Horrible experience with Dr. Kolb at HRC Pasadena, from which I have been trying to recover for almost a year. Please read and learn from my mistakes.
I became Dr. Kolb's patient in September 2019, as a 37-year old perfectly healthy woman. Neither I nor my husband had any heath or genetic issues whatsoever, as HRC's tests confirmed as well. There is no family history of infertility (in fact, the evidence of the opposite - "extreme" fertility with pregnancies occurring on birth control, etc. - was present on both sides of the family). The only reason I decided to go with IVF, as opposed to having a natural pregnancy, was my dream of having twins.

Three months later after starting IVF procedures at HRC, I felt emotionally, physically and financially (total expense incurred of $32,100 with zero results) abused like I never felt and hopefully will never feel again. Please note that my emotional upsets were absolutely unrelated to the "shattered dreams of having a baby" - I never doubted that I would have a baby even though it seemed like HRC - or, to be precise, Dr. Kolb and Elisa Ramos, Reginal Manager - tried to do everything possible to instill the idea that IVF failures had nothing to do with their incompetence and negligence but were entirely stemming from my physical inability (which proved to be inaccurate later at a different IVF center).

I went through 2 IVF cycles with Dr. Kolb, which produced zero positive results. I realized something was wrong and switched to a different IVF center, at which I only had to go through/pay for one IVF cycle to finally experience absolutely amazing results. Based on the knowledge I accumulated thanks to my experiences at the terrible center (HRC Pasadena and Dr. Kolb) and at the excellent high-quality one (Dr. Kuo's IVF Fertility Center), below is the list of reasons explaining why IVF cycles at HRC Pasadena were a complete failure:

1. Miscalculated/disregarded timing of retrieval (major driver of success vs failure of IVF cycle).
As part of an IVF cycle, a patient receives an exorbitant amount of hormone shots to allow multiple eggs to grow quickly. The growth of these eggs has to be monitored carefully (that's what ultra-sound appointments are for) to properly calculate the timing of the retrieval of the eggs. Miscalculation by even one day can result in the dying of matured eggs (if retrieval date is set too late) or in retrieval of immature eggs that won't fertilize or survive to blastocyst stage. Upon examination of medical records, it appears that both of my retrieval dates were set too late, resulting in no viable eggs retrieved. I believe the reason Dr. Kolb/his assistant doctor assigned late dates to me was his overpacked schedule - he just couldn't squeeze my retrieval into the right for me dates as he had plenty of other women already scheduled.

2. Ultra-sound appointments rarely performed by Dr. Kolb.
Although he did perform a few checks himself, during both cycles Dr. Kolb heavily relied on the assistance of his.... junior doctor/nurse? (I don't even know her competencies) to perform my ultra-sound checks. I almost forgot what his face looked like during my second IVF cycle. The importance of the ultra-sound checks is immense - these appointments allow to set a proper timing of retrieval and adjust the dosage of hormone injections. Dr. Kolb's assistant was the one who set my retrieval date during my second cycle (the outcome was disastrous).

3. Dosage of hormones is not fine-tuned.
Dr. Kolb doesn't take time to examine the growth of follicles, and therefore does not adjust the dosage of hormones. The center that I switched to after HRC adjusted the dosage on each of my visits, which took place every other day.

4. IVF cycles are not recommended for cancellation even when it's obvious from the first couple of ultra-sound appointments that retrievals won't be successful. At the new center I became a patient of after HRC, my new Dr. Kuo canceled, with a full refund, two of my IVF cycles that he thought would not be very successful. One IVF cycle that he did not cancel resulted in two high-quality/normal blastocysts. Again, at HRC I paid for 2 IVF cycles and took ridiculous amounts of hormones to end up with nothing (one highly abnormal embryo).

5. No interest in your success/no accountability.
The impression I got at the HRC is that the center wants your IVF cycles to fail so you can be a repeat client bringing in more cash. They also don't turn down new patients no matter how busy they are, hence, rob you of the quality you expect to receive for the money you pay.

I normally don't like sharing negative feelings especially with those I love, but I did share my feeling of deep depression caused by my experience at HRC with my husband. He in turn confided to me how emotionally devastated the entire HRC nightmare made him. Please, choose carefully and keep yourself and your families safe.

Submitted Aug. 27, 2020

Great, patient doctor who goes above and beyond his duty of care.

Submitted Aug. 4, 2015

Wanted to recommend Dr. Kolb for his professionalism, kindness and knowledge. We really felt taken care of and supported there and could always call with questions/ concerns. I completely trusted his knowledge and felt that his staff was equally amazing. Thank you to his nurse coordinator Natalie who was beyond kind and supportive. She really ended up feeling like a friend to us. If anyone is looking for a great fertility Dr. I would highly recommend Dr. Kolb and his staff.

Submitted April 9, 2013

My wife and I had a very good experience with dr. Kolb and his staff. They all went above and beyond, giving us excellent help every step of the way. The level of sensitivity and respect they treated us with was far more more than expected. We HIGHLY recommend him.

Submitted Jan. 1, 2013

Wonderful experience with Dr. Kolb and HRC. Successful results for us. Great bedside manner. I had HMO insurance. Dr. Kolb is only contracted with Lakeside Medical Group and it is difficult dealing with them and finding a primary care physician in the Pasadena area. It would be better if they contracted with Healthcare Partners for me.

Submitted Dec. 13, 2012

My husband and I felt fortunate to have found Dr. Bradford Kolb. We have consulted many infertility doctors before deciding to work with Dr. Kolb. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Dr. Kolb is not only very knowledgeable and experienced, he is a doctor with professional integrity. He has always treated me with honesty; answered our questions thoroughly; helped us save money whenever he could without compromising the treatment. I can always reach him through his cell phone, even in some weekends, which made me feel being taken care of. Dr. Kolb’s staff were equally attentive and prompt. I especially want to thank Natalie, who was always there for me when I have questions. I will definitely recommend Dr. Kolb and his team to anyone looking for tentative, yet professional and honest fertility doctor!

Submitted Sept. 29, 2012

Our hope had completely shattered after 13 miscarriages in the past 14 years, until we found Dr. Bradford Kolb. He is a knowledgeable, experienced, professional, compassionate doctor, who genuinely cares and thoroughly understands about our traumatic experiences. My husband and I felt extremely fortunate to have found Dr. Kolb. Our surrogate is now almost 13 weeks pregnant. We observed that Dr. Kolb is very cautious, yet entirely confident in his work. We are grateful to Dr. Kolb and his services, beyond words. Also, we want to especially express our thanks to Kristy, who has always been there to promptly answer any of our questions with precision. Her instructions are always succinct and easily understood. We highly recommend Dr. Kolb and his staff to anyone who is looking for a 'miracle'. Dr. Kolb, please accept our gratitude and deep appreciation. You are a miracle doctor, for our baby is surely a blessing, being touched by science.

Submitted Sept. 24, 2012

My husband and I felt fortunate to have found Dr. Bradford Kolb. We have consulted many infertility doctors in LA areas (USC, UCLA, Beverly Hills) before deciding to work with Dr. Kolb. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Dr. Kolb is very knowledgeable, experienced, and with professional integrity. He also answered our questions thoroughly. He specifically designed procedures that he thought would work for us and explained his strategy to us before we moved forward. Dr. Kolb has been always available for us, even on weekends. Dr. Kolb’s staff were equally attentive and prompt. I especially want to thank Natalie, who was always there for me when I have questions. I am now 14 weeks pregnant! Although I am now mainly working with my OBGY doctor, I can still reach Dr. Kolb and his team whenever I have any questions. I will definitely recommend Dr. Kolb and his team to anyone looking for tentative, yet professional and honest fertility doctor!

Submitted Aug. 23, 2012

Dr. Kolb has given us the very best and most attentive care one could hope for. My husband and I are absolutely thrilled with how peaceful, safe and cared for we felt in Dr. Kolb's care. We went to Dr. Kolb after 6 unsuccessful treatments at SCRC. In his initial visit, he spent 1 1/2 hours talking to us and giving us advice about doing an IVF. My husband and I felt really good about his knowledge, manners, and the trust he instilled in us, so we transferred to his clinic and proceeded doing our first IVF cycle. Dr. Kolb himself did ALL of the ultrasounds. After each u/s, he answered all our questions. He never once made us feel like he was in a rush. This has brought me a lot of peace and trust in the process. His nurses were equally attentive and prompt. The IVF was successful and we are now 20 weeks pregnant!! I highly recommend Dr. Kolb and his team to anyone looking for a caring, attentive yet experienced and professional fertility doctor.

Submitted May 19, 2012

When we first arrived at HRC, we were skeptical of doing another IVF, as we had already 4 unsuccessful treatments with 2 different doctors. Both of those doctors were recommending going with egg donors. We wanted one more opinion. To our surprise Dr. Kolb gave us a different perspective. He reviewed all the medical records and he offered us to try another IVF. He changed the meds and dosages. Very different approach. We are so thankful to have found Dr. Kolb. He is so passionate about what he does, caring, has a great bedside manner and most importantly he is very knowledgeable and experienced. He gave us hope and confidence. We fully trusted him during the treatment cycle. We are so excited now that after our first try with him we got pregnant and will soon have a baby. Dr. Kolb and his staff are so courteous, professional and make you feel at ease in their clinic. It’s a big difference between getting care at HRC than the other 2 clinics I have been to.

Submitted April 30, 2012