I felt my most recent transfer was super rushed, I�ve been asking which embryo is being transferred but did not get a confirmation until way after the transfer. My appointment was moved up for no reason and supposed to be at 9:45am but I was rushed in at 9:30am. This whole entire transfer I�ve only seen Dr. Tran for 5 min max total including all the appointment. I did not have a good experience this time around.

The instructions said not to urinate that morning but I should have been told to drink at least 16 oz of water. When they attempted the procedure they couldn�t get a good ultrasound so I was asked to drink 3 bottles of water and wait for them to try again. Of all the communication I did receive this was not part of it and was clearly crucial to the success of the transfer. The doctor also seemed to have a hard time finding my cervix and I was not confident that the embryo was placed in the correct area.

My nurse changed in the middle of my treatment and I had to take an additional week of birth control which also delayed the implantation date. Timing is critical as I had surgery for endometriosis last year and scar tissue can reappear. New nurse has been great so far, but bringing new nurse up to date needs improvement.

Loved Morgan at the front desk! And Ashe for blood work! And Sarah was the sweetest recovery nurse.

Would be nice to have more time with the doctor to understand next steps. Too much information gets overwhelming so nice to have sessions to join to answer questions

Would be nice to have more time with the doctor to understand next steps. Too much information gets overwhelming so nice to have sessions to join to answer questions

Truly love the Spring team and have recommended numerous friends and coworkers. Just such great experience from start to finish with all the staff members, nurses and providers. Thank you for all you do!

Overall, we are very disappointed with our Spring experience. Before I get into details, I want to emphasize that we were very happy with our primary provider, Dr. Minjarez; the nurse practitioner who performed some ultrasounds, Ursula Dean; nurse Sitka, who worked with us one Saturday; and all of the blood draw staff we interacted with. App: We were very disappointed with the reliance on the Salve app. My partner and I were each instructed to create our own accounts, but any updates or notifications were only sent to me. The 2-business day turnaround time was also frustrating. Sometimes we needed information more urgently. When this happened, we tried to call Spring, but we didn�t always receive a response to the voicemails we left, particularly when we asked to speak to our nurse, Miriam. Additionally, the medication information in my app was sometimes incorrect or contradicted instructions I received in messages. These inconsistencies made the app very difficult to use. We would have preferred to communicate by email, especially since that would have allowed us both to be fully informed at any given moment. Queer Friendly: We initially chose Spring because the clinic advertised itself as a queer-friendly fertility clinic. However, despite this claim, the systems in place at Spring still seem rooted in cisheteronormative assumptions. For example, when I came in for my saline sonogram, I was asked in the lobby, in front of other patients, if I had taken a pregnancy test that morning. I explained I was not pregnant, but the receptionist persisted in telling us that the test was required before the procedure. We didn�t want to lie, but since my spouse doesn�t produce sperm, there was absolutely zero chance I could be pregnant, making the question unnecessary. To explain why I hadn't taken a pregnancy test, I would have had to "out" my trans spouse, who was standing right next to me. The fact that it was asked at all was frustrating, but what was even more upsetting was that it was asked publicly. This situation was both uncomfortable and avoidable, and it made us feel that the clinic's understanding of queer experiences was superficial at best. Nurse: Miriam, who supported us while we were not in the office, was not particularly helpful. She was difficult to reach, and when we did connect, it often felt like she was reading from a script, which sometimes contradicted itself. It was hard to trust her because the information she shared often changed, and she was resistant when we asked questions about typical protocols or requested alternative options. Because she was hard to reach, we didn�t get our prescriptions sent to the pharmacy until the last minute, which resulted in us having to pay double the price for one of our prescriptions to get it in time. This was incredibly frustrating and cost us over $500. Information Sharing: The entire fertility/IVF process was new to us, and we were disappointed with the lack of resources available to answer our questions. The information in the app was overwhelming, and when we asked questions, we often received responses like, �It�s in the Salve app,� or �Check the Salve app.� We understand that this information was likely available somewhere in the app, but we didn�t always know where to find it, which left us feeling under-informed and in the dark. Egg Thawing: We were told by both our doctor and our nurse, Miriam, that we would receive fertilization updates throughout the egg thawing and fertilization process. You can imagine our disappointment when we only received one call before our transfer with an update. When we messaged on the app and left voicemails asking for updates, our communication was ignored. It wasn�t until we called and our call was answered (instead of going to voicemail) that we were able to connect with a nurse who could provide updates. Although she didn�t have access to the most up-to-date information, it was really nice to have the opportunity to speak with someone who empathized with us (I believe her name was Vanessa or Nessa). We eventually learned that the policy had recently changed and that Day-3 updates were no longer provided. However, we were not informed of this change and were very disappointed with the lack of communication during this process. Furthermore, we were using my partner�s eggs, and they never received any updates or communication about the process directly. This is simply unacceptable. Embryo Transfer: The embryo transfer appointment was the most frustrating doctor�s appointment either of us has ever experienced. We are both very upset that the experience left us feeling isolated, anxious, and unimportant, and we will never be able to get that moment back. After waiting about 30 minutes to be called back, we were told that there were some complications in the previous transfer appointment, causing delays. We understand that delays happen, but it was disconcerting to be left waiting for so long without any explanation, especially as my bladder became increasingly uncomfortable. It was also unsettling to see nurses literally running from room to room. When we were finally called back, we felt rushed and like we were an inconvenience to the team. After getting into the room, I asked my nurse about my painful, full bladder and was only then informed that the doctor on call actually preferred an empty bladder. A lot of discomfort could have been avoided had I known that sooner. When we finally saw the doctor, he was cold and barely interacted with us. We were told beforehand that he would discuss the embryos and explain how he selected the one to be transferred. When we asked him how many embryos we had, he refused to answer, and when we asked if he was transferring the best embryo, he said all our embryos were excellent (we later found out this was not true). The doctor did not speak to me during the entire procedure and gave no warning before I felt any cramping or discomfort. It was an uncomfortable experience, both physically and emotionally. There seemed to be tension between the nurse and the doctor, and at one point, it appeared that the doctor forcefully took the ultrasound wand from the nurse. When we decided to start the IVF process to build a family, we prioritized intentionality and wanted to approach the process with joy, gratitude, and excitement. These feelings were reinforced when we first met with Dr. Minjarez. However, for the bulk of the process, the experience was frustrating, isolating, and caused a lot of stress and sadness. Our experiences at Spring were impersonal and isolating. These were moments, and memories that we will never be able to get back, which is extraordinarily disappointing. If you have any questions about our experience, we would be happy to help provide additional context that might help improve the process for future patients. - Annie (707-508-7447) and Rhys (408-802-7358)

In the portal, it is confusing that multiple threads are not labeled. It's confusing to know what conversation is Scheduler, Finance, Nurse, etc from the customer side. You should label the conversations. All of the threads are labelled the same from my side, so very confusing to know where to ask questions and track conversations.

Dr. Tran and team has been amazing