabby and Angela)
In addition to the support I received from Dr. Ghadir he had an amazing staff that worked with him as well. Layla, Gabby, and Angela.
No matter when I called day or night they always made me a priority, there were times I felt like I was their only patient because they never skipped a beat with me. It felt as if we’ve known each other forever. They made me laugh and supported me through the motions whenever I had a stressful moment. It meant a lot to see the care that Dr. Ghadir, Layla, Gabby and Angela showed me by prioritizing my egg retrieval as if it was their own.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
One piece of advice that I will definitely offer is to try your best to be the positive energy that you would want to receive back.
My interaction with the staff from the receptionist to the support staff to the phlebotomist and everyone that I had to come in contact with in that office was great. I always make sure to come in with a pleasant attitude and a smile I made sure to put out positive energy and I received that back and some. No one made me feel in adequate in anyway everyone who was there was approachable and was always willing to help.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center.
In total it cost me about $12,000.
This included the egg freezing process, one year of storage, And all ultrasounds, blood test and COVID tests.
[Dr. Chang] is SO warm yet direct, knowledgeable, and always remembered every detail about my case...1 PGS normal embryo and she did EVERYTHING possible to optimize for my success...has resulted in a successful pregnancy...I plan to see her again for hopefully *another* successful pregnancy...best doctor/medical profession I have ever had.
My one complaint about my experience [at Southern California Reproductive Center] was her nursing team (minus Kimberly)..."Urgent" emails would go completely unanswered. No one would answer the phone or answer my emails...Billing was not super responsive. Had to chase responses but they would eventually get back to you
How was your experience with Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Chang is the best doctor/medical profession I have ever had. I had 5 failed IUIs (Kaiser), a failed egg retrieval-- 0 PGS normal (HRC) and a successful IVF cycle with Dr. Chang (currently 6.5 months pregnant). Dr Chang has the perfect combination of warmth and directness. She answers all of your questions, never makes you feel rushed but is very direct on what I needed to do to be successful. My single PGS normal embryo (grade B) is my successful pregnancy and it's 100% because of Dr. Chang's guidance and knowledge. She is SO SO smart. I honestly cannot recommend her more.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center?
While Dr Chang is GREAT, her nurses are hit and miss. She had 1 nurse that I really liked (Kimberly) but whenever Kim was not there, responses to emails and phone calls were non existent. You have to REALLY chase with the other nurses so do not be afraid to that
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Prior to Dr. Chang, I saw Dr. Wilcox at HRC. They could not be more different. Dr. Wilcox had terrible bedside manner, always had one hand on the door after our 5 minute appointment and never knew who I was or what my situation was. (you would think he would at least fake it by looking at my chart beforehand).
Dr. Chang, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She is SO warm yet direct, knowledgeable, and always remembered every detail about my case. I had 1 PGS normal embryo and she did EVERYTHING possible to optimize for my success. My grade B PGS normal embryo has resulted in a successful pregnancy (currently 6.5 months pregnant). I could not be happier and more grateful for Dr. Chang. She really has the perfect combination of warmth and directness.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Kimberly )
Kimberly was great. Never missed a beat. Answered every email in 5 minutes. Was so wonderful and kind. But whenever she was out, the other nurses were pretty bad. "Urgent" emails would go completely unanswered. No one would answer the phone or answer my emails. My one complaint about my experience with Dr. Chang was her nursing team (minus Kimberly). If she can get better (more responsive) nurses, I think the experience would have been PERFECT
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Strengths: Dr Chang is the absolute best. So smart, warm, knowledgeable. I will forever be indebted to her for making my dreams come true and I plan to see her again for hopefully *another* successful pregnancy.
Weaknesses: Nursing staff (minus Kimberly). Dr Chang needs better and more consistency nursing staff.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Wendy Chang at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Billing was not super responsive. Had to chase responses but they would eventually get back to you
Dr. Ghadir was wonderful to work with. During my first consultation he made sure to go over the plan in detail and reminded me of each step as it got closer in detail. [he] made sure to answer any questions I had every time I saw him. He was very reassuring and positive. He was successful with his plan (clomid with IUI) on the first try. He is an absolutely wonderful doctor.
SCRC is very organized. The clinic opens very early for bloodwork, which is great if you have to work early. SCRC has multiple floors for different appointments, which means it is less crowded. SCRC is very quick at getting patients in and out in a timely manner...nursing staff was very helpful, kind, and open communicators. They called me after every visit to follow up and would always call me back if I left a message.
How was your experience with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Ghadir was wonderful to work with. During my first consultation he made sure to go over the plan in detail and reminded me of each step as it got closer in detail. Dr. Ghadir made sure to answer any questions I had every time I saw him. He was very reassuring and positive. He was successful with his plan (clomid with IUI) on the first try. He is an absolutely wonderful doctor.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Make sure to ask any questions you have and trust his plan.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center?
The dr always called me by my name, was open to my questions, and made small talk when appropriate
Describe the protocols Shahin Ghadir used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Clomid 100mg
Trigger shot
One IUI
Blood work periodically
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr Ghadir’s nursing staff was very helpful, kind, and open communicators. They called me after every visit to follow up and would always call me back if I left a message.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
SCRC is very organized. The clinic opens very early for bloodwork, which is great if you have to work early. SCRC has multiple floors for different appointments, which means it is less crowded. SCRC is very quick at getting patients in and out in a timely manner.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shahin Ghadir at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Co-Pay
100 dollars per person for COVID tests
250 dollars for IUI procedure (just procedure)
Dr. Akopians is always there personally for the important stuff, such as pregnancy ultrasounds and delivering important results. She takes her time explaining things and answering any questions you may have. If it's something less important, she'll have her nurse communicate with you, but you still feel very taken care of...she prefers single embryo transfer
[SCRC] are open 7 days a week, and someone can always be reached at all hours, which I thought was an important feature when searching for a fertility clinic. They're even open on major holidays...I ultimately still went with SCRC because I believe they are worth what they charge. Another thing to consider is also that they almost never do fresh transfers, so if you are looking to do one, this may not be the clinic for you. They also require anyone older than 35 to undergo PGT-A testing.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians is a very smart and compassionate doctor. I trust her completely with my treatment. Even though I'm older and have an egg quality issue, she never once suggested that I shouldn't proceed with my own eggs, which I appreciate. I trust that she's up to date on recent fertility treatment advancements.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians is on your side and always rooting for you to succeed. Do not hesitate to ask her any questions, as she always takes the time to explain everything thoroughly.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians is always there personally for the important stuff, such as pregnancy ultrasounds and delivering important results. She takes her time explaining things and answering any questions you may have. If it's something less important, she'll have her nurse communicate with you, but you still feel very taken care of.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
My first cycle was an antagonist protocol, without any priming (300 Gonal-F, 150 Menopur, 25iu Omnitrope, 10k Pregnyl trigger). We retrieved 6 eggs, 3 fertilized, 2 made it to blastocyst, but both tested genetically abnormal. The next cycle we tried a Lupron Flare protocol, but I developed a lead follicle at my baseline scan, so the cycle was converted to an IUI which was unsuccessful. For my third cycle we went back to an antagonist protocol, but with estrogen priming this time (same dosages of medications as the first cycle, except we used a dual trigger Lupron/Novorel). I retrieved 8-9 eggs (can't remember exactly), but only 1 made it to blastocyst and subsequently also tested genetically abnormal. I have an egg quality issue, as I was 39 at the time of those retrievals. We are planning to do more retrievals, and Dr. Akopians will adjust the protocol to try to get better quality embryos.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Mariam)
My primary nurse was Mariam, and I always felt well taken care of by her. She always responded to my messages in a timely manner, and she was very organized with my treatment (ordering medications, setting appointments, etc). She was also a great communicator, and I had no trouble understanding her instructions. She would always follow up with a conversation with an email, in case I forgot anything. She's also a very caring and compassionate nurse. A second nurse I saw at the clinic was Sophia who would sometimes do my blood draws, and she was also very encouraging and sympathetic.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
This clinic is a top notch fertility clinic, with what I understand to be one of the best embryology labs in the nation. They are open 7 days a week, and someone can always be reached at all hours, which I thought was an important feature when searching for a fertility clinic. They're even open on major holidays. They do not delay your egg retrieval just because it's a holiday. However, the Pasadena office is not open on weekends, and you would have to go to their Beverly Hills office for any weekend appointments. I believe that they have excellent doctors and staff, and employ the latest technology. Their lab even has an Embryoscope. However, they are pretty pricey. Their prices for everything ranging from procedures to tests are on the higher side, which I found out from consulting different clinics and comparing prices with friends. I ultimately still went with SCRC because I believe they are worth what they charge. Another thing to consider is also that they almost never do fresh transfers, so if you are looking to do one, this may not be the clinic for you. They also require anyone older than 35 to undergo PGT-A testing.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Cycle fee - $14,750 (includes monitoring and egg retrieval), PGT-A testing - $3,800 for up to 8 embryos, Sperm DNA fragmentation test - $500, Genetic testing - $600 per person, Karyotype test - $500 per person, Embryo storage - $750 for 1 year, Embryoscope - $2500, Zymot - $500, medications paid directly to pharmacy.
Describe Alin Lina Akopians's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Akopians has said that she prefers single embryo transfer, however, we have not yet gotten any viable embryos to transfer, so we have not discussed this issue any further.
Dr Akopians was very patient and open to questions about the process. Her goal was to make sure I was an all around healthy patient. She outlined the process and made sure I understood next steps. She reviewed all my tests very quickly and...always got back to me same day...You'll mostly deal with the doctor's staff, but if you need the doctor, she seems reachable...answered all of my questions and did not rush me.
Everyone at SCRC has been lovely. They're kind and quick to answer questions. Their appointment system is down to a science, allowing for quick early morning visits...The clinics are clean and modern. Everything is streamlined down to the minute, yet they don't rush you at all. While there are some techs that will have more information than others, they were all extremely professional...You'll mostly deal with the doctor's staff, but if you need the doctor, she seems reachable.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr Akopians was very patient and open to questions about the process. Her goal was to make sure I was an all around healthy patient. She outlined the process and made sure I understood next steps. She reviewed all my tests very quickly and her staff always got back to me same day.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
You'll mostly deal with the doctor's staff, but if you need the doctor, she seems reachable.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I had a one on one meeting with Dr. Akopians who answered all of my questions and did not rush me. Her entire staff at both the Pasadena and Beverly Hills offices were very warm and friendly.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
They did not rush the process. After initial consult, the first step was being observed with my cycle as is. I was then prescribed medication to up my estrogen levels before day 1 of my cycle. I then began my stims of Menopur, Gonal, and Omnitrope for 10 days, while having regular visits at the doctor's to monitor my levels. I will then go on Centrotide and Pregynl.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Mariam)
Everyone at SCRC has been lovely. They're kind and quick to answer questions. Their appointment system is down to a science, allowing for quick early morning visits.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinics are clean and modern. Everything is streamlined down to the minute, yet they don't rush you at all. While there are some techs that will have more information than others, they were all extremely professional.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Approximately $14,000-20,000 was spent from beginning to end.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
I believe they might have a systems issue because twice I've had issues with medicine not being called into the pharmacy. It seems like an accident or an oversight not someone forgetting to do something.
Dr. Akopians diagnosed my endometriosis...often cite research studies to support responses to our questions...modified my protocol to yield better outcomes...called me while she was on vacation to provide my procedure results...takes into account all factors and circumstances including those of my partner
Strengths [or Southern California Reproductive Center]Physicians with Industry leading knowledge and care as they were the pioneers of IVF...Weakness...website portal can be better. It went offline a few times which caused some inconveniences...experienced great quality of service and care
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Strengths:
Knowledge: Dr. Akopians would often cite research studies to support responses to our questions. She was a wealth of information and has experience to back it up. She also modified my protocol to yield better outcomes.
Compassionate: Dr. Akopians called me while she was on vacation to provide my procedure results.
Comprehensive: She takes into account all factors and circumstances including those of my partner.
Availability: Dr. Akopians made herself available (remote or in person) whenever I needed extra care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Our path was long and challenging, Dr. Akopians earned our trust to manage our care through all the obstacles. Trust the process, you are dealing with someone who is passionate, knowledgeable and cares about your journey.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians diagnosed my endometriosis and generously co-performed my endometrioma surgery with another doctor. This isn't something she was required to do but decided to because she cares about her patients.
Another instance which showed how much Dr. Akopians cares is that weeks after my embryo transfer, I experienced bleeding. I ended up in the ER after hours, she was generous enough to take the call from ER doctor (late evening) and confirmed I was experiencing subchorionic hematoma. Next day, Dr. Akopians made accommodations to see me and confirmed the diagnosis.
These are just two examples from 2 years of care under Dr. Akopians.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Since each persons treatment is different, I can generally describe mine. My treatments were progressively modified in each cycle to yield best outcomes. I went through 4 cycles.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center.
I experienced great quality of service and care in both Pasadena and Beverly Hills facilities. The nursing staff was professional, prompt and provided detailed instructions to the protocol after each visit.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Strengths:
Physicians with Industry leading knowledge and care as they were the pioneers of IVF.
Weakness:
The website portal can be better. It went offline a few times which caused some inconveniences.
Describe Alin Lina Akopians's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Akopians will present whatever recommendation fits your needs.
Initial consult was amazing. She [Dr. Akopians] explained everything in a away that was easy to understand and gave a lot of insight as to what to expect. Once the ball started rolling; almost two weeks in, several scans completed and medications ordered; no one provided a specific treatment plan or reviewed the treatment cycle with us. After requesting this meeting...Her tone changed and we moved forward. Her bedside manner at time of retrieval was very gentle and warm. And her communication with updates was great...
I cant say that I am impressed overall with my total experience [at Southern California Reproductive Center]. Their website mentions taking a whole person approach but it is very much a clinical experience...Nurse didn't know my name even though she had already called me three times in a row. Didn't hear from my doctor until 2 weeks after initial scan. Communication through the portal overall is very cold and impersonal. Some communication through portal is ok but any education/ next steps would be better in a phone call...
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Initial consult was amazing. She explained everything in a away that was easy to understand and gave a lot of insight as to what to expect. Once the ball started rolling; almost two weeks in, several scans completed and medications ordered; no one provided a specific treatment plan or reviewed the treatment cycle with us. After requesting this meeting, the doctor called and had a tone in her voice and stated that "this was already explained in the first meeting" We were able to point out that the "consultation" was great but that conversation involved many what if's and nothing specific was reviewed with us directly. Not even the medication calendar was reviewed. Her tone changed and we moved forward. Her bedside manner at time of retrieval was very gentle and warm. And her communication with updates was great.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I would say this any patient to any doctor: Speak up and ask the questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Nurse didn't know my name even though she had already called me three times in a row. Didn't hear from my doctor until 2 weeks after initial scan. Communication through the portal overall is very cold and impersonal. Some communication through portal is ok but any education/ next steps would be better in a phone call. At the BH office, the staff seemed very unpassionate about their role.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
I wasn't given specific reasons as to why she used the specific protocol but I remember being told that "these medications I feel would be best" I wasn't very satisfied with the answer but at that point we just have to trust the doctor. Post retrieval Dr.Akopians did discuss a different treatment plan that could possible have better results.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Miriam)
Heavy handed with the needles for blood draw. Didn't order me enough medications to get through the 1st week. Didn't explain much in regards to the protocol being used and why. I was told to look at the calendar for details and changes. I wasn't provided updated calendars. Just confusing instructions in an email if there were any changes.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
I cant say that I am impressed overall with my total experience. Their website mentions taking a whole person approach but it is very much a clinical experience. When I requested the mental health support, they didn't have a singe referral source. When asked for acupuncturist, they only had one, maybe near their Beverly Hills office. No nutritional support was provided or encouraged either.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center.
scans, genetic testing,
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I am beyond grateful to have had the pleasure of being under Dr. Akopians' care. She is knowledgeable, caring with excellent bedside manner. Truly a master at what she does and a remarkable human! She called with our embryo report to let us know how many eggs had been fertilized, the condition of the embryos and how many were going to get sent out for genetic testing. Once she received our genetic report, she called us back to let us know how many genetically normal embryos we had.
One thing a new patient [at SCRC] should know is that it's critical to have access to your patient portal. The clinical team and surgery center nurses all communicate through the portal so it's essential. The clinical team calls and sends correspondences after each visit notifying you of next steps, results and instructions. Make sure you have access to the portal. It is the fastest and easiest way to communicate with your team.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
She is kind, straightforward and compassionate. I would recommend her to anyone who needs guidance to embark on this journey. She is highly knowledgeable and I trusted her implicitly. Her expertise made this journey seamless.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
TRUST her! She knows what she is doing. She is honest and tells you how it is. She will tell you what will work for you and what wont. Trust her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I am beyond grateful to have had the pleasure of being under Dr. Akopians' care. She is knowledgeable, caring with excellent bedside manner. Truly a master at what she does and a remarkable human! She called with our embryo report to let us know how many eggs had been fertilized, the condition of the embryos and how many were going to get sent out for genetic testing. Once she received our genetic report, she called us back to let us know how many genetically normal embryos we had.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Mariam)
Mariam is Dr. Akopians' nurse in Pasadena. She is just as kind and compassionate as Dr. Akopians herself.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
One thing a new patient should know is that it's critical to have access to your patient portal. The clinical team and surgery center nurses all communicate through the portal so it's essential. The clinical team calls and sends correspondences after each visit notifying you of next steps, results and instructions. Make sure you have access to the portal. It is the fastest and easiest way to communicate with your team.
Dr. Akopians always talked me through everything in detail and answered any questions I had. She adjusted my meds between my first and second egg retrival and the second time, we had success...Dr. Akopians really wanted me to have 2 chomosonally normal embryos to transfer.
[Southern California Reproductive Center] Pasadena clinic is fantastic -- it's small and very personable...Beverly Hills clinic can be slightly overwhelming since it's so large, but everyone always treated me well...you have a lot of appointments! You really get to know everyone well.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians always talked me through everything in detail and answered any questions I had. She adjusted my meds between my first and second egg retrival and the second time, we had success. I wll never forget that when we had success, she was over the moon, calling me on a holiday weekend to let me know.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
My advice would be to have your questions ready when you speak with Dr. Akopians. But if you forget to ask something, you can still get your question answered through her staff.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians is the best! She is warm and caring. I felt she was very invested in me and my journey toward becoming a mother.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
N/A
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Kristy Sheldon)
Kristy was my point of contact and she is fantastic! She treated me like a human and always talked everything through with me in great detail. I counted on her.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The Pasadena clinic is fantastic -- it's small and very personable. The Beverly Hills clinic can be slightly overwhelming since it's so large, but everyone always treated me well. One thing I didn't know before doing IVF is that you have a lot of appointments! You really get to know everyone well.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center.
N/A
Describe Alin Lina Akopians's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Akopians really wanted me to have 2 chomosonally normal embryos to transfer.
can't say enough about the care, positivity, and expertise I experienced with Dr. Akopians...helped me immensely with referrals and diagnoses...helped me navigate a carrier screening diagnosis as well as the need for a third surgery...was supportive and thorough...was kind and patient.
[Southern California Reproductive Center has] One weakness...their patient portal is hard to navigate. I had to start new emails for every message instead of a threaded experience. Other than that, no problems at all with communication. Someone always responded.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I can't say enough about the care, positivity, and expertise I experienced with Dr. Akopians at SCRC. I had been in consultation in preparation for options, and Dr. Akopians helped me immensely with referrals and diagnoses. She helped me navigate a carrier screening diagnosis as well as the need for a third surgery. I ended up conceiving naturally, but she continued to see me until I found an ObGyn per her offer.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I suppose she is very factual, and I could see why people would see that as not being as warm, but ask her anything and be prepared for thorough information and follow-up.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Every time I saw Dr. Akopians, she was supportive and thorough. She was kind and patient.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
One weakness is their patient portal is hard to navigate. I had to start new emails for every message instead of a threaded experience. Other than that, no problems at all with communication. Someone always responded.
Dr. Akopians was compassionate, yet very direct. She always explained things in a clear, concise manner which was very helpful given how emotionally draining the process can be on the patient...methodical and smooth...Her dedication to getting the best results meant that there were adjustments we had to make (thyroid, vit D, uterine polyps etc) before we could get started with the embryo transfer process. Her approach was to get the biggest chance I could at having a successful outcome...
The nursing staff was warm and friendly throughout the entire process. They were always available to answer questions and I truly felt supported at SCRC with how attentive they were...Scheduling appointments is relatively easy...I appreciated being able to be in and out without waiting too long, especially at the Pasadena location...all the major procedures are done at the Beverly Hills location which, if you don't live very close, could be a negative. Many more patients visit this location so wait times are longer.
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
As a patient, the experience with Dr. Akopians was methodical and smooth. Her dedication to getting the best results meant that there were adjustments we had to make (thyroid, vit D, uterine polyps etc) before we could get started with the embryo transfer process. Her approach was to get the biggest chance I could at having a successful outcome. After one chemical pregnancy and a miscarriage, I finally got pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Trust in Dr. Akopians's process and throw the timeline you have in your head out the window as unexpected things will pop up.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians was compassionate, yet very direct. She always explained things in a clear, concise manner which was very helpful given how emotionally draining the process can be on the patient.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Southern California Reproductive Center.
The nursing staff was warm and friendly throughout the entire process. They were always available to answer questions and I truly felt supported at SCRC with how attentive they were.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Strengths: Scheduling appointments is relatively easy and the high volume of the clinic means there is a fairly efficient working system. I appreciated being able to be in and out without waiting too long, especially at the Pasadena location.
Weaknesses: Only weakness is that all the major procedures are done at the Beverly Hills location which, if you don't live very close, could be a negative. Many more patients visit this location so wait times are longer.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Southern California Reproductive Center.
They generally had a window on Tuesday mornings for ultrasound monitoring so I was able to pick a time within that slot that worked for me.
During the consultation, Dr. Akopians was very thorough. She answered all my questions and wasn’t pushy. I didn’t see her every appointment. Over the phone, I thought she was too straight to the point at first but that’s not the case at all. She’s a very warm and caring doctor. She doesn’t beat around the bush and tells you how it is which I completely appreciate. I had trust in her and her experience...
Mariam and Sophie [nurses at Southern California Reproductive Center] answered all my questions promptly, didn't make me feel crazy or stupid, was always warm and friendly...Pasadena wait time is pretty fast. I loved the clinical team, ultrasound techs and office manager. You have to go to the Beverly Hills office for some things though including the actual IUI procedure. Parking was inconvenient there, the front staff was not as friendly nor was the ultrasound tech...
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
During the consultation, Dr. Akopians was very thorough. She answered all my questions and wasn’t pushy. I didn’t see her every appointment. Over the phone, I thought she was too straight to the point at first but that’s not the case at all. She’s a very warm and caring doctor. She doesn’t beat around the bush and tells you how it is which I completely appreciate.
I had trust in her and her experience – felt like I was in good hands every step of the way.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
My first pregnancy at the age of 32 was relatively fast and easy. I got pregnant after 3-4 months of TTC. 3 years later, I assumed getting pregnant second time around would be the same. I regret waiting over a year. I wish I went to see her sooner.
Describe the protocols Alin Lina Akopians used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
1st cycle, I took clomid for my IUI but we didn't go through with IUI last minute because my uterine lining wasn't thickening. We tried naturally at home and wasn't successful.
2nd cycle, she monitored me. She thought I was the rare percentage of patients whose uterine lining thinned from clomid. I supplemented clomid with some injection and progesterone. We didn't do IUI in office but tried naturally at home and it wasn't successful.
3rd cycle, I took clomid, did injections at home and inserted progesterone. Went into the office for IUI and now I'm 31 weeks pregnant with twins.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Mariam)
Very patient. Answered all my "urgent" questions. Everything is urgent and frantic after a year of trying unsuccessful and having a miscarriage. Mariam and Sophie answered all my questions promptly, didn't make me feel crazy or stupid, was always warm and friendly.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Pasadena wait time is pretty fast. I loved the clinical team, ultrasound techs and office manager. You have to go to the Beverly Hills office for some things though including the actual IUI procedure. Parking was inconvenient there, the front staff was not as friendly nor was the ultrasound tech. One thing BH location as for them is the male phlebotomist. Most phlebotomists have a hard time finding my veins so they poke me couple of times or have to dig and they have to use butterfly needles. He drew multiple vials and it was painless.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Cash patient. 3 cycles cost around 3,000-4,000.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Lost appointments
Scheduled the wrong procedure
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Wrong scheduling, confusion and long wait time was done at the BH location not the Pasadena one.
Dr. Akopians was thorough in asking us the right questions to gather information about both of our backgrounds and determine our fertility goals...clear in explaining our options...Over the course of a year, we went through 3 IUIs cycles, 2 IVF cycles, a hysteroscopy, and x1 successful frozen embryo transfer that resulted in a live birth!
[Southern California Reproductive Center is] extremely busy and fast paced...entire team there was very thoughtful and caring. Due to the frequency of my visits, they knew me by name...billing department wasn't the most efficient either...Mariam (her main nurse in Pasadena) was very empathetic and always willing to answer my never-ending questions
How was your experience with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians helped us conceive our beautiful baby girl!
She is one of the most compassionate, knowledgeable, and detail oriented doctors I have ever had.
From our very first consultation appointment with her over Telehealth, Dr. Akopians was thorough in asking us the right questions to gather information about both of our backgrounds and determine our fertility goals. She was clear in explaining our options but never pushed us towards a treatment plan we weren't comfortable with.
Over the course of a year, we went through 3 IUIs cycles, 2 IVF cycles, a hysteroscopy, and x1 successful frozen embryo transfer that resulted in a live birth!
Even though the monitoring appointments as well as the scheduling were all done by her team, Dr. Akopians performed all the procedures herself. She was also the one who kept us updated on how our embryos were doing post retrieval, even if it was over the weekend.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
The process may take much longer than you initially anticipated.
Dr. Akopians cares about you and your journey. Be patient and trust the process.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alin Lina Akopians at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Akopians worked in a very busy clinic at the time. Majority of the monitoring appointments and the follow up phone calls/emails were done by her wonderful team. However, she was always the one that reviewed every single ultrasound and blood work results before instructing her team what the next steps looked like when they made a follow up phone call to me later that same day. Occasionally, Dr. Akopians would call me with the results herself just to ask how I'm doing or feeling mid cycle.
If I ever wanted to talk to Dr. Akopians directly or ask her follow up questions, she was prompt in calling me back same day or responded to my question through the clinic's online portal.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Mariam)
I mostly dealt with the staff at Dr. Akopian's previous clinic's Pasadena location.
Her entire team there was very thoughtful and caring. Due to the frequency of my visits, they knew me by name. They made the process seamless and more bearable.
After a little while, going into the constant monitoring appointments didn't feel like a burden anymore.
Mariam (her main nurse in Pasadena) was very empathetic and always willing to answer my never-ending questions. She never forgot to call me back or to reach out to provide next steps in every detail.
I occasionally worked with Julia (her nurse in Beverly Hills) as well over the weekend monitoring appointments and she was also a sweetheart and very detail oriented in terms of providing instructions and next steps.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Dr. Akopians' previous clinic was extremely busy and fast paced.
Their Beverly Hills location was much busier and had longer wait times.
Scheduling for procedures wasn't always seamless as multiple doctors within the clinic had to schedule their patients back to back using the same surgical unit and staff. Sometimes it felt like some doctors' patients were prioritized over others if the procedure needing to be scheduled wasn't considered as time sensitive as others.
Their billing department wasn't the most efficient either.
If I had to call to ask for certain itemized receipts for insurance submission purposes, I'd often find myself being thrown around from one person's voicemail to the other, hoping one of them would eventually get back to me with an answer.
For this reason, I would try my best to provide payment after every visit and ask for an itemized receipt on the spot to avoid running into issues later.
I had a DNC prior to my first transfer [with Dr. Rychlik] as a clean out. Also had an ERA when the 3rd transfer failed...He gave a bunch of metaphors and analogies as though it was scripted. He didn't really want to investigate why I had infertility but instead provided theoretical reasons and that the answer regardless was still IVF. He told me my chances of a successful pregnancy was 85% but we had zero success with Rychlik...he seems to not think outside the box and wants every patient to fit his protocol. I don't feel he looks at each patient as an individual person. He was always very polite and kind but he doesn't do well responding to failure or patient concerns.
The clinic [Southern California Reproductive Center] is quick to get you seen and start your protocol. But they had a lot of change while I was there. Both in nursing staff and doctor rescheduling my calendar. Over promise and under deliver in my opinion. Very clean and beautiful state of the art facility. Fairly expensive for IVF, and yet after 4 failed transfers and lots of money spent still charged for my copy of records...Mainly it was poor communication when changes needed to happen. Early on the Dr. was out of town so they had to move my calendar around after I had already scheduled all my appointments and rearranged my work schedule. Then my nurse failed to call me for my transfer time the next day. My nurse also set me up for all my appointments in the main clinic instead of my local clinic.
How was your experience with Daniel Rychlik at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Rychlik has what seems like the experience and accreditation as an endocrinologist, but he seems to not think outside the box and wants every patient to fit his protocol. I don't feel he looks at each patient as an individual person. He was always very polite and kind but he doesn't do well responding to failure or patient concerns. There was no talk about what to do next after 4 failed transfers, it was almost as though he didn't want me as a patient anymore. Maybe it's because I would bring his success rates down? Not sure. He took no responsibility for my failures, so while even though he didn't know what was wrong with me there must be a problem and it couldn't be his protocol. The most frustrating thing was that early on in our first consult I told him is it possible that it is my uterus? He said no way that is just not likely and talked about a study of women who received uterine transplants from post menopause women and they conceived fine. In the end when we had our final failure he basically told me that he thought it was my uterus. He gave me this answer without any testing or diagnostics. Overall Rychlik is a decent man but I can't say we developed rapport so I decided to go elsewhere for a yet another opinion.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Daniel Rychlik at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Push him to give you answers as to exactly what protocol he uses for stimulation and why. Also ask him exactly what he thinks is your infertility diagnosis and if the first transfer fails what next? See if he can provide real data to his success rates and where that proof is on the CDC website.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Daniel Rychlik at Southern California Reproductive Center?
He gave a bunch of metaphors and analogies as though it was scripted. He didn't really want to investigate why I had infertility but instead provided theoretical reasons and that the answer regardless was still IVF. He told me my chances of a successful pregnancy was 85% but we had zero success with Rychlik; also his CDC postings are not near that claim. I miscarried on my first transfer and was devastated, he was oddly optimistic telling me that bleeding could be totally normal, well I told him I was bleeding a lot and cramping. I felt he gave me a false hope and he should have known things were not looking good and been upfront with me. On my last transfer which was a chemical pregnancy he asked me if I had ever miscarried before in another transfer, he didn't even review my chart before giving me the bad news. On that final call he provided no hope, no explanation, and recommended surrogacy. He said he would change nothing in his protocol or wouldn't investigate anything further. I felt like I was going through this totally alone and I had no ally.
Describe the protocols Daniel Rychlik used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Stimulation was with Gonal F and lupron. Transfers were with progesterone and estrogen in form of IM, oral and suppositories. I had a DNC prior to my first transfer as a clean out. Also had an ERA when the 3rd transfer failed.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Rae)
Failed to provide my schedile, failed to give me my transfer time, failed to schedule me locally rather than at the main clinic, failed to tell me she would be my new nurse, failed to tell me how to reach her when she changed emails to a team email, and had a late response on communication. I eventually requested a new nurse. The rest of the nursing staff was fine. The US nurse is a sweetheart and the front desk girl is always a great communicator.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The clinic is quick to get you seen and start your protocol. But they had a lot of change while I was there. Both in nursing staff and doctor rescheduling my calendar. Over promise and under deliver in my opinion. Very clean and beautiful state of the art facility. Fairly expensive for IVF, and yet after 4 failed transfers and lots of money spent still charged for my copy of records. If I were to go back to this clinic I would consider seeing Dr. Surrey instead.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Had my monitoring don't by a local center.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Daniel Rychlik at Southern California Reproductive Center.
For the first round all in, including the guest transfer was about 25,000. Each transfer after was about 5,000. ERA was about 1,500.
Describe Daniel Rychlik's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Doctor prefers single transfers.
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Mainly it was poor communication when changes needed to happen. Early on the Dr. was out of town so they had to move my calendar around after I had already scheduled all my appointments and rearranged my work schedule. Then my nurse failed to call me for my transfer time the next day. My nurse also set me up for all my appointments in the main clinic instead of my local clinic.
Dr. Surrey only spent 10 minutes with us before being whisked away - and that was the end of our $200 initial consultation. He talked to me like he couldn’t wait to get out of the room, was dismissive, rude and was clearly trying to check my appt off his list before moving on to something else...We sat down in his office and he never acknowledged my husband...He was cold, couldn’t have seemed less interested in us and it was almost as if we were bothering him and he thought we were stupid.
The interactions I had with the [Southern California Reproductive Center] front desk staff were all extremely professional, kind & compassionate. It is also clear that they value privacy of their patients. It’s unfortunate that they were the only positive in this whole situation....Dr. Surrey only spent 10 minutes with us before being whisked away - and that was the end of our $200 initial consultation. He talked to me like he couldn’t wait to get out of the room, was dismissive, rude and was clearly trying to check my appt off his list before moving on to something else.
How was your experience with Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center?
We filled out SO much paperwork ahead of time, had our medical records sent from our previous fertility clinic (including details on 3 IUI cycles), and were very prepared with questions. We sat down in his office and he never acknowledged my husband. The first thing he asked me was “how’s your health?” & told him that I’m doing well - that my very minor autoimmune issues have been in remission for a few years & I’ve really been putting my health first. Then he asked “what happened in August 2021” and I told him I had an early loss/chemical pregnancy. He said “yeah I’m gonna need to see your rheumatology records” to which I shared that I had all my bloodwork from the past 4 years with me. He dismissed me and said he didn’t want to see them and that he would need to get them from the doctor himself. I then told him I had recently found out I was pregnant (didn’t cancel the appt because I wanted to cover all my bases) and all he said was “yeah well the likelihood of another loss is pretty good so I’m gonna need your records.” After that (only 10 minutes), the nurse mentioned he needed to go, so he told us that we could decide if we wanted to stay with our old doctor or start seeing him and get back to his front desk people. And that was it. He was cold, couldn’t have seemed less interested in us and it was almost as if we were bothering him and he thought we were stupid.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I would tell them to consider elsewhere. The clinic staff was lovely but interacting with him put a damper on the entire clinic.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Dr. Surrey only spent 10 minutes with us before being whisked away - and that was the end of our $200 initial consultation. He talked to me like he couldn’t wait to get out of the room, was dismissive, rude and was clearly trying to check my appt off his list before moving on to something else.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Southern California Reproductive Center.
The woman who was in the room with us (and stayed for a few minutes after Dr. Surrey left) was very kind. She gave us options about next steps and took time to listen but we were just so interested in getting out of there that we didn’t want to interact that much.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
The interactions I had with the front desk staff were all extremely professional, kind & compassionate. It is also clear that they value privacy of their patients. It’s unfortunate that they were the only positive in this whole situation.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center.
We only saw him for a consultation. Which was $200 and we only saw him for 10 minutes. We aren’t sure if this is standard or not but for comparison our other doctor spent over an hour with us for our first consultation
I like that she [Dr. Debra Minjarez] is honest and doesn’t sugar coat hard news. I wish that she gave more details, context, and reasons for protocol and/or tests, and what to expect next. It seems she has too many patients at once and speeds through appointments or conversations which makes it hard to ask my questions. There was one appointment where we were sitting in her office and I was asking questions and at one point she got up and stood with the door open, insinuating that our conversation was over, when I still had more questions to talk through.
[Southern California Reproductive Center] Strengths: covered by my insurance, staff is friendly. Weaknesses: over worked and under staffed. It is next to impossible to call and have someone at the clinic answer the phone. They do have an answering service but when dealing with such sensitive matters, it’s not ideal...My nurse is great at making me feel cared for and rooted for.
How was your experience with Debra Minjarez at Southern California Reproductive Center?
I like that she is honest and doesn’t sugar coat hard news. I wish that she gave more details, context, and reasons for protocol and/or tests, and what to expect next. It seems she has too many patients at once and speeds through appointments or conversations which makes it hard to ask my questions. There was one appointment where we were sitting in her office and I was asking questions and at one point she got up and stood with the door open, insinuating that our conversation was over, when I still had more questions to talk through.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Debra Minjarez at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Do your own research, ask lots of questions, always ask why.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Debra Minjarez at Southern California Reproductive Center?
There were moments that I really felt like she cared, for example I was very nervous at my first egg retrieval and she was very kind by holding my hand and reassuring me everything would be ok.
At other point I didn’t feel like I got the attention I needed because she/the clinic was so busy and understaffed.
Describe the protocols Debra Minjarez used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
My first protocol was seemingly very easy: menopur, gonal, and HGH. We got 4 eggs, 3 mature, 3 fertilized, 1 PGT normal. Because this was the first cycle we weren’t sure what we’d get and this was great news. The second cycle she kept the same protocol with one change: adding Lupron at the beginning. The Lupron increases the release of your own FSH in addition to the injections you are taking to try to get maybe one additional follicle to growth.
The second cycle did not go well at all. We only had 1 follicle. The IVF was canceled and converted to an IUI that failed.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Southern California Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Vicky Ayala)
My nurse is great at making me feel cared for and rooted for. Unfortunately she is overworked and understaffed so she is overwhelmed in the amount on her plate which translates to a lack in communication and organization.
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Strengths: covered by my insurance, staff is friendly.
Weaknesses: over worked and under staffed. It is next to impossible to call and have someone at the clinic answer the phone. They do have an answering service but when dealing with such sensitive matters, it’s not ideal. This gets especially anxiety inducing during critical points in your protocol. When my IVF cycle was canceled and converted to an IUI it was chaos figuring out what was happening and how it’d be covered by insurance. It was very unpleasant.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Debra Minjarez at Southern California Reproductive Center.
I have progyny benefits so fortunately I don’t see much cost.
Describe Debra Minjarez's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
n/a
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Cancelled IVF cycle converted to an IUI cycle was chaos trying to understand what I needed to do for my shots. I didn’t get the call on what to do until an hour before I needed to take my shots. And even then I wasn’t sure anyone would call because it was so late (8 pm).
Another cycle I was told to start birth control and so I did but I kept questioning why, and had to ask multiple times, before being told to stop because they’d gotten what we were doing wrong.
I also had an experience during a vaginal ultrasound where the regular tech and a new person training were arguing over how to conduct the US and passing the wand back and forth (and fighting over it) while it was still in my vagina.
Great credentials, knowledgeable but terrible bedside manner. We only saw him [Dr. Mark Surrey] for our initial consult and a few procedures I needed before starting retrieval process...Have a list of questions you would like to ask ready if you are considering using him, be prepared as getting a hold of him after the fact is difficult...very blunt and matter of fact. No follow up, too busy with multiple clinics, felt like a number rather than an individual
[Southern California Reproductive Center has] Convenient morning hours Location right next door to surgery center which was nice for retrieval and hysteroscopy I needed Small waiting room which is ok but on busy mornings it can get tight Sometimes difficult to get through to receptionist, they have a call center which relays messages to clinic or nursing staff so phone tag can be common...
How was your experience with Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Great credentials, knowledgeable but terrible bedside manner. We only saw him for our initial consult and a few procedures I needed before starting retrieval process. The day of my HCG call I did not receive a call, I took a home pregnancy test and saw it was faint positive so I figured it was a chemical pregnancy. I had to call multiple times to get through to after hours nurse and once she got ahold of the doctor I did get a call until later that evening with confirmation it was a chemical pregnancy. No apology as to why they missed calling me sooner, very blunt and matter of fact. No follow up, too busy with multiple clinics, felt like a number rather than an individual
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Have a list of questions you would like to ask ready if you are considering using him, be prepared as getting a hold of him after the fact is difficult
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Did not receive results of HCG, had to call after hours number and doctor did not call until late evening
Describe the protocols Mark Surrey used in your cycles at Southern California Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
For retrieval I used follistim and gonal with ovidrel trigger. It was over 2 years ago I don’t remember the exact protocol but ~15 eggs were retrieved with 7 making it to day 5 and 5 coming back normal after testing. For my first transfer cycle I did fully medicated which resulted in chemical pregnancy
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Southern California Reproductive Center.
The lead nurse Vicky who is no longer working at the clinic was fantastic. Very empathetic and did her best to explain things when I needed additional clarification
Describe your experience with Southern California Reproductive Center.
Convenient morning hours
Location right next door to surgery center which was nice for retrieval and hysteroscopy I needed
Small waiting room which is ok but on busy mornings it can get tight
Sometimes difficult to get through to receptionist, they have a call center which relays messages to clinic or nursing staff so phone tag can be common
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Surrey at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Consult 235
Retrieval with meds ~15k
Hysteroscopy 2500
Transfer 5500
Saline sonogram 500
Describe Mark Surrey's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Southern California Reproductive Center.
Did not discuss transferring multiple
What specific things went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center?
Failed to call with results
Lost results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Southern California Reproductive Center.
