How was your experience with Evelyn Mok-Lin at UCSF?
My husband and I felt immediately at ease when we first met Dr. Mok-Lin, and within 5 minutes, we knew she was the right doctor for us. (Our first fertility doctor was great, but he moved to Chicago, so we had to find another doctor at UCSF CRH, which is why we had a meeting with her.)
There are so many great things to say about Dr. Mok-Lin. Without this incredible woman, I would not have my twin girls, who are 5.5 years old now, and they are literally the best thing that has ever happened to me! It's been nearly 10 years since I first met Dr. Mok-Lin, and not a day goes by that I don't think about her, picture her kind face, and feel the utmost gratitude for everything that she has done for me and my family. Because of her, I have a family!
First of all, she has the best bedside manner. She is very compassionate and understanding. She really listens to you, your goals, your concerns, your fears, and she looks you in the eye when she talks to you.
She is also brilliant! She is extremely smart, analytical, and articulate. She really knows her stuff, and she explains everything, including complicated things, very clearly. She is a great communicator. She is also a strategic thinker and makes the best recommendations she can based on her expertise and experience at every given point in the process.
On top of that, she's funny and fun to be around! IVF is a grueling process, but my husband and I actually looked forward to our meetings and appointments with her.
She treated me and my husband like partners in the whole process. She presented our options, gave her recommendations, and we had discussions about how we would like to move forward during each phase of my IVF treatment.
She is also honest and realistic about the IVF process. For example, after a failed transfer, I asked her at what point do people stop trying if they're not successful. And she said IVF is a physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially taxing process, and at a certain point it doesn't make sense to keep going if it takes too much of a toll on, e.g., one's mental health. I really appreciated her honesty and how real she was with us.
We worked with Dr. Mok-Lin for about three years off and on, mostly on. We took a break when my mom was sick and dying of leukemia, and Dr. Mok-Lin understood my need to do so, even though at that point I was already 38 years old and time was ticking away. I started treatment again after my mom died. Dr. Mok-Lin knew how much I loved my mom, and she was so kind to me after I told her about my mom's passing.
A particular issue I had was uterine polyps. Dr. Mok-Lin performed a procedure to remove the uterine polyps, but within 1-2 months they grew back. Over time, I ended up having several procedures to get my uterine polyps removed, because they kept coming back. We would time my retrievals and transfers when my uterus was "clear" or as "pristine" and free of polyps as possible. Dr. Mok-Lin always performed the procedures, and I always felt safe and protected in her hands.
After my first IVF transfer in which we transferred 2 embryos, I got pregnant, but sadly, it resulted in a chemical pregnancy. I was devastated, but Dr. Mok-Lin, my husband, and I regrouped. Dr. Mok-Lin said we would adapt and try a different strategy of transferring more embryos. At this point, I was 39 years old. After yet another procedure to remove uterine polyps and my second transfer in which we transferred three embryos, none of the embryos took. I was totally distraught, depressed, overwhelmed by anxiety, and I absolutely had to take another break. A few months later, after doing a lot of yoga, meditation, therapy, and soul-searching, my husband and I went to the Philippines for the first time to celebrate my 40th birthday. I 'm American, but the Philippines is where my parents are from, so going there had lots of meaning for me. In the Philippines, we decided that we would give IVF one more shot, and if it didn't result in a successful pregnancy and live birth, well, we would be okay with that. And part of why we felt okay with that, is because we had a wonderful, human doctor, who made us feel like we would always always be okay. Of course, we would strategize and do our best to make the best decisions possible, and at a certain point, if my husband and I couldn't emotionally or mentally continue doing any more rounds, then we would be fine.
So after we got back from the Philippines, I had another procedure to get my uterine polyps removed, and we had one more transfer in which we transferred 5 embryos! Yes, 5! I was in a very good place emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually, and 3 of the embryos took! I ended up having a selective reduction from triplets to twins, and I gave birth to two, beautiful, healthy, fraternal twin girls, the loves of my life, thanks in large part to Dr. Mok-Lin. I love Dr. Mok-Lin so much that I named one of my daughters after her.
As I said, I think about her every day, and I probably will for the rest of my life. It's doctors like her that make this world a better, happier place. She doesn't have a superiority complex, she doesn't think she's God. She treats her patients with respect. To me, she's just the perfect doctor. I honestly can't think of any constructive criticism, and I'm a very critical person. I mean, I'm a professional editor! I think she just needs to keep being herself and doing what she's doing/doing her thing.
Last thing I wanted to say: A family friend of mine from the Philippines who lives in Mexico and is married to a Mexican asked me if I would recommend my fertility doctor. Of course I said yes. 100% yes! My family friend ended up moving to San Francisco temporarily for her IVF treatment with Dr. Mok-Lin, and I'm thrilled to report that my family friend has never been happier. She is now a mom of a gorgeous 6-month old boy!
Thank you for everything, Dr. Mok-Lin!!!