***THIS IS A LONG OVERDUE REVIEW of Dr. Catherine DeUgarte & PFCLA. Gosh, where do we begin. In or…read moreabout March, 2020 to June, 2022, we attempted at conceiving naturally but to no avail. We discovered that one of her tubes were blocked and a few polyps needed to be surgically removed. In or about June 2022, it dawned on me that IVF was a viable option (mind you, I've never considered IVF prior to this and possibly even had subconscious bias towards it). With the new epiphany, came the relentless due diligence on Yelp, Google and the internet at large. We narrowed down the potential doctors / clinics to: 1) Dr. Wendy Chang of SCRC (Southern CA Reproductive Center in Beverly Hills) and 2) Dr. Catherine DeUgarte of CMD Fertility. (NOTE: PFCLA was not on our list at this juncture because Dr. Catherine DeUgarte had her own practice at CMD Fertility and had not yet merged with PFCLA). We ultimately took a leap of faith and went with Dr. Wendy Chang of SCRC - and our experience was disastrous. The final IVF result was an abject failure. Throughout the entire IVF process, interactions with Dr. Wendy Chang of SCRC v. our subsequent interactions with Dr. Catherine DeUgarte of PFCLA were literally night and day. Since this Yelp review is not intended to be a scathing repudiation of Dr. Wendy Chang & SCRC, I will refrain from delving into the specificities. The aforementioned account is predicated solely on our personal experience with Dr. Wendy Chang & SCRC, so it's advisable to conduct your own due diligence. After our disastrous experience with Dr. Wendy Chang & SCRC, the process of which consummated in or about December, 2022, we were disheartened, dejected, reeling and livid all at the same time, so we decided to implement a hiatus and respite from IVF altogether. Lo and behold, in January, 2023, we proceeded with the unthinkable - we began choosing an egg donor and surrogate via HATCH (an affiliate of PFCLA). We executed a contract and paid all fees up-front in order to secure a spot on the surrogate waitlist, while we began searching for an egg donor. Talk about desperation on our part. The silver lining, however, was Greg Wiles, the President of HATCH, who was phenomenal during the many telephone conferences and email exchanges. Greg was such a breath of fresh air as he patiently walked us through the entire egg donation / surrogacy process. I truly appreciate him. In or about March, 2023, we miraculously rekindled our spirits and decided to give IVF another chance. Mind you, we were then [concurrently] proceeding with both IVF and Egg Donation / Surrogacy pathways - no one has ever heard of such a concurrent process. Then came Yelping and Googling all over again for an IVF doctor / clinic. Our due diligence this time around resulted in 1 clear choice: Dr. Catherine DeUgarte of PFCLA (Note: Dr. Catherine DeUgarte of CMD Fertility merged with PFCLA in 2023). Dr. Catherine DeUgarte is literally GODSENT. After thoroughly reviewing our prior IVF case files from SCRC, Dr. Catherine DeUgarte was genuinely confident and optimistic. We trusted her through the process and she exceeded our expectations 100x over. We netted 6 healthy embryos ( "Zero" with Dr. Wendy Chang of SCRC). Go figure. Fast forward to March 28th, 2024 - OUR SON WAS BORN. ***You may take this review with a grain of salt and conduct your own due diligence. As a seasoned lawyer, however, I perform in-depth due diligence vis-à-vis any and all major decisions I make in my personal life, with the unparalleled meticulousness that you will rarely see in any individual. I want to thank PFCLA and in particular, Dr. Catherine DeUgarte. Catherine, we just want you to know that the countless hours you invest in your patients; the incredibly genuine and caring personal attention you confer to your patients; your steadfastness in providing your cell phone number to your patients; your deliberate decision to take on only a limited number of patients per year in order retain quality over quantity; and of course, your amazing clinical acumen, ARE NOT IN VAIN. Thank you Dr. DeUgarte & PFCLA.

I wish I could give 10 stars! The treatment, care, and entire experience from start to finish was…read morewonderful! Dr. DeUgarte is so knowledgeable, has a warmth that is unique among medical providers, and made me feel I was in good hands! She personally checked in on me multiple times, making me feel I was always supported! Jackie was so helpful and informative in calling pharmacies, reviewing the medication and procedures, and answering all of my questions! I felt so lucky to work with her I have already and would recommend them to others!!

I can't say enough about this wonderful facility and their incredible staff…read more We visited the Newport Beach location most (don't let the RV drive you away), they are building a new office there. We came to Kind Body after switching insurance companies from Kaiser to Cigna OAP, if you are struggling with infertility I highly recommend it. We were on a 8 year journey of infertility and it was trying, we came to kind body tired. We had been diagnosed with unexplained infertility and my wife had blocked tubes. We tried many treatments with Kaiser and about $6k in holistic treatment. Our Dr, Lauren Sundheimer, was incredible. The nurses there are also amazing. We had a virtual meeting first to go over what to expect. We went to our first appointment in Santa Monica. The staff there are also friendly. Dr Lauren is so personable. She makes you feel welcomed, she cares. After much conversation and prayer we landed on starting with IUI. We did our first cycle and it didn't take. So we waited a little. We went in for our second cycle and we were advised that we shouldn't proceed because the follicle growth wasn't where it needed to be, as crushing as it was great to have the support of Dr Lauren and her staff. On our third cycle everything was looking great and we went ahead with the trigger shot. We were so nervous. About two weeks after our insemination we went in for a blood pregnancy test. A few hours later we got a call from Dr.Lauren, WE ARE PREGNANT! After almost 8 years and many tests and procedures we finally heard the news we were waiting for. I am 100% convinced that it was Divine Providence that brought us to Dr Lauren and her care and the support staff we are now due to have a baby in July! We plan on inviting her to our gender reveal and baby shower, that's how much she means to our family.

I chose Kindbody after consulting with several fertility clinics. Their technology and patient…read moreportal appeared modern and efficient, and I assumed most clinics ultimately follow similar protocols. Unfortunately, my experience showed that the quality of care can vary significantly. Throughout the process I had extremely limited interaction with the physician overseeing my care, Kristin Bendikson. In total, I spoke with her only about twice during the entire IVF cycle. Nearly all communication occurred through physician assistants who acted as intermediaries. While they were friendly, they often needed to relay questions to the doctor and respond later. For a treatment costing roughly $30,000, I expected significantly more direct physician involvement. My egg retrieval took place in January 2025 during the Santa Monica fires, when the Kindbody office where I had been receiving treatment had to temporarily close. Because of this, I was instructed to travel to Newport Beach for the retrieval procedure. Despite the fact that Dr. Bendikson had been overseeing my cycle and monitoring my follicles leading up to retrieval, she did not perform the procedure. Instead, the clinic assigned a different physician whom I had never met before and whom I encountered for the first time immediately prior to surgery. Given how critical egg retrieval is within the IVF process, the lack of continuity of care at such an important stage was concerning. Prior to retrieval, my monitoring scans showed more than 14 follicles measuring greater than 14 mm in size. Follicles of this size are typically expected to yield eggs during retrieval. However, only 7 eggs were ultimately retrieved. When I asked why the remaining follicles were not retrieved, I was verbally told that my bowel was obstructing the view. However, the procedural note in my medical record states that the retrieval was "difficult due to abdominal breathing." The differing explanations have left me with unresolved questions about what actually occurred during the procedure. Even accounting for normal biological variation, retrieving eggs from only about half of the follicles documented during monitoring represents a significant discrepancy. The procedure itself appeared to conclude very quickly, leaving many follicles uncollected and significantly reducing the number of eggs available for fertilization. During egg retrieval, each follicle is typically aspirated individually, and based on the number of follicles documented prior to the procedure, I expected more comprehensive attempts to retrieve eggs from the available follicles. From the 7 eggs retrieved, only 2 embryos were created. One was abnormal, and the single normal embryo ultimately failed to implant. Equally concerning was the lack of follow-up care. After receiving the call informing me the transfer was unsuccessful, there was no outreach from the physician to review the cycle, discuss what may have happened, or talk through next steps. About a month later I experienced unusual symptoms and contacted the clinic requesting to see the doctor. After multiple follow-ups, I was ultimately told to see my primary care provider because it was "no longer their responsibility." Since my treatment, I have learned that Dr. Bendikson is no longer practicing at Kindbody and is now affiliated with Pinnacle Fertility. As a result, there is effectively no opportunity for continuity of care or a proper review of what occurred during my cycle with the physician who originally oversaw it. IVF is an emotionally and financially significant medical process. Patients deserve meaningful physician involvement, continuity of care, and proper follow-up. Unfortunately, my experience at Kindbody left me feeling like a number in a system rather than a patient receiving individualized medical care.

Tamara was so wonderful and so grateful to have been connected to her for our second pregnancy. She…read morewas with my wife every step of the way for IVF. Shes so skilled and experienced in what she does and helped tremendously to reduce stress and help us ensure success with only one embryo. So thankful!

Tamara is excellent, skilled, informed and an absolutely pleasure. I've been a patient for years…read moreand she has been with me through some of the hardest, most intimate moments of my life. On the days when I was not sure about any of it, she held the positive energy -- and 2 healthy babies later, I can confirm that her positive energy mattered more than I can put into words. Her office is exactly what you need it to be: calm, private, no waiting, no chaos. Just a space where you can actually breathe. And as a newbie to acupuncture, Tamara made me comfortable and relaxed immediately. If you need an acupuncturist, go see Tamara. You won't regret it.

I had a successful pregnancy with the help of Dr. Chung! Not only is she an amazing doctor, but a…read moregreat person as well. She is a good listener with a great bedside manner. She is really good about explaining complex medical terminology in layman's terms. I don't think I would be a mother today without her.

Dr.Chung was, upon first meeting, very knowledgeable and sensitive to our case. But she quickly…read morebecame disconnected from my IVF cycle. Firstly, she failed to send images of my uterus to my OBGYN for a polypectomy- which meant that I could not have the polyp removed at that scheduled appointment. We had to reschedule the polypectomy. This pushed our IVF cycle back a month - and when you are older and trying to conceive- this is a big issue. She never offered an apology for the oversight. During our IVF cycle she went on vacation and a the day after my transfer - which was performed by another doctor - I noticed she was no longer on the roster of doctors on my clinic's website. A little research and I found she had moved clinics without letting us know. She called to deliver the heartbreaking news that my pregnancy was biochemical - she then pitched us the new clinic but it seemed very inappropriate at that time. It felt like a sales pitch and not an authentic concern for the patients needs. It's difficult for me to write about these personal situations but Dr.Chung was NOT invested enough for me to recommend to anyone.

From the moment you enter the office you feel at ease. The waiting room is calm and inviting…read more Everyone that has helped me has been kind, and sweet. They are extremely responsive via email, even when I am asking a ton of questions. Linh responded to me in less than 30 minutes at 9pm on a Saturday night. Dr. Thomas is very knowledgable and kind, and explained things in detail so I had an understanding of why she suggested the protocol she did. She is considerate of the fact that I am paying out pocket and didn't just automatically suggest the most expensive treatments. The experience with this clinic has exceeded my expectations. I had done a lot of research and was about to choose another place, but I'm so glad that I kept looking and found Dr. Thomas and Beverly Hills Fertility.

This place is very frustrating to work with. I was reffered here by my hcp and my experience has…read morebeen a waste of time. The first visit went somewhat well, getting in contact with them was difficult but not impossible. I wasnt able to provide a viable sample. I was referred for a second visit and waited for them to call and schedule.... nothing. After waiting for over a month i called several times trying to contact them, straight to voicemail, i left a voicemail and they never got back to me. After calling several times over the course of a week someone finally picked up and i scheduled an appt. The staff were very nice again, the donation rooms are pretty awkward, as well as their donation method, but i provided a sample. The doctor tried to call me a few days later and i was in a meeting and couldnt take the call. I tried calling back an hour later and nothing, after several tries someone told me they would take a note down for me, since they did not know why i was called. When the doctor finally was able to get ahold me I was informed that i am not fertile, devastating. This was delivered very callously by the doctor, who also wanted to remark that she had been trying to get ahold of me (i guess calling once and not getting someone makes that noteworthy), additionally she gave transphobic vibes. Everyone at the clinic used my chosen name, which is in my medical info, for some reason she chose to use my deadname. If i do decide to try again i wont be going here, my hcp can refer me elsewhere. If you are trans i suggest going somewhere else.

During my first visit Dr Mehr and Megan R were great. De Mehr took the time to educate me about egg…read morefreezing and if it made sense for me considering my age and what my goals were. We decided against egg freezing and instead removed my contraception with a plan to see how my hcg levels would be affected--bottom line I was going to start trying! Dr Mehr is not a fear based doctor--she gives you facts to help you make decisions which i loved. after my initial appt she even called me to calmly discuss my options, she has great straight forward bed side manner. Megan was even great at reaching out to my previous doctor to get my records--her role was mainly to discuss if i wanted to proceed w egg freezing (it seemed). Come the 2nd appt after my contraception has been out for a few months. After waiting nearly an hour I'm brought in and Dr Mehr forgets who I am. It was a very busy day so i tried to keep that in mind when she didn't read my chart or remember why I was there. They did blood work to test my hcg levels and said they'll call. they never did--instead i get a bill. i emailed and asked why i didn't get a call and only a bill and Megan R apologizes and says i should come in to discuss the results. she attaches my blood work results and i instead is Chatgpt to compare results. luckily my hcg goes up and i decide against another visits given the care was already declining. Come 5 months later... im pregnant! We're thrilled but quickly realize it's near impossible to find an OBGYN--I email asking for referrals and Megan R never responds. I followed up 3x and end up having to book w Cedars rotating doctor who won't take me until 12 weeks. Then 6 weeks into my pregnancy i noticed bleeding and call their triage line--the operator sends a message to Dr Mehr's nurses as urgent. 7 hours later the nurse calls and explains it's my uterus stretching and i shouldn't be worried. She prescribes me progesterone and tells me they only bring me in if i'm bleeding through 2 pads. 2 days later i have a miscarriage in the ER. The first sonogram i ever receive is a miscarriage from an ER doctor--he didn't even know i was trying and im left in the waiting room crying publicly while i wait to be discharged. i have still yet to receive my records or an email back from doctor Mehrs office because now I need a miscarriage follow up with an OB. They don't care about their patients -- or at least not the ones who aren't freezing their eggs. The second you are pregnant they discard you and do nothing to help your journey. I really liked Dr Mehr during my first appt, I'm not sure if she just got overloaded w patients but the experience has been horrible. Avoid

First I would like to say that we were referred to Dr. Shamonki by a friend who had a very positive…read moreexperience (read: a baby!). After having a rather frustrating time at another practice, it was such a breath of fresh air once we continued our fertility journey with Dr. Shamonki and the team. At every step along the way, we felt that we were in good hands. It is clear that Dr. Shamonki cares passionately about giving his patients the best possible chances for a good result. Through every up and down, Dr. Shamonki and his team handled everything with great sensitivity and understanding. We just cannot say enough good things about him. He is a blessing, and we have a baby on the way! I wanted to also specifically mention a member of the front-office team: LaKeisha. LaKeisha was so kind to us, so supportive. During the tough moments, the moments of anxiousness, she was always there with exactly the right words of support to help us keep going. We highly recommend Dr. Shamonki and the entire practice at Fertility & Surgical Associates Of California.

This clinic is amazing and was treated like a rockstar…read more Thanks to Dr. Surrey and his team we have a beautiful little girl, born just in time for Christmas. Dr. Surrey got us results the first time all while monitoring me from LA--he knows what he is doing. I went to another clinic in Tennessee, before being referred here by a friend who got also got results the first time, where, I believe, the first clinic was "conservative" with my treatment to get more egg retrievals out of me--there, I did multiple egg retrievals with no embryos; SCRC did not do that. While I did go through multiple cycles, if my levels weren't where they needed to be, we stopped; Dr. Surrey didn't even attempt an egg retrieval until I was ready. We only did one transfer because it was successful the first time. The staff was amazing as well as the team and the surgery center team. A ten out of ten experience. We will be back to transfer our additional two embryos. Hoping we're as lucky with those as we were the first time.

While my experience with physicians was good, the office is so incredibly challenging to work with.read more

I have been seeing Dr. Virginia Prior for over 10 years and she is truly an amazing acupuncturist…read more She has the ability to listen deeply to what your healing needs are by looking at the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. She creates a treatment that is specific to your needs. I love that!!! Virginia has a kind and loving spirit that is always helpful and professional. She goes beyond to find your healing needs. I have been seeing her before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and for postpartum healing. My husband has even seen her and when my toddler gets sick he goes to acupuncture first. My toddler has been seeing her since he was 10 months old. I highly recommend her services for fertility and beyond. It is great to maintain being well and feeling peaceful and calm. The clinic offers great holistic care and the best healing for better health and wellness. Thank you a trillion times!!!

I want to thank Virginia for all the support thru this process. She is knowledgeable and has a lot…read moreof experience. I had acupuncture from the beginning and her support thru this emotional roller coaster. I am eight month pregnant with twins and acupuncture certainly helped me balance my mind and body. Thank you Santa Monica fertility Acupuncture.

I'm incredibly grateful that I found Dr Jain and chose Santa Monica Fertility for my egg retrieval…read more After decades of being in this line of work, Dr. Jain is somebody that has never forgotten his "why". He truly cares for the successful outcomes of his patients and has a supportive, passionate, efficient, detail oriented, and kind team behind him to make it happen: Claudia, Crystal, Dr. Vasquez, Gabriela Madrigal, Veronica (I apologize to anybody I'm forgetting) were all absolutely lovely to work with, and I can't thank them enough for how meticulous and caring they were throughout my several rounds of treatment. For those that are considering the process, it is truly a mix of art and science, and even then, there is a lot of luck and genetics involved. When I did my due diligence of clinics in the Los Angeles area, I knew that if there was anybody that I would trust for that combination, it was Dr. Jain, and I was right. Regardless of my outcome, I have the absolute confidence that Dr Jain and his team did everything that was within their power to maximize the result for me. The rest was up to my body, and that is the hard truth of any fertility treatment that must be accepted. Thank you, Dr Jain, and the rest of the SMF team for supporting me in every possible way throughout this experience! I'm very grateful.

I was in the process of becoming a surrogate and I started this process in October 2022. In May…read more2023 I traveled down to Santa Monica from Marin County to complete the transfer. The clinic (Santa Monica Fertility, Pinnacle Surrogacy and Pinnacle Fertility) put me up in a motel near the clinic the night before the transfer. It was dark, dingy and noisy. I let my coordinator know that it was not the type of place I'd like to stay for multiple nights on bed rest and I got a different hotel for the next night. 20 minutes before my transfer appointment I received a call from the clinic (Sarah) telling me the transfer is canceled because I didn't get enough rest. I was so shocked and upset. I went to the clinic anyway and asked to talk to the Dr face to face (John Jain). His only reason he could give me for canceling the transfer was that he said I didn't get good rest. I told him I was fine and asked if he would take my vitals if he felt I was unfit medically.. he refused. I also asked for something in writing explaining why I was being turned away and he also refused. This was the most egotistical person I've ever met. He took such offense to me not liking the accommodations that he canceled it all.... I can't even imagine how the intended parents felt! I was so heartbroken and distraught. I cried for days. I had been building up to this point for at least 7 months just to be shut down at the transfer. And he expected me to do all the injections and hormones all over again!!! Absolute insanity. Luckily I was able to get out of my surrogacy contract, no one expected me to trust him with my body after that experience.

I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Dr. Lin Speer. I've been working with her…read moreon my fertility journey, and she has been nothing short of extraordinary. From the moment you walk into her office, you feel her warmth, compassion, and genuine care. Dr. Lin has an incredible depth of knowledge in acupuncture, both ancient and modern techniques, as well as Chinese herbal medicine. What really stands out is how she integrates all of this wisdom into a holistic, personalized plan that's unique to you. No two appointments are the same--she always checks in, listens deeply, and adjusts treatment according to what's going on physically and emotionally. Dr. Lin was a guiding light for me during a complex and emotionally charged process. Her loving words and deep wisdom calmed me in a way that nothing else could and I'm forever grateful to her for this journey. I leave every session feeling more balanced, seen, and supported. If you're navigating fertility or any other sensitive health concern and want someone who is not only highly skilled but also deeply kind and intuitive, Dr. Lin is the person you want by your side. She is truly a rare and special healer.

I did not have a good experience with Lin Cheng Speer. She is very pushy and dismissive. She…read morealways pressured me to make more frequent appointments to see her. She would do that while she was putting needles on my body during treatment, which made the process extremely uncomfortable and stressful. It made me think if I say no she could potentially hurt me. When I asked her to please discuss the frequency after the treatment, she told me she did that with all patients. She was very dismissive of my symptoms. She just assumed her herbal formula would work for everyone. When I mentioned negative side effects to her about the herbs or the herbs did not make much of a difference, she would tell me I must have remembered it wrong or it is not possible. On one occasion, I traveled out of town. She gave me a bottle of pills to take instead of the herbs because I would not have an herbal cooker to make them. She told me it was her own special blend because it had her name on the bottle. When I got home, I peeled back the label and noticed it was a bottle of standard Chinese herbal blend that could be purchased online or in Chinese herbal shops. She simply put a piece of tape with her name on it and called it her own special blend. That is very misleading and non transparent. She was careless with packing of the herbs. On more than one occasion, I found plastic wrappings in the herbs she accidentally included. (see attached screenshot) The herbs are supposed to be boiled in an herbal cooker so I could have been drinking boiled plastic.