Fertility Clinics & Specialists

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Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Fertility specialist recs?

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    Aug 5, 2024

    Hi all, my partner and I have been trying for baby #2 for almost a year now and I've had 3 chemical pregnancies in that time. I understand it may be due to my age (40) but wanted to see a doctor to get some advice on what to do (we likely won't go for IUI or IVF but maybe there is a hormonal imbalance or something else). Does anyone recommend a specialist in or near Berkeley who they've liked? I'm also not entirely sure what kind of doctor I would need to see. Fertility Specialist? RE? Gyno? Ideally takes United Healthcare insurance.Thank you!

    Aug 5, 2024

    I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. You should be able to visit a standard OBGYN practice and got some insurance-covered help at least with some early steps. Sutter on Milvia is the big local one in the East Bay, though appts can sometimes require a bit of a wait. With three chemical pregnancies, you'd be eligible for some testing to rule out other underlying conditions (APLS, as one example). If they rule these conditions out, you can then likely be prescribed topical progesterone to help thicken your uterine lining while trying to conceive. Perhaps that will help! 

    Aug 7, 2024

    Having been through the fertility process, the advice I wish had received is to go straight to the best experts, if you can afford to do so.  Your OBGYN or PCP might be covered by insurance and will likely happily give you advice but they often miss things, or are overly dismissive of actual problems. It sucks to waste your time and emotional resources  messing around with people who just don't really have the necessary expertise, and time is very important as you get older. Secondary infertility (when you have difficulty with having a child after no challenges with the first) is often more compex than primary infertility and IMO even more of a reason to do a consultation with someone who knows what they are doing. It's a hike and she might be pricey but I highly recommend Dr Aimee eyvazzadeh out in San Ramon. She is super smart and has great clinical skills, and also gets the emotional side of trying to get pregnant in a way that most other REs don't. She is often the RE that people have success with  after they have tried 1 or 2 other REs that failed. We got pregnant with her after miscarriages, chemical pregnancies and multiple failed IVF cycles. She would be a great person to do a really thorough consultation with. You could be confident that you know all the options and their pros and cons so that you can make the best choices for your family.

    Aug 7, 2024

    Sorry you are going through this. I struggled with infertility and went through the Kaiser system which I don’t recommend. I highly recommend my doctor, Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh. Even though her initial consult is expensive she is well worth it and can evaluate and recommend some testing. 

    Aug 7, 2024

    Hi both our babies were IVF. Highly reccomend spring fertility in Oakland and Oldershaw Clinic (fertility acupuncture) to help with supplements and acu to support treatment. I gave birth at 38 and 40. 

    Aug 7, 2024

    I’m not sure about insurance, but we had a good experience with UCSF Reproductive Endocrinology, and specifically Dr Huddleston, and I would recommend her.

    Aug 7, 2024

    I had a really great experience working with Dr. Hariton at RSC Bay Area - their office is in Oakland. He was extremely knowledgeable, empowering, and empathetic and the team was extremely communicative and easy to work. I'm not sure if they take United Healthcare, but you could call and ask!

    Aug 7, 2024

    Your regular gyno can do a blood test to check regular hormone levels. You would need to see a fertility specialist for more advanced screening. I used Spring Fertility in Oakland. They were fantastic, highly recommend them. Insurance coverage might be available for diagnostic testing but most insurances don’t cover fertility related medical issues. 

    Aug 7, 2024

    Spring Fertility was great for us and we have two children because of their care and knowledge. Unless there are religious reasons, I recommend going into this journey open to other possibilities- including IUI, genetic testing, IVF, etc. These interventions are effective and can reduce time, which is important when trying for a baby in our 40s, and heartache in the long run. 

    Aug 7, 2024

    Hi, 

    If you haven't spoken with your gyno, you could start there.  Sometimes it is a simple hormone fix.  I was able to get pregnant on the first cycle that I added a progesterone supplement.  And that was after four years of TTC. If you want even more detailed guidance, then I highly recommend Dr Aimee Eyvazzadeh.  She's a bit of a drive, but I think she's amazing. Listening to her podcast may even be helpful. Good luck!

    Aug 7, 2024
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  • Secondary infertility - obgyn recommendation

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    Mar 5, 2022

    Hello. I would like recommendations of open minded o gyms in PPO healthcare in the East Bay. 
    I have secondary infertility and would much like to discuss this with an obgyn that takes me seriously and does not dismiss my thoughts. I have regularly timed periods but extremely low uterine lining (confirmed by ultrasound besides the obvious super low periods) and when I have mentioned this to to a couple of doctors they have either dismissed me outright by saying this does not matter at all or suggested IVF. 
    My first pregnancy was extremely easy so this is proving stressful and energy consuming. 
    Many thanks for your responses!

    Mar 5, 2022

    I don’t really have a recommendation but wanted to say I had the same thing with my first pregnancy. Super light periods and thin lining. I ended up seeing a reproductive endocrinologist at UCSF and they found scar tissue in my uterus which was removed and then I got pregnant about a month later. The only possible explanation for the scar tissue was that I had an IUD and removal was slightly difficult. Anyway, no obg rec but I thought my experience might help!

    Mar 9, 2022

    Generally speaking OBGYNs aren't the people you talk to for fertility stuff.  Instead, you'd be looking for a reproductive endocrinologist.  You may or may not have insurance coverage for that, but it's usually very different from your regular PPO coverage.   Usually an RE will start with a pretty comprehensive workup with bloodwork, ultrasound, semen analysis, etc, then recommend either lower intervention stuff or IVF.  There are ways to improve lining -- vaginal estrogen and vaginal viagra are the two I'm familiar with -- but be prepared that sometimes the solution to poorly-explained issues is in fact to give IVF a shot.  IVF gives you a lot more information about what exactly is going wrong, and allows the doctor to tweak different things separately.

    I like Dr. Aimee in San Ramon.  She's expensive and doesn't take insurance, but she's very accessible to patients, takes patient concerns seriously, and is open to pursuing options that work for you, vs the sometimes cookie cutter approach at larger clinics.  But if you have PPO insurance that covers fertility you could just get a list of in-network REs in the East Bay and go down it.  There aren't  so so many of them.

    Mar 9, 2022

  • Choosing an IVF Clinic, Age 40+

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    Jul 25, 2021

    We're going the IVF route as our last shot to get pregnant. We've met with doctors at two clinics so far (UCSF and Spring) and haven't been particularly blown away. Wondering if people have good/bad experiences with either of these two, or if they'd recommend another practice in the East Bay? Particularly interested in experiences of women 40+ using own eggs, and also in hearing from people who had cycles with more than one clinic and which you preferred. Thank you so much.

    Jul 25, 2021

    I just got pregnant at 40 with low ovarian reserve at Reproductive Science Center in Oakland with Dr Rosenbluth. They are awesome. They never pushed donor eggs on me though they were honest about our chances and how many rounds of ivf it would likely take. In our case I actually didn’t have enough eggs for ivf but somehow managed to get pregnant with an IUI. We also did ivf with them to conceive my four year old. They give you a dedicated case manager which makes you feel less like an anonymous number (looking at you Kaiser Fremont) and my doctor was open to my input when it came to treatment options and medications. 
     

    good luck to you!

    Jul 28, 2021

    I went through months of (failed) IVF treatments at age 40 through Kaiser Fremont and I STRONGLY recommend against them. I switched to Spring Oakland and had just gone through a few consults and was very happy with their approach (much more individualized than Kaiser, which felt like a factory). Ultimately we ended up getting pregnant on our own and so didn't use Spring. But from my interactions with them, and from speaking with other older women who had gone through treatment there, I was really hopeful for our chances with Spring.

    Jul 28, 2021

    I have had many friends go to both of these clinics and felt very well taken care of and had good results. Their expertise and experience at both of these clinics is quite well known so you'd unlikely to find a clinic with higher success rates. You'll probably get a bit more personal attention/hand holding with Spring but UCSF does have more years of experience in this field. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    We used Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh (in San Ramon) and can’t say enough great things about her. She is the absolute best doctor I’ve ever met. I interviewed several clinics around the Bay Area and am so glad we went with Dr. Aimee in the end. Her bedside manner is unparalleled. I was 38 and used my own eggs, fyi. Good luck on your journey! 

    Jul 28, 2021

    I highly recommend Dr. Susan Willman. She helped us get pregnant a long time ago. And I will never forget how respectful she was, how well she listened, helped figure out what was going on, and advocated for us. She's in Orinda. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    I’m now 42 and used my own eggs at Spring. They were great in my eyes, I got what I wanted, a rainbow baby. I did 4 cycles and 2 transfers. Process was about 1 1/2

    Jul 28, 2021

    Spring has been a pleasure to work with. Our friends used both Spring and UCSF (and Stanford) and strongly preferred Spring, primarily because they were far more organized and customer-focused.

    Jul 28, 2021

    I was 45 when I went to spring after several miscarriages. We saw Dr. Tran and he came up with a practical approach that had me pregnant at the first attempt. Our boy is now 3! I wilL say that this first healthy egg I believe was the result of an intense 3 month fertility cleanse with lot so supplements, ubiquinol etc I undertook with Carol Lourie. I’ve had several over 40 friends dramatically improve their ‘fertility stats’ and get pregnant with intense nutritional and supplement support. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    Hi, I had a bad experience with Dr. Mitch Rosen at UCSF. He was extremely unprofessional and was very rough with my body. Send me a message if you want more details. I switched to RSC in Orinda and had a much better experience. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    We had a very positive experience at Reproductive Science Center. We worked primarily with Evan Rosenbluth, but also really liked Dr. Hinckley and Dr. Homer. I was 39 at the time of transfer, so can't speak to the over 40 experience but found Rosenbluth to be patient, kind and straightforward. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    We looked at Kaiser, UCSF and Spring.  Contact me offline if you want to discuss further as there is a lot that can be said.
    You posted anonymously, so cannot contact you directly.  

    Jul 28, 2021

    We had a great experience at Spring. Highly recommend them. Both my partner and I did retrieval cycles. Then I completed a transfer and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I turned 40 last year. I thought the doctors at Spring were very knowledgeable and the staff is amazing. We have been to the SF and Oakland clinics. We had previously gone to Laurel for IUI (unsuccessful) and we had a negative experience. They just weren’t on top of info and it felt really unorganized. Also, I think going right to IVF would have been a better option. We were so happy to find Spring! I feel confident in our ability to continue to grow our family with their help. If you didn’t connect with the doctor you met with, ask the staff for another recommendation. They helped us find the right fit. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    I highly recommend Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh in San Ramon ("Dr. Aimee"). She is AMAZING. She hleped me conceived when I was 43 years old and (ultimately with donor eggs), and now we have a 15-month-old son. I worked with multiple fertility clinics in the bay area and out of state (including Kaiser and CCRM Colorado) before finding Dr. Aimee, and the difference was huge. She does not accept health insurance, as far as I know, so you have to have the finances to fund the fertility services yourself. But for us it was so worth it. (I didn't have coverage for IVF anyway). Go see Dr. Aimee! I LOVE HER. Good luck on your journey!

    https://draimee.org/

    Rosa

    Jul 28, 2021

    We went to Spring twice, once when I was 38 for my husband in SF, and once when I was 42 for my age in Oakland. I loved Dr. Menjarez at Spring in Oakland, but I didn't love the SF practice. Unfortunately, she just retired. Dr. Fisher also saw us in Oakland, and I really liked him too, I am just someone who always chooses a female over a male practitioner. They also have a practice in San Jose, and Dr. Harris did our retrieval, and he was great too. Overall, even though IVF is an awful thing to go through, I had an amazing experience with Spring Oakland. They really try to take care of you, and referred us to a therapist who specializes in infertility after our cycle didn't work, and she is excellent. In this light, I would caution you, before you spend a ton of money, that age is a major factor in infertility over 40, and I didn't really understand this until I went through IVF at 42. Everyone says this, like don't wait until after 35 to have kids, but you see people all around you in the Bay Area having kids well into their 40s, and moms with gray hair everyday, and in my experience, it's impossible not to be hopeful. But you don't know their stories, or what they went through to have those kids, whether it was hundreds of thousands of dollars in IVF cycles, or using donor eggs, or if they just got incredibly lucky. I think we just assume IVF can fix things. We were able to conceive our son naturally after figuring out some health issues with my husband when I was about to turn 39, which I now realize was very very lucky, because normal fertility only lasts until age 38. After that, it starts to take multiple cycles to get normal embryos, which is a lot of money, and a lot of stress, and a lot of grief. IVF can't fix age, even if you have lots of eggs left, and even if you try multiple cycles, and the grief can be enormous. For us, it was worth the money to give it a shot, but we couldn't afford to do more than one cycle, and there is no guarantee with your own eggs even with multiple cycles that you will get any normal embryos when you're older. From someone who was once in your shoes, and who has friends that used donor eggs in their 40s, I hope you will find something that will work for you. Wishing you the best of luck <3        

    Jul 28, 2021

    I'm 38 so not in the 40+ group but saw Dr Martha Noel at UCSF and loved her. She listened to our concerns, didn't push us in any direction, supported our decisions/opinions, was responsive to questions via the portal and follow up phone calls. All of the PAs, nurses, and lab techs were great too. I don't think either I or my husband had a neg experience and we were there first just as a consult patient, then IUI, then IVF so we spent a lot of time over a 9+ month period with them. Good luck! 

    Jul 28, 2021

    I've used both clinics - started at UCSF, then transferred to Spring when my doctor, Dr. Tran, started it. I can't imagine trusting anyone aside from Dr. Tran. He's incredible and I respect his work ethic and knowledge. I am the mother of two and soon-to-be mother of a third, all thanks to him. I can't recommend him highly enough (I'm 39, used my own eggs, for reference). My very best wishes to you!

    Jul 28, 2021

    I’m 38 and my husband is 45, and we’ve been working with Spring since 2018. My primary physician is Dr. Tran but I’ve seen many of their doctors and have been to their SF, Oakland, and Redwood City offices. We’ve had two retrievals and two successful transfers (pregnant with our second now). They also diagnosed our infertility. While I’ve found their bedside manner can leave something to be desired, for me personally, I’ve focused more on the results. They are organized, efficient, and at least for me, have a process that really works. I trust them, from their medication protocol, to their procedural abilities, to their handling of my embryos. So - I’d say it depends on what matters to you. If you’re looking for a more nurturing environment, I’ve heard that Kindbody is focused on that aspect of the patient experience (though I don’t know anyone personally who has worked with them). I should say, that I got some of the nurturing support I was looking for from my acupuncturist, who I saw weekly leading up to my procedures and who provided acupuncture services immediately before and after my transfers. Best of luck…I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you. 

    Jul 28, 2021

    I worked with Dr. Phillip Chenete in San Francisco 20 years ago and LOVED him and his entire staff! (However I am not a fan of one of his partners, Dr. Herbert.) I was 37 at the time and appreciated that he worked with older women and wasn't worried about his success statistics. Some practices were turning away older women because of this. I had a fresh IVF cycle with an early miscarriage and then had a frozen embryo transfer that resulted in my youngest daughter. I think he's worth travelling to San Francisco for! https://www.pacificfertilitycenter.com/fertility-specialists/philip-e-c…;(415) 834-3095. Good luck!

    Jul 28, 2021

    We used Spring in Oakland during the pandemic. I'm 39 and used my own eggs (we harvested 23 and had 2 viable embryos). We also did PGT to test the embryos which is why the embryo number is so low. We did one transfer and got pregnant. We now have a 2.5 month old. We paid out of pocket and it was worth every penny. 

    We loved Spring. Hope this helps!

    Do not waste your time at Kaiser if you have Kaiser insurance. We did not have a good experience there and left for Spring. 

    Jul 29, 2021

    Hi there,

    I have experiences with both the practices you mentioned. Ultimately I did IVF with UCSF. I conceived my daughter at 40 & she’s 3+ months now. I would be happy to chat with you further online, or maybe easier via the phone.

    Erica

    Jul 30, 2021

    We also went to Dr. Susan Willman in Orinda, and had a wonderful experience with her. She was creative and thoughtful and respectful.

    Aug 4, 2021

    I just completed my egg retrieval process. I am 35 yrs old. I was also debating between providers - rather obsessing over them. I ultimately decided to pick UCSF. In UCSF you may not feel like you have a personalized care, however, you can be assured that their IVF labs are best in class. Most important part of IVF IMO is the Labs where embryos grow. At the start I was very doubtful - I kept thinking if I made the right choice. But as I went through the process, it helped establish trust. Keep in mind UCSF is less aggressive, so you may have to keep pushing the doctor. Additionally, since it is a busy hospital, you may have to be pro-active. My doctor was Yanett Anaya. She kept tweaking my IVF protocol and helped us get appropriate number of eggs. Good luck!

    Aug 4, 2021

    i know a lot of women who've done IVF in bay area, and the general consensus is that Kaiser sucks, Spring is good but currently over-committed and has bad customer service cause they can't handle their current caseload (maybe they'll fix this soon), UCSF has good docs but terrible customer service, RSC is good but small, and Dr. Aimee is great but $$$. I had great experience at PFC (we did 10 cycles there) but driving to the city for eveyr appointment was super time-consuming. 

    Aug 4, 2021

    We went to Spring after a long journey with Kaiser. Kaiser San Ramon was fine for IUIs but when IVF came up for Fremont we turned into an invisible patient and could never talk to the same providers/nurses. It wasn’t worth it since we were paying out of pocket. 
    Spring was incredible. I started there at 39 and had our baby at 40 years old. He’s 1.5yrs now. I was with Dr Minjarez who is probably the most tenured in her profession in the entire Bay Area. She just retired but I also loved Dr Harris. Dr Tan had a lack luster bedside manner but he was intelligent and made the right decisions for things when Dr Minjarez wasn’t there. 
    I would go back there again in a heartbeat. I recommend all our friends to go to Spring.  

    Aug 4, 2021

    I ultimately got pregnant at home, but I really loved my consult with Aimee Eyvazzadeh. Her marketing is kind of weird and intense but she is GREAT. She sent me a lit review to explain one of her practices. 
     

    She’s expensive! My feeling at the time was that I was not a simple case and didn’t have much time, and therefore it was worth prioritizing expertise over money given that I could make it work. 

    Aug 5, 2021

    I second Dr. Chenette and Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco. The clinic is off the Embarcadero, and takes less than 20 min for me to get to from Oakland (not during rush hour). I had a great experience with Dr. Chenette, as well as Dr. Agard and the entire care team. Very professional, responsive, and I felt like I had a lot of information available to me to make our choices. I had been recommended PFC from women in my network, and have since recommended to multiple others. I had previously frozen eggs in my mid 30s, and having our first baby with fresh eggs from a recent retrieval at 41. Feel free to DM me, happy to answer any questions and good luck!

    Aug 5, 2021

    I never ended up publishing the review below but I thought I'd share my own negative experience with Spring in response to your question.  Spring apologized and refunded our costs, but I would still not recommend them.  I went to Spring in 2018, got pregnant on my own in 2019, and had a baby in 2020.  Good luck and I hope you find an option that works for you!

    I've pretty much liked all of my doctors over the last 35 years, but my experience with Spring and Dr. Tran was negative and stressful due to a medical mix-up that took weeks to resolve.  My fiance and I had an initial consultation with Spring, where we received genetic testing at their recommendation.  When the test results came back, Spring emailed us a pdf copy of our lab results showing that we were carriers of the same two incurable diseases, with a 1 in 4 chance of passing on each disease, along with a list of symptoms our children could have.  Some excerpts: "about 20% of affected infants die within the first year of life," "some may also experience stroke-like episodes," "females typically do not go through puberty," "babies with this condition who have brain abnormalities usually do not live past early childhood."  

    I was terrified but then did online research myself, since it seemed odd that our tests were so similar -- we were clear of >250 diseases but carriers for the same two, plus we had the same bad gene variant for both conditions (with ~200 variants of each gene).  Initially Spring dismissed my concerns (writing "I can assure you that your blood samples were not mixed up" and telling us that we would most likely have to pay for the retesting ourselves), but after I provided more evidence based on my own online research, they acknowledged that it was "very likely" that the initial samples were switched.  

    We came in to be retested, but my fiance's second sample was accidentally destroyed by the lab as a duplicate.  After his third blood test, we had an appointment with Dr. Tran where he told us again that we were carriers of the same two diseases, but it seems he had just forgotten that we were being retested.  Throughout this process, he did not come across as sympathetic or concerned, and he also speculated about my mother having had miscarriages, which she never did (as far as she knows) and bluntly told us that he didn't think we would be able to have children (which was later proven wrong).  Given all of the vulnerability and strong emotions people feel around fertility, with high stakes and financial costs, it is especially important to be tactful and sensitive, so this was a big shortcoming in our Spring process.

    All in all, it took over six weeks to find out that my fiance wasn't a carrier of any diseases (i.e. the lab ran both our tests using just my blood samples), and we were anxious the whole time.  I was able to identify the suspicious results with zero medical education, when they were overlooked by the medical team at Spring.  I imagine that Spring takes better care not to mix up eggs and embryos than they did with our blood samples, and it sounds like Spring will use our experience as a training opportunity to be better in the future, but I would still not recommend them.

    Aug 11, 2021

  • Has anybody had experience with RMA of northern CA?

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    May 9, 2021

    Hi! I am starting a search for a fertility clinic. I’ve seen some good reviews of Spring in Oakland. On Yelp there are great reviews of RMA (Reproductive Medicine Associates) in SF— and I was wondering if anyone here had heard of them or had any experiences, good or bad, with them. Thanks!! 

    May 9, 2021

    Hi there! I couldn't recommend them more highly! I had a superb experience with them after working with UCSF & Spring. Dr.Morin is incredible (though all 3 doctors are wonderful). I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant and chalk it up entirely to the care I received from them. Their office is super easy to get to from the east bay, scheduling is top notch/efficient and the doctors are reachable 24/7 (I messaged a handful of times after hours and got responses back within 20 minutes). I actually had a situation where I accidentally bought the wrong meds and Dr.Morin drove to the east bay and met me on a Saturday to hand deliver extra meds to me--I can't imagine many doctors would go that extra mile in that way. I've been so sad to "graduate" RMA--it was the best medical experience I've had. 11/10 highly recommend! 

    May 12, 2021

    I know people who have had good and bad experiences at both places. Check out fertility IQ website for more reviews. But proximity to where you live is also super important since you may have lots of appts. Check out resources from RESOLVE too

    May 12, 2021

    Hi u/Jandk - we used RMA a few years ago to do an embryo retrieval and just earlier this year we did the embryo transfer. We loved working with Dr. Morin (primary for us), Dr. Kurt and Dr. Kaeser (?). The staff and nurses are smart, amazing, thoughtful and very personable. We can't recommend them enough as a business. Even more with the successes we had in getting pregnant with our baby girl. Oh, their communications is on-point, they operate really well. 

    May 12, 2021

    Hello,

    We went to RMA for fertility help and can’t recommend them enough. The providers and staff there are wonderful and very patient centered, their treatments are evidence based. We have an almost one year old and looking forward to actually seeing the doctors there when it’s time for the second kid!

    May 12, 2021

    Hi 

    I do not know any here however I do know one of the best IVF doctors in the US. He’s is in New York City but will guide you from there.

    let me know if you need his contact 

    Best 

    Charmaine

    May 12, 2021

    My wife and so went through Spring in SF, but also have had some elements on my care through the Oakland office. I wholeheartedly recommend them. I also have known now another 4 close friends or coworkers who have gone through the Oakland office. 
     

    My main suggestion is to do a consult with your top two (or three) clinics before making a decision. 

    Best of luck! My only regret with my conception journey is that we didn’t move to IVF sooner. I know it can be such an emotional roller coaster that will take you to IVF, but once we made the decision to move forward, it was much smoother sailing! 
    Good luck!

    May 12, 2021

    Hi! I wanted to respond to your message and share my experience with RMA--In short, I HIGHLY recommend them! We went with them for IVF and did a round with egg retrieval and one transfer. We just had our little girl in March after recurrent miscarriage and years of trying. Dr. Kort was our main doctor and he was AMAZING. He is really kind, compassionate, positive, and encouraging. They set you up with an app and you can ask questions anytime during the process and they get back to you right away (and it's usually one of the doctor's that responds!). I can't say enough good things about them. Their whole process is totally streamlined and we felt so supported and attended to. I had uterine scarring and they also did two hysteroscopy surgeries before our transfer. They are totally thorough and in my experience they gave us really thoughtful recommendations before we ultimately decided to do IVF. When I "graduated" after getting pregnant I was so happy to not need fertility services any more but also so sad to leave the care at RMA! It was honestly the best experience with the medical system I've ever had. 

    Wishing you all the very best!

    May 14, 2021

  • Fertility clinic recommendations for queer family

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    Apr 15, 2021

    We are a queer family new to the Bay Area looking for advice on fertility clinics.  I looked through the archives on this question, but most comments are more than 5 years old.  I would love to hear people's experiences (especially queer parents, but value everyone's input!) with fertility clinics (the IVF process) in the area and recommendations for clinics and doctors. 

    Apr 15, 2021

    Spring Fertility! They are hands down the best and have been growing since they opened a few years ago. 

    Apr 21, 2021

    Spring Fertility hands down. Dr. Minjarez is amazing. We are a queer family, visited 4 other doctors and locations prior to landing on Spring and we are so thankful that we worked with them. We were at Kaiser Oakland and Kaiser San Ramon for a while but eventually we didn't feel like our family needs and values were honored. Spring was the same cost for us (our insurance didn't cover IVF or meds) so we switched. Feel free to contact me directly. Also, we were in a Early Queer Parenting Group with MAIA Midwifery and more than half of us queer couples had gone to Spring. The other couples that went to Kaiser, UCSF, and Pacific had a lot of negative experiences. Spring isn't the cheapest but it's the best. Good luck.

    Apr 21, 2021

    My husband and I (cis straight couple) have been using Spring Fertility in Oakland for IVF. I've had a good experience. Things are reasonably well organized, my appointments have always been on time, and I've felt well supported through a hard process. I tend to ask a lot of questions and have never felt dismissed or rushed. To be fair, my husband hasn't been as happy - they failed to follow up with him on some test results until he called to check, and he doesn't love that all the communication is through this online portal they have.

    I'm not sure what other options there are in the East Bay (we went with Spring because my OB suggested it and it was part of our insurance network) but there tend to be a lot of appointments especially leading up to egg retrieval, so driving across the bridge probably isn't ideal. 

    Apr 21, 2021

    HI there! I'm happy to tell you my story. I'm not queer, but have been through IVF locally. Let me know if you want to connect via email.

    Best
    Laura

    Apr 21, 2021

    Hi there! I couldn't recommend RMA Nor Cal more highly. We looked at 3 different clinics (Spring, UCSF, Alta Bates) and ended up at RMA and it was an incredible experience (which very few people say of the fertility / IVC clinic space). I saw Dr. Morin specifically but Dr. Kaser was my secondary doctor and he is the specialist at RMA for LGBTQ couples/individuals (he is absolutely wonderful!!!). Every time I went in, I always saw a doctor which was quite different from my other experiences where you more often see a rotation of nurses and/or feel like a cog on a conveyer belt. The team is SUPER responsive--they have an app where you can text/call 24/7 and they always got back to me within the hour. The team is super patient and answered all of our questions/concerns. We received super personalized care and are currently pregnant with our first via IVF. I was verrry sad to "graduate" from the clinic because my experience was just so positive with them. Happy to chat further if you want more details. 

    Apr 21, 2021

    My husband and I didn't have a queer experience with IVF, but we loved Dr. Minjarez, Dr. Fisher, and the nurses and staff at Spring Fertility in Oakland. I was too old for our procedure to work (trying for #2 over age 40), and I ended up having complications from the retrieval procedure because despite my age I had a lot of eggs retrieved, which increases your risk. But I felt like we got the best care possible, and that the team really took care of us the whole time. They are expensive and didn't take our insurance (they do take some), but I got what I needed out of trying with them. If money weren't an issue, I would have tried again, despite the complications. Also, they provided support to find an excellent therapist after the failed IVF procedure, something I never found on my own after having complications with our son's birth and our miscarriage trying for #2 naturally. I had met with several perinatal specialists over the years and never found my person until Spring referred me, so I include that in our quality of care and our experience with Spring.    

    Apr 21, 2021

    (My experience is very recent, starting in June of 2020.) I had initial conversations with a private clinic and with USCF, and decided to go with UCSF hands-down. I just felt more comfortable with my dr's experience and the responsiveness of the clinic. My doc was Dr. Martha Noel and she had a whole team: coordinator, financial person, nurses. I could email each department via a portal, which made it easy to direct my questions. I felt really well guided through the whole experience, found it easy to coordinate my care, and the offices in the Dogpatch area are beautiful and modern. While we are not a queer couple, I imagine that the UCSF team's care would be knowledgable and compassionate. (If you'd like to know the name of the private clinic, you can contact me directly. I didn't have enough to do with them to be "against" them; I just chose not to go with them for a few personal reasons.) Best of luck on the journey. 

    Apr 21, 2021

    I went to Laurel fertility care in San Francisco, specifically Dr. Ekpo. She is great. I have 2 children via IVF now thanks to her.
    Good luck!

    Apr 21, 2021

    We’ve used Kaiser Oakland for IUI and Kaiser Fremont for IVF. Did not enjoy working with either. 
     

    Switched to Reproductive Science Center and have had a great experience. We conceived our daughter there with Dr Willman (retired) and are currently working with Dr Rosenbluth. The entire staff has been very queer friendly. My husband is trans and we use donor sperm. 
     

    good luck!

    Apr 21, 2021

    My husband and I worked with UCSF, for our now 18 month old—a 3.5 year journey for us—but totally worth it and would have been much shorter but for a fluke entirely out of anyone’s control. We’re working with UCSF again for our second and we just received other date for first transfer attempt.  Several friends of ours also worked with UCSF, but different doctors, and we’ve all had positive outcomes. Know there will be delays and trials along the way (none of which were the clinic’s fault it’s just the unpredictable nature of ivf/bringing a new human into the world). Feel free to message privately if you want more info or we’re happy to FaceTime or something.

    good luck! It’s definitely worth it in the end

    Apr 21, 2021

    Spring! We are also a queer family and did IVF with the clinic. They have 3 locations now. We went to Oakland mostly and SF sometimes. I’m happy to answer any more specific questions you have. 

    Apr 21, 2021

    we are a queer and trans family. only spring fertility as a clinic (2019-era) with nam tran was actually even attempting to be inclusive to us, and ivan huang at kaiser (who i know has left for socal). i couldn’t even make it to intake appointments with several other sf-area clinics before running into some ridiculous stuff, asking me about my husband’s info and using some incredibly terrible terms despite the fact that i repeatedly said that my wife and i were looking into ivf and we are trans. 

    spring also got me some amazing results with ivf so we just did the one cycle and one fet and have a very cheerful 1 year old little sibling to our older kid (who was entirely kaiser sf but not from ivf). 

    i would also recommend you check out our family coalition’s ttc/fertility peer support group, i think they meet twice a month or so via zoom. 

    Apr 21, 2021

    Queer couple here - we used Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh. She’s the BEST. Extremely dedicated, tenacious, empathetic, hardworking, I could go on and on. She’ll make you feel like you’re her only patient and as if it’s her life’s mission to help you get a baby. She responds to emails in minutes and once even FaceTimed us at 9pm when I was afraid I’d messed up my medication. Happy to discuss more if you’d like. We toured a number of clinics when starting IVF and she was the right fit hands down. Best of luck!

    May 13, 2021

  • Seeking Advice: Infertility Specialist

    –
    Apr 8, 2017

    Conceiving our now 2-year old daughter was a long process. It took nearly five years, and multiple rounds of failed IUI and IVF. Similar to many women, the doctor I worked with couldn't pinpoint a specific reason for my troubles. 
    However, by the end my doctor seemed to think my troubles were related to an egg maturation issue: even though my follicles appeared to be the right size on the ultrasound, few would come out mature by the embryologist's standards. In fact, the egg from which we had our daughter was coaxed to maturity for 24 hours before being fertilized through ICSI. As I understand, this is very rare. Nevertheless, we hoped we had pinpointed the problem, and the solution that could be used in the future if/when we wanted to have another child. 
    We've been trying for the past year to conceive. Unfortunately, the practice that brought us success is on the east coast. We've just had a disastrous ivf experience. Many eggs were retrieved, including five mature eggs, but we had no fertilization.  The difficult part is that I don't feel our doctor fully understood our situation. We'd like to try again, but I'm thinking we should consider other doctors. 
    Has anyone else in this terrific BPN community experienced a similar fertility problem? And/or can you recommend a doctor with the knowledge/experience with this problem?
    Thank you for your time and consideration. 
    --Hoping for success 

     

    Apr 8, 2017

    I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, I've been through some similar issues. I had some good experiences with Alta Bates (Herndon) and California IVF (Zeringue), though Alta Bates is the closest to this area.

    Apr 12, 2017

    I highly recommend Dr. Phillip Chenette at Pacific Infertility Center in San Francisco. He doesn't mind working with women over 40 and on difficult cases.  https://www.pacificfertilitycenter.com/fertility-specialists/philip-e-c…

    Apr 12, 2017

    Dr. Zouves in Foster City specializes in difficult fertility cases - can not speak highly enough of him and his clinic. He goes above and beyond in diagnosing fertility issues and treating as needed during pregnancy. 

    Apr 12, 2017

    Such a difficult situation!

    This won't help you unless you want to become a Kaiser member, but their fertility clinic is fabulous. Kaiser does a great deal of health research including women's reproductive health. You get the benefit if you're their patient. 

    Apr 12, 2017

    While we did not have your specific problem we also gave up on the first IVF clinic we tried and eventually got pregnant with Dr. Aimee Eyvazzedeh. She was *very* creative with our treatment and extremely responsive (unlike any doctor experience we've ever had). If you email her with your questions and concerns she will respond (email [at] draimee.org).

    https://www.yelp.com/biz/aimee-eyvazzadeh-md-mph-san-ramon

    Apr 12, 2017

    Dr. Richard Chetkowski at the Alta Bates In Vitro Fertilization Program in Berkeley (http://www.abivf.com/about-us/physicians).

    Blessings to you both.

    Apr 12, 2017

    I do not have the same issue as you, but highly recommend the fertility clinic at UCSF. We checked out/started working with 3 others in the east bay and city before going to UCSF, which had been reco'd but was furthest from our home (distance turned out to not be an issue). We, and another family we know, had great luck with them. They were very thorough, where the other 3 wanted to just "give it a shot."

    Apr 12, 2017

    We used Dr. Richard Chetkowski in Berkeley for our IVF treatments.  He is very good and knowledgeable.  http://www.abivf.com/about-us/physicians

    Good luck.

    Apr 13, 2017

    Has your partner checked his sperm quality and count?  Men's sperm viability in the U.S. is very low, ave ~ 11% as I recall.

    There are oxidative stressors that decrease fertility and one that I see often is unnecessary over-exposure to non-ionizing radiation

    from wifi.  There are also small levels of constant exposure from hormone disruptors that can also lower fertility like non-ionizing radiation.

    Check out Dr Moskowitz of UC Berkeley website on this issue.  I give talks mostly on pesticide toxicity but occasionally I am asked to give talks

    on the most harmful oxidative stressors.  If you want me to invite you next time I give one of these talks (maybe on May 23rd at a health clinic),

    I can let you know.  I'm waiting for confirmation. 

    May 4, 2017

  • Recommendations for fertility specialists and donor egg agencies

    –
    Oct 18, 2016

    My partner and I are looking for a fertility specialist.  We have gone through a couple IUIs and a cancelled IVF cycle and are now considering IVF with a donor egg or perhaps embryo donation.  Can anyone provide recommendations for Bay Area fertility practices with which they have experience - especially for IVF and for donor egg or embryo cycles?  Recommendations for donor egg agencies would also be really helpful.  It seems like all the posts in the archive on this topic are at least 5 years old.  Thanks in advance!

    Oct 18, 2016

    I had a great experience with UCSF doing donor egg IVF, with frozen eggs actually.  Pacific Fertility Center is also amazing but almost double the cost and success rates between the two are similar.  PFC had a great selection of donors though and a lot of frozen egg donors as well. We ended up with UCSF  though and I can't say enough about their professionalism and quality of care.  The system was well organized with staff to inform us of all the steps we needed to take along the way. Nothing fell through the cracks. UCSF also provided us with a list of reputable donor agencies but we did not end up going that route.

    Oct 19, 2016

    I am sorry you are going through this.  It is SO hard! We went to RSC in Orinda/San Ramon and worked with Dr Wilman.  We did two IVF cycles and ended up having a beautiful boy on the second try.  Dr Wilman is not warm and fuzzy per se, but was amazing and helping us through this process.  I have heard great stories from other friends who ended up there.  I highly recommend this clinic.  I am happy to answer more questions too! Also, a good friend went through and egg donor cycle there and had a healthy beautiful baby girl.  Judy

    Oct 19, 2016

    I second the recommendation for UCSF. They are awesome (I've been to a few other fertility centers previously so I have seen the difference)... I recommend Dr. Mitchell Rosen though all of the doctors there are quite good. I did not use a donor egg but I know they handle that type of treatment there regularly. 

    Oct 19, 2016

    After years of infertility and failed rounds of IVF and miscarriages we had success with Dr Zouves Fertility clinic in San Mateo. He was wonderful and was particularly good at being straight about what was and wasn't possible. He is very good with auto-immune issues. We had 2 successful pregnancies with him. The team were great and guided us through what is as you know a tough rollercoaster.

    Oct 19, 2016

    We used Pacific Fertility Center. Our main doctor was Dr. Li although I liked the other doctors as well.  We successfully had a baby through the donor egg process.  For the donor, we used Family Creations out of Los Angeles.  They were pretty easy to work with.  Our lawyer was Shelley Tarnoff @ 510-482-2226. She was pretty easy to work with as well - not the warm and fuzziest person but pretty efficient and specializes in this stuff.  We did try going to RSC because it was easier in terms of all of the visits but I didn't like them.  The main difference is that the primary person with whom you communicate @ RSC is a medical assistant who is not that well informed.  Both times that we tried to go to them, I knew more than the medical assistant.  At PFC, each doctor has a care team that includes a nurse.  Each doctor has another doctor's care team as back up.  Response to your emails are pretty quick and the nurses are quite knowledgeable.  I know that it is a roller coaster journey - I wish you the best of luck!!  I don't know if you can reply to me but feel free to reply if you have more questions.

    Oct 19, 2016

    I did 6 cycles of IUI with Dr. Wilman at RSC, then switched to UCSF for 3 rounds of mini-IVF and am now working with them on a donor egg cycle that I sincerely hope will work. (!!!) I like UCSF, and prefer them to RSC.  They have their flaws, but I think the entire fertility industry struggles with maintaining a nurturing and individualized level of care because the communication and work is distributed between doctors, nurses, care managers, ultrasound techs, donor coordinators, in-house counselors - not to mention outside industries.  I looked into other donor egg options, but I stayed with UCSF because I liked their pool of egg donors.  They seem well-curated, educated, and diverse.  UCSF is also very pro-disclosure for the benefit of the offspring, so all the donors are willing to be known to varying degrees down the line if the child is curious about their origins, and that was important to me.  They offer frozen and fresh cycles, depending on the availability of the donor.  I also liked that their in-house psychologist had met all the donors to do their intake, and she's also the one who talks with you when you move on to a donor cycle.  It was a little bit of the individual care that I had hoped to find in the process as a whole.

    Regarding embryo donation, there's a place in Davis called California Conceptions that does it and I met with them, too.  I ultimately decided against it because of the anonymity of the donors.  They are much cheaper though, so it was tempting!

    Best of luck.  I know very well how hard it is, but I also know that you will find your way there.  Mama gets her baby :)

    Oct 20, 2016

    We worked with Dr. Wilman at RSC and highly recommend her. She is kind, science-based and helpful. 

    Oct 26, 2016

    We both loved Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh in San Ramon. Her positive outlook and help was wonderful. I wish we could have tried IVF with her but we didn't get lucky enough, unfortunately (not enough viable eggs). Hoping you do get lucky with her. :) 

    Nov 2, 2016

    I did IUIs at Kaiser Oakland and one round of IVF with Kaiser in Fremont. They were mediocre for IUIs but basically got the job done. They were TERRIBLE for IVF and literally quadrupled the stress I was under just by being incompetent/having a terrible system for care (examples include the Dr. flat out ignoring an email I sent about my concerns, hour long waits for a 2 minute ultrasound, being on hold for 20 minutes every time you call with a routine question (you can't email their nurses) and taking 3 months of weekly phone calls to get my refund after my cycle was cancelled.

    Round two of IVF we went with Reproductive Science Center out of Orinda with Dr. Willman. The experience was like night and day- they were really great and very patient centered (our case manager, Jenny Miller, was wonderful as well). I highly recommend RSC even if they hadn't managed to get me pregnant (which they did ) the care there made you feel like a person not cattle. I was pregnant through RSC BEFORE I would have even been scheduled to have my embryo transfer with Kaiser (had my first cycle not been cancelled). I still feel very lucky that we switched. Infertility is SO stressful, find a place that is going to support you!

    Nov 9, 2016

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Questions

Related Resources

  

Fertility specialists in the east bay, ambivalance

July 2011

hi everyone, i have been working with dr. chetkowsky for about 4 months now and am starting to consider switching to dr. hinckley because i think i'd be more comfortable with someone with a better bedside manner. the main thing holding me back is the longer commute (i live in albany and i have a 3 yr. old). do any of you have had any experience with either one of them and could say--''it's definitely worth the commute, or not''. any advice would be appreciated, i'm feeling pretty down about the whole process at this point. i'm 38 and we've been trying for 2 years on our own. with dr. c we've done 3 rounds of clomid/iui so far and i'm seriously thinking of switching to ivf sooner rather than later just cause each month when i find out i'm not pregnant i'm more and more devastated, not sure how many more of those i can take. oh, and i'll add just in case any of you have any experience with this--another challenge for me is that my 3 year old is a real handful, and so i sometimes question if i really even want a second or not, mostly i wonder if i could handle it...but then i really want him to have a sibling so i just feel deeply conflicted about the whole thing. if anyone else has been in this situation i'd love to hear about what helped, if anything thanks so much

Hello!! I was a patient at the Reproductive Science Center of the East Bay. Dr. Willman was my doctor and we conceived a beautiful little girl through IVF this past January. Although Dr. Hinckley wasn't my primary doctor, she did perform 2 of our IUIs prior to IVF and we found her to be very warm with a great sense of humor and we really liked her. I don't know your current doctor. We were happy with our experience at our fertility center and are planning for a 2nd IVF using frozen embroys this winter. Good luck to you!! Kim

I started working with Dr. Chet when I turned 40. I had previously done a series of clomid/IUI cycles due to the low cost, but did not have much luck with that route and felt like the clomid wreaked havoc with my system. Looking back now, I wouldn't have spent so much time with that protocol, considering my age. I wish I had recognized sooner that it wasn't working for me and moved on to something else.

I did get pregnant via stimulated IUI with injectables, but unfortunately had a few early losses. Dr. Chet cared for me and did the surgeries. I trusted him completely and always felt I was in the good hands of a very experienced doctor.

My final success story was due to IVF, which I did at age 42. It was a tough decision financially and emotionally to advance to such measures, but Dr. Chet provided honest guidance about my declining odds, without pressuring me. I have great respect for him because of this.

While I agree that his demeanor is different and not touchy-feely, I sensed his caring and concern in a different ways. He scheduled my IVF procedure on the July 4th holiday which fell on a Saturday. I was surprised that he would be working that day, but he said time was of the essence.

I also felt very comfortable with his nurses and staff who were personable in the conventional ways he might not have been. They were always accommodating to my schedule and I was able to get last minute appointments easily.

As I now have the child I had wanted for so long, I definitely feel it was all worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Dr. Chet was the right doctor for me and what I needed, and he lead me to a successful outcome. I hope some of my experience can be helpful in the decisions you will be facing. Best of luck to you. -Fellow Dr. Chet patient

Hi, I highly recommend Dr. Mary Hinckley . You asked about a couple of things, so here goes.

First, travel: We mostly went to her Orinda office, but occasionally went to the San Ramon office for special procedures or weekend measurements. It's certainly not super convenient, but it was doable. Frequently for weekday visits I would just Bart there and back to avoid traffic. It's an easy walk from the station... Maybe 5-10 minutes.

Second, they take this very seriously and don't mess around. Granted we didn't start seeing her until 9 months of difficulty (2 early miscarriages, then nothing for several months) by which point I was already 39. We bypassed clomid altogether to do a couple of rounds of injectibles with IUI; she encouraged me to use use an acupuncturist to supplement however needed. While we did get pregnant, we had a miscarriage at 12 weeks due to Turner's syndrome. She let us grieve without pressure for a couple of months, and when we returned she encouraged us to consider IVF (with the option to do genetic testing on the embryos). Sadly, we discovered my egg quality was just really poor. When we reached this point (I was 41) she again laid out our options and encouraged us to consider alternative routes rather than continuing to pursue more IVFs with my eggs. I'm happy to say we're 30 weeks pregnant with a donor egg from a single round of IVF. I've not always been in love with the various staffers at RSC, but I've never questioned my respect for Dr. Hinckley. She does an amazing job of balancing all the contradictory emotions involved in the infertility process: compassion and sympathy/ hope and encouragement, urgency and moving forward/ reflecting and caution, reason and logic/ irrational desires.

Best of wishes as you make your choices. Should you decide to seek out Dr. Hinckley, I trust she will help you navigate this often tortuous and torturous path. Robin

I only have one little one right now so I cant speak to help you decide if you should go ahead with plans for #2, but if you decide to continue fertility treatment, I would highly recommend you stick with Dr. Chetkowski

I will tell you my story and then some thoughts on the bedside manner issue. I saw Dr. C because I had plans to do IVF with PGD due to genetic issues. During my workup for the IVF, he discovered that I have a fertility issue with my uterine lining not developing adequately (in addition to my genetic concerns). He addressed this using a treatment option that had only recently been published which indicated to me that he is still concerned with being at the top of his profession rather than relying on older methods. Then, during my HSG there was a major problem with my cervix and despite 30+ mins of painful trying, the doctor performing the procedure was unable to insert the catheter to squirt the dye. He was going to give up which would mean postponing everything by a month. He offered to call Dr. C before I left the room and upon receiving the call Dr. C left his office immediately, came across the street to the hospital in the poring rain, scrubbed in and did the procedure himself. He then stayed with me when I was in so much pain I could not get off the table. No other Dr. I have ever had would have done this for me.

After 6 months of work together, my IVF was scheduled which required careful planing on his part due to the PGD component. A few weeks later, after a lot of contemplation, I changed my mind about the IVF and decided I wanted to conceive naturally. When I called the office to say I thought I was pregnant, he called me back personally to tell me the test was positive and celebrated with me even though he had also just lost a 20 thousand dollar client. He continued to monitor my pregnancy throughout the first trimester, adding progesterone when my numbers dipped, being there for me (again a personal call) when I had sudden bleeding at 7 weeks late on Friday night and performing an ultrasound the next morning just to make sure everything was still good. My point is if you want to get and stay pregnant and there are fertility or genetic issues, I can not imagine a Dr. who will be more able and more committed to this outcome and work from the heart to get you there. So, Id say, dont commute when the best doc is right near by.

Regarding the bedside manner, I did hear this about him before starting treatment and I did a couple things to address it. Overall, my goal was to change the dynamic from that of typical dr/patient to that of two colleagues working towards a common goal. I achieved this by asking highly technical questions forcing him to really get inside his brain to get to the answer at the level I was asking for. I also didn't hold anything back when it came to sharing my opinions on things that I liked, didn't like, etc. When he was direct at me, I was direct right back. He seemed to really respect this approach and this changed the way he interacted with me. For you, tell him straight up that you want to go straight to IVF and why. Stand up for what you want. He will probably respond well to that. I will see Dr. C again when its time for #2 whether its just to get my uterus ready for conception or going with the full IVF PGD. Good luck with your decision and if you chose to move forward, conception and pregnancy! A Dr. C fan

Reproductive Endocrinologist in East Bay

June 2011

Can anyone recommend a good RE in the East Bay? I don't seem to have trouble getting pregnant but I have had 3 miscarriages in the last 7 months and I think it's time to see a specialist. Thanks.

Hello, In response to wanting a recommendation for a reproductive endocrinologist. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and following that chemotherapy, so our whole getting pregnant experience was at the doctor (as we had to use frozen sperm). Kaiser San Francisco has a great reproductive endocrinology department. Dr. Huang was wonderful and his nurses were very helpful. We eventually did IVF through the Alta Bates program, also a wonderful experience - Dr. Chetkowski is extremely knowledgeable. I know we were in a different situation, but I believe all of these doctor's work not only with getting you pregnant, but keeping you pregnant too! CG

3 miscarriages! I'm so sorry. I have also had 3 since my daughter was born in 2009 (all 1st trimester losses), and after the 3rd, I decided to see an RE. I researched it heavily and discussed it at length with a friend who is an OB in another state and with my parents, who are medical researchers. I realized that I would feel more comfortable seeing someone academic. There's still so much we don't know about miscarriage. So I felt/feel more comfortable seeing someone who specializes in recurrent m/c and doesn't have a business interest in my fertility. I wound up seeing Heather Huddleston at UCSF . She is terrific. I was/am very happy with her and with the whole clinic - nurses, receptionists, etc. The information they've been able to provide has been so much more detailed than what I learned from my regular OB. And Dr. Huddleston's nurses have been easily reachable by phone for follow-up questions. I highly recommend her - totally worth the pain in the butt of getting there from the east bay. Feel free to ask our wonderful moderator for my contact info if you wish to discuss it further. So sorry for your losses. Best of luck to you... A Rockridge Mom

He's not in the East Bay, but I cannot recommend Dr. Rosen at UCSF enough. Both myself and several friends and co-workers are either well into pregnancy or have kids now because of his (and the team at UCSF's) help. Not only did he find the cause of my infertility and get me on the right course of treatment for my long term health but he also ensured that I got pregnant and have wonderful kids. He really is worth the trip across the bay. Kate

Reproductive Endocrinologist covered by my insurance?

Feb 2011

Hello - I am looking for a Reproductive Endocrinologist in the East Bay - preferably someone who is friendly to Single Mothers by Choice. My insurance is tricky, it covers A LOT if the Dr. is under my plan, nothing if they are not. Here are a few RE's who had popped up when I searched - if you have any experience with the following please share: Sanjay Agarwal or Sonya Kashap
Thanks so much! Hoping to be a mom soon!

Not in the East Bay but you will not find anybody smarter than Mitchell Rosen at UCSF. pregnant

I saw Dr. Susan Willman at the Reproductive Science Center (offices in Orinda and San Ramon) for fertility. I highly recommend her as a doctor, advocate, and resource. I am a single soon-to-be mother and she was nothing but supportive. Although she works at a fertility clinic, she was listed as an in-network RE in my last 2 insurance networks. Perhaps she will be in yours. Feel free to email me with more specific questions if you wish. nm

Recurrent miscarriage - resources & fertility recs

Feb 2011

Having just suffered my third miscarriage in less than a year (after the birth of a healthy child two years ago), I am finally looking at getting tested for a whole variety of things that could be causing the miscarriages. Right now, I am under the care of my OB/GYN (who is relatively new to me - only seen her for the past ~6 mos since my old OB retired). Should I be seeing a fertility specialist instead? If so, can you recommend someone? I'm in Oakland and have blue shield PPO. I always kind of thought fertility specialists were for people who had trouble conceiving (we definitely don't) or who wanted to do IVF, but now I wonder if I'm mistaken about that. I'm really just looking for someone who will take his/her time and be patient and thorough in helping me get to the bottom of this - also taking into account my other health issues and health history. (I have autoimmune hypothyroidism - currently treated by my fantastic endocrinologist, but still... I keep reading about autoimmune this and that and... ugh. It's all so confusing.) Finally, if you have suffered through recurrent miscarriage and discovered any resources that were really helpful for doing your own research and bringing questions to your doctor, could you point me toward them? Many thanks. Grateful for the wisdom of your experience

If you're having recurrent miscarriages, have your OB refer you to a reproductive endocrinologist. We saw one after having one miscarriage. They ran a whole gamut of tests on both me and my partner. The OB won't be able to do this and this is not their area of expertise. get the help you need

I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriages. After two miscarriages, my OB referred me to Reproductive Science Center , a fertility clinic in Orinda and I saw Mary Hinckley. At the time I had a 2.5 year old daughter. We ended up going through two cycles of IUI with no success and were deciding whether to proceed with IVF. Dr. Hinckley then referred me to an acupuncturist, Leslie Oldershaw (510) 595-1175) in Piedmont. A few months after beginning treatment with Leslie, I got pregnant and now have an active and healthy 17-month old son. I wish that I'd gone to Leslie before trying the IUIs because the drugs are no fun. Best of luck on your journey for baby #2. Shauna

I have had 8 miscarriages and now have two living daughters. My miscarriages ranged from 4-6 weeks early ones, ruptured ectopic and two full term uterine ruptures. My youngest daughter is the result of assistance from Dr. Phillip Chenette at Pacific Fertility in San Francisco. http://www.pacificfertilitycenter.com/welcome/philip_chenette.php

He specializes in women over 40 which makes his statistics even more impressive. Some, if not all, of your diagnostic work should be covered by your insurance.

You may also need to work with a perinatologist once you do get pregnant again since you're at high risk of having another miscarriage. Good luck! Sabrina

I can highly recommend that you talk with Leslie Oldershaw , a wonderful and very knowledgeable womens-reproductive health advocate who blends both Eastern & Western perspectives -- she is an accupuncturist. She has a beautiful, relaxing, and very professional practice at the top of Grand Avenue. She is also works closely with women to help them understand, research, and know their options in interacting with the world of fertility specialists. Her personal, wholistic, and caring environment made a huge difference in my experiences with challenges of getting & remaining pregnant.

If you do go the RE route, I highly recommend Dr. Richard Chetkowski who is a Reproductive Endocrinologist with his own practice near Alta Bates. I find, and know myself, that there can feel like a huge barrier or committment to talk with a RE. But, I highly recommend setting up an appointment to talk with someone like Dr. Chet. He is very clear-thinking and will be able to very quickly help you understand where you may fall in the realm of fertility issues and considerations. Of course, they will always be willing to move forward into helping you (i.e. starting fertility based assistance), but he would be a very clear and kind, experienced doctor, for helping you understand how your situation fits in the fertility world.

My experience is based on using Dr. Chetkowski & Leslie to conceive one healthy daughter (now 2), after dealing with an ectopic pregnancy & a number of fertility issues. I also worked with others, who were *not* good, and so have a strong basis for recommending these two. Good luck. reba

Infertility with donor eggs

March 2010

My husband and I are looking for subjections about your experience with donor egg and clinic. We're currentle with a clinic in Berkeley and we have done a IVF and IUI. still not be able to get PG. Does any one have a place for us? and a good doctor who will espend time with us and not only business with us. Thanks!!!! luli

I can highly recommend from experience the following fertility clinic. They will allow you to do some of the testing in the Bay Area if you can not travel to Reno for all your testing. I could go on and on about how warm and supportive they were vs. the bay area clinic we were first involved in, and they were less expensive in the long run which made it worth the trips up to Reno. Also, I would highly recommend doing acupuncture along with your fertility treatments. I credit Leslie Oldershaw (in Piedmont) with my ability to finally get pregnant.
Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine 645 Sierra Rose Drive, Suite 205 Reno, Nevada 89511 Phone: 775-828-1200 http://nevadafertility.com
anon

I had a very good experience with Dr Susan Willman out in Orinda. 2 normal kids aged 7 & 11 from the same donor cycle; 1st fresh, 2nd frozen, to show for it. Yeah, and I had several awful experiences before I found her. So, I have a clue about what you are feeling and am wishing you the best!!! A lot of it is just the luck of the draw, of course, but I do think that Dr Willman is particularly talented. Lucky

When is an RE necessary?

Jan 2010

I am beginning to look into becoming a single mother by choice. It is overwhelming! I have done the initial blood tests (through my FNP) and was told things look good but am wondering if I should make an appointment with an RE. I have an OB/GYN, but don't know where to go from here. Since these initial tests are normal, is it necessary to see an RE? How would what he/she tells me be different from my OB/GYN or the folks at the sperm bank? I am almost 38 and have somewhat irregular periods and would like to take the route that is moste effective in getting me pregnant. Also, does anyone have recommendations for a good, reasonable RE in the Oakland/Berkeley area? moving forward with motherhood

I can't recommend a reproductive specialist, but I wanted to recommend some things that I found extremely helpful in getting pregnant (via home insemination with anonymous donor sperm).

1. The book: Taking Charge of Your Fertility (this book may help you decide if you need to see a specialist).

2. Pre-seed lubricant. (If you attempt vaginal inseminations you will need this at your age as a vehicle for the sperm).

3. Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor. (It is worth the money to know exactly when you're ovulating). Best of Luck!

RE is not always necessary (we saw Dr Susan Willman in Orinda, who was not technically an RE but she basically provided RE services), but I would definitely avoid your average OB/GYN who just tells you that they are fertility specialists. If you want to address fertility issues, at a minimum go to someone who really is a fertility specialist (minimally Dr Willman), not an OB/GYN who just has an interest in fertility but is basically an OB/GYN who sees the range of OB/GYN patients (eg Dr Streitfield, who I saw at first and who didn't really have much knowledge beyond prescribing Clomid), and who was completly wrong about my situation). See someone who only sees fertility patients if you're serious about the need for a specialist. Don't waste those precious months on someone who just wants to prescribe Clomid w/o understanding the issues.

OB/GYN with fertility expertise

June 2009

hi there, Can anyone recommend an OB/GYN in the east bay that specializes in fertility issues? I recently had a missed abortion and also have been diagnosed w/ hypothyroidism. I'm a little concerned that my current OB/GYN thinks my thyroid levels are ''normal'' especially given the fact that I've been trying to conceive for a year and had a miscarriage in March. My acupuncturist was actually the one who suggested I have my thyroid checked out and has been more helpful with fertility information than my OB/GYN. Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

If you have fertility concerns, head straight to a reproductive endocronologist. Most ob/gyns have some fertility knowledge and will try to be helpful, but what they can do is quite limited. On the other hand, there are many great doctors in the Bay Area associated with fertility clinics who can answer the questions you have, suggest other things to look into, can go as far as you need/or want to go, and save you a lot of time in the process. I found Drs. Willman and Weckstein very helpful, but the best thing to do is to interview someone and if it doesn't feel like a fit...interview someone else. Hopefully everything will resolve quickly and easily for you. Good luck

While not in the East Bay, if fertility concerns are primary and you can travel, I highly recommend Valerie Baker at Stanford Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center clinic (http://www.stanfordivf.com/). I spent about a year trying to get pregnant at a clinic in another state, and when I moved to the East Bay, decided to go to the Stanford clinic (despite the drive). I've never regretted the decision. I found the entire office incredibly thoughtful and well-managed, down to providing free coffee and wireless in the waiting room. I found that Dr. Baker was very careful, and thorough, as well as being a positive person who just made me feel at ease. I always felt like my questions and concerns were respected and received helpful responses. It was clear she was thinking about my case in particular, and while the diagnostic tests she recommended in my case did not reveal a problem, it was good to know that, and I was disappointed that my previous office was not nearly as thorough. I felt listened to, and liked that (except on weekends) I generally saw my assigned doctor. That said, the other doctor I interacted with there on occasion, Dr. Lathi, was also excellent. It's a first-rate facility, and after only a few months trying under Dr. Baker's care, I'm pregnant (and thrilled). Even though I'm sure she sees success stories frequently, I was touched at how excited Dr. Baker was with me and for me when the pregnancy ''took.'' I'm not at all convinced that I would have gotten pregnant if my standard of care had remained what it was at the fertility clinic where I went previously.

Note that this is not a full service OB/GYN office; now that I'm nearly 10 wks. pregnant, I'm transitioning to another provider in the East Bay for prenatal care and delivery. However, I would absolutely do it again despite the hour each way to get there. If you can time appointments so you miss rush hour (and I usually could), you can get there with minimal hassle, and you will have some of the best care that's available. Happily Pregnant at Long Last

I am sorry to hear about your recent miscarriage. You should check out Dr. Henry ''Hank'' Streitfeld in Berkeley. I think I actually found him through BPN. We went through something similar and he was incredibly kind and warm and took great care of me through the miscarriage, subsequent pregnancy and post-partum. His sense of humor isn't for everyone, but he is an excellent physician and has been helping couples with fertility issues for years. Good luck! anon

Run, don't walk to a fertility specialist. There are a lot of great clinics and fertility doctors in the Bay Area. Maybe someone will be able to steer you towards a good OB GYN, but I have heard too many bad stories about wasted time with GYN's. I used UCSF Fertility Center . been there

Seeking information on local fertility clinics

Oct 2007

I'm looking at past posts to the BPN site and wondered if there was more up to date information on local fertility clinics. I just had a horrible IVF experience at Stanford and am looking at other options. I'm considering either Dr. Chetkowski at Alta Bates, or the Zouves Fertility Clinic in Daly City. Does anyone have any recent experience with either? Zouves has higher statistics of live births, but I've also read many positive posts about Chetkowski on this site. Any advice would be really appreciated. K

So sorry that you have had such a bad experience with IVF. We also had a terrible first experience with a fertility doctor in San Francisco. After that we shopped around for another doctor very carefully. We even looked out of state. We decided on Dr. Victor Fujimoto at UCSF's Center for Reproductive Health . He was very informative and supportive. I also saw other doctors there and felt they were excellent as well. We were in it for the long haul and did eight cycles. I felt Dr. Fujimoto and all of the staff at UCSF monitored my medical care carefully and handled my seesawing emotions with amazing patience. If I had to go through it all over again I would without hesitation go to UCSF.

I think that statistics are very important but that they can also be misleading. One clinic may have a higher number of live births simply because they only treated those patients who had a high chance of success. A frequent use of donor eggs could also make the numbers higher. There are a lot of factors that go into these statistics and they all need to be separated out to be accurate. The first fertility doctor I saw had great numbers. After seeing her a few times she told me (very coldly and over the phone) that because of my high FSH it was impossble for me to get pregnant (wrong!). Devastated I went back for another appointment where I was told (again very coldly) of my options. After I declined the use of donor eggs she refused to try IVF with my own eggs and said if that is what I wanted to try I needed to go somewhere else. At UCSF there was none of this arrogance. They gave me the information I needed to make informed decisions and then supported me. Best Wishes from Someone Whose Been There

I did IVF with a clinic based in Marin, www.marinreproductive.com, and worked with Dr. SAE H. SOHN, M.D. He was recommended to me by the fertility Dr. I was seeing at the time at SF Kaiser, who wasn't able to offer IVF at that time (3 years ago). I believe Dr. Sohn's office has recently joined to become an extension office of the UCSF reproductive clinics. Dr. Sohn was incredibly gentle and calm. His office and staff were very available and supportive. In our case, the problem was male factor. IVF with ICSI worked for us - we did one cycle of harvesting eggs and one cycle of implantation that resulted in a very healthy baby girl. I was 38 at the time of pregnancy. I did have an over reaction to the hormones for harvesting the eggs, but he was able to slow down the treatments to complete the cycle without having to start all over again. All the procedures were done in his quiet, private office. A very serene location. I traveled to Marin from Oakland via the ferry and walking, but it was worth it. I recommend him highly. Feel free to email if you want to discuss further. maxine

We initially used Pacific Fertility Clinic in SF. They made mistakes, were difficult to reach and had higher prices than UCSF. They actually made a very egregious mistake in our cases by giving us the wrong form, hence wrong instructions and medical schedule, thus aborting a good pregnancy. And I know of two other couples with negative experiences with them.

We ended up using UCSF , which was fabulous. UCSF is a non-profit as compared to many fertility centers, their prices are lower, their staff is top notch - on the cutting edge of research, they are very pleasant, and very accessible. I couldn't recommend UCSF more highly!

I know you asked for local clinics but I'd look at Portland, OR. I know it sounds far, and yes it adds to the cost, but they have great success rates - I would definately consider travelling. I don't reccomend Pacific Fertility in SF - had a bad expereince there before starting a cycle & was mislead by doctors - well, lied to really. I cycled at Stanford with Manchi about 3 years ago & did not get pregnant but it was not a bad experience (needed PGD and they were the place to go for that). Sorry you had a bad experience there. Consider Colorado too. good luck

we worked with Pacific Fertility in the city, and were happy enough with them to go to them again recently to try for another (we work with Dr Schriock). they are quite professional, caring and competent, if busy. I would also highly recommend getting acupuncture starting a few months before you try to get your bod in a receptive condition. worked for us

I would highly recommend that you check out Dr. Schriock and Dr. Givens at Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco. After seeing another local highly regarded RE who missed a basic condition I had and was never available for phone calls, I changed to PFC and after 4 IVF's (I have a rare problem) we are due with our first child in 5 weeks. Dr. Schriock is smart and compassionate and worth the cost and commute. Wishing you GOOD luck!! IF is hell. Anon

We used Zouves on the recommendation of our acupuncturist, Angela Wu. Dr Zouves was warm, hard working and very supporting. When he heard Angela Wu had reffered us he said to continue taking her herbs and following her guidelines, and was supportive of eastern pratices. I also liked that he looked at immune system issues in regards to fertility. Every doctor I had seen said I'd get pregnant no problem based on my blood tests etc, to no avail, but Zouves looked more deeply. And now I'm the mama to twins! Another thing I liked was that he worked with my schedule- didn't put me on birth control to sync into his schedule. He works weekends too! I was very happy with Zouves. Stephanie

Best fertility clinic in the Bay area is actually in a Denver, Colorado suburb called Englewood. It's called The Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine . They are the best in the country. I'm currently pregnant at age 44 from a cycle there with my own eggs. Almost any other IVF lab in the country would have killed my embryos at this age, but on day three they were all 8-cell grade 4 or 4- (4 is best at CCRM). They also tested the eggs' polar bodies so they could discard genetically abnormal embryos (aneuploidy), thereby decreasing my potential miscarriage rate.

The way to become their patient is: 1) schedule a 1-hour telephone consultation ($250) 2) fly to Denver for your one-day workup, in which they will repeat all testing including hysteroscopy and sperm analysis 3) cycle with local monitoring until you fly to Denver for 4-14 days, depending on the protocol. You can see all the clinic outcomes on www.sart.org or get them as a downloadable excel spreadsheet from http://www.cdc.gov/art/

This may not show up niceley in the BPN newsletter but I took the excel spreadsheet, deleted all the clinics except California and CCRM (I had previously figured out CCRM was the best), deleted non-Bay Area clinics, deleted clinics that were too small to have any statistically significant results, and sorted the outcomes by the live birth rate for the youngest patients (see key at the bottom). The youngest are the easiest to get right.

good luck! A tough case, I wouldn't go anywhere else

I would like to strongly endorse Dr. Zouves . I found his bedside manner to be impeccable, and his thoroughness to be unmatched. Yes, you will probably have to undergo more pre-cycle testing than at other clinics which can be more expensive and perhaps annoying, but he leaves nothing to chance, and no stone unturned in heading off at the pass any potential problem with a cycle.

I had a negative experience at UCSF, where I felt like I barely had a relationship with my primary physician there. I saw whoever was on call. Dr. Zouves is unique in that he's a one man show. It may take a little longer to get in to see him, but I really think the quality of care is worth the wait. I don't know anyone who has done IVF at Alta Bates, so I can't speak to that, but you have a ringing endorsement for Zouves Fertility Center here. Rebecca

We were so underwhelmed with PFC (Pacific Fertility Center) and their statistics ''less than 8% chance'' of a pregnancy that we also traveled to Colorado for our first IVF at CCRM and had the best experience possible. Dr. Schoolcraft is the very best! Finally a Mother at 42

I missed the original post on this, but read the responses. I saw one person recommended highly against Pacific Fertility Clinic in San Francisco, and I couldn't disagree more. I went to another clinic (RSC) and didn't think they were aggressive enough, and got discouraged with insurance run-arounds and the inability to ever see my doctor. So I switched to PFC and saw Dr. Eldon Schriock. He is amazing, empathetic and encouraging - yet realistic. I never had a problem scheduling, their fees are comparable to any other in the Bay Area (it's not a regulated field, so everyone's prices are high, quite frankly) and they are extremely professional and compassionate. After 4 miscarriages and one failed IVF (the first failed IVF was at PFC, for the sake of honest reporting), I am now 5 weeks from my due date (a singleton).

Speaking of which -- PFC is also not SO aggressive (at least Dr. Schriock isn't) that you'll end up with a scary number of multiples, which is something to consider. I wouldn't necessarily go on pregnancy rates provided by clinics, either. Technically, a twin pregnancy I had that only reached implantation and no heartbeats, goes down in the stats as a pregnancy. It's more important you go with a place that makes you feel comfortable and confident - because that will help you conceive as well. -- Anon.

I underwent two procedures at Reproductive Science Center (RSC). The first was using a donor (from which I believe 24 eggs were harvested but the lab was only able to produce a small number of embryos.) Despite being told that the procedure was perfectly executed, that procedure was unsuccessful. The second procedure was an FET (frozen embryo transfer).

The day before I was to go in for the FET, a nurse called to confirm the medication I was taking. It turned out that one of the necessary medications had not been prescribed, after a brief silence on the phone, the nurse said that she would call me back. When she did she said it was still okay to proceed. The next day, I asked the staff if not having that medication made a difference. All assured me it would be fine. Well, that cycle also failed, maybe because of the medication or not, who knows.

I decided that after spending thousands of dollars and having nothing to show for it, I wouldn't proceed any further. I told RSC to either discard or use the remaining embryos for research. Several months later they billed me for several months of storage saying that I needed a notarized document to discard. Of course, it would have been nice if they had told me that originally instead of waiting several months and racking up more fees of $250/quarter.

To add to the already pleasant experience of two unsuccessful procedures, shooting needles in my legs for months, and spending thousands of dollars for failed treatments, they then disputed a $500 discount that had been offered for 2nd cycles and threatened collections. Happy Mom Of Beautiful Adopted Son

NOVA in vitro fertilization?

Nov 2006

I am trying to find out if anyone has had a good experiece with NOVA. I am 39 and they seem to be the only program in the area that offers the guarantee or multi-try packages for women over 38, but I haven't seen any postings about them. Also, if people know of other places in the bay area that offer this to people over 38, I'd love to know that as well. I also heard that Kaiser Walnut Creek and Hayward do IVF, but can't find success rates anywhere, so would be interested to get feedback on them too. You can also email me at rebdwlng [at] yahoo.com. Thanks

I was 39 when I enrolled with Pacific Fertility Center in SF. If you are under 40, and after a couple of basic hormone tests, you pass their screening, an MD may approve you for their ''shared risk'' program. Essentially you can pay for several IVF cycles at once, for a lot less than the cost of two separate ones, and the cost includes any frozen cycles with extra embryos left from a cycle. Of course, if you get pregnant the first cycle, you've paid for a second cycle that you didn't need. Cost excludes meds and a few other things I can't remember but the main costs are included. It worked in the end for me (on second cycle) and I gave birth at 41. You may want to check them out. Good luck. kate

You can get stats on IVF success rates at various infertility clinics on the CDC website at: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ART2003/clinics03.asp Unfortunately they run a few years behind and so 2003 is the latest, but 2004 statistics should be coming out soon.

My advice to you would be to look beyond whether a clinic offers a guarantee/discount plan and instead focus your efforts on the clinic that will give you the very best chance of success. Surprisingly, while the Bay Area has so much to offer in so many areas, our infertility clinics do not have the highest success rates. I ended up going to Portland Center for Reproductive Medicine in Oregon, and it was surprisingly easy, with comparable costs and very little travel necessary. The Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine also has excellent stats for older women.

Good luck to you Anon

Blue Shield HMO-Ob/Gyn-fertility issues

Aug 2006

Hello: I am thinking of switching to Blue Shield HMO from Kaiser. I am just starting to be seen at the Kaiser fertility clinic, and both my Kaiser and potential Blue Shield only pay for 50% of treatment. I am wondering what current recommendations might be for a Blue Shield OB/gyn in the area who also deals with fertility issues. I'm also wondering if more simple fertility issues (non-IVF)could be addressed as a regular office visit to an Ob/gyn, and not a fertility specialist, which would be covered in full as opposed to 50%. At Kaiser you are automatically transferred to the fertility clinic so everything is only covered at 50%, even though I would imagine some of the tests could be done by a regular ob/gyn. So, I guess I'm trying to find a good ob/gyn who is good with fertility issues and might also be willing to see patients for this as part of a regular office visit. Thanks, Rebecca

I have heard that some primary care docs and OB's will give Clomid without asking a patient to see a fertility doc first. I'm not sure who they are, but you'd best just be direct and ask them. If you are uncomfortable with it, just first say ''I am trying to optimize my insurance coverage for fertility treatment, which can be very, very costly.'' By the way, lucky you that your insurance pays 50%! JM

Hello Rebecca, I don't know about Ob's who also deal with fertility issues, but I do have some advice. My husband and I have a 17 month old son who was conceived using injectible medications combined with IUI. (I'm hoping you know about the infertilty lingo...) This was while we lived on the East Coast. We moved to Walnut Creek about 8 months ago and have recently been thinking of trying to have a second baby. My husband is a physician who knows the Ob/gyns and Infertility docs in the area. Through his work and personal connections, he decided that Reproductive Science Center would be a good place for us to start. We have seen Dr. Willman and Dr. Hinckley and have been very happy with them so far. We have yet to embark on any actual treatment, but I have a few friends who had success at this clinic.

We recently switched to Blue Shield HMO. As you know the fertility coverage is not great in California. So I completely understand why you are trying to find an Ob/Gyn rather than a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE). However, speaking strictly from a medical point of view, I would urge you to go straight to an RE if at all possible. Though some Obs do have an interest and experience in fertility, I don't think it can compare with that of a specialist in this field. I have read countless books and articles on the topic. The consensus in the infertility community is that it's best to go straight to an RE if you have been trying to have a baby for 12 months or more and have been unsuccessful. The number of months goes down to 6 if you're 35 years or older.

So I guess I would answer your second question by saying that yes, it may be possible to address ''simple'' fertility isses at a regular office visit with an Ob.(I'm not sure there is such a thing...) I realize I am speaking without any knowledge of your fertility problems. Even so, if you truly do have infertility, your very best bet would be to see an RE at least once. Hope this helps, and best of luck to you. Anon

I had fertility issues too and I would recommend going to see a fertility specialst if you're serious about conceiving. If you have a medical spending account at work, the copays for doctor's visits (even IUI) are covered been there

Hi- I can't speak for certain on the fertility issues part of your question. But I can recommend an OB that might fit your bill. I've seen Dr. Kanwit at East Bay Physicians Medical group (formerly known as OB/GN Fertility Specialists)for my first pregnancy, and now ongoing for my second. I had Blue Shield HMO with my first pregnancy (and subsequent visits) and now we have Blue Shield PPO. Once my OB gave the thumbs up after my first child, we spoke of fertility (1st one was unplanned), but we didn't go too into depth, since we weren't quite ready for a second yet. I believe she (or really any of the doctor's in the group) could handle what you are asking for. You can always call them and speak to their office staff, they are friendly. Their phone number is (510) 845-8047. They are located in Berkely on Telegraph, just above Ashby Ave. Goodluck! I hope you find what you need! Oh, and you can always contact me directly if you need more info. kukana

Experience with Bay Area Fertility clinics?

June 2005

I'd like to hear from women who've done IUI or IVF recently at some of the Bay Area clinics and to get feedback on their experience. My husband and I recently tried Reproductive Science Center in Orinda and I'm not sure how we feel about the experience, and would like to compare to other people's experiences. If you're reading this and have recent (2004 and after) and relevant experience, or know someone who does, we'd really like to get some feedback. thanks.
Re: Experience with Bay Area Fertility clinics? (June 2005)
Recommended:

  • Pacific Fertility Center
  • Reproductive Science Center
  • Stanford Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Center
  • UCSF Center for Reproductive Health (4)

    Buying IVF meds online from Europe?

    May 2005

    Does anyone have experience (good or bad) buying IVF medications online from European (or other overseas) pharmacies, such as www.ivfmeds.com? The prices are considerably cheaper than even the cheapest U.S. based online pharmacies, and appears to be the exact same products (Gonal-F). They say they account for the time customs takes in their estimated shipping time. Other than the additional time shipping, does anyone know of any reason NOT to order from overseas? Thanks for any advice.

    Hi, I bought Gonal F and Antagon from ivfmeds.com a couple of years ago for IVF #1 and would highly recommend. It was a very easy process, the order arrived within a few days (sent from a London pharmacy) and I saved a ton of money - we were completely self funding. As an aside, there's a website called freegaragesale.com which, in its medical category, lists private sales of IVF drugs. I had a good experience with a seller for my 2nd (successful) IVF cycle, but it's obviously a little risky. Good luck!

    Reproductive Endocrinologist - Blue Shield

    Nov 2004

    I have Blue Shield PPO and am absolutely amazed and frustrated to find that there is not a single RE listed on my plan within 100+ mile radius! I have called my insurance provider already...this is how I know about the 100+ mile radius. Arrrrgghhhh. Any of you have any experience with a local East Bay RE AND have Blue Shield as your insurance and would be willing to share your little secret??! Prefer someone in the East Bay. Many thanks, Lauri

    I highly reccomend travelling down to Stanford if you can manage it. Incredible staff, doctors, nurses etc -- and they take just about any insurance (from what I gather). I did IVF down there and was able to schedule all my app'ts to avoid traffic. Parking is easy too. Good luck
    I know this might sound nutty, but since most companies have open enrollment in December, you should immediately change your insurance if you can. We had really horrible coverage with Blue Shield/Cross for infertility. We had expensive co-pays for everything. If you are beginning this journey, you are much better off with Kaiser or another plan that covers way more of the testing and procedures. That said, we ended up having to pay for our IVF out of pocket, but at least we had all the other things that we tried paid for first. Sorry that I can't help you find someone local. Annie

    Endocrinologist John Linfoot?

    August 2003

    I've had trouble keeping early term pregnancies and was advised to see an Endocrinologist. Does anyone have experience with Dr.John Linfoot or with other area endocrinologists for dealing with potential reproductive issues? seeking answers

    I went through 4 years of infertility and did a ton of research. While you can go to any basic endocrinologist for your basic testing (fsh, etc.), I'd recommend Dr. Zouves for being the absolute best in the area. His email is: http://www.goivf.com/ Also, if you're 40 or over, there is a wonderful email list called ''fortility'' which is for women of this age trying to conceive. I found it to contain some of the smartest, most upbeat, well-researched people I've ever met. Go to www.surrogacy.org for info. good luck, cat
    Rachelle Halpern in Berkeley 843.5000 is a great endocrinologist. I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you about fertility issues and whether or not she can help. Good luck! peggy
    I understand your request is in regard to reproductive issues but I thought you might like to have any comment regarding Linfoot's office. My husband is currently seeing Dr. Linfoot for thyroid problems. We recently moved to the Bay Area and had not even seen a GP when my husband woke up recently with a very large growth on his throat. We found a GP who immediately sent us to an ear, nose and throat specialist and he, in turn, sent us to Dr. Linfoot. This all happened within 5 days. Dr. Linfoot had no appointments available but he stayed after hours to see my husband. I am very particular about doctors and believe in taking a proactive role in health care. Prior to our visit with Dr. Linfoot, I spent hours and hours on the internet comparing information as well as talking to several doctor friends from the Houston Medical Center in Houston. (We just moved here from Houston.) Dr. Linfoot was excellent. He answered our multitude of questions. He was current on all different types of procedures. He was patient and kind, never rushing us in any way. I was very impressed. We are down to a decision regarding surgery to remove the thyroid and Dr. Linfoot is working with us to make the decision. I highly recommend him as an endrocrinologist. PJ
    I saw John Linfoot for a thyroid problem a few years ago, and I wasn't thrilled with the practice. While I liked him and the other doctor I saw, I thought their follow-up was not very good or very thorough. I got the impression that the specialty of the practice was diabetes. I suggest you find someone who specializes in reproductive endocrinology specifically. Not only do you want someone who knows all the latest developments in this area, but someone with at least an inkling of the emotional issues involved with these problems as well. RESOLVE of Northern California used to have a referral list of fertility specialists, you might contact them. Mary

    Online Resources

    Nov. 2003

    Re: IVF
    Please check out http://207.44.160.141/board/forumdisplay.php?s==108 or http://207.44.160.141/board/allboards.html You will find tons of information on IVF in California at the link above. Several people have been have listed recommendations, or experiences at the clinics you have mentioned. If you have trouble with these links please let me know. Good Luck! Mary

    RESOLVE

    May 2000

    Resolve of Northern California is a group that helps people with fertility problems in a number of ways. I received their helpful, informative newsletters and joined one of their support groups during our struggle with fertility. (I don't know if this is more than lucky coincidence, but everyone in my support group ended up having a child or children one way or another.) The phone number is (415) 788-6772. It's in San Francisco, but our support group was in the East Bay and the annual conference we went to was at Mills College. Your friend should call them and find out what is going on in San Jose, and about other large scale events she could attend. www.resolve.org

    I would also recommend a support network for fertility Resolve. They have a web site and have a good deal of information and terrific volunteer support. Here is the northern California chapter web site http//www.ihr.com/resolve/nchome.html Best of luck!! Molly (5/00)