Aline Ketefian

After I had a miscarriage with my first transfer and my husband and I were ready to try another transfer, Dr. Ketefian took the time to really think about what our options were and talked through all of our questions with us. She also suggested consultations with other specialists (in my case, a reproductive immunologist) and was always open to working with his approach (adjusting cycles, etc., as needed). I truly always felt heard and that our questions were being addressed at every single appointment.

You will sometimes have to wait a little longer than expected at your appointments to see Dr. Ketefian, but it's definitely worth it! :)

A mock transfer to determine my receptivity was something I am very grateful that Dr. Ketefian did prior to my first transfer. This helped determine how long I would take progesterone in oil leading up to my transfer. I also had a protocol of estradiol and endometrin. For my second transfer, I also used PiO, estradiol, and endometrin, but Dr. Ketefian also added in estrogen patches. As I mentioned previously, she was also open to hearing input from my Reproductive Immunologist and they worked together prior to my second transfer, which included 3 months of Lupron and Letrozole (after a Receptiva test that showed I had elevated inflammation).

I believe that the up front IVF package (retrieval, first transfer, and all associated appointments) was about $14,000. This did not include any medications.

My husband and I ended up with 3 PGT tested normal embryos after my egg retrieval in 2020. For my first transfer, Dr. Ketefian recommended single embryo transfer with our most highly rated embryo. That transfer was successful (although I had a miscarriage at almost 14 weeks). When it came time for second transfer, based on the ratings of the two embryos we had left, Dr. Ketefian recommended transferring both. One did not "stick" and I am currently pregnant with a singleton pregnancy. (I believe that this was hands down the best decision and am grateful we transferred both of the remaining embryos.)

During our initial consult and throughout our treatment, Dr. Ketefian has been patient, empathic, and understanding. She speaks calmly, carefully, and with purpose. I never feel rushed and she always makes sure I don't have any more questions. I thought her recommendations were a little on the conservative side (e.g., having us wait a full 12 months of trying to conceive naturally before running any diagnostic tests, recommending IUI before IVF despite male factor infertility diagnosis), but I understand the value of trying less intensive treatments first. I liked that Dr. Ketefian called me to give me an update on our embryo development after our egg retrieval. Our results were worse than I anticipated, so I appreciated that Dr. Ketefian called me to tell me the news (instead of the nurse), but I wish someone (Dr. or nurses) had prepped me for the full range of possible outcomes, good and bad, just so I could've been more prepared. Overall, great doctor. Highly recommend.

Ask lots of questions. She's nonjudgmental and never made us feel like we were asking dumb questions. Also, anticipate that you probably won't get to see Dr. Ketefian during all of your monitoring appointments. She did about 25% of my monitoring ultrasounds.

I was prescribed Gonal F, menopur, and ganirelix. 15 eggs retrieved, 1 blastocyst.

Cost of egg retrieval including meds: $12,950

Dr. Ketefian is a fantastic doctor. She was honest with us through all of the procedures. After our 3 IUIs she told us that it would be in our best interest to move to IVF. She was clear with us throughout the process so we would understand what would be happening. She was always open to answering any questions we had. On our first transfer, she even agreed to call us on day 2 to let us know how the embryos were doing even though they do not normally do that. She called us personally, not just the embryologist or a nurse. Her protocol worked out and we got pregnant with that first transfer despite doing a 3 day transfer. During our second cycle, our retrieval was much more successful and we had more eggs to fertilize. She listened to us and allowed us to transfer 2 embryos again. For this fresh transfer we were blessed with another successful pregnancy. We were so lucky that despite having diminished ovarian reserve, we were able to freeze one embryo. About 3 years later, we went back to her for one last time. She again answered all of our questions and reviewed options for this frozen embryo transfer, since this was our first frozen transfer. Agains she listened to us about what we wanted and what we didn't want. In the end we got pregnant again for the 3rd time. 3 transfers, 2 successful live births and one current pregnancy. I can not say enough about Dr. Ketefian. She is a wonderful fertility doctor.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have about your treatment.

For our IUIs because of the diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), the first cycle was medicated with clomid. The 2nd and 3rd cycle she mimicked IVF with injectable medication which did result in one chemical pregnancy. For the two IVF cycles we used birth control and then injectable medications at the highest level due to the DOR. We also needed to take Vitamin D, baby aspirin, estrogen and progesterone.

It was on par with out fertility locations.

She was always open to what we wanted in addition to giving us her thoughts and opinion. She allowed us to transfer 2 embryos for both fresh cycles.

As a patient I felt completely taken care of with Dr. K. I trusted her knowledge and opinion . If she thought something would help us or was concerned about something we went with her advice . I never felt like she didn't have our best interest in mind. We never thought we would need fertility treatment but we were so Thankful to have had Dr.K as our Doctor. She has been the best Doctor I have ever had .

ask every and any question you might have . I had a lot of anxiety about certain decision I had to make but I always felt better after Dr.K and I talked . I would just ask her for her honest opinion and what she would do . She always made sure I understood everything and that we had a plan for the next cycle that we were both comfortable with . We both had the same goal :)

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costs were expensive but actually very reasonable compared to other clinics . I think any type of medical out of pocket seems like a lot at first . I looked into other clinics and USC was actually one of the most reasonable

Her strengths include her ability to answer your questions thoroughly and patience with making sure your questions are answered. A drawback is that she won’t email you directly but answers through her nursing staff.

Come with questions because she will make sure you leave her appointment with a good understanding of your situation.

I am Not sure of treatment strategies. It seems to be on an individual basis. I nsinly Did IUIs in her clinic which resulted in negative pregnancies. However, an additional follow up consultation was made to restrategize a new treatment plan.

I have Dual coverage so i had A zero copay.

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She was very kind and gentle throughout the process. She was humble enough to consult with other doctors regarding our treatment. She takes time to make decisions regarding treatment, which I appreciated. Her care felt very individualized. She's a great communicator- quick to answer emails and take further action if needed. Her enthusiasm when she shared the good news with us was genuine and really sweet.

You may not see her for every appointment, but she will be there for all the important appointments.

Monitoring appointments are at 7am for Dr Ketefians patients. I was usually out of there by 7:20~7:30. Weekends are a time window and you're seen by the physician on call, so it's a bit more busy during that time.

Dr. Aline Ketefian was patient with me and always transparent and delivered even not so good news with grace and sensitivity. Sometimes you are not seen right away for your scheduled time, but they keep you updated on timing along the way.

I would say, do a cycle of egg freezing here if it is your first time. Also, ask for the early appointments so you're not there all morning and you can get it done with and on with your day.

Costs are either billed by insurance or billed by RSA the surgery center

Ketefian has a warm and pleasant demeanor. She made this complicated and scary time in my life seem bearable. She was honest from the beginning and willing to put up the fight with us to conceive. I can tell she is passionate about what she does and how she helps so many people become parents.

I would say to be prepared with any questions because she will answer them. You can ask her to repeat if necessary. She wants you to understand everything as clear as possible.

I have cysts on my one and only ovary and she made sure to contact the oncologist to ok the treatment of IUI. We see cloud and the shot to release the eggs both times. She said if it didn’t work we would up the medication of Clomid and shots. Now I am on this new cycle but haven’t yet started medication.

$143 every visit $8 clomid $90 trigger shot $190 insemination

I’m in my mid-30’s and knew that I would need some help getting pregnant. Through Kaiser’s Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility located on Sunset Blvd., I got an appointment with Dr. Aline Ketefian in February 2020. She was so kind, thorough, and patient from the very beginning and throughout my subsequent visits. As I was scheduled to do my first IUI, elective procedures were put on hold due to COVID. Dr. Ketefian took the time to walk us through the clinic’s procedures for the next couple of months checking in by phone and email. Once the clinic opened again in May, we were back on track. Obviously, it was very hectic because so many couples were waiting to start around the same time. The staff was incredibly organized from the receptionist on up. They also took many precautions to keep patients and staff safe. After two failed IUI rounds, my husband and I didn’t know if we should continue. Again, we regrouped with Dr. Ketefian. She was thorough in reviewing our options. Although most couples typically decide on a 3rd or 4th IUI round, we decided to pursue IVF. Kaiser offers this service through the HRC Fertility Clinic. It’s seamless because Dr. Ketefian would continue to see us at HRC and all our health information would be transferred over. Like previous times, we met with Dr. Ketefian to walk us through the IVF process. It’s much more involved, which concerned us, but we trusted Dr. Ketefian and the staff. We waited for the new cycle to start, but we didn't end up going through with it. Much to our surprise, I got pregnant naturally in the interim! We think the IUI hormones definitely helped. This ride was full of ups and downs, and we are so thankful to have had Dr. Ketefian and the staff guide us every step of the way.

$4,000

To sum it up, Dr. Ketefian was God sent. To break it down, I had Ketefian from the beginning when we started IUI till the end of our IVF journey. We met her when we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and from day one she broke every single thing down for us and answered all of our questions. By the end of that first consult, we were absolute pumped and confident we were making the right decision. It was definitely not an easy journey but she made it bearable. Every interaction with her was positive: She was patient, sweet and always made herself available for us. When things got tough, she shared through our pain and offered alternative ways to approach our situation. Mostly importantly she never gave up and made sure that we didn’t either. I cannot recommend her enough, I don’t know if we would have lasted as long as we did if it wasn’t for her.

Advice I would give to a prospective patient is that it's okay not to know what questions to ask initially as Dr. Ketefian does a great job explaining what is to be expected.

$25,000

Dr.Ketefian listened to us, talked to us even explained things more then once if we didn’t understand ( as you know it’s a lot to take in ) she is so patient and kind we felt comfortable right away and never a moment did we feel out of place/lost. Going through this journey is basically heartbreaking but having a Dr. like Dr.Ketefian has made it less tough. She explained everything to us very clear for what would be best for us, you can tell how knowledgeable she is and takes her time to talk to you and hear your story. Happy and thankful to say we have are pregnant now!!!! Dr.Ketefian thank you for everything you have done for us!

Go and see her, make that appointment!

Wonderful doctor and extremely kind and professional. She explained all the procedures, and was very thorough with her treatment. If I had only seen her each visit I think it would have made a big different. Wish the treatment had worked. Only real problem was seeing so many different doctors due to the amount of visits, and the location was very stressful to get to due to the hours she could see me and traffic.