I used this clinic for local monitoring as my embryo transfer was done in San Diego and never had a single issue- they were easy to schedule with and I was always seen so quickly and they sent over the results same day. Would definitely recommend! read more

I write this review for any women who may be considering consulting with Laurel Fertility on her own in Modesto. I would strongly caution any woman who is considering consulting with the practicing physician alone. Please bring someone with you as their medical staff will not be with you the entire time. My personal experience with the practicing physician was extremely unpleasant. Erroneous narratives were transcribed in my consultation notes which I found boggling considering that they record everything by audio. Perhaps the physician confused my information with someone else, and that is another red flag for me to not move forward with this clinic. When I inform the scheduling coordinator that I am not comfortable working with their practicing physician, I was informed that unless I complete necessary paperwork--that they did not send me prior to my appointment--they would not release my bloodwork results. I try to log into their website to see what's outstanding, and it appears that my access is no longer available. It is very difficult to contact any staff by telephone as calls will go to voicemails first. The only convenient method was to message via their website, which I now do not have access. I paid my fees in full up front but it appears that I will be barred from my bloodwork results if I do not wish to enter further agreements with this clinic as I do not intend to move forward with their treatments. I wasted an afternoon of time off and a great amount of blood for this visit. The only redeeming quality for this place is that the medical staff onsite was great. I now believe the negative reviews for this clinic and should have heeded the reported red flags. read more

Everyone's fertility journey is different. Mine wasn't easy at all. On my fourth IVF transfer was a success and I am currently 19 weeks pregnant. In between that I had miscarriages, cancelled transfers but honestly the laurel fertility team has always been amazing and supportive. Dr Smikle is very knowledgeable in his field and he always came up with plans and treatments to adjust to my body. This journey was not easy or magical for me but having an incredible team by my side was the magical part about it. I honestly felt they wanted me to get pregnant just as much as I wanted to. I can't thank them enough for everything. If it wasn't for them and Dr Smikle I wouldn't be where I'm at today in my pregnancy. Thank you to Leslie too she is the sweetest. I love the whole team. If you're looking to start this journey I recommend finding a good team like laurel fertility. read more

The Modesto team has gone above and beyond for me and my growing family. They made each step of my treatment so much easier with all the love and support they give, I highly recommend going to Laurel fertility. I will definitely be back when the time comes read more

Laurel Fertility Care - My favorite team - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

I'm shocked by the 1 star reviews, this is the best doctors office I've ever been to. I actually saw three fertility doctors before coming to Laurel, and I think everyone at Laurel is absolutely amazing. I do not have a single negative thing to say about them. Every single time I've called, all staff that I've spoken to have been polite and helpful. I was able to speak to someone immediately. Every office visit I've been to has been pleasant. Every staff member I've worked with has been kind and helpful, I have never had to wait for my appt, and booking has always been extremely easy. Everyone I've interacted with shows they truly care and are there to support me, they're available to answer my questions at any time, and I can genuinely tell they make an effort to care for all of their patients. I find his office to be extremely structured, every time I send a message I get an answer back immediately. The way the schedule their appoints including lab work allows to get results back immediately. I couldn't ask for a better doctor and would recommend Laurel wholeheartedly to anyone seeking help with fertility. read more

5 stars!! All of the staff were great to work with and we are so happy and grateful they helped us build our family! We have a 14 month old and one on the way! read more

My experience at Laurel Fertility Care Modesto has been nothing short of exceptional, and I'm incredibly grateful to the entire team! We trusted the process and had a successful FET after 2nd attempt. Dr. Smikle guided us with expertise and kindness throughout our fertility journey, making the entire process clear and transparent, especially with the embryologist present during key procedures. Special thanks to Leslie for her compassion and very warm approach, it meant so much to us. While the billing process wasn't perfect, Gina always addressed our concerns with patience and went above and beyond to help. A big thank you to Celeste as well, who was consistently kind and supportive throughout the experience. And to all the nurses who reply to my messages promptly. Thank you, thank you! Their dedication, patience, and care helped make our dream come true, and for that, we are forever grateful. Thank you, Laurel Fertility Care Modesto, for making our dream a reality! read more

Laurel Fertility Care - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

My wife and I just graduated from Laurel Fertility Care today and I am currently 8 weeks pregnant. Dr. Smikle is a so knowledgeable and direct. We did reciprocal ivf and the staff was so patient and kind with us. I never felt like a question wasn't answered or valid. The Modesto location really made us feel like we were all in this together as a family. Leslie, Celest, Crystal, Marissa, and Melissa were all so great to us. We will forever be thankful to Laurel for helping us grow our little family. read more

I am a current surrogate and completed my gestation care at Laurel Fertility. They were always kind and on time when I called or arrived to the office. It was always clean and everyone was so helpful. Leslie and the ladies I met while there are amazing! Highly recommend. read more

Thank you Laurel Fertility for making our dream come true! We had a positive experience with laurel fertility. The staff is always on time (I was in and out for all of my appointments) and they are super friendly. They make you feel welcome and comfortable and not just a "number". read more

Laurel Fertility Care - Our graduation day - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

I can't thank Laurel Fertility Care enough for helping make my dream come true. After a successful IUI, I'm now expecting -- and it's all thanks to the kind, supportive, and knowledgeable team at the Modesto location. They made the process feel less overwhelming and more hopeful every step of the way. From the doctors to the nurses, everyone truly cared. I felt seen, supported, and celebrated. Thank you for helping me start my little family -- I'm forever grateful! read more

If I could give this group more than 5 stars, I would! My experience with Laurel has been outstanding. We are currently 8 weeks pregnant with our first baby after our first IVF cycle thanks to these incredible folks, and could not be happier with our experience. The Modesto office was the most convenient location for us, and Leslie and her team made the entire process as easy as possible (although inherently it's not an easy process). I'm a difficult patient, admittedly. I worry too much, question everything, and I am a total pain to draw blood from. The ladies spent as much time as I needed explaining the injection process each time, were so quick to respond to my questions in the portal, and seemed to be rooting for us every step of the way. Our procedures were all in SF with Dr. Smilkle. The drive was a pain sometimes, but ultimately worth it. Early morning Saturday appointments were very convenient for the occasions we did have to travel to the city. The doctor is so professional, efficient, and he is so knowledgeable. The only thing I would have done differently is skipped IUI and timed intercourse and went straight for IVF. Overall, I couldn't recommend this clinic enough. We will be back for round two sometime down the road! read more

I just want to say how thankful I am for the Drs & nurses for helping my husband & I throughout our journey. Everyone has been so helpful and understanding. I 10/10 recommend Laurel Fertility they were the best! Thank you Dr. Smikle, Leslie, all the nurses & Gina at the front desk in the Modesto office. read more

Laurel Fertility Care - Baby ultrasound - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

I am a surrogate for a fertility clinic in San Diego, and this is the closest "sister" site near where I live. So, I was sent here to confirm I was ready for transfer and the follow up appointments to confirm the transfer was a success. This business is the most professional, kind, and truly supportive clinic I have had the pleasure of working with. Leslie B is a beautiful soul and really made me feel like family while there. This office is beautiful and anyone interested in IVF would be lucky to work with them. :) read more

I started my IVF Journey almost 2 years ago and because of the care and dedication I received from all the staff at laurel fertility Modesto, I finally achieved my dream of getting the opportunity to start my family. I am happy to announce that I am 9 weeks pregnant and I can't thank you enough. thank you thank to to everyone that helped me on my journey. read more

Laurel fertility is exactly the care I needed. The whole facility to the doctors and the staff are amazing. You can tell they genuinely care and are so empathetic. When you get sad news they understand and help you cope, when you get great news they're joyful and celebrate with you. Leslie B is such an amazing provider, she definitely got the magic touch. Without her and Laurel, we would of never gotten to create our beautiful little family. I am so grateful to have found them and get the amazing care that was needed. Thank you for all that you do in helping so many couples like us. read more

I had an amazing experience at Laurel Fertility in Modesto! Everyone was great there and always made my husband and I feel welcome, especially after our successful IVF transfer back in February! I felt they were just as excited as we were and I loved that. I am now 23 weeks pregnant with our miracle baby and it's all because of them. Kevin & Carly Miller read more

Laurel Fertility Care - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

We tried for 3 years to get pregnant naturally with no luck. Laurel was the first fertility clinic we looked into and I felt so confident with the professionalism and knowledge Dr. Smikle showed that we didn't look any further. Dr. Smikle gave us our miracle baby who is now 7 months! We cannot thank him and the amazing staff at Laurel enough for the gift they have given us! If I could give more than 5 stars I would. Everyone there was so patient and kind in helping us understand this whole new world of infertility. read more

Laurel Fertility Care - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

Got our bun in the oven thanks to Drs and staff both in Modesto and San Francisco. Beyond grateful for what they've been able to do for us.

CAUTION! CAUTION! I strongly advise anyone to reconsider when choosing this fertility clinic. My daughter was a patient and I cannot express enough how unprofessional, unresponsive this office is. She has asked and pleaded for billing information. Only to be told it is uploaded to a portal that never works. They have their hand out at every opportunity, so my daughter was unclear what was cover for her payment of $32,000 maybe a little more. This office left out medicine in her package which was not included in the price above, FET was left out. If you choose this facility, ask for a contract so you know exactly what the total price is. I have read several reviews and this seems to be a common practice for this office. To add insult to injury, when my daughter got her eggs removed\. Their follow up care is horrific. My daughter had severe side effects. I called the doctor at 1-2 am in the morning, she was on the floor in my bathroom floor throwing up. No direction or call back from the on call doctor Dr. Smikel until the next morning. It appeared my daughter may have been experiencing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), not that he ever confirmed it. Dr. Smikel didn't call until the next morning and re-prescribed the same medicine that didn't work for her in the evening. This office is a joke, when my daughter started voicing her concern of the money and what is covered, along with the rudeness his staff provides. Dr. Smikel came to the conclusion this is not the best fit for my daughter. She is abandoned and left with no direction and Dr. Smikel refuses to treat her any further!!!!! My daughter, will now hopefully be finish treatment at Stanford to incur more cost but at least with the hope of an amazing staff. Stanford is welcoming her and is empathetic to what she is experiencing. Abandonment in this IVF is beyond CRUEL, EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE, as well FINANCIALLY EXHAUSTING. Angelina has called to get her information transferred to Stanford. However, staff conveniently doesn't answer the phone, as well as my calls... Please save yourself this type of heartache and go to a facility like Stanford or when choosing please read reviews. This should be a hopeful time surrounded by nurses that understand and empathize with the patient. In closing a INFURIATED Mother! I pray my daughter has the opportunity to be an amazing mother despite this experience. read more

Extremely rude customer service from the person they have running their office and answering their phone!!

Our experience here has been amazing to say the least! There are no words that can truly describe how grateful we are. The staff at both the Modesto and SF clinics were amazing. But I want to send some extra love and a VERY special thank you to the staff at Modesto because they made it feel like we were part of the family. They were encouraging and kind every step of the way. I got my tubes tied 8 years ago but we later decided to have a baby. So at 36 we started our journey into fertility options. We found Laurel Fertility Care and after our initial phone consult followed by an in person consult, we decided to move forward with this clinic. Dr Smikle is very quiet and direct which I personally appreciate. I prefer someone who gets to the point without added fluff. Dr Smikle does just that. He is kind, patient, and answered any/all questions with fact based honesty. We let him know our preferred outcome. Dr Smikle gave us the more realistic view while still remaining positive. Today we are happily pregnant and graduated to our OBGYN. The portal is the best way to contact anyone for any questions. The front office, the nurse, the Dr, the embryologists, billing. They usually respond within the same day depending on the time the message was sent. While I had a positive experience with almost every aspect of this journey and the staff, there was one downside. The billing department is not very organized and had a couple staff turnovers during our journey. As a result there were some "surprise" charges I was not expecting due to the lack of communication and clarification on the billing side. While we still complied for the future of our baby, it was extremely disheartening. I attempted to pay everything upfront so I didn't have to worry or stress about any charges during our journey. This journey is very emotional, with added hormones for the egg retrieval and the transfer, as well as thankfully becoming pregnant; the last thing I wanted to worry about was unexpected charges. This was not the case. I would not let this deter you from giving this clinic a chance though. Just be sure to get EVERYTHING billing related in writing and make sure it is very clear. What was excluded from our package was the OB office visits that occured after the transfer. My assumption is that would have been included in the package since it is a requirement to confirm pregnancy after a transfer. We were not told about this charge until the day before our first scheduled OB visit. So be sure you understand what is included/excluded from any package you chose. Take the financial stress out before you start the journey so you can focus on staying positive and healthy for your little one to come. Again thank you all so very much and Modesto office I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! Thank you for helping us expand our family and create a beautiful life!!!! read more

We had a wonderful experience with Laurel Fertility. Began our journey in February and after initial testing and going over options, we were able to immediately proceed with IVF. Now here we are in June and we just graduated the clinic with a healthy baby on the way! We couldn't have done this without Dr. Smikle, Leslie, Melissa, and their amazing staff. read more

Laurel Fertility Care - Fertility Near Me - Modesto, California

Unprofessional, unethical, Please use them with Caution. I have terrible experience there. all I can tell people is that please think twice before you sign up with them. Rude - unclear on financial part. These are the worst medical office I ever deal with. No words can describe what I have been dealing with them. They care nothing for patients but money. Please be aware and think twice if you want to go this round. I wish I did more research before I choose them that why I don't want anyone making the same mistake I did. read more

My husband and I have been trying for the past 10 years. With wondering when is it going to happen, is it going to happen, why hasn't it happened yet. Then in 2019 we start to try and figure things out. Maybe I'm not able to carry or maybe there's something wrong with him. So I go to my OBGYN who starts to do bloodwork on me to figure out my levels of everything and tells me I have PCOS which will make it hard for me to get pregnant. Flash forward to this year when my husband and I start looking into it again. We find out he is fine and there's no issues with him. Then when I had my OBGYN appointment my OB suggested we give fertility a try providing us with a list of clinics. We chose Laurel Fertility Care in Modesto. From the very beginning of the process the everyone on team had been great. I never had a bad experience with anyone. When we had our first appointment we met with Leslie who is their nurse practitioner (who is absolutely amazing) it was to see how many eggs I had and to make sure it was possible for me to have kids. We find out I had plenty of eggs which raised questions for my husband and I on why it hasn't happened. After that Leslie started going over all the things they do and their success rates. My husband and I decided to do timed intercourse (which may sound silly to pay someone to tell you when to have intercourse). We did our first try in September feeling hopefully, but unfortunately it didn't work. Then we tried it again in October again feeling hopefully. I took a pregnancy test on Sunday November 3rd and never felt full off so much emotion. It came back positive! Our journey is just beginning all thanks to the team at Laurel Fertility in Modesto!! My husband and I want to thank you all (Leslie, Celeste, Marissa, and Crystal) for all you ladies did for my husband and I along this journey! We literally couldn't do it without you! We can't wait to return and show you guys our little bundle of join read more

I got treatment 3 years ago everything had to be paid upfront before any treatment went thru a lot and got no results after three years there sending me a bill for 2400 that was already paid this is the worst company ever read more

We love Laurel Fertility Center and all the staff there. They are always on time, don't make you wait, they listen and find appropriate care. Not to mention the results they provide with the high rates of pregnancies. We had 2 IVFs done there, and will only do it there! Thank you both Dr. Snicker and Leslie Barahona read more

My wife and I were recommended to Laurel Fertility Care by a coworker. They had a successful experience with them and we knew we would be in good hands. Dr. Ekpo answered all of our questions and made us feel confident in the decision that we made. We decided to do a natural cycle IUI and were lucky enough that it worked on the first try! The entire staff was friendly and supportive. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. We have and will continue to recommend them to others. read more

I would like to thank Dr. Smikle and his team for making the end of my Fertility journey a pleasurable and memorable one. I had treatments at the San Francisco office but was mostly seen at the Modesto location. The staff there Leslie, Melissa, Gina, Maurissa, and Crystal were all definitely great cheerleaders in my process. I especially want to thank Leslie whom I considered my personal nurse for encouraging me and helping me during my fertility process. She truly has a kind and compassionate heart. Once again Dr. Smikle took the time out to address my concerns and truly made me feel like a human being not just a statistic. I had a concerned that I didn't necessarily agree with, but overall Dr. Smikle was looking out for my best interest since I had a few pre-existing conditions. But I am truly satisfied with my results. On 4/4/22 @10:35am I Delivered a healthy baby girl 6 pounds, 19 inches via C-section. I thank you once again Dr. Smikle for helping me and making my dreams come true! I am truly grateful. My experience like I said overall was a good one. There were a few hiccups with billing but once things were straightened out, my IVF process was smooth and not stressful. I believe this actually helped me to conceive! Hopefully I will be looking forward to go another round pretty soon to continue to grow my family. God bless each and everyone working at this organization. You all help people heal and facilitate in making dreams come true! Much luv, Tunisha Vance read more

Absolutely amazing staff and Doctors. Every single question and concern addressed. We were given complete understanding of our options, very clean facility and everyone made us feel at ease and supported through our journey. Would highly recommend to anyone trying to start their family or grow their current family. The Modesto location is fantastic! read more

I'd give 0 stars if possible. The front desk and nurses are so incompetent and rude. Also they kept adding additional charges that were NOT cheap, thousands of extra dollars for errors THEY made. Sent my medicine after egg retrieval two wrong pharmacies it was a nightmare. The medicine they forgot to add in my cycle charge cost me 1900.00 because THEY forgot to add it. Than they told me I was all caught up and Billing even confirmed pricing and said I was good squared away, next thing I know BOOM 2 more additional charges one in the amount of 4130.00 & another 2,494.00 like Why wasn't I made aware ???? How can you tell someone their all paid off than constantly add in more fees never made aware about ! They don't honor anything they are lazy never answer the phones have bad attitudes & rip you off. I do NOT recommend I will be calling medical board on this company. IVF is already emotionally and physically a lot by itself. Than we have incompetent workers with bad attitudes and keep adding thousands of dollars it makes this process a nightmare, they should be kind and more on top of it due their due diligence and instead they make this whole process messy No one is on the same page staff or patient. I got several different answers anytime I had a question. The doctor almost messed me up my trigger shot! & if you have questions about how to mix medicine for shots they'll treat you like your incompetent. I never in my life left a bad review but I do not want someone to endure what I had too. They posted my FET (frozen embryo transfer) 3/8/2022 at $3,590.00 OKAY than Garciela Ramirez said 2022 we charge $4,130.00 on 4/1/2022 okay billing confirmed last night 3/31/2022 that's all I owed was $3,590. So HOW is that possible for LF to just add an extra $1,130??? If that's the case they should've had it listed 1/1/2022 at $4,130.00 not 3/31/2022 and than say I have to pay that additional fee that's ridiculous. Seriously go to any other fertility clinic NOT this one. As well Megan their billing department CFO is rude and careless made excuses saying it was a mistake that I was told I was paid for several times when after they tried to say I owe $3590.00. That's NOT a mistake that is pure laziness she should've put me on hold and CONFIRMED I don't else anything else. I wasn't ever given receipts of what I paid no follow up on anything and Megan was talking over me interrupting Ray who is under her should have her title Megan should be fired, Ray is the only one who cares in the billing team. After having a zoom call today with Dr. Smikel and going over finally voicing my concerns , the final out come is he is now refusing to treat me and saying he will transfer my embryos to a new fertility clinic. At this point I'm so beyond stressed out how can you deny service to someone who PAID because they voiced their concerns???? All I have left is my FET (Frozen embryo transfer) it's not only going to throw me off in my cycle but now I'm heartbroken that you can't even voice how you feel they'll completely deny service and refuse to continue leaving you stuck feeling HELPLESS. When your paying 30K to have a baby which is already mentally stressful on top of physically stressful you should be able to voice concerns and they should be taken very serious not the outcome being refuse service what kind of sucks cruel person does this. Also felt very vulnerable and afraid to say annoying on the 19th I had a office vaginal ultrasound before egg retrieval on the 22nd and Dr. Smikel made me very uncomfortable rubbed the Vaginal ultrasound stick up and down and than stuck it in. I was confused because there was no need for that I've have had so many trans-vaginal ultrasounds no one male or female have done that to me before. Afraid to speak up thinking he'll retaliate for calling him out on it. I am just warning other females please be aware it made me feel very vulnerable! read more

I had a consultation with this clinic to see if I could use my own eggs for IVF and to check my fertility. I had been on birth control for 16 years. I had stopped taking pills only a month before the appointment and had my Nexplanon removed the day before the vaginal ultrasound, which they said wouldn't be a problem. They said I had one follicle and no eggs and that I would need to use donor eggs. I found out later that they can only do the ultrasound and blood tests on a particular day in your cycle AND that they cannot SEE eggs on the ultrasound. They never asked when my last period was, yet they did the ultrasound anyway. I felt like they just saw me as a way to put money in their pockets. I am getting a second opinion. Extremely dissatisfied that I wasted all that money working with this clinic. read more

I wish I could assign this facility 0 stars. I would caution queer couples, or perhaps anyone seeking a more joyful, informed, and respectful experience, to avoid this clinic when looking for guidance on bringing a new life into this world. It was uncomfortable from the moment we walked into the door. By the time we sat down and had an interaction with the dr, my skin was crawling - I could not waaait to get out of there. My partner paid $375 for this initial appointment. Having never had a consultation like this before, I had assumed that this would be an incredible learning experience and that we would be leaving with general picture of my partners health/ability to carry a child. When we walked in, there was already some confusion about her phone payment. After that got sorted out, the Dr brought us into his office. It was clear from the greeting that we probably weren't dealing with someone with good bedside manner. Okay, sometimes this is the case, but at the very least you expect to be treated with respect.. Especially when in the process of having a child. He had us sit down and asked my partner what we were doing there. She said, "oh, um. trying to have a baby?" He turned his head to look at me and asked what part I was playing. I let him know that of course I was a part of the journey as her partner, but wasn't going to be giving birth myself. His response was, "Oh, so you're just a guest here.", and went on to completely disregard me for the remainder of our time there. After going through his robotic health history checklist he let us know that it was time for an ultrasound. I began to gather my things to go into the exam room with my partner and he said, "no. you stay, she goes." Um.. Am I dog? I was silently fuming at this point. Having unfortunately been in discriminatory situations throughout my life, it was clear to me that had I been a man, he wouldn't be speaking to me as if I was simply taking up space. When he came back in the room with my partner, he let us know she had plenty of eggs and said, "ok we'll send you a list of sperm banks, do you have any questions?" He couldn't wait to get us out of there.. You are just a number to them. We had a lot of questions. But where do you start when you've never does this before? As we went to check out the receptionist said, "okay see for your next appt!" Ok wait, when is that? What's going to happen then? Can we have info on next steps? This is information we shouldn't have to ask for. After we probed for this basic info, they let us know the next person we'd be speaking to was "Finance". Wait, what about the full picture of my partners health? Why proceed if you don't have that yet? Simple blood tests? We mentioned that the dr said we'd be receiving info about sperm banks. The receptionist didn't know what we were talking about at first. She then brought over a piece of paper and didn't say anything. What do we do with this? "Choose a sperm bank." But, how? Frozen? Fresh? ICI? IUI? What does all of this mean? Apparently it's up to you to guide yourself in this process. My partner called the San Francisco location (where we're from) to let them know about the uncomfortable experience we had. The manager agreed that that is not how an appt of this nature is supposed to go down and said that she'd be connecting with the CEO. In an attempt to help us out, she also put in a request for us to switch to the female Dr. At first we didn't know if we even wanted to go back to that place, but considering we had just spent $375 we decided.. hey, let's give it another chance with a new dr. They called my partner today to let her know that it would cost $125 to switch drs!!! How? Why? Additionally, the CEO let us know that she couldn't offer any solutions. My informed impression is your experience and well-being is something they do not consider here. Their priority is $$, and you're just on a checklist. If you put robots in the place of the people that work there, it would probably be a better experience. Just yesterday we had a phone call with a Midwife at the suggestion of a queer friend couple of ours. Within the first five minutes, I was once again SO excited about prospect of having a baby. She graciously spoke to us for over an hour and immediately offered information on tracking your cycle, how to choose a sperm bank, and info on the overall experience that she provided. She is willing to travel to us for less than the cost of our appt at the clinic. This is all information that should be given to you when you step into a major life move like this, especially when seeking help. Having a child is not only a physical experience.. It's emotional and spiritual as well. We decided that going with someone who is mindful of all these things would be preferable over a sterile and disconnected environment. I want to feel nothing but joy when having a baby... Not measuring the emotional tax it will have on me and my partner to even go to an appt. read more