Oma Fertility - Santa Barbara (closed)

Dr. Dan’s strengths are being able to use analogies to explain some medical things. Personally, I did not appreciate that. It felt as though he spoke in circles. I only spoke with him 3 total times and I never trusted he had a complete understanding of me and my case. He wasn’t willing to change his standard protocol and just wanted to repeat cycles, each cycle costing more money. He seemed like an intelligent doctor who was interested in my case at my consult, but failed to prove that through my care.

Ask a lot of questions and speak up if you don’t feel something is correct.

I was on the low stim protocol for both of my cycles. I did 14 days of Menopur, Gonal-F, and added in the Fyremadel toward the end. I used a Lupron trigger for my first ER that I didn’t respond to, but he still went through with the retrieval resulting in 1 immature egg. The second round was the same protocol but did an Ovidrel trigger. We did retrieve 15 eggs but my 1 blast was abnormal and not suitable for transfer.

They would get too busy and started having to do monitoring in the afternoons, which was inconvenient and didn’t match what they had in their protocol.

My low stim IVF package was $7500 plus $4700 for medication. I would have paid more to have personalized care.

Dr. Dan required PGT testing in his packages and would only transfer 1 embryo. But we never made it past PGT testing with Dr. Dan.

I didn't think my wife and I had a fertility issue until frolicking and fun, spontaneous or planned well in advanced didn’t result in any close calls. Ultimately, we had a long discussion about wanting children and wondering why, after nearly 10yrs of marriage (and frolicking) that it hadn’t happen. We both went to our respective primary care doctors and were each told “there is no health reason you can’t have children”. This is where my wife and I were very fortunate to find Dr. Rychlik. He sent us to get additional lab test (for both me and my wife), followed by an honest assessment of getting pregnant naturally. We are an older couple, I’m older than my wife and she is now in her early 40’s. It turns out that being healthy, in every way, including her uterus and the motility of my sperm…doesn’t guarantee pregnancy…and those odds drop every day we get older. After more conversation with Dr Rychlik we decided to put our trust in him and go the IVF route. The IVF process doesn’t ask much of me…my wife has been the epicenter of it; all the shots, the mood swings, the pain…it’s not easy. However, I couldn’t imagine going through IVF with any other doctor than Dr. Rychlik and his entire team. He is clear and precise about what he expect from you as a patient; you have to follow the protocols exactly. Also, his team is also clean, and empathetic; they certainly imparted a high level of positive energy, empathy and kindness in particular during egg retrieval and the days following successful implant. We are in our 3rd trimester and have had a relatively worry free 1st and 2nd trimester because all the advice Dr Rychlik gave us; in particular genetic testing of the embryos for viability. Based on how many eggs were retrieved versus how many were viable; it’s clear to me why we didn’t have any accidents; if left to ours own devices we wouldn’t be expecting. Dr Rychlik (and his team) made all the difference. I think IVF could be among the most significant endeavors my wife and I have ever undertaken (separately or as a couple), made easier by Dr. Rychlik’s leadership, precision and sound practical advice. I can’t say enough good things, I can literally go on and on.

I think he has a specific way of doing things, ultimately he is as goal oriented as the patient (the goal being to get pregnant). If you follow his very specific instructions, I think it affords patients the best chance.

I don’t remember the specific being the husband, I can only watch as my wife meticulously executed the instructions. From vaginal suppositories to a number of injections (for retrieval, post retrieval and implantation, etc)…the rational was simple, all of these treatments provided a better opportunity to retrieve viable eggs and a good implantation.

10k without the required meds

We only had two viable eggs; we were given the impression that implanting one was the safest way to go. And we took that advice.

Dr. Rychlik has a very deep understanding of the process. He is in fact very updated on the latest developments in the field. He explained how the embryology lab is the an important, if not the most important part of the fertility treatment and how his lab was the most state of the art lab in the city. He was super compassionate, he is extremely funny and that made me very comfortable throughout my journey. He is a super start and Santa Barbara is lucky to have a physician of this quality.

There are a lot of services that are part of the plan when you chose to do IVF with Dr. Rychlik. Psychologists, nutritionists and acupuncture specialist. They make you feel in control and relaxed during the process. Its a fantastic experience.

I had a pretty straightforward experience. I was explained the issue, the protocol and I am pleased with the results!

IVF cycle was $7,500 and it was included pgt-a testing. The Embryo transfer was $4000 which included all transfers made from one cycle. We loved this idea of transparency and knowing what is the ceiling!

Dr. Rychlik strongly only does single embryo transfer if the embryo has been biopsied and tested for abnormalities. It was explained to us and we were in alignment with his decision.