Stanford Fertility and Reproductive Health Center

Please do yourself a favor and dont go to this clinic they are the worst. Dr. Westphal only cares about money, doesn’t care about the patients health. For example I went for an ultrasound, she walk into the room not know what I was there for. Several times I would have to remind her of comments that should had made on previous visits. Had a embryo transfer and went with my sister that is a nurse and she didn’t even explain what to expect or walked us through the prosses. They will do embroys transfers even when they know you will not get preganat. They just want to get paid for a service know that it is not a wise or positive outcome for the patients. Trust me don’t come to this clinic, you will regret it. I cry everyday because it has been the worst experiance in my life. And I ask my sister who is a physician if its normal how they run their practice and she told me its not. We will take it to leagal level. Please read the comments on this website, They are all true. I read them but still went with them because I thought it was not true but everyhing that other patients have wrote about them is true.

Don’t expect personalized service here especially from Dr. RUTH LATHI very disappointing service for the money you pay.

I have been to fertility clinics around the country (New York, Atlanta, Beverly Hills). My first visit was the basic screening — bloodwork, ultrasound, culture, medical eval, psych eval, etc. It was a little rushed, but fertility clinics usually are busy. They don’t just try to help people get pregnant, but treat a variety of fertility and reproductive issues.
The nurses explained things well — I have gone through the procedure 5 times before, and I know what to expect, but they still thoroughly explained everything to me. They actually explained, not just the medical procedures, but also the biological processes — what is happening to my body and why it is happening, and then why they will do what they do when they do it.
When I went down to get labwork done, I had another nice experience. First, I am a VERY hard stick and they usually have to go to my wrist/​hand to get blood. But, everyone always checks my arms, just in case. The first time I went for blood, they were able to get it from my arms easily! The second time, my arms didn’t look good, and they were able to warm up my hands and get it from my hands without a problem. They were very patient with me and explained the process a little bit — it was kind of neat!
I live far away, so I went to a monitoring clinic for monitoring after starting medication. The pharmacy called me to schedule medicine delivery, which has been standard procedure. (someone else had an unexpected delivery — that’s very weird — I have used 6 different pharmacies, and all schedule delivery because of the perishable, expensive medications. If the medications came without her knowing, it was the fault of the pharmacy, not the clinic).
When I went back to Stanford before the procedure, they were gentle, but did take a little bit longer to look at all of my follicles during an ultrasound. It was a little uncomfortable — but it always is. They point is that they were being thorough — knowing how many and what size the follicles were, not rushing to get an idea and then scribbling stuff down.
The egg retrieval went well — I didn’t receive the attention that I usually do at other clinics. Pre-​op was okay, but post-​op was a bit rushed. USUALLY, I have to eat, drink, and pee before they can send me away. This time, I just had to drink some juice and then they send me out to the lobby for my ride home. On the other hand, I’m usually very VERY nauseous after the procedure, but this time I didn’t feel bad (until a few hours after returning home, but thankfully they gave me an Rx for nausea that my husband was able to fill on the way home).
My favorite parts:
— My ovaries worked fast this time, and they didn’t wait the minimum time before the retrieval, they retrieved the giant follicles right away. (Usually, if they grow fast, other doctors keep me on the medicine for the minimum 9 – 10 days — so, I am in a lot of pain by a day 11 – 12 retrieval! This time retrieval was on day 8.).
— I did not have as much pain as usual after this procedure and I was not as bloated. A BIG PLUS!!! I am not sure if it was from not waiting so long, or because the doctor was gentle, but I am happy with the post-​op results. I DO still have bloating, but it is not nearly as bad as it has been in the past.
Overall, I would say that I had a great experience. There were some annoying parts, but the positive parts certainly outweigh them! They aren’t as friendly as some of the clinics, but (at least in my case) they knew what they were doing and let the process cause as little harm to me. This is a hard process for the body, and I have experienced complications in the past, but I had a great experience at this clinic.
Retrieval was day 8, they retrieved 21 eggs and drained a big cyst.

I have to say that Dr. Milki is one of the best Doctors I know. For 8 years on and off at Kaiser Clomid has not made me Ovulate. Dr. Milki has been able to make me ovulate and I’ve only had 2 treatments so far. I work at Stanford and many patients have told me about Dr. Milki and how he was able to help them conceive. I have faith in this doc that my dreams will come true soon. He has so much passion in what he does. I one day asked him why do you work 7 days a week, he said to help people, he enjoys it. That’s the kind of MD everyone should have. You are amazing Dr. Milki and thank you for caring so much about women like myself. A patient once told me if anyone can get you pregnant it’s Dr. Milki!

Terrible office experience. Appeared overbooked. Took over one hour to check us in when we brought a sample in so time was of essence to get it processed. Every fertility clinic I have used needs the sample within 30 mins and it was a total of 2 hours before they took it. To top it off one of the women taking patients was incredibly rude. I watched her continually talk down and roll her eyes at patients. Infertility is a very emotional experience and they were less than sensitive to people’s needs and time.

First, I want to say that Dr. Milki (Amin A. Milki, MD) devotes much time and energy to thoroughly diagnosing the cause of your infertility. It was very clear to my husband and me that Dr. Milki had meticulously studied my medical history and knew how we should proceed from the first time we met him. Dr. Milki patiently listened to and answered all questions we had for him. He told us about various treatment options that were available to us and also explained the pros and cons of each. Dr. Milki gained our confidence from the initial consult visit. By confidence, I don’t mean confidence that I would definitely conceive (since there can never be such assurance), but that if it was possible for me to conceive at all, it would happen under Dr. Milki’s care since it was evident that he was highly competent and would put forth his best efforts to help me conceive. That fact alone was so comforting to us.
Dr. Milki never pushed to have me go through the IVF route despite the fact that I was of «advanced maternal age.» In fact, he thought given my diagnosis and circumstances, it would be wise to first try IUI despite having experienced several unsuccessful rounds of IUI under the care of other fertility doctors before seeing him. He was sensitive to how much the medications and procedures would cost us, especially since we were paying mostly out-​of-​pocket by recommending only the absolutely necessary procedures and prescribing generic medications when possible.
I always felt that Dr. Milki worked hard to provide treatment that was just right for me. Although he has always had an extremely busy practice as he has an excellent reputation, he provided undivided attention to me and my needs as a patient. I never once felt rushed or ignored. He was also there at every appointment I made with him, even ones that fell on a weekend. Dr. Milki took the time to call me when I had questions that would be better answered and explained over the phone by him directly than via email or phone by a nurse. He is really good at being able to relate to his patients, is sympathetic and intentional about making the process of conceiving a more positive and tolerable one.
Fortunately, I was able to conceive during the first round of IUI under Dr. Milki’s care. A few years later, I turned to Dr. Milki again for help in conceiving a second child and was able to conceive again through IUI. When my husband and I thank him for having played such a pivotal role in both of my pregnancies, he shrugs it off politely and humbly with a smile. Dr. Milki is without a doubt highly competent, skilled, thorough, caring, and sensitive to his patients’ needs. I highly recommend him.

Thank you to the entire staff of Stanford Fertility Clinic and Reproductive Center and to my practitioner, Dr. Amin Milki. My dream of becoming a mother has come true. I still could not belive it but it became a reality. My dream would not have become a reality without the help of Stanford Fertility clinic. Thank you!

I saw Dr Wesphal for about a year before I switched. She was a good dr. Got straight to the point and didn’t really spend all that much time explaining anything to you but she’ll answer your questions if you have them. I didn’t really like that fact that you could randomly have a student working on you. I had a student give me an U/​S that was really uncomfortable because she didn’t know what she was doing. Dr Wesphal eventually just took over.
Now the reason why I give this clinic 1 star. They’re billing is absolutely horrible. I am TO THIS DAY 1.5 YEARS LATER still contesting some of the bills. I was told by their billing department that everything up til the diagnosis of infertility would be covered by in ins. Makes you think that this should include the initial consultation and diagnostic testing doesnt it? Deceiving isn’t it? Apparently, Stanford bills under infertility for EVERYTHING. so yah, they’ll make you believe that your ins will cover certain things but in reality, it wont. You wont know that until AFTER you’ve done everything and you’ve received the bills though. I’ve been on the phone with their billing coordinators, the billing office directly with Stanford, the billing managers. its all a big joke. Everyone blames everyone else and nothing gets done. I’ve been told I’ll get a phone call or update and I never do. Whenever I try to call to connect with a billing coordinator I have to wait on hold for 30 – 45 mins. its absolutely ridiculous. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the whole billing issue, I’d probably still be a patient with dr wesphal because she’s a good dr. but the whole billing experience totally soured it for me. Plus the fact that if you don’t have ins, Stanford charges an arm and a leg for services.
Take my advice and go somewhere else. its not worth the headache to go here.

I had the best experience with the lab personal on August 25, 2013. Somehow my husbands and is doctor order never made it to the lab. We went here for a sperm wash which was for an iui for that afternoon. A lady from the staff took me to the back in her office and worked to get my order for me (my doctor was not available), she explained the situation and was able to get the order and still accommodated our lab (even though we were already half an hour past the time they do sperm washes by the time it was all fixed). Without her persistence we would not have gotten the sperm in time and would have to wait another month to try again. The iui was unsuccessful but the help we got at the Standford REI was greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Not impressed with this center, seems like unless you want to take less invasive approaches to fertility aka: clomid, IUI, then they’re not interested in you all that it seems they like to focus on is IVF and the big bucks, there’s no follow up with phone calls or emails after Clomid, I didn’t get any brochures/​folders on how to better take care of myself to increase fertility and when mentioning such things as acupuncture and certain foods to eat, weight. Dr Milki totally dismissed me. No holistic approach noted!
Dealing with the insurance coordinators has been a total nightmare, you are on hold for over 15 mins and then you get their answering machine! Still disputing a bill from months ago to no avail. it’s in collections now and they keep telling me not to worry that they’re still working on it: I had faith in the name of the institution and now definitely taking my business somewhere else, I have already wasted precious time dealing with noncaring people.
Update: Bill fixed, as promised, it had been a big confusion with my insurance coverage

Let me start by saying that you should take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. Chances are, if you conceived while under Stanford’s care, you’ll leave a glowing review. If you didn’t, you’ll find everything wrong.
We had been trying to conceive for 3 years (36 to 39 years old) and finally decided it was time to try a fertility specialist. My absolutely wonderful doctor was Dr. Milki. We faxed my history, which was thick, prior to the first appointment. When we got to the appt, Dr. Milki let us know that he thought there was a page missing… meaning, he read through my history so thoroughly that he was able to tell a page was missing. WOW! He then did a brief ultrasound and immediately said he saw something wrong. Mind you, I’d been going through fertility treatments with my former doctor for 2 years and he never found anything. Turns out, I had a tumor the size of a golf ball in my uterus. He got me scheduled for surgery, the tumor was removed, I recovered, and IVF treatments began. We had two eggs implanted and conceived the first time at the age of 39. We are now the proud parents of twin girls and we owe all of it to Dr. Milki and Stanford Fertility Clinic! Dr. Milki may not be the warmest, fuzziest guy but you can tell he’s VERY passionate about what he does.
Yes, IT’S EXPENSIVE! A lot (or most) insurances don’t cover fertility treatments. My experience with Stanford’s billing was that they tried to «sneak» through whatever they could with my insurance. They also told us about 2 or 3 studies we could participate in to decrease costs. Bottom line, the most expensive part of the process was the drugs… and that has nothing to do with Stanford.
Keep in mind, IVF has a success rate of less than 25%. We were part of the lucky 25% but that leaves the remaining 75% to have a less than happy experience.
Good luck and don’t give up!

Not very satisfied with the doctors here. We’re more inclined towards trying to conceive naturally but the doctors were very quick to recommend IVF saying that it was probably the best and surest way to get pregnant. We just felt like they didn’t take any time to understand out case properly and were quick to suggest a solution that was most profitable to them.

As a graduate of Stanford medical school, I decided to go to Stanford Reproductive Fertility to investigate the possibility of conceiving. I saw 2 doctors there. The first doctor ran through the testing, not explaining the procedure or the meaning of any of the results. It was the most dismissive doctor appointment I’ve ever experienced. After she quickly disappeared from the room, I asked the assisting resident questions, and was told in person and again later via phone that they do not have time to answer my questions. At a second visit, the second doctor was more explanatory, but did not seem genuinely interested in helping me to understand what was going on.
The doctors here are extremely rushed and impersonal, and follow cookbook procedures, without attention to a person’s individual and specific issues. They were quick to throw a drug at a symptom without attempting to understand the source of the problem. It seemed like proft was the bottom line at this clinic… if I’m not an ideal IVF candidate, then they don’t want to waste their time helping me conceive.
After talking to friends who have had successful IVF procedures elsewhere, I decided to call Dr Zouves in Foster City and Dr Schmidt at Nova IVF in Mountain View. Compared to Stanford, the experience with those doctors is night and day. They actually take the time to understand my specific issues, and explain everything clearly and compassionately.
Updated 3÷23÷12: Kathy C rated this business with 5 stars, claiming that all negative reviewers were people who didn’t get pregnant. That is false. Some of the people who gave this business a negative review (including me) did not attempt to get pregnant here, because the doctors and nurses were so dismissive, rushed, and unresponsive.

Quick update. I’m now at UCSF and I’m updating my review with the hopes that the ppl at Stanford up their game a notch. Their patients should come first with top notch service to go along with the high prices.
I have ONE nurse that I schedule all of my appointments with and discuss my cycles, procedures with etc… This has made a huge difference in my experience. There is no queue or need to call a general staffed line. She reviewed my complete medical history and created a calendar just for me that included all the things that my doctor and I discussed. She then called to explain each step of the process and made a special effort to come out and meet me personally after so many telephone conversations.

6÷4÷14 EDITED TO ADD: I’ve gotten a lot of messages asking for the name of the Ob/​Gyn who ended up helping me get pregnant. She’s Dr. Linda Teagle of West Valley Women’s Health in Los Gatos.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’m generally a big fan of Stanford Hospital and Clinics and went into my first visit here expecting the same excellent standard of care and patient experience that I’ve had for years. I was referred by my endocrinologist (also at Stanford, love him), and set up my appointment over the phone. This was to be my first fertility service of any kind.
FINANCIAL ISSUES: I gave my insurance information over the phone when setting up my first appointment so they could check for coverage, and after running it, the receptionist said «Great, you’re all set! We’ll see you on (first appointment date).»
Only when I showed up for my appointment was I handed a notice telling me that the visit and likely ultrasound were going to cost me several hundred dollars out of pocket. I told the receptionist that I didn’t understand why I was told before that everything was fine and that there was no way I’d be able to afford regular visits. She offered me no help. I asked if I could receive Clomid services from a regular gynecologist and if those services would be covered. She left for a moment and came back saying that the billing staff had agreed to bill my visits and ultrasounds as «family planning,» which my insurance would cover, as opposed to «fertility services,» which they would not. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t help me with that upfront and were only inclined to after it seemed I’d take my «business» elsewhere. I later learned that the clinic makes much more from me than from my insurance. Never before at Stanford was I made to feel like a commercial opportunity rather than a patient, but I felt that way quite frequently at this clinic.
At my third visit, I was presented with a financial statement indicating that I owed for three full out-​of-​pocket visits. I clarified how I was supposed to be billed and the receptionist said, «Oh, okay» and took back the statement. After a few months, I received an astronomical bill for all of the twice-​monthly visits I’d had up to that point. I called and was informed that only my doctor, Dr. Lathi, could approve billing my services as family planning and no one had asked her before they told me it could be done. When they asked Dr. Lathi, telling her that this was what I had been promised before ever seeing her, she said no. I pressed the issue, pointing out that I had been badly mislead into agreeing to these services and would file a grievance unless this was resolved. Only then did Dr. Lathi agree to fix the billing issue.
TREATMENT ISSUES: I could see from the beginning that I was among the youngest clients at the clinic, and I quickly determined that I must be one of very few not having more invasive procedures when the admin nurses neglected to check my file on every call and tried to set me up for IUI related visits when I was just on Clomid. I was clear from the beginning that I only wanted more invasive procedures if absolutely necessary. For four months, I took Clomid, tested (successfully) for an LH surge at home, and reported for twice-​monthly check-​ins and ultrasounds with Dr. Lathi or a resident, all of whom were very pleasant. On the fourth cycle, Dr. Lathi began to discuss needing to move on to IUI and likely IVF.
Due to the phone nurses constantly mixing up my treatments and being unable or unwilling to answer questions, my difficulties getting timely calls back, and my sense that I was being rushed into other procedures, possibly for the clinic’s financial gain, I didn’t feel confident having more invasive procedures at this clinic. The billing issues were the straw that broke the camel’s back. I didn’t return.
I visited an experienced gynecologist close to my home. At the first visit, she asked if Dr. Lathi had ever done a basic blood test to make sure I was actually ovulating, or run a simple post-​coital test to make sure my cervical mucous was cooperating with my husband’s sperm, or ever checked my tubes for blockages. No, no, and no.
My new doctor quickly and easily determined that I was not actually ovulating at all, that the 24 hour intercourse cycle Dr. Lathi recommended wasn’t allowing my husband to regenerate enough sperm, and my mucous was too thick. Two cycles later, with a higher dose of Clomid, a 48 hour intercourse cycle, and a few doses of cough syrup, I was pregnant. My first child is due in March. I paid only $ 200 out of pocket over the course of three treatment cycles. I wasted months being jerked around at Stanford’s clinic and was almost conned into expensive procedures I didn’t want or need. I’m so grateful that I got out when I did. Steer clear of this clinic.

Similar to another posting here. But I was an egg donor as well and when i arrived for the retrieval I realized that the doctor performing my retrieval was not «my assigned doctor» and also was never in the room to talk to me before the surgery. HONESTLY, who knows if a medical professional performed it.
I’d had ultrasounds with the doctor who «supposedly» performed my surgery and she barely addressed me, acknowledged me, and I wanted my previous doctor back stat.
Conclusion:
Dr. Lahti– impersonal, unattentive
Dr. Baker: an informational, kind goddess

I can’t review the doctors, since I am not a doctor, they seem to be nice anyway although I am not sure if they always give the best advice. But one thing for sure, if your insurance doesn’t cover fertility, then you better not try it here, it’s very very expensive. Since we have also visited a few other fertility clinics, my impression is that it’s about 20~30% more expensive (e.g., the price of a very basic ultrasound examination).
Update: when i finished paying all the bills, I have decided to lower it to 1 star, or 0. My wife only saw the doctor for 10 minutes, took a few blood sample, and in the end, we have paid over 2000 dollars for this brief visit that led to nothing. Their charge is at least twice more expensive than the other clinics and testing labs we have visited and used. And their work is very sloppy, in the end, when we decide to obtain a full set of records so that we can go abroad, several items were missing in the package they sent to me after weeks and weeks of delays and multiple phone calls of inquiry. Totally disappointed.

Atrocious. They may or may not be good at what they do (I’ll know more in a few weeks) but the one thing that blew me away was the staff’s complete lack of empathy and human skills. I was scheduled to have an ovum retrieval here, as I was acting as a donor for a couple who could not conceive on their own. The assigned doctor for my procedure was changed pretty much last minute, as was the primary nurse I dealt with. In fact, as I got closer to the date of my procedure, I dealt with a brand new nurse everyday, whom I would have to get up to speed from scratch. I asked one of the nurses for advice on how to reduce the severe bloating I was told I would experience after my procedure, and she told me not to worry about my appearance so much, and to just «think of it as doing something nice for someone else». I was stunned. I wasn’t «nice» enough for taking on the discomfort of self-​administered injections, and undergoing voluntary surgery, not to mention cross-​country travel… I was asking her for medical advice and she was passing judgment on me for wanting to reduce my bloating? Bizarre.
Then, the day of my surgery, after I was prepped, someone in the OR (I forget who) asked me how I was doing. I smiled and joked that I was hungry and couldn’t wait to recover and eat a burger (I was told not to eat or drink anything for 9 hours before my surgery) To that, the male anesthesiologist responded «You and the millions of starving, poor people in the world. Think about *them*» I felt shocked, insulted and was nearly in tears. Everyone at this clinic seemed intent on teaching me some sort of ethical lesson, apparently. In the seconds before I drifted off into sedation, I was terrified at the thought of being at the mercy of somebody who, while purportedly having so much sympathy for the millions of downtrodden in the world, had an absolute lack of empathy for the one person whose life was literally in his hands at that moment.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention– there was no doctor to talk to me either before or after my procedure. For all I know, a giraffe could have performed my surgery. Within 10 minutes of coming to, I was handed my clothes, told to dress, and bid farewell. I have done this a few times before at other clinics, and I’ve ALWAYS had the doctor come speak with me before and after, and had a nurse make sure I am able to keep water and crackers down, and able to successfully go to the bathroom after my procedure. At this clinic, I was treated like a piece of meat.

I went to Stanford for a consultation/​second opinion since they have the recurrent miscarriage program. I submitted my insurance info, and got a print out of coverage which stated that my insurance was going to cover 50%. A week after seeing an REI doctor at Stanford, I got a letter a from my insurance company which said that my plan wasn’t going to cover anything.
I only had two visits with my doctor there. Boy were they expensive!
The consultation was 20 minutes which included an ultrasound ($ 850). The follow up visit was 5 minutes with an ultrasound ($ 460 for the visit, and $ 350 for the ultrasound). I’m still waiting for my lab bill…
I got reassurance that I didn’t need IVF and that we would have a baby eventually if we keep trying. Nothing I haven’t heard before.
I found that the doctor that I saw was not very approachable. She was very knowledgeable, but I didn’t get the feeling that I could call after my appointment if I had more questions. They are probably too busy with other patients for that kind of stuff.

My husband and I visited Dr. Baker last week. I have PCOS and see a regular endocrinologist but was told that if we want to have children we need to see a reproductive endocrinologist. For the person who first reviewed the doctor, they should have been aware that her title is reproductive endocrinologist and she works at Stanford Fertility center, therefore, if you are already pregnant you should NOT be seeking this type of doctor or care.
That being said, our experience with Dr. Baker for the first visit was nothing but pleasant. She answered all of our questions and told us what we need to do in order to have children. She was positive but also very up front about the procedures involved and directed us to call her staff to find out about the costs. She did not make us feel rushed, she spent close to an hour with us and went over every single question we could think of. The center also offers classes which cover all the other questions that you might have, classes are offered every Tuesday of the week. We are planning on going next week. I look forward to working with Dr. Baker and her staff. So far, they have all been wonderful to work with, from front desk, nurses, accounting and the doctor herself.