Lakeside Obstetrics, Gynecology & Fertility — An Honest Editorial Review

Among fertility clinics in California, many San Francisco patients begin family-building not at a reproductive endocrinology (REI) center but at a trusted neighborhood OB/GYN that can run a thorough baseline workup, manage preconception health, and refer on when advanced reproductive technology is warranted. Lakeside Obstetrics, Gynecology & Fertility — a long-running Inner Richmond private practice led by a father-daughter physician team — carries a 4.8 Google rating across 176 reviews and fills that role for families across the Richmond, Sunset, and greater SF peninsula.

It is important to set the scope honestly up front: Lakeside is a general OB/GYN practice that offers in-office fertility evaluation, not a SART-member reproductive endocrinology clinic. It does not run an IVF lab, does not appear in SART outcome reporting, and does not advertise egg retrievals, embryo transfers, PGT, or donor-gamete programs. What it does offer is an experienced, continuity-focused OB/GYN practice that can handle the diagnostic workup that typically comes before an REI consult — and can manage pregnancies once they happen.

About the Practice

Lakeside has been in private practice in San Francisco for more than 35 years and, per the practice, has delivered over 4,000 babies. The practice is led by Dr. Ziyad Hannon, MD, FACOG (in practice since 2005 per NPI records; NPI 1942206560) and his daughter Dr. Monica Hannon, MD, FACOG (NPI 1033435904). Dr. Monica Hannon completed both medical school and her OB/GYN residency at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is also a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) and a member of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH). Both physicians are Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG).

The clinical team also includes Jeanette Blanks, MSN, FNP-C, MSCP, CNL, a family nurse practitioner with menopause-society certification who sees patients for GYN, preconception, and perimenopause/menopause visits.

Services Offered

Based on the practice website, services include:

• Annual well-woman exams, Pap screening, and contraception management
• Full obstetric care from preconception through postpartum, with on-site obstetric ultrasound
• Fertility evaluation: hormone panels to assess ovarian reserve, STD testing, partner semen analysis, and pelvic/transvaginal ultrasound
• FemVue tubal patency testing — a saline-and-air-bubble ultrasound-based alternative to conventional HSG
• Gynecologic care including abnormal bleeding, fibroids, ovarian cysts, PCOS, and pelvic pain
• Perimenopause and menopause management, including hormone therapy
• Laparoscopic and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery
• LGBTQ-affirming care and sexual-health care (including management of genitopelvic pain)

What This Practice Is — and Isn't

Lakeside is a strong first stop for a fertility workup and for ongoing OB/GYN care. It is not a reproductive endocrinology clinic. Based on publicly available materials, Lakeside does not advertise:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF), ICSI, or PGT
• On-site embryology or andrology lab
• Egg retrievals, embryo transfers, or frozen-embryo transfer (FET) cycles
• Egg freezing or donor-egg programs
• Third-party reproduction (donor sperm banking, gestational-carrier coordination)
• SART-reported ART outcomes

Patients who need ART are best served by a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist. Our California fertility clinic directory lists the Bay Area REI programs that publish SART outcomes and operate full ART laboratories.

Bay Area REI Referral Pathways

If a Lakeside workup uncovers findings that warrant REI care — tubal occlusion on FemVue, significant male-factor semen analysis, diminished ovarian reserve, advanced maternal age with a short trying window, or a history of recurrent pregnancy loss — the Bay Area has one of the deepest REI benches in the country. Well-known SART-member programs in and around San Francisco include Pacific Fertility Center (PFC) in the Financial District, Reproductive Science Center of the SF Bay Area (RSC), UCSF Center for Reproductive Health, Spring Fertility (multiple Bay Area locations), and the Kaiser Permanente REI service for Kaiser members. Each publishes CDC/SART outcomes; our how to read IVF success rates guide is a useful primer before a first REI consult.

California Insurance Context

California's SB 729, signed in 2024 and phasing in during 2025–2026, requires large-group state-regulated commercial plans to cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including IVF. Self-funded (ERISA) employer plans are exempt from the state mandate. Routine OB/GYN and fertility-evaluation visits at a practice like Lakeside are typically billed under standard medical benefits, which is a practical way to complete a workup before any IVF authorization is in play. For the full picture, see our fertility insurance mandates by state guide.

Patient Experience

Lakeside carries a 4.8 Google rating across 176 reviews — a strong public record for a private practice in San Francisco. The practice website also advertises a 4.95/5 average across 387 reviews aggregated from multiple sources. Recurring themes in publicly available reviews point to unhurried visits, strong continuity with the same physician across a pregnancy, and a collaborative style that suits patients who prefer lower-intervention, individualized care.

Considering At-Home Insemination?

San Francisco has a large LGBTQ+ and single-parent-by-choice population for whom at-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is often a sensible first step — particularly when there is no known fertility diagnosis and donor sperm is already lined up.

At-home insemination kits from MakeAMom are a one-time purchase, reusable until conception, and arrive in plain, discreet packaging. Many patients run a handful of home cycles in parallel with a preconception and baseline-evaluation visit at a practice like Lakeside before escalating to clinical IUI or IVF at a Bay Area REI. See our preconception health guide for how to prepare before the first cycle.

When to Consult

Consider starting with Lakeside (or a comparable OB/GYN) if you want a full baseline workup, FemVue tubal testing, ovarian-reserve assessment, and a partner semen analysis before deciding whether a reproductive endocrinologist is needed. Go directly to an REI if you are over 35 and have been trying 6+ months, over 40 at any duration, have a known diagnosis (endometriosis, PCOS with failed ovulation induction, male-factor, blocked tubes, recurrent pregnancy loss), or need third-party reproduction (donor eggs, donor sperm in a clinical context, or gestational carrier).

Location and Contact

Address: 402 8th Avenue, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA 94118 (Inner Richmond) Phone: (415) 741-1000 Website: lakesideobgyn.org Patient portal: Athena Health

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lakeside do IVF on-site? No. Lakeside is a general OB/GYN practice that offers fertility evaluation (hormone labs, ultrasound, FemVue tubal testing, partner semen analysis). It does not run an embryology lab, does not perform egg retrievals or embryo transfers, and does not appear in SART reporting. Patients who need IVF, ICSI, egg freezing, or donor-gamete cycles are referred to Bay Area reproductive endocrinologists such as PFC, RSC, UCSF, or Spring Fertility.

What is FemVue and how is it different from HSG? FemVue is an ultrasound-based tubal patency test that uses sterile saline and micro-bubbles rather than iodinated contrast and fluoroscopy. It is performed in-office, avoids radiation, and for many patients is better tolerated than a conventional hysterosalpingogram (HSG). It provides similar clinical information about whether the fallopian tubes are open. See the published literature on hystero-foam sonography for technical background.

Is Lakeside a SART-member clinic? No. SART membership requires operating a full ART laboratory and reporting IVF cycle outcomes. Lakeside is an OB/GYN practice that provides fertility evaluation, not an ART program. You can verify membership at any time on sartcorsonline.com.

Does SB 729 mean my IVF will be covered? It depends on your plan. SB 729 applies to large-group, state-regulated commercial plans; self-funded ERISA plans are exempt. Routine OB/GYN and fertility-evaluation visits are typically billed under standard medical benefits regardless of SB 729 status. See our fertility insurance mandates by state guide.

Editorial note: Independently written by the Fertlo editorial team; not sponsored. See our editorial policy.