Dr. Al-Safi took time to review our specific situation, provide a realistic prognosis, and adjust our protocol as necessary. His bedside manner was great. He never guaranteed a positive outcome, but he gave us hope during a really difficult time. He was always responsive to emails and questions...He also personally called us with important information or to provide reassurance as needed. While the appointments were sometimes rushed, he never left without responding to all of our questions and we knew that he was available by email for any follow-up questions
Strengths [of UCLA}--Ease of scheduling appointments; 24/7 on-call physician availability; evidence-based care....They are providing competent medical care in a serious, no-frills environment. Weaknesses--we occasionally had a longer wait time on the few occasions where we saw a provider other than Dr. Al-Safi. There were sometimes confusion/communication issues between the insurance company and the clinic.
How was your experience with Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
We saw Dr. Safi after undergoing testing and consultation at another clinic. We were told by our previous doctor that our chances of natural conception were low, and that we were not good candidates for IVF due to my low ovarian reserve. When we met with Dr. Safi, he thoroughly reviewed and interpreted our diagnostic tests from the other facility and gave us a different opinion. He believed we were good candidates for IUI, and if that didn't work, we had a decent shot at success with IVF.
We got pregnant after our second IUI, which unfortunately ended in an early loss. After our third IUI, we moved onto IVF, and my medication protocol was tailored to account for my low reserve. We had much better results at egg retrieval than I had expected, and we were extremely fortunate to get pregnant after our first embryo transfer.
We could not be more pleased with our experience with Dr. Al-Safi and UCLA. Unlike our previous clinic, we were promptly seen by him at every visit with little or no time in the waiting room. We also had no issues scheduling appointments--weekends, holidays, vacations, whatever--there was always availability with either Dr. Al-Safi or another doctor on-call. This meant that we were able to undergo a round of IUI or IVF during each cycle with no scheduling delays in between, which is rare for a fertility clinic. Many clinics "batch" patients with birth control to accommodate the doctor's schedule, which results in weeks or months of delay to the patient. In our experience, UCLA does not do this. Instead, they accommodate the patient's schedule, even if that means scheduling an IUI on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
In addition, we felt that Dr. Al-Safi took time to review our specific situation, provide a realistic prognosis, and adjust our protocol as necessary. His bedside manner was great. He never guaranteed a positive outcome, but he gave us hope during a really difficult time. He was always responsive to emails and questions, usually responding within a couple of hours. He also personally called us with important information or to provide reassurance as needed. While the appointments were sometimes rushed, he never left without responding to all of our questions and we knew that he was available by email for any follow-up questions. Even before we found success, we were very pleased with the care we received.
Overall, we would recommend Dr. Al-Safi and UCLA to anyone.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
Don't underestimate the importance of being able to easily schedule appointments around your cycle. Not many clinics have a provider on-call 7 days a week. UCLA does, and this can dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend in treatment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
Dr. Al-Safi was attentive and extremely responsive to our questions. We also never had trouble scheduling an appointment.
Describe the protocols Zain Al-Safi used in your cycles at UCLA and their degree of success.
For IUI--Clomid during the first cycle, then changed to Letrozole in subsequent IUI cycles due to thinned lining on Clomid.
For IVF--Antagonist protocol (Gonal-F, Menopur, and Ganirelix) with higher medication dosages to account for low ovarian reserve.
Describe your experience with your nurse at UCLA. (Assigned nurse: Megan Niles)
Nurse Megan was very helpful in coordinating our IVF cycle and answering our questions.
Describe your experience with UCLA.
Strengths--Ease of scheduling appointments; 24/7 on-call physician availability; evidence-based care. This is not an Instagram fertility clinic. They're not trying to sell you a product or lifestyle. They are providing competent medical care in a serious, no-frills environment.
Weaknesses--we occasionally had a longer wait time on the few occasions where we saw a provider other than Dr. Al-Safi. There were sometimes confusion/communication issues between the insurance company and the clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Zain Al-Safi at UCLA.
IUIs were approximately $1000 each cycle for cash-pay patients.
Unsure about exact IVF treatment costs, as we had insurance coverage by that time.
Describe Zain Al-Safi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at UCLA.
Doctor recommended eSET due to age and first transfer attempt.
Dr Al-Safi is friendly and has a nice demeanor. Unfortunately I can not recommend him to anyone. There was a lack of care and attention brought to our case...He diagnosed us as Unexplained Infertility when I later learned I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis and my husband's sperm has some movement issues...failed to explain the meaning behind my lab work.
There was a lack of care and attention brought to our case...We did not have much time with the nurse [at UCLA], we never had a sit down conversation to review our processes...Dr Al-Safi failed to explain the meaning behind my lab work...He diagnosed us as Unexplained Infertility when I later learned I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis and my husband's sperm has some movement issues.
How was your experience with Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
Dr Al-Safi is friendly and has a nice demeanor. Unfortunately I can not recommend him to anyone. There was a lack of care and attention brought to our case. Due to my age and circumstances we should have gone straight to IVF, and instead he proceeded with 5 IUIs and I never got a positive on a pregnancy test. He diagnosed us as Unexplained Infertility when I later learned I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis and my husband's sperm has some movement issues. The fact that I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve was seen through lab tests that he had done, yet he never told us. Which makes us not trust him. I feel like he did not care about our results and was not honest about my health or the possibilities that were leading us to infertility. Why would he not tell patients what their lab results mean? Pretty strange as this is the entire point of seeking help from a doctor. Luckily I started seeing an acupuncturist who looked at my labs more carefully and eventually a new doctor at a different clinic. She is much more thorough.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
Get second opinions. Have more than one doctor or practitioner review your lab work.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
I do not think that care or attention was brought to my case. Due to my age and circumstances we should have gone straight to IVF, and instead he proceeded with 5 IUIs and I never got pregnant. He diagnosed us as Unexplained Infertility when I later learned I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis and my husband's sperm has some movement issues.
Describe the protocols Zain Al-Safi used in your cycles at UCLA and their degree of success.
Dr Al-Safi did 5 IUIs. The first one was with Clomid, which made my lining very thin so we switched to Femara. My uterine lining was still pretty thin but a little bit better. Each time I would get many follicles and responded well. I think the uterine lining issues were not addressed properly. The 5th IUI we used injectables. I don't have detailed notes on these. When I went to try to find my IUI medications and results on the UCLA (clinic) website they are no where to be found, which is pretty frustrating.
Describe your experience with your nurse at UCLA.
We did not have much time with the nurse, we never had a sit down conversation to review our processes.
Describe your experience with UCLA.
Other doctors in this clinic might be better, but I did not have a good experience. I felt like a number and like Dr Al-Safi did not do the detective work he should have done. My current doctor reviewed my health history much more carefully, explained every test result to us. We got much more time with her and more information.
Describe Zain Al-Safi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at UCLA.
We did not do IVF at this clinic, only IUIs.
What specific things went wrong at UCLA?
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Lost results
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at UCLA.
Dr Al-Safi failed to explain the meaning behind my lab work. That it strongly suggested I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve. When they sent paperwork to my new clinic, some of it was missing.
Dr Al-Safi has always made me feel like one of his top priorities - he is in constant direct communication with me, usually via phone or sometimes email. ... He explains everything so thoroughly and makes sure all of our questions have been answered. ... Additionally, and importantly, I really feel that he is going out of his way to make sure that nothing is missed in determining how/why things have not gone the way we expected.
Pros [of UCLA]: Evidence-based medicine, though you are really treated like a person. Dr [Al-Safi] and nurse a very personable and easy to communicate with. Made me feel well taken care of. Con: Takes a little bit of time to get through to a human on the scheduling line. ... Very flexible with which pharmacy I preferred depending on the day. Always calls right away.
How was your experience with Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
He explains everything so thoroughly and makes sure all of our questions have been answered. He is always in direct, prompt contact with me, which I really appreciate. Additionally, and importantly, I really feel that he is going out of his way to make sure that nothing is missed in determining how/why things have not gone the way we expected. His treatments are evidence-based, and he knows what he's doing.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Zain Al-Safi at UCLA?
Dr Al-Safi has always made me feel like one of his top priorities - he is in constant direct communication with me, usually via phone or sometimes email.
Describe your experience with your nurse at UCLA. (Assigned nurse: Megan N)
Very easy to communicate with. Very flexible with which pharmacy I preferred depending on the day. Always calls right away.
Describe your experience with UCLA.
Pros: Evidence-based medicine, though you are really treated like a person. Dr and nurse a very personable and easy to communicate with. Made me feel well taken care of.
Con: Takes a little bit of time to get through to a human on the scheduling line. Better to make apt on way out of the clinic, or on the portal.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Zain Al-Safi at UCLA.