Reproductive Partners – UCSD Regional Fertility Center

This clinic is absolutely fantastic in every way! We went to meet with them in December of 2014 and I am 7 months pregnant a little over a year later. Within that time period I had 2 egg retrievals and a surgery for my tubes so the results were pretty incredible. One of my retrievals was with Dr. Friedman and another with Dr. Garzo… both were wonderful and made me feel very taken care of. My IVF nurse, Tiffany, was phenomenal and helped me through every step of the process. I could text her at night on her cell if I had questions and she would get back to me right away. All the other nurses were also so wonderful and supportive I looked forward to my appointments.
If you’re considering IVF place your baby hopes and dreams in their hands. they are fantastic!

I started my IVF process at this clinic in 2015. It is one of the most expensive clinics out there but their numbers are terrific and I have a friend who has twins from this clinic so I made the decision to use them. I chose to meet with DR. Su who is extremely knowledgable about IVF. She will not sugar coat anything. She is cute and corky. My first transfer worked as I got pregnant but I had a missed miscarriage at 9 weeks. This is not their fault as they did everything they could.
I recommend them if u are a family that wants results and maybe not too much hand holding. Yes you will meet many of the doctors there while u stimm but why is that a negative thing? I like new perspectives.
Overall I have really appreciated everything they have done. They are always available and know the IVF process upside down. They are the best in the field and this is coming from someone that does a lot of research

Update again! I have a BEAUTIFUL baby girl. Please save yourself the stress of shopping around. Their number speak for themselves. Not only that these people will treat you with the utmost respect and dignity. Everytime someone tells me how horrible their IVF experience was I’m very grateful for mine. It is time consuming and emotional. No one can change that for you. But these folks make it a heck of a lot easier. Thank you so much again!

I originally wanted to meet with Dr. Garzo but he was so booked up for like 2 months so I asked to meet with another Dr. just so I can get my initial consult out of the way, which by the way costs $ 250 out of pocket! (Updated cost from $ 450) And no, insurance doesn’t cover anything! I specified to the front desk that I wanted to eventually meet with Dr. Garzo and work with him for the remaining process and they said that is fine. They booked my initial consult with Dr. Anderson Cook, who is very niec. Since it is one clinic, I thought that they simply would transfer my info to Dr. Garzo. They did NOT tell me that I would have to PAY ANOTHER consult fee of $ 250 to meet with the actual Dr (Garzo) that I wanted to work with later! That started me off on the wrong foot already! Nothing you want to do when you are talking about serious medical work because this sets the standards to the remainder of the treatment and the types of people you have to deal with. Also, I asked if Dr. Garzo is not available for another 2 months, how would he be available for my appointments every 2 days, and they said «oh he wouldn’t, he will be traveling to lots of conferences so he will not be around»! WOW, so then I ask, what about Dr. Cook (whom I ALREADY met with), and then they said «oh, she is only here 1 day a week»! WOW ok so then basically I wouldn’t have one consistent doctor, it would be multiple doctors (basically rotated through all of them) and she said yes! (NO THANKS!)
Another thing, I wanted a lot of questions answered about certain things/​stats for their clinic success, etc which they told me I can only get them answered with a consult (THIS IS ANOTHER REASON I DID THE ORIGINAL CONSULT). However, after I already did the consult, they didn’t answer my questions and gave me the run around and told me the nurse would answer and she didn’t. I then asked again over email and phone and the nurse Brooke was extremely rude and also gave me the run around again and basically told me I need to make an apt. with Dr. Garzo to get those answers! I reminded her that I ALREADY had made my consult and they promised to answer those questions already. So she gave me even more attitude and basically told me «we recommend you go to other clinics to get a second opinion»!! WOW! I asked her are you basically telling me to go to another clinic? Is that what you are saying? She said no just saying it is best to get a second opinion. Which is extremely RUDE. If you don’t want my $ 25,000 business, FINE! I am HAPPY TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WHICH I DID! I would NOT recommend this place as their staff (nurse, front desk, manager, and financial lady) are ALL RUDE and have major attitude too and LIE! Super unhelpful and shady and give you the run around and pass you on to so many people and don’t answer the questions they promise to answer. And on top of ALL that, they are a TOTAL RIP OFF! The OTHER place I went to charges much less than them for the same procedures and much nicer with no attitude and actually answer their phones and emails and respond nicely right away answering all needed questions with knowledge and no shadiness ! Good luck!

If you wish to feel like just a number then this is the place to go. Zero compassion. Zero follow up after unsuccessful outcomes! Receptionist won’t make appts until you have paid for your next. You will see a different doctor for every visit. One of the Drs didn’t even bother to read my records.

My wife and I started here to figure out what the deal was with not getting pregnant. We went through a lot of diagnostic work to figure out that it was the male factor. They recommended IUI, so we did it. Along the way we would have to fight to get a hold of our nurse Mia as she never answered the phone when we called and would get back to us later that day or the following day. Later we requested Cheryl who was awesome. When we went into the IUI, Dr Garzo who was not our Dr. Performed the procedure. After looking at our diagnostics, he told us we were wasting our money on the procedure. This gave us second thoughts about our Dr we were dealing with as we wanted Dr Garzo and he was too busy to take us. So months later we decide we are just going to ask for IUI. After a few calls to the nurse to get started and late or no return phone calls, we decided to move on. We never got results for any diagnostics we paid for except for semen sample the day of the IUI. This place was recommended by 2 friends who became pregnant through IUI and had nothing but good things to say. We had a bad experience. We started with SD Fertility and absolutely love them. Informative, on the ball and less bs.

Very poor management.
Appointments never-​ever on time. For 10 – 15 min appt I often wasted 2 h.
Staff at the front desk mostly rude.
You get a nurse assigned to you but not sure what is the purpose of that as you will never see her during your visits or never get to talk to her when you call her. You are pretty much dealing with Voice mails — VERY FRUSTRATING!
Most frustrating and annoying part is remaining, their finance or insurance lady, absolutely lazy. For love of God, I could never get any straight answer from her about what is covered and what is not. She would always say that’s between you and your insurance which left me wondering what is she sitting there and has the title of finance or whatever, just to collect co-​pay, I figured. And their system is so much disjointed that this person kept on highlighting/​asking me for the surgery center fees every time I paid the co-​pay amount even I had no surgery scheduled, I know this is routine procedure but check — how careless! I have stopped going to them but I am still being bombarded with bills — thanks to all the incomplete information I always got. Its good if I know whats covered and whats not before I go in for surgery.
I had heard some other similar experiences but I had no choice and now experiencing myself o m g, that was something. Given what the facility is for and why patients go there they are too callus about people’s emotions/​feeling, especially, what they are going through.
I wish there was a negative star.
I am not commenting on the Drs on purpose. I didn’t succeed in achieving what I went there for but that could have happened anywhere as pretty much same std protocols are followed everywhere, atleast at another similar facility in SD.
Purpose of feedback here is for future patients who are likely to be in similar situation because of nowhere else to go or that’s what their insurance covers. Hopefully someone reads it and does something. Good Luck folks!

The doctors are top notch but the nurses are amazing. Very caring and thoughtful in their approach with such a senstive subject. Megan German is the best — she has a laid back style but obviously knows what she is doing. I always feel so comfortable with her and she truly goes out of her way for patients.
Thank you!

I have been meaning to write a review, having finished with Dr. Garzo and his team back in OCT 2014. I can not say enough good things about Reproductive Partners. At 35, single, and knowing I wanted kids someday I decided in MAR 2013 to start the egg freezing process. I did a ton of on-​line research and Reproductive Partners were rated very high nationally and were number one in CA. They were also the only center using the vitrification freezing process, which is more successful. I did get a second opinion. However, given the good interpersonal feeling I got during my first visit and looking at their success rates, going with them was an easy decision. I had some difficulties as my body didn’t want to cooperate, presenting with low ovarian reserve. After a year and a half and two rounds of harvesting eggs I finished with 9 eggs! Dr. Garzo is brilliant and as I’ve jokingly told my many girl friends contemplating IVF procedures, quite possibly the closest thing to God I can imagine. Over my time there I worked with almost all of the doctors, but primarily Garzo and Friedman. Dr. Friedman took the lead on my second round and she also was amazing… intelligent, warm, and kind. Their whole team is amazing… the front desk staff know you by name and always friendly. The nurses and techs who draw your blood also know you by name and try to put you at ease throughout the process. The whole process can be very emotional and my primary nurses and Drs Garzo and Friedman answered my many questions, always got back to me quickly when I left messages, and supported me through the few crying melt downs that I had (hey, you have a ton of hormones going on:)). Plus you see a doctor at every ultrasound.
Quite simply, I wish Dr. Garzo and Dr. Friedman could be my doctors for everything. My boyfriend and I have just started trying to conceive naturally (fingers crossed!). However, if that doesn’t work I will definitely go back to Reproductive Partners for help. I have referred so many people to them, and tell anyone contemplating egg freezing that you can not start early enough! I wish I had gone earlier. Good luck to all who are trying.

Using ART is such a difficult and emotional process. After extensive research concerning IVF (via
) I discovered UCSD had the best rates for helping me have a child. I had been to other facilities and found them cold and unsympathetic. Figured if I was going to go through hell might as well just go somewhere that would at least give me the best chance to help me have my family.
Yes, the process of IVF is very consuming. But the doctors and nurses at UCSD were considerate, informative, and thorough. Both cycles they were conservative and ethical, recommending 1 – 2 embryos to transfer. I appreciated how they valued life over just getting me pregnant and «boosting» their numbers of live births. With their help I was able to have 2 boys, both from single embryo transfers and on the first attempt. Yes, IVF is expensive. But I paid less than I would for a new car and I have my family for the rest of my life. I couldn’t be more at peace with them and my husband at my side in this life. Good luck mama on this journey. It’s worth it. Be proud of the journey you are about to embark on. It’s proof how being a mother is already within you, you are willing to go great measures to meet your child.

I write a lot of Unilocal reviews and this is the most difficult one I’ve written because I don’t know how to adequately convey what an incredibly positive experience I had. My experience with Dr. Friedman and my nurse, Mia, was the best medical experience I have ever had or would ever wish for anyone. The level of care that I received from the whole team at Reproductive Partners was extraordinary. I selected UCSD Reproductive Partners as the clinic to use to freeze my eggs after doing a lot of research, calling many top clinics, getting a formal second opinion, and looking up success rates on SART. Ultimately, the decision to choose UCSD Reproductive Partners was easy because of Dr. Friedman. She came highly recommended by my gynecologist and she is the most deeply caring doctor I have ever encountered. Also, having done my research, she’s somewhat of a super star in her field too. Her extraordinary ability is clear from the first visit. I knew, without question, that I was in the best possible hands. And, the result proves it — I felt great through the whole process (both physically and emotionally: the whole team supports you every step of the way), she retrieved a lot of eggs (many more than I expected) and the actual procedure was more like a morning at the spa than surgery (I loved the La Jolla Women’s surgery center where the retrieval was done too). Dr. Friedman and the nurses called me every day for a few days afterwards to see how I was doing. Within two days, I was feeling back to normal. I felt so cared for from beginning to end. The whole experience was uplifting and empowering. I feel so grateful to be fortunate enough to have had this opportunity and I can’t thank Dr. Friedman enough.

My experience with Dr. Garzo and his office was awful. My husband and I are both working professionals and we made our first appointment with Dr. Garzo close to a month in advance and for the first appointment of the day so it would be on schedule-​it was not. Dr. Garzo was close to 30 minutes late. From there it only got worse. Dr. Garzo sent me on an emotional path, he casually gave me diagnosis after diagnosis stating my uterus was odd shaped or that potentially I would be incapable of having children, but he needed more tests to confirm. And some of those diagnosis would be from a staff member, he wouldn’t even call himself to tell me I needed another procedure to confirm whether or not I was able to even carry children. To tell a woman that devastating news without even a personal call at the very least, is to me, appalling. Also, keep in mind, each time the recommended next procedure that was needed was extremely costly as we were paying out of pocket. For months it went on like this, I was over charged, under informed, Dr. Garzo’s process was short-​sided, I did not receive comprehensive care and his bedside manner is non– existent.
The last procedure I had with him was useless, and when I read of the measurements and other information that was to be gathered from this invasive test, I realized none of that was done at all– and I was charged for a treatment I did not even receive to add insult to injury. After that test and his recommendation for another $ 5000 procedure I decided to go for second opinion. Just trying to get a copy of my own medical record was a nightmare as well.
I truly believe that I was receiving substandard care to discourage me from continuing on seeking IVF treatment with his office. I had heard of Dr. Garzo being very guarded with accepting new patients that might mess up or taint his success rates, but I thought no doctor could or would ethically do that. I am a healthy, 34 year old woman, with no medical history and am not high risk in any means, so it is absurd to me the treatment I received if not for this explanation.
I can go on and on about other issues and egregiousness that occurred at Reproductive Partners San Diego, but I think any reader should already get the point. Every staff member including Dr. Garzo was highly unprofessional. My intention with this review is to spare some readers from the traumatizing experience I encountered.
Oh, and turns out, there is and was nothing wrong with my uterus. So after thinking for 6 months that I may be unable to have children, my husband and I are well on our way to starting a family… with a new doctor.

They are so professional and such a wonderful environment. We were lucky enough to do one IVF cycle and be successful. We’re starting on a frozen cycle soon. I can’t say enough about everyone at the office and especially Dr. Garzo — we would not have our little girl without him!

I had two IVF surgeries done by them. I was on the program where if your first two IVF surgeries fail, they will do the third one free. After the second surgery I took a break and told the doctor that I would like to lose some weight to increase my chances. He agreed. I lost the weight and came back a little less than a year later and he basically ran some tests and informed me that my FSH was too high [which fluctuates because I had my OBGYN test it again and it was much lower then]. He refused to do the third [free] surgery because of the FSH level.
It gets worse. They charged my insurance for consultation for that last meeting and had the nerve to charge me $ 40.00 co-​pay. I had seen the statistics before and knew the chances were low. This is why I signed up for the package where the 3^rd IVF is free. Even if it didn’t take, I wouldn’t be angry with the clinic. It is what it is. What angers me is the excuses given for refusing a service that I had paid in advance for. There should be a law against that.

I cannot say enough great things about this office and being an experienced fertility patient for over 6 years I’ve seen it all. Prior to going here we saw 3 different RE’s and did 8 IVF’s (fresh & frozen) with no success.
When we came to see Dr. Garzo at UCSD we were at the end of our rope. This was going to be our last chance before considering surrogacy. Since we’re from OC and the office was in La Jolla it placed added stress on us with the commute. Immediately we were reassured that we could do our bloodwork and ultrasounds at their sister office in OC which saved us significant time and gas. We were always pleasantly greeted by the front office staff and couldn’t be happier with his assistant, Brittnie. Our initial consultation with Dr. Garzo involved thoroughly reviewing our previous history and discussing possible options for moving forward. He made many recommendations and at no point did we feel pressure to do anything we weren’t comfortable with. He also went out of his way to share our case during a group RE meeting to get other input.
Since the process is still a very complicated one in terms of timing and medications Brittnie, his assistant, kept in constant communication with us via email. We always felt well connected to the La Jolla office with information easily shared between the OC & La Jolla office. The actual IVF procedure also went very smooth in a well organized and professional manner. After having 8 other egg transfers I have to say this was the best transfer experience by far. Dr Garzo has such a gentle touch that I was still waiting for the ‘cramping part’ when he had already finished.
Five months later I can say that I’m an ecstatic mommy-​to-​be and my only regret is that I didn’t go to their office sooner. I would highly recommend this office & Dr. Garzo to anyone frustrated with infertility.

With all the ups and downs of IVF, Dr Garzo and his team (especially Brittany and Elina) were always there to help us, calm us down and encourage us. Dr Garzo and everybody at the office are knowledgeable, helpful and most important caring! I really appreciated the fact that the clinic was open 7 days a week so I could always call and address many of the concerns associated with IVF. When I had an emergency over the weekend and had to page Dr Garzo at 8pm, he called me back within less than 5 minutes, answered all of my questions and agreed to see me the next day to do an ultrasound to confirm that my baby was ok. I later found out that he had several surgeries scheduled and had a very busy morning but still managed to find the time to see me.
We never had to wait longer than 10 minutes past our scheduled appointment time and the nurses always got back with labs, test results and answers to our questions the same day. Today we graduated from Reproductive Partners at 8&½ weeks and I couldn’t wait to share my awesome experience :)

Currently I’m 13 weeks pregnant, and so excited that the process went so smoothly and that with Dr Agarwal and Dr Garzo’s cutting edge technology and procedures we also have frozen embryos!
The staff is super friendly, helpful and willing to answer any questions at anytime. The office is gorgeous and the techniques are state of the art. We couldn’t be happier with how smoothly things went, and we feel so lucky to have had such a great experience with such helpful doctors and nurses.
I highly recommend reproductive partners UCSD to anyone that’s trying to have a baby :)
Lastly, I can’t say how awesome Tiffany and Dr Agarwal are!

Dr. Garzo and his staff are leaps and bounds above all the other fertility medical groups in California. They are simply THE BEST in the state.
My wife and I began fertility treatments in our home town of Fresno almost 3 years ago. After thousands of dollars spent and no results we decided to research the best clinics in California. Our investigations led us to San Diego and a consultation with Dr. Garzo and our nurse Tiffany. Dr. Garzo was able to explain our medical situation in easy to understand terms and he immediately diagnosed potential issues which previous clinics had failed to address with us. His review and analysis of my wife’s health and complications were spot on, proving his credentials are well-​earned.
In addition, our experience with Reproductive Partners goes well beyond his medical expertise. Dr. Garzo and his staff have gone over and above the standard when it came to our treatment. He, our nurse Tiffany, and the rest of the staff have not only shown genuine concern and interest in our hopes for a child, they have consistently done whatever was needed to make our treatment a success.
The is where we have seen a true difference between Reproductive Partners and other medical groups. We have found that Dr. Garzo and his staff genuinely care about us. They are invested in our success and, most importantly, placed my wife’s health above all other considerations. This difference is so pronounced and important to us that we travel 6 hours to San Diego for every appointment, even if it is just for the day! And let me tell you, it is worth the drive.
I am proud to say that my wife and I are now 5 weeks pregnant and we will be headed to San Diego for our next ultrasound appointment to hear our baby’s heartbeat! Dr. Garzo was so excited for us that he had to personally call us the evening of my wife’s blood work exam to congratulate us on getting pregnant.
In my eyes having a baby is the most important accomplishment that my wife and I will ever do. Dr. Garzo and his staff have made this a reality for us and they have truly proven to me that they are our «Partner» in the future of our family.

My experience at Reproductive Partners was the most positive medical treatment experience I have ever had. I was so nervous when we first went for a consultation — what if whatever isn’t working can’t be fixed? what if it costs a zillion dollars? what if they poke me like a lab rat? All of these things and more went through my head.
On our first visit Dr. Conway walked up to us with a big smile, knew both of our names, and walked us into her office. She asked us a bunch of questions and was serious but also lighthearted enough to put us at ease. We asked her so many questions that our initial consultation took well over an hour. Not once did Dr. Conway look restless, check a clock, or seem like she had anything else on her mind but us. She explained everything that was even a remote possibility, and with that our journey down the yellow brick road began.
During our testing phase so they could figure out what was going on both Dr. Conway and our nurse coordinator Elina were incredibly responsive. Calls and emails were always returned on the same day and not once in answering any of my questions was I made to feel like an annoyance or like I was asking a stupid question. Likewise the entire staff is incredibly helpful and sweet — everyone knew our names by our 2^nd or 3^rd visit.
Dr. Conway truly has the best bedside manner of any doctor I’ve ever met. During every single visit she was upbeat, funny, but also fully available to explain things to me for the 2^nd, 5^th, even 8^th time if I requested. She made being half naked feel like I wasn’t half naked and seriously — that counts.
The other thing that I can’t say enough about is that this whole process was actually affordable. We didn’t have health insurance for this and we paid out of pocket. We thought that we were never going to be able to swing it — but sure enough, we could. Not that it’s cheap — but it’s definitely doable and nothing like the horror stories of tens of thousands of dollars (at least that was our experience).
And finally — results are worth a thousand words. We’ll be welcoming our first baby in a few months — something that at one point I wasn’t sure was possible for us. After years of trying on our own Dr. Conway and Reproductive Partners made our dreams come true in just months. And, I’m not sure if it’s anything to do with her but I’m having the happiest and most trouble free pregnancy!
I would and will recommend Reproductive Partners and Dr. Conway to anyone that I meet that is having trouble conceiving. Truly they are miracle workers.

I would give Reproductive Partners zero stars if I could. They are deceptive, uncaring and all they want is your money.
First let me explain to you why my husband and I came here. My husband had a vasectomy from his previous marriage. After much research online, I came to the conclusion that it was highly unlikely that his vasectomy could be reversed due to how long ago it was done. It also seemed that it would cost nearly as much (or so I thought) to reverse, as IVF would. So I thought with the odds that a reverse vasectomy not taking why bother with the hassle and expense? I am young I have no known fertility issues, so the IVF seemed to be our best option.
At our consult, I explained to Dr. Garzo why we were there. I spoke to him about my findings online regarding reversing vasectomy, cost, what our options were, etc. and he proceeded to tell us IVF was indeed our ONLY option. Their office was really nice, and Dr. Garzo seemed to be nice enough so we decided to move forward with them.
Though the whole process, I was disappointed to say the least at how things were done. Dr. Garzo had zero bedside manner. Whenever I went in for an appointment, I would see him for 5 minutes tops. Sometimes he would be in and out so fast with no more than a hello and goodbye that I would literally be sitting there in nothing but my hospital gown saying «What the hell just happened??» Half the time, I didn’t know why I was there, and almost never was there an explanation as to what was going on, or what this, that, or the other was for. I was constantly having to ask questions and even then was given vague answers.
They also seemed to be a little too drug happy. I understand that there is a certain protocol with the drugs for IVF to work properly… but when they told me I needed to go on steroids for 6 weeks because my stress hormones were ever so slightly elevated (probably due to them) that was a major red flag to me. It’s then that I wished I would have followed my gut, and stopped the IVF cycle altogether. But, we had already spent thousands of dollars at that point and when my husband spoke to our «nurse» about the steriods, she spoke to the doctor, who said the steroids weren’t really necessary and I didn’t need to take them. SERIOUSLY?
On the day of my egg retrieval, Dr. Garzo retrieved a whopping 5 eggs, and only 2 of them were fully matured. That’s right, not 15, not 10, but TWO. So, when we got to the day of transfer, basically there was nothing to transfer, so it never happened. So why so few eggs? I have no idea. The answer we were given was, «We’re really sorry, but sometimes these things happen.» And kid you not, right after that they sent in their financial person to go over the how much it was going to cost for our second IVF cycle. I was literally sitting there bawling and confused, while this person was telling us that not only do we have to pay for everything all over again, we were told that their fee just went up so we would be paying MORE.
Here’s the worst part… After having such a horrible experience at Reproductive Partners, I was desperate to find an alternative method for us, despite being told IVF was are only option. Long story short, we found out that my husband was indeed a great candidate for a reverse vasectomy and a 95% chance of it taking! Not only that, it was a fraction of the price. I was shocked to find out that they would go as far as deceiving us in that saying IVF was our only option. I have never been more upset about anything in my life.
My advice? Know what your options are, get the opinion of multiple doctors if you have to, and oh, DON’T COME HERE! Not only were we lied to, our experience as a whole with Reproductive Partners was just downright agonizing.