Updated September 10, 2025
With the departure of Dr. Gihan Bareh, LLU Fertility welcomes new providers while continuing to serve patients with the same dedication to high-quality, university-level care.
Loma Linda, Calif. (2025) – Loma Linda University Center for Fertility & IVF wishes to notify patients and prospective patients of recent changes to its care team and scheduling.
First, we bid our reproductive endocrinologist of 10 years, Dr. Gihan Bareh, a fond farewell. As Dr. Bareh leaves the Center for Fertility for other pursuits, the whole Loma Linda University team thanks her for the many years of deep devotion to our patients’ care and success.
LLU Center for Fertility plans to resume services later this year with a new interim team working alongside our current clinical team.
Continue reading for details, followed by frequently asked questions & answers – with further updates to come. For questions about this transition and continued care, please message us through our Contact Us Online form.
In the lab
Our highly skilled lead embryologist, Natalie King, continues to oversee and securely maintain all stored embryos, eggs, and sperm specimens in our lab. For patients pursuing IVF or other treatment currently or soon, Natalie will handle the secure transfer of specimens to an outside or partner clinic as needed.
The interim lab director is Justin Kerstetter, MD, an LLU pathologist who will ensure ongoing lab quality and compliance.
In the fertility clinic
Our team of LLU Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB-GYN) physicians and advanced practice providers, overseen by Department Chair Dr. Kevin Balli, will also support and continue care for establishing new patients, including consultations, testing and monitoring, and will coordinate existing patient care with our interim outside partner IVF clinics until a new fertility physician permanently joins the in-house team.
For new patients
We anticipate a temporary pause in new patient appointments during this transition to a new team but anticipate restarting new patient consults by later this year. In the meantime, please request an appointment online using our secure form to be added to the waitlist.
For existing patients
While we orient our new team members, LLU Center for Fertility & IVF will have a brief pause in clinical operations, with the goal of resuming the following care by later this year. In the meantime, our team is calling patients to connect on next steps in care, including IVF referrals. Once we resume clinical operations, anticipated interim services include:
- Diagnostic testing, labs and imaging.
- Andrology services (such as semen analysis).
- Hormone testing, treatment.
- Fertility workups and care planning.
- Basic fertility treatments, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI).
- Coordinating in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related treatments with a partner clinic, with stimulation/pregnancy monitoring locally.
How to transfer your specimens
For patients ready to resume IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) fertility treatments right away, embryologist Natalie King will coordinate secure transfer of embryos, eggs or sperm specimens to an LLU partner clinic or an outside IVF clinic of each patient’s choosing. To coordinate a specimen transfer, patients may a use our secure Contact Us Online form.
FAQ & Answers for Dr. Bareh Departure & Continued Clinical Services
Appointment questions
Q: I am a current patient having already completed a new patient consultation or some of my treatment plan. What’s next?
A: While we orient our new team members, we anticipate a temporary pause in clinical operations, with the goal of resuming care later this year. Our team is calling patients to connect on next steps in care, including IVF referrals. Please use your patient portal for additional questions.
Q: Once normal clinic operations resume, how long is the wait for a new patient consult?
A: The current wait for a new patient appointment is 6 months, which may be extended due to this temporary pause in the schedule. See more below.
Q: I previously requested a new patient appointment; what happens now?
A: While we orient our new team members, we anticipate a temporary pause in new patient appointments, with the goal of resuming care later this year. Please note: The current wait for a new patient appointment is 6 months, which may be extended due to this pause in the schedule. If you’ve already requested an appointment online, you are already on the waitlist and in the months ahead we will be contacting you about next steps in care, including any IVF referrals as needed. Thank you for your patience.
If you haven’t requested an appointment online yet, please do so on our website to be added to the waitlist.
Insurance questions
Q: Will my health insurance that’s accepted by LLU be accepted at the partner IVF clinic?
A: For LLU Risk Management patients, your insurance will cover care with our partner IVF clinic and our care team will communicate with you for more details. You can also message us through the patient portal. For patients with other private insurance, you will be responsible for verifying your fertility benefits between your insurance provider and any partner clinic or outside fertility clinic providing care.
Q: Does Dr. Bareh accept my insurance at her new facility?
A: If you’re interested in transferring care, all insurance and pricing questions should be directed to any new facility including that of Dr. Bareh.
Dr. Bareh / physician questions
Q: Why did Dr. Bareh leave? Where is she going?
A: Dr. Bareh left on good terms for other pursuits outside of Loma Linda University. She ensured patient charts and other details were in order before leaving. This enables the team to continue care with as few problems as reasonably possible. Further info about what’s next at our center can be found above.
Q: How do I contact Dr. Bareh?
A: Dr. Bareh may be reached at her new center, Loma Linda Fertility & Wellness Center. Otherwise, for any questions for LLU Center for Fertility related to your care at the Center, please use our contact us online form on our website.
Q: Who is my new doctor?
A: In addition to our current lab and clinical care team, our team of LLU Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB-GYN) physicians and advanced practice providers, overseen by Department Chair Dr. Kevin Balli, will also support and continue care for establishing new patients, including consultations, testing and monitoring, and will coordinate existing patient care with our interim outside partner IVF clinics until a new fertility physician permanently joins the in-house team.
Questions about treatment, IVF & specimens in storage
Q: Can I continue my fertility treatment at the LLU Center for Fertility?
A: While we orient our new team members, we anticipate a temporary pause in new patient appointments and clinical operations, with the goal of resuming care by later this year. In the meantime, we are working with current patients and new patients to refer care to our partner fertility clinic. Please use your patient portal or our online contact form for additional questions.
Q: If I would like to do IVF right away, what are my options? How do I transfer my specimens?
A: Our lead embryologist Natalie King will handle the safe and secure transfer of specimens to our partner IVF clinic or an outside IVF clinic of your choice. Please use our secure contact form to request a transfer.
Q: What’s happening to my embryos / eggs / sperm? Are they safe?
A: Our experienced lead embryologist, Natalie King, continues to oversee and securely maintain all stored embryos, eggs, and sperm specimens in our lab. Whether you have new specimens in our lab storage or have had ongoing storage, nothing has changed with the storage agreement.
Q: How does this impact my treatment timeline?
A – for current patients: While we orient our new team members, we anticipate a temporary pause in clinical operations, with the goal of resuming care by later this year. Our team will reach out to you on next steps in care, including IVF referrals. Please use your patient portal for additional questions.
A – for new patients: While we orient new team members, we anticipate a temporary pause in new patient appointments, with the goal of resuming care by later this year. Please note: The current wait for a new patient appointment is 6 months, which may be extended due to the pause in the schedule. You can request an appointment on our website to be added to the waitlist. If you’ve already requested an appointment online, you are already on the waitlist and in the months ahead we will be contacting you about next steps in care, including any IVF referrals as needed. Thank you for your patience.
Q: I’m a current patient: Who should I call if I have treatment or other care question?
A: If this is an emergency, please call 911. For general questions about your treatment, patient records, etc., please use the patient portal or call our office at (909) 554-3003 as you would normally. If you have a question about our care team transition or temporary pause in services, please use our contact form.
Q: I’m a cancer fertility preservation patient and can’t delay care. What should I do?
A: Please call our office at (909) 554-3003 and speak to our liaison Deanna Almanza. We will refer you to a partner IVF clinic for immediate care.
Egg donation questions
Q: I applied as an egg donor – am I still being considered?
A: Yes, thank you for your application! Although egg donor testing and screening are temporarily on hold, we are still accepting egg donor applications and will get in touch with you as soon as we resume screening.
About Loma Linda University Center for Fertility & IVF
LLU Center for Fertility & IVF has provided personalized care in the Inland Empire area for
nearly 40 years. Established in 1988, it is one of the longest standing fertility centers in Southern
California and the area’s leading fully accredited IVF lab. The Center for Fertility provides
personalized, quality fertility care to the Inland Empire, including the Riverside, San Bernardino
metro area, welcoming all patients, whether privately insured or on managed care such as Kaiser,
as well as veterans. As part of the Loma Linda University Health system, we provide our patients
expert university care, coupled with the boutique experience of a small practice.