Kindbody - Santa Monica's Online Review Report Card

My wife and I had, overall, a good experience with Kindbody. I can't compare our experience to others in the LA area, as my previous experiences with IVF were in Mexico. We chose Kindbody because that's where our family doctor did her reciprocal IVF (rather than in the system she worked in) and because they have a very gay clinic front--rainbows everywhere. Pricing was generally very transparent, though if you are using insurance, you will have to anticipate several expenses generally not covered (we had a $500 administrative coordination fee, a $500 sperm thawing fee, and out-of-network anesthesiology cost). You'll learn that before the procedure, though, and not after as a surprise. Financing care was fairly straightforward, and they were not fussed about where you get your medications, as long as you got them, which is great because when you're doing multiple cycles, finding cost savings on medications can be really critical. This clinic is really well run. Scheduling was never an issue (no waitlist to begin care), appointments usually started on time, the communication was good in the portal, a nurse was always available in clinic to answer medication and timing questions. The clinic itself is really bright and warm, and feels more like a spa than a clinic. The ultrasound techs are really good--major shout out to Natasha who could always find my notoriously shy ovaries and who was such a cheerleader for us-- and I never had a bad blood draw (and I'm a hard stick). I feel like the clinical team at Kindbody is willing to work outside the box with complex cases. Unlike some clinics in the area who have not changed clinical practice based on recent research, they are willing to transfer low-level mosaics (I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant with one, so I'm really grateful that they are willing to give mosaics a chance!).

I had such a wonderful experience with Dr. Kathiresan & Kindbody as a whole for my egg freezing journey. Their team's kindness, responsiveness & overall bedside manner combined with the communication using their intuitive portal and access to easy overnight medication delivery definitely eased what can already be a nerve racking process. Couldn't recommend more highly!

I chose Kindbody after consulting with several fertility clinics. Their technology and patient portal 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.

I chose Kindbody after consulting with several fertility clinics. Their technology and patient portal 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.

We are beyond thankful for Dr. Kathiresan and the entire team. From start to finish, they have been compassionate, patient, and truly attentive to our needs. Every step of the process was clearly explained, and we always felt supported and cared for. Going through fertility treatment can feel overwhelming, but their kindness and professionalism made such a difference for us. We highly recommend this clinic to anyone looking for a team that genuinely cares.

The staff (front desk, ultrasound techs, doctors, nurses, etc) here at this location are all very nice. I think there are 3 or 4 nurses that are there in the clinic and you can meet with them after your blood draws and ultrasounds. They have all be very sweet and patient with all my questions. For the clinic, I would give five stars. My actual nurse was not in the clinic, and she's the one that messaged me about all my medications, dosages, etc. While she was nice, there was three times that she made mistakes, about taking the medications and also sending my prescription to the wrong pharmacy. If I wasn't so on top of everything and asked her to please confirm, I would've missed one med and would've just waited and waited for the pharmacy to contact me and would never have received them. There are other reviews that mentioned their billing. Kindbody's billing team is awful. It's hard to get in touch with someone, and make sure you are very knowledgeable about all your coverage and keep track of your payments because they make mistakes. I've had to call them out on it and ask them to clarify and fix things. Every time you try to contact them, it's impossible. I basically used every channel I could, calling, through the portal, scheduling a call with finance. I'd give them zero stars for billing if I could.

I don’t even know where to begin—my experience with Kindbody was truly amazing. I was so scared going into the egg-freezing process, but the entire team was incredibly detailed, supportive, and calming every step of the way. From start to finish, I felt genuinely cared for and supported. Thank you for everything, Kindbody. You truly are amazing.

I had a great experience with the doctors, nurses and staff at Kindbody in Santa Monica. I found the level of communication was really good and they answered all my questions in a timely manner. I never felt rushed or surprised by anything which says a lot given the nature of treatment can be an emotional rollercoaster. The only challenge was the billing process. I recommend reviewing each bill and asking questions if there's a discrepancy in what was billed and any insurance payments applied. Overall I'm very happy with my experience.

Kindbody is offered through my employer/Veba. When I spoke to them in October before open enrollment I discussed what is covered with Kaiser and UHC. I switched insurances for UHC because I was told in 2026 that egg freezing would be fully covered under this insurance plan. Come January 2026, I make appointments and they state they DO NOT cover any of it and would have been the same price as if I stayed with Kaiser. So I switched and paid more for insurance for nothing... When addressed with Kindbody, they take awhile to respond and when virtual calls are made, they cancel them. They state they do not know who gave me this information, I do have a name of an advisor, however one of them no longer works with Kindbody, so there is no accountability. I wish I read more reviews and saw the bad reviews on the administration side as I would never have signed up.

Lovely staff that made things super easy. Made me feel very comfortable and would definitely recommend to my friends