Center for Human Reproduction

It's a small clinic in a chic area of Manhattan (Upper East Side), and it's literally full of artwork. (You should check out their stairwell.) This was a nice change of pace from the larger center we went to initially--calm and private-feeling. In terms of treatments, you get the sense that they aren't lying when they say their treatments are research-driven. Doctors and embryologists truly pick your unsuccessful cycles apart and pay attention to every little detail to do better in the next round. I feel like that's how we managed to finally get pregnant in our third cycle.

Dr. Gleicher is blunt and number-driven. When he reviewed our test results with us, he was very clear that the odds are against us. However, he was also very understanding of our desire to try with our own eggs, and assured us that he and the staff will do everything they can to give us the best shot at our dream as we'd ever get. After the first cycle didn't result in any transferrable embryo, he reiterated that donor eggs would give us a much better chance, but he also had concrete modifications to the protocol for the next cycle with my own eggs. They were based on what we learned from the first failed cycle, and he explained his rationale in detail. I felt like we were a part of a team rather than someone being "treated" passively.

I had a coordinator change in the middle of my treatment, but both of them were amazing. They were both compassionate, gave us clear instructions and one of them even hunted down a medication that the pharmacy failed to include in the shipment. I wish we had direct access to Dr. Gleicher sometimes, but our nurses were quick to get us answers from him whenever we had questions.

Dr. Gleicher is blunt but he definitely knows what he is doing. He doesn't stop at the superficial assessment and autopilot treatment protocol and really tries to get to the bottom of our problems so we can address them proactively and individually. For example, he found out something that our previous two doctors didn't even test for (I apparently have a low-level inflammatory/immunological issue that might be affecting my ovaries), and added a couple of medications to address it. We don't know if it'll make the difference we want just yet, but we are hopeful.

Don't be put off by his bluntness. Be prepared to wait a bit for your appointment sometimes.

First cycle: DHEA, CoQ10, stimulation with FSH and hMG, RAFS. I had the hCG shot at 18 mm lead follicle. Two eggs retrieved but we didn't have any embryos to transfer. Second cycle: Same medications, hCG was at 16 mm. We had 3 eggs, 1 embryo to transfer. Dr. Gleicher said the earlier retrieval was because my eggs were overly mature in the first cycle when they were retrieved. We were thrilled to have more eggs and an embryo transfer, but I didn't get pregnant. Third cycle: Same medications but with more FSH, hCG was at 16 mm. 5 eggs, 2 embryos to transfer. I'm currently pregnant!

The clinic is very research oriented, which could be great but may not be everyone's cup of tea. They've had excellent published results with patients with low ovarian reserve, which is why I went to them, however, I guess I felt that they needed to collect more data about my case through multiple IVFs (which I completely understand) and I just couldn't cope financially at one point.

Dr. Kushnir was always very nice and happy to explain things, answer any question. What I appreciated the most is that he always answered my emails very quickly.

All were excellent.

The experience was good, no complaints. I just felt at some point that research may have been super or even more important than individual cases but this could be just a hunch from someone struggling with diminished ovarian reserve...

You'll get a lot of data, information on the latest research and a logical explanation to every treatment step.

I underwent four IUIs and one IVF with Dr. Kushnir. The IUIs were with injectable medication and the IVF a conventional, also with injectables. Nothing out of the ordinary. Dr. Kushnir did say that I may need to undergo multiple IVFs to increase my chances of achieving a positive result, and this was financially very difficult. The clinic's costs also increased over the years.

Monitoring was only available in the early morning hours. Sometimes it was crowded, sometimes it wasn't. The clinic is not huge neither is the waiting room, but it rarely happened that there was an extended wait. I would usually be in and out within 1hr. It was not great for my schedule but totally doable.

The IUI injectables were covered by my insurance initially but nobody had explained that this would be deducted from a lifetime limited amount. By the time I graduated to IVF, there was no insurance coverage for the medications and I had to pay out of pocket. That was a completely unexpected expense. The IVF itself was covered, also from a limited lifetime amount, but after the first IVF I decided to leave the clinic because of the funding issues and also because I felt my concerns about possible endometriosis were not being taken seriously.

We never got a transfer but the suggestion was a fresh 3-day multiple embryo transfer.

I recommend the doctors but you have to be careful about which nurse you get. Other patients told me they received tons of information from their nurse coordinator where I had received none. I was never quite sure what was going on or what to expect next. The billing department is on top of things. Very thorough. It’s a small shop so people get to know you which I really liked.

Dr. Kushnir knows his patients and knows his cases. He knows you when he sees you and knows where you are in your care. I give him a lot of credit for that.

Terrible experience. Not helpful. Would only answer the exact question you ask without offering any additional information. I could not depend on that at all. I missed cycles because she didn’t call in meds or get pre-authorizations in time. She caused me a lot of stress.

Dr. Kushnir is very knowledge and very willing to share that knowledge. He is always available to answer questions and is very responsive. He is very patient and you can tell he hopes the best for his patients. He may not be the most warm and compassionate doctor I’ve ever known but I exchanged that happily for someone I trusted and someone I knew was doing his all.

Ask all your questions. He’s a wealth of information.

I was 46 when I went to see Dr. Kushnir. There was truly almost no chance of me getting pregnant so the specifics of my treatment are not that important. We did max dose with early retrievals as it is believed at this clinic that eggs mature better in the lab than in the body of an older woman.

It was very efficient and given it was a small clinic, it was only ever a handful of people. Monitoring hours, however, would depend on which doctor was on call which could make things difficult in terms of getting to work on time because one particular doctor would start a little on the late side.

An IUI was $1650. the IVF was roughly $15000. There were different prices for different salary levels which I really appreciated. What I DID NOT APPRECIATE was that I learned CHR charges something called “medical management” which is not a real thing. You can’t submit that to your insurance so you pay it out of pocket. Each IUI had $900 worth of “medical management”!! Although I didnt want to leave, I switched to NYU who charged only $500 per IUI without any suspect “medical management” costs. The “medical management” cost for donor egg is almost $5,000!!

We always transferred multiple because of my age.

The strength of the clinic is its philosophy in an individualized approach as well as it being "boutique" style with limited crowding and waiting time. They are also very flexible with appointments including monitoring.

Dr Barad takes a long time to talk to you and explain everything to you. When asked for statistics or chances, he would often say things like [My Name] is a unique person that should not be compared to other people. He never made decisions for me, but rather educated me to make my own decisions.

Very direct and to the point. They do not share information with you unless you ask

Dr Barad is a highly knowledgeable and compassionate doctor. He may at times focus to little on research that contradicts his own, however he is open to trying new things. I would highly recommend Dr Barad to anyone who has DOR or is of advanced maternal age.

Trust him and expect to be there a long time during consults because he talks slow and explains everything. He also may give you a hug or rub your hand of something to comfort you. Some people may be taken aback by this at first but it is purely out of human comfort.

Dr. Barad believes in high dose stims and to retrieve eggs early, depending on when estrogen plateaus even if the follicle are small. The eggs are matured in the lab. I have 100% fertilization rate with this clinic. He does not believe in using antagonists (Ganerlix or Cetrotide) as he believes it causes damage to egg quality. He does an immune protocol for transfer. Firmly believes in fresh 3 day transfers and is opposed to PGS testing

Usually limited wait time. If you go early then you will wait because doctor does not come in until 8:30

Very expensive OOP. About 18K per cycle. They take 2 insurances (aetna and oxford)

He will do what makes sense and take into account what the patient wants. If you are older or have a history of failed transfers he will transfer 3+

Cannot speak to anything other than the front desk and the blood-draw nurses. Both were great and its a very intimate environment, not 20 people in the waiting room. Maybe a handful of people waiting at most.

I was always able to reach Dr. Gleicher for a phone call same day when necessary. Even though I was not doing my retrievals or transfers with his office he was willing to work with my other doctor at NYU (despite their opposing ideologies) and agreed to treat my autoimmune issues separately from the actual IVF treatments I was undergoing at NYU. He spent an inordinate amount of time with me on my first consult, never ever made me feel rushed through the process and continues to be a source of information and support when I need it. He also did everything he could to help me get things covered by insurance even though I am self-pay for IVF.

Lorenis was amazing, she is always available by phone or email and can get you on the phone with Dr. Gleicher right away or ask your question for you and get an immediate response. She is super sweet and compassionate.

I do not necessarily agree with Dr. Gleicher's IVF protocol for egg retrieval and transfers (i.e. day three fresh transfers, no PGS etc.), which is why I stuck with NYU and I also prefer their lab. But I do find that Dr. Gleicher treats the WHOLE patient, he looks not only at your AMH and hormone levels but does a a deep dive into your partner's full health picture as well. He is extremely knowledgable in the autoimmune infertility areas and is one of the few doctors in NYC who supports IVIG when necessary. In addition to his willingness to work with NYU and oversee my case from an auto-immune standpoint, I found him extremely knowledgeable and supportive all around.

Ask all your questions! Don't be shy, don't be scared to call a million times-- he is super patient and will explain everything.

Because I have auto-immune indicators he prescribed an immune protocol for my transfer cycles: IVIG Prednisone Plaquenil Lots of Supplements (DHEA and Conflam forte most importantly) Lovenox

Covered by insurance.

They are efficient and focused on results more than on making you have a cozy experience. And that's just fine with me. My first clinic was trying to be some kind of relaxing spa oasis, but they didn't get my pregnancy. I'll take efficient and effective over ineffective spa vibe every time.

Dr. Barad is very warm and reassuring. He is empathetic with his patients, who he knows are in a stressful situation.

She was fine. I'm a long distance patient and I always had to wait until the very end of the day to get my instructions, so that was a bit stressful.

Dr. Barad was confident that, despite my pretty extreme Diminished Ovarian Reserve (worst FSH was 25.5 and worst AMH was 0.5) that I could get pregnant because of my relatively young age (30 at the time of egg retrieval). And even though only two mature eggs were collected, both fertilized and I had a day 3 transfer of both embryos and had a healthy singleton pregnancy. Basically, CHR is best in class when it comes to treating patients with DOR. It's their bread and butter. They have their way of doing things (DHEA and CoQ10 supplementation, early retrieval, day 2/3 transfers, no PGS testing, high stims, etc.) but it's because it works well. They are obsessed with achieving pregnancy in difficult populations (DOR, advanced material age). I appreciated their obsessiveness. It meant they were doing every evidence-based thing they could do get me pregnant. And they did, and it worked. This was after our first clinic cancelled our first round of IVF for poor response and told me to use donor eggs. Young women with DOR--please don't believe doctors when they say this. Age is still the #1 predictor of pregnancy changes. Many clinics just don't have the expertise to treat DOR patients. Find a clinic like CHR that does.

Write down all of your questions in advance of your consultation(s). Don't be afraid to ask anything at all. There are no stupid questions. Ask questions, but trust the process. He knows what he's doing.

I was on 8 weeks of DHEA & CoQ10 supplementation. Then estrogen patches for about a week, then baseline ultrasound and the start of a microdose lupron flare protocol with high stims. Lupron 2x per day to suppress ovulation, then Menopor (150) and Gonal F (300 I think) each day. I stimmed for 12 days then egg retrieval and day 3 transfer. After retrieval I started antibiotics for a few days, Lovenox, and prednisone. Also baby aspirin. I'm about to start trying for baby #2, and they've changed their protocols a bit. They are now moving to earlier egg retrieval, so you don't need to do the antagonist (Lupron in my case).

I don't remember exactly, but I think with the cost of drugs (~$5,000) our cycle ran us $20,000. We did ICSI but not assisted hatching. We also had to travel to NYC and stay in a hotel so that was an extra cost.

They want you to get pregnant but they don't want you to have triplets. In my case, at age 30, I transferred 2 day 3 embryos, which was reasonable. I had a singleton pregnancy. They wouldn't have let me transfer more than 2 (if I had more than that) and I wouldn't have wanted to. If you are older or have multiple failed transfers, they will let you transfer more.

Because its a small clinic it feels more intimate than most places. The front desk is open and so there’s little privacy when discussing procedures and billing. There is very little wait time during monitoring appointments.

Dr. Gleicher spent a good amount of time with us during each consultation. The office is small and there only a few doctors and nurses so you get to know most of the people at the office.

Maria answered all my emails. She was there the day of my retrieval as well as the day of my transfer.

He seems to have ideas that are different than most other IVF doctors. He is able to justify his rationale for doing things the way he does. He is a good communicator. He is very thorough in his explanations and approaches. He gave us hope with a different approach.

He seems compassionate. He is very knowledgeable. He has a scientist type of demeanor and actually doesn’t do retrievals or transfers. He never saw me for a monitoring appointment. But I felt like My treatment was based on his recommendations at all times.

I was given DHEA prior to treatment. During my stimulation cycle, I was treated with 150 menopur and 450 of gonal f. I was given doxycycline, prednisone, baby aspirin and lovenox. I triggered with HCG. After transfer I was given intravaginal estrogen and progesterone as well as progesterone in oil.

There was very little wait time. Labs were performed efficiently. On rare occasion it seemed understaffed and so there could be a wait slightly longer than usual.

It was about 15K for monitoring, retrieval and fresh transfer.

My husband and I decided on the day of the transfer along with the doctor (not Dr. Gleicher) to transfer all our 3 day fresh embryos. 3 out of the 6 were high grade.

It's in a renovated brownstone, small and a little claustrophobic. They're all very compassionate and caring, everyone (except for Dr. Kushnir, who seems miserable all of the time). They get back to you in a reasonable amount of time, the nurses usually email you back in a reasonable amount of time, and everyone knows what's going on.

Dr. Barad always remembered details about me & my husband, and was very kind to both of us. After my egg retrievals, we would go into the lobby, find my husband and give him an update. I had one dedicated nurse, who was familiar with me and I only communicated with her.

The nursing staff is great. They are well organized, and you have a nurse that only deals with you. That cuts down on a lot of explanation time. The phlebotomist is also fantastic. I have very difficult veins (they're really deep), and most phlebotomists can't find them, stick me several times or move the needle - she got it every single time.

Dr. Barad is wonderful. He is a little old fashioned, in that he only does fresh transfers, which is the only reason why we went to another clinic. He treats you like a person, not just a number. He always took the time with both me and my husband to answer any questions. The only bad thing is that he tells you to email him and then doesn't return those emails. Other than that, he's great.

Protocol used for all cycles was the same: 75mg DHEA 1000 mg CoQ10 Synthroid Plaquinal 450 IU Gonal F 150 IU Menopur Estrogen Patches I think they do basically the same protocol for everyone.

You went up the waiting room, and there never seemed to be more than 4 people waiting. There was only once that there was more, and I had to awkwardly stand in the hall. It's a small, narrow building.

Every cycle was roughly $15,000 including medication.

They do multiple embryo transfers.

It is good clinic that does quite a bit of research so you know that they will consider "difficult" cases. They also do clinical trials and take out of State Patients. The main challenge is that it is a small team with one Dr that does not perform any medical action (so only two Dr on that front) and a small team of coordinating nurses. I think my feeling of them dropping the ball and treating me as a number might be due to the fact that they have more patients that what they can really handle. So you need to advocate for yourself all the time and be on top of everything (which ends up being a bit exhausting during a process that is already not very easy...).

While the relation with the coordinating nurse was good (although far from perfect), I have had meetings with Dr Gleicher where it was absolutely OBVIOUS that he had not even read my file prior to the meeting and he was just making comments on the spot (flipping the pages on my file while talking, making mistakes on test results, not remembering the outcome of previous cycles...). This really gave me the impression that he was not paying attention to each case. This was particularly shocking when I met him for a follow up appointment after a failed cycle where I was really hoping to use that time with him to have a substantive talk about what happened and what the next steps would be.

Dorota is very kind and warm. You truly feel that she knows you well and is with you in this. The only challenge they have a small team of very busy nurses who are the only point of contact between you and the doctor. Therefore when I sent her questions by email 1) I sometimes did not get an answer or very late, 2) sometime I would get ye/no answers without much explanation, 3) I was not always sure that the questions were communicated to the Dr.

I was grateful to Dr Gleicher and CHR for taking my case, as another clinic had rejected me after my DOR diagnostic. I gave me hope that someone was willing to take on a difficult case (so that is very positive and I am very thankful for that). It is important to note that Dr Gleicher does not perform any procedures. So while you have appointments with him to discuss protocol prior to starting a cycle and you meet with him in case of negative outcome, only Dr Barad and Kushnir do the ultrasounds/retrievals/transfers etc. So this already adds a challenge, as I sometimes had the impression that the communication between doctors was not up to par, and therefore I ended up falling through the cracks. Also, the communication after the first appointment is exclusively done through the coordinating nurse. So whatever question you may have about ANY thing goes through the nurse, except if you keep your list of questions for when you do the monitoring and then you get to ask Dr K or Dr B in person (but even that is not necessary great as I just feel more reassured knowing that there is ONE doctor who has the complete overview of my case). My first cycle went well (all the way to transfer but had a BFN) as I felt that, as a new patient, the Doctors were paying attention to each step of the cycle and were closely monitoring me. That feeling started to fade at the second cycle, where the decision to trigger was taken by the Dr on call for the weekend (and I think without consultation with Dr Gleicher) and ended up being too soon and with absolutely no egg retrieved. I was pretty distressed at that point but still felt new to this whole IVF thing and did not learn to advocate for myself yet. For the third cycle, Dr Gleicher proposed to put me under a new protocol. This gave me renewed hope. However, when I started the new cycle, I ended up ovulating spontaneously very quickly despite being on Lupron. The feedback I got was that maybe I had not taken the meds properly (I knew I had respected the protocol but was very willing to blame myself for this failure...). During the follow up appointment I was even more lost as it was clear that Dr Gleicher had not read my file and was just discovering some of my hormone levels as we were talking... He suggested doing another cycle back to back with the exact same protocol, which I did, paying even more religious attention to the time of my injections! We started the fourth cycle, and after about a week, I got the news that I had ovulated - again!! This time I was absolutely sure I had taken the meds perfectly. I was so distressed that I asked if there was any chance we could retrieve anything. The nurse told me that if I wanted I could convert this to an IUI (if I want it??). Which I did (only to discover during a second opinion appointment with another Dr that my hormone levels clearly showed that I had ovulated at least a couple of days before and therefore the IUI was just pointless). Overall, I have the impression that the level of attention paid to my case decreased tremendously after the first cycle, and I just became a number.

Of you are keen on trying CHR, I would recommend going with Dr Kushnir instead of Dr Gleicher. He is the one doing the monitoring during the week (and on rotation every other weekend) so at least there would more consistency and less risk of info falling through the cracks. They have weekly staff meetings so the 3 Dr talk and if there is a need to consult Dr Gleicher Dr K would surely do it. If you already are with Dr Gleicher, I would just recommend that you warn the nurse that you will have loads of questions when you meet Dr Gleicher at the beginning/end of your cycle so that he will be more prepared. For the follow up of my 4th cycle, I had told her that I was expecting a full review of my 4 cycles during that discussion and that led to a more substantive discussion...

- priming with estradial patches or pills - lurpon - follistim 450/day - two vials of menopur/day - estrace 3x/day orally and vaginally to support lining growth (I was on vaginal viagra for one cycle but the combo of that and loads of estrace led to my lining crashing before the retrieval) - prednisone and baby aspirin (he said that some of my test indicated a hint of auto-immune problem) - lovenox and PIO after transfer

It was a relatively well oiled machine that was convenient for my schedule.

First cycle was out of pocket and cost about 13K (without meds) and another 10K of med from their recommended pharmacy (as I was on very high doses of stimulation for about two weeks and I did not know I would shop around...). After that I changed insurance and the cycle and some of the meds were covered.

in my case I only had two embryos and he indicated that for my age bracket it was better to transfer both to increase my chances.

Strengths: They really seem to believe that patients should be the one to make their own life decisions with full information, which we appreciated. Lots of research going on at the center, which seems to result in strategies that don't exist at other IVF centers, like the early retrieval protocol we used. It's a small, private center. We felt like we knew everyone and everyone greeted us with our names, which felt great during this difficult time. Weaknesses: They take very few insurances. Ours (BCBS) wasn't in network. They also require full payment upfront. Sometimes I had to play phone tag with their staff (nurses and front desk), though most things could be handled through email.

Dr. Kushnir spent nearly an hour for our consultation, while other doctors almost immediately dismissed us as too old to even try with our own eggs. After taking detailed history on us and reviewing test results, he laid out what we would be up against, told us that we'd be far more likely to succeed with donor eggs (which we knew), but was willing to do what he can to help us have our own biological child. He also responded to our innumerable questions via email during my treatment cycle.

I was actually transferred to a second nurse after the first nurse left the center. Both were good, very efficient and clear, but I definitely jelled better with my second nurse, who was more openly compassionate than my first nurse. It's a matter of preference, though--both did a perfectly fine job explaining everything to me (I asked a lot of questions because this was my first time going through IVF, and I like to know everything), organizing the logistics and keeping me updated about results and what not.

I went to Dr. Kushnir after another doctor recommended egg donation and wouldn't let me try with my own eggs. Dr. Kushnir explained that the odds of getting pregnant with my own eggs were low given my low AMH, but told us that he was willing to help us if we wanted to go that route. We had 2 IVF cycles, back to back, and I got pregnant in the second cycle. He said during the follow-up conversation we had after the first one didn't result in a pregnancy that our case was reviewed by everyone at the center, and he adjusted the protocol and timing based on the discussion. We had an early retrieval in the first cycle, but he went even earlier in the second, when the lead follicle was 16 mm. With this adjustment, we got more eggs and better-quality embryos than in the first cycle, one of which resulted in a pregnancy. Throughout all this, Dr. Kushnir explained everything in detail, and we appreciated that he shared the reasoning behind the approaches he was recommending, instead of just telling us what to do.

I already wrote about this in response to an earlier question, but here's what we had: DHEA and CoQ10 for about 2 months (to prepare my ovaries). During that time, they were monitoring a number of hormone levels that I can't fully recall, in order to ensure that the effects of these supplements were in place before we started our cycles. We also didn't take a break after the first cycle failed, at his recommendation. We used high doses of FSH and HMG, and hCG for trigger after 7 days for the 2nd cycle (the successful one) when the lead follicle was 16mm. Dr. Kushnir said the reasoning behind this early retrieval was to keep my eggs from getting "overripe" because my ovaries were maturing eggs in an accelerated pace, which he said is typical for women with low reserve.

It would have been great if the monitoring hours were a bit earlier.

Around $18,000 per IVF cycle plus $2,500 for medications.

They don't believe in universal eSET, and let us decide what to do. We went with multiple embryos, as we were fine with twins and wanted to maximize our chances.

I think I've answered this question already in my previous responses.

Dr. Barad is very kind and is receptive to questions / concerns. He has a warm manner and seemed to understand how terrifying and profoundly disturbing this process can be.

I had a hard time getting clear, timely and complete answers to questions with my initial coordinator at CHR, Ella. We were communicating from outside the U.S. and needed very clear information about what tests CHR was requesting and how to get blood samples shipped to CHR, and trying to get clear and complete answers from our coordinator and the nursing staff was a complete nightmare. Ultimately I asked to speak with a supervisor, and the nursing supervisor took over. It was an unpleasant experience. We later worked with Maria, who was much more reliable, although not easy to reach directly and not particularly warm or communicative.

I am an older patient in terms of fertility treatment, which is difficult in and of itself. Dr. Barad and CHR do present themselves as specializing in older women, which of course helped me feel somewhat better and, as a long-distance patient, this was the primary reason I chose CHR. Dr. Barad was noticeably kinder and more reassuring in his manner (despite the abysmal statistics we have faced and still face in this process). He was communicative and receptive to questions or concerns. However, CHR as a whole, including all 3 of its physicians to varying degrees, could do a far better job with patient communication. For example, for our first IVF cycle, we were not told that we would be automatically required to do ICSI and assisted zona hatching. We arrived on the day of scheduled egg retrieval and at this point were asked by front desk staff to pay an additional ~$3500, which seemed very unprofessional. Also, my partner and I currently live outside the U.S., and particularly prior to our first IVF cycle, at times it was very difficult to get clear, prompt and complete answers to our questions from nurses ("Clinical Coordinators") and staff. This greatly hindered our efforts to complete the requested immunological testing for CHR prior to the first IVF cycle. It took an inordinate amount of phone calls, clarifications and excess time to clear up what could have been resolved in a couple hours with clearer and timelier answers and better communication.

Ask all the questions you have; be very clear about what information you need and have questions prepared ahead of time. You get very little designated face-to-face time with physicians at CHR during a cycle. If you're struggling emotionally and if you're able to, let him know that this process is hard for you.

Initial ultrasound around cycle day 2, then Follistim (or Bravelle or Gonal-F) 450 IU QAM for about 9 days, along with Menopur 150 IU QPM for about 9 days. Daily ultrasounds starting about day 5 of hormonal stimulation process. HCG trigger shot timed so that follicles were not too mature. Egg retrieval 36 hrs. later, about cycle day 13. Important - NOTE: Embryo transfer for me was always on DAY TWO. So all embryos were only 2-day embryos. This is something CHR does often with older women. Also, we were explicitly advised AGAINST pre-implantion genetic diagnosis. Dr. Gleicher (as "lead" CHR physician) felt that PGD offered more risk than benefit for my embryos as an older patient. (This was of course in direct contrast to what other clinics had told us, but I was ok with it.) I had some evidence of an unidentified immune issue, so in addition to hormonal medications, here were the medications prescribed: DHEA 75mg daily before and throughout all cycles (I took less), CoQ10 1000mg daily (I took ubiquinol instead as I believe it's better absorbed), low-dose aspirin, prednisone ranging from 10mg and 60mg at different times during IVF cycle, doxycycline around time of egg retrieval, Lovenox (enoxaparin) 40 mg following egg retrieval, and daily progesterone in oil injections until pregnancy test (or 12 weeks gestation). Prior to IVF treatment, with my second (natural) miscarriage, I learned my thyroid was underactive, so I now take natural dessicated thyroid (a medication called "WP Thyroid"). Dr. Gleicher told me, as I understood it, that he sees any unexplained hypothyroid issue as an autoimmune issue. My initial immunological testing also found that I had an extremely high interleukin-6 level, which is indicative of inflammation, but not useful information in terms of any specific clinical cause or source. I also was prescribed an IV infusion of Immunoglobulin-G (very expensive) before egg retrieval due to likely autoimmune issue, as well as because Dr. Gleicher believed my partner and I had some HLA type I and II matching. (Apparently, Dr. Braverman of Braverman Reproductive Immunology, who we consulted with briefly, disagreed with this assessment.) Before my second IVF attempt I was directed to start Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) 400 mg daily to (hopefully) prevent miscarriage prevention. CHR prescribed Plaquenil as an attempt to address my high IL-6 level/suspected autoimmune issue as well as recurrent miscarriage. (I have since chosen on my own to discontinue Plaquenil.)

It was not too bad - we did not have a problem with the scheduling. It was however difficult at that time to ask any questions of the doctor, who always seemed quite rushed.

Because I was not working, and because of the current exchange rate, we qualified for the reduced IVF rate of $8500 per cycle. To this was added the following: $4200 per cycle for anesthesia, ICSI, and assisted zona hatching; $4000 per cycle for IVIg; $3500 on average per cycle for hormonal and other medications; $4500 per cycle for travel (from outside the U.S.) and lodging costs; $3700 (one-time) for all initial immunological testing needed before first cycle.

HCR gives hope and the feeling of accomplishment. Dr. Gleicher was incredible in all our Skype-calls (I was out of state). I felt they truly cared about my case. They took so much time to talk with us and help my case. They specialized with me in care at my advanced age to try to work with my own embryos. They always were honest about prognosis and percentages. I wish I had started with them 2-3 years earlier and that I had had more money to do another cycle or to start earlier - that is my only regret. I wish there was a program for women like me to get financial aid -- at 48 when I miscarried, I would have actually been crazy enough to try again if there was financial support to do so. I got very involved emotionally wanting to make a medical miracle and be part of their project of helping so many women through IVF and fertility treatments. This is not a weakness, but I do wish I had been encouraged by CHR to pursue more psychological care or advice to get that throughout or recommendations for mental care to support how emotional it was on all of the medications and the emotional grief of my miscarriage. I don't think I realized when I started how difficult it would be on my or my partnership, and there is not a lot of public awareness/support until I started to seek it out. I think if I wasn't so distraught and in grief after my miscarriage I might have jumped back in to try another cycle with my own eggs, or to pursue egg donor.

Dr. Barad was the most loving, caring, honest and compassionate doctor I've ever encountered, and all the more so because he was dealing with me at such a strenuous and difficult time as doing four IVF cycles back to back when I was at a desperate last attempt to try IVF and experimental treatment at my age. He related to me so calmly and with complete presence at each appointment including each ultrasound monitoring visit, egg retrievals, egg transfers, and then when I got miraculously pregnant (I found out two weeks after I turned 48!) he was equally compassionate yet honest at our first ultrasound appointments (which looked good), and then at the sad appointments when their was not heartbeat on the date it should have appeared. He encouraged us to wait another week to see what would happen, and when we had the follow up, he was equally compassionate but honest about the ways I could choose to miscarry (D&C or natural). He gave excellent advice and I felt he was sad with us and could handle our sadness. He also followed up immediately when he had the results with a phone call to tell me the results of the genetic testing and gender, after the D&C. He was equally compassionate and caring in that call, while being honest and direct. Lastly, I brought a prayer to say on my iPhone in my first egg retrieval, and although I really didn't know him well yet, and had no idea what it would be like, he fully smiled and waited for me to read the prayer before we began. He made the whole experience life-affirming and spiritual, even when medically it was very hard.

My nurse Huina Zhou was so communicative from the first email I ever got from her when she was assigned to me case. I then learned she is one of the nurse coordinators and even more appreciated how much she wrote to me with detail and communicated with me promptly and with great connection no matter what my question was. A lot of my initial questions were based out of inexperience, fear and being overwhelmed by all of the emotional, financial and medical decisions. She was incredible with in-office visits too and seemed to work all hours, and told me when I needed to alter plans or come in based on ultrasounds. She gave me encouragement to keep going and was so excited when I got pregnant, and was equally compassionate when I found out it was a miscarriage. She is an incredible nurse. The rest of the nurses also who worked with me, even the front desk people and the phlebotomists, were equally present and gave great care. My nurse Huina also followed up with all my questions or concerns immediately, even if it meant bringing my question to the doctors in their daily meeting. She always gave my case to another nurse when she was off-duty and I always felt they knew what was going on in my case.

Dr. Barad was compassionate to me. I was of advanced maternal age when I first started exploring IVF (age 46), and I was 47 when I started, and turned 48 in the last cycle when I got pregnant (and miscarried). Other doctors in other clinics/offices mocked me or said insensitive things throughout the process. Dr. Barad also showed deep respect and connection to my Jewish path and how spiritual the IVF journey felt to me. He also told us bad news with care, even giving us metaphors for how not to become invested in the early few weeks of the pregnancy. Although it was hard information to hear, it was helpful to have the clarity.

Ask a lot of questions, and in particular ask the practice (Dr. Gleicher and Dr. Barad) to do everything possible even if experimental in the first cycle. I wish I had fully understood about HGH and taken HGH earlier (I only did it in the 4th cycle, which happens to be when I got pregnant). Also - do everything else emotionally to prepare and ground during the IVF cycles as well as acupuncture right after transfer.

I was advanced age (47) - I took Gonal F (I think 450cc) and Menopur (I think 150cc), micronized DHEA 75mg (beginning 3 months prior to starting cycles, using CHR's brand), CoQ10, early egg retrieval (CHR's specialty research is amazing), 3-weeks of HGH leading up to my 4th/last cycle, and 3 day fresh transfers. First cycle I got 2 eggs (1 embryo); 2nd cycle 3 eggs (2 embryos); 3rd cycle only on follicle looked big so we switched to IUI (I think I was too exhausted and not taking the meds properly so that is why that cycle failed); 4th cycle I got 3 eggs (3 embryos) - resulted in positive pregnancy test, but miscarried at 8 weeks.

Monitoring was also professional. Everything was explained well, I got printouts of the images, there was a screen up above that I could see as well as the one the doctor was looking at. I did not know how often I would need to be monitored as an out of state person, so that was a little challenging at first and at times to figure out. I never had to wait long and it felt luxurious to wait in the waiting room which had an espresso/coffee and hot chocolate machine and often croissants. The office is in the Upper East Side of NYC and I lived 3 hours away. I would come in for appointments sometimes for the day or else stay over at a friend's. Parking was hard, until I discovered a parking garage by NYU a few blocks away.

Unfortunately we paid fully out of pocket for treatment and medications due to my age (my insurance only covered up to age 43 I think) and so it cost us a huge amount (over $60,000 total). I was able to purchase the fertility meds needed for one cycle while in Costa Rica on a short vacation for half the cost there at a pharmacy, and for the last cycle an IVF friend donated her unused meds to me.

CHR/Dr. Gleicher had great explanations for transferring all my fresh embryos since I only produced a few each time and since I was advanced age and didn't want to risk losing any of them through testing or freezing.

I think they do ok with women that are younger with severe DOR and no other problem as they throw the book at it and will retrieve with low numbers. Their main embryologist is quite good and they seem to do well with 3 day transfers. Dr Barad does most of the retrieval/transfers and he has good hands/bedside manner. They do not do well with the work up and treatment of other problems as Dr. Gleicher is very stubborn about his opinions.

He was alway late to appointments. When he would get to you, he would say he had been dealing with a patient with difficult problems which was why he was late. Then he would rush me i.e. I was not important or difficult in spite of our repeated failures. My third appointment he took a call on his cell phone and talked the whole time in front of me about meeting up with his colleague for about 15 minutes then tried to limit me to the same amount of time because he was behind due to his phone call.

Huina was a good communicator, she just was more of a coordinator not a real nurse, so couldn't answer most of my questions.

Dr. Gleicher has one way of treating patients. He throws the kitchen sink at them for immune problems and scoffs at day 5 transfers or pgs testing. I understood where he was coming from and agreed initially until it didn't work several times and he admitted he didn't know why. Because I am a physician, I karyotyped myself and my husband and found he had a balanced translocation which greatly reduced our odds of pregnancy. I was upset, because I feel he was just continuing to take our money without being honest about what was going on. He blustered that he wouldn't do anything differently, but the standard for our problem is ivf with pgs which he refused to do with us. I felt he owed us some money back for not being thorough and leading us down a path without all the info we needed to make informed decisions about what we would need to do. They kept saying we were doing do well and very much expected us to get pregnant. Meanwhile, I spent $45,000 with nothing.

Don't go there. Go to Cornell. They are much better, more professional and more thorough with better results.

I had recurrent pregnancy loss which he attributed to immune issues although all my tests were normal. He used the micro dose lupron protocol both times with good results at retrieval. Their lab got good fertilization results and embryos looked good. He put me on aspirin, prednisone, lovenox and ivig for immune issues without result. I eventually discovered my husband had a chromosomal issue which needed genetic testing to find normals. We lost a lot of embryos with the freeze thaw process as I don't think they do that much. I think we lost all our normals.

10,000 for ivf without monitoring (I did that at home). $3800 for ICSI and assisted hatching. $1200 for freezing embryos and $250 every 3 months to store frozen embryos.

It's a small clinic which I like. Everything is so small but I think they are building a new block just behind. Overall I like the clinic. Wait time is horrible though.

They give the same protocol to everyone. They are not flexible in customizing treatment. Lab is a chaos. Nurses are so unorganized. Dr. Barad is nice when you see him. But that doesn't help in the rest of the treatment. They don't explain what is going on during the treatment. They just see you for a minute, give you orders. Nurses are so poor in explaining and communicating.

Their lab is so old school, they don't have my file when I go there for scheduled blood work, always so much confusion. The nurse coordinator doesn't speak English very well not gives instructions well. She made me panic at the last minute regarding HCG as I didn't have it in my hand and couldn't get it on time because of her not thinking forward and giving proper instructions. Same for ordering medications. They don't call back and let you know if there is a problem with insurance not follow up with insurance.

Dr. Barad is very nice, compassionate and experienced. No doubt. But I also think since he is older he is stuck with his opinions. I also think that they try to push everything that's only proven by their clinic's research. In my opinion one clinic and 3 women is not of statistical significance. For older women with DOR they try whatever they can to retrieve even if it is one follicle. So they don't cancel cycles. I think it's great for those women. But they tried to use the same protocol for me even though I am 44 and retrieved 8 eggs. it didn't work for me and they want to do the same even the next time.

If you have no hope and only getting 1-2 follicles they will treat you.

1st IVF - 300gonal - 150 Menopur. 2 eggs retrieved, 1 fertilized with ICSI and transferred. BFN. 2nd IVF - I asked to increase Meds. 450 Gonal, 150 Menopur. Trigger at 14mm lead. First time triggered at 17 lead and the other two at 11 and 12. He thought we waited too long and lost the lead so this time at 14. 8 retrieved, 4 fertilized, 3 transferred. Pregnancy - D&C in 9th week. Trisomy 15. He doesn't cancel cycles. He doesn't want to freeze or do PGD. Does day 2 transfer. Said the same protocol for the next one. So I switched RE.

It's always in the morning. I didn't see Dr. Barad even once during me second IVF monitoring. Dr. Kushner who did monitoring is so grim and doesn't give you any answers or indications. Extremely Uninformative.

My insurance covered it.

Strengths are their initial set-up of appointments and email communication. Weakness lie within customer service for out of state clients and truth in advertising regarding fees for initial (video) consultations. They want to charge us additional fees to get fertility recommendations, which is what we already paid for ($450).

We only had 1 Skype meeting as the start of an out-of-state consultation in which he was appropriately warm and professional. My issues are with the business practices and customer service afterwards.

My initial interactions via their web-based communication portal, were great, quick, and efficient. However after a while, she just disappeared and I was unable to get in touch with her via phone or the email portal. Knowing that the Fall season is full of holidays, I gave at least 3-4 weeks of time before reaching out again, but to no avail, until I filed a BBB compliant about not getting our final recommendation/results.

Dr. Gleicher was professionally appropriate for the Skype session however not open about any additional fees or charges after that appointment. He had appropriate questions for us at the time and obviously was well-spoken about fertility in older women.

Ask a lot of questions

After my Skype consultation and blood work and testing in 9/2018, I still have yet to receive any recommendations or treatment strategies to date (1/2019).

Only a initial consultation: $450 as listed on the website

CHR is a great clinic. They are organized, well staffed and easy to work with. Their monitoring hours need to be earlier though, they are from 8:30-11am which is too late for me because of work. So that makes it hard. Everything else has been great.

Dr. Kushnir is technical and specific about your individual care. He explains things logically and answers all of my questions completely. I felt like he had a real plan for me from the start and wasn't making things up as we went along, which is how I felt a lot of the time with other physicians.

Huina is by far the best nursing coordinator I've met and I've been to several clinics. She's organized, anticipates my needs, makes my life easier and communicates often and well.

Dr. Kushnir gave us alternate plans and helped guide us on which one was best for us based on our medical conditions. He was straightforward, but kind and flexible. He was always available via email and easy to approach.

Ask questions! He will always answer them.

I don't know what the protocol was called but I was placed on Gonal-F and Menopur once a day, each and 2mg of Estradiol daily. They wanted to give me a high stim protocol to see how I'd respond given my low ovarian reserve. We're still actively engaged in the protocol, so I'm not sure about the results.

so far Dr Vitaly has attempted to either get our insurance to cover our costs or lower his out of pocket prices

Latest technologies, friendly approach. Extremely coordinated and make you feel comfortable. Every procedure is done on premises. Professional staff and quick to get an appointment. I highly recommend.

Thoroughly explained what my issues were, and assured that I still have a chance to get pregnant with my own eggs. Very good on following up.

Very good on coordinating and follow up

Dr. Kushnir is a very compassionate person who clearly understands the patient's individual needs and makes you feel very comfortable. Convinced me that I don't need donor's eggs unlike other doctors I consulted with.

Everything is great as it is

450 IU of Gonal 150 IU of Menopur Early retrieval

$50 copay for appointment Around $20,000 for a fresh IVF cycle

Single embryo

Office staff slightly disorganized but does do their best to help in a timely fashion

He looked deeply into the possible causes of my individual infertility...instead of just lumping me into a big group of infertile women

The nursing staff was generally accomodating, knowledgeable and friendly

Dr. Gleicher was the first doctor to look deeply into my medical history to find potential causes and possible remedies for my infertility...when my previous doctor had just immediately recommended I use donor eggs after my first failed IVF attempt.

Take notes, Write down all questions and be prepared for your consultation, don't be afraid to ask for clarification on everything. All the information is overwhelming, at a very emotional time and it's easy to miss things...each consultation is very expensive so be sure to do your best to cover everything in one session.

There was a window set for monitoring. The earlier you got there the better.

Around 17k or 18k

Small busy lots of foreign clients. Usually running special trial (older women). In an old townhouse so does not feel like a hospital. All procedures completed onsite.

Busy clinic often full waiting room.

Small team of nurses. Each played a role. Boos tests conducted on site. Nurses rotated being assigned to doctors.

Blunt. Will persist and get you pregnant if u want to be pregnant. He is a research doctor who travels a lot to share gains at the clinic. Very straightforward. Not a doctor that will give you a hug.

Know his personality is by the books.

Tubal blockage so went right to IVF and their standard treatment.

Monitoring hours were organized. Often busy but varied from just one other person to a full waiting room.

Most all covered by insurance

This clinic was very anxious to have me start my IVF cycle. My insurance did not cover the IVF cycle at all. The clinic also failed to provide the pre-authorization needed for my insurance to cover some of the costs of the medications. I ended up spending thousands of dollars more because of the clinic not providing me with specific prep information for my IVF cycle.

He seems to care more about making money off of me rather than trying to treat me.

Very knowledgable and responsive.

Not a good communicator, not compassionate, cold personality.

don't expect a warm welcome

over $10,000

A large New York clinic that specializes in egg donors from diverse backgrounds.

Dr. Barad was consistently gentle with my body and with my emotions. He always allowed time for my humanity--and his own. He was a great comfort during a miserable time in my life.

I could not have been happier with Dr. Barad. My son exists because of his caring nature, as well as because of his expertise.

Make the appointment today!

New York, so most things were covered by insurance--co-pays added up, but was very grateful it was covered! Donor egg cycle was not covered, and I think it ran around $25,000

He is more nurturing than Gleser. He will work with the best timeline for you family. I had a broken leg and young child and he convinced me to wait.

He is caring. Good relationships with office staff and nurses. Willing to come in on weekends.

Talk it through with him.

Dr Kushnir always smiled at me and spoke to me in a personal manner. He remembered every question I had asked in between visits and always made direct eye contact

Dorota was amazing. She became my best friend thru all of this and even answered my questions after

Although my cycles were not successful being with this clinic was like being surrounded by family. I felt safe and cared about. It turned out that I had endometridis and needed antibiotics before i could do another cycle but i would choose this clinic again

Trust him he knows what he's doing.

First we did a round of Clomid because i was more comfortable with it and did not want an abundance of embryos then we did 2 full ivf cycles using follistim and menapur. We also used ICSI

Definitely agreed with the multiple transfers and knew the risks of multiples.