CCRM New York

The clinic's strengths are many. The front receptionists and administrators are fantastic. They always pick up the phone, rarely put you on hold and get back to you with the information you require. They are fast to book your appointments and share details on schedules. Very accommodating. As I mentioned, the nursing staff for bloods and ultrasound are fantastic. The facility is clean and modern. Instruments and rooms are clean and up to date. Sanitization is on point. Communicating through their encrypted portal via email is great for lab results, emails, questions, general billing questions. I would say be proactive about your health. Since at the end of the day, you've spent time, finances and emotion on this journey. Own it and communicate with the clinic often. Things can get missed due to patient volume and the time to catch up on a patient's background. The longest response times were from billing, consent forms and insurance pre-certification departments. They eventually assisted, but it was difficult to connect with them. The IVF nurses were great, but I definitely needed to stay on top of things. If something was amiss or instructions were conflicting, it would initially drive me crazy! Now, I'm much more in control and don't rely on them to reach out first. I would recommend the patient call or email them proactively.

Dr Levine is kind, compassionate and an amazing listener. He takes notes without being distracted by them. (you know what I mean when a doctor is nodding, but not actively listening!) He took the time to understand and know us as a couple. "Feeling like a human" (to me) feels like a second home; someone who understands who you are as a person and not what season you are in or what role you play. It's nice to have someone ask questions about ME and not just about my fertility issues.

The nursing staff is fantastic. They greet you in the lobby with a smile and genuine concern for how you are. The women you take your blood are fast. Trust me, from someone who faints, they are quick, kind and in and out! The nurses for the ultrasound are smart and efficient. The IVF nurses are also kind and answer all questions efficiently. I will urge you to stay on top of your own medical care. As wonderful as the nurses and providers are, things can get missed. Be proactive about asking questions when you either don't understand or think they gave you conflicting information. I had to inform them several times about a medication allergy which was fine; there are a lot of nurses and they share your medical information between them. I have learned to be patient while one nurse might not be up to speed.

His strength is looking at you like a person. He takes into account all aspects of your life as they relate to fertility. Not just "you are infertile!" -- as I had heard at other providers. He is compassionate, but not coddling. He is direct, which I appreciate on a daily basis. Just tell me what I need to know and what the plan is! He was available for questions in the appointment, via email and via phone. (he is busy though, so it is hard to catch him at the office!) He actively listened and gave an informed, detailed medical opinion based on knowledge, science and anecdotal experiences. He doesn't rush you either. It may take a while to get an appointment with him, but know that he will spend a lot of time with you! I always feel confident in our plan when leaving the appointments with Dr Levine.

Bring any and all questions you have! He will answer them with insight and thoughtfulness. Nothing is off limits, too personal or too medical. He is also great to just chat about life and how things are with you, so don't be afraid to be personal. He really does want to get to know you as a human being. Don't feel the need to rush the meeting because you think he needs to go! He will take his time with you unless some emergency comes up. (has only happened once in a year!) When you leave and forget to ask something, just email him. He will respond within a few days.

Our first two protocols were letrozole + Ovidrel trigger followed by specifically timed intercourse. With diminished ovarian reserve due to age, this rationale was to get the best egg response and time my cycle. We also added luteal support with progesterone inserts and estrogen patches. Unfortunately, we didn't conceive. Dr Levine then suggested trying an IUI which would increase our chances slightly, but get the sperm at least closer to the egg -- if that was the conception issue. We did the same medication protocol with letrozole (great response from my body), ovidrel trigger followed by a specifically timed IUI. We used a fresh sperm sample the day of the IUI with no male factor issues. Unfortunately, this didn't lead to conception either. Dr Levine has no adjusted course which my husband and I really appreciate. He didn't push us one way or the other actually -- he simply informed us of our options. We decided to skip another IUI and move into IVF due to my age, ovarian response and success rates with IVF. We started with a month of estrogen priming followed by a cycle of menopur + cetrotide + clomid + dexamethasone + gonal f + and will trigger with lupron + novarel when the time comes for retrieval.

I would recommend you ask for the billing costs. They sent a complete list of all procedures, codes for insurance if you have it, and the costs associated with each item. Costs for timed intercourse cycles were low -- medications were under $5. Trigger shots were closer to $200. IUI procedures were around $1K. And IVF is around $23K including PGS testing, biopsy, ICSI and assisted hatching. Medications we shopped around for the best prices at local and other pharmacies.

We haven't gotten to the FET stage as of yet, but I believe the clinic prefers FET over fresh embryo transfers. I also believe that eSET is the preferred method, but would suggest you chat with Dr Levine about your questions and concerns.

Everyone is so professional. Nurses, front desk, billing, everyone... Environment is calm, serene and pleasant. The front desk staff were friendly and all were extremely helpful. This NEVER happens in NYC! Wait time was minimal. I never once felt burdened to be there even though the process was cumbersome, uncomfortable and scary. Oddly, looking back, I enjoyed my frequent visits and saw it a refueling; almost like a respite. The billing staff was absolutely incredible. I can’t really imagine going elsewhere and we do plan to return.

Dr. Levine is extremely easy to talk to, easy to reach and very responsive. We felt like a colleagues more than patients and appreciated that very much.

Incredible. Incredibly incredible. Did I mention incredible?

Dr. Levine is very optimistic. We did 3 IUIs with negative result and 1 IVF cycle. We have one beautiful child and got really lucky. I guess you have to be positive in this business to survive all the despair. This comes with a mixed review from us, however. The wholly optimistic and positive outlook left us feeling crushed every time we got a negative pregnancy result, of which there were several. Personally, we felt “led on” to expect positive results and when that didn’t happen, the fall was incredibly harsh; more so than it would have been with more neutral expectations. We pleaded with Dr. Levine to give us the blunt stats, and although he did, he always spun it somehow to lead us to believe “this was the one that would work”. When it didn’t, we were heartbroken and started not to trust the Polly Anna-like attitude. I guess it was self perseveration. On the other hand, now, in hindsight, with an absolutely perfect 6-month daughter, I question what it would have been like without this positivity. I don’t know how anyone could continue to try and try again, including the doctor, without hope, real or false. So, the mixed review has to do mostly with setting really high expectations that led to a crushing reality numerous times and loss of trust...until it didn’t. We would highly recommend Dr. Levine.

Just go for it. Don’t try to understand every exacting detail; let them do their jobs and just ride the wave, as best you can.

3 IUIs, clomid assisted and then clomid and other medication assisted when the first trial didn’t work. 3 trials with negative result so we moved on to IVF. 1 IVF, with what I now understand to be standard treatment regime: Menopur Gonal F Clomid Dexamethasone Follistim Ganirelix/Cetrotide HCG Lupron Doxycycline (for Partner) Had great results that quickly dwindled. I had over 20 follicles. Only Pulled 12 eggs. 8 survived the night. 6 fertilized. 4 embryos made it to day 3-6. Then, PGS revealed 1 embryo to be viable. We were devastated. And then we weren’t... Now we have 1 perfect, little girl.

28k in total for IVF, includes medication. We got medications covered by insurance ($8k) however with an amazing billing department backing us, bringing us to 20k. They then knocked it down to 17.5k because we had been through numerous other trials with them without result. IUIs were around $750 a pop.

The clinic is beautiful and monitoring is a breeze. Almost everyone there will know your name. This makes the process of going through IVF so much more pleasant. That said, we came here based on the stellar reputation of CCRM and we quickly realized we were at CCRM New York, not CCRM Colorado. It became clear after having a consult with Dr. Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado that they are doing things differently there. For one, while CCRM NY offers acupuncture, they never once mentioned the benefits of complementary therapy (supplements, acupuncture, etc.) and even seemed to poo poo it. They market themselves as a super personal and they are in the sense they know you, but medically speaking it feels a little bit like a factory. I don't think I got any more of a personalized approach there than I would have at any other major NY clinic.

Dr Knopman gave the impression she really cared about you. She knew my name and was extremely friendly, but in the end we felt like in the ways that mattered most she wasn't paying attention. On one occasion, I came in for a saline sonogram and she performed a standard transvaginal ultrasound. On multiple occasions, she provided one response to a question only to provide a different one later (e.g. - do supplements have an impact on sperm quality?)

The women who do morning monitoring (particularly blood draws) are truly the best part of this clinic. They are so kind and compassionate. I genuinely looked forward to seeing them. With rare exception, the doctor's nurses were also wonderful and very friendly. Occasionally prescriptions did not get called in, but they seemed pretty on top of it. I've heard horror stories of nurses at other clinics and you won't get any of that here. You might like one more than another, but they are all caring, component and pleasant.

This is a hard review to write because there were so many aspects of our care under Dr Knopman that we felt positive about, but in the end we could not recommend her. The positives. She will respond to your emails/calls and you will actually see her and get to know her as your doctor. She absolutely knew us as people and as patients. She is approachable, intelligent and was quick to admit when our case went beyond her comfort zone at which point she referred us out to a consulting specialist. The downsides: She felt very rushed, careless and not as thorough as we would have liked. She contradicted herself on multiple occasions. On one occasion, she performed the wrong kind of sonogram on me. The nail in the coffin was the fact that she failed to make note of the medications that the specialist (who she referred me to) prescribed. As a result, she prescribed me two medications that I was already taking. When our case became complicated, she justified proposed treatments with anecdotal stories instead of studies. This made us feel like she wasn't willing to dig deep for answers and was instead relying on whatever evidence jumped to mind. Ironically, we felt that she was at her best when she called to give us bad news (failed IUIs, IVF cycles and chemical pregnancies). At these moments, she slowed down and provided us with thoughtful unhurried responses to our questions. We did not get pregnant with Dr. Knopman and I don't know if that is the result of her care. If I'm honest with myself, I don't necessarily think it is. What I do know is that in the end neither my husband nor I had confidence in her attention to detail and the stakes were too high to risk having a detail fall through the cracks. We've since moved to another clinic and feel much more confident that we are getting the level of attention we should be. Even if we don't ultimately get the outcome we want, we feel better about the process than we did with Dr. Knopman.

Be prepared to speak up and advocate for yourself. I think Dr Knopman genuinely wants the best for all of her patients, but I suspect she is just super busy. Don't be the patient who gets shortchanged and demand the time/answers you need.

We spent approximately 50,000 on 2 egg retrievals and 3 transfers at CCRM excluding meds.

I believe this clinic is amazing and very different from many in NY that are more like factories. I have had friends who had insanely long wait times, never saw their actual doctor, had information prescribed wrong etc. and that is not the case here. We saw our doctor at almost every visit and if not, we saw one of the other three doctors who are all amazing. We felt like we were in good hands with each of them and every visit was timely. The waiting room is peaceful and clean.

I never once felt like a number- and I was at this practice for over a year. Every visit the entire staff treated me as a person and spoke to me by name and greeted me with the warmest smiles. I was never rushed through and every doctor, nurse, receptionist I saw was top notch. Dr. Talebian answered every email and question I had-- always doing so with encouragement and support. She never made me feel like I was wasting her time or that she was too busy to pay attention. She knew the details of my case intimately, and literally was always there for me and my husband.

Nursing staff and the entire team was excellent. Went out of their way to be friendly, call you by name, ask how you were doing and feeling. Can't say enough good things.

I am not someone that usually writes reviews, but Dr. Talebian was so amazing in our journey that I felt compelled to share my experience. I believe that Dr. Talebian was instrumental in our success and we would not be where we are today without her. From day one she looked at me as a person that she could help have success and she never wavered from that belief; even when I myself did. She never gave up on my case. She was reassuring and took time to explain things in person, on email, and on the phone every time I reached out and needed reassurance, encouragement or an explanation. She was beyond patient. Advice- don’t be afraid to ask questions and do that over googling. The internet is scary and often times wrong. Trust her and believe in her. She knows what she’s doing. She will tell your her POV and guide you- let her.

Trust in her and don't be afraid to ask questions or for an explanation of how things work. She is super knowledgeable and knowing the facts will help reassure you.

We started with letrozole and then moved to an IUI before doing IVF.

She and the entire clinic tends to only do single embryo transfer

CCRM is extremely organized, efficient, & made me feel like a patient rather than just a number like my previous clinic made me feel. One visit was a long wait due to an error but they were fast to rectify the problem.

DR. LEVINE TOOK TIME TO EXPLAIN OUR OPTIONS AND ALWAYS ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS, NEVER FELT RUSHED & WAS COMPASSIONATE ABOUT MY SITUATION.

Elana, Liz, Jenny, Stephanie, & embryologist were exceptional. They are all extremely organized, tentative, got back to me always right away answered all my questions. They all really made a stressful process less stressful & made things easier for me which helped me so much during this process.

From the moment we met Dr. Brian Levine my husband & I knew right from the start we made a great choice. We discussed my hard road with endometriosis my previous surgery & he was very compassionate & a great listener. He was also extremely intelligent & new everything about this disease & reassured me their were options to be taken. It was comforting & gave me hope back that I was afraid I was losing before our first visit with Dr. Levine.

If you have any questions Dr. Levine always provides great answers & makes sure you understand. If you forget any questions during a visit you can always reach out by email and he will get back to you promptly.

We first did an IUI unfortunately did not work on the first try. Since I have done previous IUI's at a different clinic my husband & I agreed to go through IVF. My eggs were retrieved & were frozen. Prior to the retrieval I was on Menopur, Gonal F, & Cetrocide. I was on two months of Lupron (induced menopause) pror to my egg transfer recommended by Dr. Levine since I had severe endometriosis. After egg transfer I had progesterone oil shots, estrogen patches, &progesterone suppositories. After this cycle I am happy to say I am currently eight weeks pregnant.

Had a frozen embryo transfer, genetic testing, medications, & icsi rounding up to a total of approximately 35k including visits, testing, bloodwork, my insurance unfortunately does not cover ivf.

Due to having a history of stage 4 endometriosis and having a great egg quality, Dr. Levine recommended to have one embryo transferred as opposed to two which might put me at a higher risk.

The location is fantastic and just next to the “Hope” sign in midtown. The waiting room is much more inviting than some other offices: view of time square, natural light, snacks and beverages. There isn’t much of a secondary waiting room, just 3 chairs to use if you have to wait between BW and US. Typically there isn’t a wait or it’s just a minute or so. The exam rooms can be a little cold in the winter. It’s great to only come to 1 office for everything meetings, monitoring, and procedures.

Dr Knopman listened to what we had experienced at another clinic, gave feed back, ideas and plans from the first time we met. The protocol was based on doing something different to get a better result which made me feel like my health and needs were being acknowledged in a new way.

Everyone I have met has taken time to sit and answer questions. They’ve been friendly and well versed on procedures.

Dr. Knopman is positive and direct. She greets me every appointment with a caring question and tells me what she’s seeing as she goes. She personally called me when the one embryo which was created came back normal from genetic testing and was genuinely thrilled. She has stated she loves the OR and Ultrasound and her enthusiasm comes through.

Dr. Knopman runs monitoring appointments on Tuesday mornings. On other mornings her fellow Drs will see you and are all great. Dr. Knopman will answer all your questions and refer you specialists to gain more incite to your health. I really appreciated her point of view and partnership in finding new solutions for my fertility journey.

After reviewing our disappointment in the 3 rounds done at a previous clinic, Dr Knopman immediately started asking questions and coming up with new ideas. Number 1: mirror my first cycle by starting a 2 week round of birth control Number 2: noting the PCOS, begin taking Metformin, Shot protocol: 175 Follistim, add menopur and ganerelix after 6 days. Trigger was both HCG and Lupron but split into am and pm doses. We got 19 eggs, only 1 made it to blast on day 6 and was genetically tested. Test came back normal!

CCRM only accepts one type of insurance, so everything is out of pocket. The pricing seemed in line to what I have seen and read from other practices in NYC. The first consult has a charge of a few hundred dollars but it covers the consult, BW and US.

Morning monitoring are scheduled appointments and are usually called within 5-10 mins of appointment time. If you want to see your doctor for monitoring you have to tell them when making the appointment. If not, you just see the doctor covering AM monitoring. If you know you are going for blood and ultrasound and a nurse tells you differently question it. They could have inaccurate information. Although the clinic is on the smaller side, confusion can still happen!

We had two consultations with Dr. Talebian before starting with treatment. I was able to directly email her through the course of us deciding next steps and she got back to me quickly. Through our conversations she mentioned a few things that showed she understands the emotional and physical side to doing cycles.

I feel communication and organization is a weak point for the coordinators. Since I have been through several cycles (at another clinic) I knew what to expect at the steps along the way. I found myself asking the nurses and coordinator for information that they should have been telling me. I was giving them personal information twice because they said they didn't have it (but I had given to someone else) One visit they thought I was only getting blood, no sonogram and only knew I needed the sonogram because I said something. Even after discussing it they thought I was on a different day of stims. All instructions are emailed through their portal which is very nice to not be on edge waiting for a phone and thinking you might miss it. It is easy to print the email and then have a checklist of meds until your next visit. The only set back is if when you don't get a message. Once I called because it was 4:30 and I still hadn't gotten my instructions. The nurse said she already sent it and I just didn't receive. So you still have to be on top of that. Although their are a few setbacks overall the staff is very friendly and willing to help.

We came to see Dr. Talebian after completing 3 failed cycles with another clinic. I wasn't sure if we would get turned away since we had some failures but instead she was pleasantly positive. She did not give false hope, just stated facts and let us know we aren't at the end of the road yet- which is what we were hoping to hear. She was relatable and empathized with all the life style changes we have had to make in the past year. She understood the need to keep life as normal as possible and gave the OK on things we had previously cut out because of IVF. I never felt rushed or that any question was silly.

Come with questions- she will answer all of them.

estrogren priming (about 1 week) oral steriod Clomid 10 days Menupor 150 Gonal 300 Centrotide HCG 10,000 iu trigger

CCRM was very detailed with billing. They shared a lined item list of each step of the cycle and cost. There was a list of extra services as well that you could add to the cost. Total IVF cost was 24k not including medication.

CCRM is well run and efficient. The different departments (front desk, nursing, doctors, billing) seem to be well coordinated and communicate well. You make an appointment for monitoring so there is generally little waiting around beforehand though on occasion the wait time for the ultrasound portion would be long.

Dr. Choi always took the time to explain things thoroughly and consider my input.

Nursing team was excellent. Extremely responsive to questions both through the online portal and over the phone.

Dr. Choi is incredibly empathetic and compassionate. She listens to my concerns and questions. She’s also been willing to adjust my course of treatment to try to better maximize the outcome. After three egg retrievals, I had only one day-5 blastocyst. Given this, she adjusted the transfer cycle to perform additional testing typical only undertaken after a failed embryo transfer. Rather than risk my one embryo, I appreciated the proactive approach to do the extra testing beforehand.

Be armed with questions before appointments. The office appointments are the best time to be able to discuss with her directly so it’s important to be prepared.

First retrieval: traditional cycle with menopur and gonal, and cetrotide added halfway through. Lupron trigger at the end. This yielded 4 eggs and one pgs normal blastocyst. Second retrieval: Lupron protocol to try to increase egg count. This resulted in greatest drop off between number of eggs (5) and number mature/fertilized (2). No blastocysts. Third retrieval: back to the original menopur, gonal and cetrotide protocol though the amounts of menopur and gonal were slightly different. This yielded 6 eggs (5 mature), 4 fertilized but no blastocysts.

Complete cycle was around $22,000 with meds an additional $6,000-$8,000.

N/A

The clinic was really pleasant and really prompt and timely for the most part which I really respect. It’s really nice when you actually get seem at your appointment time! They made the whole experience as comfortable and easy as possible.

I was really happy with the time Dr. Choi and the rest of he CCRM team spent with me. They were always there to answer all my questions and help every step of the way, they all made me feel very comfortable.

The nursing staff was great as well. They communicated when they said they would and were always available to answer any questions. I also had one of the nurses coming to help me with injections nightly and she was so nice, she really went out of her way to help me!

Let me start by saying I think all the doctors at CCRM are really the best out there. I decided to see Dr. Choi because I really liked her manner and tone. She had a very calming air about her and seemed to be very sensitive to my needs. I went to an information session put on by the doctors and then followed up with a consultation with Dr. Choi and after both I knew I made the right decision with the practice and the doctor I decided to see. She was so thorough and really took the time to get to know me and explain the process fully. She made me feel totally at ease with my decision to freeze eggs. She was compassionate but also very straight forward which I really admire. I had a wonderful experience with her.

Don’t look at any other practice, go to CCRM and see Dr. Choi.

Dr. Choi came up with my hormone treatment based on my blood work and initial ultrasound and adjust as she felt she needed to as I continued to go for blood work and ultrasounds throughout the process. I never questioned the decisions she was making along the way.

I would say the cost are about average for treatment. The medications cost me $2,564.00 after insurance and the procedure was $10,090.00.

Strengths are everyone on the staff, they are all trying to work with you and not just find a way to "trick you" with services you may not need (which happened at other NYC clinic) The biggest weakness would be that they don't accept many major insurances which in this field could lead many patients away.

From our first consult, Dr. Talebian was able to give us her past experience at working at other NYC clinics (like RMA who we had previously went to) and describe in a very sensitive way how CCRM operates a little differently and her approach for my treatment. Throughout our time with her she has been available via phone and email and responds in a very timely manner. She is invested in our case and with every roadblock has given us options that work best for us to successfully move forward.

The nursing staff is amazing - led by Lori, they personally take time to learn your name, and always greet you with a smile and a simple "hi how are you doing today" (which is more than at many other clinics) Since I have been there for a while, the nurses now know that although my veins can be challenging they know exactly how to get it done efficiently (there was even a new nurse drawing my blood, and Lori came over to show her where is the best place on my arm) We also worked with Jamie Walsh who was great with emails and contact

As I mentioned previously, we did not feel like a number with CCRM. Compared to a few other clinics, the Dr-patient interaction is amazing. Being diagnosed with Premature ovarian failure we knew our chances of a successful IVF round were low. At each failed cycle she was able to express her sympathy, while also guide us towards positive next steps to move forward. For a brief period (due to insurance coverage) we left CCRM and after a few months with a new dr, I had to return back to Dr. Talebian's care.

Give her all the details and be open and honest with your treatment expectations. She may not always say what you'd like to hear but you feel validated that she has reviewed your information and is giving you the best options to a possible new approach

Although odds were slim for me to have a successful IVF round using my own eggs she was willing to try two different attempts. Along the way we had multiple touch points and conversations regarding possible donor eggs - never a push - just a gentle suggestion for whenever we were ready to go down that path.

Have not had an embryo transfer, although she was pretty straightforward in her belief to transfer single

Great staff and doctors at CCRM NY. Frankly, because they dont take insurance, they not nearly as busy...This might change but what this means is it doesn't feel like a "factory" like others (this is how I felt at RMA).

Dr Knopman never made me feel like just a patient - it always felt that I got the BEST care and attention from her compared to all other medical professionals in my life!

I actually cried on my last day at CCRM because the staff had been SO kind with every single visit (and there are a lot). This is NOT the case at RMA...where half the time everyone just seemed miserable to be there.

Before I say anything, if you're reading this, you're probably worried about where to go. Let's just point out that the staff, embryologists and lab at CCRM NY are perhaps the best in the world. Its so new that everything is latest and state of the art (not to mention it FEELS this way when you are there), unlike lots of other places. Also -- I'm a success story of Knopman's. A 2 year old (5day frozen) and pregnant with #2 --also frozen. Ok let's start with Knopman's staff. Many doctors are really difficult to their staff-- but with Dr Knopman, you can actually FEEL how happy her nurses and admin staff are! (dont you want to go to a place where everyone is happy and taken care of??) Let's talk about the care and attention. Knopman is aware of every piece of research and development in this field and uses this with her patients and practice. When she is dealing with you, it is with a really unusual and great balance of empathetic but also informative. The time and energy she puts into every patient is pretty incredible. Dr Knopman is a smart, savvy, kind, compassionate woman -- and mom herself, which I swear makes a difference. She also donates a ton of her time to providing care for women that can't afford fertility --because lets be honest, it's a big issue.

Tell her as much as you can -- every piece of information can help! and they want to know!

Knopman educated me on all the pros and cons of each step along the way... This field is actually still new with developments every few months and they seem on top of all of that. If something doesn't feel right, ask questions...

Outside of the cost I cannot thing of any negative factors. I honestly wouldn’t consider the cost a negative factor though, in life you get what you pay for! The office is clean, modern, comfortable and accommodating. The staff is great and they are EXTREMELT prompt and stick to appointment times like clock work!

Dr. Levine understands what a tough process this is for couples. He remains positive throughout the process while still keeping expectations in line. He readily answers emails and phone.

Jenny is fantastic. She is warm, positive, knowledgeable and readily available to answer any questions or concerns

Dr. Levine is far and away one of the best doctors we have seen. There is never a question asked that he did not readily have an answer. He remains optimistic but also keeps your expectations in line as to not have false hope. He explains what he is doing and why each visit. His patience with questions, both in person and VIA email and phone is fantastic. Although we have not yet had success he is the only reason my wife and I still have hope!

Don’t expect promises, expect real science based answers with a splash of optimism and light hearted humor!

Overall strategy: Genetic Testing for both me and my wife Sperm Analysis for myself Vericocele Surgery for me due to poor sperm analysis results. After 3 months of healing and timed intercourse we moved on to IUI. 2 failed IUI’s pending results of 3rd.

Consultations approximately 350$ per visit IUI procedure total cost approximatelt 1,500 per time

Did not discuss yet

The office is located within walking distance from my place, which was amazing given the number of visits throughout our time at CCRM. The office is large, welcoming, inundated by a lot of light. The surgery unit (where egg retrieval takes place) is located on the main floor, very convenient. Rooms are easy to navigate.

Dr. Levine has a very personalized approach to diagnosis and treatment. My husband and I appreciated his approach starting with IUIs and moving on to IVF when the less invasive options failed, ultimately achieving success. He was always accessible by phone or email.

Great communication throughout our time at CCRM!

We came to Dr. Levine after trying to conceive for several years without much success. Dr. Levine is a physician and scientist, and he found the right way to communicate with both my husband and me from the very beginning. He explained things in great detail and at no point, I felt confused about the process or about the next steps. Because it was our first time seeing a RE, he started with a very thorough diagnosis procedure and recommended that we attempt IUI first, explaining to us the success rate of this procedure compared to the slightly more invasive IVF procedure. After a few IUI attempts that were not working for us, he recommended that we move on to IVF, which we did, ultimately achieving success on our first embryo transfer. Dr. Levine’s approach to our case was personalized and data-driven. He cited up to date studies pertaining to the procedures we were involved in and was very thorough and knowledgeable in answering all the questions I had about the whole process. As an academic myself, this was very important to me, as I knew I didn’t have time to read all the relevant scientific literature on the protocols and procedures we were about to experience. Dr. Levine performed my egg retrieval procedure, which was flawless. I experienced minimal side effects and there were much more eggs retrieved than I anticipated. The pre-op and post-op communication was amazing. Dr. Levine is very well connected and has amazing contacts in the NYC area. As I developed thyroid issues early in my pregnancy he recommended a great list of endocrinologists that I could choose from, based on my health insurance coverage and preference. He also recommended a long list of great OBGYNs at graduation and made sure I checked out to an OBGYN he trusted upon graduation. Dr. Levine’s skills, combined with his sense of humor and vast experience make it easy and fun to work with him, which is incredibly important given how stressful fertility journeys can get. I recommended Dr. Levine to everything I knew was struggling with fertility (at other clinics).

If you’re considering seeing a fertility specialist, do not hesitate to give CCRM (and Dr. Levine in particular) a chance.

Because it was our first time seeing a RE, he started with a very thorough diagnosis procedure and recommended that we attempt IUI first, explaining to us the success rate of this procedure compared to the slightly more invasive IVF procedure. After a few IUI attempts that were not working for us, he recommended that we move on to IVF, which we did, ultimately achieving success on our first embryo transfer.

We have coverage through Progyny and had no issues with billing whatsoever.

I can't remember any weaknesses I just remember they were on time, efficient and friendly... They were very flexible in terms of fitting me in if I was running late or needed to reschedule which was most of the time!

Dr. Talebian was amazing throughout my whole IVF treatment I always felt cared for and secure ...whether it be during business hours or the weekend my concerns and questions were answered right away. Dr. Talebian and her staff treated me with the utmost tenderness. She provided detailed information about IVF and walked me and my husband thru every step, we never worried under her care...I even recommended her to my dearest friend who struggled almost 10 years to have a child and as I write now she like me are enjoying the new title of mommy!

Jaime was incredible she like Dr. Talebian made me feel like a VIP....she explained the steps, set up my calendar and made everything easy!

My experience was stellar with Dr. Talbien. She was confident and knowledge about IVF ...I never felt as if the transfer wouldn't work and if I did have doubts she had solutions and reassuring words that helped ease my worry. Dr. Talebian never once made me uncared for, she treated me like a VIP!

GO GO GO see her if you want a baby!

During my first visit, we discussed retrieval and donor she explained each protocol and allowed me and my husband to weigh out our options...I never felt rushed or pushed in either direction. The information she provided us helped make our decision and most importantly we never felt judged.

The costs seemed fair and at times were adjusted if money was tight.

The team at CCRM NY is amazing. Every single person working there is dedicated to their work and you can tell that it is important to them. Also one of our favorite departments is Amanda, who is the insurance coordinator. If you ever wanted someone to go to bat for you against the terrible insurance companies she is the one you want. We called her our secret weapon, she was fierce!

The process of Infertility all on its own is extremely personal, intimate and difficult. Now add in that you have a Trans husband who is also trying to add as much as he can into the making of our child, only to find out the he is sterile after 3 IVF attempts. For him to step into what is ultimately the female side of infertility requires an extreme amount of trust with the Doctor and staff that will be caring for him. This just would not have been possible if it weren't for Dr Talebian or "Doc" as we like to call her. Both the Doc and the staff became like family. They knew us by the sound of our voice on the phone and they never once let my husband feel like any less of a man let alone a number.

The staff at CCRM NY became like our morning coffee clutch. We shared stories, hopes, worries, smiles and tears. They new us by the sound of our voice when we called in and we called A LOT, but they never cared. We would always apologize for calling with so many questions and they always assured us that we could call as many times as we needed to feel comfortable. We never felt like a number, which was very important to us. They were gentle with the hundreds of times they took blood and thank goodness because I am extremely squeamish. It was actually bitter sweet when we walked out of there on week 10, so happy to be pregnant, but sad to be saying good bye to a staff that we had spent so much time with.

My husband and I were referred to Dr. Talebian after several failed attempts at IUI and IVF. When we first met the Doc we were at a point of feeling broken and hopeless. My husband, who is trans, had already had 2 failed IVF attempts and I had several failed IUI attempts. The plan was for him to produce eggs that I would carry. As soon as we sat down with the Doc we knew we were in the right spot. She never lied or filled our hearts with false hopes, but she did make it clear that she wasn't willing to give up until we were holding our baby. As many who have traveled this road know it is not easy, it's an emotional rollercoaster and very personal. It is the most vulnerable who will ever feel. You sit there and discuss yourself in full detail and can't help but feel like you're a failure because you can't do what "normal" people do. The Doc never made us feel like failures, not even when outcomes beyond anyone's control weren't what we hoped or planned for. When it turned out that my husband just could not produce eggs that were viable the Doc shared in our tears, but never let us feel like that was the end. We discussed new options and directions at length and she was always willing to listen to all of our ideas no matter how crazy they were. She made herself available at all hours so that we could do conference calls, she even stepped out of a dinner party one time to call us because that was most convenient for us. She never left us in the dark and we never felt alone. She made us feel comfortable with every step, test and procedure. She was so dedicated to us that even after being dragged on the ground by a taxi, the morning of my retrieval, she got her head stitched up and walked into the room ready to make a baby for us. She said nothing was going to stop her from making this happen. I don't know any Dr. who would do that for their patients, so we really felt more like friends. Everyone who has done IVF treatments knows the daily testing that needs to happen, we happily drove from NJ into NYC, in stupid amounts of traffic every day to be a part of the Dr Talebian team. With her help and determination we were blessed to get pregnant with our daughter born this January. We still keep up with the Doc and send her pics and updates all the time. We could have never done this without her. And to think 2 years ago when we walked in her office we thought it was never going to happen and now we have a beautiful baby girl and 2 fertilized eggs still left to try for number 2!

I would say to be open and honest about everything, even if you don't think it makes any difference. Lay it all out on the table, the Doc will never judge you.

The Doc communicated with our previous Fertility Dr. so that she did not duplicate what did not work already. She then discussed it with other Dr's at CCRM to come up with the best course of action for us. Between the 2 of us we went thru 4 IVF cycles and I went thru many IUI's. I could tell you every drug protocol we used, but the truth is that we tried them all until one worked.

An IVF cycle ran about $21,000 and IUI cycle ran $3,000 to $5,000 depending on how long your cycle lasted.

Being that it took us so long to get to pregnancy we were always in the mindset that we wanted to just put 2 in and hopefully get a jump start. However, when it came down to it and we thoroughly discussed it with the Doc we all decided that it was safest and most effective to do one at a time.

The clinic has a nice waiting area and might feel a step up from other clinics but the front desk staff are rude. There are too many people in different departments that it makes it very complicated to get answers to basic questions. There were several co-ordinators and different point people that we were never quite sure who we should contact for what. The billing department was sloppy and charged incorrectly several times which became frustrating and complicated to sort out.

Dr Talebian was very thorough on our first consult (as is usually the case) but the communication from that pint on was very brief and we didn't have much face to face. There wasn't much of a feeling of personalized care or sincerity.

The nursing staff were kind and efficient

This was our first clinic (of 3) so we weren't entirely sure what to expect from the process. Dr Talebian was very helpful in our first meeting and explained our options as a same sex couple, and was very inclusive to both my wife and myself. We decided to proceed with IUI. She was away for the first IUI and had another doctor cover. We were not successful and then decided I would go on letrozole for the next cycle. We tried 2 more IUI with Letrozole without success. Not once did we ever receive any follow up email from the doctor to check our progress or if we were successful or not. The communication was pretty terrible in general, and at one point when trying to clarify things Dr Talebian became quite rude and unprofessional over email. We didn't feel a great deal of sincerity from her and the communication made us feel uneasy about receiving full information and trust regarding care, at which point we decided to look at other clinics.

Figure out the best line of communication early on.

We did one natural cycle IUI then introduced Letrozole low dose for the 2nd IUI cycle which didn't produce any extra eggs. Then the doctor increased the dose for the last cycle and I got 2 mature eggs.

cost ended up being about 1500 per IUI cycle

CCRM is wonderful from top to bottom. From the minute you walk into the clinic, you will feel comfortable and know you are in the right place! Doctors, nurses, medical assitants, front desk, billing department- they really ALL are fantastic! Being in healthcare myself, I took extra attention to how great they really are at their jobs and why CCRM is the best in the business.

CCRM took the time, the care, and the love someone needs when going through such a tough time in their lives. Everyone welcomes you and know you by name and with a smile. Truly the best there is!

THE AMAZING NURSING STAFF OF CCRM! Truly an integral part of the amazing care we had at CCRM. Specifically, I worked most with Liz, Elana and Melissa; but they all were outstanding nurses. They are smart, caring, and just amazing people. They really began to feel like family. Truly taking wonderful care of us! They took the time to make sure each step was carefully understood, ALWAYS available by email or call, Even checking on us after our procedure. Dr. Levine was always praising his team, because they deserve it! We don't know how we could've done this without them.

My husband and i couldn’t be happier to have met Dr. Levine and CCRM. Months of frustration with the “factory” at RMA, everything changed when we walked into CCRM and met Dr. Brian Levine. Instantly impressed at our first appointment, Dr. Levine had already thoroughly researched , highlighted and took notes on our case. Before even talking with us, he’d already discovered i was misdiagnosed previously and didn’t take lightly how easy my case looked on paper being “young and healthy”. After our first meeting, we were sure we were moving forward with our second IVF cycle and we couldn’t have been happier from day on. Everything went exactly as planned from that moment. Within 3 months we are now pregnant on our first try! He is not only a wonderful doctor, but he is confident and caring . Always a quick email away, no matter how silly or insignificant a question. He makes you feel comfortable every step of the way. He is truly an amazing, intelligent doctor. Also, to note, while Dr. Talebian was not the MD i met with on day one, she took great care in my case as well and treated me as one of her own. CCRM is truly the best team there is. Not enough words to thank Dr. Levine (and his wonderful staff)!

Don't take moving into fertility treatment lightly. Do your research and find a doctor and clinic you are comfortable with. It can take months or years to be successful and you want to be sure you have the right team behind you. My only mistake was not going to see CCRM first!

Egg Retrieval: Menopur + Gonal F X10 days. He then triggered me with Lupron and HCG as I has a risk for OHHS. Retrieval prep was quite easy! Went to work 2 days later! STIM FET: Menopur injectables to thicken uterine lining (Fluid issues and thin lining during previous cycle at previous clinic. Dr. Levine thought my body responded better to endogenous estrogen production. Only needed one prep, one transfer, and were pregnant with our baby!

Abt 25k (+10k in medications) We have UHC, about half was reimbursed being out of network But have to mention, was worth going out of network. Every single penny.

It's gotten busier but what I loved was that it was calm, there was always a water machine available, and things seemed to run smoothly. The clinic was very concerned about marketing and making money and this didn't bother me at first but did later. People will go the extra mile to explain things but with financials and some prescriptions, there were miscommunications re why I had to pay out of pocket and I spent a lot of extra time making spreadsheets for medications before learning that they were being prescribed for off label use. So communicating that to me via a nurse and not a finance person may have been better/easier.

Felt like a human because Dr. Talebian always took time to explain things to us and it was at the time a small clinic. Also, the monitoring was done by appointment so there were no hourslong waits.

Some were much better than others about communicating but I had a panic attack the day of my transfer because they had written conflicting instructions and I thought I had taken progesterone shot on wrong day at last minute.

I had gone through a bunch of FET's already that hadn't worked and had had a 2nd trimester loss so I really needed optimism. Dr. Talebian is full of optimism; but I really got my hopes up and they were dashed as we did not have success. Also now sense we're being directed to frozen donor eggs, not fresh, and there aren't many donors in the frozen egg database so it's discouraging. I think she really cares but maybe should be more realistic about options and about underlying issues that area already known. Really wish we could have seen all the implantation failure doctors before this latest cycle as they had great suggestions after 4 embryos didn't implant elsewhere. But we are out of money and CCRM is very pricey.

Take optimism with a grain of salt. Advocate for yourself a lot in terms of timing that you prefer for an FET and learn more about changes re the treatment of other existing conditions that are maybe being changed during course of a cycle.

I don't remember a lot about the retrieval except it was more medication than I had ever used in other retrievals and that it involved lots of estrogen patches that were very expensive; I did have lupron for weeks and ovulated through that (I think it was meant to suppress ovulation) -- and I was upset about that but we stayed almost on course. It was upsetting when numbers weren't going right and I wasn't comfortable ultimately with doing the transfer then if I'd ovulated but I really trusted her and was super optimistic at the time.

It came to almost $30,000 for the procedures and medications. Medications were particularly expensive. I ended up getting back less than 1/3 of that from my insurance. This was for egg retrieval cycle that included one FET.

I only had one that tested healthy so not an option for 2.

CCRM does not take insurance... and while that may be a huge drawback from some, if you can afford it I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND THEM. They are an incredibly talented and compassionate team, and we felt like we were in very trustworthy hands.

Dr Knopman was absolutely incredible.. She not only provided amazing medical advice but she was compassionate, had amazing bedside manner and provided us with emotional support we needed while navigating such a challenging time in our life.

Jenny was awesome! She was easily accessible for any questions I had, always had our timelines organized and was very accommodating with our requests

Dr Knopman is extremely knowledgeable, spent time going over our history and formulating a game plan that worked for us. When our first round of egg retrieval did not yield results as expected, she course corrected and was able to explain and justify why another cycle could work. She gained our trust, was always available to answer questions and provide both medical and emotional support through our fertility Journey

tell her how much communication you want to receive - how involved you want to be in knowing the whys/whats of your fertility journey

I was patched for both rounds at CCRM to control my estrogen levels. My first round I was given Clomid to help boost stim cycle but it did not work for me - i ended up getting more cysts than eggs and we only retrieved 2 eggs, we got 1 day 5 embryo which we screened and came back normal Round 2 we used Lupron, Menopur and Follistim and ended up yielding 10 eggs, and 4 made it to day 5, we sent all 4 to get tested and we got 2 normal embryos back we froze all 3 of our embryos. In July we did a Frozen transfer(1 embryo) , and for 2 months prior to that I was on a slow release Lupron. Our transfer was successful and I am currently 12 weeks pregnant!!!

We did 2 stim cycles, 1 FET and paid a total of $39,000

The receptionists are lovely. This probably sounds insignificant but when you call and see them as much as I have, it makes a difference. They know patients name after a few visits, rarely put you on hold, are great at scheduling (including sometimes by email). The waiting room environment, exam rooms and operating room are pristine.

Dr Levine is very personable and relates to me like a person. He always asks what we want to do, how I'm feeling, etc. He always wants to have a plan in case a cycle doesn't turn out like we hope. He also calls personally with all pregnancy test results (positive and negative) and with any concerns about blood test results. He gives patients his cell phone # and email address and he responds to emails (I've never tried his cell). He remembers me and my history at every appointment-- I never feel like a number.

The nurses are very good. They promptly reply to emails through the patient portal, including on weekends. Explanations are usually clear, but if not, reaching them for clarification is very easy. They're very good about calling in meds ASAP.

Dr Levine is an extremely positive, confident doctor. While that is one of his greatest strengths, I think it has lead to me being overly hopeful about my treatment. (The ups and downs of this process are always hard.) He is extremely diligent and thoughtful in his approach. He listens to what we want and responds accordingly. He is always available to answer questions and schedules phone consults or emails when an in-person appointment is not necessary.

He is great and CCRM NY is great. He is always very positive-- so keep that in mind and try not to get your hopes up too much.

I first went to Dr Levine after another clinic was pushing me to do IVF without much explanation or consideration. Dr Levine had us do 3 cycles of letrozole with timed intercourse. He also prescribed an HSG, which found 2 polyps. While removing them via a hysteroscopy, he also found and a small septum. After that surgery we did 1 IUI, which was successful but ended in an early miscarriage. He is now recommending IVF due to expected poor egg quality. We are starting next month after waiting 1 full cycle after the miscarriage

$1000 for IUI plus 3 monitoring visits and blood tests ($325 each). Hysteroscopy $5000. Dr visit $300. Blood draw $25 (plus costs of test, usually covered by insurance).

I think his preference for older patients and patients that already have a child is transferring 1 embryo. But he seems open to transferring 2 if that's what the patient wants.

This is a well run clinic and that really helped take the additional stress off the process. I never had to wait more than 10 min for my appts and as a busy professional that made such a difference as I was able to better balance work and treatment. Even the receptionists were helpful and were able to answer questions not just schedule appointments. I never felt like I was just a number and coming from two other clinics that always had numerous patients waiting sometimes over an hour to be seen, CCRM was truly a breath of fresh air.

Dr Levine is extremely thorough and took the time to understand our situation and fertility history. He reviewed records from our previous fertility clinic in detail and took the time to discuss his findings and recommendations with us. I never felt rushed during my visits.

They were great and always ready to help. Blood draws were a breeze and I dislike needles. Some knew me by name and made me feel like they were part of my journey. They knew where I was in my cycle and encouraged me to be positive. It helped make the process more human.

We were looking to find a new fertility clinic after several rounds of unsuccessful IUI and IVF treatments. Even before we decided on CCRM Dr Levine took the time to understand our fertility history and our case from the very start. He didn’t recommend treatment until he had reviewed our medical records from my previous clinic closely (something another clinic that we were exploring didn’t do and just proceeded to recommend treatment). He took the time to review and discuss our records with us and what his recommendations were. My husband and I were both impressed by Dr Levine. Either he or another doctor did all my ultrasounds and my appointments never felt rushed. Dr Levine also did both my retrieval and transfer, explaining everything along the way. He’s personable, always has an open line of communication, responsive to emails, and is great at what he does! With Dr Levine’s our first round of IVF treatment was a success and we couldn’t have been happier.

Trust him he’s good at his job!

$20k without insurance

Customer service is a real strength of this clinic. You feel like a person and not a number. While I almost predominantly dealt with my doctor, Dr. Levine, I occasionally encountered the other doctors in the practice through morning monitoring and I thought everyone was kind and professional. Also, they take appointments for morning monitoring, so even though they don't always move as quickly as you'd like, it's much better than just showing up, putting your name in the queue and having no idea how long you'll be sitting there.

CCRM's facility has the best customer service I've ever experienced in a doctor's office. Everyone is kind and respectful of the patient's time. On top of that, Dr. Levine was always friendly, always remembered details about my husband and me and made us feel comfortable during a very vulnerable and uncomfortable time.

The nursing staff is all friendly and kind. They're also quick to respond to questions via the online portal, no matter how small or potentially silly.

Dr. Levine was amazing from start to finish. He was our second doctor, after two failed rounds of IVF at another clinic, and we weren't sure what the problems had been. He was careful and methodical as he examined our records and encouraged us to do additional testing to figure out the issues. It was all worth the wait, because we are now pregnant after our first embryo transfer with Dr. Levine. He shares his email with his patients and responds over the weekend, at night, early morning and in one case, even while on vacation. He cares about his patients, which is important when dealing with such sensitive issues.

Don't see another doctor.

I honestly can't say a bad thing about CCRM. They are so organized and so on top of things. I was always able to get an appointment at the time that I wanted, and I always felt totally taken care of.

I can't express exactly how nervous I was to begin fertility treatment with a specialist. I had been trying to conceive unsuccessfully for 13 months, and I had a terrible experience with an ob gyn who tried to treat me using guesswork out of his office instead of sending me to a specialist. This experience had been totally inhuman, awful, and ineffective. I remember crying after my first appointment with Dr. Levine, because he treated me so warmly and compassionately from the moment I stepped into his office. I remember he spent a full hour with me discussing not only my case history, but who I was a person, what I liked to do during my free time, how I had been feeling about my fertility issues, etc. He didn't rush me, and he repeatedly allowed there to be pauses so I could ask more questions. Dr. Levine and his team wrote everything down for me, always. I know this seems so simple, but I can't tell you how reassuring it was to have a plan and to have that plan documented in writing. Dr. Levine gave me his personal e-mail, and he ALWAYS responded or called me back, even when I e-mailed late at night. I remember receiving a call from him at 8pm, 2 minutes after I had e-mailed, when he was clearly in the middle of a family dinner. Finally, the one moment I will never forget: receiving a call from Dr. Levine at 1pm on a Saturday, in between cycles, just to say "Hey, how are you feeling about everything?"

As I've mentioned, Dr. Levine was the best, but his nursing staff was even more the best. I know they see a lot of patients, but I was floored every time they recognized me and greeted me by name. They were so friendly and wonderful and reassuring, whether drawing blood, explaining how to inject my Ovidrel trigger shot, or calling me to make sure I knew the next steps. They were also the best cheerleaders and the best coaches when you didn't get the results you wanted. Also, when I found out I was pregnant, I could feel the support of the nursing staff -- they all congratulated me and made me feel so special.

Dr. Levine is honestly the BEST. He took what had been a terrible, chaotic, anxiety-inducing experience and turned it into a structured, calm, and unexpectedly FUN experience. Dr. Levine explains everything extremely thoroughly and on repeat. You hear the same message over and over again, and it's so reassuring and empowering, because you know the plan at all times. Dr. Levine also has the most fun personality. He takes the time to chat and catch up, and we spent just as much time talking about different exercise classes we liked, restaurant recommendations, and LIFE as we did my fertility issues. This may seem silly, but it really changed the dynamic of my treatment from negative to positive. I looked forward to my appointments with Dr. Levine because they were so fun, and I left feeling happy, confident, and taken care of as an individual.

Give yourself permission to slow down / relax during appointments and take the time to build a personal relationship with Dr. Levine. It will make an already incredible experience that much more amazing. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions or talk about how you're feeling. Dr. Levine is incredibly responsive, and you should never leave an appointment feeling like you're unclear on any part of his assessment or don't know the plan.

At my first appointment, Dr. Levine diagnosed me with unexplained fertility and recommended that we proceed with a course of Letrazole followed by an Ovidrel trigger shot and timed intercourse. He wanted to start off as non-invasive as possible and then ramp up as needed. After three unsuccessful cycles of timed intercourse, Dr. Levine suggested trying an IUI, and I was ready to move to the next step. Fortunately, my first IUI was successful -- and I am now 5 months pregnant with a baby girl!

I don't actually remember, but I think that all in we probably spent ~$8,000 for three timed intercourse cycles and an IUI, the majority of which was reimbursed by my husband's insurance.

Not applicable in my situation