Yena Li, IVF case manager, coordinates IVF for Chinese patients
When Chinese patients are considering traveling for IVF in Las Vegas, Yena Li will manage their IVF cycle, from the initial consultation through the first trimester of pregnancy. Fluent in Chinese and English, Yena coordinates IVF for Chinese patients, giving them a friendly point of contact who can explain complex treatments and be their voice at every step.
IVF is available in China, but success rates are relatively low compared to the more advanced, higher-quality IVF in Las Vegas. Also, third party services, such as donor eggs, donor sperm and gestational carriers, are illegal in China.
“So many young Chinese couples have great educations and good jobs, but for many years, they cannot have a child,” Yena says. “Thanks to China’s former one-child policy, many families have four grandparents and just two young couples, but there’s no third generation. They’re desperately seeking any treatment that will help.”
Many Chinese couples also come to the United States for IVF in Las Vegas because they want to achieve family balancing by adding a boy to carry on the family name. In China, which now has a two-child limit, it’s illegal to reveal a baby’s gender before birth. By using IVF with preimplantation genetic screening, or PGS, in the United States, couples can choose to transfer embryos of their preferred gender.
A friendly voice and patient advocate
With IVF for Chinese patients, about 80% begin their initial diagnostic testing in China, working with our staff there to minimize time spent traveling for IVF in Las Vegas. Yena is also the primary point of contact for the 20% of our Chinese-speaking patients who live in the Las Vegas area.
Yena’s work with patients often begins while they are still in China, when she translates during Skype visits with their physician and other care team members. Once they arrive in the United States, she attends all visits to translate and assist.
She manages IVF care for many patients at a time, working with patients, labs and third party agencies to coordinate and schedule care. She also serves as a go-between in complex third party reproduction cases, providing updates to patients about egg donors and gestational carriers.
One of her favorite communication tools is WeChat, a text messaging service that’s very popular in China. “Right now, I have more than 300 active contacts on WeChat,” she says. “I am here for our Chinese patients and local Chinese-speaking patients, and I do my best to give them the answers they need.”
Due to the time difference, Yena often checks her phone at night for messages from patients undergoing IVF for Chinese patients. She breaks down the language barrier and explains everything from financial questions to how to give an injection, serving as a translator between patients and on-call nurses or doctors.
The bearer of good news
Yena’s favorite part of her job is when she gets to give the news that a patient has been longing to hear. “When a Chinese couple comes here to have a baby, I am so happy and honored to be that person who gets to tell them, ‘You are pregnant!’” she says. “That’s a feeling that no other job can compete with.”
Yena came to the United States to earn a master’s degree in materials science. She worked in the field as a product engineer for about a year, before her husband’s job in the Air Force took them from New York to Ohio and California. Along the way, Yena and her husband started growing their family, adding a boy and a girl, and finally landed for good in Las Vegas.
“Las Vegas is a wonderful place, and our fertility center is a great location for international patients,” Yena says. “They can stay here and do lots of fun things, too.”
To learn more about IVF for Chinese patients, contact us to schedule a consultation. Yena Li, together with our entire team of experienced professionals, looks forward to assisting you.
