Dr. Winkler is incredibly knowledgeable each time we meet/talk. When I had an implantation that was not successful, I researched all possibilities heavily before my follow up appointment with her and each course of action she offered were the exact ones I read about. She included rare/not common possibilities as well, and was transparent about the limits of pushing my body vs. the reward of possibly finding out more information- such as conducting tests for more rare disorders.
Strengths of the [Los Angeles Reproductive Center] clinic are location, which includes exams rooms, procedure rooms, meeting rooms, and more all in the same building. Being a nervous patient, I would love to be able to talk on the phone more, but understand that doctor and nurse’s time is precious and important for the in-person appointments. They are very responsive and quick over email!
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler is incredibly knowledgeable each time we meet/talk. When I had an implantation that was not successful, I researched all possibilities heavily before my follow up appointment with her and each course of action she offered were the exact ones I read about. She included rare/not common possibilities as well, and was transparent about the limits of pushing my body vs. the reward of possibly finding out more information- such as conducting tests for more rare disorders.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Come ready with questions and she will answer them all.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Each question always answered, very knowledgeable, stern yet kind bedside manner
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Los Angeles Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Especially after a transfer that was not successful, we did extra endometrial tests, tests for more rare blood disorders, and more. She also adjusted my medication protocol for the second transfer (medication before, during, and after transfer.) It has been successful!
Describe your experience with your nurse at Los Angeles Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Yang )
Yang is communicative, direct, and straightforward over email. Adding to that in person: she is kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Strengths of the clinic are location, which includes exams rooms, procedure rooms, meeting rooms, and more all in the same building. Being a nervous patient, I would love to be able to talk on the phone more, but understand that doctor and nurse’s time is precious and important for the in-person appointments. They are very responsive and quick over email!
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
I also did a lot of research and she shared the same sentiments as what I found based on my age and history. She also left room for personal choice for myself and my partner, and always gave her expert opinion. A few times she consulted with her contemporary (in the same office) to ease our nerves.
Dr. Winkler is totally open to complementary treatment which is very important to me...She's always looking for ways to optimize the protocol. She's also been incredibly helpful introducing us to surrogacy agencies and giving candid advice on how to find the right Gestational Carrier...I see her often enough that I can usually ask her my questions in person, but if we have further issues I set up a phone appointment (free of charge) or even text her (I try not to abuse this privilege).
[the LA Reproductive Center nurses are] competent, caring and straightforward. I do follow up when I haven't gotten answers to my questions before EOD, but someone always responds...You may have to wait for your appointment time. If you are trying for natural retrievals, you will require a lot of appointments and it's better to have a very flexible work situation. I have made it my full-time job and I politely follow up if I haven't gotten answers to urgent questions; the clinic always gets me an answer.
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler and her partner Dr. Mark Kalan sometimes alternate days in the office, but she makes all the decisions about my treatments in conjunction with input from me and my TCM doctor. Dr. Winkler is totally open to complementary treatment which is very important to me. I do have a diminished ovarian reserve so we figured out early on I would likely be a poor responder to stims, so she's willing to do cycles as naturally as I want (only drugs we use are Ganirelix antigen and Ovidrel trigger). She's always looking for ways to optimize the protocol. She's also been incredibly helpful introducing us to surrogacy agencies and giving candid advice on how to find the right Gestational Carrier. In fact, every agent we talked to is eager to work with her again because she has such a good reputation, which in our opinion is well-earned. I see her often enough that I can usually ask her my questions in person, but if we have further issues I set up a phone appointment (free of charge) or even text her (I try not to abuse this privilege).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler is the least ego-centric fertility doctor I have ever encountered. If you have ideas about how to approach your treatment, she will discuss them in detail. Be proactive!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler offers me genuine care and attention. Throughout the process, she always makes herself available for our questions and never rushes us. My case is unique; I've been undergoing unstimulated egg retrievals, to bank embryos one at a time, trying to find the rare normal ones. Most doctors won't bother with this type of case, but Dr. Winkler has been kind, patient, and open to treating me.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Los Angeles Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Ivanna Castillo)
Ivanna, Joana & Yang are the third-party coordinators I have worked with. They're competent, caring and straightforward. I do follow up when I haven't gotten answers to my questions before EOD, but someone always responds. Maribel & Maggie have also helped with my case, and Crystal before she moved clinics. Dora the phlebotomist is very sweet and skilled. The front desk staff Maria, Linda & Yajira are kind and easy to work with. In finance, Claudia is more businesslike; Lily is extremely personable and made it a point to correct a billing error in my favor.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
You may have to wait for your appointment time. If you are trying for natural retrievals, you will require a lot of appointments and it's better to have a very flexible work situation. I have made it my full-time job and I politely follow up if I haven't gotten answers to urgent questions; the clinic always gets me an answer. Blood drawn before noon will yield results by 5. The two partners fill in for each other for ultrasounds and can even do procedures according to your primary doctor's specifications.
What specific things went wrong at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
The main thing that went wrong was not listed above. One time the anesthesiologist put me under before Dr. Winkler checked whether I'd ovulated by ultrasound and unfortunately the main follicles we were trying to retrieve from was already collapsed. I probably wouldn't have gone forward with the procedure since the secondary follicle was small. I expressed my grievance to Dr. Winkler by phone and she took my issue very seriously and put into place a system by which all personnel know not to administer anesthesia before the ultrasound has been performed. She referred to it as a matter of informed consent, so I knew she understood my side of it. Otherwise, there have been a couple times when the dosage referenced in my pre-procedure email was incorrect (but the Rx was fine) so I panicked but was able to confirm with the staff it was just a typo.
She [Dr. Winkler] has a warm bedside manner and seems to know you as an individual patient...She has good judgement and can communicate about the issues to navigate through each step of this tricky and emotional processes of fertility. She responded well when asking about different aspects that we researched and wanted to know more about. One of the great things is that she is accessible...
After extensive research we were drawn to this clinic [Los Angeles Reproductive Center] because it has incredible results for donor egg operations. It also has an intimate size allowing it to be experienced and large enough to be competent and have good facilities and systems, but not too big that you get lost as a patient...she [nurse Joana] managed the donor co-ordination for us and we travelled to this clinic. She was very responsive and clearly experienced at her job. She had good communication with the doctor...
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
She is clearly very experienced and knowledgeable and passionate about her job. She has a warm bedside manner and seems to know you as an individual patient, despite obviously having many patients to see. She has good judgement and can communicate about the issues to navigate through each step of this tricky and emotional processes of fertility. She responded well when asking about different aspects that we researched and wanted to know more about. One of the great things is that she is accessible. I do think the best results will be achieved between patient and doctor if you are as informed as possible and use the time with her to get the value from her experience and judgement. This is always our approach anyway, and that's what we did. We can't fully say what it would be like if we turned up without knowing anything at all, but believe that she would be just as good in that situation because of her experience.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
She clearly has every intention to make your treatment work and your experience a good one. She is experienced and has a good bedside manner. If you do your part and be as informed as possible, your chances with her will likely be as good as you will find anywhere.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr Winkler and the clinic team kept a good standard of care, and she herself was responsive and had a good manner.
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Los Angeles Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
We were a standard donor egg retrieval and transfer process, using hormone replacement standard protocol. we did consider a few different protocols but went with the standard. It required the doctor to work with an outside donor on our behalf so the doctors manner and the clinics ability to manage this was important, with meds for her and timing co-ordination for us. We also travelled for this transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Los Angeles Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Joana)
We dealt a lot with Joana as she managed the donor co-ordination for us and we travelled to this clinic. She was very responsive and clearly experienced at her job. She had good communication with the doctor. Overall she was great. Again, we were the type of patient who was proactive and researched things and asked questions. This worked great with Joana and that's what I would recommend to patients. We can't say how it would have been had we known nothing about any of the processes and waited for her to organize everything.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
After extensive research we were drawn to this clinic because it has incredible results for donor egg operations. It also has an intimate size allowing it to be experienced and large enough to be competent and have good facilities and systems, but not too big that you get lost as a patient. Dr Winkler was the other reason, as she had a great manner and is experienced, and I liked it that the Dr was running the clinic so that she really wanted to make it work, for our and her benefit. We met Dr Kalan once when Dr Winkler couldn't attend and he was supportive and good also. These reasons proved to be correct and overall the clinic was great. We had one not great experience with one of the supporting nursing staff who was not too friendly and rough with the blood taking sample. Mostly the other clinic team members were competent enough and friendly enough. our point of contact was mostly exclusively through the one nurse co-ordinator who was great. The finance lady was easy to communicate with and everything was smooth in that area.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Cost wise we felt this clinic was well priced for California and the results they get. I think we spent around 30,000 for donor retrieval and transfer etc, but they are up front with costs and can let you know if you get in touch with them. We were sensitive to this as we had a terrible experience with a top end clinic before coming here that claimed to be fantastic and just was not. We felt LARC was good value for money because you are getting good quality Drs and embryologist and lab, in LA.
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
she suggested single transfer and genetic testing before hand to increase chances
Dr. Winkler always takes the time to talk with me when I have questions and has a way of explaining things where she doesn't sway you one way or the other but just gives you the facts and lets you decide how you want to proceed...If I expressed concerns about money, she tried to find ways to help me save...she didn't really fill us in on what we needed to know until I asked questions later.
[Los Angeles Reproductive Center]Strengths: The clinic is very nice physically with nice waiting and patient rooms (also my husband liked the "sample" rooms...The clinic staff, nurses, and doctors are all friendly and knowledgeable. I had a positive experience and despite the negative outcome, I think they did everything right... Weaknesses: Scheduling...You do have to pay for valet parking
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler was very patient with any questions I had. During the first visit, we weren't really sure what to ask but after I did research and had more questions, she spent a good amount of time on the phone with me to answer every question I had. If I expressed concerns about money, she tried to find ways to help me save. She was always warm and comforting in the appointments and gave me the information I needed to decide if I wanted to move forward with the cycle (even though I only had five follicles to start with). Even with the bad news about our abnormal embryos, she gave us our options of how to move forward, what she would change, and the facts surrounding success rates and is letting us decide. Despite the negative outcome, I think Dr. Winkler and her team did everything right.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Do some research before going in for a consultation and have a list of questions ready. We didn't and she didn't really fill us in on what we needed to know until I asked questions later.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler always takes the time to talk with me when I have questions and has a way of explaining things where she doesn't sway you one way or the other but just gives you the facts and lets you decide how you want to proceed.
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Los Angeles Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
Due to my age of 41, Dr. Winkler did a modified mini IVF protocol explaining that at my age with diminished ovarian reserve that it wasn't about quantity but about quality.
Clomid-2 pills every day for 5 days
Menopur-2 vials every day for 8 days
Gonal F-every day for 8 days
Omnitrope-every other day
Cetritide- starting day 5
Lupron to trigger
Novarel to trigger
On day 11 of my cycle, we did the egg retrieval which resulted in 3 of 3 eggs retrieved. Of these, they informed me that one fertilized normally and one fertilized abnormally. However, on day 6, they informed me that two had grown into blastocysts. These were sent for testing and both were abnormal. Dr. Winkler explained that my eggs were of good quality for both of them to have grown to blastocysts but the quality of the egg doesn't mean that the embryo will be normal.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
The nurses were amazing. Always comforting and very thorough in their explanations. They sent emails with videos to further teach us how to do the injections and were always available by email for other questions.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Strengths: The clinic is very nice physically with nice waiting and patient rooms (also my husband liked the "sample" rooms a lot better than the kaiser ones ;). Dr. Winkler has been willing to help me by completing the doctors portion of multiple grant applications on her own time. The clinic staff, nurses, and doctors are all friendly and knowledgeable. I had a positive experience and despite the negative outcome, I think they did everything right and everything they could.
Weaknesses: Scheduling appointments that worked for me was pretty hard. They usually only gave me one, maybe two, options for appointments in person and over the phone so make sure that if you have a full time job, like me, that your boss understands that you may be taking sick time a lot during this. You do have to pay for valet parking in the building so bring cash along. I'd say the biggest weakness is that the traffic getting to the clinic is bad at most times of the day being located in Encino on Ventura Blvd so leave early so you aren't adding more stress to an already stressful situation. Also, it does seem that this clinic may be slightly more expensive than others so check your options.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Embryo banking option:
$13,845 - included Ultrasounds, in cycle blood tests, intravenous set up, oocyte extraction, oocyte identification from follicular fluid, sperm capacitation/wash, culture of oocytes, fertilization of oocytes, embryo culture, embryo freezing and 1 year of storage, anesthesia, ICSI, PGS screening
$150 - first Ultrasound
$3,809 - medications
$300 -fragmentation semen analysis
$349 - Genetic testing for both partners
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Nurit Winkler is a very knowledgeable doctor. She stands out by being empathetic and caring. However there were few times when I felt ruished in her office. There are so many patients that my wait time was over 1 hour each time, while i was only seen for 10 minutes. If i had follow up questions, the aswers weer rushed. One time I was told if I was ovulating on the weekend to call the doctor on duty. I have but noone returned my call on the weekend, ut only Monday....
[Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles] Strenghts: streamlined process, staff, connections to storage and medical facilities, good partner facilities, clean, friendly staff, efficient processing. Weakness: long waits, expensive, the emphasis is a lot on payment first but services later... i did feel a bit of a number in the conveyor of business...IUI aroun $3k total. That includes extra medication costs.
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Nurit Winkler is a very knowledgeable doctor. She stands out by being empathetic and caring. However there were few times when I felt ruished in her office. There are so many patients that my wait time was over 1 hour each time, while i was only seen for 10 minutes. If i had follow up questions, the aswers weer rushed. One time I was told if I was ovulating on the weekend to call the doctor on duty. I have but noone returned my call on the weekend, ut only Monday.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Patients should not be waiting more than the time they are actually seen in their appointment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Empathetic approach made me feel human. However, the business of the center and accelerated office visit time made me feel like a number. I was waiting for more time to be seen than actually seen.
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles and their degree of success.
Male factor was the main reaeson for the infertility. Morphology and motility were really low. On the day we have tried doing IUI the test sample of the sperm was not good quality. The doctor warned me that the chances of the successful IUI are really low, but I wanted to go ahead anyway. It was not successful in the end.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
Smiling and supporting. Helful to fill in the blanks if the doctor was not longer available.
Describe your experience with Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
Strenghts: streamlined process, staff, connections to storage and medical facilities, good partner facilities, clean, friendly staff, efficient processing.
Weakness: long waits, expensive, the emphasis is a lot on payment first but services later.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
IUI aroun $3k total. That includes extra medication costs.
What specific things went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
There was nothing major wrong here at all, but i did feel a bit of a number in the conveyor of business. I do not have anything bad to say about doctor, the knowledge or procedure. Even thought my first procedure did not work for me, i do not attribute it to anything bad that was done by medical staff. I am considering continuing with IVF in the same clinic becuase i trust Nurit as a doctor.
[Dr. Nurit Winkler] was very sympathetic to our situation and genuinely wanted to help us however as time went by I didn't feel like I got the care I needed...I do feel that her inability to be sensitive and carry out the treatment and follow through, has left a lasting impact on me and my experience...She was adamant on transferring only one egg...I was hoping to get a call from her but I never heard back from her
The [Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles] clinic is kept very neat and clean...I was always greeted upon entering...only valet option which they did not validate...Parking was not convenient...My primary nurse was very caring. The nurses who I didn't have contact with on a regular basis were not so much. They made me feel like a number and that my interests were just like anybody else's
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
When we met Dr. Winkler we immediately liked her. We had moved almost 2 hours away in the middle of starting treatment with her and still decided to keep her because of her bedside manner. She did let us know the potential risks, but she always remained optimistic about our chances. Dr. Winkler, always called us back when we needed to get in touch with her or had questions. I often felt like I was not asking the right questions, so I felt it was up to her to fully inform me on what was involved but I often left the clinic with more questions than answers. In some instances, I did feel like we were going along with the step by step process without fully acknowledging my individual situation. Towards the end, when I got pregnant after the transfer, Dr. Winkler stopped calling and only had her nurses call me. This was a really happy but scary time for me and it would have been nice to speak with her. I got a call from another Doctor that works there instead of Dr. Winkler to inform me that my HCG levels were dropping and that I would miscarry. I was hoping to get a call from her but I never heard back from her even after calling the clinic and speaking to the nurse to have her call me back. I feel that getting a call from her after this experience was the most important call I could have received from her. But she never called and I felt left with the grief of a failed attempt at conceiving through IVF, the financial burden and no answers as to what went wrong. To this day, I have never received a call from her and that is so disappointing for us since we put our faith and trust in her. She is no doubt a good fertility doctor, however I do feel that her inability to be sensitive and carry out the treatment and follow through, has left a lasting impact on me and my experience with her clinic. In fact, I wonder if she ever had any closure on our story and journey with us at all. A simple phone call would have rectified that.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
I would advise people to fully have a list of questions and know what is going to happen before, during and after if things work out or not. I would also suggest to speak candidly to your doctor about what your needs are and how you would like to receive information. I would also ask what happens when things don't work out and the course of action to be taken.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Our doctor was very sympathetic to our situation and genuinely wanted to help us however as time went by I didn't feel like I got the care I needed once we were in the process. When we found out my HCG numbers were going down after I got pregnant through IVF, our doctor did not call us to tell us the news to stop progesterone shots. She had another doctor in the clinic that I had never talked to call. I found this very insensitive as I had more questions to ask but he could not answer them because we were not his direct patient.
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles and their degree of success.
I know that I went for the Fallopian tube flush, I had a surgery conducted by my OBGYN for endometriosis and took injections for egg retrieval and then the egg transfer. We decided to do the ixy, or the actual insemination route to ensure the sperm penetrated the egg.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles. (Assigned nurse: yes, can't remember her name)
My primary nurse was very caring. The nurses who I didn't have contact with on a regular basis were not so much. They made me feel like a number and that my interests were just like anybody else's. On a number of occasions they didn't do their job properly and forgot certain information and would forget to relay information to other people at the clinic when I called.
Describe your experience with Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
The clinic is kept very neat and clean with a coffee and water station for patients to use. I was always greeted upon entering. The location of the clinic was in downtown Encino, which meant there was only valet option which they did not validate or parking on the street which at times was very tricky. Parking was not convenient. The clinic is located on an upper floor with great views.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
Single Cycle - 6800.00
per embryo tested @ 350.00 each
Total was 10945.00
6000 per embryo transfer attempt
3000 biopsy , 350 per embryo
3950 for insemination
Multiple ultrasounds at 21 dollars each
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
She did not fully discuss the trade offs. She was adamant on transferring only one egg. I assume to ensure the health of one baby versus two. I completely trusted her and was happy with just one baby but I would have benefited with knowing all my options.
What specific things went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
On a few occasions I called to have information about a procedure or to have results given, but was put on hold, or hung up on. I had a hard time getting information from the nurses. At times I was not fully informed of what was happening.
Amazing bedside manner; she [Dr. Nurit Winkler] really cares about her patients. She always remembered what we'd talked about in my previous appointments, so it's easy to tell you're not just a number to her.... She put any worries or doubts about my fertility at ease. She was thourough in explaining exactly what to expect. I loved that she was always the one to see me during appointment, never putting a nurse in her place.
Maggie [nurse at the Pacific Fertility Center] is great! She gave me her personal cell number, and would take my calls and text at all hours and weekends. Great bedside manner as well...Waiting rooms and exam rooms are very clean, appts are easy to make with the front desk, parking in the building is easy. I can't think of any weaknesses -- compared to other clinics/ drs offices, they are a dream!
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Loveley, extremely positive bedside manner. She put any worries or doubts about my fertility at ease. She was thourough in explaining exactly what to expect. I loved that she was always the one to see me during appointment, never putting a nurse in her place.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Amazing bedside manner; she really cares about her patients. She always remembered what we'd talked about in my previous appointments, so it's easy to tell you're not just a number to her.
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles and their degree of success.
During one FET cycle I was on 2 2mg estrace pills per day. During my second cycle I was on 1 2mg estrage pill per day, as well as a .03? shot of E2 valerate every 3rd day. This second protocol increase the thickness of my uterine lining compared to the estrace pills alone.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles. (Assigned nurse: Maggie Rodriguez)
Maggie is great! She gave me her personal cell number, and would take my calls and text at all hours and weekends. Great bedside manner as well.
Describe your experience with Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
Waiting rooms and exam rooms are very clean, appts are easy to make with the front desk, parking in the building is easy. I can't think of any weaknesses -- compared to other clinics/ drs offices, they are a dream!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
As of October 2017, it was just under $25K and included the following:
Ultrasound
Blood Panels
Egg Retrieval
Surgical Procedure
Normal Fertilization
1 Preg Test
Anesthesia
ISCI
Freezing
Chromosomal Testing
Facility Fee
Medications
Medications made up about $8K of the total cost.
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
We did single embryo because the quality of my selected egg was very good, I'm over relatively young age (32) and the thickness of my lining was good.
Dr Winkler is the most compassionate physician I met. She will always call/ email communicate in a timely manner. She is very knowledgeable and explains every steps in details and make sure to guide us to the best possible treatment plan ... First cycle - regular FSH cycle (with added menopour and antagonist) 30 eggs retrieved- 1 embryo - chemical pregnancy Second cycle - flare protocol 24 eggs retrieved- 4 embryos- chemical pregnancy
Both clinical and admin staff [LARC] are lack of professionalism and basic knowledge (and it is seems that they don’t really care). Manager will never say hello or greet us. Financial once threatened to cancel our cycle (as my husband was out of the country and we said we will send the payment the next day). ...They are not tech savvy, although they both young physicians, so don’t be surprised if your blood work report are not uploaded to your chart or that the staff didn’t update your treatment protocol. ...
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr Winkler is the most compassionate physician I met. She will always call/ email communicate in a timely manner. She is very knowledgeable and explains every steps in details and make sure to guide us to the best possible treatment plan
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
The clinic staff is not as professional as they should. But the doctor is so wonderful, trust her!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr Winkler is extremely personal in her approach to patients
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Los Angeles Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
First cycle - regular FSH cycle (with added menopour and antagonist)
30 eggs retrieved- 1 embryo - chemical pregnancy
Second cycle - flare protocol
24 eggs retrieved- 4 embryos- chemical pregnancy
Describe your experience with your nurse at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Lack of clinical understanding and not compassionate
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
The doctor is amazing! The staff is not so much. Financial team have zero compassion and nurses are lack clinical knowledge (and patient care). They are not tech savvy, although they both young physicians, so don’t be surprised if your blood work report are not uploaded to your chart or that the staff didn’t update your treatment protocol. Luckily the doctor is on top of everything regarding her patients. I would still recommend strongly to go.
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
NA
What specific things went wrong at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Both clinical and admin staff are lack of professionalism and basic knowledge (and it is seems that they don’t really care). Manager will never say hello or greet us. Financial once threatened to cancel our cycle (as my husband was out of the country and we said we will send the payment the next day).
Dr. Winkler was warm and caring. She listened to our unusual circumstance and financial situation. She listened to questions about Natural IVF to Mini IVF to regular IVF and talked them through with us in our situation. ... In our first consultation she also recommended my partner take the genetics testing since I had already and was a carrier for 1 vulnerability.
The Clinic [Los Angeles Repro Ctr] was in a high rise building and the view was beautiful. The office is VERY clean and comfortable. ... I absolutely loved they had more "natural" options although we decided what was best was regular IVF. I like having the option of not getting on BC and having the DR follow MY cycle instead of my cycle being manipulated to try to fit into the Doctors schedule, like other clinics.
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler was warm, caring, informative, very patient with us and understanding of our desires and obstacles. She spoke with us in detail about the pro's and Con's of natural IVF, Mini IVF and regular IVF with our unique situation. In our first consultation she also recommended my partner take the genetics testing since I had already and was a carrier for 1 vulnerability. We agreed and she arranged and set it up as soon as we walked out of her office. We didn't feel like we were inconveniencing anyone and that everyone was there for just us lol. We cannot wait to continue working with Dr. Winkler.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler was warm and caring. She listened to our unusual circumstance and financial situation. She listened to questions about Natural IVF to Mini IVF to regular IVF and talked them through with us in our situation. She also told me her clinic does the surgery for egg retrieval every day to follow the females cycle. She gave options financially and her professional opinion about what what process would work best for us. We couldn't be happier we found her.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
The Clinic was in a high rise building and the view was beautiful. The office is VERY clean and comfortable. The strengths of the clinic is DR. Winkler, and her staff. Everyone seemed to love their job. I absolutely loved they had more "natural" options although we decided what was best was regular IVF. I like having the option of not getting on BC and having the DR follow MY cycle instead of my cycle being manipulated to try to fit into the Doctors schedule, like other clinics.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
We were quotes a price and given a couple options for costs of hormones
When I read Dr winklers profile on her page, i thought this seems to good to be true. A doctor who individualizes treatment based on each patient, a doctor that believes in informed consent and that the patient is a vital part of the team? It wasnt too good to be true. Dr winkler never rushes her appointments, she is always on time and is super communicative...dr is always on time, flexible and individualized treatments
[Los Angeles Reproductive Center] strengths: nice waiting room with patient and communicative front staff and nursing staff, quick communication back from nurses, dr is always on time, flexible and individualized treatments weaknesses: no direct communication with dr after hours, inflexible appointment times, long wait for initial consultation (3 weeks)...[nurse] Maribel always explained the protocol and repeated it if necessary. she always shows patience
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
When I read Dr winklers profile on her page, i thought this seems to good to be true. A doctor who individualizes treatment based on each patient, a doctor that believes in informed consent and that the patient is a vital part of the team? It wasnt too good to be true. Dr winkler never rushes her appointments, she is always on time and is super communicative.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
When I read Dr winklers profile on her page, i thought this seems to good to be true. A doctor who individualizes treatment based on each patient, a doctor that believes in informed consent and that the patient is a vital part of the team? It wasnt too good to be true. Dr winkler never rushes her appointments, she is always on time and is super communicative.
Describe the protocols Nurit Winkler used in your cycles at Los Angeles Reproductive Center and their degree of success.
ovulation stimulation using 2.5 mg and 5 mg of letrozole, alternating everyday.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Los Angeles Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: maribal esparza)
Maribel always explained the protocol and repeated it if necessary. she always shows patience
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
strengths: nice waiting room with patient and communicative front staff and nursing staff, quick communication back from nurses, dr is always on time, flexible and individualized treatments
weaknesses: no direct communication with dr after hours, inflexible appointment times, long wait for initial consultation (3 weeks)
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
[Dr. Winkler] is very warm, compassionate and understanding. Incredible bedside manner. Knows a lot. But you have to pull some of the information out of her- would be nice to get handouts and not ask her a million questions. It’s harder to reach her than other doctors - she takes time to respond to emails and doesn’t use a cell phone to communicate
Dr. Winkler is incredibly warm and empathetic. On the other hand, I have found most of her staff [at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles] to the opposite. So when you are working with them (front staff, admin, nurses) you feel like a number but when you’re with the doctor it’s great...Financial person is horrible. Has horrible communication, tone and does not follow through. It’s best to avoid her
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
She is very warm, compassionate and understanding. Incredible bedside manner. Knows a lot. But you have to pull some of the information out of her- would be nice to get handouts and not ask her a million questions. It’s harder to reach her than other doctors - she takes time to respond to emails and doesn’t use a cell phone to communicate.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
If you don’t like your nurse ask for a different one
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
Dr. Winkler is incredibly warm and empathetic. On the other hand, I have found most of her staff to the opposite. So when you are working with them (front staff, admin, nurses) you feel like a number but when you’re with the doctor it’s great.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles. (Assigned nurse: Yes)
This was in 2015, so I imagine she has better nurses. The nurse I had had no warmth or compassion. I had to work so hard just to get her to be a little warmer to me- should be the other way around. I gave the doctor this feedback and she was surprised and very attentive to it.
Describe your experience with Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles.
Nice decor. Unintelligent front staff. Financial person is horrible. Has horrible communication, tone and does not follow through. It’s best to avoid her. Parking is not covered and is paid for below.
What specific things went wrong at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles?
[Dr. Nurit Winkler] Can sometimes be hard to get a hold of. When I did talk to her, she gave me all the time I needed to understand everything. First egg retrieval was not successful so I had to get another donor and go back to square one. That was very expensive. Since the first donor hadn't donated before, there was no way to predict the outcome. I recommend going with a proven egg donor. I wish someone had told me that. It would have saved me a lot of time and money.
[Dr. Winkler] Can sometimes be hard to get a hold of [at Los Angeles Reproductive Center]. When I did talk to her, she gave me all the time I needed to understand everything. First egg retrieval was not successful so I had to get another donor and go back to square one. That was very expensive. Since the first donor hadn't donated before, there was no way to predict the outcome. I recommend going with a proven egg donor. I wish someone had told me that. It would have saved me a lot of time and money.
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Can sometimes be hard to get a hold of. When I did talk to her, she gave me all the time I needed to understand everything.
First egg retrieval was not successful so I had to get another donor and go back to square one. That was very expensive. Since the first donor hadn't donated before, there was no way to predict the outcome. I recommend going with a proven egg donor. I wish someone had told me that. It would have saved me a lot of time and money.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
She took the time to talk to me and explain everything.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Los Angeles Reproductive Center. (Assigned nurse: Joana)
She was very responsive.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
I haven't used other clinics so I can't compare. I guess they're fine. I just wish someone had made me aware of the risks of using a first-time egg donor.
Dr. Winkler always took the time to answer all my questions, even if I had to wait a week to talk to her.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
Much higher than average.
Describe Nurit Winkler's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
She recommends transferring only one embryo. The reasons she gave make sense.
What specific things went wrong at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
The first cycle failed because of a bad egg donor. Cost me a lot of time and money.
Dr. Winkler is very thorough, kind and compassionate. She explained every step of the process and was very proactive with my treatment. My husband and I felt very confident in her care. She is a wonderful doctor! ... Dr. Winkler explains everything really well and never made me feel rushed. She is kind and considerate. ... I really liked that it is a small practice [Los Angeles Reproductive Center] so I saw the doctor every visit.
I really liked that it is a small practice [Los Angeles Reproductive Center] so I saw the doctor every visit. When she [Dr. Winkler] was on vacation, I saw her partner a few times. I really liked her partner too! They are really good at scheduling appointments. I hardly had to wait and the longest wait was 20-30 minutes. The whole practice runs really smoothly, including the lab.
How was your experience with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler is very thorough, kind and compassionate. She explained every step of the process and was very proactive with my treatment. My husband and I felt very confident in her care. She is a wonderful doctor!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nurit Winkler at Los Angeles Reproductive Center?
Dr. Winkler explains everything really well and never made me feel rushed. She is kind and considerate.
Describe your experience with Los Angeles Reproductive Center.
I really liked that it is a small practice so I saw the doctor every visit. When she was on vacation, I saw her partner a few times. I really liked her partner too! They are really good at scheduling appointments. I hardly had to wait and the longest wait was 20-30 minutes. The whole practice runs really smoothly, including the lab.
