Dr. Monica Pasternak, United States

Unless you are healthy, have no prior medical history, and are willing to let recent graduates practice drawing blood, this may not be the place for you. It is also expensive, and reaching anyone by phone is nearly impossible. All communication is through their app, so when you have questions or concerns, you are left hoping for a response. They are not easy to contact. Learn to advocate for yourself. I did not give one star because the initial onboarding process was good. The medications are expensive, but insurance made them easy to obtain, so you need coverage. My egg retrieval was the most painful experience of my life, and post-procedure communication and support were almost nonexistent. My severe pain, which felt like my femoral head was shattered, was dismissed with, 'Your ovaries are the size of grapefruits, so you will be in pain.' I understand, but what can I do? Please help me. My husband could not sit beside me because even slight movement hurt, and I could not walk. I understand these were effects of my procedure. I only wanted communication, acknowledgment of how I felt, and perhaps a little kindness and compassion.

My experience at Spring was exceptionally positive. The team communicated well and was empathetic, upbeat, and patient. The app made communication fast and efficient. Multiple San Francisco locations made early-morning monitoring easy and convenient. They went above and beyond at every step. For example, they sent me flowers during the week of my FET, and I could not stop crying. They turned a distressing, challenging journey into one filled with hope and a clear plan. I am extremely grateful and would recommend them to everyone!

My heartfelt thanks to my favorite nurse, Andrea, who works with Dr. Tran. Her kindness, calmness, and optimism have been a pillar throughout my fertility journey. Although the process has been difficult, Andrea is highly organized, communicates well, and has given me tremendous emotional support.

I had an excellent egg-freezing experience with Dr. Tran at Spring. I was impressed by the Spring team's punctuality and professionalism, and I felt fully informed and supported throughout the process. I highly recommend Spring Fertility!

I love my doctor and nurse, Dr. Tran and Allison. They genuinely care about me. I am very grateful for this team and send them much love ❤️

We asked them not to disclose the baby's sex, but they told us twice, once in writing and once verbally. If they cannot manage something so simple, how can we trust them with anything else? They also do not allow both intended parents to be present, even during preparation, unlike RMA, which is very frustrating. I complained about both issues and was told I could speak with a supervisor, but no one appeared after 20 minutes, so I left.

The experience and level of care we received at Spring Fertility far exceeded our expectations. Dr. Temeka Zore and her entire medical team were outstanding. They went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable, understood, and genuinely cared for throughout the process. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Zore and Spring Fertility.

Family planning can be very stressful, and the staff at Spring Fertility helped us navigate the entire process while keeping stress to a minimum.

I highly recommend Dr. Zore. As a patient over 40, I came to her hopeful but uncertain about the road ahead. Dr. Zore patiently explained every approach and option, enabling me to make an informed decision based on my circumstances and family. Her modified natural-cycle protocol ultimately helped me conceive two babies. I also want to highlight her team's exceptional organization throughout the process. They gave us a detailed schedule clearly listing the medications and timing for each frozen embryo transfer. This careful planning gave my partner and me tremendous peace of mind during what could have been a stressful time. Thanks to Dr. Zore and her team, we now have a very healthy baby boy and are expecting an equally healthy baby girl. We are deeply grateful for their care, expertise, and support. Dr. Zore not only helped us build our family, but also gave us hope and confidence at every step.

Incompetent staff - the doctors may be experienced, but most of the time you're dealing with the staff members and they are just not competent or remotely helpful. Often results in a lot of frustration. It makes us feel their job is to make our lives harder. And consider the money we’re spending with them! We've worked with 4 fertility clinics in SF now, this is by far the worst! Save your money and frustration and go somewhere else

This is a great company that does excellent work helping people build families in difficult circumstances. My only complaint is their inflated embryo storage prices. Our fee rose from $300 to $475 per year, with virtually no way to appeal or choose another option. It increased by more than $75 last year alone, with no reasonable explanation. Such steep increases for something as personal as embryo storage are unacceptable when we have no alternative. This is classic private-equity-style price gouging, and applying it to embryo storage is sickening. At best it is questionable; at worst it is unethical.

Highly recommended! The team is very friendly, and specialists at every stage work to optimize the process and achieve the best possible outcome!

At 37, newly single and burdened by San Francisco rent and costly bad dates, I decided to freeze my eggs at Spring Fertility. After all, I may not have found a husband, but I had met about 47 men who "were not looking for anything serious right now." So I decided to take control of the one thing in my life that would not let me down. I expected a stressful medical process. Instead, I found a clinic that communicated better than most of the people I had dated. Appointments were well organized, questions were answered, and calls were returned promptly. No one sent mixed messages or disappeared for three days, only to return and say, "Sorry, I've been so busy lately." Special thanks to Dr. Zore, who was knowledgeable and reassuring and somehow made this complicated process feel entirely manageable. Every interaction left me informed and confident rather than overwhelmed. Michelle, the anesthesiologist, was exactly the person I wanted caring for me on retrieval day: kind, calm, funny, and reassuring. I arrived bloated and uncomfortable and had even started questioning my life choices. Within minutes, I went from an anxious patient to peacefully unconscious. It was an impressive skill. One moment we were talking, and the next I was waking up from what may have been my best sleep in years. The entire process was unexpectedly easy. The injections were not as frightening as I had imagined, the staff were wonderful, and the side effects were minimal. As a healthcare professional, I can confidently say that Spring Fertility has an excellent reputation among healthcare workers, including many physicians and nurses at UCSF. That was one reason I chose them. For anyone still unsure: • "It is too expensive." (Think less than 1 ten thousand dollars, excluding medication costs.) — It was actually more affordable than many other clinics I researched. • "I cannot take time off work." — I work full time, and they accommodated my schedule. • "I will do it later." — The younger you are when you freeze your eggs, the better. My only regret is not doing it sooner. • "The medication side effects will be terrible." — For me, it was only mild bloating. Most importantly, remember that this is a medical procedure. Do your research, ask plenty of questions, and stay actively involved in your treatment. The Spring Fertility team did an excellent job explaining everything patiently and answering every question I asked. Thank you to Dr. Zore, Michelle, and the entire Spring Fertility team for making what could have been a daunting process unexpectedly smooth, supportive, and even enjoyable. Thank you for helping me preserve my options while I continue looking for a partner who communicates as well as a fertility clinic. At this point, Spring Fertility has set an impressively high standard.

Dr. Temeka Zaire ruined my career. After I expressed concerns about medication side effects, she still prescribed the medication and told me it would be fine. I later learned during my next visit with another doctor that the medication did not have the side effects she had claimed when prescribing it. If I could give zero stars, I would. I would never recommend this fertility clinic or Dr. Zaire to anyone. If I could, I would sue them.

This was an excellent experience, especially considering how frightening the process itself can be. The Spring team is committed to keeping patients fully informed and comfortable throughout the process. I would recommend Spring to anyone seeking fertility support.

Dr. Zore is great, but operations—especially the nursing team and billing department—are terrible. Once you become a patient, you must go through the nursing team, which never answers the phone. Scheduling or speaking with them is nearly impossible unless you keep your calendar open for a callback whenever it suits them. The billing department used incorrect billing codes, resulting in large charges. I spent a year going back and forth before they took any action, while continuing collection efforts against me. Again, terrible operations.

My wife and I had an excellent experience with Dr. Zore. She patiently answered all our questions and guided us professionally throughout the process, making it as stress-free as anyone could hope. Her bedside manner is exceptional and truly unique. I highly recommend her and her outstanding team at Spring.

I am very grateful to have worked with Dr. Zore. As a transgender man seeking fertility treatment, she and her team made me feel comfortable and affirmed. She also provided very thorough information throughout the process.

Their service is excellent. Spring’s guidance made medication management easy, and the app made it convenient to contact the care team. They replied quickly and made the entire process smooth and easy. The results exceeded my expectations. I would definitely recommend Spring!

I recently went through IVF at Spring Fertility with Dr. Zore, and I had an incredibly positive experience. Dr. Zore is both highly professional and deeply compassionate - I felt genuinely cared for and well-informed every step of the way. I truly can’t speak highly enough of her. I spent a fair amount of time researching to find the right doctor, and I’m so glad I did. Choosing Dr. Zore made all the difference, and my experience exceeded expectations. As for Spring Fertility overall, everything ran very smoothly - from scheduling appointments to nurse follow-ups and updates. The staff were consistently kind and helpful, and aside from a couple of minor delays, appointments were generally on time.

My doctor performed an egg retrieval while I had an 11.4 cm cyst in my abdomen, without telling me beforehand. I attached my MRI image so you can see for yourself. That white mass you see is my cyst. It occupied my entire lower abdomen, yet despite daily ultrasounds, they performed the egg retrieval without knowing it was there. After the retrieval, I was initially in unbearable pain. Walking, sleeping, and other activities were extremely painful. I called, and they told me to take Tylenol. It felt as though a bowling ball were pressing on my pelvis, and I cried almost every day. The pain continued until I had surgery to remove the cyst several months later. After the retrieval, my doctor casually mentioned that I had a cyst, said it was not a major issue, and encouraged me to undergo another retrieval. She had me spend thousands of dollars on medications and come to the clinic, only to finally tell me that I actually needed surgery first and could not proceed with a second retrieval. I had to discard all the medications. They should never have performed the first retrieval, much less encouraged a second. Because of this experience, I now question all medical advice. Use caution when seeking fertility treatment here. The images speak for themselves.

Dr. Zore is an exceptional clinician, and I highly recommend her and her entire team. Before this, my partner and I had undergone several rounds of IVF at another well-known San Francisco clinic, so we were familiar with the challenges of the process. My partner and I underwent approximately one year of IVF treatment with Dr. Zore. My partner had about 5 egg retrievals, and I had 2. Every visit made us more certain that we had found the best doctor. Dr. Zore is thorough, kind, thoughtful, and highly knowledgeable. Before every visit, she was fully prepared, understood our prior history in detail, and patiently explained our situation so we felt reassured, supported, and empowered. What impressed me most was our first meeting. I initially attended only to support my partner because I was already receiving care at another fertility clinic. But after seeing how attentively Dr. Zore cared for my partner, how thoroughly prepared she was, how deeply she understood the case, and how thoughtful and compassionate she was, I immediately asked to transfer my own care to her, even though it was Friday and I was scheduled to begin hormone treatment at another clinic on Monday. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Her team was equally outstanding. Every staff member was professional, warm, and organized. They anticipated needs before you even recognized them and guided you through every step of what can be an overwhelming process. The nurses in particular were very kind and genuinely cared about our treatment journey; we always felt they were cheering us on. After a long and difficult process, my partner and I finally succeeded, and we truly believe this result would not have been possible without Dr. Zore’s wisdom, expertise, and persistence. On our final day of treatment, the entire team celebrated with us, cheering in the hallway and giving us a small baby bodysuit. It was a deeply meaningful and moving moment. Honestly, leaving the clinic was difficult because we had received such attentive care. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Zore and her team and would recommend them without hesitation to anyone seeking fertility treatment.

Dr. Zore transformed what had long felt like a heavy emotional burden into an empowering and positive experience. I always felt that I knew what the next step was, and my medical team was excellent. The final egg count was higher than I expected and even exceeded my expectations across two cycles. If I did it again, I would choose Dr. Zore without hesitation!

My partner and I had an excellent experience completing an egg retrieval with Dr. Zore and her team at Spring Fertility. I was very nervous before the procedure, but the team made sure I was fully prepared and cared for me attentively throughout. As an anxious patient, I found everyone extremely patient—from the blood draws to the procedure itself, I truly felt they were a medical team that genuinely cared about me. A friend recommended Spring, and I am very glad I chose them to support me through this fertility journey!

I was extremely nervous about the egg retrieval, freezing process, and procedure, and I almost backed out at the last minute! The team at Spring Fertility gave me tremendous support and reassurance throughout the process. Dr. McCarter was thoughtful and kind and made sure I understood every step. I cannot believe I am going to miss all the nurses, Dr. McCarter, and this whole experience! I wholeheartedly recommend Spring Fertility to anyone seeking fertility treatment!