Anyone in the San Francisco area?

VineyardMel · November 2011

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me popping over from the TTCAL board. I'm starting to see an RE and wondered if anyone happens to live in the San Francisco area and might have a recommendation. I'm in Sonoma and have a couple of recommendations from my OB, but would love to hear from anyone who has first hand experience.

I've also been Googling to find recommendations--if anyone has a favorite resource for finding great docs, I'd love that info, too.

Thank you!

kelnyc · November 2011

ME! I am UCSF and see Dr Heather Huddleston. She and the entire staff (and the lab) are kind, dedicated and amazingly responsive. GL!

VineyardMel · November 2011

Thank you so much! I was JUST on their website when I checked back in and saw this. Huddleston isn't on my insurance, but Giudice, Fujimoto, Rosen and Zamah all are--have you met any of them? This center is definitely where I think I want to be. I'm having a first appointment next week with a doc in Marin but as I've been thinking more about it, it's so worth the extra time to get into the city and find the best docs that I can. Thank you again!

farmerlynda · November 2011

Me! I'm up a fellow Sonoma County resident, in fact. Don't waste your time with the doc in Santa Rosa -- I'm happy to PM/email you more information if you'd like. I am currently seeing Dr. Isabelle Ryan at Pacific Fertility Center. She is wonderful, and the process has been incredibly smooth -- a lot of staff to follow up with you, answer any questions, etc.

She came recommended to me by Dr. Turek, a male fertility specialist. He also recommended the doctor in Napa (can't remember his name, but I think there's only one). Dr. Turek did not mention the one in Marin, and he knew where I lived, so I assumed the lack of endorsement wasn't a good sign.

I am curious about UCSF, but since I had a personal recommendation, I went with PFC. I spent quite a bit of time on google trying to find reviews of UCSF versus PFC, and honestly, they were completely mixed on both places... I couldn't really find any trends of one being better than the other.

VineyardMel · November 2011

I was hoping you would chime in--I remembered you from TTGP and that you were in my area and seeing an RE. I was very interested in Dr. Ryan based on her bio, but she's not on my insurance. Ugh--I hate insurance!

The doc in Marin is the same one as Napa (Dr. Uzelac, pretty sure he's the only with a Napa office)--did Dr. Turek think highly of him? I had a consult with him this week and I liked him, but he threw me for a loop when he told me he didn't do the standard CD3 blood work because he thinks he can tell a lot more about my ovarian reserve by doing an ultrasound between CD6 and 10. I'm going to keep my appointment for next week to see what he says, but I know he's not as widely known as the docs in the city and he's not board certified in RE, so I won't be surprised if I switch. It's so hard to know who to trust and who's really good, and I know I don't have time to waste here. These eggs are not getting any younger!

Thank you so much for the info!!

kelnyc · November 2011

VineyardMel:
Thank you so much! I was JUST on their website when I checked back in and saw this. Huddleston isn't on my insurance, but Giudice, Fujimoto, Rosen and Zamah all are--have you met any of them? This center is definitely where I think I want to be. I'm having a first appointment next week with a doc in Marin but as I've been thinking more about it, it's so worth the extra time to get into the city and find the best docs that I can. Thank you again!

I did have Dr. Fujimoto on one of my IUI rotations, and I wasn't crazy about his demeanor, but he is an ezcellent doctor. Rosen is amazing from what I've heard. I can honestly tell you that UCSF is the best anywhere in the area. Not a biased opinion, but favt. They do more then double the cases of IVF than their next closest competitor, and have great success rates. They are on the cutting edge of research and have an unbelievable lab and staff. I truly cannot say enough and have gotten expectional care these past 8 months, 4 IUIs and now IVF. We have quite a few friends who have had to get treatments, and they have all used UCSF.

farmerlynda · November 2011

Yep, he was referring to Dr. Uzelac -- for some reason I thought there was another practice in Marin? When I was talking to Dr. Turek, he said that Dr. Uzelac and all the doctors at PFC always consult him on tough MFI cases -- and that they are all basically part of the same intellectual community and have regular meetings to consult one another. And I do trust Dr. Turek's opinion: I liked him a lot personally, but he's also well published, and a frequent speaker and presenter at fertility conferences.

Also, IMHO, I don't think there is necessarily a black-and-white "best" with this. Yes, UCSF has a better success rate than PFC -- but so does the clinic in Santa Rosa, and that doc was very rude, anti-second-opinion, and throws everything and the kitchen sink at her IVF patients. (The list of meds was above and beyond what I've seen anywhere else, including automatically required steroids/anti-inflammatories, valium, antibiotics for both partners... etc.)

Dr. Ryan was very responsive and interested in what we wanted out of treatment. PFC has a strong SET policy, which is partly why rates are lower. They also prefer natural FET cycles, which have a lower success rate but are gentler on the body, and are what I was hoping for all along. Anyway, I definitely don't feel like I'm settling for a "second tier" physician or facility. And after reading some reviews that talked about having residents perform procedures at UCSF poorly (since it's a teaching hospital), or being on display for all the residents, I don't think it's fair to call UCSF "the best," although I'm glad that kelnyc had such a great experience! Are more procedures better? I don't personally think they automatically are.

ETA: Dr. Turek was originally part of UCSF, and went on to open his own private practice dedicated to male fertility.

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